PDXKnitterati

A veritable potpourri

Posted on November 5, 2009 | 10 comments

Let’s see, where am I? Oh, yes, the contest!

I ran the random number generator at random.org and the winners are: Susie (KnittingKnoobie) for the purple Berroco Vintage Wool, and Marie (permissiontounwind) for the blue Lanaloft. I’ll be sending out yarn soon.

Just a bit of knitting going on here. We started the Quincy hat knitalong at knit night last week; I love the way the i-cord just happens on the edges. This will be the moebius strip of the hat band around the head. Isn’t it pretty?

Here’s a better look at the edges. Don’t worry; the green is temporary. It’s a provisional cast on so the beginning can be grafted to the end.

And I’m still highly distracted by my new guitar. It has a lovely voice, and I’ve been playing a lot. I had the action adjusted (lowered) by our luthier, and it’s easier to play. Dreamy. Now I just need to learn to play better! I’m learning to pick arpeggios rather than just strum. Doing that while singing is an interesting exercise in coordination, but it’s getting better.

I’m also writing a couple songs with a friend (he composes the music; I write the lyrics), and that’s been a lot of fun. I’m so lucky to have all these creative outlets in my life, and I know it.

Knit and play on!

10 Comments

Posted in Knit, music

Tagged guitar, Knit, quincy hat, yarn

Franken-tar

Posted on October 31, 2009 | 12 comments

Just in time for Halloween!

The Teen saw concert footage of Muse, and was intrigued by lead singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy’s guitar. Bellamy designed Manson MB-1 guitar, which features an x-y midi controller. The instrument sells for £2,999, which means that the Teen won’t be getting one any time soon.

But that didn’t stop him from tinkering on his own. He built his own version, dubbed it the RB-1, and used it for a short piece at school.

Basically, it’s an iPod/iPhone app called the Bebot Robosynth. It sells for a mere $1.99. The Teen loaded it up, put the iPod on his guitar, the earphone onto the guitar pickup, and away you go.

Not a lot of finesse with it yet, but he sure had fun!

Here it is charging next to my Norman. I like the old/new juxtaposition.

A closer look at the setup:

Isn’t the little guy cute?

Meanwhile, my new guitar arrived yesterday. I looooove it. Such great tone. The stock strings are mediums(?) and they squeak against my thumb. I’m about to swap them out for Elixir nanoweb lights.

12 Comments

Posted in music

Tagged guitar

Quincy hat knitalong

Posted on October 29, 2009 | 12 comments

The Quincy Hat (ravlink) by Jared Flood (brooklyntweed). The first time I saw the pattern for this, I knew I had to knit it. It doesn’t matter that I don’t wear hats. The construction of this is so clever, I just have to do it.

It starts with a rectangle of garter stitch, twisted to make a moebius strip. Mmmm, garter stitch. Cool moebius! There’s some kitchener right there, but if I don’t feel like it, I’ll do a three needle bind off. We’ll see. Stitches are picked up to make the crown. There’s i-cord. What’s not to like?

The yarn for the hat is pretty luxe stuff. It’s Classic Elite Ariosa, 90% extrafine merino, 10% cashmere, bulky weight. An extravagance for a hat I’ll never wear, but it will be soooooo nice to knit with, and it would make a wonderful gift, too.

I’m doing this hat as a knitalong with my knit night buds. The fun starts tonight. Or sooner, if I can’t resist it. Yeah, maybe sooner.

12 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged knitalong, moebius, quincy hat

Distracted

Posted on October 26, 2009 | 17 comments

Not much knitting this past weekend. I’m a little distracted.

I played a friend’s new guitar (picture in previous post), and the sound of it took me back to high school youth group. Hanging out and singing was a big part of my life. About 5 years ago, I decided to learn to play, just a little, so I could revisit some of the music that I loved so much. I bought a little Norman folk acoustic then, and it has served me well.

But the sound of my friend’s guitar is calling my name. Insistently. So I’ve been shopping for a new guitar, and I’m going to end up with the same Takamine. I can’t wait!

To make up for today’s lack of knitting content, I’m offering up a bit of yarn that came my way. This is Berroco Vintage Wool. It’s worsted weight, 50% acrylic, 40% wool, 10% nylon. It was in the goodie bag at the Sock Summit Ravelry party in August, and it’s nice, but I’m kind of a natural fiber snob and so I don’t think I’ll ever use it.

The other yarn is Brown Sheep Lanaloft, which is a sport weight 100% wool single. I bought it when I was designing my Seafoam Socks, but then decided to use a different yarn. I’m not sure it would be great for socks; it’s a single and it’s also not superwash. I’ve discovered that my other non-superwash socks need more tender care than I’ve been giving them!

