January 2009 Archives

I often knit on the subway train, on the platform while waiting for said train, and occasionally while walking to/from the train.  The blanket coat has taken this to an entirely new plane.  I cabled on the train today, which I thought was rather daring, but the madness continued.  I cabled on the platform.  I cabled on the escalator.  I cabled while walking across Grand Central station.  I diverted every second of my commute to this project and I just had to finish the cable row.  Surely I could have finished it up quickly behind my closed office door, but immediate gratification is more my style. 

I'm about 12 inches along and already fear that the project is becoming too cumbersome for my commute.  While I have clearly tackled any qualms about cabling-in-motion, the weight of the project, the restricted movement while bundled for sub-zero temperatures, and my frequent travel on the dreaded F train have led me to believe that this project is about to be relegated to home-only work.  It's a shame, because it's going to to take a decade to complete. 

                                                                                                                               Meanwhile, back on the ranch... I'm cooking up my very own cowl pattern.  I'm inspired by an impulse buy -  beautiful Manos de Uruguay in browns and purples, chosen specifically to match my snowboarding gear.  I wanted a cowl that could withstand the cold and snow spray, be sufficiently tight not to fall down, semi-adjustable and, of course, totally rad. 

 

Yes, I've started the Cabled Blanket Coat.  Never have I bought so much yarn for a single project.  Fortunately, eBay was a gold mine for discounts on Scottish Tweed, so I was able to find the color that I wanted.  I was debating about going with the deep red or a dark blue.  I went with the red and now kind of wish that I had chosen the latter.  It's really a beautiful color, however, and the yarn is springy and light.  The Scottish Tweed is a little rough, but I'm hooked on tweed and I don't care! 

Pattern: Cabled Blanket Coat
Source: Scottish Inspirations (Rowan) by Sarah Dallas
Yarn: Rowan Scottish Tweed DK in Lobster
Needles: US6 and US4 circulars 

Two sleeves are done and I've cast on the main piece and finished the ribbing. Updated pictures to follow once I get into the cabling.  I can't wait to wrap myself up in this garment!

19 balls of yarn!

 

Edge of the sleeve

As you can see, I've discovered the joys of the little stitch markers that close like safety pins.  I often switch between multiple projects and it's hard to remember where I left off.  So, I've started to use these markers to note key sections or changes.  Here, I've used them at each increase so I only need to count the markers to know where I am in the pattern.  It's also great for keeping track of changes or mistakes to ensure that both sleeves are identical. 

My hitherto resistance to the call of the blogosphere leaves me amazed that I'm about to contribute to it.  Previously, I was of the "who cares" opinion - I mean, why would anyone want to read the random ramblings of someone they don't know?  But then I stumbled upon Eunny Jang's blog, See Eunny Knit.  It was my gateway blog.  Such well-written musings, clear and instructive posts and simply amazing knitting couldn't be bad, right?  Right... the topical blog, interesting to those fans of a specific topic.  It's all so clear now.  And so my turn to the dark side was complete.  Soon I realized that knitting blogs could provide useful information about a pattern I was knitting or considering.  Knitters posted pictures, rants about crappy patterns (helpful to read before starting said crap) or just plain presented what they were working on.  I felt inspired.  And I felt obliged to do my part.  This community and amazing online resource only continue to grow if we feed it.  So here's some cake.  Or pie - it's better for you.
 
This blog will mostly cover my current knitting endeavors and their associated obsessions, fits of anger and/or swells of gratification.  I imagine that knitting-related musings that aren't really appropriate for my Examiner.com page will also land here.  I'll try to take quality pictures with my dinky camera and see how that goes.  And, eventually, I may post patterns and links to other fabulous blogs.  For now, baby steps.