August 2005 Archives

Pattern: Mirabella, my own pattern
Yarn: Baruffa/Lane Borgosesia Aerobic in 61816 Lavender
Needles: US1 dpns

Here it is! I really like the way they came out. They're so comfy I'm having a hard time giving them away to my SIL, but ultimately I will. After washing them, of course!

I've created the pattern for the size I made (8.5" around the widest part of the foot). If you're knitting the pattern, please let me know what you think of the directions, images, yarn substitutions (Aerobic isn't found everywhere) and most importantly, any errors. Huge thanks go to Wendy for providing the basic toe-up pattern, and Marnie for sizing questions.

◊ Go to Mirabella Lace Socks pattern

Pattern: Drooping Elm Leaf, taken from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns
Yarn: TLC Cara Mia (50% acrylic, 19% nylon, 18% rayon, 13% angora; 3.5 oz; approximately 210 yd) in #2205 Melon
Needles: US8

I love one-ball patterns. This knitted up so quickly with the soft yarn, and blocked successfully. I calculated how much yarn I would need for the pattern and so I knew I had enough to make this scarf. Here's how I did it:

1. Knit up a swatch of the selected pattern (2 pattern repeats plus garter borders) of just one length repeat.
2. Measure its length in inches (x).
3. Frog the swatch and measured how many inches of yarn were used. I used inches, not yards, because I wanted to use up as much of the yarn as possible.
4. Divide that by 36 to figure out how many yards total were used (y).
5. Divide the yarn's total yardage by total yards used, y. This is the number of pattern row repeats you'll end up knitting.
6. Multiply that by the swatch length, x.
7. The result is the total length of the scarf, minus any top and bottom edging, in inches.
8. To figure out the total length of the scarf, minus any top and bottom edging, in feet, divide by the number by 12.
9. To factor in garter edging, I did one less repeat of the pattern.

Reading: I promised a review on Toby Faber's book on Stradivari: it was a good, informational read on the master violin maker and his instruments. It was not like Le Violon Rouge at all, but if you're interested in the man or the magic of his instruments, it's an engaging read. No time to talk, it's busy around here!

In case you're interested, I've posted an entry with photos of our Maple Canyon trip on my other blog. If you don't want the boring commentary, skip the entry and go straight to the slideshow.

Also, my random link, this time from the Linkbunnies: Bunny Suicides. Sick humor.

I'm still doing the sizing on the socks. My hat's off to anyone who's ever put together a pattern, because it takes some time! Marnie has been giving me some helpful hints on sizing and fit, and it's just a matter of checking the pattern, taking photos, designing the pdf, and putting it out! Another week, at the most. The Flower Basket Shawl has been sulking in my knitting bag, and the Cascade 220 I purchased for the Afghan Project in Memory of John Glick has mysteriously disappeared. Kiri? What's that?

My opinion on a $10m lawsuit against the National Park System follows...

Kim Hargreaves' latest collection is up. As is Rebecca's latest.

I bet you want to know about the sock. I chugged along on the road but stopped WHEN I RAN OUT OF YARN. Now I know, start the second sock with the second ball! ... I should finish the sock this weekend, then I'll start proofing the pattern. Oh, and I have a name: Mirabella, after the Mirabel Gardens. There's a fountain there whose falls echo the pattern.

My mini-vacation at Maple Canyon in Utah was wonderful. We haven't gone camping in a long time, which I attribute to the 2-month climbing road trip we took a few years ago, so we were looking forward to this. We made the 10-hour drive with friends and all our gear, and a few others flew up and drove down from Salt Lake City. Four days is actually not the longest we (BF and I) have ever been without a shower, but surround yourself with 7 other people and it's all about the wet wipes. And the bonfire! (I think I'm a closet pyro.) It was *fun*. There was lots of great climbing, although in some areas the route ratings were soft. On the last day BF and I discovered a crag that was all harder 5.12 routes (yes!) that we'll be returning to next time. Performance-wise, I wish I had more endurance, as on the harder routes I climbed, I fell before the top. So it's back to the gym for power-endurance training! Pictures of Maple Canyon to come soon.

Want to put stuff on your cat?

Satellite pictures of the earth. I found my work! And my apartment! Kinda cool, sorta scary, big brother and all, y'know?