If you’re interested in either of these yarns, tell me which one, or both, and what you’d make with it. I’ll take names until midnight Friday, October 30, and then I’ll do two drawings with the random number thingy.

Good luck!

17 Comments

Posted in Knit, music

Tagged contest, guitar, yarn

Knitting project design process

Posted on October 20, 2009 | 14 comments

All the cool kids were at Rhinebeck last weekend, and I was way over here on the left coast, just hanging out. But I walked to Twisted on Saturday and bought some yarn, so I didn’t feel so left out. I came back with these.

Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky, 55% merino, 33% microfiber, 12% cashmere. This is incredibly soft and squishy to knit with. One ball makes a very efficient neck warmer (kind of like a mock T-neck), but it’s not very big. I don’t really want to use two for this project, so we’ll see how it goes. The color is somewhere between the two pictures: deep, vibrant, wine-y.

Malabrigo Chunky, 100% kettle dyed merino, 100 grams. It’s slightly heavier. And also really fun to knit with. The stitch definition is divine.

And I have one more on hand; it’s a bulky 100% merino yarn from Knitted Wit. Why am I suddenly obsessed with chunky yarn?

I’m hosting another party for the high school Booster Auction. Twisted is supplying the venue, and Lantern Moon is donating the needles. (Thank you to both!) Last year, I designed the Checkerboard Scarflet as a party project. I need a new project for this year. Yes, it’s above and beyond hosting the party, but it’s fun and for a good cause.

I’ve decided that I want to use a chunky yarn this year, to get near instant gratification. The project needs to be beginner friendly, but interesting enough for an experienced knitter to get some joy from it. I don’t want another flat scarf/scarflet. Fingerless mitts would be great, but you have to make two. I think a single item would be better. I think it’s going to be a cowl.

Next step: The perfect stitch pattern. I want to give options, so I think I’ll have three of them. I want at least one of them to be simple enough that a relative beginner will have a successful experience. I want something easily memorized. I want it to be elegant. Soon, with these chunky yarns!

In the meantime, I’ve returned to the piano bench and am picking my way through a Clementi sonatina (hey, I can still read music!) for relatively instant gratification, as well as trying to resurrect old repertoire. Hello, Mozart? Are you still there?

And I’m playing this guitar, just for a couple days. I have it on temporary swap with a friend; it’s new and I may want one of my own. Yes I have a guitar, but it’s not this nice! (Thanks to the Teen for being guitar model. He plays way better than I do.)

14 Comments

Posted in Knit, music, pattern design, piano

Tagged Knit, knit design, yarn

Li’l Punkinhead…

Posted on October 15, 2009 | 16 comments

has not yet arrived. But we had a baby shower for his mom last night, and I knit this little hat for him. He’s due the day before Halloween. Even if he’s late, the hat should be good all season.

I don’t really have a pattern for this; it’s a K7P1 rib, mirrored decreases at the top of each rib, Tahki Cotton Classic, size 6 needles. I’ve made pumpkin hats before; they’re all a little different because I just do them on the fly.

At the knit nite baby shower, we gave Helen our group project gift, too. Lorajean dyed the yarn and coordinated the effort. Thanks, LJ!

It’s quite the baby boom around here; I’ve knit five baby gifts since August. I think this is the last one…until spring!

16 Comments

Posted in Knit

Blue skies and sunshine

Posted on October 9, 2009 | 19 comments

This week has been gorgeous in PDX. The skies are blue, the temperatures moderate, and the leaves are starting to turn. Perfect autumn weather.

Birds are fattening up for the trek south (hazy because I shot through the window with my new 12x zoom Lumix). There are four birds in the first picture, but there were many more hanging around!

I hadn’t seen this one before; do you know what it is?

I was inspired by the autumn sky to buy this yarn.

It’s Malabrigo Sock Yarn; the color is Impressionist Sky. My original intent was to buy this yarn in a color called Indiecita because I fell in love with it at Sock Summit, but the color I saw in August (blue and brown) was very different from the one I saw yesterday (green). I was looking for blue to start a shawl, and this jumped up and said, “Pick me!”

I bought the yarn at a new store in town. It’s called Happy Knits and is at 1620 SE Hawthorne. They have a lot(!) of Malabrigo yarn, and also carry Karabella and some Cascade. The shop is sleek and spare, and has a huge common room in the back. Sarah threw in the Della Q bag as a thank you. Nice!

Portland is blessed to have a lot of yarn stores with an amazing variety of yarns. I’m lucky to be in such a fiber mecca!

