tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28354384926391471652024-02-20T19:44:26.818-05:00ArchiknistI knit, design patterns, and dabble in spinning.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.comBlogger456125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-11755084416017994372013-01-09T14:06:00.001-05:002013-01-10T13:27:31.886-05:00Owly Xmas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="yarma by rehatcher" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8357/8365450254_b65b9299af_m.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Hey, look! I made an owl! (And then I gave it to my niece for Christmas, since her nursery has an owl theme.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">My resistance to crochet has been weakening--I made some baskets last spring, then a rug from cut up t-shirts, and then I crocheted some edging for a shawl... so as Christmas approached, it was only a matter of time before I made Fresh Stitches' adorable <a href="http://www.freshstitches.com/owl/">Nelson</a>. I bought a kit, since I didn't have any eye or foot colors, and didn't want to have much left over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">My youngest niece was a little more restrained about Nelson than her older sisters were about their gifts (they greeted us at their front door with a cry of PRESENTS!!), but I'm sure she's saving that for when she can walk and talk.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are l</span>ots of other presents I should <span style="font-size: small;">blog: many pairs of socks, two<span style="font-size: small;"> (sewn)</span> princess dresses <span style="font-size: small;">(for the P<span style="font-size: small;">RESENTS!! <span style="font-size: small;">nieces<span style="font-size: small;">), slippers<span style="font-size: small;">, a hat, <span style="font-size: small;">two sc<span style="font-size: small;">arves, and a (sewn) bag <span style="font-size: small;">for</span> qu<span style="font-size: small;">il<span style="font-size: small;">t</span>ing supplies. I thin<span style="font-size: small;">k </span>that's it... although if <span style="font-size: small;">I'm forgetting so<span style="font-size: small;">me</span>thing, it's <span style="font-size: small;">certainly <span style="font-size: small;">better to forget that I made a<span style="font-size: small;"> present than to forget to make it in<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>the first place<span style="font-size: small;">! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-39931369150399977852012-11-27T22:08:00.001-05:002012-11-27T22:36:37.805-05:00Too Much Matching?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8221355976_90a752f1cc_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Purple tunic by rehatcher" border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8221355976_90a752f1cc_m.jpg" title="" /></a>Look! A picture of a sweater!<br />
I bought this yarn on a previous visit to see my parents in Ithaca, so finally taking pictures of it there (while visiting for Thanksgiving) seems appropriate. Let's see, what do I remember about the sweater? I made up the pattern--it's knit from the bottom up, then I used the neck shaping from Manu for some pleats at the neck (not that they show here, under the gigantic cowl I made from the leftovers). <br />
I thought I'd wear it as a tunic over leggings, but it turns out I mostly wear it with jeans and dresses. I try not to wear the cowl with it, on the grounds that different items of clothing made from the same yarn and worn together (DIOCMFTSYAWT) are a step closer to just wrapping myself in yarn and thinking I'm dressed than I like to be... but on the other hand maybe it's ok because it might be mistaken for a cowl-necked sweater. (For future reference, these are exceptions to the no DIOCMFTSYAWT rule for pairs of things and sets of accessories.) <br />
I have delegated all of my facebooking to Kevin, so if you are friends with him there you know that I survived my marathon (nearly 10 days ago now!). I finished in 4:14:06--very close to my speediest times (I ran Chicago in 4:11:something, in 2 consecutive years), and about how I was hoping to do, so I'm pretty happy with it. But wow, was the last 8 miles long! The course is basically a 13 mile loop followed by a 13 mile out and back, but the out and back has forks, so it seemed like I'd never get to the final u-turn to really, truly go back. Then when I finally did (sometime in mile 20, as I recall), it wasn't nearly as energizing as I'd hoped it would be!<br />
Despite all that, I'm contemplating another one... next year. <br />
Good thing I'm thinking about next year, because I haven't run yet--and only started erging yesterday (the Concept2 holiday challenge is underway... mustn't fall too far behind, or I will have to erg for 24 solid hours on December 24th to make up for it!). I was thinking the other morning that I have a lot of workout clothes all of a sudden... and then I realized this was the first time in months (maybe years?) that they've all been clean and put away at the same time!<br />
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Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-56247616432427385582012-11-07T19:55:00.002-05:002012-11-07T19:55:17.344-05:00Semiannual Report<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I give up... I'm never going to write about the past 6 months in detail, so I will sum up:<br />
