The Anti Blue

I'm short on pictures, but take my word for it, most projects I'm choosing these days seem to be red. I'm the un-project spectrum! Here's a favorite mostly red item, from last fall on the little creature that moves me to knit for her. We now have a little ritual for putting on the sweaters. She jumps up on the sofa, and grabs a squeak toy. I pull the toy out of her mouth, and she lunges at it. Getting a sweater on over a head with a toy in its mouth is not easy. I always end up laughing at these antics. I'm almost done with my sweater for the International Trade Agreement, and I understand my surprise is in the mail. I better get a move on!

Good Hair Days

Here's the Maureen Mason Jamison story from a Stitches Midwest a few years ago:

I took a class about adding details to your knitting to enhance your positive features. I was sitting next to Someone Annoying. A chair kicker. Who kept moving the chair between us so it would make contact with me. I moved the chair behind us, and after the break found that she had moved the chair back so she could kick it more. She was about my age, wore her hair long but not styled, and was wearing a black floral dress with black anklets. In August. So, Maureen Mason Jamison goes around the room, and tells each individual person what their best feature was. I found the person next to me to be so unappealing, I was wondering what the hell Maureen would say when she got to her. I don't remember what she said, because I was also mortified that she was going to say something about me. When she got to me, she said "you have really beautiful hair." It had just been cut and colored, so I thought, okay, I believe it. At that time I had a really great stylist. She would have dreams about what color she was going to do my hair, and how she was going to cut it. People I knew started going to her because of my hair. Sadly, I had to let her go this past summer because she stood me up for appointments two weeks in a row. I went to a shop in my neighborhood that could do my hair, and shape my eyebrows (some shops don't do both). My new stylist, Amy, really hit it with this last cut. It's layered so it just falls perfectly. I don't spend time blow drying my hair, so the shape has to be cut into it. The person who is ultimately responsible for my good hair is the Man. I used to wear it super short, and he convinced me to grow it out a little. The Man is opinionated when it comes to hair and clothing. I'll hear, "don't let anyone see you in that!" on occasion, and it usually involves a poncho. I don't think he's big on shawls either. I'm coming around to think that maybe he's right about the poncho thing.

I'm working on some homework for a crochet workshop I'm taking on Sunday. Four 6 X 6 swatches and a scarf, which I'm doing on my machine. I'm so glad I have that thing. At the workshop, I'm purchasing some Philosopher's wool from Ms. Sweetfigs for the Lucky Penny stash. The colors are in the swatch above. I'm thinking about letting some sock yarn and some yarn from the personal stash find new homes. I've got to get real about what I'm actually going to use.

I Hope It's Not True

I got a comment on the blog a few days ago, from another woman who knits for her dogs, and she said "there's not many of us out there!" I'm a little freaked out that I'm working on a book that no one will buy, and within weeks goes out of print. I had some plans for those royalty checks, let me tell you. First and foremost, a house of my own. A Wisconsin house, if I can talk the Man into it. I have this fantasy of extended weekends in my Wisconsin house, it can be the new Lucky Penny studio, and working the day job from a small city apartment. I've got a few ideas for Doggie Knits book two, or some patterns in pdf format. Is there really no customer?

Am I just a middle aged woman who loves her dog?

I'm Blaming the Pear Martini

I'm working on the dog sweater swap piece, and ready to change over to my larger size needles. I knit on the loose side, and use a lot of worsted weight yarns. The needle I use to achieve an 18/24 gauge is usually a US 6, and I prefer a circular, and usually Addi Turbos. I stopped using straight needles a few years ago, for comfort and portability. Working on multiple projects on size 6 needles, I find myself having to buy more. So, my needle collection has a disproportionate number of this size, but I still don't have enough. The choices are, to finish a project to free up a needle, or go to my convenience store to buy another. Usually the store wins.

A couple weeks ago, I was going to the 7-Eleven for a Big Girl Knits trunk show, and martinis were going to be served. The trunk show didn't make it to the event, but the libations did. I'm trying to make an effort to Respect the Stash. I'm trying to knit through it. I'm not going to be perfect, and I want to buy what I want at fiber shows, or if I see something for a specific project. But at the shop that evening, after the one modest pear martini that went straight to my head, I said, "show me what's new!" Always a dangerous proposition. It's Dream in Color Handpaints, from a local company. I cast on for something Ribby. The top part will be a lovely purple handpaint. This will be a great project to feature for the last part of the Project Spectrum line up, and with all the other things in the works, I might not get to finishing this until the end of summer. I normally am not a fan of the superwash wool, but this stuff is different. It feels like it's going to hold up with wear and washings. This yarn looks like it would pass the dog sweater test, but I'm making an effort not to add to the Lucky Penny stash. I need to be creative with what I have. And, whatever they use to wash this Dream in Color stuff smells heavenly.

We're back tonight from a day trip to Wisconsin. So, the Man got away with not clearing the pile of newspaper next to the bed that's now taller than the bed. Of course we had to stop at the Welcome Center after we crossed the state line so he could pick up another 10 pounds of travel brochures. This will be repeated multiple times this year, I would imagine. He's darling, but I have a real nut on my hands.

