Unfortunately, I didn’t take many pictures of the sweater (which he does still have and wears often). Here is one:

Since this picture was taken, afterthought pockets were put in and the buttons were changed to Indian Head Nickles turned into buttons (we bought them at the flea market).

Watching the Olympics, I was struck by the outfits the American athletes wore.  Did you see this? There’s no big polo pony on mine, but I ripped off paid homage to the BHOF first.

In some crazy pay back scheme, I knit a copy of RL’s Opening Ceremony Knit Hat.  Helena Bristow, owner of Clever Knits, has the pattern up on Ravelry for free already.  I knew from looking at the pattern that it was going to run big so I didn’t use Cascade 220 as suggested. I used St. Denis Nordique (isn’t that appropriate?), and smaller needles, then cast on last night.

I made some other changes to the pattern. I knit the lining in cotton so it isn’t scratchy. I made a purled hem for a neat fold line.

Detail of lining and hem

I deleted a couple of rows of white so it wasn’t so long (it still is). I knit the white on blue pattern all the way around in case I can’t find a flag patch. And I changed the decreases at the top so they frame the pattern with double decreases and are neat and tidy.  The Nordique is lovely yarn and even though I knit the hat with 4s and 6s, I you can still see the blue stranded behind the white in some lighting. Ah well.

I once knit M a Dale of Norway ski hat and when I saw the Olympic hat online, it looked similar in size. I’m considering making the hat again using 2.5mm and 3.5mm as I did with that hat. I also used Heilo and was all excited to knit the hat again in that yarn. When I hauled it out of my stash (of course I had the right colors and amounts?!) I realized the yarn is almost indistinguishable from Noridque.

I have been busy making other hats for no apparent reason. Here are a couple:

Also a wimple

and some socks

Needless to say, the coffee table is taking a hit

I liked making the hat so much, I decided to make one for my neice, Julia. I down-sized the pattern from 160 stitches in circumference to 140. I eliminated three of the pattern bands too.

Here’s Julia wearing the chullo. Julie, another neice, is wearing another hat I made last summer.

Next it was time to make a full-sized chullo but without the pattern bands that make the hat so tall. This one is still in the pile of knitted object that are looking for their rightful owners (anyone out there named Juliette?).

Another neice, Kiona, needs a chullo too. That’s how this one happened. It’s from Charlene Schurch’s book Hat’s On! This book is one of my most used and best loved knitting books ever. It’s the kind of knitting that never goes out of style and you can do over and over.

This last chullo began as a gift for the daughter of a friend. I think she said she wanted a chullo that was either black and purple or red and white (black and purple offer little constrast). When I went hunting for yarn, I really wanted to use some crazy bright Noro for it’s color-changing properties. Then I needed a solid to set it off and I came back with Lopi Lite in cream. Nothing like what the young lady requested so this is in the ‘yet to be owned’ pile. I do think I know who might need this one, however… friend Deb’s daughter Julia (do you see a trend here?).

I’ll have to go back and knit the black and purple or red and white chullo for Kathy’s daughter. But before I do that, I think I’d better cast on a chullo for nephew Julian!

Afterwards, each person burns a list of prayers and intentions for the new year.

Today, it’s back to work and school. Here’s hoping everyone had a wonderful holiday!

As you can tell from the previous month, blogging has been a victim of the time shortage. Obviously, other people aren’t feeling the pinch. I’m so jealous.

In December, Olivia turned 16 years old. As our gift to her, Jessica, Mark, and I transformed her blue sky-with-clouds painted room into the orange room of her dreams.

For years, Olivia has begged us all to allow her to paint her room orange. She shares her room with Alle and Alle wasn’t all that hot for orange. Now Alle’s away at college, Syracuse University no less (Go Orange?!).  So in a matter of a few days of frantic painting, bookcase building, and general mayhem, Olivia got her orange room.

It’s difficult to tell what the actual colors are from the photo, but that’s pretty true to life. Depending upon the time of day and the weather, the room is anywhere from a pumpkin color to blazing sunset. Jessye and I decided that we wanted the walls to be graduated shades of orange from ‘a squash orange’ to cream. After the walls were done, we went back and added whiplash curves in shades of orange. The original idea came from a photo of an Art Deco room in Belgium and somehow transformed itself into a cracked-out teenager meets Morocco.

