Knit That One More Time

Have you noticed that my knitting this year seems to be repeating itself? I knit about a dozen Dolores Park Cowls, some of which I never took photos. Then I knit 4 pair of Felted Clogs (Fiber Trends pattern AC-33). And now? I completed my second February Lady Sweater. Why? Because I can that's why.


So, the third February Lady Sweater that I'm knitting now is with Berroco Ultra Alpaca (#6277 Peat Mix). It's such a dark rich green...and the feel of alpaca and merino is so soft.

Have I shown you my latest stitch markers? These were made by Ginny from our Thursday night knitting group.


The flexible ring is well constructed and does not get in the way as much as metal rings. I love her choice of beads. It was really difficult to decide which ones to buy!

These were made by Nancy. I picked up a whole bunch of beads from Bead Time in Ventura. And asked Nancy to make me a few sets. I love how they all came out. My favorite is the pink and green. I think the small beads are all Swarovski crystals and the rest are miscellaneous glass beads from Bead Time.



I sure hope the Jesusita Fire gets fully contained this weekend. It's just devastating to our Santa Barbara neighbors.

Life Goes On

What I thought would be a follow up visit to the Vet ended up revealing more than a UTI. Chito had a cancer mass pushing up against his little heart. He also had masses in his lungs. He was at least 14 years, so he was getting old.

It's the saddest loss I've had to deal with as far as pets. Chito was fiercely loyal, loveable and such a vital part of our family. He kept Dad company after Mom passed away. When Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I promised that I would take care of Chito. And I did. Every year that went by, he felt more and more like my cat. He'd sit at my feet when I'd knit, he'd wait to greet Kurt and I as we'd come home from work or errands. And when he was younger, he'd leave us little "treats" in front of our door.

It's been such a difficult week without him, but I know we did the right thing. The doctor said that he had maybe 2-3 months of life left and chemotherapy would was not recommended at this point. I was ready to say goodbye knowing that there was nothing we could do, but I was not ready for the emotional loss and the impact of his absence day to day. He enriched my life more than he could ever know. RIP: April 18, 2009 6:20 PM

Balaclava for my Fishing Man

I made a balaclava for hubby. He's had one that I made for him when I first started knitting. The free balaclava pattern source that I used is found here and is designed by Nanette Blanchard. It worked really well. Now that it's been worn for quite a few fishing trips, he asked for another one and made some recommendations on personalizing it to his needs: a tighter knit gauge for extra warmth, a larger face opening and more stretchiness around the face opening. I used Nanette’s free pattern as a guide and made the following modifications:

Modification 1: a tighter knit gauge
I used size 6 needles throughout and more cast on stitches for a custom fit. The yarn I chose was a superwash worsted weight wool (Nashua Creative Focus – a little more than 100g for the balaclava)

Modification 2: a larger face opening
I knit flat rows for two inches after the first bind off.

Modification 3: more stretchiness around the face opening
· The bind off I chose is a variation of the Russian stretchy bind off that Wendy D. Johnson blogged about here and uses for toe up socks. This seemed like the best candidate for the bind off along the chin area.
· For the cast on after approximately two inches of flat knitting I chose a versatile and stretchy cast on that Stephanie shared with us from her Stitches West class this year. Here's a You Tube video that demonstrates this two-needle cast on. She said learning this cast on alone was worth the price of admission. I couldn’t agree more.

And now I'm off to make more progress on the second February Lady Sweater I'm knitting in red Cascade 220.

Oh, and you should read Pamela Wynne's recent post. If you like the February Lady Sweater as much as I do (I plan to make a few more), then consider a donation for all the careful math calculations, time and effort that Pamela put into this very popular pattern. I did.

Gift Friendly Pattern

I don't commit myself to do any Christmas knitting...it's too stressful. What I have been doing recently is gifting away lots of Dolores Park Cowls. The reaction I get from non-knitters is sheer delight and fascination with this trendy fashion item. Travelers to any colder region instantly find the cowl to be compact and travel friendly.

This is another repeat pattern (like the Fiber Trends Adult Clogs) that I don't mind making a knitter's dozen.

What was a little disappointing was the shortage of yarn in the Malabrigo Velvet Grapes hank I got this week. You'll notice how much I had to abbreviate the pattern in the photo above when compared to the Malabrigo Buscando Azul right underneath it. That's about 5 rows shortage. Disappointing. The Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Mulberry was a dream to knit with as was the Shibui Alpaca.

My new haircut for the warmer months ahead. My hairdresser gave me this retro style short hair. The only thing I asked for was something new for me and length roughly sitting on my shoulders. I'm quite happy now that part of my neck can feel the Spring breeze. :D Maybe the haircut isn't so much retro as is the styling with the ends flipping out to the sides. It certainly feels '50s.

The new specs are made by Emporio Armani, style 135. I asked for help in finding square shaped lense frames with no bottom frame. This was the top choice. Even with vision coverage, they were not cheap. And the pearl? Well, that's a Maui souvenier: a grey Tahitian pearl about 13-14 mm with a diamond added to the setting. I looked for a bail large enough for the omega chain that DH bought for me a few years ago. My previous hobby prior to knitting was going regularly to the International Gem & Jewelry Show frequently held at the Santa Monica Convention Center. I lost interest in jewelry after we fell victims to a home robbery. We wised up and made some changes including changing our insurance policy coverage. So the extra money, as you might guess, goes to yarn now.

I'm a little giddy just thinking about casting on for the patterns in my Ravelry queue:

1. Mesh Back Cardigan by Sandi Luck (I saw this at the Stitches Fashion Show and fell in love with it!)
2. Cozy Cabin Jacket by Anne of Moonlight Stitches (This is on display at the yarn shop and the fit is flattering)
3. Four Quarters Pullover by Pam Allen (cover of Simple Style)

Have a great week!

More Felted Slippers

I've made three more pair of felted slippers. This Fiber Trends pattern has more than earned it's purchase price. There are at least four more pair that I want to make including a pair for myself. The first pair I made fit my niece Becky perfectly so they're hers now.

These pink ones were made for my sister Ofi.

And these violet ones were made for my niece Sera. We're just waiting for this weekend to wash them with a pair of jeans. The Lamb's Pride Bulky is perfect for making these. Lamb's Pride and Cascade 220 both felt at about the same rate and turned out really well. I have some Patons Classic Merino in my stash that I plan to try as well.

My niece Erin has thoroughly been enjoying her colorful and mismatched pair. Yes, it's a family friendly pattern and fun to make. The surprise to me was that the pink yarn (Ultra Alpaca) felted at a much faster rate than the rest of the pair made from Cascade 220. Note to Self: Do Not Mix Yarns When Felting! So the blue one was washed twice and the pink one was only washed once. Problem Solved.