Where Is Spring?

Hi again. I feel the need to introduce myself. Hi. I'm Jen and I knit. Sometimes. Lately, not so much. And because I'm not too big on complaining publicly, and lately I've had not much nice to say, I've resorted to...well, not saying much. Which is probably not the right thing to do because I think about blogging quite a bit.

Just do it, right?

Genuine tagged me on her blog and even said I'm "very inventive" so I guess I need to follow through with that or lose her respect forever. This is a six-word memoir and it can include an illustration. Mine will not.

Reads, knits, writes; usually plays nicely.

Boring? Well, tough. In truth I would have liked to write something like "Writer saves humanity with poignant prose." But I have neither the ego nor the crystal ball to say that. So I'll stick to the here and now.

T&A
In other news, our daughter sailed through her tonsillectomy & adenoidectomy last week, but not through her recovery. It has been a tough, long slog. Two days after the surgery, she came down with croup and a nasty cold. Which meant she didn't want to eat. At all. Not even ice cream, popsicles or pudding could entice her. So it has been rough, but we're managing. She's almost 3, so she's got that 2/3 thing going on, too.

I was able to finish another diaper cover (before the surgery)! This is another soaker for Sam. It's from 100purewool's 3ply; the color is Brown Lilac and I just love it.

I also finished the second sock in a pair (after the surgery). This pair is made with Duet from A Swell Yarn Shop. I had traded for it on Ravelry a little while ago. I have to say while I adore the colors (cream, tan, pinks) I'm not in love with the yarn base. I found it splitty and squeaky. I think I've decided I'll mostly stick with wool/nylon blends for socks after this one. Superwash 100% wool just rubs me the wrong way. It feels too much like acrylic to me.

Even though they are heavy wool socks, there's something about them that says "spring" isn't there? (Despite the fact that we're supposed to get two more inches of snow tomorrow. On top of our 100+ inches for the season--we passed by our previous record of 76 inches awhile ago. Oh the humanity!)

Sneak Peek

It hasn't blocked yet, but I couldn't wait to post this. I finished knitting the Elderberry Jacket last night and weaved the ends in this morning. After getting frustrated with Imogen, I pulled this baby out of the knitting trunk and realized I might be able to get it done in 2007.

I'm going to give it a bath this morning, block it and let it dry and then put on the buttons. It has been very good for me, emotionally, to finish up this sweater. I really want to wear it. You see, it's supposed to be in the single digits the next few days and I could use a squishy warm sweater to cozy up in.

Also some things have been going on at my son's preschool that I could have never dreamed up. He's apparently become his teachers' target for therapy. This, the second time they have suggested a second therapy for a separate thing, we took him to a skilled practitioner who indeed said, no, your son does not need said therapy. He needs understanding teachers. The truth is, as you might have imagined, he does not fit neatly into the little boxes that the majority of kids do, but that does not always warrant a diagnosis. Yeah he's different. He learned to read by himself a year ago when he was 4; I'd say that's different.

The hardest part for me has been, yet again, wondering if I am an attentive, loving, proactive parent or in denial. When our son was very young, he was exhibiting some abnormal communicative development, and while everyone around me was saying "No, no, he'll be fine..." I pushed to get him into the Birth-To-Three program. I never regretted it. His speech and other communication skills are now advanced for his age. Yes, that may have happened naturally, but I didn't want to find out. Now, having the teachers, out-of-the-blue, say that he needs therapy, and feeling inadequate, like I didn't spot something I should have, that has been emotionally draining.

So yeah, I need this sweater. In more ways than one.

Enough Already!

We have damn near 22 inches of snow on the ground. That's quite a bit for here in the first part of December...in fact someone was reminding me today that we had no snow for Christmas last year. I got very cozy with the snowblower yesterday and the kids played outside for awhile, too.

In fact I do like snow. It's driving in it that I really don't like. I believe that Grandma & Grandpa are getting the kids new, sturdy sleds this year for Christmas, and we will put them to good use. We tossed our old sleds because the pink plastic was cracking and breaking.

It's almost done! Wow, that Reader's Wrap is a fast project. Or maybe it's because I haven't knit on anything else since I started it. Usually I'm bouncing around all different projects. It's motivating to see how much I can get done when I stick with one project, actually.

I had a difficult time photographing the color. It's Blueberry Borscht Peace Fleece and it's more of a dark periwinkle with raspberry flecks. I have about 2 more inches to knit then I'll add the second pocket and do 8 rows of seed stitch, bind off, weave in ends, sew down pockets (how?), block and wrap. Whew. Here's another shot in the sunlight...

I'm about five posts away from my 100th post! I'd like to have a contest of some sort (with yarny goods to give away), so if you'd like to suggest a nifty one, I sure would be happy to consider it. Thanks.

R.I.P. Egg Jacket (or How To Waste A Month)

Well, what can I say. I had such high hopes. Until I put it on last night. I do think this pattern really is best for children.