<br />
I
ran a lot (including a marathon in Iceland in August, and I'm going to
run the Philly marathon on November 18), rowed a lot (including a bunch
of boats at masters nationals in Worcester, and an 8+ in the Head of
the Charles--which finished 6 out of 17 so we have a guaranteed entry
for next year, hurray!) and probably in consequence, feel like I have
knit less than usual.<br />
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Even knitting less, my sweater
collection is outgrowing its allotted space--if I make too many more,
we will have to move. The situation with shawls, socks, hats and
mittens isn't much better. Oh, and cowls! Not good.<br />
<br />
In
response, I have been trying to give away or fix things that never
quite worked out. I turned one of the sweaters from Problem Sweater
Week (<a href="http://archiknist.blogspot.com/2012/03/tuesday-sweater.html">the purple one</a>) into a shrug (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/muse-n">this one</a>,
but with slightly shorter sleeves because I didn't quite have enough
yarn for long sleeves). I like the new incarnation, and I think I've
worn it more in the past couple of months than I every wore the
original. Maybe I will remember to take pictures of it, some day.<br />
<br />
And I'm currently reknitting the lower body on my <a href="http://ravel.me/archiknist/ss">Summer Solstice sweater</a>,
in order to remove the front extensions. I like the front extensions
on other people's sweaters, but I think my fabric was a little thicker,
so it didn't drape well and I always wanted to fidget with it. I'm
hoping the regular version will be a better match for my fabric. It
feels a little silly to put more time into this yarn (it's turned out
to be very pill-prone), but I really like the color.<br />
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Also, HURRAY! <br /></div>
Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-6484050583625620322012-04-04T19:30:00.000-04:002012-04-04T19:30:49.261-04:00HuhThat last post, by the way, is my shawl storage system--one of those ring-shaped organizers from Ikea. There's something funny about someone whose job it is to keep photos from deteriorating as they age using an app to age her own photos artificially, isn't there?<br />
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Now I just need to figure out how to accompany the picture with my own text, rather than the automatic message.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-37844269459054865102012-04-04T19:24:00.001-04:002012-07-16T14:10:07.140-04:00archiknist shared an Instagram photo with you<div style='margin:0px auto; width: 480px; text-align:center'> <img style='margin-bottom: 0.4em; box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888; -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #888;' src="http://distilleryimage3.instagram.com/2f0d3cd27ead11e18bb812313804a181_6.jpg"/><br/><a style="color:#2f79c2; text-decoration:none; font-style:italic; font-size:0.6em" href="http://instagr.am/p/JBBrUqxJyT/">view full image</a> </div>Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-43657884306932664272012-04-04T16:06:00.004-04:002012-04-04T19:37:08.919-04:00New Plan...Clearly, I was not meant to be a fashion blogger, since I couldn't even make it through a week of posting my sweaters every day! It started feeling very self-centered. (How is this more self-centered than writing about my knitting all the time? Who knows!)<br />
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Anyway, I've been making the Nemesis socks, from a few Knittys (Knitties?) ago.<br />
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<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/7045782949/" title="photo.JPG"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/7045782949_1b1a68e5bb_m.jpg" /></a><br />
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I suspect they may turn out to be slipper-y socks, because they are a cashmere blend, and slightly on the loose side. The yarn is Lush, from Forbidden Woolery, and I'm using size 1.5 needles. I'm knitting the larger size--72 stitches, which is not an unusual number of stitches for socks, for me, with these needles. But I think they'll be great as slipper-esque socks.<br />
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My other new plan concerns the doomed Malin (lacy vest, which I was knitting from brown Baby Kid Extra), which has morphed into Belinda (lacy, 2 color wrap from the second mason Dixon Knitting book). Poor Malin was doomed for a couple of reasons: the lace pattern was driving me batty, and wasn't really reading very clearly when I stretched it over clothes I hoped to wear it with. Too fuzzy, I think, and the solid areas of the fabric weren't solid enough to provide a clear contrast with the YOs.<br />
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After an inch of work, Belinda seems like a much better idea: the lace is much more graphic (and easier to work), so it will read more clearly over patterned fabric. But get back to me again when I've knit an acre of repetitive lace length-wise, and have to knit a second acre of the same lace width-wise!Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-67065964832086459272012-03-26T15:49:00.001-04:002012-03-26T15:49:15.825-04:00Thursday's SweaterActually, this was two Thursdays ago...<br />
