feels like a friday, or, adventures in herringbone

some random updating.

here's a detail shot of the progress on Ene's Scarf. chart 1 and 2 are shown completed, and i think i was about 6 or 8 rows into chart 3 in this picture. its not much to see but its on its way and finally starting to go a little faster. i'm planning on getting a bunch of work done on it this weekend. hopefully it will start taking shape as a more cohesive piece.

2 fellow knitters and i are starting a "chain scarf" project in an effort to bust us some stash. three 6 foot scarves to be made in total (between the three of us). each knitter knits up one foot before passing their current to the next person. you start your own, therefore establishing the width that all guages thereafter must adhere to, also setting the tone for color choices, textures, etc. (CLARIFICATION: whatever scarf you originally start, you receive in th end) i started mine with some old green wool that i picked up at a street market when i was living in rome. i have no idea what it is, i wasn't into saving labels at that time.... anyway, i'd wanted to give herringbone a shot and it is a lot of fun! it also makes for a super dense fabric that, despite being all knit on one side and all purl on the other, doesn't curl! thats enough for me to get excited. here's my first swatch. i'll try and keep you all posted on the progress of our little swap.

have a relaxing, fiber-filled weekend all! i'm crossing my fingers that i get a lot of knitting time in.

beaverslide!

after reading this great review, (and then this, more specific review) it didn't take long before i did some investigation and purchased some wool from Beaverslide Dry Goods in Montana.

their wools are grown and processed by a family run business in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. The fibers are processed using environmentally conscious methods (no harsh chemicals, etc.) and spun on an antique knitting mule which produces a lofty and rustic looking yarn. VERY great.

the range of colors is right up my alley and there are lots of options. i even received a wonderful personalized e-mail from Leanne updating me on my order status. The whole transaction was great, and its always nice to be supporting independent agricultural business.

but if all of this sounds like white noise, maybe this will stand out:
241 yards of wool for 8 dollars. not to mention many of their yarns are on sale for $6.50. $6.50!!
for under 20 bucks i have about 500 yards of quality wool at my discretion. i'm pretty happy.

i bought two skeins of their wool/mohair (90% wool, 10% kid mohair). They came with hand-tied tags in bulging skeins smelling great!

the brown color is "mink" and the dark blue-green is "mallard." this should be enough to make that perfect warm winter scarf that i've been cooking up in my brain for a while. and after a freezing cold walk from columbus circle to lincoln center this morning, i was sure wishing it was already done and protecting me from the blizzard-gusts on amsterdam.

here they are all ready to go. the yarn isn't as perfectly soft as i had hoped, but to my approval, the mohair is not even noticeable (nothing like the itchy halos of lamb's pride) and the knitted fabric has a great subtle texture. it'll be nice and warm and rustic. if you're looking for a great yarn to start your next project, here's an idea! keep your eyes out - scarf pictures will be up soon i'm sure.

Ganomy!

Ganomy Photos are finally in!! I took a few shots of this project that was completed in December and gifted to my roommate for christmas. I'm just now getting around to documenting some on-head pictures. (apologies for lack of better light. i wanted to wait for natural light for the shoot, but that would have meant waiting till next weekend at the earliest...





A few notes about the pattern: very simple and creative, yields a really cool design. I made a few modifications, mainly adding in some extra decreasing at the top to keep it from becoming too pointy. if you follow the pattern exactly, you'll have more of a 'gnome point' on top (the pattern also is written to include a bobble-like pom-pom with a ping-pong ball inside!). i like a point thats a bit more subtle. I also did a seed stitch brim which i think looks pretty good.

check out those lines!

