Category: A little about knitting

“I formed you to open the eyes of the blind, and to bring out from the dungeon those who live in darkness”…Isaiah 42:6-7

Jesus defends Mary from Judas and her other detractors, as he defends the lowly, the brokenhearted, the captives of every kind.  For their sake, he will not defend himself.

Happy Holy Week!
It seems like an eternity since I have written anything knitting related, or otherwise for that matter.  I know what you are thinking:  “What heck happen, Miss Regina?”  Well, if you read some of my earlier posts, you will have learned a little something about me…when things get nutty for me, knitting tends to take a back seat. A back seat to what, you ask? Well, to life, boys and girls.  And let me tell you, I have had a lotta life in the last year! Fortunately for you, I will not revisit all the good, the bad and the ugly, but I will babble on about the present.

I started this post with a wonderful quote from the Bible.  Doesn’t Isaiah just hit the nail on the head? C’mon! It is the last line of the paragraph that follows that really just took my breath away.  Can you imagine a love so powerful?  The lowly, brokenhearted and captives of every kind.  There isn’t a soul on this planet who hasn’t found themselves in one or all of those categories at some point, right?  That brings me to what motivated me to write in the first place.

I am knitting a Prayer Shawl.  Having been the recipient of one during daddy’s final weeks, I know the comfort they bring.  Death, illness, heartache.  These are all things that make us captives of suffering and prayer is the only thing that brings that deep abiding comfort of the love of God who became a ‘prisoner’ of the human condition in order to share in that suffering, and to bring us hope and knowledge of the peace to come.  Can I get an ‘Amen’?

Today I cast on for the Lace Prayer Shawl.  I am using a cotton/acrylic blend worsted that was a gift from a friend.  It is soft and yummy and machine washable (in case your mascara isn’t waterproof…just sayin’!)  I cast on 57 stitches on size 8 aluminum circular needles.  I am not crazy about how slippery this yarn is on my needles, but really think the small number of stitches will make it manageable enough.  Here is a photo of the first few rows. Check out the cosmetic case I am stylin’.  My mom, in her absolute awesomeness gave this to me with the “I’m sure you can find some use for this…you’re clever that way” compliment.  Naturally, if it’s portable, it is a suitable vessel for my knitting.  Check it out! Can you stand it? A Blessed Holy Week and Passover to all my friends, and remember Keep Calm and Pray!

The Cast On

Ready to bind off

Close up of stitch pattern…lovely!

After a brief knitting drought, my friend’s request for a Christmas gift for her daughter got me to pick up my needles.  A slouchy hat was the request.  The yarn?  Orange Malabrigo.  My heart said “yummy”, but Mom’s heart said “there has to be another color to tone down that orange!”  Whatever!!  Enter Blue Malabrigo! 
What to do?? What to do??  I was tickled with a solid orange hat, but now that blue was invited to the party, how should I incorporate it without producing an overly sporty cap?  For those not in the know, blue and orange are NY Mets colors!  :SQUEE:
I found the Spring Beret pattern on site here.  I loved the fact that the pattern repeats lend themselves to the color changes perfectly, and the pattern was written with varying degrees of ‘slouchiness’.  Once I obtained gauge, it was smooth sailing.  The pattern was well written and easy to commit to memory.  Given the hustle and bustle of Christmastime, the hat was a quick knit.  Amen!!
I wish I could have taken better pictures, but I was without my 8.0 megapixel dual flash camera on my htc Incredible.  Long story…
P.S.  The Elite Beat Agents don’t wear berets, but if they did, they would be this cool…

I do this every time.  Things get a bit zany for me and suddenly my knitting is put on hold.  Since I am an equal opportunity kinda gal, my yoga, reading and walking also get put on hold.  You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or Captain Obvious to realize that this habit leaves me very little in the way of fun things to do!  As a young girl, my mom could always gauge my stress by looking at my nails; gnawed stumps were harbingers of a bona fide ‘sitting-down talking-to’!  OK, so I have progressed away from the nails.  In fact, I actually feel rather proud of the way I handle my stress.  What I can’t quite figure out is how to juggle it all, you know, throw a few happy plates in with the mix. 
Well, here is the latest project in the “should have been done weeks ago” category.

Baby Yoshi

As you know, I enjoy naming my projects after video game characters.  Who does not LOVE a blue Baby Yoshi?  The size is medium with an 11″ leg opening for yummy baby thighs.  I elected to omit the cuff around the leg, giving it a ‘boy’ vibe.  I have another one in the works in ‘viola’.  I think a crocheted or eyelet trim would be so dainty and delicious, don’t you?  Assuming I don’t hit the stress skids in the meantime, I should have photos posted soon.  If not, send reinforcements or the Red Cross!

I am adding additional photos and notes on this pattern:
I knit one for a little girl.  The color is ‘viola’ and the garment boasts an adorable picot border around the leg openings.

