Happy Father's Day

Dear Daddy,

Happy Father's Day! You are so funny. I like the way you make me laugh and help me walk all over the house. Any day now I will be able to do it all by myself. But I will still want to hold hands and play with you!

Love,
Peanut

P.S. I hope you like the present I got you...


The White Stripes
Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
Wed, Sep 26, 2007 08:00 PM

I Like To Watch Listen, Part 2

Are you a regular Lime and Violet listener? I've heard about them many times but just last week went to download an episode. I listened to Episode 36: Bellybutton Funk-O-Rama.

Was this a normal podcast for them? I mean, is it representative of their usual style, or were they being especially wacky that week? Just askin'. Parts of it were pretty funny, but I kind of felt like the new girl at summer camp, where everyone else already knew each other and they had a million hilarious, weird inside jokes that went right over my head. And I'm a wacky gal.

So tell me if you're a Lime and Violet regular, and if I should give them another try.

I Like To Watch Listen

Have you been listening to Stash and Burn? I love it. I don't have a huge stash by any means, and I think it's a little kooky to have a regularly recurring podcast that's all about how you have way too much yarn but you keep getting more. (hee hee, I mean, if we would ALL stop fiddling around on the internets and reorganizing our stashes, etc., think of all the knitting we would get done! sigh...) But I love listening to Nicole and Jenny talk about their yarns, patterns, projects, techniques, etc. And the last couple of podcasts have them going on assignment to various yarn stores and events. Mostly, I like their style; I feel like I'm listening to a couple of my best buds. Plus, they both say, "yaaaaayyyyy!" a lot. :)

The last podcast, Episode 17: Sticks Are For Kids, though, I felt was written just for me. Here are a couple of reasons why:

Teaching the Youngsters
They chat about Jenny's experience teaching some schoolkids how to knit... I have considered this many times (I teach elementary school) but haven't figured out how it would make sense with my whole class. This spring I did a little weaving activity with cheap-o tangly acrylic yarn and drinking straws, which was interesting and difficult (yarn) at the same time. But now I have some new ideas... perhaps next year I'll try to teach finger knitting first. The kids are always interested in knitting when they either see me doing it or see me wearing something I've knit.

Our First Knitting Books
I, too, found the Stich N Bitch books invaluable when I was first learning to knit. The illustrations and language made every step so easy to follow. I used the first SNB book as my go-to reference for quite a while until I found Nancie Wiseman. Now she is my Constant Companion. Some day, I want to get a copy of Montse Stanley's book, too.

Jenny and Nicole wonder about Vogue Knitting patterns and how they keep hearing about terrible errata in each pattern. I did knit my absolute favorite (so far!) sweater, Shawl Collared Pullover, from a VK magazine. That pattern was really very well written and didn't have any errors that I could see.



So, if you haven't tried Stash and Burn, give it a listen. It's usually only about half an hour long and well edited, so easy on the ears.

Sweet plans

I got my WEBS sale order! I got my WEBS sale order! Woot!

At the last moment, I decided to order 12 balls of Queensland Collection Uruguay DK (70% merino, 20% alpaca, 10% silk, 100% soft and yummy). Here's what the color looks like on the WEBS site:



Here's my stab at the color (must. take. photoshop lessons.):



In real life it's a bit inbetween... very pretty and plummy. I'm going to use it to make Sweetheart from Domiknitrix. Love that shape, fit, neckline. The bow? Not so much. Mine will be a solid Sweetheart.



My little button approves, no matter what color it is!

Welcome June!

Goodkarma family is happy to get out and enjoy the good weather!

I'm coming around the bend on two projects, and you know what that means... time to start something new before I actually (ever? haha) finish them! I've got my copy of Rusted Root here, and I've got my lovely blue Cotton Fleece. I'm looking forward to starting this top soon but want to think it through before diving in.



1. Which size to knit? Size M is 36-39 and size L is 40-43. Too much variance in the sizes to make me feel comfortable. I usually choose a 39 or 40, so you can see my dilemma. If you've knit RR, especially in Cotton Fleece, can you tell me the actual finished bust measurement of your sweater and which size you knit?

2. I think the neckline is a bit too high for me, so I want to modify it a bit. At the same time, I don't want to fiddle too much with the overall design. I'm spending some time with Barbara Walker as I think this through a little.

3. Must. add. waist shaping. For shizzle. At least that will be the easiest part of it all!

Tag! I'm it!

This week, I was tagged by Carry, Amanda, and Erin.