Regardless, Olivia loves it and for whatever reason, being in there is a wonderful experience. I’ll restate my case for the healing power of color, and if it takes an orange room to quell teenage angst, so be it.

When the room was finished, it was just a few days until Christmas. Knitting happened. So did some sewing. One thing I managed to make (several times over — Merry Christmas to you!) is a purse organizer. The pattern/directions I used come from The Giving Flower blog.  Easy to make and pretty useful too.

Pockets filled and ready to roll.

All rolled up.

In a purse.

Despite my penchant for bags, I’m not a purse person. You’ll see me with totes, baskets, and backpacks, but rarely with a purse. My coworker Chris was bemoaning the fact that she had to carry the same purse every day because the idea of switching purses struck fear in her heart. “What if I forgot something important in the move?”

This led me to google ‘purse organizers’ and I uncovered a world formerly hidden from me. I like The Giving Flower’s pattern because you can easily customize it to fit the things you can’t live without (my 2 Moleskines, my fountain pen case, my Burt’s Bees, my iphone) and you can roll it up to fit whatever bag you’re carrying.  As mine is generally wadded up in the bottom of a larger bag, the next time around, I think I’ll add some elastic that will hold the whole thing together.

We did our completely handmade holiday again this year. It’s hard to imagine celebrating the holiday any other way. No trips to Walmart or the Mall. No debates over the appropriateness of foot baths or hand mixers for Aunt Betty.  Our continued appreciation of making all the stuff we give does come with this warning: making your gifts doesn’t necessarily mean spending less money. Anyone who has ever bought Cashmerino Aran knows what I’m talking about.

“It’s better to give than to receive” has been repeated often, sometimes even by me. This year, I scored pretty well, however.

Mark made me a fountain pen that takes my breath away. My photographs of it are lousy, but trust me, it’s a beautiful pen. He made it with art plastic we bought at the NY Pen Show this year.

He also made me a tam blocker. Usually I use one of our Corningware dinner plates. The tams take forever to dry because there is no air movement.

Olivia made me a hand (I have a collection of hands…)

Jessica knitted me a scarf in a leaf lace pattern with beads. Who knew she could knit that well? I certainly didn’t.
Alle made me a poster of this, changing the woman to be dark skinned. Our laundry room has a collection of vintage tin signs and this will be added to our collection.

One of my favorite gifts that I gave was this bear.

It’s a lousy picture, but the story cracks me up.

10+ (maybe 14+) years ago, I went through a phase of making teddy bears. I wanted to make a jointed bear our of fur and decided to practice using Debbie Mumm quilting fabric. I made the body, the dress, and the head. I attached all of it except for the head. Then I moved. Then I moved again. Finally, I cleaned. When I came across the bear head, I threw it out. Alle was bereft because she lovingly saved the body (and until that day, the head) hoping against hope that I would someday put it all together. She is nothing if not patient.

For Christmas, I pulled out some of the original fabric (does this provide some insight into my crafty stash of supplies??) and made another bear head. Trust me, it was the last thing she expected, and isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

It’s also about this

making time to do nothing more important than watch stuff burn with the people you love.

My point here is that there’s not much time for knitting when your evening starts after 7:30 pm. and your morning begins around 5:30 am.

The last couple of evenings only afforded me an hour or so of knitting time. M and I started watching Simon Schama’s The Power of Art.  We love Professor Schama in my house and have listened to or watched anything he’s bothered to share.  So after all the coughing, wheezing, and crying at work (mine, not the kids), I’ve managed to knit 9 rows in the last two days and learned a thing or two about Caravaggio and Bernini.

By the time I hit 43,728 stitches, I was pretty certain Caravaggio was one messed up bro. I love how he used real people to depict Important Biblical Subjects, elevating the model’s humanity. To me, it blurs the line between sacred art and every day life in the street.  I like the idea that it is the universality of the emotions behind Important Biblical Subjects that makes them sacred. Our pain at the loss which floods us at a death, connects each of us in a place outside of time, thus binding us together in the shared experience of our humanity.

