Like Today Didn't Even Happen

AKA Lifeline #2 -- Happy Leap Day!  Did you spend your day throwing candy at crying children?  I kinda did, if by "throwing candy" I meant ripping out several rows, and by "at crying children" I meant of my grandma's lace shawl.  Yeah.  But since I've regained traction and I am now at precisely the same point I was last night, I'll call it a sign from the universe that today was supposed to be a knitting black hole.

I leave you with a treat from this week's postal delivery:

Doot-do-doo!

Lifeline

Everything looks fine, right?

Everything was fine.

Is that supposed to be off by a stitch?

Whoa.  That's not right.  Do you see it?  I do.  It's all messed up.

This feels wrong.

I can't believe I completely removed my needles from a live row of lace.

Rrrrrrrrrip.

Hey, it worked!

Back to the beginning of Chart 2, I guess

FO: Deco-ration

My good friend S was all "I like hats, but I can never find them to fit my head" and I was all "that's why you should have one custom made!" and she was all "sounds good to me" so I said "here are seventeen pictures of hats, pick a thing."

Regina [Rav link] by Carina Spencer; 

knit with less than a skein total of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool 

in colorways 80 Vintage Denim and 87 Neptune Blue

This was the hat of choice, going for a retro vibe, possibly influenced by the obsession that is Downton Abbey? (All signs point to yes.)

I was promised no seaming and a minimum of purling, "size as you go" and "no gauge swatches allowed!" -- Carina Spencer speaks my language.

It's the largest size available using the lightest-weight yarn possible...  yet it knit up so quickly, I was almost disappointed to have to bind off.  Plus the pattern is free, and even though I had to do math, it was easy math, if I do say so myself.

Combine all that with a beautiful outdoor photo shoot, and I have only good things to say about the entire process. 
Thanks for the knit memories, S -- I will make you anything always!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

I've been quietly knitting on my purply cardigan, last seen in January, and I wish I liked knitting it more than I do.  There's lots of ribbing and it's not boring...   it's just not a lace shawl.  Here's a pic of everything I've done...

And here's a pic of the first front panel...

...right before I ripped it all out.  Blerg.  The stitch count was off and there was lots of re-reading this one line and I needed the needles for something else.

Something else!

I'm embarking on a gift shawl trifecta, starting now!

Shawl 1, pictured above, is Lang Yarns Jawoll Solid Superwash in a cool diamond pattern; it will be for my grandma who doesn't have a computer or internet SO JUST NOBODY TELL HER KTHXBY!

Shawls 2 and 3 will be for special mystery ladies who probably don't read this blog, but I can't be too sure.  Yarn on its way...  I'll try to show glimpses as they progress.

Knitwear at the Movies: Waitress

SO GOOD.  I love this movie muchly.  Extremely well written and well acted -- the world lost an awesome talent with the loss of Adrienne Shelly.

This movie surprises me with questions I don't often ponder, like...
what would I do if Nathan Fillion was all-of-a-sudden my OBGYN?

I, for one, would make this face.

Anyway.  That's enough of that.

There's really only one sweater of which to speak, but what a sweater it is:

 

 

Look at those cables!  Look at 'em!

I found a possible name for this cable pattern -- Criss Cross Cable With Twists?  AND I found Unintentional Holiday [Rav link], designed by Kathleen Gill-Slee; it's only $6.00 USD for a gorgeous doppelganger.  In fact, I like Gill-Slee's design better -- she goes with only one crazy cable traveling down each sleeve, removing a lot of sweater bulk without losing sweater coziness.  Love.

Pattern Roundup: Knitwear of Anne Shirley's PEI

Let's try to recreate the worlds of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, shall we?  Lotsa knits = lotsa patterns.

Screen Grab: Mrs Hammond's Shawl
Not so much a shawl pattern, as a stitch pattern...
free!  December 1: Chain Link Fence [Rav link] by Lindsey Melvin

Screen Grab: Lovely Lady's Lace Gloves
A search for a knit pattern proved futile, but there are some free crochet patterns that have the right mesh quality.
Crochet Lace Gloves [Rav link] by Craftown.com
Smart Crocheted Gloves [Rav link] by American Thread Company

Screen Grab: Mr Phillip's Cabled Cardigan
Shawl collars, profuse cabling, and decidedly masculine styling -- who knew Mr. P would be such a trend setter?  Jane Pearlmutter's pattern even has pockets!
Classic Oak Cardigan [Rav link] by Alexandra Dafoe; $7.00 CAD
free!  Aran cardigan [Rav link] by Jane Pearlmutter

