EZ Baby Surprise Altered and Mittens to Match

This week I improvised, quite successfully, lengthened sleeves for Ari's Baby Surprise Jacket, (despite negative design criticism, I might add!). The sleeves were about 5", which now looks silly on him, although the jacket is still long enough. So, I picked up 40 sts along the sleeve edges on #6 dps. Make sure to pick up enough around the seam line -- but not too many or it will flare out at that point. I knit for 1" and then decreased on either side of the underarm center. Decrease again at just under 7" and 8", then again at 8.75", 9.5" and 10.25". Now there are 28 sts. on the needles. Bind off very loosely at 11". I did this to make a cuff with the darker colorway covering the white and resulting in a 9" sleeve. Ari seems to grow up rather than out so I wanted to make the sleeves long enough.

As for the mittens, I improvised, using the sleeve edge circumference as a guide. I cast on 28 sts, ribbed in k1p1 for 2". I like nice long mitten cuffs to keep the snow out in case snow suit jackets don't have nice, tight knitted cuffs. Using a twisted st pattern for a thicker, warmer fabric, I began the thumb gusset 1 row after the rib. I made the thumb gusset 9 sts and will start to decrease for the top at about 3.25" from the cuff. I was very pleased when I checked in Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns that my instincts had been right on the money for my gauge of 5.5 in the twisted st.

NCS Guild Project

Today I began to turn washed fleece into usable fiber. First I used the great digital scale my sister gave me for my birthday last year and divided both the white and colored fleece into equal parts. That way I can spin two spools of each without guessing how much is half!
I set aside 1g of both so I could experiment to find out whether I should card or comb or do something else. I pulled some of the locks apart. It's lovely, soft and very fine. And only a little vm. The brown is a little neppy, tho'. Carding is not my favorite fiber prep -- I've never really grown fully adept. Nevertheless, it's less painstaking and wasteful than coming so I tried that first. I made a little rolad [photo]. Then I took out my mini combs and tried some. I love the way all the little ends stick out together. If it worked with the mini combs, I thought it might work with the double combs. And , it did -- beautfully. I do hate the waste but I'll put it in the "to-be-carded" bag and see. It can always be stuffing for pillows.
I combed all the brown/red today. It's lots of different shades, which will be fun.

Seaman's Scarf and Hat

Last year my boss popped into my office with a plastic bag containing the contents of his mother's stash. The 3 acrylic yarns were red heart and the needles the good old aluminum #7 double points (bits of two sets; did she lose one, as I have, on the bus?). I decided to use these yarns for charity knitting. At work we have a Sunday Lunch program which gives out bags of lunch to at least 100 people. In 2007/8 they decided to involve the "Stitch 'n' Time" charity knitting group to make hats and scarves to hand out with the lunch. I started mine last February but I've spent a lot of time this year not really able to knit much so I'm only now just finished. But, I made sure to start another scarf right away with the third skein.
The white in the hat was actually a fairly stiff aran weight which I used I saw I wouldn't have enough to knit the whole hat. But, I rather like the striped top and hope the recipient does!

Washing Fleece in a City Apartment

The North Country Spinner's "guild challenge" this year involves CVM (California Variegated Mutant)/ Romeldale fleece. Interweave's Spin-Off Magazine is featuring (or featured?) skeins made from unprocessed, raw fleece. Our programs chair ran out of the fleece before each member received the bag she was entitled to so I was without my fleece for a few months. Very kindly and generously Mary M., who owns some Romeldale, gave me a present of some raw fleece. Finally I got my bag from the guild! So, I did end up with a fair amount. And, in the photo you can see the trusty aforesaid mesh bag on the drying rack!

Although I love the way raw fleece smells, I confess I did bag it up in plastic for the trip back to town. There isn't any vegetable matter, which is very nice.

