This is the sweater Liz knit for Gwyneth, in Rowan Calmer from the Louisa Harding book (I believe). Sarah took the fantastic photos.

Gwyneth with Nana in a beautiful creation by Liz. Her arms have some growing room; I'm hoping to take a better detailed photo soon...

My little valkyrie

Baby Update

My water broke around 6:00AM yesterday and I'm heading to the Stanford Hospital at 8:00AM today - wish me and baby luck! I'm a little bummed that the home waterbirth with a midwife abd doula didn't happen as planned, but at the end of today I get to take home baby, so all is good. And I was able to get a really good night's sleep last night and feel fantastic right now. Baby's kicking and moving a lot this morning so all is well with baby. We did set up the birthing tub in the living room and I got to hang out in it for a while yesterday (which felt great), and the doula has been an angel. We had an acupuncturist come over yesterday so it had the feel of a birth-centered slumber party. And yes I'm bringing knitting - a single sock in Trekking XXL.

Talented Knitters

Sarah and I assembled the lovely squares from everyone and this magical baby blanket is the result. Isn't it lovely? I think so too. It currently lives on our chair, waiting for baby. I'm at 35 weeks today, and working on Sarah's baby shower gift, which I can't show you. Trust me in that it's lovely, and EZ-inspired.

Here are some more photos of the baby shower, all knitters in attendance (some happily knitting). I have very talented friends:)

Baby Shower Booty, or Why Knitters Rock

Long time no post. If only I were knitting fabulous items, and finishing them. But no, third trimester sleepiness has taken over my brain. Today Sarah threw me the nicest baby shower - in addition to lovely knitted items of all kinds (a gorgeous Touch Me purple baby blanket, that Damon refuses to relinquish to the baby by Carel; a stunning koigu baby jacket by Rebecca; tiny, perfect baby socks by Robin; and squares by all in various colors for a lovely cotton blanket). I've also received a number of baby items (all gorgeous and stylish): lovely books, baby yoga pants, whole outfits. Really, it's overwhelming the goodwill and generosity of knitters. Did I mention the purple Touch Me blanket? I love it with Smeagle/Gollum-like affection. They're all preciouses.

On to knitting: I'm working on the Tomten baby jacket by EZ in traditional wool (grays, greens and white). I plan on adding a zipper and afterthought pockets. I have 14 ridges left on the hood, and the sleeves to add on (plus said finishing). I also ordered the Saddle-Shoulder Aran Cardigan by EZ along with the yarn. I'm tentatively working on my swatch cap. I'm embracing zimmermania. Tomorrow: pictures:)

The hat post

I've been knitting furiously (happily?) on Arlette's test pattern for a 2-color, 2-handed brioche in the round hat. I'm using remainder Noro Silk Garden in green, grey and blue and a light gray Jo Sharp yarn. I'm addicted to the technique - it's just as challenging as learning how to originally knit and very, very satisfying. Process enjoyment aside, it's producing a lovely hat. The decreases ( a 2 row process) are a little wobbly, but in general are coming along nicely. I can't watch TV (engaging TV) and decrease yet, but I'm optimistic.

In other news, I'm back to loving several on-the-needle projects: my first attempt (technically third attempt) at designing a sock is going very well. I'll be back to it as soon as the siren call of the brioche hat is answered and off the needles (in other words, tomorrow).

More on the to-do knit list of UFO's: the chevron scarf from LMKG. I'm almost halfway there, and it's growing so prettily and very, very spring-like that I must have it finished, washed, blocked and ironed (I sense curled edges unless the iron comes out from storage).

I've found all the pieces and wires to our digital camera, and took these experimental shots of an FO (the Rowan hat) and UFO (Arlette's brioche design). It resembles outsider art, these photos, but it is night and I'm not a camera person. Brooklyn tweed started somewhere. Perhaps not here...

How I love EZ, and more about Stitches

Woops, the Madeira Lace Stole is actually by Terilyn Needlearts (same booth as Cookie, the Bay Area Knit Co-Op). I've completed two charts (about 48 rows) so far and I love it so much I dreamt about it last night. Seriously, it's an inspiring, fun and surprisingly easy project. Plus, super soft black alpaca sport weight yarn. The only downside (and it's a minor one) is the 40" Addi Turbo's I'm using. I love Addi's, but didn't steam out the cable enough. I now have a partial slinky to knit with. Sarah asked about the class I took at Stitches - I learned a few useful things: how to convert a written, not charted , pattern to the round, and a neat trick on creating a flat round swatch (that's right, flat round). It involves some large loops of slack yarn in the back and pushing the swatch to the other end of the needles after each row (much like an i-cord). It's interesting, but I think I like EZ's recommendation to simply cast on enough for a hat.

