Silken!

Yet more yarn... after I promised myself to engage in some stashbusting. But at 20% off I couldn't resist!

Handmaiden Silken, 1 skein in Pewter, one skein in which I think is Peridot.

Designated for the River Rock scarf pattern by Sivia Harding in No Sheep for You. I must also credit Marianne on the No Sheep KAL for inspiring me to make this after seeing her beautiful version on line.

I should have held out for two skeins of pewter... but I think these will work well together if alternated (as suggested by the ever helpful Leani (sic) at my LYS... who knows how to sell yarn!)

Cheers,

Kristina

PS. Lest my new WIP feel neglected, I had better post some pics:

This is the Classic Short Sleeve Sweater (a raglan pattern) by Hemp for Knitting, using their AllHemp 6. Not nearly as luxurious as the Silken, but quite nice (I washed the yarn before knitting).

new T-shirt

I guess the preserves interlude inspired me to...well, wrap up this T-shirt and acknolwedge that I didn't like the yarn all that much to work with and so wasn't going to stick out out for the full length.

The yarn was a novelty yarn, Ranee by Kertzer - I got it for $1 a skein so no harm, no foul. The pattern was adapted from a tunic pattern in the Knit.1 summer edition 2007. I liked the tunic but should have figured that this yarn (which is heavily patterned) would not show it off.

Oh well! Have cast on for another t-shirt using hemp. So far, so good!

Lazy weekend...

Ah, the lengths I will go to in order to avoid cleaning house!

But first, I feel that I must pay some tribute to my UFO, which is feeling lonely and unloved given that I have not worked on it for about 6 days...

Truth is, I'm rather bored with this one. I should just finish it off now (it could be either a tunic or a dress, depending upon when the yarn might run out). Hard to tell the bottom shape because it's on 24" circular needles. Yarn is Ranee by Kerzner. Pattern adapted from a tunic pattern in the most recent Knit.1 mag. I thought the main colour was all black... instead it turned out to be all midnight blue except for one skein. Oh well. I shall persevere...

... and now back to my latest obsession: PRESERVES!


Far more colourful than my current knitting (which is probably why the digression, I would imagine).

And here they are, one by one (drum roll, please...)

1. Giradiniere Pickles (Italian Garden Pickles) - recipe by Lucy Crubb, in Delia's How to Cook, Book 3:

Ingredients: red onions, zucchini, egplant, fennel bulb, red, yellow and orange bell peppers, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar, bay left, rosemary, thyme and peppercorns.

2. Moroccan Preserved Citrus - original recipe for preserved lemons by Elizabeth David (I think)
Although you can't really see them here, I added limes and oranges as well as the lemons. Other ingredients: coriander seed, cumin seed, bay leaf, lots of sea salt, water.

3. Giardiniera - The Spicy Gardiner's Wife (adapted from #1, above)

This is what happens when I run out of white wine vinegar and have precious little other vinegar left. I stuck in red wine vinegar and some leftover shallot sherry vinegar I had made before ... and a ton of red chilli flakes. My name for it is a play on the "giardiniere" in the original recipe, which means "gardiner" in italian.

4. Pickled Green Onions - my recipe (and damn and blast that Loblaws does not seem to know what wild garlic is)


Ingredients: green onions, white wine vinegar, whole garlic cloves. That's it. But I'm still really craving toursi (pickled ramps or wild garlic shoots...) SIGH.

5. Sour Dill Pickles - Delia in How to Cook, vol. 3

DH will have to tell me how these turned out because I do not like dill pickles! Ingredients: fresh dill, coriander seed, cucumber, cippoline (the recipe called for shallots, but $#&@*$(&*@#(&* Loblaws didn't have them in either! What's going on?). Don't know if they will be less sour with the cipolline. Oh well. I don't eat them anyway! ;-)

6. Roasted Vegetables in Oil - my idea

This is a bit of an experiment. I'm actually trying for a flavoured oil with roasted veg flavour. I took the leftover veg from the Giardiniere (#1, above) minus the grape tomatoes, added some sundried tomatoes, panroasted the veg then covered in boiling oil (PurOliva - half canola, half olive oil so that it will refrigerate better, it is hoped). I will let this sit for about a week and see what happens.

I've also prepared a 7th thing, which is flavoured extra virgin olive oil (the cheap kind - Gallo - I buy it in the 3 or 5 litre tin). It's not quite ready yet. It is my own recipe and called "Pink Lady". The name comes from the name of the main herb (rosemary) plus pink peppercorns - not the colour of the oil.