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

Here are my facts:

1. The year I lived completely alone for the first time in my life was really very happy. I am a person who treasures solitude. Too bad I won't have any for at least another 18 years. ha!

2. I am healthier now as an omnivore than I ever was as a (fish eating) vegetarian. I didn't do the veg thing very well... you can eat a lot of cheesy pizza and fish and chips if you don't watch out! Now I do eat meat now and then but I've never been a big fan of the stuff.

3. I started Kindergarten when I was four. One day my mom heard me reading her Avon catalog and realized that I wasn't just mimicking the stories I'd memorized. I've been a bookworm ever since.

4. I used to hate hate hate being hot. Traveling in India cured me of that. It also cured me of being squeamish when using questionable public bathrooms.

5. I can't fall asleep if my feet are cold.

6. I hate eggs. Can't stand 'em. I think it's the texture, 'cause I'm not much of a mushroom fan, either. Anything that's kind of slimy is icky in my book. I also don't like to drink milk. I do love sushi and most sashimi... except eel. Weird, huh? Other than that, I love most foods and cuisines.

7. I'm very picky about my laundry and how it's done. I worry that my husband will shrink things in the dryer. I like to fold laundry and stack it neatly. But then, after it's stacked, I'm really bad at putting it away. I have little stacks of clean clothes on my dresser and on the floor in front of the dresser. So I'm being more intentional about putting the Peanut's clothes away and keeping her room tidy... I want to help her learn to be tidier and more organized than I am.

So many people have posted this meme this week! I don't know who to tag. If you have read this far and would like to play along, you're it! Let me know if you post this meme so I can read yours, too.

Woah, I'm a Mom!

For the first time, I didn't plan Mother's Day for everyone else. And by that, I mean for my husband and my brother. They're the kind of guys who mean well but wait until the last possible moment to even think about cards or gifts or plans.

This year I just sat back and let them figure it all out.

After my brother (I almost typed "bother", how 2nd grade) treated mom, Peanut and I to a lovely brunch, I took the little one to one of my favorite yarn shops for their Mother's Day sale. I treated myself to four skeins of Cotton Fleece in Caribbean Sea, as I've been considering a Rusted Root for myself, with a few tweaks now that I've done my homework and re-read my Barbara Walker (Knitting From The Top).




I don't know from Caribbean Sea, but I do know my Adriatic Sea...



...photo of Croatian Isle of Vis, Village Komiža, on a trip with my mom... we went together to find our roots a few years ago. Talk about coming full circle on Mother's Day!

Think I'm In Love But It Makes Me Kinda Nervous To Say So*

Excellent Jacket is finishing up slowly but surely...

I think I'm really going to like this jacket in spite of its bulk. It's nicely fitted without being too snug, bulky without being too chubbo. At least, that's my impression so far...

The I-cord cast-on I decided on turned out a little wonky. See the first set of knit stitches above the I-cord? (They're actually part of the cast on.) They're much taller than normal knit stitches. At first I thought I could live with it or that it kind of worked as a design feature, but as the jacket is coming together it definitely looks wack. So I'm slooooowly picking it out, what a pain. It's taking about ten times longer to pick out than it did to create in the first place. I'll go back and try an I-cord bind-off instead. This way, I can try it on and make sure I'm in love with the length before I bind-off. Yay!

I did it. I signed up for a Flickr account. Just for my Ravelry notebook. Hopefully the transition from photobucket will be an easy one!

*Isn't Beck the coolest cat?

Ravelry

Christie invited me to join Ravelry a few weeks ago. I went and signed up right away, and then got super busy. Last night I got a chance to spend more time on my Ravelry page and I think I'm in love. Frecklegirl and her beau set up the coolest thing that you never knew you needed! I mean, really. You can keep track of, for example:

:the projects you've finished,
:the projects you're working on or dreaming about,
:all of your needles and
:all of your books and magazines,
:your stash,
:other folks and their projects, and
:a forum for discussion.

It's all right there in one place and it flows together very nicely.

Here's the main page.

I hear that there is a huge list now of folks who want to sign up. It's a small venture by people who are doing it all for fun, so be patient if you have signed up but haven't heard anything yet.

I have two invitations at the moment, and will gladly send them to any of you... let me know in comments or email! I've given out my invitations for now, but Frecklegirl says that current members will periodically get more invitations, so let me know if you'd like one and I'll invite you when I get more! :)

Calendar, Anyone?

