Jess In Ohio

Cat Lady

jesshagman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:06:12 +0000

Not much to say, except that this post makes me feel a little like a crazy cat lady. Good thing they’re not just my cats. They were super cute this weekend, especially on Sunday when they spent most of the day sleeping.

The doctor will see you now

How cute is this?

What do you want?

Tuckered out

"Why wont you just let me have the cord on that camera?"

Snoozing

Fifth nap of the day?

Again, too cute.

"We're sleeping here"

Knit Picks

jesshagman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:41:57 +0000

Last weekend, I made my first order to Knit Picks and my order was delivered on Thursday. I ordered several balls of the Palette yarn to use for Heather’s Mittens (Ravelry) by Spillyjane. I’ve wanted to knit these since I first saw the pattern last winter, but I lacked the knitting talent and proper yarn until recently. One of my co-workers asked if I’d make her green mittens and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

My first Knit Picks order

Naturally, I had to start the mittens right away. I was a little worried that there wouldn’t be enough contrast between the two green colors, but the Edamame and Rainforest Heather colorways actually work really well together. I was a little surprised to see how much red/blue tint there is in the Rainforest Heather. It looks really neat though.

Closeup to show the colors in the Rainforest Heather colorway

It’s a little slow going to knit mittens with fingering weight yarn and size 0 needles, but they’re turning out really great so far. I can’t wait to see what they look like finished. I’ve struggled a bit with the double stranded color work, especially since there are sometimes ten stitches between colors. This is especially awkward when the color changes from one side of the mitten to the other. I think I’ve read there’s some sort of twist you can do to hold these strands down, but I don’t know how to do that. Any suggestions?

Progress about twenty rows into the color work

Almost FO: Pretty Thing Cowl

jesshagman — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:40:39 +0000

This pattern (Ravelry) definitely lives up to its name. It’s certainly a very pretty thing. The pattern is gorgeous, but was actually a pretty easy knit. Unfortunately, it seems that this yarn (Ravelry) + this pattern is not a great combination. I’ve tried on the cowl and it just seems to flop over, completely. I’m not sure if it’s the yarn, or it just the size of my neck. Here’s a picture of the cowl pre-blocking.

It certainly looks pretty

I’ve got it soaking right now and am hoping that will block out to stand up a little stronger, but that may be putting too much faith in the power of blocking. Even more disappointing, the yarn, which feels great in the hands, actually feels a little scratchy on my neck. Weird. I’m hoping that someone else will want this since I don’t see myself wearing it much, and it’s just too pretty to frog. I’ve still got about a skein and a half of the Buckingham yarn left. I’m thinking of making some delicate hand warmer/mitts with the rest.

As a bonus, I’ve got another FO today. I actually made this over two days back in October and didn’t even think to blog about it because it was such a quick project. It’s the Calorimetry (Ravelry) pattern from Knitty, which is a sort of half hat/headband to wear on those days when you wear your hair up in a ponytail. This one turned out great and I’ve been wearing it ever since.

It's been a bit warm to need this lately

The yarn is Plymouth Galway Worsted in a gray color that has some amazing color when you look at it up closely. I bought this a while ago at Spinning Turtle, and don’t have the band anymore, but I think it may be one of their Highland Heathers (Ravelry). I’d like to make a sweater out of this stuff.

Look at those colors!

WIP Inventory

jesshagman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:46:36 +0000

Knitters, do you ever look around at all the works in progress and be amazed at the effects of the ailment known as startitis? Check out this pile of WIPs:

Yes, those are all my WIPs, why do you ask.

There are, not one, but two sweaters in that pile, including the Twickenham Hoodie that I’m making for Jake. I made good progress on the front left side of this sweater, but stalled once I got to the arm hole. The pattern isn’t particularly exciting and even with the size 10 needles, the long rows mean that it takes a long time to see progress. Which is a long way of saying that I haven’t made much progress on this in the last month. I did say I’d get it done by Christmas though, so I’ve been taking it to my knitting group meeting on Wednesdays.

