Knitters-Knitters

Connect the Blueberries

Today this little person...

who is now this person...

is this many:

Fair Isle Yoke Sweater

Daisy's fair isle yoke sweater is finished! 

The pattern is Elizabeth Zimmermann's Child's Fair Isle Yoke Sweater, with only the most minor tweaks here and there in the color patterning.  The yarn is Dale of Norway, Heilo, on 3.5mm needles. 

I made the near-tragic error of using up every inch of the cream color before doing the weaving at the underarms, so I had to fudge it a bit. 

I had expected the sweater to run a bit large, but it turns out that 26" around really does mean 26", so I stretched it during the blocking.  This is probably the 8th time I've made this particular sweater, and it never disappoints.

Tamara was kind enough to ask after Clover, Spaniel of Joy, and how she's adjusting to the move.  I'd say she enjoys her new digs overall, but is suffering from that metaphysical crisis of wherever she goes, there she is.  It is Clover's greatest wish to scare someone, anyone.  She didn't scare the two elderly dogs down the block when we lived in Milwaukee (in fact, when they walked past our house and heard her bark, they'd roll their eyes in doggie derision).  She couldn't scare the Indian food delivery guy in Chicago, or any member of the cleaning staff, and when she tried to frighten the gardener, he actually scooped her up and tucked her under his arm like a parcel.  For hours afterward she hid in her puppy house, ears hanging low in shame.  This new house has a big back yard with rabbits--lots of them.  At first Clover was very excited by this and did her special pointing at one (very cute--using her little elbow), but the most she could inspire from the bunny was a casual backward glance.  Our next door neighbor was enthused to see we had a dog, and asked us to walk Clover into her yard sporadically to deter rabbits from eating her plants.  We perform this task dutifully, but with little hope.

Clover does bark and jump, and although small is at least 14 pounds--hardly a chihuahua.  And yet, no one cowers in her presence.  It's a mystery.

Settling In

This weekend was largely spent trying to become accustomed to our new home.  We're at that point where you're pretty much all unpacked, but you still feel like you're cooking in someone else's kitchen, using someone else's toilet, and waiting, on some semi-conscious level, to go back home where everything feels right.  I've compiled a small list of the items I can't find, the items I'm sure are keeping me from feeling like the true denizen of Northbrook that my credit card statements say I am.

1. Navy blue capri sweatpants.  Extremely unattractive and baggy-kneed, but comfy and sorely missed.

2. Small net used for catching aquatic frogs (and transferring them to a large pot while their tanks are being cleaned).

3.  Clover's heartworm medication.

4. Morse Code clicker.

5. Interior tier to Sabina's bookshelf.

There was more, but like my pair of NODJ pants, things have been turning up little by little.

The weekend began with Olive waiting patiently for her turn at LB's coffee (hot milk, cocoa powder, and sugar.  He claims there's coffee in it, too, but this will never be proven without assistance from NASA).

Discovering she gets to finish the bottom inch or two...

Yum!

Then we had guests: OFD, Mom, Lo and Brendy, and Aunt Marilyn.  There was a nosh prepared entirely by Elegance in Meats.  I've been there 7 times since we moved here, but the woman at the register has the good taste not to point this out.

Aunt Marilyn and Olive peruse the Wall Street Journal.

Four Perlmans, deep in thought.

Mom reading the Holy Binder--the daily log of Olive's adventures at Camp Apachi.

As often happens during these get-togethers, the camera is largely forgotten until it's time to study the Mapquest printout for directions back to Milwaukee.

After our guests had gone, I got out my new toy: a bag of roving this blogger convinced me to purchase.

Spinning with the drop-spindle is fun and satisfying.  The joy of releasing a small amount of the drafted wool and seeing the twist travel upward is an experience both new and eerily familiar.  My main complaint about spinning is that...I suck at it.  I worse than suck.  Despite my efforts to understand the half-hitch knot, the spindle often breaks free and agressively unravels its contents.  I can't decide if I should be spinning rightie or leftie--neither feels correct.  And worst of all, I'm not even sure I'm using my spindle right side up.  It doesn't match the drop-spindle in the book I'm using, with the hook being at the far end of the disc.  if you know about such things, please tell me.

Should it be like in the above picture:

or this one?

Despite my horrific, thick-and-thin results, I decided to take my little finished product very seriously, and did the whole back of the chair skeining thing,

...the hot water soak, and laying out to dry.

Then I wound it into a ball.  I think it looks like I made it in Spinner's Special Ed, but LB declared my results, "very anthroposophical." 

This is Steiner for, "Hopefully of deep spiritual value to you, because it would not survive in any competitive arena."  I'm going to hang onto it as a point of reference for measuring what will hopefully be progress.  Also, it'll come in handy if I ever want to knit myself one of these:

Chenille Protrusions

Last night I cast on a sweater for Daisy: an Elizabeth Zimmermann yoke sweater (pattern can be found in Knitting Around and at Schoolhouse Press) using Dale of Norway, Heilo.  The cream color may seem an unusual choice for a 12 year old, but Daisy is one of those unusual children who never gets dirty or even sloppy, never trips or falls down, and has an air of composure about her at all times.

Case in point, Daisy's workspace:

Daisy has wanted her own bedroom since she was old enough to understand that she could indeed carry on brain-stem functions when not in the same room as older sister Sabina: Sabina, who happens to feature clutter, and the long-limbed tendency to knock things over with broad, sweeping gestures.  Now that Daisy has her own room, she happily sits on the edge of her bed for long, silent stretches of hand sewing.

Here's a little dress she made for dolly--early work, as you can tell by the stitching.

Note the hand stitching around the perimeter of her current project, which she informs me will be a cake.

