my inbox is stacked high

work is piling up, but somehow, i don’t mind. heh.
nice stack of yarn, right?

i’m going through a little phase of startitis, but trying to pawn it off as an organized design process. between requests for matching articles to go with recently-released patterns and feeling the need to make some new things for gift-giving AND the desire to get started on one bigger lace project, i find myself with a bevy of new items and continuing projects on the needles.

but first, a couple of announcements.

our friend jennifer jett (i love her name!), the woolgirl herself, is opening a new club to sister with her very popular sock club. it’s called embrace the lace and participants will enjoy eight knits shipped throughout 2009. each kit includes an exclusive yarn and pattern for a lace project from indie dyers and designers. it should be wonderful fun. anyone interested in signing up can click here to find out more.

i was emailing with a reader who wanted recommendations about where she could send completed projects to be blocked/finished, and i admit i was at a loss to help her. if anyone out there has an established practice for finishing and/or blocking, or knows of a shop that takes this type of work, please post a comment and i will compile a list so that readers can get in touch with a source if needed.
please post only if you are currently taking this work as a business (or know someone who is) and can supply recommendations for your work; i’d feel better knowing that the list includes practitioners who are experienced in handling workflow with a timely turnaround and plan to continue offering ongoing services.

ok, then let’s look at some knitting, shall we?

my second woodsmoke sock is ready for a heel and i should get through that later this evening. i love, love, love this sock—it’s so crisp and interesting-looking and the yarn is just amazing. deb has done it again with her new tight twist superwash merino—it’s smooshy but fine, firmly twisted, but easy on the hands. and it’s not just me—vanessa bought some to do her test knit for the pattern and she’s raving about it, too.

sometimes i buckle to peer pressure, especially when someone poses a really great idea

throughout the process of designing spiraluscious, people have been telling me the design would make a great mitt. in class, susie observed that the pattern would make a beautiful mitt. back at the ranch, kay pleaded for a mitt pattern to match the neckwarmer. then marlene chimed in along with several others. what could i do? i’m helpless in the face of knitters who want more patterns.

this week i found myself with a little block of free time to set to work on it (ok, actually, i was avoiding doing something else “processing” on another project, but what’ the dif, really? using the time to knit something else is better than staring into space . . .). i chose to use the leftover shivaya silky merino yarn in iris that i have—there’s plenty left over from the neckwarmer to knit into mitts.

it took me a while to figure out how i wanted to do this piece—i thought that knitting the whole thing in the lace pattern might present some problems around the thumb gusset, as well as a tendency for the mitt to fall, or “scrunch” down, and wouldn’t offer much warmth. then i realized that i could probably use the motif as a panel along the back and knit the palm in solid stockinette for better structure.

and after that everything went smoothly. i gussied up the thumb by repeating the motif from the top edging and am loving that detail. all it needs now is the bottom edging, and i’m on that.

you might notice though, that this mitt looks awfully small for my big “man hands”. i started the glove with a stitch count that would normally work well for this yarn weight and another lace pattern (lace tends to be very stretchy in a glove). interestingly, i found that as the glove got longer, this particular lace pattern actually constricts a bit widthwise and is much more stable than a lot of other laces. not only did it not stretch as much, it did not stretch enough for the fit i expected.

this is actually good news in a couple of ways. it’s always nice to know of a pattern or two that has this type of stability, for garments that need to keep their shape to be pretty and useful. also, it enables me to create multiple sizes in the mitt pattern that i know will fit smaller hands well (i like to be as inclusive as possible in sizing, but it can be a challenge to serve people on the extreme ends of the range)

i have plenty of yarn to make a pair that will fit my own hands better, so i started one in a larger size last night.

ok, even i know that’s pathetic as a WIP shot . . . but what about that yarn, eh??

getting back to that first photo at the top—the tower of power, if you will—what i have there is a selection of yarns for other newly-begun projects.

