Knittin' and Coughin'

I had purchase four skeins of Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair a while ago because they were half price. Is it that I lack will power or that I have an eye for a good deal? Maybe some of both.

As I was admiring my stash, I decided to knit an evening wrap for a long time friend with it. The skeins are only 82 yards, so I picked up a couple more at JoAnn's. It's multi colored and textured, so I figured that any variance in dye lots would be trivial. I decided that the yarn was fancy enough that the knitting didn't need to be, so I settled on a simple lace stitch. Don't know if it has a formal name or not, I just grabbed the size 17 needles so it would be loose and airy and started knitting without a net.

Cast on 49 stitches loosely, knit four rows then start pattern.
Row 1: k3, *yo, k2t, k2*, k2
Row 2: k2, *p*, k2
Row 3: k2, *k2, yo, k2t*, k3
Row 4: k2, *p*, k2
Until you reach the desired length.
Knit four rows, cast off loosely.



This wrap is going to be a huge honker. With three skeins
knit, it was 28 inches wide and 44 inches long.

It knits up fast, a skein a day is not a stretch -- if I can keep it up.

I don't know if it's those little hairs of Mo or some other component of the yarn, but every time I pick it up to knit, I start coughing. Knit, knit, knit, cough, cough, cough, knit, knit, knit, cough, cough, cough.

I'm too darn cheap not to finish the wrap, but I have another skein of the stuff in purple that I was planning to use as a highlight band in a möbius scarf. I think I may change my mind on that one.

The Chemo Cap

The call came Wednesday night. "I've got to have the chemo cap for my cousin done by Thursday night, and I think I dropped a stitch!"

"Have you knit enough more on it that it's ready for me to close up," I asked.

"Just about," she replied.

So I had her bring over the cap and the needles.

She hadn't dropped a stitch, her tension was just uneven, so I picked it up and knit industriously away using two short circulars instead of the DPN's to decrease. I sure am glad I learned how to do that, I much prefer it to having needle points poking out all over.



When I called my friend in the morning to tell her it was done she was ecstatic and came right over to pick it up.

As she was exiting the door with the cap clutched to her chest, she turned to me and said, "I am going to tell her I knit it."

I grinned and said, "Of course. It never would have been knit without you."

I hope her cousin likes it.

Yarn Lust

I did it again. Stopped by the LYS to pick up some yarn for a specific project and was struck by yarn lust. I circled the yarn store like a shark sensing blood in the water. I walked by the two skeins repeatedly, eyeing them with a ravenous hunger. I found what I needed for the project and one skein of on sale for $5 yarn that was the same as some I already had. (You never can tell when one extra skein might save the day.)

Then I doomed myself. I walked by the object of my lust one last time, reached out a hand and touched it.

Damn!

It leaped into my arms and clung like a baby monkey.

I had no choice, I had to buy it.

And it's MY yarn, this is not present yarn, this is MY yarn. Two skeins of Manos del Uruguay pure wool, hand spun, kettle dyed, sybaritic beauty.

The photo doesn't even marginally do it justice.

Now I have to figure out what to make with it...

Too Many Needles

Always eager to learn new techniques, I checked Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles out of the library.

I'm not brave enough yet to think about knitting socks, nor have I ever figured out why anyone would put all the effort of hand knitting into something that's going on their feet. Geeze o pete, socks are what KMart's for. I have a friend who is a wine connoisseur, though, so I think I would like to knit her a wine cozy. Seems more sophisticated than a tea pot cozy in any case.

Once I figured out to rotate instead of flip to go between needles, it wasn't difficult at all. Because I'm a tight knitter, the last couple of stitches on the coming-up needle were difficult to slip from the cable back onto the needle, but it's still easier than using double pointed needles and having pokie-outs all over the place.

So I decided to get fancy and add a couple of cables. I did the math then went at it.

It's workable.

Still looks like too many needles, but I hate to even think about trying it on DPN's.

What yah doin' Mom?

Yarn Control

I've been knitting from a cake of unruly sock yarn. It kept wanting to bounce onto the floor and roll away.

The cats were encouraging the behavior.

I've seen those specialty jars with the hole in the lid to hold yarn. And those cute little silk bags to keep it pristine and untangled in chic style.

But I'm cheap.

An onion bag works great.