tennessee tricoter

un week-end de solitude (sauf pour les enfants...)

2007-03-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

et qu'est-ce que je fais? I take online quizzes for a while, mais bien sur!

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are bamboo.Warm, cozy, and thoughtful, you take your time and enjoy how things feel, smell, and taste. You love the craft and beauty of traditional things, and you value the comfort and experience of knitting as much as the results. But while you are reveling in your warm cozies, don't get stuck. Warm is wonderful, but so is the whole wide world!
Take this quiz!

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Seriously, I don't know what to do with myself as a single mom for the weekend... Hopefully I can keep things together and remain supportive so B can have a nice trip. No need to cramp his style although I am somewhat lost here.

So, I have blocked my Jawbreaker Cardigan (IK Winter 2006) and I am on the Mad Hunt for some coordinating-but-not-garishly-clashing ribbon to trim out the front bands and the neckline. I hit up the local walmarts looking for some, but I think I'll actually have to go to a fabric store tomorrow. SO, I plan on getting up early to partake in a friendly breakfast with the babies and probably V. Hopefully we'll hit the multicultural bakery and sip some coffees (and hopefully not spill YoBaby everywhere and not have the "loud" kids) before I trek through all the mall traffic to look for notions. Did I mention that I also need The Perfect Button? Yeah, well, I do.

I promise to post pictures, but I wanted to wait until I have done all the necessary finishing before I get all showoffy. Don't count your chickens, you know...

I am hopeful that I will have a little time for the kimono shawl this weekend, but I can see that it will be busier than I had intended. I had a pang of panic earlier and decided to go ahead and make some plans for Saturday since I always have lots of things going on, and I would simply hate to have nothing to do all weekend. Besides, the kids do better if we stay a little bit busy. I haven't quite convinced myself that an evening of grading tonight is the best plan, but if I can plow through my work I can have a much more enjoyable weekend. Why is it that I can constantly tell myself it's OK to have a huge stack of work to do? Work ethic is altered considerably when you know it's your last semester!

I also have a blue cabley sweater, some socks, and a FI sweater for the baby girl that I need to consider in the next few weeks. I am contemplating getting rid of at least one of these projects as I need to not have so much going on.

Who am I kidding? This is just the life of a knitter. :) Bon week-end!

ca fait longtemps qu'on ne s'est pas vus!

2007-02-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Well, it has really been a long, long time. So, after a lovely destash purchase, I was encouraged to revisit my posting. I procured some laceweight yarn from handpaintedyarn.com, and I just CO yesterday for the kimono shawl from Folk Shawls. I'm pretty excited to have a lighter weight wrap in a more traditional pattern to add to the wardrobe. I opted for the rectangular pattern after much consideration, and I hope I don't regret not having a triangular shawl... Depending on my experience with this one, I may choose to do another. But right now, it feels like I will be working on this for The Rest of My Life. (sigh)

And here is the yarn laid out on the table -- I thought you would be better able to read the color in the first photo. Still nothing cool to see yet, I guess, but I'm excited.

Here is the picture of a beautiful daughter bedecked in handknits. Yes, that is the BIGGEST hat in the world. After a weekend of leisurely working on that in my spare time, and anticipation of wearing it to work this week, I realized that I haven't met anyone with a head that large. So, sadly, I will be ripping it out and seeking another lone skein project for some Kureyon. Ideas?

Those are the Mrs. Beeton wristwarmers from knitty, and I love them. They fit so nicely under a sleeve and they're unobtrusively frilly.

So, on to a little more text. Since December, I have been occasionally working on a FI sweater for the girl. Unfortunately, I am so discouraged with it that I will not have it finished for this season. If I could ever discipline myself to just get things done, I could have a good deal less guilt from seeing partially finished projects lying around. Perhaps that should be a Lent commitment? Not cast on for a new project until all old ones are finished? I could be on to something here...

I have been a machine lately, though. I have made several hats, a scarf (for the Red Scarf Project), and a shawl for a friend. It's been a lot of knitting, and I am looking forward to finally finishing it all. And starting more.

This week marks Liam's first birthday. I can't believe he is almost one, but it's here. He's been such a wonderful addition to our family. I'll post a pic of him, soon.