Luv at Lucky Penny's

Valentine's day at the Lucky Penny household. The Man gets cake, and valentines from me and Piccolo. My card is always of the R rated variety, and the sweet one is always from the dog. Except when Penny was here. She didn't really like the Man, so I would always alter the card to reflect it, or just write "I don't like you much" in the card on her behalf. It always got a chuckle from the Man. Tonight we scrapped plans to go out to dinner, too cold, and I had a good parking spot on the street that I didn't want to give up. We ordered in Chinese food, ate cake, and the Man was asleep at 9 pm. I always tell him he sleeps as much as an infant. Really. He logs in about 10-11 hours. I watched my new reality television guilty pleasure, The Girls Next Door. It's about the three playmates who live in the Playboy Mansion. It's really amusing. One of tonight's episode featured a Pekingese who got a birthday party, and was dressed up as the Easter Bunny for the Mansion's Easter party, so it was right up my alley. And, I finished a pair of socks. Socks That Rock heavyweight, color Fred Flinstone. The pattern used was Step Ladder by Pamela Pascal Rush, Three Trails Handknit Designs. I modified the pattern to leave the foot plain, so it would be more comfortable in my shoes. I've known for some time that there are Others out there who have the same desire to dress dogs in knitted items. One lives in Norway, and has a retail website and a blog. Bente reads my blog, and I look at hers. Not knowing the language, I just look at the photos! She made and interesting proposal today. An international dog sweater swap! She's doing a sweater with a traditional Norwegian motif, which I love. I'm doing a sweater for her miniature pinscher, Geisha. I want to use yarns that are locally based, and things that she probably would have a hard time finding in Norway. I'm thinking yarns like Lorna's Laces, Blackberry Ridge, Cape Cod Fibers. I'm going stash diving to come up with a surprise! This is my first swap ever, and I find the idea just delightful.

A Blue Confession

After every thing I've knit, I have to confess, that this is my favorite sweater. Knit flat, with a modified drop shoulder. It's over sized, but just perfectly so. The yarn in some vintage Annabel Fox Aran that I found on ebay. The color is a lovely blue/gray. The pattern was interpreted from one in Fall 2000 Knitters, modified to use one of my favorite stitch patterns, k1 tbl, p1, across on RS, p across WS. I think I knit this sweater six years ago. It's got some wear, but just a lovely, cozy patina. This photo looks like my body is still in it, I think. I retired it for a while, because I was never satisfied with how I knit the neckband. Rooting thorough the Lucky Penny stash (I have three stashes--one L.P., one personal, one sock), I found some left over yarn, and a few weeks ago, knit a new neck band. I had also stretched out the sleeves, so I shortened them a bit. Since it's gotten bitterly cold here the sweater has gotten a lot of wear. It's not too bulky to get under my wool coat, fortunately. I've even worn it to bed a few times. The Man is now eyeing it for his own use. Not a chance!

We're snowed in here at the Lucky Penny household. I was not going to drive 20+ miles to work one way with blowing, drifting snow all day. The Man went out for a few hours, then gave up, and now is back here. I'm working on a new dog sweater design, and, believe it or not, something for people!

The Forgotten Sweater

A few nights ago, coming home from work, the Man wanted me to drive him to some of his job sites. With the temperature down into negative double digits, I was fine with leaving Piccolo at home for this trip. The Man said he would be waiting at the door with her. "Not without a sweater!" I said. So, out of the sweater pile he pulled the Unfinished Object, and was waiting for me with Piccolo wearing the sweater with all the ends to be woven in hanging out. When I asked him why he chose that one, he said it was because it looked like the easiest to get on. I suppose it was because the neck was loose and floppy. I was experimenting, maybe four years ago with this sweater. I used Cherry Tree Hill wool/mohair worsted weight, color Cabin Fever for the body, knit in a shaker rib. The bands are Cascade 220, color not remembered, and the bands are Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. The fur collar is wool, and while I like the look and texture, I was not satisfied with how it made the neck loose. So, the sweater was cast aside until a few nights ago when I thought about fashioning some sort of cowl/dickey for it. I would use the purl bumps on the inside where the neck band and body meet to pick up stitches. When I couldn't find the Cascade 220 in my stash to match, I got the idea to use the cashmere and polwarth blend left over from another project. I used a k1 p1 rib, on size 5 needles, and worked about four inches. We don't have a lifestyle where an all cashmere sweater would be a good idea. Piccolo walks on a city street more often than she's carried in a bag, so I need a sweater that can take a beating. I do like the idea of a little soft cashmere around her neck. I have plenty of cashmere/polwarth left, so I'll do this again.

So, What are You Looking At?

That's right. It's a Saturday night, and I'm writing a post. I sort of don't understand why bloggers take weekends off. Are their lives way more exciting than mine? Well, perhaps they are. It's easier to post on a weekend, I've found. If we're not on the road in Wisconsin, we're at home on a Saturday night, usually. This afternoon, the Man, out and about, called to tell me he was coming home early because "there's no one to play with!" To which I replied, "I'm all you have left."