the other day i went searching through my stash for yarn to make myself a very warm hat and to start a new mitt design. i knew exactly what i wanted; last winter, chris sent me two gorgeous briar rose skeins of nearly-black yarn with reds, blues, golds, and browns melded in. one skein is pilgrim, a soft singles in a heavier weight

it’s not like malabrigo at all, which is almost too soft to be of much use. nor is it like manos, which is gorgeous, but a little rough for a hat. it’s smooth, lofty, luscious, and very sturdy, all at the same time (can you tell i’m impressed?).

the other skein is her DK weight fourth of july yarn—a smooth wool with two plies of regular yarn and one ply of superwash, which takes the dye color a little differently, thus creating an interesting visual texture

it’s perfect for mitts and scarves, as i think almost anyone can wear this weight of fabric comfortably—it’s not too thick and not too thin. it’s as versatile as cascade 220 but more interesting to work with. and for us knitters, it works up quickly enough to be a good choice for things we need to finish and give away for christmas.

and the colorways of both those yarns just slay me (even though i’m having a hard time getting a good photo of the pilgrim’s true depth of color).

at the time i received them, i was already working on things for spring, so i earmarked them to become warm knits for this winter. they were supposed to be knit into items for david, but i immediately hoarded them away to make stuff for myself (ok, i know there is plenty there to make us each something, but i’m getting mine first).

i started a hat with the pilgrim and immediately got way too involved. the fabric knitted up was thick, soft, warm, . . . i could go on an on. by the time i came up for air, put the hat on a string, and tried it on, i had about three inches knit—and it was just a bit too small. drat. (this is common for me . . . i have such a small head that gauge swatches don’t help all that much in figuring the hat size; i usually just guess at the number of stitches i might need. and that often means ripping and restarting).

so i did the unthinkable—i ripped back and reknit with the same yarn. now, with most singles this would result in a yarn that is fuzzy, maybe pilled, and ragged enough not to be strong any more, but not with the pilgrim. you can see for yourself that the edge of the newly-sized hat is looking good, and the yarn strands are not roughed up at all. score one for briar rose!

i haven’t gotten started on the mitts from the fourth of july yarn, but i’m getting those underway today. i’m going to make something akin to the hot waffles set—with a different stitch pattern (personally, i need something new for christmas gifts, but not too new, and not more challenging, if you know what i mean—just novel enough to be entertaining).

and, if i might take a moment to indulge in a little over-justification—there’s actually a really good reason to let myself succumb to runaway startitis (is there any other kind??) right now. we will be traveling over thanksgiving to visit with my mom in albany, and i’ll need plenty of knitting to carry me through the weekend (i got a lot done during last year’s visit). it’s best to leave home with lots of little things and maybe one big knit already on the needles. because really, who wants to concentrate on casting on and figuring math with everyone talking all round? so even if a few of these project languish, or don’t get mates right away, they will make handy traveling companions in two weeks.

that reminds me—i need to get another sock going soon . . .

and what other yarns do we have there waiting in line to go on the needles?
well, there are three skeins of fearless fibers laceweight merino in colorway majestic

all wound up to be knit into a new stole design. i’m all set to get that on the needles today too . . . and since i’ve run on so long about mitts and hats, i think i’ll save that topic to talk about tomorrow.

along with another shawl idea—see that wee ball of bronze-ey colored yarn underneath the purple-brown sock yarn at the front? that’s some hand maiden swiss mountain cashmere and silk, sent from one planet yarn and fiber.

have i died and gone to heaven or what?

i’ve got a triangle shawl all worked out for that yarn, and i’d like to start it (because, well, i have startitis. and the yarn is absolutely edible, i’m telling you), but i think i need to see how crazy i’ve made my queue first; maybe i’ll start that in a week. it never hurts to have a project all set to go.

ok, now, i think i said something about knitting today, and the weather outside is turning ugly—it’s time to get to it, i think.