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<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6997346489/" title="PS3"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6237/6997346489_abf9b6a551_m.jpg" alt="PS3 by rehatcher" /></a><br />
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Another of the sweaters I think of as problematic. Although I probably shouldn't say that, with the pattern for sale just pixels away. But I don't think my issues are the sweater per se: it's not it, it's me.<br />
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<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6851215242/" title="PS3"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6223/6851215242_b2290d0fb7_m.jpg" alt="PS3 by rehatcher" /></a><br />
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I really like the fit of the sweater, and I think the cuffs and front bands are really great. It's not visible, but they are really luxurious--deep, fold-over hems, with the outside portion in seed stitch, which makes them seem even more cushy in comparison to the rest of the sweater (knit in stockinette).<br />
<br />
But, I tend to fidget with my clothes, which doesn't mix well with wrap sweaters. I have a purchased wrap sweater which I only wore because I felt bad that I didn't wear it--until I removed the ties and started wearing it open, and discovered that it's less hassle that way.<br />
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The same thing happened here--this used to button, but the button was too heavy for the fabric, so I removed it, and tried an i-cord belt, regular belt, and shawl pin (not all at once). All three were better than the button, but still hard to keep in place. I think this is the first time I've worn it sans closure (you can still see the button loop on the inner front), and I think it may be the answer.<br />
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Also: look! I cut my hair.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-80465453296773699692012-03-14T15:39:00.053-04:002012-03-14T16:02:04.497-04:00Tuesday's SweaterThis sweater (my own design, and my own handspun) began life as a scarf.<br />
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<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6980630377/" title="PS2"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6980630377_2e85a454e2_m.jpg" alt="PS2 by rehatcher" /></a><span style="margin: 0;"></span></div><br />
Which wouldn't be particularly impressive or unusual (yarn changes its mind about what it wants to be all the time), except that the scarf is still there, as the collar. <br />
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<div style="margin: 0 0 5px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6980629297/" title="PS2"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6980629297_da30c85864_m.jpg" alt="PS2 by rehatcher" /></a><br />
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I knit a scarf, then knit the upper center back out from one edge to form a T. Then the sleeves and sides of the upper body out to the cuffs, then picked up all around the bottom edge to knit the lower body.<br />
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I tried pinning it closed for a while, then I tried actually sewing the lower front closed (from a little bit above my hand to the hem, in the lower picture). I wore it that way once, but ripped out the sewing yesterday morning in the gym locker room. I have become that crazy person at the gym, by the way--the other morning I did yoga off to the side of the indoor track--and ripping out a small seam in the locker room is only another sign.<br />
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In other news, I'm just about done with a pair of socks, have rediscovered the difficulty of knitting kidsilk haze-style yarns without looking thanks to <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/malin-3">Malin</a>, and developed a puncture wound on my fingertip over the weekend from knitting too much. My Malin is going to be brown, not surprisingly. (Did I mention that most of my sweater quantities of yarn are brown or purple? There was a point in the fall when I have yarn for three brown sweaters and two purple sweaters... and zero sweaters of any other colors. The situation is less alarming now--I have a brown sweater and a purple sweater in progress, plus sweater quantities of yarn for another brown sweater and one green sweater.) I'm enjoying the lace pattern, but it's slow going, so I've only knit a few inches. Good thing it's sleeveless!Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-82205902828849278992012-03-12T21:00:00.004-04:002012-03-12T21:28:10.068-04:00BonusThis isn't one of the handmade problem sweaters, but it's a problem nonetheless. <br /><br />I want to wear socially acceptable bathrobes to work as much as the next person, but I think this sweater may have crossed some kind of clothes/pajamas demarcation line:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6977807287/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6977807287_f26e937e6f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />It's too big maybe? Not enough waist shaping? There's a belt, which I pull to the back and tie as through that might create some shape, but I think it just makes it more bathrobe-esque.