That's because the hood on the adult version (or, at least on mine), as happens when you size up, becomes extra huge and deep and not really useful. A big waste of beautiful yarn. It hangs halfway down my back. (and it was difficult to get a photo of my back!)

Then when I put the hood over my head. Laughter. Piercing, shrill laughter, followed by a lot of groaning. I look like the grim reaper in pink. I should have realized this when I saw the photo of the adult tomten in Opinionated Knitter. See how it's folded back? On me, not so cute.

Also, for some reason, whether it's my knitting or just the style or the stitch, it's looking more homemade than handmade to me. I feel like it's sloppy and that I wouldn't wear it. And to me, those are all signs I should call it quits.

I can't, in good conscience, keep knitting something I don't think I will wear. I'm a little depressed. But maybe this is the Sockapalooza voice yelling at me. Yeah, that's probably it.

The Egg Jacket

I refuse to "feel badly" about starting this sweater because, unbeknownst to Blogland, I had actually already knit this in the winter, but I didn't like how it was turning out. I had even started the arms, tried it on, and to my shock it grew--down to my thighs. I had planned for it to be a jacket-length, but to my hips was all I wanted. The garter stitch was stretching like nothing else and I wasn't happy.

So I frogged it. And it sat. I never photographed it.

Now, back, new and improved, I present the Tomten Jacket or, as I lovingly now refer to it, the Egg Jacket. I know, most Tomtens are made for children. The pattern is written for children. I have coveted one for years for myself, living in the great white North. The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool Chunky. Do not be fooled--this is NOT a chunky yarn. That's the problem I had last time. I went for the quick knit and decided to get 3.5 stitches per inch with size 10 needles. Too loose. Now I'm getting 4.5 stitches on size 7s and I like the firmer fabric. It will keep out the wind, that's for sure. I like this yarn in garter stitch because you really don't have to worry about the variegation in the yarn creating a pattern and it lends some interest to the fabric, as well.

I'm calling it the Egg Jacket because I visited a farm with the kids a week ago and lo, if there weren't chickens there laying eggs that were green, brown and pinky/brown. I have had a hard time describing the color of this yarn. Sometimes it's pink and sometimes it's warm brown, but when I saw the egg, that was it egg-zactly.

Fickle (or, What To Do When a Knit Gives You Trouble)

So, the dress hasn't budged. I haven't even frogged it. Something in me--maybe it's the warmer weather?--said that we need a blanket for our family room. Of course this makes no sense at all. I should be working on the Summer Toddler Dress (made from Schaefer Laurel yarn, by the way). But I have been wanting to try a Log Cabin blanket for awhile now and since it's the kind of thing you can knit for a week, put down for a month, and have no problem picking back up, I thought I'd take a stab at it. As a diversion, it scores high points.

First I created a layout based on this lovely blanket.

Then, just started knitting it, referring to the Mason-Dixon Knitting book. The center patch is Rowan Denim, but the rest is Elann Naturelle 8/8 on cones. I bought heaploads of it a few years ago and I'm happy to say that I love it (I have a Wallaby made from it, too). I washed that center patch before I picked up stitches because the Rowan Denim fades so much in the first wash and I was worried about the dye coming off on the other yarns. The Naturelle 8/8 shrinks the same amount as Denim, so I should be OK.

It's M's second birthday today. We're celebrating with a family party this weekend. She helped me make her cake this morning, so now all she's been saying all morning is "Want CAAAKE!" Two. Sigh.

Lil' Green, Objet Finis

The Lil' Green sweater is finished. Oh how I loved making her. Knit from the top down, with a lovely pattern and a light, airy yarn, she only took about two weeks to make. Just in time for spring. As you can see, she's a might too big for M, but that was intentional. M is not quite yet 2 (almost) and is still growing quickly, and I'd like for the sweater to fit her in the fall and winter, too.

Pattern: Children's Neckdown Cardigan by Knitting Pure Simple, size 4
Yarn: Cascade Cotton Rich, somewhere around 8 skeins
Modifications: longer arms, jacket collar option

The second photo is courtesy of N, who is 4.5 and has had several handknitted sweaters of his own, although only one has appeared on this blog.

Why Didn't I Think of That?

Bartlettyarns changed hands this past week. I love this yarn. All indications are that the people who bought it love it, too. But seriously, think for a minute about owning a yarn mill. Not only a yarn mill, but the oldest in the country. Like winning the lottery, if you ask me. Oh I'm sure it comes with its own set of headaches, like any other business, including what sounds like incredibly old machinery. But still. I've allowed myself to revel in the thought for too long. I'll go back to lowly yarn end-user now, instead of dreaming of snagging hanks of lanolin-rich, color-bursting rugged yarn right off the line. Oh, the smell of it.

Ok really. Back to life, as they say.