Enough for tonight. It's nice to post after such a long time away.

a la prochaine.

dream a little dream

2006-11-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

This is the first sweater I have designed on my own. Sure, I borrowed some basic ideas, but I am the designer of this garment. It's a heavy sweater for the boy, and it's using the same old Rowan Chunky Print I've been knitting for a while. We'll effectively have matchypoo sweaters for the pictures that will just add to the stack of blackmail material or just material to show to the future girlfriends/wife. It is a mother's rite and obligation. Of course, mine is more ornate and girly while his just reflects the arty man-style that he has.

Now to come up with a solution for the rest of this yarn... I think I have 2 temper left and 1 native... hmm... suggestions?

On to the dreaming (and possibly drooling) about yarn and the hopefulness and possibility that it gives us all. I have decided that is why I was so obsessed with taking a photo of my new yarn -- it's an image of hopefulness, of a goal possible to attain. (sigh) AHYC had their annual birthday sale this past Friday, and, as expected, I stocked up. Of course, now I realize I SHOULD have gotten more and I will next year when it's the sale again.

This is some ggh Savanna that I got for a UT scarf for my mom. The picture is a little washed out, but I'll do another when it's finished. It's pretty pumpkin-y, so she'll enjoy it with her fall clothes anyway since orange is one of her favorite colors. I'll have to say that I bought it as a joke, but I am enjoying the results. The yarn is a single ply, and it feels nice despite being a blend. The color is just so earthy and delicious. I do SO love a mistake rib pattern, and it's just fun enough to keep me happy through endless hours of tv. Of course, I say this as if I have endless hours to do anything at once. If I had endless hours, this yarn might have already been knit up into something amazing!

Now, this, my dear readers, is something about which to dream. I find myself lost in possibility when I imagine how this yarn will look all knitted and put into its place. Then comes the twisted part. I cannot WAIT to steek (read: cut) the sweater I will make out of this. The idea of the anti-craft is so compelling that I cannot even explain. To imagine that I could do this is the most amazing part. Just a few months ago, I was watching an instructional dvd that the baby girl so affectionately titled "your knitting movie, mommy?" and now I'm planning my first Fair Isle sweater. It will be for that very girl who suggested once per day that I start that dvd, and she has watched me knit my way to this point. I can't imagine a more deserving recipient for a pink sweater with lots of design and detail. She will love it, provided I get moving and get it ready before Christmas!

I only depicted two of the twelve hanks of Classic Elite Renaissance that I bought to make the Central Park Hoodie (from KnitScene Fall 06) from. This should be an awesome sweater to wear everywhere. I hope it takes the place of my gray hooded sweatshirt that I have had since 10th grade!

Next to that, there is a hank of Misti Alpaca Chunky. It's a beautiful and soft yarn. I am thinking of making my aunt a scarf or some sort of neck warmer for Christmas from this.

The Regia sock yarn is for the dearest husband who only really wants finely knitted, black garments. He is so patient and never expects me to make anything at all for him. Because of this, I want more than anything to make him something stellar. Sure, it will be difficult to SEE the cable design I am planning for the armwarmers this yarn will become, but ... he'll actually wear them. They should be thin, but warm, and stretchy enough to look nice. I am hopeful.

I bought three hanks of Reynold's Rapture to make a gift. I wish I had gotten more. It's a 50% silk/50% wool blend. The color is perfect for the aunt who will probably receive that alpaca gift. I would love to use something like this for my mom, but I won't. Possibly for my sister-in-law who is soon to have a baby? I'm not sure what she'd like most from the handknit realm, though. I'm accepting applications for possibilities here! This is a soft, beautiful yarn. I do love it.

I also got some dpns for those armwarmers and for the SOCKS I'm going to begin as soon as the football scarf is done. And some place markers.

That marks the end of my purchases. As you can see, I should have gotten more. Yarn is full of hope, full of the feeling that I get from a full pantry. Something about not having any food is scary, just like the feeling of not having any yarn. When there is a full pantry, complete with dried beans, flour, corn starch, canned vegetables, rice, and cake mixes, I feel like I could feed my family in an emergency, a celebration, or no matter what happens. We will be nourished. And with the yarn, it's the same idea. It makes me feel like I am at home. And, so, for today, I am at home, where I can dream of creation and possibility and things to come. It will be a process in which to drown my numerous stresses and problems so that I can come out on the other end of the project with beauty and luxury.

