casey knits

I wanted a piece of handknit lace for a photography project, but didn’t have time before tomorrow’s lab-time to knit even a swatch, so I blocked the “point” of my current shawl in progress.

Before: bath scrunchy
After: leaf lace!

It’s amazing what water and a few pins will do.

As for the shawl, the pattern I’m using is this Blue Jeans Leaf Lace Shawl.  It’s the first time I’ve ever knitted a point-up shawl, and I’m liking it so far simply because it’s so darn mindless.  Without the increases in the center of a typical triangular shawl, there’s absolutely no thinking to be done except on the edges.  Right now, mindless = good.

I chose this pattern, not because I particularly liked it (I mean, I obviously do, but it wasn’t tops on my to-knit list), but because the idea that she got a 65-inch-wide shawl out of a single 440-yard skein of lace yarn intrigued me.  I’ve had this orphan skein of handspun, hand-dyed, wool-silk-blend lace yarn from Frelsi Farms, bought at the Fiber Frolic a couple years ago… the variegated shades of blue-violet, reminiscent of Starry Night, drew me in, but the yardage… only 265 yards.  I could have knit a cowl or a short scarf, but… meh.  I like shawls!  So I’m trying this pattern, and I’m aiming for a shawlette that’s maybe 45″ or so across.  We shall see, eh?

At this point, my greater hope is that the yarn softens with a good conditioner-laden soak before blocking.  Because holy cow, this stuff is like knitting with wire!

One of Woody’s requests, ages ago, was a doll version of himself, with the base pattern being the ever-popular Kate.  The plan was to get it finished as a Christmas present, but that just didn’t happen.  The next goal was to present it to him on his birthday (January 11), but that came and went as well.

Finally, I just buckled down over the weekend and knit the darn thing.  Sometimes that’s what it takes, you know, and especially with these kinds of projects, because as much as I love to knit, I LOATHE the process of finishing.  I’ve had far too many projects over the years that knit up beautifully, only to be completely ruined at my hands when I tried to embroider, assemble, whatever.  And guess what?

I hate the way this came out.  I mean, really hate it.

I was fine with it until I did the hair, and then all hell broke loose.  The stupid part is that, other than obvious yarn-vs-hair texture differences, it LOOKS LIKE WOODY’S HAIR.  And I don’t hate Woody’s hair on his head.  But I hate Woody’s hair on the doll.  IT MAKES NO SENSE.

But damned if I was going to make another one, so Woody took the doll with him to work on Monday (and he dressed like the doll, too, which made it doubly amusing).  He crafted a pair of bent-paper-clip glasses for it, which improved it a bit.  Apparently, it was a hit, because now his boss wants one of himself.

I guess the moral of the story is that I’m a perfectionist, and it kills me to send a knitted good out into the world when I’m not happy with it.  (Seriously, I actually cringed.)  Or maybe it’s that whole beauty’s-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder thing.  Either way, I’m not happy with this project at all, and I’m even less happy that it’s in public rather than in a trashcan somewhere, but I suppose I’ll deal with it. 

NOW I’m going to knit things for myself for a while.  If, you know, I can find the time to do so.

Oh hi!  I have a blog?  Actually, I remembered that I had a blog… what I didn’t realize is how quickly time flies, even if you aren’t having fun.  The new semester has begun - 2 weeks in already, if you can believe it, because I sure can’t - and all I can say at this point is that I’m NOT having fun yet.  I really do hope this changes as I get used to my very hectic new schedule and heavy courseload, but if it doesn’t… well, I guess I was bound to have some not-fun semesters sometime in this process, right?

I’ve been so busy - and so exhausted - that I haven’t even really been knitting much.  But in the spirit of catching up with things I’ve meant to post about for the past couple weeks, I do have a couple projects to share:

One of the Christmas presents I couldn’t share previously, because it was still in transit, was a Colonnade shawl for my dear friend Heather.  I used Cascade 220 Heathers (hee!) in a lovely shade of purple.  The funny thing about this pattern is that I really kinda disliked it as I was knitting it;  something about the column lace was very awkward to me, and didn’t flow nicely as I worked it.  But once it was done, I loved it - not just the finished project, but the pattern as well.  It was so fast! and cozy! and NOT-GIRLY!  I think I’ll be making one for myself, if I ever have time!

