Figs and Things

I sort of lost my love of knitting during my last year of grad school. I made a few things that I liked, but I also made a lot of things that are currently sitting in a pile to be unraveled. Fortunately I recently knit two gifts that made me learn to love knitting again. For now, here is just one of those gifts:

This is called the Eyjafjallajökull shawl, but I knit it in sock yarn as a light summer baby blanket. I used Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Luster. Madelinetosh yarns are so perfect. Definitely a go-to for future shawls. This may seem a bit fussy for a baby blanket, but it’s for my cousin’s first baby, and because she is one of my oldest and dearest friends, I just felt like I should just go for it on this. I’m glad I did; other people can give practical gifts.

Above, it’s pictured with the Girasole I knit for my mom a few years ago for Christmas. Back in a time when I could actually imagine knitting large Christmas gifts. Maybe those days will come again now that school is finally over.

I have little else to say about this. The pattern is really easy, really beautiful. A lot of people said the crocheted border took a long time, but I didn’t feel that it took any longer than binding off a circular object would in any knit stitch or conventional knit bind-off. Maybe that’s also because I crocheted before I knit and the motion still feels very natural and easy to me. And it’s fun to do something different.

I haven’t really photographed the second project, because trying on a mohair garment in 90 degrees of oppressive humidity is extremely unappealing to me. But because I’m biking it down to Bristol tomorrow morning, I will probably have to do so today. For now, here’s a very tiny  glimpse:

I knit Aidez back in August – maybe even earlier! But I only recently blocked and took pictures of it. In my defense, this was not a New England summer (or even fall) in which wearing a heavy wool sweater would have been pleasant or bearable, even for the short time it takes to photograph it. And I am certainly not a fancy photographer.

See what I mean? (Unrelated – look at my beautiful floors. I also completed those this summer. Tore up two layers of weird linoleum and tile flooring, sanded and painted. Not to brag.)

I’ve been wanting to knit this ever since I saw Cirilia’s, like a year and a half ago. I covetously watched it being photographed at the shoot, anxiously awaited the publication of the pattern…then finally knit my own version exactly one year later. So it often goes with knitting. Especially when you’re in grad school.

The downside of waiting so long to block, photograph and report on this sweater after knitting it is that I can’t remember exactly the details of my knitting process. Fortunately, there’s little to report, because I loved the pattern exactly as it was. I used the recommended yarn, Berroco Peruvia Quick, which I’d never knit with before. I have to say, I’m glad I did. A lot of people substituted Cascade Eco Wool, which I do love and have used for many projects in the past. But Peruvia Quick has an extra soft, dense feeling that I think will make me appreciate this sweater even more as the weather gets colder. And seriously weather, that can happen any time now. I don’t need 65 degree days in November.

The kind of amazing thing I have to admit is that I don’t remember whether I knit the size 32 or 36. I’m inclined to say I knit the 36? But I could be wrong. I’ll have to measure it. I do know that I used 9 skeins of the Peruvia Quick. I barely made a dent in the 9th skein though. For whatever that’s worth.

In any case, I couldn’t love this sweater more. The color is great, the fit is great. It lends itself perfectly to my “librarian wardrobe.” I’m really happy that it’s finally cooling off and I can wear this little treat.

Most of my knitting these days is done on the commuter rail between Providence and Boston. (Occasionally I sneak some in during long lectures because I’m one of those people who can’t sit still and pay attention to something at the same time.) Back in September, I knit these little mitts out of a skein of Noro Kureyon that Cirilia gave to me when she moved away. It’s really nice to knit with yarn from a friend. It’s a tiny detail that makes the project much more personal.

These are from a pattern, the Camp Out Fingerless Mitts, available for free on Ravelry. I didn’t make any serious mods, but I did knit mine a little smaller than directed. Skinny wrists and skinny hands over here. I like a snug mitt.  These are really well-suited to Noro’s color changes, and they knit up in no time at all.

Oh, and happy Halloween, from the bottom of my heart and inside of my brain.

Now back to subject analysis homework…

I’m feeling a bit defeated by school this month, so let’s turn our attention to some small points of triumph for a moment. Therefore: pictures of knitting and pictures of cats. And pictures of knitting pictures of dogs.

This is “Baby Sophisticate” by Linden Brown. Sometimes also referred to, delightfully, as “Pretentious Baby.”

I have decided to stop pandering to “baby sensibilities,” and am heretofore only knitting items for babies that I would consider knitting for adults. Knit with Cascade Eco Wool on size 8 needles, this certainly flies by. There is something very satisfying about constructing those tiny arms and working the neck shaping in such a small span of time. You can absolutely knit this in a day. Especially if you spend many hours of your day sitting on a train.

This sweater is for the first baby of a very old friend of mine from back home. Said baby is due approximately right…now. So this sweater is on its way to northwestern Pennsylvania as we speak. Godspeed.

I am not generally an intarsia knitter, so I’m feeling very self-conscious about this piece. It’s a square for a quilt that is being made for a family friend of another of my dear old friends, who is currently ill. I was really honored to get to make a square for such a special and thoughtful project. I can think of few things more comforting than a handknit quilt.

I used Cascade 220 Superwash (the light blue) and Berroco Vintage (green and brown), thinking it best to err on the side of washability.  I have had the pleasure of knitting with Vintage before, and I really can’t recommend it enough. The Cascade Superwash was a new yarn for me, although I use the regular 220 pretty frequently. These would also make great yarns for baby projects, if you wanted to be more considerate than I was and make your projects machine washable. I had a lot of fun making the dachshund grid and seeing the little buddy appear before my eyes. My biggest complaint here is that I wish I had used a smaller needle (I used a 7). A tighter fabric would have been preferable I think, and probably also would have prevented the color changes from looking so prominent. Fortunately, the recipients are not as obsessive as I am.

This is not really of any importance or relevance. It is simply a picture of my dear Felane. She may be middle aged now, but she is still ready to party. This is a good reminder for my “significant other,” who recently awoke at three in the morning to the thought that someday he would have to live with Felane. All I can say is, there are probably weirder cats out there. Somewhere.