Hooray for summer knitting.

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2007. | Permalink | 6 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Baby Blanket, Dalmation.

A confluence of events resulted in my long absence from blogging life. The precipitating factor, of course, was my lack of internet connection (not even dial-up, people) for an extended period of time. You really don’t want to know how long. The story of my fight to get an internet connection in my new apartment is similar to the plot of a horror movie and it would either drive you insane or simply give you screaming nightmares if you heard it. I’m totally not exaggerating or anything. Anyway life happens, and to be honest, not much knitting was going on for quite a while. I’ve been working many hours, traveling more, and generally not spending much time on the interweb.

But now I’m excited to catch up with what people are working on and I’ve already started on a couple of new projects. The vintage coat has taken a backseat, but has not been forgotten. To get back in to the swing of things, I spied Eunny Jang’s pattern in Interweave Knits for these lovely entrelac socks. (By the way, colors are more saturated in these pics than in real life).

I heart entrelac. It’s so much more interesting to me than just knitting around and around and around… which is why I think I might actually finish these knee-high honeys. If my cat doesn’t eat them first.

I have a couple of other projects coming up that I’ll tell you about later. One which could require audience participation for a good cause, yay! So stay tuned, I will return…

P.S. - If anyone wrote to me or commented and I haven’t responded, I’m sorry. I will try to catch up with everyone’s questions soon. Thanks for your patience!

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2007. | Permalink | 4 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Entrelac Socks, Updates.

I started the coat, only halfway into winter. If I keep working on it consistently, though, I don’t think it’ll take too long. I have no idea what a “Size 16″ means in 1938 terms, but it seems a little big for me, so I’m just resizing the whole thing as I go along. The sleeves, for instance, are going to be about two inches narrower. That’s what you’re looking at, by the way - the beginning of a sleeve. Ain’t it pretty?!

Still have no internet. Apparently my apartment doesn’t exist in anyone’s records. By “anyone,” I mean the phone and cable companies. They are supposed to come later this week but I don’t want to get my hopes too high…

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2007. | Permalink | One comment

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under 1938 Coat, Vintage Knits.

I spent the holidays in California, and while it didn’t exactly afford me a white wonderland Christmas morning, I got plenty of “tangelos” (or whatever those things were). It was fun and sunny. I also got to meet my mom’s new dogs: a standard poodle and a poodle/golden retriever mix. “Cute” is a poor word to describe these girls.

Like a little lamb, she is.

And this one has the most ginormous paws I’ve ever seen in real life on an animal.

Oh, and did you want to know about knitting? Really, now. Well, what with moving, and being out of town I obviously have not been what you might call “productive.” But I *did* receive in the mail this lovely yarn I will be using to make the 30’s coat.

I don’t feel too bad about not starting this sucker yet, because apparently it is supposed to be 70 degrees F. in New York tomorrow?! So no rush. Maybe I’ll just go to the beach, instead, or something.

I still don’t have internet access (blah), so thanks to David Fineburg for letting me use his interweb computer. Oh yeah, and my new year’s resolution is to get internet set up in my house. But not really. I’ll tell you what it is later, maybe…

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2007. | Permalink | 10 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Updates, Vintage Knits, Yarn.

Have a wonderful New Year, everyone!!! I’ll see you then.

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2006. | Permalink | 5 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Updates.

How appropriate this project is right now; backyard leaves is right, brother! It is about thirty minutes away from being completed, but had to get the pictures taken while it was still sunny. Because, you know, the sun sets at about 3:00 in the afternoon nowadays. I’ll show you the all-done pictures very soon (tomorrow?).

For those of you who have commented on previous posts, or emailed me, I’m working on getting back to all of you… Just have been busy busy lately.

Oh, and exciting news: I ordered Irish Tweed yarn for the winter coat! Oh, yay. Should be here any day, and I can’t wait. What. Is. My. Problem. I mean, there is “castonitis” and then there is the problem that I have, which is beyond human understanding. Help. *

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2006. | Permalink | 3 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Backyard Leaves.

Ah, yes. I’ve been taking a little breather from the knitting (and blogging) life for a while. But it’s been rejuvinating, and lately I’ve caught myself eyeing the yarn again. I’m sure it won’t be too long before I’ll actually have some finished projects to show off. Or at least some new ones started, ha ha ha ha ha! Sorry, got a little hysterical there. Anyway, I also got a new computer. Since I haven’t owned a desktop for years, I forgot how nice it is to use a big screen and regular keyboard. It sure beats the bad posture and neck strain I had sitting with a computer literally on my lap for hours on end.