"vintage" tank

Just came across this little tank top I made a couple of summers back - one of my first non-sweater efforts if you can believe it!



The pattern was from one of the Debbie Stoller SnB books - I can't remember which one. I think it was called the Mud Flap Girl Tank. Yarn used was Cotton Fleece from the stash (I didn't have enough of the turquoise for the whole top, as you can probably tell by the rather lame stipe pattern on the back).

just call me Martha...

... or Delia Smith, rather. I got How to Cook vol 3 from the library and as a result decided to make... preserves! (Shoot me now... I haven't got a canning machine. But anyway).

So, off I trotted to Loblaws to buy a bunch of vegetables (and I don't even LIKE vegetables!). Ah, the power of photographs.

I have already put up the following: preserved citrus fruit (I've done this before, and it's not a Delia recipe... at least not one that I've seen). It is a bit new for me - a spin on Moroccan preserved lemons. I added orange and lime as well.



Aren't they lovely! I'll have to wait about 2 weeks before digging in, though.

I've also started the prep work for Delia's dill cucumber pickles and for an italian veggie mix.

I have not forgotten about knitting, although I've taken a wee hiatus during this week. I hope to have my next FO done tomorrow or Monday - a tunic or dress, depending on how long the yarn holds out. I got a bunch of Kertzer Ranee on sale.

Also, I did pop into the LYS today. I'm going to be making the Safari with one of these lovely yarns: Svale by Danegarn (50% cotton, 40% viscose, 10% silk)

or Eden Madil (100% bamboo):

Brown? you say, scratching your head? I know, I know... but this one is not for me. (I'm amazed at myself that I'm doing two projects for other people... am I getting less selfish as I grow older? Hmm. I doubt it). The person for whom it's intended probably would prefer the brown. I would prefer the blue. They are both lovely yarns so I don't know yet which one I will pick.

Also coming up: a hemp tank and a sari silk t-shirt.

That is, if I don't decide to can the entire produce section at Loblaws first... !

So many projects, so little time. ;-)

Christmas in July...

...because I've just finished the He Gansey for DH! (pattern by Jeannine Sims in the No Sheep for You book)

Detail:


Front:


Back:


The grey grew on me. Too bad I couldn't wait for a sunny day to photograph it, though! ;-)

Specs:

Needles: 5mm Addi Turbo (body) and 5 mm Takumi bamboo (sleeves and neck)
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton - Misty colour (15 skeins)
Size: 45" approx chest
Time spent: 12 hours total for each sleeve and the neck. Didn't keep track of the rest

Notes:

As this pattern was knitted in the round, I loved it - no seaming! It was much quicker to work than I would have thought which was also nice.

I did make some changes to the pattern:

- sleeve pattern was originally all in double moss. I decided to put the tree and line pattern from the front yoke on the sleeves instead, with seed stitch beside... and finish the sleeve under the elbow in stockinette. Official reason: this is more in the style of a traditional gansey. Real reason: I'm lazy and just wanted to do as much stockinette stitch as possible! ;)

- I also changed the neckline from rib and rollneck to 2/2 rib, based on DH's preference

- the sleeves are about 1 1/2 inches shorter than the pattern calls for, again due to DH's preference.

The Rowan cotton was also great to work for. I'm not sure how well the photos show it, but it produced great stitch definition and is also nice and light.

The rest of the pattern ended up fitting DH very well (I had him try it on while working on the first sleeve).

Now - I'm just hoping that the weather will be warm enough so that he can't actually wear it until October! Having said that, it is a cool day today here... SIGH.

Next up... I'm not sure yet. I bought some Kerzner Ranee on sale ($1/skein) and may whip up a tunic.

2 presents from a proud Canadian...

... to the proud Canadian she sees in her mirror every day! I managed to complete two tank tops today!

1. Lorelei

Front:


Back:

Specs:

Yarn: Cotton Fleece Berry (2 skeins) and New Age Teal (1 skein)
+ Lang Mille Colori 1 50g skein
Needles: 4 mm Addis and 4 mm bamboo crochet hook
Pattern: Lisa Shobhana Mason in her book "Yarnplay"
Time spent: 6 days approx.

This was great to knit and I really like the finished outcome. It did turn out a bit less formfitting than I wanted... but no huge problem. I stuck to the pattern closely this time... but did a slightly different design on the front and the back, which is why you all get treated to a shot of my butt (just in case you were wondering!) ;-)

2. "TTC Tank"



All but the shaped part at the top was knitted during my commute to work (1/2 hour approx)... my first subway knitting project, but not my last! (however, I guess I'll have to find a simple scarf pattern..). This one, like the Lorelei, had the benefit of being a stashbuster... this one was knitted almost all in the round and the only seaming was the shouders (for which I did a 3-needle bind off instead...)