About 15% of a Twickenham Hoodie

The second sweater is a plain raglan cardigan that I’m making for myself using the Incredible, Custom Fit Raglan pattern. The yarn is Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool, which has a very rustic feel right down to the bits of hay in the yarn. It’s not very soft, but I’m going for more of a jacket-style garment, so I think it will be fine, especially after a good wash. Believe it or not, I started this just last Friday. The plain stockinette makes for a quick knit.

My first adult-sized raglan sweater

The pile of WIPs also includes a completed sock. I’ve yet to start the second sock, but I’m still including it in the WIP list. The pattern is the Express Lane socks and they’re made out of Cascade Heritage, a plan wool sock yarn. The first sock ended up being a little big, so this might end up being a gift pair of socks should I ever finish the second one.

Bad photography makes this single sock look extra lonely

Along with a single sock, there’s also a single mitten in that pile. A few weeks ago Jake came back from a trip to the Farmer’s Market with two skeins of some alpaca yarn from a local vendor. The last week it’s been pretty warm, but the few weeks before that, it was pretty cold, which turned my thoughts to mittens, especially for the early morning trip out to the car. There’s no pattern here, just a basic mitten structure with a thumb gusset. I thought about adding a cable or some colorwork, but ended up just going with something that I could finish quickly. Once it gets cold again, I’m sure this mitten will get a mate.

Dead simple alpaca mitten

Two more projects to go – are you counting? This scarf is made using the Leafy Lace (Ravelry link), with a few extra repeats thrown in since I’m working with Malabrigo Lace rather than a weightier yarn as in the original pattern. I think the scarf is about two feet or so at this point, so I’ve still got a ways to go for something this narrow and light. I’m expecting this to be a holiday gift as well.

Autumnal Leaves lace scarf

Finally (!) we have the Pretty Thing cowl by the Yarn Harlot, made out of the Buckingham alpaca/silk blend that I got in Monterey a few weeks ago.

It really is a Pretty Thing

If you’ve made it through my inventory – congratulations. That’s a lot of knitting. I’m hoping to finish something soon because it really does stress me out to have all these projects going at the same time.

Back From Monterey

jesshagman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:10:58 +0000

I spent most of this last week in Monterey, California for the Internet Librarian conference. An early flight out on Sunday morning meant that I was able to spend some time exploring the city on Sunday afternoon before I passed out from sheer exhaustion and time change insanity. Here are few pictures from Monterey. I’ve got a full set on Flickr.

This red boat really stood out among all the other bots in the harbor.

Doesn't this flower look like it's made of crumpled tissue paper?

I didn't stay in the conference center hotel, so I had a really nice walk through downtown Monterey each morning.

I'd never seen any sort of flower/plant like this before. They were sort of waxy looking.

Of course, I also had to check out a local yarn shop while I was there. I found a few other librarians looking to make dinner plans on Monday evening and it turned out that one of them was a knitter. She had met yet another knitter that day too, so the three of us went to Monarch Knitting in Pacific Grove on Tuesday. They had a lot of yarn brands that I’d never seen before in person like Rowan and Tree Frog.

I couldn’t purchase much, since I was limited to just what I could fit in my already overstuffed carry on bag. (US Airways now charges $25 if you check a single bag at the airport!) I bought two skeins of Buckingham, a alpaca/silk blend from Bristol Yarn Gallery (a Plymouth Company) in an blue/gray color. I think this will be knitting into a Pretty Thing (Ravelry) very soon. I also got one ball of Plymouth’s Sockin’ Sox, which is a superwash wool, bamboo and nylon blend, in a red/purple-y colorway.

This will make a Pretty Thing

Not sure what sort of socks these will be yet.

Thank You Rep Grayson

jesshagman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:51:23 +0000

Via Shakesville – transcript available there as well.