Tricotez bien et a la prochaine. Bisous.

l.

a very happy star wars halloween to you

2006-10-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to bleuarts.blogspot.com, my Halloween was awesome.

Don't let this cool expression fool you, my dear readers, for this hat has the stealthy ammenity of a coiled heat trap placed over each ear. Seriously, this is the warmest hat I have ever worn, and I do fully intend to wear this if we ever get a snow day. It is also the perfect hat to wear to a concert. It provides a fashionable alternative to earplugs while blocking eardrum-damaging sound levels. In fact, I had to occasionally remove the hat to hear what people were saying to me at the Halloween party. But what fun! So, rock on, ski on, party on.

And here's the lovely couple. Of course, Luke and Leia don't know that they are brother and sister in the first movie, so it worked out just fine!

Happy Halloween!

bisous,

lacey

ca fait bien longtemps!

2006-10-29T18:57:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am FINALLY posting the promised pictures. Knitted love from me to you. Enjoy.

Here is the famous Blackberry sweater from Knitty.com. I used the recommended Rowan Chunky Print in Temper. It was a super fast knit -- I was done in just a little over three days! I know some people don't like the bulk created by this type of sweater, and I'll have to admit that I wouldn't want this ALL the time, but it's lovely. I hope to retire jackets soon. Sweaters all the way.

Yes, I know I look stunned in this pic. I had no idea that my face was going to be in this photo!

This was also my first attempt at bobbles. I'm in love.

Well, it surely has been a long time since I promised I would post pictures of some finished objects. The thing is, I had begun a long, detailed post, and then blogger decided to have issues, and I lost the post. Here we are, though, making up for lost time with a post chock full o' photos and knitted love from me to you.

knitting nerd

2006-10-23T05:15:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm a knitting NERD. This past weekend, while being home with sick kids and sick husband (I feel ok so far...) I was able to finish blackberry. I used the recommended yarn, Rowan Chunky Print in Temper. I used regular stockinette instead of the reverse stockinette, and I added about 1" to the ribbing all the way around the sweater. It took almost 6 full balls of this yarn to make it work.

And, here's the nerdy part... I finished casting off right before bed last night. BUT I'M WEARING THE SWEATER TODAY. Yes, that's right, I have the loose ends I haven't gotten around to weaving in tied up so they don't hang out of the sweater. One of the sleeve seams' leftover yarn is hanging out when I don't push it back in up the sleeve... But I have a study hall and I am planning on finishing the sweater up during that. Of course, it could use some blocking, but that will have to happen when I know we're going to have four or so days of very warm weather. Besides, I know that it will take a few days to dry properly. Or maybe I'll get sick of wearing it and blocking will be a nice forced break from it. We'll see.

But we're done. :) Pictures later.

moving quickly along

2006-10-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

I have finished the umbilical cord baby hat for the boy. He'll get to wear it this year, but, although I tried my best to knit it more chunky, this will be the last year. He looks adorable in it, though! I'll try to get some pics on here soon!

I also cast on for my halloween surprise. Too bad I had to go in on the acrylic for this... Oh well. It's a costume item. It's not too big of a loss.

I am also contemplating the possibility of knitting blackberry from knitty.com. The only concern I have is that it will add so much bulk to me that I may feel heavy wearing it. On the other hand, it should be so warm that it may replace a coat. I have the suggested yarn, and since I can't knit the boy's sweater out of it, I may as well use it for something for myself.

The blue cabled sweater is again going very slowly. I am having to do a lot of math and wait on a lot of questions to be answered as it is a test pattern. It's so cool, but I'm beginning to wonder if I'll even have it to wear this winter. There's always next year, I guess.

Maybe I need to slow the knitting down, but there's always something to deal with. It seems like the more stressed out I get, the more I find time to knit. I shouldn't have this kind of time. And I don't. But I have to deal somehow. Of course, it's not like I am dealing that well with things, but I am pretty sure it's better than when I don't knit. In fact, I'm definitely sure. It is at least reminding me to stay quiet about some things before I say too much and can't take it back.