Speaking of EZ, my love for her writing, projects and techniques keeps growing. It's love, not infatuation. I'm sending my mom the practically seamless baby sweater directions and some sample yarn - she's an enthusiastic beginner and a quick learner with a strong interest in knitting baby items. That means EZ.

I've also been researching digital cameras, and have been reading a lot of Brooklyn Tweed and Bella Knitting lately. I love the great photos of yarn and knitting and am inspired to, if not buy a good digital camera, then at least to camp out at Sarah's house.

I also went down to Uncommon Threads, a local-enough favorite yarn shop, and bought 5 or 6 balls of Rowan felted Tweed. Inspired by Nona's fair aisle sweater based on EZ, I am ready to cast on for something that I hope will be as lovely and satisfying as this one. Isn't it pretty? And the hat? I love it, and more importantly Nona loves it.

Stitches haul

I love going to Stitches; this makes my third year to have worked in a booth (this year for Bella Knitting; the previous two for The Knitter's Studio). It's always fun, exciting and inspiring. I had a windfall of cash just in time for Stitches and spent it wisely and quickly. My haul involves mainly kits and projects:

• Madeira Lace Stole by Cookie A (the bottom black stole - pure gorgeousness. I cast on immediately after purchasing).
  
• 2 skeins of Fiber Elements Hand Maiden Sea Silk for the "Tilting Block Pattern" stole (clearly, I have to accommodate many stoles into my wardrobe). It was a rush purchase that I have zero regrets about. I saw it in the booth and knew instantly that it had to come home with me. Also, I bought the last two skeins of my colorway ("Nova Scotia"). The fact that it's healthy to wear and knit with only add to its charm.
• 2 skeins of Sol Joy sock yarn from the Great Adirondack booth in color "Kermie".
  
• enough yarn to make an Elizabeth Zimmermann seamless raglan sweater in basic grey and green wool. Basic wool, but beautiful.
  

I heart Stitches.

Red Light Special

I finished my knitting for Bella and have ripped and re-knit the yoke for the Hourglass Sweater. I'm using Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in color #400 Ambrosia. I'm six rows from the end and then will begin (again) the hemming. But I'm pleased to be finishing it - it's beautiful so far and I already am considering it a favorite in terms of process and end product. I like it and the yarn I'm using so much that I'd like to make a second one right away but this great hat is calling out to me. There are so many great projects that I'd like to begin (or finish):

• Demi (stalled on the needles due to my indecision to knit it flat or in the round)
• Shadow Tam (above from Interweave Knits Fall 2004) - I've completed one beautiful wedge out of 8 total.
  
• Arlette's great reversible brioche beanie.
• Red Light Special by Brooklyn Tweed
  

More later - I'm off to the knit shop and to drive my husband to work (not in that order).

Valentine's Day: Yarn Love

I'm working on Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. It's so beautiful and addictive that I woke up at 7:00AM this morning, knit for 40 minutes and went back to sleep. It's a scarf of all things, and I rarely knit scarves but this I love. I'm using stash Koigu; I'd had two balls each of KPPM P714 and P822. Separately, I was unenchanted. Together in a chevron pattern they're beautiful. Here was my inspiration.

Reading My Stash

I had dinner with Sarah and Jason tonight at a lobster house (is it a house? Delicious sandwiches were served) and the topic of stash reading came up. Being a joiner too and easily talked into knitting things, I agreed to look for patterns between my yarn and my books. I found one while still at the restaurant.

Yarn: I like tweed and have a strong, exclusionary preference for wool (Jamieson's, Rowan 4-ply, Jo Sharp). I also like traditional designs: fair aisle, cables, anything a traditional yet stylish British woman between WWI and II might wear. A lot of Rowan design by way of Elizabeth Zimmermann. But I digress. I collect and appreciate all tweedy yarn.

Books: Excluding the knitting books, I have several books on natural building: cob houses (a traditional building similar to adobe and found originally in those beautiful limewashed, thatched-roof houses in Devon). I have cookbooks on unprocessed, natural foods. A book on soapmaking and woodworking.

One theme is do-it-yourself traditionalism: how to use wool to create a beautiful vintage sweater, and use unprocessed wool as insulation in a cob house. The other theme is making things myself by hand: a house, hand-dyed wool yarn, food.

