CouCou Cable Chapeau

Gah! Has it really been that long since we talked?!?!  I've missed you and am hoping to get back into the swing of things.  Especially since I've released a ton of patterns recently and haven't much of a chance to talk about them!  There needs to be more knit-chat in my life.

I'll start with the most recent one: the CouCou Cable Chapeau.

It's worked in two layers.  The outer layer is in 100% wool (worsted weight) (Wool of the Andes) and the inner layer is in a brushed alpaca nylon blend (Reverie).

The best part is that the pattern is available for free on the Knit Picks website!!!

I don't know how the model didn't melt wearing such a warm hat in the summer heat,
Joyce

Photo Credit: knitpicks.com

Crazy life and the Qboro Cowl

Things are still crazy here, but that's nothing new, right?  I would like to say that hopefully they will settle down soon, but I am always hopeful that things will settle down and they rarely do.

I often hear myself say "After the end of the semester," "During this upcoming break in classes," and so on.  However, I'm beginning to realize (boo, maturity!) that when that break gets here or the semester ends, there will still be craziness, whether it's from work or it's just me.  So I've decided to embrace the crazy.  And why not?  It certainly makes life more interesting.  (This also works if you have a crazy family, but really, don't we all?)

Sometimes, when the crazy gets to be a little too much, I like to take comfort in an oasis of soft, colorful yarn and a simple pattern.  It's for that reason that I designed the Qboro Cowl (that's pronounced Q(like in quack)-boro).

It calls for 220 yds of worsted weight yarn.  Pictured here in KnitPicks Swish worsted in Wonderland Heather, it would be great for any single skein of worsted that happens to be hanging out in your stash.  Plus a cowl would be a fast project to knit for both the guys and girls in your life that you want to keep nice and toasty (cough cough Christmas knitting cough cough).  Oh, and did I mention the best part?  The pattern is free!!!

Speaking of things that drive me crazy (but are still super cool and awesome), Polly had a birthday last month.  She is officially a year old.  (Look at that face! No, wait, don't.  It will make you want to do things like give it Snausages and Beggin' Strips.)

Don't let the grey beard and old man looks fool you, she's still a crazy youngster.  She will often try to persuade me to do what she wants, such as give her my yogurt.  Usually it involves this face (and that hair!):

which, I'm only slightly ashamed to admit, I find irresistible. 

Don't be silly, Polly doesn't want a cracker (at least, not without cheese),

Joyce

Spring flowers

Spring is fully upon us.  Every time I walk anywhere in the city, I try to take the time to enjoy the beautiful flowers in bloom.  I recently got the to spend some time in the garden that surrounds the American Museum of Natural History. 

The sun was shining.

The flowers were beautiful.

I couldn't ask for a better place to knit.

(Madtosh lace in Fig held double.)

Happy Spring,
Joyce

Sitting on dogs

Okay, so there is no actual sitting on dogs involved with dog sitting; however, the dog Hubbie and I are watching this weekend is the size of a pony, so I think a jockey could comfortably sit on her.

You may remember Bella from the last visit to my sister in law's house.Going to my SIL's house is great for many reasons. When they're here, we get to relax and spend time with family. When they're not here, we get to go wild… and sleep all day and watch tv. Oh, and we occasionally rollerblade in her huge-mongous basement.

In addition to all of the sitting around (and rolling around) this weekend,  I learned a new craft.  I may not have mentioned this in the past, but before I discovered knitting I was a flighty hobbyist. I would stick with a hobby for a few months, and then move on to something else. They were all perfectly good hobbies, but none of them were "the one".  Then I met knitting. And we've been in a happy committed and mostly monogamous relationship for several years now. I'll admit it, I am sometimes led astray by the allure of beading. After all, a girl needs sparkly stitch markers. 

The new  craft I learned this weekend was how to make lotion and lip balm. (Don't worry, Knitting, you know I'll always come back.)  It's surprisingly easy, quick and fun.

As is evidenced by the 28 tubs of lip balm, and three tubs of body lotion that I made (some are already in use, so they didn't make it into the picture.). The hardest part was waiting for them to solidify so I could use them.

Oh, and the sore lips from trying on six varieties of lip balm in an hour,
Joyce

A few of my favorite things

As I'm sure you know by now, I love knitting.  However, you may not be familiar with my love of skating.  As with knitting, I had to try it multiple times before I was able to get the hang of it. 

However, I got the hang of skating (I was in my 20s) much earlier than knitting (my 30s, I'm nothing if not a late bloomer). 

It doesn't hurt that I met Hubbie while skating around the campus of the university we were both attending.  He was skating too (he was a roller hockey player).

This weekend I got the oppurtunity to go skating with Hubbie in Flushing Meadows Park (we are having seriously unseasonably warm weather).  There he is, the tall guy in the hoodie in front of the globe.

It was sunny and the park has lots of fresh new sidewalk, a boon for skaters.

I came home happy with the world (gotta love those endorphins).  Oh, and Pogona kept me nice and toasty all throughout. 

