The year is nearly over, and I am ready to "start fresh". My knitting this year was rather spotty, but I am ending on a high note. A finished object that is a 100%, unconditional winner has been a long time coming, but allow me to present...

#28 Ribbed Pullover by Heather Carlson from Vogue Knitting, Holiday 2008

I cast on December 10th, and I finished all of the knitting by December 23rd. After a week of procrastination, I spent an hour at Yarn Central yesterday grafting the underarms.

Mardel gifted me 8 balls of Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK for the project as a means of knitting inspiration. The pullover used 5 balls.

As for needles, the body, arms and most of the ribbing was knitted using my US #6 Denise Needles. I used my US #5 and #4 Knitpicks Options for several round of the yoke ribbing.

Speaking of the yoke, I added "length" to the ribbing, as I knew that covering my bra straps would make this far more wearable. The only other modification was to my gauge. My gauge was 19 (vs. 20) stitches to 4", so I knit the 34" size.

This was my second time grafting stitches, and I gained good deal of confidence in my ability. Interestingly, this was the first garment I knit in the round where I had to join the sleeves to the body and complete the yoke. I do like the ease of knitting in this manner, I prefer the look of either a set-in sleeve or a raglan sleeve.

I am very pleased with the garment, and I offer a toast to a 2009 filled with knitting success stories for everyone! Happy New Year!

Today I should be posting a photo of my completed #28 Ribbed Pullover, but I did not finish the underarms yesterday. I certainly had the time -- six hours in the ER while Joe rehydrated and recouperated from a particularly violent stomach virus -- but I did not bring the project with me.

If Christmas Day at the ER sounds dire, please think about the woman in the room next to Joe's. Her 22-day old baby had been vomiting for nearly every day of it's life. As if the sound of a wailing baby under such conditions was not enough to break my heart, the sound of a nurse running and screaming down the corridor, "The baby is coding!" finished the job. The mother's hysterical cries sucked my heart into my stomach.

I ran to the bathroom. I felt dizzy. I felt sick. I felt the heart and soul of that poor mother slowly dying with her baby, and I did something I have not done in years -- I prayed. I prayed for a Christmas miracle.

To Joe and his family, this is simply the night before Christmas. To me, this is the night for a loud family gathering, anchovy spaghetti, and smelts. I used to balk at the traditions, but I miss them. Too lazy to cook an elaborate Italian-American Christmas Eve dinner, I am the least stressed woman in the corridors at work.

Speaking of work, yesterday was my last day at the office until January 5, 2009. With so much time off and no holiday obligations smothering me, I had the day free to do some knitting. The #28 Ribbed Pullover is nearly finished. All that remains are a few loose ends to weave in and grafting the underarms.

Conceivably, I could finish in time to wear this for Christmas dinner -- if only I had a loud family function to attend!

Celeste, Anneliese, Mardel, Sharyn, me, Theresa, Betsy
Note the lack of needles and yarn.

Nothing says Happy Holidays like nacho chips, tequila, and handknits -- at least to the Thursday night Yarn Central knitting group.

If you are a knit blogger, you may remember the online friction erupting as a result of one blogger relating her experience in a yarn store and another blogger calling her out for being rude. There is a fine line between the right to free speech and speaking without thinking.

When I posted my original photo of Beryl on Ravelry, I did not think about the consequences. My beef was with how my body carried the garment, band I was trying to be funny. However, that photo would have hurt my feelings if I were Bonne Marie. I apologized privately for my thoughtlessness, but I wanted to do so publicly.

Most commenters thought Beryl looked fine on me, and a few offers some suggestions about top and skirt options, as well as the sound advice of a more uplifting bra.

Sure enough, when paired with a higher-waisted skirt, I feel Beryl is more of a winner. I still may rework the button placket -- it should be longer for my torso -- but I do feel more confident wearing Beryl now than I did the first time.

Sit down!
Stop drinking!
Swallow whatever you are chewing!
Mark your calendar!
Stop the presses!
Alert the media!

I have cast on for a sweater!


This is the visually uninteresting start of the #28 Ribbed Pullover from the Holiday 2008 edition of Vogue Knitting. I am using the Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK yarn gifted to me by Mardel, and it is a pleasure to knit with.

As my 4" gauge is 19 stitches, rather than 20 stitches, I am following the pattern instructions for the 34" sizing. I probably should have used an alternate cable cast on instead of a knitted cast on, but I am not ripping back to change that.

After such a long knitting slump, I feel positive about this project. So positive that I had to fight the somewhat weather-induced urge to stay home and spend the day knitting. A good sign!

During my knitting funk, I systematically sold, donated, and purged much of my stash. Slowly, I am shedding my hoarding instincts, not to mention material goods. By no means am I living a Spartan lifestyle; I still own plenty of junk -- necessary and otherwise.

While it seems counter-intuitive to collect to purge and then collect again, it is difficult to resist a bargain I do know that the most expensive item one owns is the unused/forgotten bargain, but these will not go unused.

Last month, Mardel gifted me with 8 skeins of Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK in a perfectly muted and nearly-fetid mustard. It is slated for the #28 Ribbed Pullover from the Holiday 2008 issue of Vogue Knitting (Ravelry link).

While a trip to a Pittsburgh yarn store might have yielded another project, I opted for a day of purging many of my belongings from my parents' attic in favor of acquiring more stuff. Yes, even yarn can be stuff.

However, I am not made of stone. during a quick trip to Pat Catan's Craft Center with my mother, I spotted 8 skeins of the 100% Australian wool DK-weight yarn that I had noticed in May when it was $1.00 per ball. Sometimes, patience does save, as I scored the Palette Yarn for half that price. What sweet pleasure is 792 yards of yarn for $4.00?

Very sweet indeed!

A much as I loathe the snow, I loathe bitter cold without snow even more. The weather this time of year is a big tease. The sun is out, but the temperature is low, and the wind is so shockingly brutal that one suffers a brain freeze from mouth breathing.

It has been a bitter Autumn that I sort of lost track of time in Pittsburgh, and I labored under the delusion that Spring was on the horizon. Ha!

At least I have my Dolores Park Cowl -- knit November 28, 2008 - November 29, 2008 while watching a marathon of the third season of Dexter -- to see me through harsh elements.

The cowl used nearly one full hank of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande #1709, and was knit using a #10.5 US Denise circular needle.

What to knit next? There are few patterns in Boutique Knits that are in the queue, but I am toying with the idea of -- gasp! -- a sweater.

Pittsburgh Projects I

Given that my knitting funk was longer and more depressing than the Hollywood writers' strike, giving precious suitcase space to yarn and needles seemed silly. I did pack a nearly-finished hat, as well as one hank of yarn for a cowl. Paper takes up far less space than yarn and/or a finished project, so I did pack a few patterns. However, I never visited a yarn store, and those languished in my suitcase.

I did visit a local craft store, but that is for another post. This post is dedicated to the celebration of a finished project that I have worn several times since completion: The Sideways Grande Cloche by Laura Irwin (Boutique Knits)

Additional Info:
November 8, 2008 - November 30, 2008. Laziness turned a two-day project into a three-week project.

I used roughly 1.5 hanks of Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande #1709, and I had to drop down to US #7, US #6, US #5, and US #4 Denise circular needles to get gauge!

I modified the pattern only slightly but casting on six less stitches for a less “deep” hat.

I am very pleased with everything -- except for the Carol Bradyesque hair poking out from the hat that is.