Yes, it’s that time again, and I even have a special addition to this YPF. I did finish the Fawkes Socks, so I’ll have some notes about that on Monday.

This week sees the return of Art Yarns. Nine Rubies got a new shipment of their sock yarn a week or so ago, and of course I made sure to snatch up a few skeins. ArtYarns sock (real name “Ultramerino 4) doesn’t have the colour range of some sock yarns, but you can’t kill this stuff. The only pair of socks I have that haven’t felted on the bottom and look pretty much like the day they were knit were made out of Art Yarns.

So without further adieu…

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Annnnnnd:

Neither of these skeins have official names (just numbers, poor little skeins), but I love the springy happy colours.

Now, how about some real “art” pr0n? Mom and I were down in Morgan Hill last weekend, and of course I had to visit the local yarn shop (“The Continental Stitch”). They’ve got a great Noro selection, which I managed not to buy all of, and they also have a resident artist. She paints oil pictures that are lovely in their own right, but then she adds very smartly placed pieces of yarn. All her pictures were just stunning, and we were torn wondering which painting to buy. Mom got a lovely painting of a White Egret, and I got this Monet-inspired piece:

Again, I’m a lousy photograper – that picture doesn’t do it justice at all. Anyway, I’ll definitely be going back to pick of more of this lady’s artwork!

Right, coming Monday: Fawkes on a sock!

Warning: This is not so much a knitting entry. Politics and a wee bit of ranting lie ahead. I realize it can be uncomfortable for some to read through spectacularly different views from your own, so if there’s the possibility that liberal/leftist views will bother you check back on Friday when it’ll be all sock yarn all the time once again.

Right, are we all good to go?

Let’s start with a simple life philosophy (my boyfriend the philosophy major argues that this is not, in fact, a philosophy – I think he’s just jealous that it’s so nifty): Don’t be a dick.

Now, I realize life is complex and can’t really be encapsulated into a sentence, so let’s just stipulate that there are of course exceptions (which I’ll get to, I swear).

It seems to me that lately there’s just a crazy amount of dickery going on in the communities I frequent. Dickery in real life, sadly, doesn’t surprise me so much. In knitting communities? It’s bugging the hell out of me, because it’s hard to see people you correspond with regularly act like they’ve suddenly lost their ever-loving minds.

Now, I’m interrupting myself to say that this is not a “remember what you say is on the whole internet and think about that before you post” moment, because the Yarn Harlot did that better than I can. You guys know I’m more about the posting of pretty pictures than the writing.

No, this is a “For-Bob’s Sake stop and think if you’re acting like a jerk, and if you are, STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND HAVE A BIT OF A THINK ABOUT WHO YOU WANT TO BE” moment.

If someone left you bad feedback and it has upset you, have that bit-of-a-think about how you may have come off to them before you post to a board and start the woe-is-me-everyone-go-tell-that-person-how-much-they-suck. Remember that not everyone experiences you the way you think. Realize that hey, even with the best of intentions, it’s possible to come off as a jerk.

And here’s the thing that’s driving me beyond crazy: I know women are not one big happy sisterhood. I know there are good women and bad, just like there’s good and bad in every group of people. Still, can we try not to tear each other to pieces over valid choices?

Case in point: I left a Ravelry group this week because while I am indeed Child-Free by Choice, and intend to stay that way, I don’t see the point of referring to women who do decide to have children as “breeders.” There are good kids and bad kids, and I don’t see the value of referring to all children as “monsters.” Complaining about how hard it is to deal with those people who are happy about being pregnant strikes me as silly. People are going to be proud of things that you don’t get for your entire life! Life is not All. About. You. Yeah, if someone is giving you crap about YOUR decision, then it’s that exception for dickery I was talking about earlier.

As far as I’m concerned, a woman’s right to choose extends to choosing to have a baby and not take crap for it. Instead of getting pissed that your co-worker is happy about having a child, how about getting pissed about some other women’s issues?

Like: Honor killings, female genital mutilation, child sex slavery, lack of access to birth control due to government dickery, forced marriages, rape, discrimination, and I could go on but I wish I couldn’t.