The shape is really interesting and it stays on your shoulders. 

Plus the color is fantastic.  Mad Tosh sure does amazing colors.

Now if only I could knit while I skate,
Joyce

Finish-it-upis 2011

I've threatened many times to go on a finishing kick, but never quite succeeded.  Until recently.

I'm happy to say that over the past month I have finished and blocked six shawls that have been laguishing in the knitting basket for upwards of a year or more.  They are all beautiful shawls, but during their construction, I got bit by the designing bug and, sadly, they waited to be finished.

One just needed the ends tied in and to be blocked. It started out as different shawl and ended up with an edge modified from Elina.  It's made with Knit Picks Andean Treasure.

A couple of them I just worked to a seemingly natural edge and bound off ('cause otherwise they wouldn't get finished.)

Dracula's Bride: A Goddess Knits shawl that I started it two years ago as a present for GiGi.  It's in Knit Picks Palette in Garnet Heather and Black.

Butterfly Garden:  An Evelyn Clark Shawl that I knit in Knit Picks Gloss lace in Blue Bird (a discontinuted color).  I changed the edging to leaves because I liked the effect from Butterfly Bush.

Spider Web Shawl: From Victorian Lace Today, I decided to just bind it off because it was too big to rip out.  It's knit in Palette in Calypso Heather

Lace Leaf Shawl: Another Evelyn Clark shawl knit in Filatura Cervinia Calzetteria which is, unfortunately, quite itchy even after washing.

Plus a couple of shawls that I improvised when I was in need of movie knitting.

Schaefer Heather in the Wendy colorway.

Knit Picks Gossamer in the Caribbean color.  (So old that even the yarn line is discontinued.)

And last, but not least, Citron. 

Citron was the first not-from-my-head project that I knit after I started designing.  The crazy part is that for the first week or so that I knit it, I felt guilty, like I was stealing someone else's pattern.  I managed to get over that, but poor Citron stalled at the edge.  I'm happy to say that it's finished and I love it.  Worked in Malabrigo Lace in the Snow Bird color way, it is soft and delightful.

I should be nice and toasty this winter,

Joyce

Oh, the glories of yarn

There has been some lovely yarn coming into the house lately. 

An order of Knit Picks yarn from Hubbie for my birthday.

Their new Stroll Glimmer yarn in the Frost colorway.  It's quite soft (like their regular Stroll yarns) but the sparkly is irresistable!  Except it's in a GiGi color.  It's all wrapped around itself because it is currently being used to make GiGi's Christmas present.

Their new special reserve Sugarbunny in the Wine colorway.  It's as soft as you would imagine for an angora/merino yarn.  I'm trying to find the perfect project (read: shawlette) for it.  I may have to design something special.  I was super excited when I found out that they'd used Deja Vu in the email advertisement for it because, well, you know how much I love love love angora, right. (However, I think they're trying to break my heart by finally selling an angora yarn but having it be limited time only.)

A skein of Gloss heavy worsted in Fedora for another shawlette for GiGi.

And last, but most certainly not least, four skeins of Bare Gloss lace for a large circular shawl I have planned.  I can't wait! 

And if that weren't enough, when T.K. and I stopped in at Knitty City this week, Pearl, the owner and queen of enablers, dragged us into the back of the store to show us a new yarn called Baah! that she'd just received from the dyer, Mira Cole.  It's a fingering weight 100% superwash Merino wool.  Super soft and fantastic colors.  T.K. was draw to the blues and cooler hues. (She and GiGi have a very similar color preferences.  I occasionally use one to help pick out yarn when buying some for the other.)  I, however, was drawn to the more vibrant warmer colors and went home with these:

Gold Rush - It was love at first sight.  I don't really wear yellow, but I think I can get over that for this yarn.

Pink Tourmaline- I couldn't stop petting it while I was in the store, so I brought it home for a little knitting love. 

So much lace to knit, so little time. 

I should probably get started,
Joyce

My knitting history: a story of crochet gone awry and bullet points

1. I started knitting in February of 2007. I was originally a crocheter, but made the mistake of crocheting a king-size afghan in 4-inch granny squares. Crochet and I weren't friends after that. We've only recently started being civil to each other again.

2. I learned how to knit from a tutorial offered by Lion Brand, but probably wouldn't have thought to try it if had it not been for Elle.

3. I knit my first shawl in September of 2007. It was the Easy Triangle Shawl from Lion Brand and was in Lion Brand Homespun. And thus the obsession starts.  I'd knit four variations of that shawl by the time the dust settled.

4. I continue to be encouraged in my knitting by the wonderful women in my knitting group. They are intelligent, strong women and I'm glad that I know them (and not just because we are sharing a house at Rhinebeck this year).

5. I started designing in June 2009 because I lost interest in the shawl I was knitting and decided to put a different edging on it. That was all it took. The bug bit me and things haven't been the same since.

And don't get me started talking about the wonders of yarn,
Joyce