Now, for the little boy’s bum!  Black soaker with a skull and crossbones design in duplicate stitch.  After casting on, I knit a few rounds of stockinette stitch before beginning a 2×2 rib.  This gave the waist a bit of a roll.  I like that!  Having much experience with cross stitch and embroidery, the duplicate stitch pattern on the bottom was relatively simple.  Knitters, just make certain your yarn is colorfast before attempting a white design on a black background.  Just sayin’…

Thoughts?  Comments?  Personally, I am delighted with how they all turned out.  I Love Babies!

In an earlier post, I wrote of a knitted cowl I was making.  It was my very first ‘legit’ lace project and I loved every minute of it!  I know you have been waiting with bated breath for the finished photos.  Not being one to disappoint, here they are:
The image to the left reflects the true colors of the yarn.  It is peppered with golds, blues, purples and greens.  Absolutely stunning.  The two photos below give you an idea of the drape and delicious ‘halo’ this wool possesses. 
 
For more details on the yarn, as well as the pattern, please refer to my earlier post Kuusk

I have always loved the The February Lady Sweater based on the timeless knitting of Elizabeth Zimmerman. I have a beautiful skein of yarn from last year’s sheep and wool festival that would knit up beautifully, resulting in a cool, crisp,  three-season sweater.  Looking for inspiration, I perused the 1,000+ variations of this pattern on Ravelry.  What struck me immediately was the variety of colors, fits and details knitters injected to make this pattern their own.  It was apparent to me that the ‘make-or-break’ element of the design is the yolk.  Going forward, I am looking for suggestions as to the best style for me.  One knitter “Woollings” on Ravelry has knit two equally beautiful iterations of this pattern.  The green version is a bit modest, with a roomier cut, and less shaping around the bust.  On the other hand, the red has a more modern cut, flatters the feminine figure and showcases the beautiful buttons.  

What to do…what to do…  Fortunately, the pattern is knit from the top down, allowing me to try it on as I knit.  None the less, I am interested in your thoughts.  Care to comment?

In today’s ramble, your favorite space cadet is going to take a detour and talk about video games.  I am sure you all noticed that my gamerscore increased a bit since I last posted.  This is due in part to Batman: Arkham Asylum, and in part to a slight epiphany.  The epiphany is what I will share with you today.

Dear Joker,
This is me, Gamermom, and I’m coming to kick your ass! 

A question was raised about whether or not I would pay for a Microsoft “Diamond” membership. I am a Gold subscriber, though I don’t know why, so this got me thinking.  I don’t play Xbox as much as I used to or would like to simply because of time and logistics. I am sorry to say that console gaming has taken a backseat to mobile.  I just don’t have hours at a time to spend in front of the monitor playing games like I used to.  None the less, I am not willing to give up my Xbox360 habit all together. Here is my fantasy console: I want it to play video games (duh). I would like it to play blu ray/dvds, connect to my home network to stream my online subscriptions like Hulu and YouTube. While at it, let’s integrate FB and Twitter. Essentially, that would make it a computer that plays video games, yes? So, is that the reason so many gamers are taking up the ‘I am going back to PC gaming’ battle cry? Ultimately, the ideal set up is all things on one account, accessible by various means at a competitive price.  Whether on my lovely LCD flat screen, or my super sexed smartphone, I want TV, gaming, videos and music in one spot with one set of credentials at one price. Does that come from my phone service provider, internet provider, cable or gaming provider?  I don’t know.  What I do know is that we have the technology to do this.  What I don’t know is if everyone is willing to play nice in the sandbox.

How did simplifying life become so complicated?  Gimme a minute, I’ll Google it!

ETA: I have been barking about ala carte television forevah!  WTF, is it really that much of a stretch?
ETAA: I  really do hate the fact that I cannot customize the title font

Kuusk (aka Wander)

One thing I wish to share about this project is the ‘nupp’.  This feature of lace is worked over two rows.  At least in this pattern.  Having never done lace before, this was a first for me.  The chart symbols were quite interesting; a ‘V’ on the first row of the stitch, with an inverted ‘V’ on the second. Took me a while to realize there was a small 5 inside the ‘V’, indicating how many knits/yo combinations that comprised the nupp.  Very cool indeed.  A while back, I received an update to “myrawoodoriginals” channel on YouTube, demonstrating a simplified way to create a nupp.  I tried it in this pattern and loved it. I will include the link for your viewing pleasure. I highly recommend subscribing to this and other channels. The technique did not apply to me at the time of its release, but I was fortunate to have it handy when I attempted my first lace. I will learn the two-row technique just for kicks.  This pattern, however, will be knit entirely with the simple method.

Please pardon the appearance of this post.  It is under construction to make this a happier, more user-friendly blog.