Tricoquine in the land of the stinky cheese

Getting creative

It has been great fun to take in all of the feverish Christmas crafting in the blogosphere - knitting, quilting, sofies every piece more gorgeous than the next.

There is no Christmas crafting at our house, no Christmas at all for that matter, but that doesn't mean that the frigid temperatures don't awake our desire for knitted lovelies. My work schedule has slackened somewhat over the last few weeks and now that we are officially moved into our apartment, albeit still sans drawer pulls, I can devote more time to the gentle arts.

Last weekend I cast-off the Charlotte's Web shawl I sailed through at the beginning of Fall.

I am very pleased with the marriage of the different colors as I made a real effort to avoid the same color families but if you look closely, you'll see that from one skein to the next the second skein picks up on colors from the first and segways into the colors for the next.

I opted out of the cowboy fringe border and decided to play it simple. One of these days I'll get around to blocking it. Now that we no longer have carpeting, blocking something this big is quite a challenge since I'm not allowed to put pins in the mattress.  I have also been itching to get my hands on these blocking wires but in these dire times of mortgages and holiday presents, I can hardly justify their hefty price (and she doesn't seem to offer international shipping).

Fall

After two weeks in nearly 100°F weather on the West coast of the United States, the cool, crisp air that greeted me as I stepped past the heavy wooden doors from my office courtyard into the street this evening came as a surprise. By 8pm, the sun had already set and the city was enveloped in darkness. These are telltale signs that Fall is upon us which seems morbidly out of place given that we never had a real summer.

Thankfully I finished Nathalie's endpaper mitts just in time for the cool weather to begin.

Pattern: Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang

Yarn: Rowan 4ply soft in Espresso and Wink

Amount used: less than one skein of each

Needles: 2.5mm double points.  The pattern says to use smaller needles for the ribbing but I couldn't be bothered and I believe it turned out just fine.

Knitting these mitts was my first encounter with fair isle and two handed knitting. Intimidated at first, I quickly adapted to the rhythm of the pattern although my first attempts were exceedingly tight and I ripped several times.  The Italian tubular cast on the and the kitchener rib bind off were also fun techniques to learn. Click on the links to see some bloggers who put together some excellent tutorials.

Natty goes to the French Alps

Two weeks ago, Ribbit and I decided that we wanted to go skiing. We booked our skiing trip three days before we were set to leave. When I stopped by the travel agent to inquire as to which resorts had snow (it has been unseasonably warm in the Alps and many resorts have NO snow at all) and told her when we wished to leave, she laughed and said vous attendez toujours la dernière minute (you always wait until the last minute). This was the third time I had gone to see Lauriane the travel agent to book a trip mere days before my desired departure date. She thinks I am the crazy American. Perhaps I am, but at least we had lots of powdery snow in Les Arcs nestled at 2000m in the Savoie French Alps.

Also true to form, Ribbit decided at the last minute that he needed a snow bonnet* and that I had to knit it for him.  As many of you know, Ribbit has never received a hand-knit gift in the three years since I have learned to knit and continually reminds me of this fact whenever I pick up a project destined for someone else. You may recall the disaster that was the Noro Sweater -- he had 4 inch bat wings for shoulders. There was another incident with the Interlocking Balloons scarf whereby I did not purchase enough yarn the first time (after knitting nearly 12 inches, I realized this) and when I ordered more yarn, I received the wrong color, and when I re-ordered, the store was out of stock and I had to wait patiently for three weeks to receive the new shipment.

So, I seized this opportunity to shed myself of my bad-girlfriend-fiancée guilt and proposed to knit Ribbit a Natty cap with some Rowan Chunky Print I had purchased to make a striped crochet cap and then realized that I was really not going to teach myself how to crochet in the near future. One evening and one afternoon's work was all it took to complete the cap, including an RYC Cashsoft band on the inside to keep the itchies at bay (which lovingly required picking up LOADS of stitches).

Not one to be left out of the fun, I decided that I needed a ski cap as well. In the five or so hours it took us to get from Paris to this charming destination in Les Arcs 1950 the cap was ready to hip the slopes.

Our apartment, with view of the chairlift and Mont Blanc (to the right)

Ribbit and I had a fantastic time skiing the over 400 km of runs, eating fondue and raclette (traditional Savoyard dishes), and drinking vin chaud on a sunny terrace overlooking the mountains.

At the top of l'Aiguille Rouge, 3200m

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Pattern: Natty by KnitandTonic

Yarn:

Natty v1: Rowan Chunky Print in Rage 079 (3/4 of a ball) and Woolly 071 (accent white)

Natty v2: Rowan Chunky Print in Tart 074 and Manos del Uruguay Wildflowers (2 strands held together, used 1 skein)

Needles: US 9 double point for the ribbing, US 11 16 inch circular for the body, US 11 double point for the top

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Lexicon:

bonnet (m): cap/hat without a brim

Fad Classic and the Frog Prince

I knit this Fad Classic many many many months ago and have just gotten around to photographing it.  The lime colorway was inspired by my fabulous lime green peep toe leather and snakeskin pumps that I had purchased two summers ago but never worn because I just didn't have the right outfit.

The frog prince was a gag gift to my sister last New Year's, he sings "rain drops keep falling on my head..." when you press the red button on his forearm. Little sis' thought he'd be more at home in Paris than in Boston so we got to keep him.

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Pattern: Fad Classic from Knit and Tonic

Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic (6 skeins) in Lime green

Needles: 4.5mm and 3.5mm (for ribbing) addi circs

Modifications: I added 3 or 4 additional inches to the length before starting the shaping to make it a little longer

Clapotis

Sometime last year Red Bird Knits had a great sale and being unable to resist I decided to treat myself to some color explosion via HandMaiden.  The only problem was that I couldn't decide between all of the lovely colors available.  So what does one do when they are stuck in this dilemma -- if you're me, you buy two skeins of Ottawa, one for you and one for someone else (in this case, I had a specific person in mind but you won't find out until the end....)