Amelie's ear infection didn't clear up all the way, so we just finished Round Two (ding! ding!) of antiobiotics. She's also teething again. Equals not much sleep for mama. On top of that, I'm applying for a scholarship for National Board Certification. Yes, I like being on the brink of insanity, what about it? In knitterly news, I am almost done with the back piece of Wren, and just need to pick up a skein of cheapo wool to seam up Excellent. The bulky yarn it's knit with would make very chubby seams.

Someone donated a bunch of brand new 2007 calendars to our staff and there were a couple of page-a-day knitting calendars left over. Leave a comment if you would like either of these... photos hotlinked to amazon for info/reviews...





Finally, maybe it's the sick baby, but I've been feeling quite domestic lately. I've been baking, cooking more, spring cleaning, etc. when I've had a moment or two. Tonight's dinner included this lovely, simple (thanks to my buddy Cuisinart) Leek and Potato Galette that I've spotted floating around blogland recently. Yum.

Pink Eyes and a Pink Dress

Well. I fell off the blog planet for a couple of weeks after finishing the February Baby Sweater. It's been a busy time, though...

Baby A had her first Easter egg hunt. The other children were running around, loading up their baskets with piles of eggs and we were very excited with the three that we found. The eggs made a noise when we shook them! Yay! So much fun. This egg hunt was on a farm way out in the country and Peanut got to meet her first horse that day, too. Seeing things for the first time all over again is such a gift.

The following week, she had pink eye and an ear infection. So. Miserable. I don't have pictures to show you and you wouldn't want to see them, anyway.

Then came the real Easter day. Church service with grandma and grandpa and a pretty pretty dress. She was feeling much better by then. After Easter, I had spring break. With spring break and a few "sick days" off with the Peanut, I haven't been at work for almost two weeks! Lots of time to knit, right? ... kind of ... I really wanted to knit Wren during spring break but what I have done is come *this* close to finishing the Excellent Jacket.

The sleeves were done first. Since it's such a chunky garment, I decided to knit the body all in one piece to avoid the bulk of side seams. Now I just have to pray that it fits the way I hope it will!

Next up, Wren. Also? I've decided that I have too many stalled projects and I'm going to finish one old project for every new one. So I might actually have something else to show you before Wren gets too far off the starting block.

February Baby Sweater

February Baby Sweater
from Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, color #829, one ball plus a smidge of another, approximately 300 yards or fewer altogether.
Needles: Addi Turbo US7/4.5mm
New technique: The Russian Join!

I really wanted to knit one of these for my own little peanut, but as she's quickly growing out of the little sizes and into bigger and bigger ones, and since Elizabeth Zimmerman doesn't include schematics with her pithy instructions, I decided to knit one for a tiny baby first. I think this one knit up at about a size 6 months. Now I know approximately how to size the sweater up if I were to knit it at this gauge again.

One modification I might like to try is a stockinette stitch, raglan increase yoke, a la Linda. Garter stitch has never been my thing, aesthetically, and I really like the cleaner look of the stockinette stitch yoke she made.

I really wasn't so sure that the Cascade 220 Superwash was the right yarn for the project. It didn't feel very soft and I didn't want to gift something that felt acrylic-y. So when the knitting was all done, I tossed this little lacy number into the washing machine with a load of towels. If the color bled, I'd rather it happened on my navy blue towels than on a load of Julia's pretty baby girl things. In the end, the sweater came out very, very soft and has a slight halo. I've completely changed my attitude toward 220 Superwash. I want to use it again, soon. As for colorfastness, there was one light blue towel in the load and it didn't seem to change color at all.

I also want to say mille grazie to Kristen and Amanda for answering questions about adding the underarm stitches.

For Baby Julia, born February 2007

Cross posted to the Zimmermaniacs.

edited to add:

Here is a picture of Miss Julia at about seven months in her FBS. Notice that I would have made the sleeves a bit longer if I had to do it all again; as EZ says, babies come in all sizes!

iHop

...onto the Wren bandwagon, that is...

My WEBS package arrived today. Yippee! This will be my spring break project. I ordered extra yarn, just in case, and want to knit up Wren soon so that a) I will actually be able to enjoy the sweater during the right part of the year and b) if there is any extra yarn, I can send it back.

Wild Bear in Captivity

This one's for Meredith... she sent this sweet hat to Baby A long ago and I wanted to let her see how stinking cute it is on our scary little bear.

Roar!