The next night, M and I watched the episode about Bernini. As an artist, he pretty much rocked the marble. This civilized creator of fine art and friend of the Pope, paid a servant to slash the face of his errant mistress. Too bad I’m not a writer for Desperate Housewives. There is definitely fodder here for future storylines.

Caravaggio with his crazy beautiful and disturbing paintings and Bernini with his voyeuristic take on the on the antics of a saint beg me to ask the question: is it only possible for great works of art to be created by intensely unhinged individuals?

With that thought, on day 10, with a stitch count of  43,728, I present to you Scotland:

I’m using this as a way of explaining why so little knitting got done.

We’ve lived in our house for about 4 years. When we moved in, we had our Select Comfort mattress already, but no bed. This went on for a while, what with being broke from buying the house, and all. Eventually, when the task of getting up in the morning from a mattress on the floor became just too much, we went to Ikea and joined the ranks of “college kids and divorced men”.

Once our bed and night stands were assembled, we were faced with arranging the furniture. Doesn’t sound too tough, but we have a giant freakin’ chimney right up the middle of our room.

M set the bed up on the wall opposite the chimney which sounds fine. Unless you are the person on the left-hand side of the bed (that would be me).  Do you see the charming sloping ceiling in the picture? Well, if you are 5′8″ and your bed it one foot closer to that wall, let me tell you what happens every time you get out of bed…WHAM!  I understand the whole Pavlov’s thing all too well. When I get up in the morning for years to come, I will be hunched over, I swear.

Moving the furniture like one of those Russian dolls. The moving led to trips to Target for under-the-bed storage boxes and trips to Goodwill with Sweaters of Days Gone By. We even broke out the vacuum! Hi Mom!!

This is my way of explaining that on day 9 of NaKniSweMo, tardy-style, I’m up to 39,894 stitches. And for those playing along at home, that includes 2 rows with 20 armhole steeks add for your knitting pleasure.

And just so you don’t think that it was all work and no play this weekend, Jess and I fit in a trip to the quilting store:

While Abbey hung out

I designed these patterns for several reasons, one of which is I believe that Consumer Supported Agriculture is a wonderful thing and I want to support Susan and Erin in all of the hard work that they do.

When the three of us originally talked about which patterns the fiber farms should offer initially, we agreed that an array of basic patterns requiring minimal supplies (one pair of straight needles and some yarn) was a great way to start. The patterns were to be available at the Farmers’ Market and we didn’t want anyone overwhelmed by patterns that required three sizes of needles and intricate stitches.

After months of changes, the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm and the Hudson Valley Fiber Farm have transformed themselves into the Juniper Moon Fiber Farm. It’s the same beautiful Cormo sheep. The same adorable goats. The same incredible shepherdesses, Susan and Erin.

In honor of their new home in Virginia, I am offering my sweater pattern Menemsha as a free pdf. A basic rolled-neck sweater for every member of your family, the pattern can be knitted in chest sizes 20″ to 51″. I put a lot of work doing the math to create the different sizes and while I might have otherwise sold this pattern, I am requesting that if you choose to knit it, you ‘pay’ for the pattern by doing something charitable.  Donate to a mitten tree. Become a hay sponsor the the Fiber Farm. Donate to a local food bank.  Volunteer your time.  And to everyone who has had a moments pleasure knitting anything I’ve designed,

NaKniSweMo update: 28,486 stitches as of day 7 (11/19/09).

I knit 7 rows (of 406 stitches) for a total of 2842 stitches.  At 8 rows to the inch, the progress pics don’t look all that different from the ones from day 4.  And I’m up to 22908 stitches.

The actual colors are a little softer, more grey and black/brown. When I look at the photos and can actually see the pattern emerging, I’m a little frightened. All those angles, it’s looking like some crazed geometric camo.

Glutton for punishment that I am, I figured out that I’ve only got 102 rows, or 41,412 stitches to go until I hit the armhole steeks.

In the meantime, I’m just grateful that the dust bunnies haven’t yet learned how to ask me what I’m making for dinner.