With the change in weather, I have a hankering to start a sweater, too. Start-itis abounds. What are you dreaming of knitting?

19 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged Knit, LYS, malabrigo

San Francisco déjà vu, and Single Skein Club

Posted on October 7, 2009 | 10 comments

DH & I took the kids to San Francisco at the end of August. We had a great touristy weekend. This was going to be our planned summer vacation, until we decided to visit Vietnam and Tokyo. It’s been a big travel year.

We toured the Davies Symphony Hall and San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a friend who plays for the symphony. The Teen sat down at the piano in one of the recital halls.

He even remembered part of a sonatina he played about six years ago. He hasn’t played piano since 2005 or so. How does he do that?

When I told Mom we were going, she said, “I never get to go anywhere.” That got me thinking. Mom’s birthday was coming; why not take her to San Francisco? So my sisters and I took her for a girls’ weekend. My August trip was a great preview!

Of course we went to Chinatown; we’re Chinese! We had a very touristy fun weekend. We even rode a cable car. (Excuse the wind noise; it was windy.)

Before we left, I went to Twisted to pick up my Single Skein Club package for October. If you’re still waiting for yours, you should avert your eyes now. Otherwise I’ll ruin your surprise. Look away!

This month’s club offering is a very chic hat by Lee Meredith, aka Leethal. It’s called Ocean Breezes. Here’s a Rav link to some better pix.

The yarn is Alpaca With a Twist Highlander Tweed. It’s beautiful yarn, smooth and soft. I love the sheen it has from the alpaca. I even got to choose my own color, which made this little control freak very happy.

The package also includes these very cute fish buttons, some cedar moth balls, and some point protectors. And Halloween candy.

Even though I haven’t knit the past several kits, I really like being part of the club. The suspense and thrill of finding out what’s in the package pleases me. The patterns are always clever, and the yarn is always sumptuous. I’ve been introduced to some yarns that I never would have considered in my browsing. Cool!

10 Comments

Posted in Knit, travel

Tagged cable car, Knit, san francisco, single skein club, twistedpdx

Knit your fingers to the bone, what do you get?

Posted on October 1, 2009 | 25 comments

Baby Hat Palooza!

We’re having a little baby boom at church. The music director’s baby received the pink baby bolero last month. We’re having a baby shower for three new moms this weekend, so I did a hat trick! (hockey, anyone?)

This is the tomato cap from Ann Norling’s Fruit Cap pattern (Rav link). It was my standard baby gift for a long time.

This is my own watermelon cap. Here’s a link to my free pattern.

And this is Elsa. The little knot in the pattern makes me think of Elsa Schiaparelli’s Bow Knot sweater, even though it’s nothing like it. It’s just a little decoration. I envision the knot worn above the ear, but anything can happen once it leaves my hands! Front and center? Down the back? Whatever!

I’m offering the Elsa pattern for free. It’s a simple pattern, quick and easy to knit with dk weight yarn. I used Sublime Yarns Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK, so mine is quite the little luxury knit. I hope you like it!

25 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged baby hat, free pattern, Knit

OFFF stash enhancement

Posted on October 1, 2009 | 7 comments

So what did I get at OFFF?

A few very carefully chosen goodies!

My main goal for this festival was to buy another spindle. I love my Turkish Delight, but I wanted one more spindle so I can experiment with one while the other has an ongoing spinning project. I thought I’d try a top-whorl spindle. I found out that there are a lot of spindles out there, with a wide range of prices. I bought this cherry and red cedar Kundert spindle and the book, Productive Spindling, at the Carolina Homespun booth.

Here’s the underside. The fiber is a sample from Abstract Fiber; it was in the goodie bag from WWSiPDay. (Thanks to Susan for donating, and Tami for organizing!)

It spins for a long time, and I’ve learned to roll it off my leg so it really gets going fast. Just another hint from the Productive Spindling book by Amelia Garripoli. I have a lot to learn!

I also bought four one ounce fiber knots from Knitted Wit. I love the colors, and I could see using handspun from these for colorwork, interspersed on a background of commercial black or white yarn. At $3 a knot, it’s a completely non-threatening experiment fiber (merino, yummy).

My last purchase was a small maple niddy-noddy from Ol Lar’s Drop Spindles. Isn’t it pretty? I almost bought a bubinga top-whorl spindle from them, but it was gone when I went back. That’s probably a good thing, because I was just going to impulse buy it because it was so beautiful! I had already bought the Kundert the day before.

It comes apart and turns into this.

Pretty restrained, huh? Now to go spin all that fluff! And Lorajean gave me a braid of merino/silk in her Rose City colorway to thank me for helping her set up. It’s gorgeous. Thanks, LJ!