Stitches West

I slept all weekend. But in more productive news, I just signed up for a class at Stitches West, for the first time in three years. The class is taught by Gwen Bortner, "Flat to Circular and Back Again". The pattern stitch I'm knitting for the homework swatch is the Parachute pattern out of "Charted Knitting Designs" by Barbara Walker. I'm off to start my homework swatch in something pretty, like Elsebeth Lavold "Silky Wool".

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Seaming

Such a good knitting day! Liz taught me the magic and beauty of good finishing. It really is magical when done properly. I'd been introduced to it once many years ago it didn't quite click, I didn't get to see the perfection of all the stitches lined up in a row, like one continuous piece of knitting.

I spent all day finishing a baby sweater out of Noro Iro (bulky and a little more rustic looking than I originally envisioned) and the Hike sweater that my friend Rebecca knit and generously gave me. It's in pale green Calmer, and lovely. Everything is complete except the zipper, which I plan on doing at some later stage. I love it. The generosity of knitters is just a wonderful thing. When I want to think about something uplifting, I think of knitters everywhere. I know I could think about doctors or midwives or refugee relief workers, but for me knitters are what's best about the world.

I also learned from Robin how to do the brilliant and useful Russian join. There are so many wonderful tutorials out there; here's one. I'm test knitting a scarf for Bella Knitting; when I needed to add a new ball Robin effortlessly taught me this technique. Again, I love knitters.

First FO of 2007

I finished the "Bobble" hat from Rowan Magazine #34, in exactly the colors shown here. It was remarkably quick to finish, and satisfying to get a FO out of it. One that I'm keeping, no less. I usually give hats away but this one I like and am wearing it right now as I type. It's chilly here in California.

Demi has begun

I cast on last night for the sleeve swatch. If I like it, it stays a sleeve otherwise it becomes a swatch. I finished the first 34 rows of ribbing, and in the interest of knitting from the chart both sleeves at once, I'm going to cast on for a second sleeve today and catch it up. Tomorrow I have a class with Liz, who has a wonderful ability to grasp complicated charts and patterns instantly and seemingly effortlessly. Nothing in knitting daunts her. I must learn her mojo.

So far I like it. One thing I noticed with the Rowan pattern - it mentions decreasing at each end but doesn't specify which stitch to decrease. The very last stitch for pattern continuity or one stitch in? (I chose one stitch from the end). I don't often knit from patterns, patterns like Rowan patterns, and am eager to explore the wide world of pattern ambiguity, like condensing an entire page of complex pattern to "Reverse for left side". Rowan knits are gorgeous; I love the way they look. Millions of knitters happily work with these patterns every day, with the seaming, ambiguity, the flat knitting and whatnot.

UFO's: the List

Currently on the needles (and have been for quite some time):

• Shedir from Knitty in Rowan Felted Tweed (inspired entirely by See Eunny Knit). See how gorgeous it looks on her? I thought so too and blithely cast on about four months ago. I'm up to the crown shaping (the end basically) but lack all motivation to see this hat through.
  
• Two, count them two, Hourglass Sweaters from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts". One in Rowan Kid Classic, a soft, girly pink (I'm not a girly pink kind of gal) and Jo Sharp, somewhere between sage and lime green. The green one I completely finished only to discover I'd decreased both sleeves the same direction (slanting left). It looks a little arty, but I'd know better.
  
• A crew-neck cardigan from "The Sweater Workshop" by Jacqueline Fee. I have the neck shaping to do and I'm finished.
  
• A second Jaywalker sock in Koigu. The first one is lovely and fits me. I have the toe decreases to finish the second one entirely, and have for almost a year now.
• A second sock from "Socks Soar on two Circular Needles". Same as the Jaywalker, except it's been almost two years and only the toe decreases to do.

There's more, much more but this is all for tonight. Sigh.

UFO's or Rowan "Demi" Please?

Rowan "Demi" from "Vintage Style" has been calling out to me, particularly since I recently bought 8 balls of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran off of eBay. This yarn has amazing yardage (175 yards). Did I mention that it's in color #414, Darkside, the exact shade in the book?

Normally I avoid all projects that require flat knitting, and am a fan of circular EZ-style knits. I love Elizabeth Zimmermann and everything she represents (common sense, circular knitting, no seaming); I also really love this sweater. I may try flat knitting and just see how it goes. I have a friend who's interested in a knit-along (good moral support), and is very good at seaming. When I cast on I'll keep you updated. I'm considering kitting both sleeves at once (flat), to avoid the boredom and inaccuracy of attempting two identical sleeves. I cast on this week, and welcome all good wishes:) I also am avoiding many UFO's to begin this sweater.