katie knits etc

the color is glacier. this might be my favorite scarf, ever.

love love love my central park hoodie. it's noro cash iroha in raspberry.

here is my finished orangina, from glampyre.com. i like this top a lot, but lately it seems to be getting bigger and bigger... how can i keep it from stretching out so much, i wonder? it's rowan 4ply cotton. can you just toss it in the dryer?

here it is - my finished sahara! the yarn is the recommended tilli tomas, pure and simple and disco lights, both in jade. LOVE this pattern!

I survived my first year of teaching! And now I am enjoying a nice long break, frozen margaritas, summer sun, and the best part of summer... LOTS of knitting time! I have THREE finished sweaters to show off. First up is Orangina, and I think this may be my most wearable knit yet. I love the color and it fits really well.

I also finally figured out what that gorgeous raspberry Cash Iroha was meant to be - the Central Park Hoodie from the fall '06 Knitscene! I kept trying to make it be an Hourglass Sweater, but it just wasn't in the cards. I learned a lot knitting this sweater (cables, seaming, buttonholes and buttons, picking up stitches), and I'm really proud of it. It's not perfect, but I love it - and it's SUPER warm and cozy. To the left is a photo of me wearing it at Christmas.


In other news, I finished up the Textures2 scarf and also made a baby blanket for my friend Elizabeth using Mission Falls 1824 wool. I really enjoyed the yarn and would definitely use it again - there were so many beautiful colors to choose from! I ended up going with stripes - mostly blues and greens and a little orange thrown in for fun. I also made a skinny scarf with a skein of Ozark Handspun. I love love love this yarn. It comes in beautiful, rich, fun colorways and it's spun and hand-dyed right here in the Ozarks!

As always, I have a few projects waiting to be cast on...

Rusted Root with Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Cherry Moon (ebay find!) Aren't these Zephyr patterns great? I've also been eyeing their Tree Jacket for fall - anyone planning on knitting this? If so, what yarn are you planning on using?


Rusted Root









Lotus Smock Cami with SWTC Bamboo... this is done with hairpin lace crochet, which is SO cool. I bought a walnut lace loom from Ed Jenkins of Jenkins Woodworking as recommended by Stitch Diva and I've played around with it a little bit, but I still don't quite have the hang of it. I've been trying to catch the Knitty Gritty episode about it but haven't had any luck. Any advice is appreciated.



And, yet ANOTHER crochet project, this one from Stitch 'n Bitch: The Happy Hooker. It's called Short 'n Sweet, which is a good sign for a first REAL crochet project. I haven't really crocheted much yet, but I practiced today with some single and double crochet and played around with the pattern and I feel fairly comfortable with it. I'm planning on using Rowan Calmer in this purple color.

And to finish, I have some new Koigu in a really nice colorway - three skeins of it. I'm thinking one of four options: (1) buy another ball and make another Clapotis - perhaps for a gift? (2) another Chevron scarf, slightly shorter than the one I made for my mom (3) socks, like maybe Jaywalkers? I think they're cool, and I'd probably enjoy knitting them, but to be honest I'm just not all that bothered about having a pair of hand knitted socks since I pretty much only wear super short athletic socks when working out. (4) a multidirectional scarf (yeah, that one pictured down there didn't make it... it turns out I'm not a big fan of having mohair wrapped around my neck)

On a final note, if anyone has any great ideas about what I should do with 220 yards of lambsilk and 100 yards of mohair (in complimentary colors), I'd love to hear them! A word of advice to new knitters: don't just buy one ball of completely random yarn just because it's pretty... get enough to actually make a whole project, even if it's just something small :) Happy knitting and look for more FO pictures coming soon!

foccaccia!

I am so loving my new graduation present! It's a KitchenAid mixer, in this great matte black color. When I was in Nashville this summer Kathy taught me how to make foccaccia, so I tried my first batch the other day - the one on the right is just topped with rosemary and salt and the one on the left has sun-dried tomatoes and caramelized onions. So good! We're having some friends over tomorrow and Matt's making pizza, so it looks like it's going to get a lot of use. Thanks Dad and Mary Jo!

here is the front of orangina. I'm using rowan 4-ply cotton in aegean, which is a really nice turquoise, my favorite. i had to go up two needle sizes to get gauge, but it's looking really nice so far. i've just started on the ribbing, so it ought to be finished soon.

this is the beginning of my ab fab throw. i just started it and it's a fun easy knit. the yarns are really nice to knit with too, they all have different textures and the colors are really pretty, much more vibrant in person than in this photo.