Pattern: The Ganomy Hat from Elizabeth Zimmermann's "Knitter's Almanac" (July Project)

Materials: Brown Sheep Brand Lamb's Pride Bulky [color: Loden Leaf]

Needles: US 9 29" Circulars using Magic Loop

I'm definitely planning on making one for myself in the near future. Possibly in Karabella's Aurora Bulky. Hope you enjoy the photos - i definitely recommend the pattern for anyone in a knitting slump.

a couple things.

i started Ene's Scarf from Scarf Style last week. the photos below were taken last thursday and aren't a very good representation of what the piece is looking like now because i spent multiple hours this weekend working on it. i've finished both charts 1 and 2 and its really starting to look great. shown below: the shawl about half way through chart 1... not much at all to look at, but what the hell right?


(i realize these photos are a little big for my layout... but details are more important, right?)


in hindsight... chart 1 is a bitch. because of a 375 stitch cast-on, each row takes forever and you don't start noticing any pick-up in the pace until chart 2 or 3 (there are 4 total) when it starts decreasing like crazy. so needless to say i'm glad thats over, although it looks pretty damn good.


i started this hat - a bulky version of the prospect park cap with an addition of earflaps. i'm using karabella aurora bulky, but ran out half way through. haven't been able to pry money from my wallet to buy more... UGH (its a little pricey for my tastes, and the fact that there is only 56 yards per ball pisses me off... but the colors cant be beat. and it feels great). so who knows when this will be done.

in other news: treschiqueveronique tagged me with one of those quiz things. now, i dont want you to think i'm ignoring it... but those things freak me out! so i'm still mulling it over in my head, i need a little more time. thanks for the tag though, veronique! (check out her blog, just finished a pretty impressive version of lady eleanor!)

hats on heads

i hope you aren't sick of hat photos..... i thought posting pictures of hats-on-heads would be a great way to supplement my previous documentation..... am i going overboard?

here is a shot of the seedflap hat in action. to refresh your memory, this is a very slightly modified version of the kitty hat (sans ears) made in malabrigo pure worsted merino. i wont bore you with details for the third or fourth time... check out the archives for those.

coffee and handknit garments... pretty great way to spend your day, no?

next up is the Nautilus I (i made 2 this christmas). Version I has a 2x2 rib around the the base and turned out great. The 2nd one I did had a roll-brim as per my mother's request and didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. but i think thats mostly because i am extremely anti-rollbrim.

the decreases on the crown really set this hat pattern apart from the rest...

materials: misti baby alpaca "worsted" in white
needles: US 6 takumi clover bamboo 16" circs
pattern: nautilus hat by marnie maclean

theres more to come... so stay tuned! i had promised a few of you photos of the GANOMY hat being modelled by the recipient. he left it in philadelphia last weekend at his parents house but it should be coming back up to the city on friday and i plan on delivering the goods soon after...

Winter Femme

Here are the completed pictures of Winter Femme. This pattern was quick and easy and looks great, especially with this wonderful fiber (I definitely plan to use it again in the future)

please excuse the absence of natural light - this goes against all my photographic principles. New York is just too damn dark right now and i have a 9-5 job (can only get good daylight shots on the weekends)

Color is more accurate in the second photo, but neither has it right on. This post is more accurate to the true color (good light)

Pattern: Winter Femme by Diana Gates
Materials: SWTC Karaoke in Copper (Color 286)
Needles: US 6 Takumi Clover 16" Circs.

act fast!

Joann is having a 50% off sale on all online purchases today only! Coupon code is JANH650. Just got a yarn swift (finally) for half price (and saved $30!!)

back with a vengeance

i'm so sorry about the long hiatus! over the last two weeks i've had major technical problems with blogger. they wiped clean my entire blog and left me stranded. after trying futilly to fix the problem myself and having no luck contacting them, i was forced into starting up again at a new site. one post into my new life i get an email from them saying they've recovered my information! despite being annoyed, i was releived!

for most recent update check out

THE POST I DID AT MY TEMPORARY SITE... BROOKLYN TWEED 2: THE IMPOSTER

(a taste of what you will find at the link above!)

so in conclusion... i'm back. for all of you who i contacted with my new information (in a panic)... i apologize. disregard those messages!