On the bottom, Ottawa in Origin and on the top, Ottawa in English Garden

I started this Clapotis last February in the 2 1/2 hour car ride on the way to visit friends who live in a little village near Saumur or, as Ribbit puts it, in the bled* next to the bled. Case in point: this is a side view of their barn.

Yet, for some reason I wasn't getting the pattern so I abandoned it for other things and there it sat in the WIP basket. It was only when I saw that Chrismukkah was fast approaching that I decided to revisit the Clapotis and send a certain person a surprise gift in the mail. I worked furiously on the metro every morning and in the taxi on the way home from work and on the ten hour plane rides to and from Los Angeles for Thanksgiving. A three-day flu kept me home from work and enabled me to finish, block and fold the scarf during the second week in December. It shipped off to the United States on December 14, with me holding my breath that it would arrive quickly before I got the best of myself and spoiled the surprise. (a random shot of the color to build the suspense)

But a week later, it still hadn't arrived and I was getting eager so I rang the recipient and asked her if she'd like me to spill the beans. Since she is as good at being patient and not spoiling surprises as her older sister, little sister Stacy acquiesced. It matches her eyes perfectly, n'est ce pas?

Lexicon:

bled (m): village

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Pattern: Claptois by Kate Gilbert

Yarn: Handmaiden Ottawa, 92% wool/ 8% viscose.
600m; Gague 20/4"

Needles: 4.5mm (perfect gauge)

Little Arrowhead Shawl

As I said in my previous post, the last three projects I have completed have been for others in my life. My Aunt Sal is one of those people.  An avid knitter and active member of her community, she has recently taken on knitting chemo caps from her stash.  She taught me to knit, purl, cast on and off several years ago and is probably still in disbelief of the knitting monster/master stasher that she has created. In honor of her 75th birthday several weeks ago and as a big thank you for teaching me how to knit, I decided to make her something extra special to highlight what I have learned so far and in a fiber fit for a queen.

The result:  a shawl that is simple but elegant and in a modern design befitting a progressive 75-year old (she was the one who recommend "Clerks" as a must-see movie), knit with a rich jewel-toned burnt sienna pure silk.

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Pattern: Little Arrowhead Shawl from Sweet Somethings, Staff Projects, Interweave Knits Summer '06

Yarn: one skein (with 1 yard remaining) of Tilli Thomas pure and simple in burnt orange

Needles: 4.5 mm addi circs (really becoming the needle size of choice)

Notes: This yarn is heavenly -- rich jewel tones with a slight variegation that almost looks like a jeu de lumière (an effect of the light). The silk is smooth and easy to knit with, and really develops with a quick dunk in cold water. The only downside -- I was disappointed to find a knot in this $ 28 skein. Originally I was going to knit this in dusty pink but when I finally received it (after the first shipment got lost in the mail -- vive la France!) I decided that a deeper color was necessary and went through the whole hand-wringing process for a new package to arrive from the US.  It couldn't have turned out more perfectly, the present was ready just in time for her 75th birthday, and I got to celebrate with her in person.

Time for a hike

Brrr...the Irish Hiking Scarf braves the cold weather

Several months ago, my sister asked me if I would make a scarf for her boyfriend, Andy.  This request reminded me of the time when, in law school, I had asked one of my classmates, who had come into the lecture hall wearing a beautifully textured scarf made with thick wool and wispy mohair in saffrons and deep pinks, where she had purchased her scarf. It turned out that her mom was an expert knitter and had knit it for her. Naïvely, I asked her if her mom would be interested in making me one as well, of course I'd cover the cost of any materials.  I say naïvely because at the time I was not yet a knitter and could not yet appreciate all of the time and energy and thought that is required for making something.  

This memory along with my sister's request led me to think about why I knit -- I certainly enjoy the process of knitting, from the pattern selection/physical design stage (some take more pleasure in this than others) to selecting colors and textures, and of course the soothing rhythmic element of knitting and purling stitch after stitch.  But in the end, I really relish the finished product-- the "I made that myself" satisfaction of a completed project and perhaps most importantly, imparting my enthusiasm to the final recipient. I take great pleasure in seeing someone wearing one of my creations, so much in fact, that the last three projects I have finished have been for other people in my life. It seems around blog land that there are people who enjoy both equally, as attested by the number of those who knit special gifts for the holidays. Which type are you -- process or end result or perhaps both?

In any case, there were a great many e-mails exchanged on the subject before settling on the Irish Hiking Scarf and the particular yarn, rowanspun aran. In the end, Andy chose simplicity over complication (and my other projects thank him for that) selecting the Irish Hiking Scarf over the Here and There Cables and Forbes Forest from Scarf Style. From there I proposed several different yarns - Cascade 220 or Cashmerino Aran but he finally settled on the heathered, slightly rough Rowanspun.

My sister and Andy live in a very cold part of the United States where snow is packed on the streets until March, so I think it will come in handy this winter.

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Project: Irish Hiking Scarf from Helloyarn.com

Yarn: Rowanspun Aran in Caviar

Amount Used: 1 1/2 skeins (approximately 350 yards)

Needles: 4.5mm (US 8) straights

Comments: Metro knitting of choice for several weeks, this pattern was easy to memorize, simple to knit and produced a handsome result. I may have blocked this too vigorously as the cables seem a bit flat but I think it should spring back to life after one days' wear in the snow. More details here.