As I was prowling around her bedroom taking pictures, Daisy quietly materialized behind me.  You'd think someone as private as she would mind finding me in there snapping away, but she was, as always, bemused.  No, she did not mind me taking pictures, and happily brought out one of her recent works for me to photograph.  She made it with knitting needles using a stitch of her own unvention.  She has given it no name, but  it's a satchel of some sort, distinguished by chenille protrusions. 

Here's a digital painting of Daisy, created by Carys using the photo I posted last week.  Click here to see it in its fully expanded glory:

Know Thyself

One of the ways I sold this move to LB was with the premise, "If I have to drive less, I'll have more time and energy for cooking."  There is indeed more time and more energy, but no one was as surprised as I to discover that making dinner is something I find just as tedious in Northbrook as I did in Chicago.  Fortunately, that extra time and energy thing has enabled me to find ways around coking.  Specifically, I have "discovered" a little shop called Elegance in Meats.

Elegance in Meats sells not only raw meat for those who, inexplicably, like to cook it themselves, but pre-cooked meats and pre-cooked just about everything else.  Here we have ribs, lovingly prepared by a person who is not me.

And macaroni and cheese, made with actual macaroni and cheese.  We've had this once already--it's delicious.

This is bread pudding. 

For, you know, the children.

I'm telling myself I'll get more interested in cooking when the weather's cooler.

I did bathe the spaniel today.  That counts for something, doesn't it?

A Three Edens Day

Yesterday was a very busy day.  As I mentioned last week, Monday was the day Olive's little group was to wear green.  Friday, she's supposed to bring a litterless lunch.  I'm not altogether sure what this means--transferring the Pringles to a Tupperware instead of the snack pack they came in?

As usual, Olive was eager to head out.

She had places to go...

...and people to see.

After arriving home, I had some time to contemplate my garter stitch blanket project, which is taking way, way longer than I expected.  It'll probably be a gift--I have no real need for an enormous wool blanket, but after I saw this version, I felt compelled to stop everything I was doing and cast on.

My version is in Noro Kureyon, and is about 2/3 done.  Ultimately, those two ends in the middle will touch at the corners, but I kept them apart for the photo so you could see the clever S.

I did the wrapping thing so I wouldn't have rows of diagonal holes at the corners. 

I haven't made my mind up about the edge treatment.  Elizabeth Zimmermann recommends i-cord, but the very thought of doing that much cording makes me want to nap.  In fact, doing anything around the perimeter of this blanket makes me want to nap.  At this point, I'm seriously considering knitting up a separate border and (gasp) sewing it on at the end.  I like the idea of carrying around a small and portable strip of knitting for a few days as opposed to creating an edge treatment with this monster in my lap.

After LB arrived home from work, we piled back into the van and went to Northbrook for the final walk-through on the house we're renting.  We are moving on Thursday!  For those counting, that made three round trips on the Edens for me yesterday.  I didn't do the driving on the last trip, but still.

When we arrived, the children of the homeowners were waiting in front, along with several neighborhood children.  Apparently word had gotten out that a family with a bunch of kids were moving in.  Through the windows in the breakfast nook, you can see Sabina and Anatole chatting with a new pal.

Plenty of yard at this house.

Cog et al, you'll be happy to know that this move is in keeping with my residential destiny.  At first I thought this little shop was where one could change baht to sheqalim, but apparently, Currency Exchange is just Suburbian for "Check Cashing Place."

To see lots more pictures of the house in its current, pristine, pre-Sullivan state, click here:

Summer in the City

Sloth

This weekend, I slept in.  Every day.

I took several naps--two on Saturday.

I made a few hair ornaments for Olive.

 

 

I cooked no meals.  That's right, none.

I watched several episodes of Grey's Anatomy on my computer, in an easy chair, after everyone else was in bed, and ate Hershey's kisses (the kind with peanut butter) while doing so.

On Sunday I had a pedicure, which no one can take away from me.

Today LB purchased a kiddie pool. The children inflated it and filled it, and I took a coupla pictures.

 

I realized that my older children are mature enough to make cake for Mommy without assistance, yet young enough to find this task enjoyable.

 

And I made very slow progress on Olive's Noro Bog Jacket. 

 

I can't decide whether casting on and off for the sleeves is heresy, or if Elizabeth Zimmermann would approve because I actually do prefer casting on and off and sewing up to grafting.  I also cast on extra stitches for the sleeves, so they wouldn't, in EZ's words, fall "ineligantly" at the elbow.

 

You may notice the bottom stiches are on a strand of yarn.  Someone got ahold of a scissors and made a satisfying (to her) snip into the back of the jacket.  I had to unravel (not easy, when done from the bottom up) and am now re-knitting the bottom rows, taking advantage of the opportunity to make a hem ruffle. 

 

 

No hurry.

Knitting for Dolls

Today was a productive day, knitting-wise.  Both Sabina and I finished projects.  Sabina finished the Doll's Knitted Sleeveless Sweater and the Little Crocheted Hat, from The Mary Frances Knitting and Crochet Book.  Both are made from Debbie Bliss merino Rialto.

What impresses me the most is not that Sabina can do all this with one hand, but that these are activities she enjoys, seeks out, and taught herself to do entirely from books (by the time I got around to teaching her, she'd already learned on her own).

And it pleases me that at 13, she still loves her dolls enough to knit for them.

You'd think it would be too late in the year for Olive to benefit from this little hoodie, which I completed today.  But you'd be wrong.

The pattern for this hood can be found in the book Small Sweaters by Takle and Kolstad.  My version is made from Misty Alpaca and Mongolian cashmere. 

The photo shoot wasn't easy, mostly because people kept swooping in to kiss my subject.

Springtime