Knit while the day is still young.

l.

stash! oh, and i'm FAMOUS

2006-10-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

So my yarn stash has seriously increased! I got some yarn budget for my birthday, and I just now got around to spending it. Turns out, our friends at Rowan have decided to discontinue Yorkshire Tweed Aran and DK as well as Chunky Print. I got a bag (10 balls) of Chunky Print in Temper, some Chunky Print in Native, some Yorkshire Tweed Aran in Maze, some Yorkshire Tweed DK in Slosh, one ball of Yorkshire Tweed DK in Revel, Lamb's Pride Bulky in Brown and Heather (not official names), and some Misti Alpaca in black and white.

I already made almost one whole scarf for B (Chunky Print -- Native) and an entire scarf for myself out of the alpaca. It's so soft and beautiful.

I've swatched up some Chunky Print for a vintage pattern for the baby boy. It's kinda a coat with a cap that matches and toggle buttons, etc.

I also got a sock pattern and a glove/mitten pattern. Looks like I may be pretty set.

I'll post pics as I am able. I'm a knitting fool this weekend!

Also, I'm FAMOUS! I'm on the Angel Hair website modeling my kimono sweater... Look here. I'm pretty pleased!

Bon week-end!

sweaters!

2006-10-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

This is a sweater I made for my niece-to-be-born in December. She will really NEED sweaters! This is the SnB Nation "Baby's First Tattoo" sweater pattern, but I failed the Tattoo section of this sweater and opted for an I-cord tie instead. I like it, though. It is out of Shepherd baby wool -- 100% superwash merino. Perfect for a baby!

This is a sweater I made for my niece who recently turned 2 and is getting ready to be a Big Sister. It's out of Rowan handknit cotton DK and is a Garter Cardi from Minnowknits. I opted to not use the button holes and went with toggles and crocheted loops instead. I think it's awesome for her!

Now I need to knit some sweaters for my babies, too!

I have been so busy and just now getting around to sharing...

2006-10-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

These are some quick armwarmers I whipped up last weekend in Monteagle. I seamed them this morning so I could wear them in my Arctic classroom whilst teaching. I am IN LOVE with Patons SWS. So soft, so lovely. It's a single yarn, which is cool, because it does show off the ribbing so nicely. I am pretty excited about these because it will help me to wear short sleeves longer this fall/winter. Or teach and write on the board as well as keep from freezing to death.

Now, this is SUPPOSED to be "collar me" from MagKnits (September 2005), but it seems that I made it a tad too large to be a collar. So, what I have is something between a collar and a shawl and a coat and a blanket and a capelet... But I think it works. And I wish I had used a much better yarn because I can forsee that I will wear it. It's like a poncho that doesn't add too much bulk to the human form.

And, as you can plainly see, it looks a lot like and exaggerated Texas when laid out flat on the table. Seriously, no wonder I had a hard time with the border. According to the pattern, I was supposed to pick up 55 sts along the sharp border. I think I may have picked up close to twice that based on the size alone. Ha! Still, I think it works.

This is a hat I made for a friend's baby shower this coming weekend. It is made from Paton's Soy Wool Stripes (SWS), and it feels just wonderful.

And, as you can see, it looks precious even on a really big seven-month-old head! Mister was a great model. He was happy as could be as soon as we tried this on him. It's like he didn't even realize I made the hat for a girl!

Here is a headband that I made from Molly's headband (from Interweave Knits). It was the first lace chart that I followed, and I am pretty pleased with the results. I started and finished on a Saturday night while watching tv...

And I can assure you that I did, in fact, knit two kid sweaters (one for my niece who is still in utero and the other for my 2-year-old big kid neice). I already gifted them, however, along with a pair of booties, and I am yet to get the pics. I was down to the wire on the sweaters, so I am simply happy that I was able to finish!

There was also a hat in there for a friend's birthday. And a scarf for my baby girl. I can't wait to start on a sweater for her. Can't wait. I got a gift certificate to the LYS and some money for yarn for my birthday. I am so excited to be churning out things I can use!

I promise I won't let it go this long again.

bonne nuit, a la prochaine!

l.

just a fast update

2006-08-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so, no pics today. I just wanted to post to discuss works in progress and all. I am currently taking submissions for ideas for more DnD toys/wearable items. I think I enjoy most knitting wearable items, but maybe that's because I'm still a novice.