Yarn: Lana Grossa Elastico (cotton/polyamide)
Needles: 3.25 mm and 3.75 mm takumi bamboo + 3.5 mm crochet hook
Pattern: "4x4 rib tank" by Cabin Fever.

Cheers!

Kristina

PS. the toxic looking cooler in my hand? One word of advice... DON'T SPILL IT. It actually has stained my countertop. SIGH. None of which, of course, stops me from drinking it...

who needs fireworks, anyway???

I decided to start creating my own fireworks today... with this wildly coloured Cascade fixation yarn!



Here is my completed Lorelei... not blocked yet, but wanted to post anyway!

Specs in today's second post (together with pictures of me, perhaps a reason to avoid it... and gaudy looking vodka cooler!)

And this is the new work in progress:



And... these will be future works in progress...



To the left is allhemp 6 by Hemp for Knitting, to the right Sari silk. Thanks to those on the Knitty message Board who suggested washing these. I notice a bit improvement with the hemp in particular... the Sari silk not so much but it still did soften a bit. The hemp is my latest acquisition... and although the red linen in my stash drawer is no doubt feeling very jealous and neglected I will probably be using that one next.

As for the He Gansey... back on the shelp (just for a short while).

Oh, by the way... Happy Canada/Dominion Day!!!

Lorelei in progress...

This is the new "TTC tank" I am working on - by Shobhana Mason in her book Yarnplay. However, I'm so happy with the pattern that I am cheating and working on it off the subway as well - started on Monday this past week.

Here's a couple of shots of how I hope Lorelei looks when she grows up...

Betty's
Claire - 28 April post

The photography skills of both Betty and Claire are clearly far superior to mine as well!!

And here's my work in progress - bottom almost done:




I'm using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece for most of it.

... and where is the He Gansey, you might ask? Still in progress. Only the sleeves left to go. Will get back to it today... really, I will!

I went yesterday to the LYS and bought some Hemp for Knitting (allhemp 6) in periwinkle and pumpkin. End goal - yet another T-shirt! (a girl can't have too many... apparently).

OPA!!!

I must say with the knitting obsession that I have been ignoring my mosaic work shamelessly.

Having said that, this might provide some inspiration to me. It is quite an old project - a coat hanging thingie made using broken old china from my grandmother's house. I love the way it looks but have never managed to put it up... so gave it to my mother last week.




Hmm. Now I'm out of decent broken old china. Maybe I'll have to hit some yard sales this week (even Goodwill has figured out that they can charge more for this kind of thing that I am willing to pay only to take a hammer to it!).

Gansey and TTC Project #2

Here are my updates:

(a) the gansey sweater

I'm ready to start the neck shaping now... then the sleeves... no seaming! ;-) Gotta love this pattern. Unfortunately for me, it means I've developed a new yarn predilection - Rowan All Seasons Cotton (probably $2million per ball where I live... got this stuff on line at Cucumber Patch but do not wish to develop an online yarn purchase habit...)





Luckily I have some more All Seasons in "sea spray" - for me! Stay tuned...

(b) TTC project #2

After what seems like years, the TTC tank #1 (below) is FINALLY at 14" - after seeming to hold at 13" for about 50 rounds. I must confess I cheated and did a bit at home last night. Now I can't do any more plain knitting without shaping, so time to start a new TTC tank: the Lorelei!

Here's the beautiful photo that led me to buy the pattern book - linked from the Knittyboard:

Knitting Betty's Lorelei

...and here's my swatch:



Too bad it's not big enough to hide my face:


Using good ol' Cotton Fleece this time around (from the stash...! Well, more or less...) together with a skein of Lang Mille Colori for the middle panel.

Wish me luck!

Kristina

PS. Smoking is SO glamourous...

He Gansey - vacation update

Well, I managed to get a bit done on the He Gansey during my holiday - more than expected. It is rather an easy and fast knit and it's shaping up well (although ... well, it's grey. SIGH).

I managed to get to here:


...on the first day of my trip to Kingston - in 29 degree weather! I was sitting on my mother's porch and managed to get a decent suntan at the same time.

The rest of the progress happened here today in Toronto:


I'm showing it off because I'm quite proud of how quickly it's growing! I like working with the Rowan All Seasons - and I particularly like the knitting in the round and the shaping. ;-)

Bacardi - done!