I'm working on lots of things, mostly personal at the moment, and cast on for another Tuscany Tank. After the Man and I emptied a Gladware container of Christmas treats, I thought it would make an excellent container to keep the yarn, which is worked all four colors essentially at one time, from getting into a tangled mess. I cut four holes into the lid, and it's secured with rubber bands.

I Gots Me Some Happy Happy Feets

It took me years, years, I tell you, to finish this pair of socks. I started a pair probably about four years ago, in a cabled pattern from Mountain Colors that ended up being a little too loose on my foot. I like a snug fitting sock. So, I started another sock in a different design, Fancy Ribbed Dogs by Pamela Pascal Rush for Three Trails Handknit Designs. These patterns are almost always a winner with me. I think they're successful for me because I wear the exact shoe size that the sock pattern says will fit. Also, most use my favorite sock yarn, the Mountain Colors Weavers Wool Quarters. For some reason, when knitting the first sock, the stitch pattern just didn't grab me. I liked the way it looked, but didn't like the actual knitting of it. One row uses a lot of cast ons to create the texture. After I created the first sock, I needed to take apart the original sock, and knit the mate in the new pattern. It took years to get motivated. So many passed, it was kind of painless to knit the mate, rather than start a new pair with a completely different yarn. I did the cast ons this time using the cabled method, which worked much better than the backwards loop method I used for the original pair. You see, so much time passed between making each sock, that my technique improved along the way. I used my favorite sock cast on for the mate, having learned only in the past year. So, the difference in the cast on may only be discernible to me. The yarn color is called Golden Willow, purchased at Arcadia Knitting when they were at their old address on Balmoral.

For all of you who shy away from the handwashing, let me just add that there are delightful products out there for washing your knits by hand. Between Soak and Eucalan, it's like a little aromatherapy in your sink. My older, only hand washed Mountain Colors socks have the most lovely patina. My feet are happy in their socks. Not so happy naked. One day, I really need to muster up enough courage to submit to a pedicure. The problem is, my feet are so ticklish, I can't stand to have them touched!

Project Spectrum Inspiration

Blue, white and gray. Shown on two little muses. My first dog, Yoda, who lived with me from 1991-1995. Black and white photography by my friend David Christensen. She was an old, tiny little six pound creature that I could carry in one hand. She would sleep in a little ball curled next to by head. I would love to put her in my face and just breathe her in. Yoda was the first dog I knit a sweater for, and pretty much started the whole dog in knitted garment obsession I have. Then, there's the Piccolo girl you're all familiar with. This sweater is Noro #149, I think, with Peace Fleece bands. This photo is from last year, during the weeks that I attempted to bring Agnes into our home. What gets to me about the Pekingese breed is how expressive their faces are. Doesn't Piccolo just look miserable? Lately her little game is to start wrestling with a squeak toy when I attempt to get a sweater on her. It's hilarious to try to get the neck over her head when she's shaking a toy in her mouth. Piccolo's snoot smells like Chinese food, and her feet smell like popcorn. I guess I've been breathing her in, too.

My Logistics Nightmare

I was housebound today, glad to stay home with wind chills in the negative double digits. I scrapped the idea of going to Wisconsin for my schematic retreat, which now has turned out for the best, as all the stuff I would have accomplished up there would have been rejected. I'm working now on second and third submissions of these things. It got me thinking about how I approach a design, and things that I should change to make the process a little more seamless. I never sketch out a design. I look through my yarn, a feeling comes over me, and stitches end up on my needles. I sometimes use something I've knit before as a reference for size. Getting the proportions right is not difficult for me, as there's a fit model on the premises, and I know her little bod so well. Since I am the only knitter in the Lucky Penny studio, up until now there was no need to communicate techniques. As a result of this back and forth submission process, there's now a pad of graph paper in the studio, and drawings will be made while I write the pattern text for future projects. It's a learning process, people, and I'm learning it ass backwards. The good news is that the book has an assigned production editor, so it's that much closer to becoming a reality.

Hello Project Spectrum

A mostly blue vest added to the Lucky Penny closet. What a surprise, right? Blue is my favorite color for clothes, for the simple reason that the color just looks the best on me. Pretty much every time. Blue always wins. I think if my hair would go completely gray (which, given my genetics, does not appear likely), I would put a blue rinse in it. I'm not kidding, either. With an all blue wardrobe, wouldn't it be smashing? I like using the Project Spectrum colors as a method for prioritizing projects knit from my massive stash. Finding a blue project to work on is generally not a challenge. But, there's some grey Touch Me that's been waiting to become a sweater forever! The next two months may be the time to tackle that.

I had considered a solitary trip up the Wisconsin on Monday to finish the schematics for the book. I wanted a place with fewer distractions so I could finally get this project off, and move on to other things. But with wind chills in the negative, the thought of driving up becomes less appealing. So, tomorrow I'll clear some space off the kitchen table (pathetic!) so work can take place.

Despite the bitter cold, I ventured out today for coffee with a friend. Coffee, pastry, good conversation. With my world all wrapped up in Piccolo and the Man, excursions with girl friends doesn't happen often. I'll do that again!