So here’s a mini addition to my stash. As always, I don’t really buy yarn without at least an idea of what I want to do with it. My plans for this lovely yarn are a *little* nebulous, granted, but I think the finished product will be fabulous. I think. I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to show you my favorite kind of yarn, and this is it. Tweed. I love all kinds of tweed. That’s not exactly revolutionary, I realize, but anyway there it is. One day soon I will be buying some tweed yarn for the 1930’s coat I pictured here once upon a time.

But clearly I’m getting ahead of myself. First I gotta, you know, finish something I’ve already started.

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2006. | Permalink | 7 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Vintage Knits, Yarn.

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2006. | Permalink | 5 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Updates.

This is the state my second sock has been in for days and days and days. It would be laughably easy to finish it. But no. There it sits, broken-hearted.

My feet are all, like, “What’s up? When are we gonna feel the warm softy goodness?” And I’m all like, “Dude, I don’t know, get off my back!”

———

This is a pattern you may be familiar with: “Backyard Leaves” from Scarf Style. Except I’m knitting it in smaller, cotton yarn (size US5 needles). Ooo, this lace pattern is fun.

(Yarn is prettier than it appears in these pictures - the light is dreary today.)

The only downside is you have to follow the chart because the pattern is impossible to memorize. Which, of course, is enough of a pain in the ass that I’ll probably not finish it for weeks and weeks. So… yeah.

———

Last, and definitely not least, are the Norwegian Stockings. I got this yarn which is actually sport weight, and adjusted the pattern to deal with the bigger gauge. That way they will go much faster. Because I *definitely* would never finish them if I were knitting with 7 or 8 stitches to the inch. (Actually, I did start these with a smaller gauge - you can see them under my “Works in Progress.” And, well, I haven’t finished them yet).

I have two more projects started, but now I’m embarrassed, so I’m not taking any more pictures. At least then there will be no physical evidence (on-line, anyway) of my craziness.

———

Congratulations to Sophia, who correctly guessed the name of the comedy sketch program, Mr. Show! She will be receiving a lovely yarn prize for her effort.

Thanks to all of you who commented on my last post. I feel not-so-alone now about these yarns with many colors. Apparently I had been reading the wrong blogs, and was starting to feel like a freak for not loving the various-colored stuff. On a more positive note, I have decided what my favorite kind of yarn is (I think) - and I’ll have pictures of some of it next post…

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2006. | Permalink | 8 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Backyard Leaves, Circus Socks, Contest, Norwegian Stockings.

Now, I’ve made a pair of socks. I got this yarn as a prize, and my dad told me he wanted some, so I made them. And it was exciting, finishing that first sock - mostly because I wasn’t sure if I would ever get the thing to fit or look right. And then it did, so I was happy. My first sock! Yay.

However, I have found, since then, that my general apathy toward the sock continues. I no longer have actively *negative* feelings about knitting socks (as I did while attempting the ill-advised “blue-sock project” on Size Negative Three needles or whatever - that’s never going to happen, by the way). But I’m still not converted. I probably have similar feelings about the subject as Eunny - in other words, I say I don’t like to make socks but will ocassionally do so, anyway.

Case in point:

Um, yeah. I’m making another pair of socks.

So here are the two great things about hand-knitted socks: they are super comfortable, and they make wonderful knitted gifts (for people that like socks, that is). After trying on my dad’s socks, I decided I wanted something super-comfy, too, man! And I know a few people who would appreciate having some soft hand-knit socks for their vewy ownz.

———

But here’s my next complaint: what is up with this self-patterning, self-striping, multi-color whatever yarn?! This sh*t is crazy! I mean, about 95% of the time, the colors look amazing, gorgeous, or even just really pretty, when they are in a ball or skein. Observe:

Isn’t this nice? I received this in the mail, and thought: oh, so pretty! I want to make something with it! Those colors *are* just like a spring garden!

But then *this* is the result:

!!! That’s just wacko. To the point that it’s approaching circus-clown-style. Maybe I’m weird, because I’ve never seen anyone else complaining about this. But I do not like how multi-color yarn looks all knit up in rows together. The self-striping yarn is okay, I guess, but I still think that stripes you make yourself look way better.

End of rant-thing. I don’t even know if that qualifies as a rant. So. I’ll let you know when I finish the other sock.

———

No one has of yet correctly answered the prize-winning question I posed in my last post. That really doesn’t surprise me, because it is fairly tricky. But I wanted to see if anyone could get it, regardless. The prize is still up for grabs, and I’m going to put another clue in my next post, so stay tuned!

© mandywhite for This is Knit, 2006. | Permalink | 13 comments

Add to del.icio.us

Search blogs linking this post with Technorati

Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Circus Socks, Contest, Ford Socks, Yarn.