I started a new job, that's why I haven't posted anything new or commented on anyone's blogs. You know those events in life that keep interrupting with the knitting, things like summer vacations, new jobs, drama with friends, etc. So that's where I'm at right now. Here's a status report on the knitting front:

Lace Socks: Finished the first one, cast on for the second one. I hope to finish it by the end of this week or mid-next week, then write up the pattern. I have yet to think of a name, maybe fountain-related perhaps?
Drooping Elm Leaves Lace Scarf: I will probably finish this tonight. I just realized that since it's mostly acrylic, blocking won't do much good. Or will it? I just need to stre-e-etch it out a tiny bit in order to show the pattern better.
Flower Basket Shawl: In the yarn called for, which is a big deal, since I'm always substituting yarns. Call me a lemming if you want. Hey, it's a good way to learn, when everyone else is doing it. That way you get all the tips, the pictures that make you knit faster, the community that encourages.

I'm off to Utah again. Carpooling + long distance = lots of knitting time! And friends + climbing + Maple Canyon = good times. This is the life. Have a good rest of the week!

It's a bit difficult to take a picture of my own foot while trying to highlight the pattern, but there you have it. Please excuse the unvacuumed carpet and workout clothing in the background. You can see the little aran honeycomb on the side. I've completed the heel at this point and need just 2 more repeats of the pattern before the ribbing, then I'm done with the first! And casting on for the second! Happy sock knitting Friday, everyone.

Reading: Borrowed some books from the library: Yann Martel's Life of Pi, Lynne Truss' Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Norman Cantor's The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era, and Toby Faber's Stradivari's Genius: Five Violins, One Cello, and Three Centuries of Enduring Perfection. The last one reminds me of the movie Le Violon Rouge (The Red Violin). Should be interesting; I'll let you know.

Another lace pattern taken from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Treasury is such a great word for this and her other books; I've been inspired to create something of my own, which I'll start on in September. So here we have the lace pattern Miss Walker calls Drooping Elm Leaves, which has a staggered leaf pattern, as opposed to the twinned leaves of the Beech Leaf pattern. This scarf is composed of a garter stitch border (4 rows at the top and bottom, 2 stitches on each side) and two panels of the pattern. As with any other lace, it will show better when blocked.

I'm using TLC's Cara Mia in 2205 Melon. I saw this in Joann and was curious; the composition is 87% manmade, 13% ANGORA, and I happened to have a 40% off coupon, so it came home with me. Soft and long on yardage (210 yards), Cara Mia has some nice colors, particularly 2502 Mulberry and 2551 Honeydew. The great thing is this is machine-washable, so it's a good yarn for hard-wearing objects like hats, scarves and mitts.

I've also been trying to find the perfect pattern to show off the brilliantly blue rope-y Mondial Splendid yarn Mia gave me earlier this year. I found it on Lauren's blog, and it's from (no surprise) a Barbara Walker treasury, called Seafoam. You know, it's a group of yarn-overs and garter stitch. I think I'll figure it out on my own.

Lastly, Rebecca magazine's latest issue is all about mohair. Lovely stuff, but I've already got magazines with some of the patterns. There are, also, the Rowan and Rowan Classic Yarns magazines, all previews available at Colourway. Lovely stuff. Have a good time at the linkies, dearies.

Here's the beginning of my first adult sock. The pattern I'm using is Fountain Lace, bordered on both sides by a Honeycomb panel. It looks better when stretched, promise. I have some rough skin on my fingertips due to all the climbing I do, so I turned the sock inside out so I wouldn't snag it. It's not much different from knitting on the outside, just that you're working on the far side of the needles.

I found a link to Louisa Harding's pattern books through Jessica. There's Gathering Roses: Accessories and Gathering Roses: Design Collection. She's also got a line of yarns to go along with her books, and I love the colors she's using; very earthy but still colorful. I like this fitting sweater, this plain vest and this top with the (opened) keyhole neckline.

Let's talk about Vogue Knitting's Fall 2005 preview. I'm a bit annoyed with the site's use of frames (hello, usability) so all I can say is click on the link and see for yourself. I like the vests, especially the third, the Fair Isle with the ribbed empire waist. Very chic.

Reading: From Mia's box of books. Oh, and Cervantes' Don Quixote in the background. This seems to be the latest translation of "the world's first modern novel", which piques my interest slightly. If I'm curious enough I may try to read another version and decide which I like better. A friend of mine has Victor Hugo's Les Misérables in French and English, and Dostoyevsky's works in Russian, French, and English. She's in the process of reading through them and deciding which translations work best. Huh.