<br /><br />I've though about taking it along the side seams, but I worry about the bulk of the excess fabric (or that it would unravel if I trimmed it off... although that's basically a steek, isn't it? I'm not sure how well the yarn will grip--it looks tweedy and woolly, but it's actually a cotton-acrylic blend). <br /><br />I have another store-bought sweater which lacked a waist, but which I was able to fix--I sewed a strip of fabric horizontally across the inside of the back (where the waist should have been) leaving the short ends open. Then I cut a length of 1" wide elastic shorter than the fabric, ran it through the channel I'd made with the fabric, and sewed it securely to the sweater on both ends. That way, it gathered the sweater across the channel. I can't tell if that would work here, or if the addition of elastic would just move the sweater further into pajama territory. <br /><br />Is this all in my head? (Two people complimented my sweater, but they're kind people who thought I'd made it, so does that really count?) Is there a way to add shaping to a sweater that I'm missing? (I've also tried belting over the sweater, but haven't like that one bit.) What would you do? <br /><br />(P.S. I thought the sweater was a wool-acrylic blend, till I checked the label as I was writing... now that I know its secret, I'm just going to attribute all its troubles to lack of memory, ok?)Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-62958485492245458812012-03-11T22:24:00.002-04:002012-03-11T23:05:52.288-04:00Problem Sweater WeekI do this crazy thing where I bring my outfits for the week to the gym over the weekend or on Monday, so I can run to the gym the rest of the week, shower there, and go right to work. It basically works out, but from time to time I make a swap during the week which leaves me with a strange assortment of leftovers to wear on Friday. That happened last week--on Thursday, I decided to swap shoes between my remaining outfits. This improved my Thursday outfit, but on Friday, my shoes still seemed wrong. By that time, they were the only non-sneaker shoes in my locker, so I wore them anyway.<br /><br />At lunch time, a woman came over, apologized for interrupting, and said she loved everything I was wearing, especially my shoes. (This story would be better if I had a picture of my shoes, huh?) As I thanked her, she explained that she's trying to give more compliments, since people tend not to.<br /><br />Meanwhile, in the land of long digressions, I've been thinking about taking more pictures of my daily outfits, complete with knitwear, because I think I'm pretty good about actually wearing my knits in real life. I'd decided not to start on Friday, thanks to the shoe crisis. But after the problematic shoes were specifically complimented, I decided to do it anyway: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6828572002/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6828572002_70d4d1060c_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />The sweater is Martha, from Rowan's Fresh Fashion Knits (looking on Ravelry, I see Rowan has designed many Marthas). The invisible shoes are like <a href="http://www.zappos.com/naturalizer-carmen">these</a>, but grey suede. They're the ones I wrote about as being useless, but cute. Although a short-sleeved wool cardigan seems like a bad idea, Martha is actually very versatile. I leave you to decide on appearances. <br /><br />So, Martha is not a problem sweater. But, this all relates to Problem Sweater Week because when I was assembling my clothes for the week, I decided to give some of my problem sweaters another chance not to drive me batty: my Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday outfits all include sweaters which haven't ever been quite right. The woman who loved my shoes made me wonder whether the problem sweaters really are problematic, or if I just think they are for no reason that anyone else can see. If I can remember to take pictures, we'll all find out.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-87497303416614105562012-02-15T10:26:00.003-05:002012-02-15T10:45:32.986-05:00280 Yards?After approximately 1.3 million years (actually, 3.5 months), I have finished knitting Zora!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6881293085/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6881293085_4223df2945_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />I got some snazzy blocking wires for Christmas, which are in place in the picture, even though you can't actually see them. This was the first time I used them. They were really easy to use and my edges are definitely nicer than usual. Although, now that I look at the picture, I'm not sure what's going on with the weird lump on the sleeve...<br /><br />Since that picture, I've sewn most of the pieces together, and knit the front bands and collar. The bands and collar took forever--I understand that they're wide (4 inches), and that the sweater is hip length (and that I'm tall-ish), but good heavens! I never counted the stitches per row, since I suspected the number would be disheartening, but each row took 15 minutes, and the collar and fronts bands used up HALF a skein of yarn (Schaefer Anne comes in 560 yard skeins, so that's 280 yards)!