Hi all:

I've finished the Bacardi (or, as I call it, the Cuba Libre)!





It's still somewhat damp from steaming last evening, but I couldn't wait!!

Specs:

Pattern: designer Barbara Gregory, from the book No Sheep for You by Amy Singer
Yarn: Super 10, 6 skeins - #3334, 3456, 3944, 3871, 3428, 3784
Needles: 4mm (addi); 3.75 mm (aero circular)
Size: second smallest (34.5", I think)

Notes:

- I would recommend this pattern to anyone! The results belie the (relatively easy) knitting of it.
- make sure, however, if you do knit this that you have sufficiently long needles for the border (which is picked up and knit all around). I didn't, leading to a few dropped stitches and curses!
- This also had the virtue of fitting quite well (pre-blocking). It is, however, quite close fitting on me and I will probably end up using it more as a standalone sweater than a jacket. I hope to post an "action photo" while hanging out at the waterfront this week on holidays (although trust me to finish a cardigan during 30 plus degree weather! SIGH)

Now - off to a week's break in Kingston/Ottawa and probably very little knitting (although, stupidly enough given the fact that it will be steaming hot, I am taking the He Gansey with me as it is at a very easy stage). I may also get to finish off the TTC tank...

For projects coming up, see below (17 June - and happy belated, Mom!).

all star line up...!

Now that I'm almost finished the Bacardi, time to decide what to do next.

Of course, this summer was supposed to be the Summer of Stashbusting... that is, until I visited my two LYSs on payday and shortly thereafter at the beginning of June.

So, what will it be next? Hmmm...



(this one does involve a bit of stashbusting... with the purple Cotton Fleece - which would make me feel very virtuous...)

...or this one...



(the yarn was purchased when I went to pick up the accent colours for Lorelei, above. So much for virtuosity! As a concept, it's overrated, I think...)

...then there is always this one:



(this may be an accident waiting to happen, as I have heard mixed reviews about the Sari silk and tops. But it's just so purdy... and the tension is right for the pattern. So, hey.)

... and last but not least, this one:



(which will be my first full attempt at knitting with linen. Couldn't resist the colour.)

And, of course, there is the He Gansey which I started and about which my ever-patient DH enquires from time to time...

Decisions, decisions!

Happy workweek! (I'm off. Ha ha ha).

kb

PS. Happy birthday, Mom!!! I will start on the Christmas present soon. I promise. Really. And you'll love it! ;-)

progress! Bacardi and TTC tank

Here's my update on my 2 works in progress:

1. Bacardi cardigan

a.k.a. the moniker I've come to know it by - Cuba Libre. Ole!




I am really enjoying how this is working out... I LOVE Super 10!!!

The only hassle is sewing in all the ends - but since I hate weaving in and ignored the instructions to carry the yarns up the side, I have only myself to blame!

This is the main body of the cardigan (mostly knitted Sunday and yesterday). I have started on sleeve #1 and hope to be done sometime this week.


2. TTC tank



For want of a better name (although Citrus Sorbet has come to mind), this is my commuting/work meeting project. 11.5" and growing. I fell into what I have heard called the "black hole syndrome" - I needed to get to 11 inches to move back up to larger needles and this seemed to take FOREVER. I would keep measuring it and it was as though it never grew. Finally, though, the magic number 11 (inches) arrived. Soon it will be time to start shaping it (armholes and such), at which point I think I must find another project for commuting.

It matched the squirt gun that DH bought to chase the pigeons from the balcony, so I thought I'd pose them together. ;-)

Tomato - finished!

Here it is! I loved knitting this and would definitely make another one. The sad look on my face is only me thinking "It's finished already? sob" ;-)

Specs:

Yarn = Mission Falls 1824 Cotton
needle sizes = 4.0 mm and 4.5 mm
start date = 3 June 2007
end date = 7 June 2007

The Mission Falls was nice to work with - the resulting fabric has a pebbley sort of feel to it.

One odd "design feature" - you may see from the picture that one of the skeins appeared to be from a different dyelot. The odd part is that the dyelot was marked as the same on all my skeins. And, funnily enough, I only noticed it when I saw the photograph... it shows up a bit "in person". Oh well.

I decided to jazz up the pattern a bit by going with a two colour chequerboard motif for the band (rather than the original, which was houndstooth), and to add that pattern to the sleeves as well. The border and neckline is also in chequerboard pattern.

So, off to work. This weekend will probably start on the Spicy Fitted Tee from Fitted Knits.

Cheers!