knitting school dropout

it seems like it will be awhile until i can see some daylight, so here are some night photos of my silk garden lite clapotis:

the facts:
-4.5 balls of noro silk garden LITE , color 2013,(this is a lighter weight silk garden, with different colorways, and 137 yds per ball.
-size us6 inox circs.
-approx. 9 days of non-monogamous knitting
-mods: i added 2 or three repeats to the straight section, but otherwise followed the pattern
-verdict:super easy, super cute

this is off to live with my mom now, it's her birthday present, and now she knows. hi mom!

Posted by melissa at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

i am done knitting, but the clapotis is still drying.

apparently, damp knitwear makes for a damn good sleeping spot.

there will be action photos soon, if i can get out of work early enough for a few daylight shots.

Posted by melissa at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

2 balls of silk garden lite
will get you through all of the increase rows and 5 repeats of the straight section. that's a good thing, since i only purchased 5 balls.

i was so excited to start dropping stitches, until i realized that they don't drop very easily with this yarn. nevertheless this is a fun knit. i can't seem to put it down.

Posted by melissa at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

i was flipping through the new issue of interweave today and when i got to page 36, i had to look twice. there was an ad for blue sky alpaca/silk with a photo of a woman wearing a wrap with a diagonal lace pattern. this is strange because last week, while i was supposed to be shopping for a specific needle, i was distracted by the blue sky alpaca/silk and ended up walking out of the store with 5 hanks. after some consultation with ms. walker, i settled on the diagonal madeira lace pattern. i wanted something at least twice the width of my widest scarf, that i could wrap around my shoulders, or wear around my neck, folded over. this was my jury duty knitting on monday. from what i can see in the photo the wrap may be a few inches wider, but the lace pattern seems to be the same. i just couldn't believe it was an ad for the exact yarn i'm using too. weirdness.

hard to see, but that's the ad:

this is how much knitting you can do while waiting 3 hours to be called in to the court:

the lace pattern is one of the easier ones out there. after a few repeats, you can pretty much read the stitches and know what to do next. the blue sky alpaca/silk is some wonderful stuff. i think i'll be using more of it as i knit gifts.

i also started knitting clapotis:

i just couldn't resist. i am always freezing, and i can totally see myself wrapped up in this baby as i suffer through another winter in an apartment with drafty windows.

i'm using noro silk garden lite in color 2013. i was a little disappointed at first, as all the balls of this particular colorway were very brown and pink when i saw them in person. when i ordered it though, the ones i received were heavy on the purple, which happens to be my least favorite color. maybe this will change that though because as i'm knitting it up, i'm quite smitten.

Posted by melissa at 07:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

i decided to start with small projects first, in order to shrink my WIP pile this weekend.
first off, i've finished the girlfriend's ganomy hat. i'm sure i'll be stealing this from her until i can knit one for me. maybe she won't like it, now that it's done.

pattern: ganomy hat from EZ's knitter's almanac
needle size: u.s. 10.5 addi turbo
yarn: rowan biggie print? ( i lost the label) in grey
i intentionally knit this on smaller needles than recommended for the yarn, for a more dense fabric. this hat must provide warmth during the endless shoveling of harsh new england winters.
i cannot recommend this pattern enough. once your read it over, you won't have to look at it again and you'll end up with a ridiculously cute hat. yay!

i also finished another Noro Kureyon striped scarf for a friend's birthday. same deal as before, 1x1 rib alternating between two different balls, every 2 rows. i think i used one ball of color 156 and one of 157, but those ball bands could have ended up in the bottom of my bag from something else. i think i'm totally burnt out on these now though.

now i'm off to map out my route to the federal courthouse. yep, this knitter has jury duty tomorrow. i hoping for lots of uninterrupted knitting time, i've lots of big projects to get moving on.

question: are they going to swipe my addi's at the metal detector? or should i just switch to my plastic denise needles and play it safe?

Posted by melissa at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

it's true, i am trying to distract you from my total lack of completed knitting projects. i think i have reached a point where i have sooo many works in progress, that i can't even decide what to work on or finish. i'm setting a goal of completing at least 3, large or small, by sunday night.
currently, i am completely addicted to knitting the super-simple ganomy hats from EZ's knitter's almanac. the pointed earflaps keep your ears warm, without being too flappy. i've finished one, and have 2 others on the needles. i'll probably knit one for everyone i know before winter's through.
the first one was a little snug, knit in that wonderful olive malabrigo that's been languishing in my stash for over a year. it'll fit my friend's little head perfectly i think, so i'm giving it to her. here's a little peek at it on my XL skull.

i thought this was a neat little distraction, so i'm totally copying leah. it's funny, when i shuffle my mp3s, i get songs that i haven't heard in months, so this is probably not a good representation of what i'm currently listening to.

if your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?
here's how it works:
1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every question, type the song that's playing
5. new question-- press the next button
6. don't lie and try to pretend you're cool

opening credits:
king's crossing - Elliott Smith

waking up:
don't ask for the water - ryan adams

first day at school:
leaders of men - joy division

falling in love:
flippy flop - erase errata

breaking up:
carnival - bikini kill

prom:
natural's not in it - gang of four

life's okay:
the stars of track and field - belle and sebastian

mental breakdown:
dolly dollar - liliput/kleenex

driving:
roadrunner - modern lovers

flashback:
rebels got a hole in it - halo benders

getting back together:
friendship station - le tigre

wedding:
hot rock - sleater-kinney

birth of child:
save a secret for the moon - magnetic fields

final battle:
i miss you - bjork

death scene:
call 1-800- fear - lali puna

funeral song:
making days longer - rjd2

end credits:
the fairest of the seasons - nico

well, i'll be back in a few days with lots of completed knitting, hopefully. bye!

Posted by melissa at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)