<br /><br />I may need another speedy sweater break before I sew up and set in the sleeves.<br /><br />(I'm thinking about making a tunic/dress out of some purple wool boucle I bought at Thanksgiving... maybe with pleats at the neck, like Manu... but the fact that it's purple worries me. Maybe I also need a break from knitting purple? Also, maybe a dress/tunic is not actually speedy, and I'm just distracted by the prospect of knitting on size 7 needles, rather than sizes 2, 4, and 5 as used in my current projects?)Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-22050855917308208622012-01-20T00:19:00.005-05:002012-02-15T10:26:41.388-05:00Stripes!!Are addictive!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6729330867/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6729330867_9bc6362510_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />I started this (the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stripes-to-keep-me-warm">Stripes to Keep Me Warm</a> Cowl) at knitting tonight. And I don't seem to be able to stop. The orange/red/gold/peach yarn is handspan from a fiber club (Lulu and Pancake, a present from Kevin for Christmas last year), and the brown is a partial skein, left over from a Harminia's Rings Tunic I knit this weekend (as my break from the purple sweater). It's String Theory Merino DK, bought as a second at Stitches East. I'm going to try to wear the tunic (more of a vest) tomorrow, if I can successfully assemble an outfit. Maybe I'll even remember to take a picture or two.<br /><br />Orange/red/gold/peach aren't really my colors, but I'm hoping the brown will help it look more like me... It seems like it's working so far, but I won't be sure till more of it exists.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-52792183642602385162012-01-13T16:05:00.002-05:002012-01-13T16:14:05.584-05:00UnsuitedIn addition to my hatred of having dirty/dusty fingertips while being otherwise clean, I am also unable to type the word "papers" correctly on the first try. It generally comes out as apeprs, because apparently my hands type at different speeds, with my right hand getting ahead of my left.<br /><br />Really, is there a profession to which I am less suited than archivist? What was I thinking?<br /><br />In other news, I spoke too soon about the purple Zora cardi going relatively quickly. It's now going incredibly slowly, and I am contemplating taking a break from it to knit something speedy and instant-gratification-y.... like a sweater. But with short sleeves! On size 8 needles (or 9! depending on gauge!)Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-15160690331336105582012-01-09T09:32:00.003-05:002012-01-09T10:03:56.584-05:00Finn-ishedMy spinning group met this weekend, and that inspired me to finish the batch of wool I have been working on forever--the half finnsheep fleece I got over the summer. <br /><br />As I was spinning I found some spots where it turned out that the fleece wasn't completely clean (no surprise since this is the ony fleece I have ever washed, and since the main thing I learned is that I don't enjoy it enough to do a good job!). Now that it's all spun, what seemed like a few spots feel like a lot more, so tonight I'm going to try washing it again. <br /><br />I'm also still thinking about dying it. It's a pretty cream color (of which I will someday take pictures!), but I wear dark and jewel tones much more frequently, so if I'm going to keep whatever I make, it might be more useful in a darker color. I suspect the lanolin would prevent those areas from taking up the dye, so unless I want it to turn out spotty, that's another reason to give washing it another try.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-60314187015869011242012-01-07T18:51:00.005-05:002012-01-07T19:06:10.818-05:00UntitledWith Christmas out of the way, I'm back to the sweater for myself which I can't remember if I've mentioned here, <a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/PATTzora.php">Zora</a>. I started it at the beginning of November, with the delusion that I might finish it during NaKniSwMo (am I forgetting a syllable? National Knit a Sweater Month?). <br /><br />By the end of the month, I had a number of other things finished, but only a sleeve and a half of Zora (it's knit on size 4 needles, with fingering weight yarn... Plus, I got distracted). Then I thought I might work on it in December after finishing my Christmas presents, but that didn't happen either. Now though, I'm making good progress. I finished the sleeve last weekend, then cast on for the back on Thursday night, and have 7 or 8 inches finished. It's a longer cardigan than I usually knit, so I have a bit more to knit than usual, but still, it feels like I'm making progress.<br /><br />I do have a question. Does it seem to you that the ribs on the body are a little low? I think I might rather have them centered at my actual waist, not offset towards my hips. What do you think?Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-70578754608104654582012-01-05T10:01:00.006-05:002012-01-05T10:18:50.068-05:00Random New Year’s ThoughtsI’m never going to catch up on telling you all about the fall, am I? Or the summer, for that matter. So I’m going to give up, halfheartedly catch up with Christmas knitting, then move on. <br /><br />I’ve been thinking about Russia lately. Partly because Kevin gave me a book called <span style="font-style:italic;">Travels in Siberia</span> for Christmas (technically, he gave it to me last year, but it took us till this year to realize that he had received the gift email instead of me, and that he needed to forward it so I could actually get my present… on the bright side, this year he gave me an iPad as well, so it was easier to read than it would have been last year on my phone). Anyway, the other reason I have been thinking about Russia is that I bought some completely useless (but very cute!) shoes—grey booties with high-for-me heels and pointy-for-me toes—and tottering around in useless shoes but otherwise sensibly bundled up in wool and down makes me feel like my Russian roommate from when I studied abroad there. They are awfully cute though, and since they are grey they match my entire wardrobe. <br /><br />Kevin and I are thinking about running the <a href="http://www.marathon.is/reykjavik-marathon">Reykjavik Marathon</a> at the end of August (this relates to Russia, just wait!), for our anniversary. Six is the marathon anniversary, didn’t you know? And we got married in Iceland. Anyway, I haven’t run a marathon since I was so annoyed about how I did in the last one (in 2009? I think?). But thinking about running a non-crazy marathon like Reykjavik has me also thinking again about running a crazy marathon: the <a href="http://www.baikal-marathon.com/">Lake Baikal Marathon</a>, in the winter on frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia. What could be more fun? This wouldn’t be till March 2013, so there's plenty of time for the whole thing to become impossible due to global warming, or for me to regain my senses.<br /><br />Back to the Christmas knitting: much as knitters complain about knitting like mad for a deadline, it is also kind of fun. So, to have as much fun as possible, I knit nearly all my presents in December. I always give socks to my sisters, so I made those ahead of time (plus a matching pair of baby socks for an impending niece). However, that left plenty of knitting to do at the last minute! In December I knit half of a (small) blanket, 4 hats, 1 scarf, 1 cowl, 3 sweaters (2 kid for kids, 1 for a baby), 2 pairs of (adult!) socks for people other than my sisters, 1 pair of mittens, and 2 pint glass cozies. The blanket wasn't even a present (but for some reason it felt like I should finish it before I started on my Christmas knitting), and one of the hats was for a birthday. Fortunately, we didn’t see my side of the family till after Christmas, so I had a few extra days… otherwise, I would have had to start at Thanksgiving.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-13360762407806121972011-12-16T13:37:00.003-05:002011-12-16T13:54:14.798-05:00SwapBoth my Sunday and Thursday knitting groups had their holiday parties last night--needing to scurry away from one party with cookies and yarn to get to a second party with cookies and yarn is just about my perfect evening.<br /><br />Since I think of myself as an antisocial hermit (also, in my head I'm not athletic... and probably still in high school, when all those things were true!), it was lovely to see everyone, and acquire tasty cookies and new-to-me yarn. And I palmed off two sweaters which were ever so slightly too short in the arms on my friends, so now I don't have to feel guilty about neither wearing nor fixing them. Perfect!<br /><br />I have plans for the new yarn already: Christmas socks, and a post-Christmas wrap. It's possible that the year when I knit a pair of socks per week made me over-confident, as there are other things besides the socks which I still need to knit. And I'm especially excited about the wrap, since I'm going to combine the new yarn (grey merino-tencel) with some handspun wool that's been problematic. I received the wool as part of a fiber club, and the colors (yellow, peach, light orange) aren't anything I would have picked. But striping them together with grey should make them look more like me!Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-3563278382581636492011-12-09T10:35:00.009-05:002011-12-09T11:18:35.077-05:00Fashion BloggerWhen I've had enough of libraries and archives up, I'm going to be a fashion blogger:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6480272451/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6480272451_70a4224dd2_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />Notice the turned in toes, and refusal to look at the camera... I will need to work on being less blurry though!<br /><br />Or maybe a bull fighter:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6480274593/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6480274593_6d6562bb70_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />My inherent blurriness will be less of a problem, since it will make it harder for the bulls to see me.<br /><br />In the meantime, this is the Middlefield Pullover from <span style="font-style:italic;">New England Knits</span>. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6481949649/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6481949649_64ab252440_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />I used EXACTLY 5 skeins of Christ, from Schaefer Yarns, in the colorway pomegranate. So exactly that I have less than 10 yards left over.