Deep Purple

I think it's finally time...

I've had the yarn for this in the stash for almost a year now. I bought four HUGE (250 gram) hanks of this deep purple Kid Aran at Little Knits last fall with this project in mind. I know that's a lot of yarn, but I have had way too many experiences with running out halfway through the second sleeve, and I knew I'd probably never be able to get more of this hand dyed yarn to match.

After finishing up two lingering projects in the past two days (an endeavor that involved lace repairs, rescue yarn, and the dyepot), I feel I have served my penance for putting the Round Yoke Jacket on the shelf. (I'll show you the finished projects once I can get pictures.) After several rounds of swatching for projects in my queue and not really feeling the love for any of them, I think I am ready to tackle this one. I've been looking forward to it for a long time, but Death By Cables sort of took the edge off my cable love for a while there.

I'm planning to make this one significantly longer than the original. I don't really like cropped sweaters. I hit 5'11" when I was 14, so I've spent most of my life tugging on clothes that are too short. I have a hard time deliberately making a short sweater. I want mine to be hip-length. I think I can just add length to the peplum, but I'll have to see. For those who aren't familiar with this pattern, the peplum is knitted as one long piece, then the upper part of the sweater is worked in right and left halves, each incorporating front, back, and one sleeve. It looks to be a bit complicated to adjust sizing. Fortunately, I fall comfortably within one of the existing sizes, except for the length.

I'm hoping to cast on tonight, after my birthday party! Yes, indeed. Yarnhog is a year older today. I've been 29 for the past 10 years, so I think it may be time to turn 35.

"We Need To Talk"

Dear Round Yoke Jacket,

We need to talk. You know that I love you. I love your soft, tweedy texture, your garter stitch yoke, your soft green color. I love your versatility and your willingness to change for me. But I think we need some time apart. Lately I have found our relationship to be more of a trial than a pleasure. I feel like I'm knitting on eggshells, never knowing when something is going to go terribly wrong. I'm tired of the frustration, the misunderstandings, the late-night tears.

It's not like we haven't tried to make it work. Remember the seven times we ripped and re-knitted the yoke together? Remember the needle size changes? Remember the five inches of garter stitch ribbing? We've put an awful lot into this relationship, and I'm not willing to give it up entirely, but I think some time apart would help us both. So I'm going to have to put you in the stash closet--just for a little while--while I pursue some other interests. I hope we will be able to return to each other refreshed and ready to try again.

Love,
Yarnhog

Ten Things

I saw this meme at On The Needles, and it made me think, so I decided to participate (spurred on, I must admit, by some tough work days that haven't left much time or energy for knitting or blogging). The photo mosaic was my own addition.

The rules? List ten things you can't do without. Tag [pick a number] people and let them know they're tagged. That's it! Easy, huh?

Ten Things I Can't Do Without


Credits (from left to right, top to bottom): 1. My own, 2. My own, 3. The Color of Crema Coffee, 4. My own, 5. Entering Hyperspace, 6. llibreria - bookstore - Amsterdam - HDR, 7. Jaz, 8. Pequeños Placeres / Little Pleasures, 9. Sugar Lips, 10. blessing of nature

1. My family, of course. That's almost cheating, isn't it?
2. Yarn and needles. Yeah, yeah. Still cheating.
3. Coffee. Enough said.
4. Dogs. They are so much easier to relate to than humans. Why, yes, I am antisocial. How did you know?
5. Internet access. How could I ever survive without you all?
6. Books. Yes, I did notice this somehow came in below internet access. This is disturbing to me, particularly since I have a degree in literature, but still true.
7. My alarm clock. I'm not a morning person, but morning comes all the same.
8. Privacy. I am naturally introverted and need time alone every day to recharge.
9. Sugar. There is no chance at all that I will ever do a low-carb diet. Or, well, any diet, actually.
10. Plants. I love the way they look. I love the way they feel. I love their constant, silent, living presence. Emphasis on silent. I did mention my family, did I not? They are not silent. At all.

And despite the mental image I have now created of a fat, sluggish, caffeine- and sugar-addicted, antisocial, knitting bookworm digging in the dirt surrounded by dogs, I'm happy to share my list with you! I won't tag anyone, so no pressure, but I would love to read your lists, too (and see your pictures), so if you're inclined to play, please leave a message to let me know when you post, and I'll come visit.

Rippit--Rippit

This is what five inches of garter stitch ribbing looks like after you rip it out because you realize that you should probably have measured the length of the sweater before starting the five inches of garter stitch ribbing. Had you measured instead of eye-balling it, you would have realized you had knitted the stockinette part of the body two inches longer than it needed to be. That's a 100 gram skein of yarn there, folks. And it's a bloody good thing I like to knit, because now I get to knit five inches of garter stitch trim. Again. &$*!

Chocolate-Covered Cherry

If you guessed it was the Chevron Scarf, you were right! I may not be the last knitter in the world to do this one. (That honor is reserved for my non-participation in the Clapotis craze. I haven't knitted Clapotis on principle; until I can identify what it is supposed to be, it would be irresponsible for me to make one.) But according to Ravelry, there are 1492 of these recorded, which is probably only a small percentage of the total number in existence, so I have a lot of company.

I cannot explain my desire to knit this scarf. I don't wear scarves, nor do I know anyone who does. There are only about three days a year here when wearing wool wrapped around your neck would not be likely to send you to the emergency room with heat stroke. Still, I couldn't resist. After all, the lack of wool-appropriate weather hasn't prevented me from knitting innumerable wool sweaters, which reside, neatly stacked, in my closet, awaiting the next Ice Age. If you ever wake up to woolly mammoths outside your window, you'll know there is a knitter in San Diego crying tears of joy.

My version is made with a skein of semi-solid chocolate colored Koigu (my first!) and a skein of Fly Dyed Monarch in Ruby Redmond that's been in the stash for a long time, awaiting a project that isn't socks. Together, the colors remind me of those chocolate covered cherries with the creamy pink filling. Mmmmm....

Jumping on the Bandwagon

Any guesses what this will be? Need a hint? It's my new purse project, and I'm blaming The A.D.D. Knitter.

FO: Opulent Raglan

We interrupt our regularly-scheduled frog-fest to bring you:

The Opulent Raglan!

Pattern: Opulent Raglan by Wendy Bernard, from the Fall 2008 Knitscene.
Size: 34"
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Classic Al
Needles: Size 5 and 6 KnitPicks Options circulars

Modifications: Only a few. I increased the length and adjusted the waist shaping to fit. I did a 1x1 ribbing at the bottom instead of a turned hem, because I thought the turned hem looked a little bulky (and ribbing is so much easier, anyway). I lengthened the sleeves a bit, too. The neckline on mine is higher, but this doesn't really count as a mod, since it was the result of my smaller row gauge. I wanted the neck higher, anyway, so the gauge difference just saved me the trouble. Gotta love that!

Thoughts: I love this pattern. The design is elegant in execution, top down, one piece, and yet very shapely and even a bit fancy. The cable is gorgeous; it makes me think of a intricate ribbon, like the kind you get when you have the department store wrap the package for you. It kept the knitting just tricky enough to be interesting, without making me want to stick a dpn in my eye. I even went with the short, belled sleeves, because I decided I liked that feminine, almost old-fashioned touch, and the sweater would lose something if I deleted them. All in all, a satisfying knit, and a very pretty FO!