Screen Grab: Anne's Bobble Cardigan
Glide [Rav link] by Kim Hargreaves; Rowan Cotton Tape Collection
free!  130-14 Jacket with bobbles and lace edges [Rav link] by DROPS

Screen Grab: Anne's Striped Cardi
Sophisticate [Rav link] by Lindsay Pekny; $6.00 USD
Rozmital [Rav link] by Cirilia Rose; in Berroco #315, Bohemian Mix
child  Lazy Daisy Fun [Rav link] by Patons; free regis for site

Screen Grab: Gil's Textured Vest
I found a great pattern, in Japanese, with standard charts... for those with a sense of adventure!
free!  Japanese Yuttari Vest [Rav link] by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Ltd)

Screen Grab: Fancy Comforter
free!  Knitted Chevron Blanket [Rav link] by Danielle Albrecht
knit  Umaro [Rav link] by Jared Flood; $5.50 USD
cro  Textured Mesh Blanket [Rav link] by Lisa van Klaveren; $5 USD
knit  Twist Afghan [Rav link] by Cathy Westrich; $3.00 USD

Screen Grab: Matthew's Shawl-Collared Cardigan
Cable Cardigan [Rav link] by Erika Knight
Empathy [Rav link] by Sue Hanmore; £3.00 GBP
Melbourne [Rav link] by Elsebeth Lavold
Carlito Cardigan [Rav link] by Mathew Gnagy; $6.00 USD

Screen Grab: Matthew's Cardivest
free!  29-210-49 Sweater Vest [Rav link] by Pierrot (Gosyo Co.) 

Screen Grab: Gil's Cabled Vest
free!  28-29-45 Men's Cabled Vest [Rav link] by Pierrot (Gosyo Co.)
British School Slipover [Rav link] by Cheryl Oberle; in book Folk Vests

Screen Grab: Anne's Clambake Cardigan
Kinda Remindy Patterns
Drape Cardi [Rav] by Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby; in Knit Magazine 32
Nidden [Rav] by Norah Gaughan; in booklet Norah Gaughan vol 8

Screen Grab: Anne's Teacher Sweater
Slip Stitch Jacket [Rav] by Teva Durham; in Loop-d-Loop vol 1

Screen Grab: Anne's Textured Waistcoat
free!  118-39 Short waistcoat [Rav link] by DROPS design
Curve [Rav] by Elsebeth Lavold; in Elsebeth Lavold Book 1

Screen Grab: Mrs Harris's Lap Blanket
There are soooo many of these, I'm only featuring two free patterns, each with a contrasting-color border between squares.
cro  Granny's Attic Afghan [Rav link] by Sharon Phillips
knit  Stained Glass Mitered Afghan [Rav link] by Joan L. Hamer 

Screen Grab: Emmeline's Brown Waistcoat
The closest pattern I could find is a pullover, but it is free and quite pretty -- so here it is anyway!
Honeycomb [Rav link] by Sarah Castor

Screen Grab: Rachel's Mourning Shawl
Belladonna Took [Rav link] by Melanie Gibbons; $6.00 USD
** bonus geek points: pattern named after Bilbo Baggins's mother!

Screen Grab: Katherine Brooke's Coat
free!  75-23 Long or short coat [Rav link] by DROPS design
Riding Coat [Rav link] by Debbie Bliss; $6.00 USD

Inspiration: the Lady of Shalott
Lady of Shalott Purse [Rav link] by Vanessa Ewing; $7.00 USD
Lady of Shalott [Rav link] by Jennifer Benson; $7.00 USD

Even More Inspiration
Marilla's Very Practical Shawl [Rav link] by Rachel Henry; $2.50 USD
free!  Anne Shirley [Rav link] by Sabine Riefler

Piecing Together a Winter

Winter usually hits like a Mack truck and lays me low for four solid months -- there's lots of cold, lots of dark, lots of bundling and hiding behind my knitting -- but this season has been sporadic.  First it's cold, then it's super unseasonably warm, then it snows... which happened today.  As if the weather wasn't enough to throw me off, my schedule is different every day; each Tuesday is the same as every other Tuesday BUT different from Monday, Wednesday, etc.  I'm sure other people would be more than fine with that, but I tend to thrive on monotony...  so every. single. day, I feel constantly overwhelmed, like I can't get my -ahem- stuff together.  Because I can't get into a groove.  Because I have mommyface.  Because flying by the seat of my pants is not a good look for me.

SO!  It's nice to have a little piece of stockinette in-the-round waiting for me at the end of the day:

To be precise: it's reverse stockinette in-the-round inside out, all part of designer Carina Spencer's brilliant plan for her free! Regina [Rav link] hat pattern. I can't wait to block this at the end and see the brim fan in its final glory!