My husband says a beholder hat would be cool. I couldn't agree more. Ideas?

I'm currently working on a sweater for my new niece (to be born in December), still working on that blue cabled sweater for myself (it takes the back burner a lot so I can finish other projects), and I've ordered yarn for a sweater for my niece who will be 2 soon. I also am thinking about a coat for each of my kids. Or maybe a fair isle sweater for my daughter and then a rugged sweater/jacket for my son. And, of course, Christmas knitting is upon us.

Did I mention that school started back last week? So, I'm really busy and wishing that I could abandon my "regular" life to get back to knitting all those things I have in the queue.

bisous.

l.

have you hugged a mind flayer lately?

2006-08-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

"Mind flayers (also called illithids) are so insidious, diabolical, and powerful that all denizens of the dark fear them. They bend others to their will and shatter enemies' minds." Monster Manual 3rd edition

It was my friend's birthday, and being that he occasionally DMs our Dungeons and Dragons adventures, I thought it might be appropriate to knit a gentle version of a tried and true villain. With some of the husband's help (thanks for the help with the math and design) I was able to concoct something loveable, yet scary enough for the mind blast, psionics, improved grab, and extract (in addition to the tentacle 1d4+1 damage) that a mind flayer can deal.

If you were wondering, I used a cheap acrylic yarn for the project, and it was a relatively quick knit excepting the pattern design and paving the way as I went. It is made in modular pieces and quickly seamed together and stuffed. All the trim was sewn on by hand, not glued.

Enjoy.

another sweater in progress...

2006-07-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am also currently working on a new sweater (the back panel of it). It's a cool cable pattern, and I'm enjoying the challenge of reading a chart whilst knitting for the first time. I'm kinda working my way up the ladder. I'd really like to learn intarsia knitting soon, but I should spend some time with the lesser complicated before attempting the colorwork. I had a pretty significant incident with the chart today, but fortunately I was able to rip back to a point where I could recover and not have to frog the whole thing. It's going to be a cardigan for me, and although it looks little, it is really stretchy and also designed to fit snugly.

I'm making decisions about the front panels of the sweater. I can't really decide if I want to go centered or off-centered. I also need to decide what color zipper to use. I definitely want to use a large plastic zipper, and I would like a bold color. Maybe a bright pink. The yarn I'm using is, yet again, Galway. I ordered on Ebay, and got a good deal.

baby booties

2006-07-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

I made these baby booties a while back for a gift for some relatives. We just got confirmation last week that the baby really is a girl, and that's why I was waiting on that! Their baby should be here anytime now, so this will be a fun addition to her wardrobe. I hope the parents like them!

I used two strands of acrylic yarn (yes, I know) and some metallic buttons. I figured the acrylic is an ok choice because 1. I had it on hand and 2. it's easily laundered and 3. I'm not sure if they understand yarn and the expense of good natural fibers. Whatever the case, I think it's a nice fo and I'm pretty satisfied.

newsboy hat, updates

2006-07-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

So I finished my first project with cables! I'm pretty happy with it, too. I only had to rip out the brim once before I got it right. I used some of the leftover Galway from my sweater. I'm thinking about making an embellishment for the hat, too, so I'll post when I'm done with that.

I got in my sky blue yarn so I can start my cabled sweater, too! Yay! I'm casting on tonight.

stripey armwarmer

2006-07-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here's another thing I made while I was working on my sweater. I only have one so far, but I will make the second soon. This armwarmer was an exercise in learning how to make "jogless" stripes in the round. I'm pretty pleased with the results, and now I feel confident to stripe anything: flat or round! I am going to make a few pairs of these for myself and my family and friends. I hope they're as great in the winter as I think they will be.

my first sweater

2006-07-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been really busy. I completed my first sweater! I took a class at my LYS and here's what I made. It's really warm and kinda bulky, but I'll probably be glad about that in January. I used Galway yarn, and it's pretty nice. I thought I had run out of yarn at the end of the project, and that's why I opted to use the brown Galway for the trim and I-cord ties. Of course, I found out after I had come up with a solution to the problem that I had another skein of that green yarn in a closet. I guess I'll just make a hat, then.

startup

2006-07-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is a startup post to my new knitting blog. I have been knitting since March 2006, and I will post photos soon enough of what I have been up to.