I-Cord or not??

The shop where I work received a large order of cotton dishcloth yarn and I realized I'm so over wool (a knitter's form of Spring Fever?) and loving the feel of working with cotton. I knew I'd find inspiration from Mason Dixon Knitting and the book didn't fail me; I cast-on the Baby Kimono a week ago and finished the knitting yesterday but...

there's always a but isn't there!

see how the back of the neck and the bottoms roll? I blocked it and they still roll - what to do.

Here's what the diagonal front edge looks like - just OK not wonderful.


Having recently read Kay's I-cord Tutorial (Feb 12, 2008) for making square corners I tried an I-cord edging.

and a close-up. What I wonder is does this edging treament over power the whole sweater? This is a worsted weight cotton and it makes a thick I-cord.

what do you think? I-cord or not?

The Soft Cabled Scarf is done.

I love this scarf; it's so soft and drapey. The yarn is Austermann Bamboo Soft (65% Merino 35% Bamboo) color 002 a deep rich black. (Photo is not representative of true color; altered to show details) It's Karabella Pattern #KK239, cashmere Hat and Scarf. The seed stitch borders give body to this soft yarn while the wide cable undulates up the center - I'll be making this scarf again.

I love to see glimses of other Blogger's private lives so here's the Photography Studio (Feb 28, 2008) where I work part-time; one of the owner's put pictures up on his blog. You'll usually find me in the Production Area.

Not Feeling the Clapotis Love

Fall and Winter 2004 the Knitting world was buzzing about the Clapotis pattern on Knitty. Everyone was either knitting one or choosing yarn for their's. As much as I wanted to I just couldn't become enthused about the pattern. I told myself it was because of the shape of the large scarf, or is it a shawl but truthfully I didn't know why it didn't appeal to me and I felt left out of the excitement this dropped stitched pattern was generating.

It's over three years now and I still have this little nagging thought in the back of my mind over Clapotis. Then on the Kathryn Ivy blog I saw a scarf adaptation of Clapotis knit with Noro Silk Garden and I was sure this was the answer to my Clapotis ambivalence. I ordered three colors of Silk Garden; you only need two but I wasn't sure how the colors would work together so I ordered a back-up color.

First try

the colors didn't blend together - too contrasty for me. So I frogged it and tried my back-up color

these two color ways worked well together. They are colors 226 and 264.
BUT
I just don't like how it looks when you start dropping the stitches. What is it with me and this pattern? I dislike the dropped stitch part and I still don't understand why so many, many others find it such a wonderful project. I tried but I'm still on the outside looking in and not feeling the Clapotis love!

There is one finished photo to share.

Chevron Scarf #3 finished and blocked. Made with Misti Alpaca Worsted HandPainted in two different blue Colorways. The pattern is Chevron Scarf by Joelle Hoverson in the book Last-Minute Knitted Gifts


Here's proof Spring is on the way North; Winter is not forever.

The city is covered with clouds of white flowers on the Fruitless Pear trees.

Yarn and Other Knitting

My cousin is knitting booties for friends that are to be first time Grandparents; I've been helping her find patterns through Ravelry. (Finally convinced - an it took a lot of convincing - her she had to join; she's on the waiting list now.) Anyway while looking at all the baby stuff I found EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket stuck in my brain. I've no baby to knit for but while re-organizing my stash I found the perfect fingering weight yarn for a BSJ.

What can I say - I've succumbed. I don't mind endless garter stitch.


Mystic Light Shawl Knit-a-long uses fingering weight yarn; 600 yds of something that looks like sky. Others are into the red sky/sunset look but that's not something I'd probably use so when I found this yarn

and it looked like sky to me, I knew this was right for the project. It's Pagewood Farm's Hand Dyed Sock Yarn in Forest Camo.

A Christmas gift certificate caused me to travel outside my usual yarn haunts last Friday. Thanks Jessie; love the yarn and I had a great time visiting The Grove in San Diego!

Socks That Rock's, Sheep 2 Shoe Roving is finished. Sorry I seem to have misplaced the color name and it's not on the bag.




This is half of the 8.5 ounces, 2 ply, 182 yds. Much too thick for fingering weight. I really spun thin singles with lots of twist but it sure puffed up when I plyed it. I've never had a fiber do this to me before; don't misunderstand I loved this merino, it was a joy to spin. I'm wondering if the longer than usual fiber length made it just appeared to be spun more tightly than it actually was. Obviously, I miscalculated somewhere somehow.

I'm going to have to get off Sundara's Updates list! Yeah, did it again, I bought more of her yarn. I have more sock yarn than I can ever knit but her colors are so deep and luscious that I keep needing to buy new colors. I'm so weak!

Charcoal over Cherry

Evergreen over Umber

time to get back to the BSJ...

Spacey (and I don't mean Kevin)

I haven't been as consistant a blogger as I would like the last couple months; between the Holidays, allergies an allergy meds I've been spending a lots of time just staring at a wall - time I would normally spend doing more productive things. No idea what's setting it off this time of year; usually, I only have hay fever symptoms in the spring. Sorry if I sound spacey.

I started a new scarf; had a family request for a black, super long, very soft scarf. I'm using Austermann's Bambou Soft to make Karabella pattern #KK239


A very soft cable only twisting every 14 rows with a border of seed stitch on either side. The yarn is really a true rich black but I had to wash out the color a bit to get the texture to show up in the photo.

My Chevron Scarf #3 is done but not blocked. Just this morning, in a Gardening Club meeting, I finished a pair of Kaffe Fassett Regia socks. And last night I finished knitting My So Called Scarf; still have to weave in ends and block. So pictures are due.

I was halfway through the first wing chart on Mystery Stole 3 and decided to rip it back and forget the wing. I'm now chugging through the charts making a second rectangular section. Since I know the pattern this is going lots faster than the first half did.

And there's going to be another Mystery Lace Shawl KAL called Mystic Light Mystery Shawl Knitalong. Wouldn't it be nice if I could be done with MS3 before the next one starts March 26th? Think I've just found a goal to finish date.

That's all I got...