FO: Pretty Twisted Hug

I'm doing the one thing in knitting blogging that you should never do -- post an FO before it has been mailed to the recipient.  But I just can't help myself!

I find myself falling into a pattern with Knitty.  The new issue comes out, I join every other internet-addicted knitter in the world in nearly crashing the site for two days, and when I finally get the pages to load I am completely underwhelmed.  Nothing strikes my fancy, the cover project is gorgeous but uses more yarn than I could afford even without rent payments.  I'm bored and a little sad.

Then the reviews come in.  Every podcast in the knitting world is discussing how much they loved the issue, especially pattern x because it really explores construction with style q.  What?  I didn't see that.  What was that name again?  And thus I rediscover the issue and find that nearly everything in there, once I look at the larger pictures, read about the ideas behind the pieces, and frankly just pay attention, is truly a work of art.  That's the thing about Knitty.  There's always something so unique that when you stop and look at it really is inspiring, even if you never get around to making it.

So of course when the First Fall 2011 issue was released I followed my standard pattern of behavior and during the course of my rediscovery found Cat Wong's Pretty Twisted, a pattern for not one, but three different bracelet cuffs, which can then be modified ad infinitum.

I quickly cast this on as a gift for a friend who has hit a bit of a rough patch.  I'm not there to take her to coffee and give hugs so I did the next best thing.  The bracelet had a few false starts in different yarns and I was quickly reminded that alcohol, even just a small glass of wine, does not mix well with linen stitch.  I used US 1s, but in the future I would use 2s because the stitch definition is a little muddied.

But the end result is lovely.  I used part of my leftovers from Daybreak and knit up the framed version.  The button is also from stash and has sweet little hearts encircling a flower.

Just a sweet little hug.

For more FO's this very accomplished Friday, check out Tami's Amis!

Sometimes It's Better to Receive

I love getting mail.  There's something about the mystery of checking the mailbox.  It's like finding out you have a comment on a blog post.  Super exciting.  So you can imagine how excited I was when my package from Mom contained this.

I'm not sure the technical fashion term for this item, but I'm going to call it a "caplet" cause it's not a poncho, but it's not a shawl either.  It's a handknit from my Aunt and it's made out of Noro (I know. You can stop drooling now), which I have never knit with, but am now even more determined to purchase.  I've only received a few hand knits in my time, and this is the first one I've been given since I started knitting myself.  I can only hope that everything I make for someone else makes them feel as special as I felt when I put on this caplet.  And I'm going to try harder to handknit gifts for people I know who knit rather than buy them something (unless it's something knitting related), because I truly appreciate the amount of time and effort that went in to making this.

It is still obscenely hot here in North Carolina, but we had the vaguest hint of a breeze on Friday, so I changed my outfit in the last 10 minutes before I headed out the door.

A little warm, but I love it.  Plus, I got tons of compliments from people who were shocked that it was handmade.  Ah, the joys of knitting.

For the Love of Socks

One of my aunts is calling this year "The Year of the Sock." It's a pretty apt title, at least for the past month. One of my goals for last year was to knit a pair of socks, which I managed to do right at the last minute, racing against the clock in the car on the way home on December 31. (whew!)

For Christmas I bought myself two sock knitting books, Cookie A's Sock Innovation and Wendy Johnson's Socks from the Toe Up. I promptly lost all knitting mojo, particularly in relation to socks, and these gorgeous books were put on the bookshelf to gather dust.

Well we all know that didn't last. On Monday (in the car no less), I finished the Kai-Mei socks(Ravelry pattern link) from Cookie A. I had started them back in January but grew concerned that I didn't have enough yarn and put them aside. Fast forward to May and I started this new finishing kick. I had successfully finished one of my Evil Stepmother socks and so decided that though it was top down, these socks could too be ankle socks (it's honestly a nicer fit because I have thin ankles to go with my skinny wrists). I had decided in January that this pattern would be ok in variegated yarn because the only patterning was the open paired holes on the foot. So, bound and determined, I set these back up to be knit sparingly with other projects.

The further I got on these socks the more I couldn't decide how I felt about them. I love the yarn (also used for my Pixie Mitts, Knit Picks Imagination in the Pixie colorway), and found the pattern absolutely inspiring, but I could not decide how I felt about the two together. Though I still feel ambivalent to the socks themselves, what saved them was the fun I had knitting them around other people.

For the past two weeks I have been staying with my parents as a mini vacation (mini because I was supposed to be doing school work and will probably not see another "vacation" until after I graduate) before I head off to language school. My mom teaches PE at a small local private elementary and middle school, so I spent a lot of time visiting her and watching adorable little people run around playing crazy games (you have to remember, I don't ever see kids at home, just their college version selves). One of the highlights of last week was attending the talent show in which a fourth grader sang a Miley Cyrus song better than I had ever heard it sung (she was on pitch singing without music) and a third grader did an excellent Michael Jackson impersonation. Some of the other acts, well, lets just say it was the year of the Miley and I was grateful to have something to distract me.

Another night I went to the Kindergarten graduation (my mom has them for class, so we went in support). Aside from the enjoyment of hearing five and six year olds recite Japanese (their teacher lived there for thirty-eight years), I had an entertaining time with one of the students' younger brother who sat in front of me. Mom and I were there pretty early (gotta get a spot before everyones' grandma) and so out came the knitting. The little boy was fascinated. He asked all sorts of questions and was shocked at how smooth my needle was when I let him touch it. His parents were entertained as well and his grandfather actually stole my finished sock to show to his wife and the in-laws.

So despite the fact I wasn't too fond of the product, the compliments I received on the socks were enough to give me hope that the finished work would be worth something.

Boy was I ever right!

Unfortunately the socks are rather big on me and so bagged a bit when I hurriedly photographed them before yet another summer storm hit.

Fortunately for the socks, and for my self-esteem as a knitter, I found someone who I believe will love them the way they deserve.

I left this on my sister's pillow before Mom and I left for our two day road trip to my summer home.

When I asked Mom if she thought my sister would know how to care for a hand-knitted gift she reminded me that all I can do is provide instructions but after that it is out of my hands and I have to be ok with that. And she's right. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee writes in her book Yarn Harlot: the Secret Life of a Knitter

"When it is all over, when the socks are done, a knitter will have invested an average of twenty thousand stitches in the name of love and warm feet, knowing full well that the socks will wear out."

That's the scary thing about socks. They don't last forever. But I hope my sister, who begins work in her university's nursing program next semester resulting in a lot of time spent on her feet, will truly enjoy them while she can. I hope she takes care of them and loves them. And I hope that she does not save them only for special occasions. Because after all, everyone, particularly a nurse, deserves comfy feet.