So there’s my Wednesday rant. Hopefully it made some vague amount of sense, because I do post in the mornings before work when my brain is not at its best. I don’t know that any of the above will make a difference to anyone – but I hope it at least makes some people think.

I’m a bit of a zombie this morning, so I’ll try to keep to mostly coherent sentences, but if I trail off and make no sense – well, now you know why.

I cast on for the Fawkes’ Socks late on Friday – and in a complete departure from my normal selfish knitting, they’re a gift for a co-worker (I feel safe saying she doesn’t read the blog and so won’t be spoiled). I noticed the designer, Gigi Silva, intended for the sock to be knit on two needles. Then I had a little lightbulb – I wanted these socks done by the end of this week, so why not try two socks at once? A quick tutorial and no small amount of fiddling, and off I went.

Despite having very little time to knit this weekend, I’m already to the heel flap! I think I may be a convert to two socks at the same time. I’m a die-hard DPN fan, so it’s a little hard to admit (sort of like a Giants fan suddenly realizing that those As are doing really well… and the games are really fun… and, oh, crap). I think I’d like to try toe-up next, in the hopes of not having so much sock yarn left over. Of course, all this comes right after I ordered KnitPicks new DPN set.

Yes, there actually is a picture in here, I swear. This is the socks last night slightly before I got to the heel flap:

The yarn is Baywood Yarn’s Sock Yarn (this is her older stuff, before she switch to Gems base) in the colourway Tea Roses. Jo, if you’re reading this, any chance you’ll make more of this colour?

The picture (as usual) really doesn’t do the yarn justice. Unfortunately, a lot of the time when I’m taking the pictures it’s in the evening and there’s no natural light. I suspect I’m just not a very good photographer. Anyway, in person the colours are amazingly vibrant – just like the flaming feathers of the Phoenix the sock pattern is named for.

I am still working on the Mystery Stole and the Simple Knitted Bodice – but I’m so distracted by this clever method of making socks that I’m being unreasonably faithful to this project.

All right, must go clean myself up for work – see y’all Wednesday.

Yes, it’s another Friday without sock yarn. Don’t worry, I have some reallllly yummy sock yarn in reserve for next Friday.

So, last Saturday Nine Rubies had a 20% off sale and it seemed like a good time to pick up some yarn I’d been lusting after for a long time. I went in intending to buy sweater quantities, with a couple possible patterns in mind. I ended up deciding it was time to make another Simple Knitted Bodice. I knew I wasn’t going to buy the recommended yarn again, and luckily for me they had a huge stock of ArtYarns products. I’ve worked with ArtYarns before, and their yarn is fab-u-lous. I have a pair of socks made from their yarn that have outlasted any other sock yarn I’ve used.

Anyway, on to the pr0n – this is for the beaded section of the SKB:

And here’s the yarn I’ll be using for the middle section:

That’s ArtYarns beaded silk on top, and Silk Rhapsody on bottom. Silk Rhapsody has this neat little strand of 70% silk and 30% mohair that gives everything you knit with it this gorgeous halo. Thanks to the amount of silk mixed in, the mohair never gets that obnoxious itchy feeling.

By the way, anyone want to hazard a guess as to my favourite colour?

Anyway, that’s it for this Friday. It’s been a long week, and I haven’t gotten much done in the way of knitting. I hope to return on Monday with lots of fun progress and pictures for y’all.

Well, despite my hints of an orgy of sock casting-on, I’ve managed to keep my new knitting under control. It’s amazing how hard it can be to choose a new project once you’ve finished a big one. There are at least five projects I’m dying to make, but I know I’m not quite up to another that’ll take a month of devoted knitting.

So I did cast on for Jaywalkers, because I suspect it’s time to give in, and I wanted a pattern that wouldn’t be especially mind-consuming (I have plenty of time, not so much brain space right now). I’m using Great Aidrondack’s Soxie, in a colourway that I think is Amethyst, but could be Mardi Gras (I lost the ball-band ages ago:

This has been a difficult yarn to find the right pattern for. The colours are so intense that they obscure any sort of patterning you try to sneak in, and I’ve ripped at least 3 socks that I’ve started in this yarn. I’m still sort of suspicious that this might be one of those yarns that’s better kept and displayed as a skein, but we’ll see how it goes.