I haven’t mentioned politics very much since the 2008 elections. I was happy to see Obama win the election even though he was not my first choice for the Democratic nomination. I’ve been extremely frustrated by the tone of the health care reform debate, which seems to now be called “health insurance reform” because the idea of single payer is off the table. I’ve hated watching people like Sarah Palin and Betsey McCaughey propagate outright lies about the effects even these minimal efforts at reform while the mainstream media reported these lies as legitimate viewpoints. (How sad is it that it takes the Daily Show to show McCaughey for what she really is?)

I know this is a fraught issue, especially for those people who have adequate access to health care (or at least think they do), because they fear that their own access will suffer if everyone is covered. But I believe, as a nation, that we’re capable of rising above our own immediate needs and recognizing that we’ll all be better off when access to health care is not rationed by income or past medical needs. It’s refreshing to see a representative stand up and remind us that we are better than what the media would have you think given the coverage of the health care debate.

I’d like to think that the route to health care reform – and I’m talking true reform of the system here, not just more affordable health insurance – is not necessarily to focus on the mind numbing details but to appeal to the better nature of a country that can and should do a lot better than we’re doing right now. Maybe I’m just naive, but the route we’re taking now to promote reform doesn’t seem to be working. It’s too easy to argue against the cost, quibble over who will be covered, and scare people with depictions of that awful Canadian style, “socialist” health care system. Let’s remember that the people who suffer in our system are your family, friends and neighbors. Currently, 62% of bankruptcies are caused by medical costs, and almost 80% of those medical bankruptcies happen to people who had insurance. The full report (from the American Medical Association) reports that “[m]ost medical debtors were well educated, owned homes, and had middle-class occupations.” You just have to hope that this sort of thing doesn’t happen to you.

It would take lots of work, and I know it wont be cheap. But considering the costs we’re already paying – not always in money – doesn’t it seem like it’s time to make a change?

I know many people disagree with me on this. If you feel compelled to comment in disagreement, please keep your comments civil. I’m not interested in starting a comment war. Thoughtful comments (no matter your opinion) are appreciated.

FO: Go Big Red Hat

jesshagman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:03:16 +0000

This weekend, Jake and I will be heading to Columbus to watch the Badgers take on Ohio State. The Badgers actually have the better record at this point with a surprising 5-0 start, but OSU is ranked #9 and only lost to USC, another highly ranked team. In any case, I’ll be wearing a Badger hoodie this weekend to the game, but realized that I didn’t have any cold weather gear that matches the team colors. The temperatures are expected to top out at 60 on Saturday, so I know I’ll be chilly during the pre-game festivities and probably during the game itself. Hence, a new hat.

Go Bucky!

Pattern: A Hat Fit For a Boyfriend (also available online for free from designer Stephanie Nicole’s blog – no longer updated)
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in a bright red and cream.
Needle: Size 6 16 in. circs for the ribbing, size 7 16 in crcs for body, size 7 DPNs for the crown.

I love the decreases in this pattern. This picture shows how they turned out on my hat, but they look even better with a smaller yarn/tighter gauge. Check out the images on the pattern. I’ll definitely use this pattern in the future.

Check out those decreases

This also makes my first truly instant gratification project. I started and finished on Sunday. Jake and I spent a good chunk of the afternoon at Donkey Coffee where he worked on school stuff while I knitted and sipped hot chocolate. I think I had the better time.

I’ve got lots of other stuff on the needles right now, including a hoodie for Jake and some small, Christmas gift type projects. I’ve been derailed though by a bit of a love affair with Malabrigo Lace. I bought a skein of this yarn in Chicago, as you may recall. I’ve included a photo should you have forgotten:

Malabrigo deliciousness

I’ve been waiting for the perfect project for it, and finally stumbled upon a great simple, but complex enough to keep me entertained lace pattern. I’ll have more details later, but here’s a preview picture:

This will probably have to be called the Autumnal Leaf scarf, or something like that.