Tink, Tink, Wash, Spin

Friday:

You know at the very moment you think these thoughts: "Ooooh I love this lace stitch, it's so easy to follow without even looking at the directions anymore!" that you'll look proudly at your work and realize your stitch count went off on a lunch break a row or two back?

Tink, tink.

Enjoying EZ's February Baby Sweater, thankyouverymuch! It should be finished this weekend. Did I just jinx myself again?

Saturday:

FBS knitting is done (need buttons) and currently taking a bath with a load of towels. It's knit with Cascade 220 Superwash and I want to test the superwashyness of it before gifting it to my friend.

PS I heart Ladytron.

Koigu Love

Perfect example of me being stubborn and insisting on figuring it out all on my own when there are a kazillion sock patterns out there in the world. This simple pair of socks should have taken a couple of weeks to knit but NO, I had to do it my way, and use up literally every inch of my two skeins of Koigu while I was at it, and I'm actually quite proud of myself. They're perfect. The leg is just the right length. I don't understand why I kept reading that two skeins wouldn't be enough. That's a MYTH! Trust me, I don't have tiny feet. I wear size 40/9.5US.

Karma's Toe-Up Ribbed Socks:

The Cast On: 28 stitch Magic Cast On For Toe-Up Socks. This is a truly magical, and yet easy and logical, way to start a sock. I'm in love.

The Stitch Pattern: 2x2 Rib with a stockinette sole. Normally, that much ribbing would make me die of boredom. Thank goodness for Koigu's short bursts of color changes.

The Heel: Wendy's Short Row Heel (.pdf). This is the excruciatingly detailed version of her Generic Toe Up Sock pattern. Because the short rows are double wrapped, there are no holes!

The Bind-Off: EZ's Sewn Bind Off. The first time I heard about this bind off method, it sounded complicated, but really, it's simple, easy to do, stretchy and perfect. Of course it is, it's EZ's.

The Yarn: two skeins of purple Koigu goodness, P426

The Needles: two Addi Turbos, Size US1/2.5mm

I-Cord Cast On?

The Koigu socks march on and I hope to have a finished pair and a full report for you very soon, including info about how I made my short row heel without holes.

The socks were purely diversionary, though. I was moving right along on my Excellent Jacket when I had an aha moment that I needed to think about. This chunky jacket is purely stockinette stitch. The hems don't have any other design features that would prevent rolling. The sleeves were already done (I did eliminate the cuff, though) and the back was almost to the armholes. I decided I could live with a roll on the sleeve but not on the hem of the body. So I started thinking about how to modify the design to remedy this problem. Most patterns that utilize a garter or seed stitch edge seem to call for four rows of said stitch pattern. That seems like a lot with this chunky gauge, texturally and visually.

What about i-cord? I could use Annie Modesitt's i-cord edging for the front edges of the jacket. I could also use a matching i-cord cast-on for the hem of the jacket.

Would an i-cord cast-on solve the rolling problem and be stretchy enough for the bottom of a jacket? Any ideas?

What a heel!

I've been off work this week (can I get an amen) and keeping myself busy with all those things we do (eye exam, teeth cleaning, organizing baby's boatload of stuff, house cleaning, et cetera). But I've also been very occupied with reinventing the wheel.

Sneak peek at sock numero uno of the pair...
Koigu madness

We were supposed to have a yucky, rainy week here but it has turned out to be quite mild and, dare I say, sunny. Yesterday, Peanut and I walked for three hours in the neighborhood with various friends. Like a relay race. Started out with one mama and baby, ended with another. Didn't mean to be out that long but it was beautiful out! We had fun! Now, off to the aquarium, perhaps?

Happy Valentine's Day From Seattle

Photo by Kelly Johnston

IK Spring 2007

Everyone and their brother has posted a link to the IK spring preview, but when the magazine hit my mailbox this afternoon, I was so excited to get it. I *love* the new layout and look. It's very clean and easy to look at.

I've been checking out knitting books from the library lately and want to post some reviews over the next several days, if only to remind myself which features and designs impressed me most.

Finally, thank you for your comments on family and tradition. I can't believe I didn't write a word about reading together. It must simply be an unspoken truth for me; I grew up loving books and started reading at age four. My brother and I spent many afternoons with our mom at the neighborhood library. Many of you also mentioned family dinnertime together. This is already a goodkarmafamily institution. Peanut sits at her high chair when we eat our dinner and she eats then, too. Every night. It's a fun way for the three of us to share bits and pieces of our days with each other.