While I was in New York, I finished a hat for myself that I’d started working on during finals.  The pattern is I Heart Pompoms by Karen Borrel, and it’s my new favoritest hat evar! Once again, the yarn is Cascade 220, this time in Bluebell.  (I think 220 is quickly becoming my default yarn for everything.)  I made a couple very small changes - essentially, making it a pattern repeat + a couple ribbing rows shorter - and managed to get the entire hat, including the pompoms, done with one skein of yarn.

Then, before the semester started and my life went to shit, I started these:

Socks for my cousin’s girlfriend, Evelyn… IF I ever get them done, I will write up the pattern, because it’s one of my own creation and I’m quite pleased with it.  As I often do when I’m giving gifts, this pair is knit from acrylic (easy care!), but knit in wool, these would be fantastically stretchy, sproingy socks for a wide variety of sizes, and I think that’s a good thing in a sock pattern.

Unfortunately (sorry, Evelyn!), the socks are on hold for the time being, because I’m finishing up a belated birthday present for Woody, and then I’m knitting something for myself.  For the sake of my sanity, I have to;  this entire semester is going to be about self-denial on many levels, and so I have to do something for myself, you know?

I just haven’t figured out what that is yet.  By the next post, perhaps…

My 2009 went something like this:

• Quit restaurant (cooking/baking) job
• Broke up with the boyfriend
• Decided to go back to college - applied to Ithaca and Eastern Michigan
• Spent a month on the road, nomadic, drifting between New York and Michigan, basically avoiding being in Maine while waiting to hear an admission decision
• My beloved Grandpa Jim passed away
• Got accepted to both colleges;  chose Eastern Michigan
• Left Maine, my friends, my second family, everything I’ve known for the previous 6 years, and moved to Michigan - 1200 miles, alone, with 2 insane cats and everything I own packed into a Metro
• Hey, new boyfriend!  New home!  New friends!
• Started crappy kitchen job at Toyota, which was a minor accomplishment only because I did what everyone said I wouldn’t be able to do:  I landed a job within a couple weeks of moving there.
• Promptly quit said job a month later, but hey.
• Landed a mega-scholarship, because I’m S-M-R-T.  (Or so they think.)
• Started my first semester at college in 15 years, amidst great angst and anxiety.
• Finished said first semester with 5 A’s and a 4.0 GPA.  (Yeah yeah, so they were right.)
• Drove 600-something miles to spend my holidays with my family, some of whom I haven’t seen in 15+ years.  It’s also meant spending New Year’s Eve with them for the first time in… I dunno, a decade?

So yeah.  Never let it be said that I live a boring, uneventful life, I suppose.  :)  But you know, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I thrive on change.  Live for it, even.

I am, as I always say, immeasurably blessed.  I can’t wait to see what 2010 will bring.

So hey!  Merry Christmas!  I have so much to say that I don’t even know where to start!  Well, ok… kind of a lie… this IS a knitting blog, after all, so I’m going to start with the long-promised pictures of things I made for gifts this year.  This isn’t everything;  2 gifts still haven’t been mailed (sigh!) and 1 still hasn’t reached its recipient.  But this is the bulk of the knitting, and although it isn’t much, I suppose I’m moderately impressed that I managed to get this much done whilst also pulling STRAIGHT A’s in FIVE CLASSES and a 4.0 GPA. (Go me!)

A Zetor for Mom

A scarf for my cousin Lisa

A neckwarmer for Sandra

A similar creation for Jaime

Mittens for Grandma

A Cthulhuclava for Jay (my stepdad), quite possibly the star of this holiday-season show

And, of course, the previously-mentioned mittens for Woody

I didn’t get done NEARLY what I’d hoped to get done, honestly, which is why I have to keep reminding myself that I was really busy this past fall and it’s pretty much a miracle that I even got THIS much done.  (And I actually knitted 3 things beyond this stuff, so…)

Now I’m back in New York, at the family homestead, with the most AMAZING Christmas behind me, and another few days of uber-relaxing winter break ahead of me.  This truly might have been one of the best Christmases ever.  In the span of 2 days - Christmas and the day after - I spent time with over 60 family members, some of whom were cousins I haven’t seen in almost a decade… for ONE cousin (Joel, I’m looking at you!) it may have been more like 15-20 years.  INSANE.  And priceless.  And, of course, over FAR too quickly.  But there is talk of a family reunion this summer…

As for presents, all I want to say is that I am horribly spoiled.  Terribly!  In terms of knitterly things, which are just a fraction of the sum total of insane giftage that happened on the 25th, Woody done SO good:  he got me a beautiful swift! and a vintage ball-winder!  and MALABRIGO LACE YARN!  He is, as they say, a keeper.