my newest project, on the needles: fleece artist handmaiden textures2 scarf in glacier on size 15 river john swing needles

grandma's christmas scarf: airy scarf pattern from last minute knitted gifts, rowan kidsilk haze in liqueur (about half a ball), size 10 needles

garter stitch scarf from colinette point 5 in cardinal, size 15 needles

clapotis sunning herself on our porch

clapotis specs: classic elite bam boo yarn in bali tide, 10 balls, lantern moon size 8 ebony needles

close up

... but at least I have a few projects to show for it this time. I finally got around to making a Clapotis, which I love. I made it with turquoise bamboo yarn, so it's really soft. It's probably my favorite thing I've ever knit, because I actually wear it a lot. I made an Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my grandma for Christmas - that was the only handmade gift I gave this year, since I've been so busy with school and everything. I made a scarf and matching hat from some Colinette Point 5 yarn, but I decided I don't like the hat at all, so it's in my do-over pile. I'm hoping I'll have enough yarn left over to make some mittens or handwarmers to match. Right now I'm working on a scarf from a Fleece Artist kit called Textures2. The color is Glacier, and it is gorgeous. It's really fun to knit too. The pattern calls for swing needles, which I'd never used before, but it turns out it's really easy. Mine are River John birch needles, and they're awesome - they have a little movable stopper that you can switch from one end to the other, so you can knit without turning the work. Next I'm (finally!) going to start my Ab Fab throw - I think I'm going to need some extra stress relief for this last semester of school. I have some other projects that I'd like to start, but they're going to have to wait.

Knitting Goals for 2006:
finish Textures2 scarf
re-knit point 5 hat (eh?) and make mittens/handwarmers
hourglass sweater from LMKG
ab fab throw (see 1.2.2005 post)
butterfly from rowan 37
trek from rowan 37
echo from rowan 38
honeymoon cami
something for my new baby cousin (blanket?)
maybe try to make socks?

Now I know I won't get to all of these, but maybe this will encourage me. I have been going to the knitting club meetings at the school where I'm an intern, so that has helped me to get going again.

In other news, I'm starting to apply for jobs next year, which is really scary, so everyone keep your fingers crossed that I'll end up where I'm supposed to be. Only 111 days till graduation!

mom's scarf finished (finally!)

van gogh stitch markers

more paris stitch markers

paris stitch markers

unbiased - isn't this a great bag? i love all the colors

So, it's been about six months since I updated this. You'd think I'd have a lot of projects to show off, but I don't. :) I finally finished the chevron scarf for my mom and added a little crochet flower. I made Unbiased from Knitty and really liked working with the recycled silk. I think next time I'll make it a bit deeper. And my latest project is stitch markers. I used the directions from this website: http://knitpowerstopeace.blogspot.com/2005/01/photo-stitch-marker-tutorial.html
and made a set of black and white Paris print ones and a set of Van Gogh ones with little beads. I think they're super cute for my first try. Pictures to follow. I only have the finishing left on my Hourglass Sweater but I'm putting it off till it cools off enough to think about wearing it. I'll post when I finish it up. Next up is Clapotis from Knitty with some turquoise bamboo yarn - it's really soft and pretty - and starting on my AbFab throw. Those plus grad school will definitely be enough to keep me busy for a while!

I have so much going on right now! School started back on Tuesday. I'm excited that it's my last semester of undergrad, but a it's a little weird. I still don't feel old enough to be graduating from college. I've been knitting a lot lately, but not really getting anything done. I've been working on my mom's Chevron Scarf a lot - it's about halfway done now. I've also started the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in a berry color Noro Cash Iroha. It's my first sweater, so I'm a little nervous. I hope that (a) it will fit, and (b) I won't run out of yarn, because I only got nine skeins, then found out that lots of people making it had been running short. Wish me luck!

I was going to make the cozy in the first Stitch 'n Bitch book, but I realized it had seaming, which I hate. I started making up a pattern as I went, and it turned out really well. I like that it is (almost) seamless - it just uses Kitchener to close the bottom, so it looks like it is all one piece.

Yarn: Rowan Calmer (feel free to substitute, I just had some of this left over) - 75% cotton, 25% microfiber - I only used about half a ball, if that.
Needles: size US 8 double pointed needles
Notions: small square of Velcro, small amount of matching thread, needle
Gauge: 6 sts and 8 rows = 1 inch
Note: If you would rather use a button closure, you can adapt the pattern to do so - remember that you are beginning with the flap, so the buttonhole will be made right at the beginning part.

Cast on 20 stitches. Work in St st throughout.
Knit flat on two needles for 19 rows.
Row 20: P 9, BO 2, P 9. <---- This makes a hole for the headphones.
Row 21: K 9, CO 2, K 9.
Work 3 more rows in St st.
CO 20 sts, divide among dpns, and join for working in the round. Place marker if you want at the beginning of the 20 cast on sts to mark the front from the back. You can use this later to make sure the stitches are divided properly to seam.
Work 34 rows in St st.
Divide sts onto 2 needles, one for the front and one for the back. There should be 20 sts on each needle at this point. Use kitchener stitch to seam.
Finishing: Weave in any ends. Sew velcro to flap and case.

my new iPod case - i'll post the pattern for anyone who wants it.