Moving Right Along

* I haven't blogged in a while, but I'm still totally here and knitting.  Yay for that!

* There will be an Anne pattern post.  There will. 
Note to self: do the Anne pattern post.

* I finished that hat I started, but the results were so lackluster, I'm not even going to do an FO post for it.  I knit it as homework for the Harry Potter Knitting & Crochet House Cup on Ravelry.  It was my intention to “transfigure” this sock yarn into a hat: a slouchy hat that would use up as much of this yarn as possible, that would in turn “transfigure” my head into a warmer, more stylish entity. (Sadly, the only thing this hat succeeds at is not being a sock.)

Pleh.  AND I need a haircut.

Sockhead Hat [Rav link] by Kelly McClure; knit with three-quarters of a skein of Lion Brand Sock-Ease in colorway 200 Toffee

It's a good pattern and fine yarn.  Hats just don't look good on me -- even worse than cowls!

* Good news: commission knitting!  And more yarn!

It's going to be a hat for someone-not-me who looks awesome in hats.

FO: Toddler Flashdance

Shoulda: written the pattern post for the Anne KATMs (one and two)
Woulda: done some knitting on a sock weight slouchy hat
Coulda: gone to bed early for some much needed sleep

But no.  I'm writing this.  Here are some legwarmers, yo.

 

Happy Legs [Rav link], a free pattern by Dani Sunshine; knit with less than a skein of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK in 18019 Dark Blue

I began these as an alternative travel knitting project when carting around The Socks almost begat disaster.  The first legwarmer was knit over two months of my team's weekly meetings (my coworkers are highly unfazed by this); the second one was started and finished in two days, because it was cold outside and I was determined that my daughter needed to wear a dress to a party.

I went down a needle size from the pattern suggestion (US3 rather than US4) because yarn was at a premium, my tension is generally pretty loose, and the girl child is pretty teensy for her age.  As it was, I still had a good amount of yarn when I was finished.

There are generous sizing options available, so you can recreate Flashdance with kids up to 12 years of age.  I love the texture of the broken rib with just about every fabric pattern pairing I've seen. They also look nice over bebe pants that continue to fit at the waist while becoming increasingly capri-esque in the length.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 don't match each other exactly, but they work perfectly well for my purposes.  Punkin's teacher at childcare paid me such a nice compliment: "Wow, you made those? They look just like real store-bought ones!"

Knitwear at the Movies: Anne of Avonlea

Second verse, better than the first?  YES.  I watched the clam bake scene eight times...  just mentioning it makes me want to watch it again.  With director's commentary.

Marilla KOFing (Knitting on Film)

Fred's Simple Sweater Vest
Honestly, I'm only including this because Bruce McCulloch, the actor who plays Diana's fiance Fred Wright, was a member of the very awesome Kids in the Hall.

"Bruce, what's this with you and Jazz?"

Trivia Question: what other Kids in the Hall cast member makes an appearance in Anne of Avonlea?
Answer: Lewis Allen, the boastful teacher at the hospital benefit ball, is played by Dave Foley.

Gil's V-Neck Cabled Vest
This screenshot makes me swoon, even though I know in the back of my head that they're "fighting" in this scene.

I want the collared-shirt/skinny-tie/sweater-vest/newsboy-cap look to come back in a MAJOR WAY.
Extra bonus funny points: I found this Tumblr site -- genius! (language is NSFW)

Anne's Clambake Cardigan
Seriously, how do women accomplish a full-on Gibson 'do?  It staggers the imagination.

detail shot

The sleeves and back are this honeycomb pattern; the front panels feature a diagonal eyelet pattern not dissimilar to that of the cardigan I just knit (ok, fine, it was a couple months ago now... but it feels very recent.). 

Anne's Tan Teacher Sweater
Anne's new school is full of sweaters and hijinks and chance meetings with that old guy who has pretty intense mood swings.

First he's grumpy, then he's manically smiling.  Whatevs.

Seed stitch edging and lapels and slightly puffed sleeves balance the bland color for a perfectly serviceable sweater.

Anne's Sweater Vest
The middle part of AA should be called "let's hang out with rich people; it's so fun."

 

detail shot

It's suuuper difficult to see the texture on this (thanks, black), but I assure you that it's there.  Even better is the cool pattern on her shirt: very pretty.

Mrs. Harris's Granny Square Blanket
Just goes to show you, granny squares know no class.

I, for one, always use a lap blanket when wearing a full black taffeta dress.  That's how I roll.  Hey-yo!  (...I can't believe I just made a wheelchair joke.  Maybe it's time to stop drinking wine and go to sleep.)

