Penance Knitting

Main Entry: ¹pen·ance

Pronunciation: \ˈpe-nən(t)s\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin poenitentia penitence

Date: 14th century

1 : an act of self-abasement, mortification, or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin

The day after Christmas we were invited to my sister-in-law's friend and neighbor's for drinks. Lou has a penchant for white. I think the problem stemmed from the fact that I stopped knitting and starting drinking wine on an empty stomach. I spilled red wine on her white carpet. Twice. Lou insists that she doesn't hate me but I feel that I need to offer some sort of gift as a symbol of my remorse.
I went into the Yarn Basket thinking cashmere, but it turns out that I wasn't that guilty. I bought two skeins of GGH Silk today and started kniting the Strangled Vine Scarf by Nicole Hindes. This yarn is wonderfully soft and shiny, but it is ridiculously splitty! It will truly be my project of penance, and I certainly can't drink wine while working on it!

Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off

I finished my Little Shells socks from The Knitter's Book of Yarn. I was anxious to try Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off (this link goes to Cat Bordhi's video of the technique) with these toe-up socks. I have knit many pairs that feel like there is a knotted tie around the top. I can get them on, but it feels like it could snap! Horrors!
This bind off is fantastic! Love the socks, very stretchy, but not baggy. Perfect for this yarn that may shrink a bit. (Knit Picks Bare merino/silk) I have two more skeins left from the batch I dyed with the Seacoast Knitters in October, 2008. (A very fun time!)

The Monster has a Face

I finished the duplicate stitch. Still have to weave in many ends and graft the crotch together. Charting the eyes made it much easier.

Procrastinating

I did chart the eyes for Das Monster, made a swatch, and practiced my duplicate stitch. Now I'm procrastinating. The gift of a three day weekend.
I ordered the pattern for the Lisdoonvara Jacket from Jean Moss Handknits in November, 2006. I took the chart out of the envelope and hyperventilated. I knit shawls from charts, but this was truly scary. Maybe it was the size. I bought the yarn and haven't done anything else on this project. Until today. I still really like the sweater and have plans to add a scalloped edge from a pattern that I have somewhere... It's 2010 and I'd like to knit up some of the great projects I have planned. The enjoyment of choosing and planning for new projects will be heightened if I have less in the stash bin. Not to mention that I really need a challenge, and this would do it. I'll be using Rowan Denim so frequent breaks will be necessary if I'm going to knit that much cotton. But I have to be careful not to leave it so long I forget the pattern. This sweater will be knit in many short, yet frequent sessions. It would be the only one on Ravelry, which may say more about my sense of style (~1985) than anything else!

Das Monster

I'm working on Das Monster leggies for a colleague's baby. The knitting is done so today I'll have to tackle the duplicate stitch for the eyes and the teeth. If I'm smart I'll try it on a swatch first. I love this pattern, it makes everyone laugh.
I've used Berroco Comfort DK which is nylon/acrylic (gasp! horrors!) but actually feels quite good. I started to knit it on KP zephyr needle tips. Bad idea! SQUEAKY! Switched to the nickel plated tips and it knit up beautifully. After some consultation with a friend, I decided to knit a 2x2 rib at the bottom of each leg rather than the moss stitch the pattern suggests. We thought the ribbing would be easier to turn up if the legs are too long.
I've been reading up on duplicate stitch. Found several tutorials, this was a good one. I'm not going to chart it but I think I'll outline the eyes with a contrasting yarn so I can be sure that they are the same shape and the placement is correct. I'll start at the bottom and work up.
I'll post about the success...

Twenty Ten

I'm thinking about starting the Lisdoonvarna Jacket that I ordered the pattern and yarn for two years ago. The charts are daunting! They are huge! But I'm feeling like I need a challenge. And knitting with that much cotton would certainly fit the bill.