Speaking of patterns that everyone and their sister (and sister’s cousin, aunt, dog, next-door neighbour, internet pen-pal etc.,etc.) are doing, I cast on for the Mystery Stole #3 last night.

Obviously, I haven’t gotten very far (I got home laaaaate last night), but I’m very much enjoying the pattern so far. The beading is sort of a pain, I have to admit, but since it doesn’t happen all that often I’m not going to complain. I’m also rebelling against garter edges – I know they lay a little nicer, but I really don’t care for the look of garter stitch. I’ve seen it in a few patterns where I thought it looked nice (and it looks great on a scarf), but I avoid it on my shawl edges.

Coming soon: Oooooh, have I got some yarn y’all are gonna drool over!

So after weeks and weeks of mosiacs, Arietta is finally done. I’m used to sweaters taking a while, but sweaters on size 3 needles? Well, let’s just say my eyes are still recovering. The seaming on this was a nightmare, because you’re dealing with shaping, purl stitches for texture, and the occasional slipped stitch. Also, like I mentioned before, this pattern has Ye Olde Set-In Sleeves of Despair ™.

I am, in fact, so sadly inexperienced with set-in sleeves that I sent a panicked e-mail off to the designer because the sleeve caps didn’t seem like they were nearly long enough, and I was convinced I was missing 40 rows. Those of you who have made set-in sleeves before probably already know that the sleeve cap is, well, shorter than the area it’s to be set into. Luckily the designer, Barbara Gregory, was very gracious in explaining this to me, aka Ye Olde Complete Morone. She’s a patient woman, Barbara, and I’m very happy to have knit one of her patterns.

What’s that you all are screaming about? Pictures? Oh, FINE.

That’s the front, and here’s a slight side view:

I am ridiculously proud of how well the arms line up with the front. It fits brilliantly, and the bottom part doesn’t pucker like that when on.

This whole pattern is very well-constructed. I love the side shaping – it makes for a very figure flattering sweater, which is nice when you have what could generously be described as ample curves.

Oh, and the only issue I had was this:

That’s the spaghetti bowl of ends that had to be woven in and then trimmed.

General stats:

Yarn: KnitPicks Shine Sport
Needles: Size 2 for the borders, size 3 for the main body
Pattern: Arietta, free at Knitty.com
Size: Medium
Knitting time: A little over a month
Times my boyfriend looked pitifully at me in hopes I would stop knitting Arietta and pay attention to him instead: At least 10

I keep looking at this sweater and just being amazed that a) it turned out so well, and b) that it’s finally done. I’m a bit confused as to what to do next – I think there may be a veritable orgy of casting on socks.

Coming Wednesday: I don’t know yet, but I think socks are a good guess

But I should never read the Yarn Harlot when I’m in a push to finish a project. I like to think of myself as fairly resistant to peer pressure. I mean, it took me years to decide I might actually like a Clapotis. I’ve never made a Jaywalker. Ditto for Rogue, or the currently wildly popular Monkey Socks. I’ve even resisted the Yarn Harlot-created craze for small rainbow coloured baby sweaters (probably made easier by the fact that I don’t know any small children).

Then she mentioned Mystery Stole #3, and something in my brain got hooked. It’s a “Mystery” knit a long where you get weekly clues that progress the pattern. You don’t know what the finished product will look like (the previous two stoles have been gorgeous). Now, you all have seen my yarn closet. I have laceweight yarn already… but the clues mentioned that this stole’s theme would be best in black and white…

That’s a skein of Prism Yarn in the colourway Antique. It’s coloured so as to look like gently discoloured white, which I’m hoping does end up fitting the theme as well as just-plain-white. I was originally going to cast on last night, but the Knitting Gods did not favour this plan, and the bloody skein is not winding well. Perhaps after I’ve finished Arietta it will let me begin.