Emmeline's Brown Vest
So many sweater vests, y'all.

The dipping neckline and the closures keep it unique and slightly more interesting than it could be (vest, brown, on the quiet girl). Also contributing to the interesting: teensy watch pin!  I want one!

Rachel's Mourning Shawl
Well.  It's a shawl and she's in mourning (RIP, Thomas).

Rachel Lynde really mellowed over the years.  I hope if I'm eventually alone, I'll have a friend who'll put up with me.

Katherine Brooke's Coat
Poor quality first image, I know, but there's nothing much to be done for it.

detail image via Sullivan Movies

It's plain and simple; most importantly, it shows that Katherine can relax... even if her body language suggests otherwise.




...wait, is that really going to be the last picture?  No.

image via the Official Anne of Green Gables Wiki

There.  That's better.  :)


p.s. for those who are wondering: no, I will not be covering Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story.  I know they got all the actors back BUT they totally changed the story from the books.  So no.

Knitwear at the Movies: Anne of Green Gables

The books by Lucy Maud Montgomery were some of my favorites as a child.  I knew at a very young age that Megan Follows pronounces her name "Mee-gan."  Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe was my first crush on a boy, when I was like four or something.  It's on!!

Green hair?  What do you mean?  You've never looked lovelier.

Mrs. Hammond's Shawl
Not a lot of screen time for this first knit, though it plays a small-but-essential role on this small-but-essential character:

Looks comfy cozy, but the color's all wrong for her... though her husband did just die, so maybe her head's not in a fashionable place right now. 

Marilla's Shawl
I know Katharine Hepburn was approached to play this role, but I can't imagine anyone for Marilla except Colleen Dewhurst... who is from PEI, BTW, SROE.*

detail shot

Why are all the shawls I covet crocheted??!  This looks perfect for snagging your broach on an eyelet and forcing a false confession out of an unsuspecting innocent, if I do say so myself.

Random Lady's Mesh Lace Gloves
AKA social signal for "this is a party for genteel people, Anne with an E, be on your best behavior."

If I had those gloves, you wouldn't see me soiling them with cake crumbs.  Have you never heard of a fork?

Gilbert's Sweater Vest
Not enough Gilbert yet, you say?

You're welcome.

Mr. Phillips's Cardigan
The hair is a no, but the sweater's a yes.

detail shot

At first glance, I was a bit bored -- possibly a combination of the oatmeal color and the oatmeal personality of Mr. Phillips (the character; I'm sure Paul Brown is a very interesting man).  Closer inspection reveals a charming collection of cables; Mr. Rogers would be proud to own this sweater.

Anne's Go-To Blue Cardigan
It's that perfect garment, the one that goes with your hair and makes your eyes pop...

...equally appropriate for the schoolroom and for those disgusting kitchen discoveries (you know of what I speak, dedicated readers).

Marilla's Gray Cardigan
Speaking of go-to sweaters...

The color goes with everything in Marilla's closet, the lace front panels add visual interest without being too showy, and the slight puff in the sleeves makes me a little envious.  I wish I could rock this look, but my winter coat sleeves are too narrow; that's it: time to buy a cape!

Anne's Colorwork Cardigan
Lots of monochromatic knits here, but Ms. Shirley is knows the best way to spruce up a plain white blouse is with some colorful stripes.

 

I don't know that I so much like it with the patterned blouse in the first picture; however, I'm sure that's more of an of-the-time-period thing than a personal style statement.

Gilbert's Dashing Sweater Vest
Time for more Gilbert, methinks.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Gilbert may have gained a shawl collar, buttons and texture on the vest, a dapper tie, and a haughty expression...  but he can't lose that curly mop and the need to stare at Anne while taking exams.    -sigh-

Jo Barry's Knit Comforter
Ooooh, fancy.

The stitch pattern itself isn't fancy, but all that time, knitting a comforter for that gigantic bed?  Phew.

Matthew's Shawl Collar Cardi
Or not.  Referring to Matthew's manly, textured sweater as a "cardi" just sounds ridiculous.

Then again, that mustache is a little flirty.  (Sorry, MC, I'm only teasing.)

Matthew's Jaunty Cardivest
And the hat!  YAY!  M. Cuth is styling without even trying.

Subtle cables are perfect for a spring day and the pockets make sense for a man of Matthew's practicality.


Watch this space for Anne of Green Gables 2: Electric Boogaloo!

_____

* that's "Significantly Raising One Eyebrow."  That's the newest thing the kids are saying.  I know it's true because I just made it up.  And they speak in abbrev, obvi.