According to Shannon Okey of  KnitGrrl, an average sweater is 50,000 stitches making this project the equivalent of the 50,000 word novel required by the NaNoWriMo project.  Key concept here: the average sweater.

First of all, I didn’t cast Scotland on until halfway through the month of November.  And my goal was more along the lines of, “let’s hope I finish this before I die” variety. Still, being a mathy kind of girl, here are my stats:

The sweater is in size 51″ and for the ribbing 330 stitches were cast on plus 10 steek stitches. The ribbing consists of 2 rows, then 19 patterned ribbing rows and 1 increase row at 340 stitches that’s a grand total of 7480 stitches.

For the body of the sweater, the stitches are increased to 396 + 10 steek stitches (406 stitches each row). Each pattern repeat is 22 rows. So far, I’ve completed one pattern repeat + 9 rows (31 rows). 31 x 406 = 12,586 body stitches. 12,586 body sitches + 7480 ribbing stitches = 20,066 stitches.

At this rate, you’re thinking, I’ll hit my 50,000 stitches by the weekend. Yes, probably. However, consider this:

According to the pattern, the body is knitted for 17.5″ after the ribbing. At 8 rows to the inch, that’s 140 rows at 406 stitches each: 56,840 stitches.  Add on the ribbing (7480) and I’m at 64, 340.  Did I mention this is before the armholes? Before the sleeves are even a twinkle in my eye?

So here is the day 4 progress shot, 20,066 stitches…

Mark chose Scotland as his sweater of choice. It was (one of ) the first thing(s) I bought this year.

I didn’t cast on until a couple other things were made:

Olivia in Inga hat, St. Denis Nordique yarn

Random Norwegianesque Christmas stocking in Cascade 220

Flyingdales cardigan designed by Lisa Lloyd knitted in Plymouth Tweed.

I love this yarn and really enjoyed knitting this sweater. All the ends are woven in and the buttons are sewn on. Really. I’ve even worn it twice. There is a glaring mistake in this sweater and I have actually contemplated ripping it out to fix it. Nothing like being just a little bit OCD.  The cardigan body is knitted in once piece. Somewhere between the beginning of the pattern and later, I changed from seed stitch between the cables to moss stitch.  The yarn is dark and flecked with other colors so you really have to look and see it in a certain light to find that there is a mistake, but it really makes me nuts every time I put it on. It won’t be a total shock if I find myself knitting another Flyingdales just so I can sleep more easily at night.

One glove in Koigu. The other one is knitted up to the beginning of the fingers.
End of May Hat knitted in St. Denis Nordique.

I had actually cast this on as we were driving to Rhinebeck.  In the car, I was gushing about how much I LOVE this yarn. Then I had the good fortune to meet Veronik Avery, the designer of this yarn, at Rhinebeck.

Alissa’s Hat knitted in Cascade 220.

My friend Alissa showed me a hat she bought in Ireland. We both like this hat a lot so I figured out the pattern. Someday I will write it up. Right after I finish doing all the laundry in the house (HA!).

So here are my progress shots. The main reason I am bothering to take a photo every day of my knitting progress is that it is my deepest desire to actually finish this sweater. I have never bought a sweater pattern kit and I have lusted after any Alice Starmore kit for close to 25 years. They’ve always seemed to be so exorbitantly expensive which is kind of funny when I actually add up how much $$$ I spend on yarn per year (despite Quicken, Hell will freeze before I ever actually look at that number).  This sweater kit is the most I’ve ever paid to knit a single sweater. That being said, it’s still roughly half the cost of an AS kit.  In my own crazy logic, the only way I can justify every buying a kit from Virtual Yarns (Alice Starmore’s company) is if I knit this one in a reasonable amount of time and finish it. Even weaving in the ends…and sewing the seams. All of it. Really.

11/14/09

11/15/09

While I’m sure all of my details of knitting this sweater will bore the beejeezus out of everyone, I’m not sure I care. For the next little while anyway, my intention is to knit this and blog my experience despite the tedium it may cause others.

*This is in response to NaNoWriMo which is National Novel Writing Month. I will not be boring humanity with the novel I have buried in my soul.  I’ve turned this into National Sweater Knitting Month, even if it takes me a year to finish.