You can’t really see the lace pattern in this picture, but it’s reminiscent of leaves. This is perfect, since the yarn color matches the fall colors around here – that I need to remember to photograph before winter turns everything brown.

OK, since this is a picture heavy entry, I’ll just say what the heck and leave you with a picture of Bunny taking relaxing to it’s extreme in my lap earlier this week:

Note: This picture isn't even catching him stretching out or anything. He was sleeping like that.

FO: Lavender Baby Sweater

jesshagman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:49:36 +0000

As promised, I have another finished object today. This is definitely a record for me. My knitting mojo seemed to be lacking all summer, but I’m happy to report that it has returned in time for the Christmas knitting marathon. This isn’t a Christmas gift, but a present for my soon to be born niece Leonna Marie, who is due on November 27. She’ll be the first baby in our family, and I’m very much looking forward to meeting her. This is also my first raglan sweater.

Pattern: Baby Blueberry Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith, available for free on her blog, The Brown Stitch
Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted Weight Superwash in what I believe was Mountain Splendor, looking at the color card – I’ve already tossed the label. Whatever coating makes the yarn superwash also makes it feel almost acrylic during knitting, but it softened up quite a bit when I washed the finished sweater.
Needles: 16 in circs and DPNs #6 for the ribbing and 16 in circs and DPNs #7 for the body
Modifications: No striping obviously and changed button placement.

I think I may have miscounted the stitches on the second side of the button band, as it appears slightly longer on the left hand side. Otherwise, I’m very happy with how it turned out, especially for my first raglan sweater. This would make a good go-to pattern for baby sweater knitting.

FO: Cabled Clutch

jesshagman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:52:42 +0000

It only took a month to get this seamed and finished...

Check it out! I actually finished something. Actually, I’ve finished a whole bunch of stuff in the past few days, so expect to see a bunch of posts soon.

This is the Downtown Clutch from 101 Luxury One Skein Wonders*, the primary reason that I bought this book – though I do expect to knit more projects out of it. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll keep this or make it my first completed Christmas gift. I really like how it turned out, though I think I’ll make it a little less wide next time and make the lining of the top sturdier. I used some foam to do this one and it’s not super strong. It is a great pattern though, and I’m sure this little clutch will look good on a night out.

Pattern: Downtown Clutch from 101 Luxury One Skein Wonders, by Cirilia Rose available online for free as well.
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lanaloft Sports Weight, in color 24 Coastal Mist
Modifications: Added a lining to the purse.

This was a really quick knit. In fact, I think I had it finished knit-wise over a month ago. But then it languished on my desk while I worked up the motivation to sew in the lining on the handle, the lining for the bag and to seam up the sides. I’m not always very good with the final details.

The finished project looks great though, and I’m hoping to knit another in the future, perhaps with only 3/4 of the width so it’s not so floppy.

Lining is made of a fat quarter quilting fabric

*If you knit anything out of this book, be sure to check the corrections. I started a lace scarf out of this before I realized the pattern was wrong and have a whole repeat that is off. There appear to be a number of patterns that need correcting.

FO: Australia Hat

jesshagman — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:07:43 +0000

Yes, folks, it’s true, that’s an actual finished object you see below:

Pattern: Freyja Hat (Ravelry) from Interweave Knits Fall ‘09.
Yarn: undyed wool that Jake’s parents brought back from Australia and a couple of different yarns from Rare Yarns Essentials that my friend Janelle brought from New Zealand. I’m lucky to have world travelers who remember my yarn habit when they’re abroad.
Needle: Size 6 and 8 16 in circs, size 8 DPNs
Modifications from pattern: The pattern calls for a much finer yarn, so aside from the colorwork, this hat does look very different from the original. I also changed the brim to 1×1 ribbing instead of seed stitch, which I’m just not that fond of. It’s amazing how well the yarns worked for the color pattern though.

The hat is a little long for me though. It’s almost a cloche style…though I can’t see it when I wear it in that style: