The Fish Knits

Okay. So I have a deadline to meet. The Sherbet Sweater has to be done in time for Thursday lunch. What have I been doing to ensure I meet my target?

This:

That is almost 5 feet of Black Hole Scarf (notice next to the scarf the espresso machine that keeps me in lattes and helps me keep plugging away at the monster). It too MUST GET DONE! It is my Christmas present to my mum for 2003. I gave her a skein of Fleece Artist silk-wool yarn in a beautiful blue/green variegated colourway and asked “what would you like me to do with it?”. She said scarf. I said no problem. She loves moss stitch. I thought “That’ll be nice”.

I was wrong.

This scarf seems to take forEVER to knit! I don’t know what it is about it, but the constant back and forth of the stitch pattern just about puts me to sleep. Add to that the slight slubby-ness of the yarn and you have a scarf that never ends. It has become a joke in our family. My loving and wonderful husband shoots me looks when he sees me knitting anything other than the Black Hole Scarf. Mum even picked it up herself over Christmas to knit a few rows on it! I figure at this rate she should have it by labour day 2006. Or maybe I’ll go do a few more rows on it now.

Actually…? Sherbet Sweater.

In other news- the Sukie Sweater was very well received by her mum and dad, and Evan seems to have a new crush. Sukie’s older sister Zola.

The boys always fall for the Little Redhead Girl!

Now, why would I be excited about being a 4 out of 10? ‘Cause that’s my Google rating! Little old me. Wow. (Why this has me so tickled I’m not sure. I only just found out about the Google score yesterday, and who really puts any stock in silly little web page scores, anyway? Besides, the only site I found with a score of 10 is the Apple.com site. Even the Google.ca site was only an 8. This is somewhat suspect I think…!)

On to knit news. The first of the little girly sweaters is done.

Welcome to the world Sukie! I get to meet the little one tomorrow morning, so the sweater is done none too soon. It is Cutie Patootie, knitted in Bernat Cotton Tots, colours Grape and Lime Berry, 6 months size. I figured since Sukie was 9lbs 8oz at birth I should make it large enough so that it fits her for more than 2 days!

The second girly sweater is moving along, albeit too slowly for my taste.

We’ll just ignore the fact that I started it without a swatch, in too large a guage for the yarn (on purpose) and didn’t like the resulting fabric. Too hole-y (of course, that doesn’t really show in the pic). So…

Rip it back.

Start over using appropriate needle size for yarn, knowing full well that I would have too many sts/inch, but conveniently avoid this fact until about 5″ up the back of said sweater. (What, me adjust the pattern for new guage? You kidding? We’re talking late evening no brain power knitting here…)

Decide to make a sporty solid colour panel at the sides to get necessary width to sweater rather than do responsible thing and rip back. Again. (See? I can be flexible…)

Notice that Pixie yarn is grabby. It sticks to itself. It weighs nothing and gets into impressive knots.

Grumble to myself.

Remind myself that sweater recipient will enjoy the cozy polar fleece like sweater and recipient’s mum will enjoy cuddling up with a cute, sherbet striped 1 year old little cherub.

Keep knitting.

Wonder if it will be done in time for birthday party on Thursday… I’ll let you know.

At last, the blog has had a facelift! I couldn’t stand the look of the blog the way it was, so I decided to be proactive (read: bug Joshua enough to get him to help me) and chose a new background. Next step- new banner! Maybe by next year, right?

Until the Gallery is up (again, don’t hold your breath…) we’ll have to make do with the parade of finished projects here. So here we go!

Evan’s giraffe sweater!
He looks super cute in it and the wool doesn’t bother his skin at all. Start ‘em young, I say. It is a pattern from Phildar’s Tricotez C�lin, Automne/Hiver 2002. It was knit with Briggs and Little Regal, held double except for the pocket. Remarkably, I was able to make guage! The most fun part of this knit? Learning to read a french pattern. Having grown up in Montreal I am bilingual, but not in knitting terms! The main thing was the layout of the instructions. I found myself plotting the pattern to see if my interpretation made sense in the end. I’m sure that Europeans feel the same way about our patterns…

A felted Kilim motif tote bag. I took a colour design and felting course at the LYS which was a lot of fun. The patterns on the bag are representations of traditional Kilim designs. They all have meanings associated with them, so I chose them to represent things that are important to me. It is knit in Patton’s Classic Wool.

Next up, a pair of Fuzzy Feet for Joshua (sadly, no photo as yet…). After finishing the Kilim bag I was hooked on felting. Joshua’s Fuzzy Feet were followed up with another pair for Cousin Frances, a pair of Fibre Trend’s Felted Clogs for Mum and a felted cat bed for

Joe,

Cleo, and

Dante.
That is the same cat bed in all three photos! Based on the response, I think I’ll have to make another…

Most recently- something for me!

A very cozy poncho made from 12 balls of Anny Blatt/ Bouton D’Or Flamme, in the colour Glacier which came from the wonderful and talented (and generous!)Fluffa. Gotta love Stash Diving! This yarn is so incredibly soft and touchable. When I’m wearing it Evan pets my shoulder!
I used a pattern from the Holiday 2004 issue of Vogue Knitting, adjusting for guage. The funny thing is that I would never have called myself a “poncho girl”, but now that I have it I feel very chic and stylish wearing it. If I have missed the fashion train and these things are way out, don’t tell me.

Of course, the black hole scarf continues a pace. I had promised Mum that it would be the next project off the needles, but… the Flamme arrived. Sorry Mum.

Along with the BHS I’ll be working on the thrummed mitts for Yarn Harlot’s Thrum Along and a couple of baby sweaters for the wee ones in my life. All girls. Hooray for girly knits! Don’t worry Evan, I won’t forget about you. Once the baby sweaters are done it’s time for a Ribby Cardi for me! Can’t wait!