First stages of my first Scarf Style Scarf



That scant progress (5.75”) actually represents a good bit of time. I had some trouble getting a feel for the pattern in the beginning, as it is one large repeat of 59 stitches and 45 rows. Even after I blocked off five-stitch grids onto my chart, my eyes were still jumping around. I’ve done enough now, though, that I’m into the rhythm of the design and it is going much faster.

This scarf is called Interlocking Balloons and was designed by Shirley Paden. I think this must be one of Shirley’s favorite stitch patterns. She also used it for a lovely oversized coat in Interweave Knits Fall 2000 issue



And used a similar pattern for a really gorgeous pullover in Vogue Knitting Fall 2002



I personally do not think my scarf pattern looks very balloon-like. It reminds me of carnival glass. The shaded reds of my Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sport wool contribute to the image, which unfortunately you can’t see very well in my illustration. I scanned the scarf on the flatbed scanner to try and get the best pic I could, which is why my stitches are smooshy, but the coloration is just too subtle for my tools, I fear. Later, I might try a camera shot in natural light, but there is no natural light here.

In fact, it is a Truly Dark Autumn Day



Our willow looks even weepier than usual. It looks like it should be cold, but strangely, it’s not so much. I like this kind of weather myself, but I know I’m a minority.

I’m going to be off-line for a couple weeks, but I should have lots to report when we are up and running again. Now that November is looming, I’m setting everything aside but gift knitting until I have all the small stuff done. Lot of pics to come. See ya’.

Have acquired two Brand Spanking New Knitting Books in the past week: Scarf Style edited by Pam Allen and 25 Bags to Knit by Emma King.

I like scarves. I’m not sure I’m at the Scarf Maniac level like many people I have observed recently. And I don’t always enjoy making scarves, for some reason. Seems like I often lose interest halfway to the finish. This book is awesome, though. Lots of very interesting and challenging and beautiful things to make. I can’t wait to get started! The one criticism I have is one noted elsewhere by others: the illustrations are a disaster. They decided to go “arty” with the photography and actually published a knitting book where the knitted objects are so blurry the reader CAN NOT SEE THEM. Of course the models’ chins are all in perfect focus. I should add that they include as a little sidebar to each pattern a detail photo of the scarf but it is too small.

25 Bags to Knit is a book I wish I would have seen before I ordered it, because, even though I like it, I probably wouldn’t have bought it knowing what was inside. What’s inside? 25 bags, sort of. I would describe it more precisely as about 6 bags a few different ways. And a disproportionate number of them are made with 2 strands of Rowan Handknit DK together, which sounds like a real pain in my right elbow. Still, it is a worthwhile book -- the designs are pretty and I love the handle style of the cover model, which is the model that appears most often in the book. I saw a couple of things I would like to do in the near future.

Meanwhile, the baby blanket continues and I took a break to work on some Christmas knitting. Also this:



is going along slowly but surely.



The color of this Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Ultra 3-Ply fingering wool is “Sage.” I usually think of sage having a little bit of gray tone but this doesn’t. I think it is going to be a gorgeous Lisette (provided I do my part.)

I dug out the Geek Vest (aka North Island Vest.) I had done a little work on it right after I returned home from the yarn fair with the requisite Tiur I purchased there. It turns out I had finished the first piece ribbing and changed to the needles needed for the body, so I don’t have to rely on my memory to resume, thank goodness. (Relying on my memory is a chancy thing.)

Want to see some exciting ribbing?



I know, it’s a Thrill Ride here isn’t it?

The color palette as written for this vest was burgundy, two shades of blue, teal, light green and red on a background of moss green.



I wanted to use grey as my MC, so I bought navy, purple, pink, fuschia, emerald and sea green as my CCs. I came up with two alternate color charts.



You see the only difference is the pinks and greens are flip-flopped. Right now I like the version on the right better than the left, but that may change once I start seeing it in fuzzy Tiur instead of on flat paper. Before my three-day weekend is over I’d like to work through the first color band on this, plus have my baby blanket edge to the half point and wind up all the yarn for Lisette.

My friend Dixie has a Poncho Neurosis. Honestly. She, like I (me?), was a little kid in the 70s and she has very vivid memories of her mom dressing her up in ponchos All The Time. So she says now she sees them on people and thinks they look nice, but she can’t bear the thought of putting one on -- she thinks the flashbacks might drive her Insane.

Why were we discussing ponchos? Because, yesterday I wore this:



Made that last week. Started it Thursday, did a lot of it Friday night at my dad’s birthday party, and finished it Saturday during the Wild Wild West TV Marathon. It is a free pattern from the Lion Brand website using their Homespun yarn. I actually like the colorway they used in their sample better than the one I used but I didn’t want to buy yarn -- I had this stuff in my stash. And, really, it goes with a lot more of my clothes.

Hooray! The main body of the Baby Ull baby blanket is 10 rows shy of being done. Next comes the edging which I am really looking forward to. I have a three-day weekend coming up because of Columbus day and I hope to get a lot done. I’m ready to start Aberdeen and I am going to wind up the Sheldrige Farms Merino for Lisette in the next few days, too. I also need to figure out what needle I used to get gauge for the Geek Vest. Perhaps I should have written it down. Perhaps I did, and I may find it somewhere in all these notebooks lying all over the house. Wouldn’t that be nice?

A bit of autumn clean up around here. What does a one-armed Lacey Tee look like? A bit like this:



I just CANNOT get a decent pic of that sweater -- don’t know why. I put it away along with the dark green Linen Drape for the Ribbed Cardy that is Part 2 of the set. More precisely, I put them at the end of the line. It has gotten chilly here and it will be Downright Cold any minute: I want to work on woolly things. I am still trying to finish up the Lace Crochet Dress in anticipation of scheduled Hot Vacations this winter, but other than that I’m moving straight to warm-weather sweaters. And hats. And legwarmers.

(I wish I could get oriented to making hot weather clothes in winter and warm clothes in summer. I think it would be more efficient. I can’t, though -- I respond to the weather outside like a compass points North. When it is cold, I want to make woollies and, when it is warm, I want to make lacey, half-naked things.)

In other tidying up news -- this is how far I got with the Camelot Socks before I decided to rip them:



The sample in this pattern was made with Koigu. You may recall I was subbing with Nature Spun. Nature Spun has its good points, but Soft Lustrousness is not among them. I was already dissatisfied with these socks when I went to the Yarn Fair, and shopped for Koigu or Shelridge Farms to re-start them with, but I couldn’t find the right colors. It can wait.

Something else I am about to rip:



That’s the Clock Vest from Folk Vests. I don’t know exactly how long it has been lying around here in that almost-finished state, but I started it when Matt and Rob were still in Bloomington. That is where I bought both the book and the Cascade 220.

I’ve gone on and on about this project here on previous occasions, so, quick recap: I was infatuated with that lovely, cabled back. Now that it is over I have no interest in this object. I will NEVER wear it. I want that Cascade 220.

It WILL hurt to rip it. I’m planning to do it today, because I have a pile of hand washing scheduled for this afternoon and that with be a good time to wash the wool also. If I’m not too tired (read: bored) after that, a sudsy bath may be in store for 11 skeins of this:



I have 20 of this (discontinued) Rowan Recycled Chunky in Bottle Green. I picked these up half-price at Yarn Fair 2002, the first year it was in Chicago. I’ve been wondering what to do with it since then and now I have some Big Ideas. (Hint: Yorkshire Fable.)