<br /><br />I lengthened the body significantly, so it's no surprise that I needed more yarn. When I finished the body, I knit the neck, weighed my remaining yarn, then knit the first sleeve till I'd used half of the yarn. I figured I would make 3/4 sleeves if I needed to, but I had just enough for full length. I'm really happy with it--It was a speedy knit, and it seems to match my entire wardrobe.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-40993337538913245002011-10-10T08:39:00.001-04:002011-10-10T08:39:17.277-04:00Rhinebeck sweater in progress<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6230049593/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6226/6230049593_49ff0a3970_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a>Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-46953342323374491072011-10-10T08:30:00.006-04:002011-10-10T08:52:43.877-04:00Crisis!On Thursday, I had to wait for a delivery for hours (away from home), and was sadly under prepared--I ran out of podcasts, and nearly ran out of books and yarn. This time, I have plenty of yarn, podcasts, and e-books... But no pen, scissors, or yarn needle.<br /><br />This is troubling because I'm hoping to finish this: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/6230049593/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6226/6230049593_49ff0a3970_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />In time to wear it to Rhinebeck this weekend. It still needs one shoulder, some trim, and a turtleneck/cowl. It's called <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wallis">Wallis</a>, a Rowan pattern from 2005. I've wanted to knit it since I first saw it, but I held back because it's a little bit... poncho-y... But I finally caved.<br /><br />I'll try to report back on the poncho quotient once it's done and worn!Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-32270345812086349042011-09-01T13:14:00.006-04:002011-09-01T13:25:49.063-04:00Knitting!I'm not sure where all my knitting time has gone. I'm back to working at work full time, I'm rowing a lot, and sewing some, but none of those things seem like they take up enough time to have eaten up all the knitting time I feel like I'm missing.
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<br />And that I empirically am missing, based on the dramatic drop in my yarn mileage consumption!
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<br />It doesn't help that my current projects are slogs: a laceweight clapotis and a blanket for Schaefer Yarn.
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<br />It especially doesn't help that this is my second attempt at a blanket from this yarn. Attempt #1 included big triangular blocks, and didn't work out. This time, I'm using the yarns in pairs (there are four different yarn bases, in three colors), to transition from nearly-solid green at one end to nearly solid purple at the other. I'm finally into the final purple section, and it looks like it worked out much better. As a bonus, this pattern will be much easier to write up!Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-21310621536358658432011-08-31T15:39:00.004-04:002011-08-31T16:06:35.153-04:00Weather BubbleWeirdly, although we're less than a half from the sound, the hurricane was sort of a non-event at my house. Sure, it rained a little, and there was some wind, but we were really lucky--our power barely even flickered, no water went anywhere it wasn't supposed to (not even the street that usually fills with water as soon as it drizzles), and all of my mental berating of the construction company for not weather proofing their site across the street was wasted.
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<br />We thought the storm had skipped over us entirely, but when I went for a run in a park next to the water on Monday, it turned out that there had been a storm surge after all. Running along, I could see that the park itself had gotten narrower. There were a few spots where the sidewalk had washed away entirely, or sagged when the ground beneath it had washed out. And there was a layer of reeds and seaweed (and plastic bottles!) left behind when the water retreated.
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<br />There's a small nature preserve at one end of the park which did much better--except that there's a sailboat stranded in the middle of it, maybe 50 yards from any visible water. I'm not sure how they'll get it out--or how the owner will know to look for his or her boat there, since it says it's from East Lyme! (Are you looking for the <span style="font-style:italic;">Abba-Gale II</span>? Leave a comment!)
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<br />Next time, knitting!Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-83459557564542941522011-08-26T10:24:00.008-04:002011-08-26T14:26:11.971-04:00FactoryKevin is out of town again, and I'm catching up on sewing again. This time, it's my niece's birthday presents--made mostly of glitter, sparkles, and tulle:
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<br />I love fancy fabric, but there's not much call for formal dresses in the archives, so it's been fun to actually use some... finding glitter everywhere for the next several years will be less fun. I think I may have eaten some glitter yesterday.
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<br />It's also been a nice break from my other activity: thinking about hurricanes.