My apartment has a lovely, old (1941) double sink. One side is deep enough to wash a toddler, as my children will attest. In the 40's some people actually did their own laundry by hand so I 'spose that's why that sink was installed. Anyway, it's wonderful for crafters. I zippered the greasy, wonderfully sheep-smelly fleece into a fine-mesh laundry bag, put a big bucket in the sink and filled it with 1/8 c. original Dawn dish detergent and filled it with the hottest water possible. Thank goodness for apartment building water heaters! Then I dunked the bag into the water, pushed it down and swished it very gently to make sure the fiber was getting soaked through. But, I was very gentle and careful not to cause it to felt. Immediately the water turned brown. I let the fleece soak for a while, pulled it out and refilled the bucket with a little Dawn and equally hot water. Then, I rinsed it in several buckets of water at the same temperature. The bag makes the whole process so much easier -- I wish I'd thought of it years ago. After spinning the bag in my salad spinner to get the excess water out I spread out clumps of fiber on a sweater rack on the wooden clothes rack, dividing the white from the brown. It took about 24 hours to dry thoroughly but it's just lovely and I can't wait to spin it. Thank you, Mary!

Two More Bathmats

Not only am I finishing up a huge addition made to the stash in August of kitchen cotton, but I am providing the D.B. with two more bathmats that she loves! There will be about six ounces of the colors left over and they will become charming Swiffer cozies! These are wonderfully quick to make and very satisfactory all around.

The VERY Late Socks for Scott

I promised my patient (but now, quite understandably grumbly) son-in-law socks about three years ago. I showed him the beautiful yarns from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. They are Copper and Rooster Rock in Socks That Rock, medium weight. At the same time I showed him the booklet BMFA publishes with ideas for fair isle work with their yarns. All well and good until I actually began a swatch this spring. When I actually knit the two yarns I fell in love with them. The monochrome Copper is a perfect foil for Rooster Rock. Rooster Rock has all the tints you'd expect from a naturally-dyed tweed from the Shetland Islands. It is much too beautiful to use for stranded two-color knitting where the continuity of the color progressions would be lost. The colorway is elegant, actually, not one to play around with. It's a rare yarn that commands such respect.

It was a hard-going-summer with little time for knitting so I put this project aside -- again. At Rosh Hashanah my daughter reminded me that I was very, very late so I started again. Now she's upset that I've changed the pattern and may disappoint Scott. It would be foolish to spend all that time on something no one wants so I'm waiting for Scott's input.

Robert Polidori Disses Knitters

On the 9/28/09 New Yorker Outloud podcast "Interiors" staff photographer Robert Polidori is scathing about knitters -- and his fellow photographers. Contemptuously he compares his fellow students who liked to work in the darkroom developing photos to women who like to knit. He was quite scathing. Stupid man, doesn't he realize he's a craftsperson, too? He's using a tool to capture what is before his lens; knitters use their tools to make yarn into fabrics. Not that different!

Yellow Dress Socks

One of a series, knit on US 0 / 2.0 mm circular needles. The yarn is Lang Jawoll Superwash solid in light yellow #84.0114, ordered from Yarn forward. I used up almost all the 412 yds -- it was nip and tuck, actually. These were requested by the D.B. as "dress socks" to go with the black I knit last year. Her very favorite sock pattern is the basket weave rib, a 12-row pattern that becomes more rote the more you knit it. And, I've had plenty of practice. Finished August 2009.

I love Lang Jawoll -- it remains very soft and wears extremely well.

Cast on 96 sts (to fit generous calf) in k2p2 rib. Continue for about 1.25" to 1.5" then begin the basket weave rib. At 3" begin decreasing at each side of center back every four rows until there are 72 sts. 1" = c.12 rows but adjust if it doesn't because it's nicer if there's an inch or a bit over of 72 sts. Begin heel. Heel flap is about 2.25" or with c. 22 st loops to pick up for the gusset. I like to continue the pattern on the foot but it's a little tricky 'cause the pattern doesn't come out exactly even. On one side there are two extra sts, on the other, one (or so). Place a marker at the purl stitch at each side so you don't get confused. For the D.B. I work 6.5" from heel flap and begin a round toe, decreasing evenly on two sides of four points around the needles. Remember to knit one plain row after ending pattern before beginning decrease. Decrease until there are 16 sts. left, donkey ear the 4 end sts and use the kitchener to create a lovely ridgeless toe.