The other thing about this project?

Beads. I had to go into a beading store yesterday, and I think Mystery Stole may be the gateway drug of knitting projects… This beading store has classes. Classes to make these gorgeous pieces of jewelry. Pretty… shiny… jewelry…

Oh gods, I’m doomed.

So I left blogger because of constant problems, but now the template I use here is having issues. WordPress is working on it, so bear with me and the wonky looking sidebar. Hopefully they’ll have it all nice and normal again soon.

Right, so here’s my first WordPress entry. Hopefully it all turns out okay, and nothing explodes.

I’ve been a bit busy with work (Ravelry) and life (Ravelry) and this funny little website (Ravelry), but I’ve still managed to work on Arietta. I decided I’d try and pin what I had together to make sure everything’s coming along all right:

Two things: one, the sides are only roughly pinned together. Don’t worry, I haven’t seamed up my sides with arms yet to be put in. Obviously, we’re still needing a button band – I’m saving that part for last, because I sense a certain amount of aggravation ahead.

Here’s the back view, which isn’t terribly interesting, but does look quite nice (in my humble opinion of course):

And… I’ve even found time to knit up a sleeve:

It also occured to me that before I go knitting buttonholes that I’d better have buttons to size. I found these over at Nine Rubies, and I’m so in love with the way the colours match the cardigan:

So I’ve only the one sleeve left to go, and the button band. I’m starting to get that lovely excited feeling that comes with a garment soon to be finished.

I picked up a lovely little book on finishing, and I’ve vowed to myself that I’ll be taking my time on the finishing of this sweater. It’s too pretty to screw up with bad seams.

Ravelry, as the Yarn Harlot said on her blog, is a giant BRILLIANT time suck. I’ve spent hours photograping my sock yarn stash, updating my books, tracking down every needle I’ve ever owned, and documenting just about every thing I’ve ever knitted (a few have escaped as gifts). It’s fascinating to be able to look at the people making the same projects, and I love being able to see what other people are making with a certain yarn. I wish I’d had this ages ago, so big kudos to Ravelry’s creators. This is the coolest knitting tool EVER.

For all my readers in the States, have a Happy Fourth of July! I’ll see you again Friday.

Wow, it’s my first official Meme, courtesy of CCR in MA.

The Meme rules: Enter your birthdate into Wikipedia, and list three events, two births, and one holiday that take place on your birthday. I’m rather fond of this, as I think it’s more interesting than the prototypical “Tell me allllllll about you” memes.

So here goes:

I was born February 12th 19*coughcoughcough*

According to wikipedia, the following happened on that date:

In 1870, women gained the right to vote in the Utah territory. This is 50 freaking YEARS before the rest of the nation caught on, and we got the 19th amendment. Who’d have thought that area would be so progressive? 1870 is also the same year we got the 15th amendment, banning voting restrictions based on race.

In 1990, Super Mario Brothers 3 is released, and I become an official video game addict. I remember that game being the Biggest. Deal. EVER.

In 2004, San Francisco starts issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It was a proud moment – though it didn’t last. I wonder if a century from now, some blogger will be doing the same type of meme and talking about how progressive we were…

The Birthdays:

Duhh, Abraham Lincoln. Sadly, while this was once a holiday, it’s been smushed into the all-purpose “President’s Day,” which is usually two weeks later. Too bad, because I’d love to have my birthday off!

Also born on my birthday – a ton of actors and people I couldn’t care less about. Suffice to say that it looks like us Aquarians tend to go for chatty professions.

The Holiday:

Well… there’s a couple interesting ones to choose from. Let’s talk about Red Hand Day, a holiday that tries to draw attention to the plight of of children who are forced into being soldiers. We’ve seen a lot about this in the news lately, and it breaks my heart every time. Sadly, I’d never heard of this holiday before – so I’m glad this meme brought it to my attention.

All right, in happier topics: I’ve finished the other front of Arietta. However, I’m going to save those pictures and updates for Wednesday. I know, I’m such a tease. See you all then!