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<br />My first job after grad school was at the Corning Museum of Glass, and the time I was there included the 30th anniversary of the flood of 1972 (caused by the remnants of Hurricane Agnes). The museum is right next to the Chemung River, and during the flood, the river came through the museum, filling it with muddy water more than 5 feet deep. At the time, the museum director was on his way to Turkey, and (according to the recollections of staff members), was greeted with a telegram when his plane landed: "Museum destroyed. Come home."
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<br />Thirty years later, there was still dried mud in the spines of some of the books, and the bottoms of some folders. In commemoration of the flood, they painted the flood line on all the interior walls... and I moved my favorite collections and documents to the top shelves, above the line.
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<br />I was there for a year, and for most of that year I worried about the museum flooding every time it rained. Then I'd start worrying about my bunny--who would take him somewhere safe if I was at the museum when my apartment started flooding? Where would he stay while my apartment was under water? (It was a basement apartment, just down the street from the museum, and was clearly doomed.) It seems silly, but as soon as I decided that I'd put his cage in my car, drive up one of the hills surrounding the town, then walk back down to help at the museum, I felt a million times better... and thanks to the magic powers of planning, I never needed to implement my plan.
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<br />So: plan!Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-68392711799326863482011-08-24T11:46:00.003-04:002011-08-24T12:05:58.219-04:00Taking Indecision to a Whole New LevelI'm turning into that friend who only calls when she has a problem. Sorry.
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<br />But I have a problem (fortunately, only a knitting problem, so very minor in the scheme of things).
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<br />I made these gorgeous mittens--<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/clematis-2">Clematis</a>, and really the gorgeousness is all in the pattern, I just executed them without mishap--using green and gold wool (green for the background, gold for the flower). I have about a skein of green and a half skein of gold leftover, and I've been trying to make them into a hat since the beginning of time.
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<br />Here's attempt #3, which I think may be doomed:
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<br />First, I tried a picot-edged cloche from Knitscene, but the yarn was too fine and it seemed more floppy than I wanted. Sadly for the hat, I didn't decide about the floppiness till I was ready to start decreasing at the crown, and and I didn't love it enough to make it a second time, on smaller needles with a million stitches.
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<br />Then I tried the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rikke-hat">Rikke hat</a>, with stripes to incorporate both yarns. It was also too floppy, and again, I didn't love it to reknit it on smaller needles (that time, I'd only gotten 4 inches knitted before the floppiness became apparent).
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<br />Since Iw as unwilling to knit a million stitches on small needles, I rewound both balls of yarn so they were doubled, then started the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/noho-boho-hat">Noho Boho hat</a>, which I've made before and enjoyed. My thinking was that it would be mostly green, with 2 gold stripes. But now the stripes seem kind of excessive. Like maybe I'm a Green Bay fan.
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<br />Since my Green Bay knowledge ends at the fact that I know their colors are green and gold, I'm wondering whether I might prefer to use the cuff pattern from the mittens for the brim of the hat, then have a solid green top once the yellow runs out.
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<br />Come back in a month when I will have forgotten all about this, and will write about something else entirely!Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2835438492639147165.post-491502651425443052011-07-30T16:16:00.002-04:002011-07-30T16:20:27.036-04:00Orange You Glad?I'm not sure how it happened, but it's been a while since I made a pair of socks! <br /><br />I try not to have more than 3 projects on the needles at once, but finishing the pink cardigan opened up a slot, and I immediately cast on:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archiknist/5984724009/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/5984724009_64ec148e95_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><br />This is actually the second sock--I knit most of the first one on the way to and fromhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif a regatta in Delaware last weekend, knit the toe at home Sunday night, and started sock #2 immediately. It's Cookie A's <a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/PATThedera.html">Hedera</a> pattern, from Knitty. This is actually the second time I've knit these socks--the first one turned out a little to narrow, so they became a gift. These are turning out just right though--I'm using a thicker yarn (<a href="http://www.schaeferyarn.com/yrn_nichole.html">Nichole</a>, instead of <a href="http://www.schaeferyarn.com/yrn_anne.html">Anne</a>), and slightly larger needles (2.75 mm instead of 2.5 mm.... although I think the yarn is what's making the difference).<br /><br />People who remember when gray was the brightest color I would wear: I might actually keep these socks for myself... although I will wear them mostly under tall boots, so they won't technically be visible.Archiknisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05398767954051138272noreply@blogger.com1