Lace-a-phobia...Conquered?

Hi, I'm Celeste, and I'm a lace-a-phobic.

Lace and I, we've had a troubled relationship.  You see, I knit to de-stress, and nothing raises my blood pressure than having to pay painstaking attention to every stitch.  And charts? 

Sure, I knit an Ishbel here and an Ishbel there and some February Baby Sweaters, but you'd never mistake me for a hardcore, dare I say, dyed-in-the-wool, lace knitter.  (The hardcore lace knitters probably had to stifle a laugh and think, "That's nice, dear," at the fact that I even consider the EZ sweater to include lace.  To me, feather-and-fan is totally lace.)

Then my best friend got engaged, and I decided to make her something special for her wedding.  We picked out a ridiculously scrumptious yarn, and I set about finding a pattern.


Most people would agree that the Orchid Thief isn't a terribly difficult lace pattern, but it challenged me just fine, thank you very much.  Be sure to check out the errata if you want to embark on this project.  (Which I know should go without saying but I sure didn't before I started.)

Even after 10 years as a knitter, I still am sometimes surprised when projects actually turn out the way they are supposed to.  But I'm very pleased with the result.

Pardon the crappy camera phone photo.  My usual camera is not being itself lately.

Will this lead to a brave new world that has such lace and shawls in it?  Who knows.   I did once say that I'd never knit a sock, and we all know how that turned out.

Christmas Knits Recap

It's inevitable.  I start knitting holiday gift items in about mid-October, only to realize at the beginning of December that I haven't budgeted enough time to achieve my grand plans, especially when those plans include five pairs of socks.  When a good portion of your family lives across the country, (and you don't want to have to sell a kidney to pay for rush shipping) your available knitting time is even shorter.  (Nevermind that whole having a full-time job and a part-time one thing, either.)

I'm fortunate to have a family that is "handknit worthy", so I try not to leave anyone out, while also maintaining a tenuous hold on my sanity during an already-nutty time of year.  

I finished these gloves for one of my sisters-in-law just before Thanksgiving, and thought I was in good shape.

Pattern: Ringwood gloves, Knitty Fall 2010
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed (DK, though it's really more of a sport weight) in Watery, just over one ball


Then I got to work on a pair of socks for my other sister-in-law, using a ridiculously beautiful colorway, Madelinetosh Byzantine:

 
Pattern: Meg's Artichoke socks
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Byzantine


The pattern is well-written and easy to memorize but has enough variation to stave off boredom.  And did I mention that the yarn is GORGEOUS?  Because it bears repeating.

At this point in my gift-knitting, I was sitting pretty.  I'd made a big dent in a Different Lines shawl for my mom, using four different colors of Tosh Merino Light (an addict? Moi?! Yeah.) including warm mushroom, mulled wine, thunderstorm, and celadon.  I called it mushrooms and wine in a celadon thunderstorm.  No, I didn't.   I also knitted up a pair of cabled log cabin socks for my dad in a worsted superwash.  I don't have pictures of either of those, because I got a wee bit busy after that.

It all started with a Thanksgiving day phone call in which my sweet SIL casually dropped that my youngest nephew and brother-in-law were really jealous of the hand-knit socks I'd made for year a few years back, and if it wasn't too much trouble, they'd each like a pair of their own for Christmas.

Of course I jumped at this opportunity, since I would much rather be at home, on my couch, with a pot of tea and an audiobook or re-watching episodes of Doctor Who than out at the shops, braving holiday traffic. What did I do?  Triage:

Introducing: Almanzo!  He may not look like much, but he does the trick.  These are the pair I knit in Madelinetosh (you were expecting something else?) Tosh Merino Light in Teddy Bear, for my brother-in-law, because despite his rugged exterior, he's a total sweetheart. (Don't tell I'm I said that.)   The waffle-weave pattern is hard-wearing, but also enough to keep the knitter from dying of boredom.  I made a nearly-identical pair in Tosh Merino Light (it's a sickness. Don't judge.) in Thunderstorm for my nephew, except I mixed it up with a 1 x 1 twisted rib cuff, as I like to live dangerously.  I'm writing up the pattern shortly and hope to post it as a New Year's Day freebie.

But wait, there's more!  My next-littlest nephew said that he'd like a toboggan, if I wouldn't mind. Hello regional differences.  I sat there for a moment thinking, "he wants me to knit him a sled?"  Dear Reader (hi Mom!), I even looked up "sled pattern" on Ravelry. That's when I said to my husband, "So, um...why do you think he wants a knitted sled?"   Suffice it to say that there was a lot of laughing (on his part. I see NO HUMOR IN THIS.) and then some swearing (on mine).  I have filed this in the knitting library in my mind: toboggan = stocking cap/beanie/watch cap.  OK then.  Here's the finished project, improvised from the same deranged heeeed, in a worsted superwash:

Of course, I couldn't stop there.  There was also the Norwegian Star Ear Flap cap (brilliant pattern, BTW) in Rowan Cashsoft Aran knitted up for my next-littlest nephew.  (And by next-littlest, I mean he's 20 years old.)  Took me right back to the days when I was a Rowan addict.  Ah, 2007!  And, not to be outdone, I also whipped up a pair of worsted weight socks (icy blue with heathered burgundy cuffs, heels, and toes) for my uncle's partner.  I finished weaving in the ends on those about 15 minutes before we loaded the car on Christmas Eve.

And with that, I threw down my knitting needles and had a well-earned glass of wine.  Currently, I've got Audrey in Unst in Tosh Sport (yeah yeah yeah) on the needles, which is as brilliant a pattern as you'd expect from Gudrun Johnston.  And I am scheming up my next original patterns.  Next year, I'll get an earlier start on gift knitting, but don't I always say that?  At any rate, 2011, you've been a crazy productive knitting year.  Bring on 2012!

Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

William Butler Yeats -- The Lake Isle of Innisfree 

Innisfree is a modern take on the classic cabled, knit in a super bulky yarn on large needles. 

It requires approximately 220 yards of a super bulky yarn and knits up quickly. 

Ideal for a last-minute gift!

Pattern Preview -- Innisfree Scarf

Coming soon...

The Oceanside scarf is inspired by the natural beauty of the Oregon coast, with an over-sized cable design. 

Milano Cowl - Free Knitting Pattern

A simple yet sophisticated cowl that knits up quickly with super bulky yarn and large needles.

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Fisherman, 2 skeins (approx. 216 yards)

(Possible yarn substitutions: Cascade Lana Grande or Twinkle Soft Chunky)

Needles: Size 17 US

Gauge: 7 stitches and 12 rows = 4 inches/10 cm

Gauge is not crucial for this project.

Notions: Tapestry needle

Directions:
CO 21 stitches using desired cast-on method

Knit all stitches and all rows, until cowl measures at least 65 inches/165 cm.  Bind off.

Seam together cast-on and bind-off edges.

Wear with aplomb.