When the latest issue of knitty was published, I saw the perfect sweater, Spoke. I love circular things, especially circular motifs in sweaters. It was the Annie Modesitt twisted float shrug that convinced me to buy my first knitting magazine and I’ve been hooked on circular knits ever since.

Also, I’m proud to tell you that today I even understand what “twisted float” means.

This Mountain Colors yarn could look very beautiful in a twisted float knit, but I decided to go with the newly published Spoke pattern because it looks interesting to knit, flattering to wear, and practical for the everyday wardrobe.

Swatch? No. I jumped in using a US5 needle. I do love swatching, but the back of the sweater starts with stockinette, then moves into 1×1 ribbing, so… that’s good enough for a swatch when you’re ready to jump into a knit. After I had knit about 10 or 12 inches worth, I stopped to take a look at my work. At that point I was knitting with my local knitting group, so, as usual, I got to borrow someone’s tape measure to have an official inspection. OK, I guess it’s no surprise here that my gut was right. The gauge was completely wrong for the pattern. The fabric was lovely, the colors didn’t pool strangely and I liked the thickness and tension. But I couldn’t continue to pretend that it would work because this sweater would be way too small. Say it with me:
B A R B I E . S W E A T E R.

I did what all strong knitters do, I calmly and simply pulled out the needle, ripped out my work to the knitterly chorus of “NO!!”, and created a new, round ball of yarn.

I decided that a US8 needle would be the best size to produce the necessary gauge. After I knit the first stockinette portion, I measured. The gauge was close enough for government work; I could definitely block it to the right size. I quickly knit up the whole back piece. While knitting, it suddenly occured to me that this yarn would be perfect for a skirt in my queue, Norah Gaughan’s Snapping Turtle Skirt. Was this yarn made for the Snapping Turtle Skirt? With it’s lovely shades of green and autumn colors, it looks like a turtle sunning itself on a branch in an autumn pond.

I remeasured the gauge. The stockinette is 19st=4in. The pattern calls for 16st=4in. I could block it to the appropriate size, but I don’t like how loose the tension is. It’s almost floppy and sagging. Also in this gauge, I don’t like the color pooling along the upper back.

Will I be happy with this sweater? Will I be proud of wearing it in public?

I realized that today was my day to officially become an experienced knitter, to use my previous experiences and knitting knowledge to make a good decision about my project plan. My previous experiences told me that I wouldn’t be happy with this sweater and I wouldn’t wear it much. This beautiful yarn needs to be displayed in a way that highlights its interestingness and colorful beauty.
So I’ve frogged it. It could be a great Snapping Turtle Skirt.

2010 is the year to focus on gettin’ ‘er done!

Don’t worry, I have another Christmas knit that I didn’t finish. It comes next.

First I’m working on a shawl for Cecelia. When I saw her last month, she talked to me about some hand-knit shawls she’s been seeing. She told me that they were very expensive and they were knit with very big needles because they had “big holes.” I interpreted this as the shawls were lacy because the needle size was quite large in comparison to the yarn weight.

I think she wants a hand knit shawl.

A few weeks ago I searched around for a shawl pattern- something she’d like that I’d also like to work on. I decided on a triangle shawl with large, knitted holes in it. It is knit with worsted weight yarn on “appropriately” sized needles, but the holes are knit into it by casting off and on throughout the pattern.
I want to keep a distinctive hand-knit look to this item, so I searched for a thick-thin yarn: soft, calm with a handspun quality. Etsy was definitely the place. I found a lovely batch of yarn from a woman in Missouri who owns and manages her own farm, Dream Catcher Sheep and Fiber Farm . She sheers the sheep, cleans the wool, and spins it. I bought about 300 grams of yarn, hand spun in a worsted-ish weight. One of the things I loved about this Etsy shop is that she will tell you from which of her lambs the wool was spun. My yarn came from Stormy Wether, a very handsome fellow with soft wool. The yarn isn’t dyed or bleached, nor chemically cleaned, and it is a lovely yarn to work with. I’ll definitely buy yarn from her again.

The other gift knitting project is a cardigan for my mom that I started knitting last winter, then put into hibernation over the summer. Technically it has not come out from hibernation yet, but I know it needs some attention since her birthday is in January. The pattern is from the first Debbie Bliss magazine, the Cable Vent Jacket. I’m using Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK in cream. I got it last year on sale because it was the end of the lot or of the colorway. It’s a soft, consistent yarn to work with, but I hate that about 25% of the balls have knots.

I’m going to keep plugging away at all this gift knitting, even though I really want to knit my peplum seed-stitch cardigan.

Note to self: this was not good logic.

I got some Nashua Handknits’s Julia yarn (wool, alpaca, and mohair) for making some mittens. Do you know that little mitten pattern that comes in your junk mail? It’s printed on a little, folded paper about the size of a postcard and there’s a lady on the front photo who models some striped red and yellow mittens. I saved the pattern and it’s been sitting on an end table, so everytime I see it I start to think about knitting mittens. I got two colors of the Julia yarn, teal and sour apple green, to make mittens. I love the teal, but I’m not sure which pattern I’ll finally decide on.

I also got some cute itty bitty tools. First I got some itty bitty scissors for air travel. They are 1⅜” (3.5 cm) long! I have been using that Clover throwing star cutter, but it has given me problems with airport security (in Munich in particular), so I’ve been on the look-out for a better solution. Surely these itty bitty scissors will pass TSA inspection, right?

I also got an itty bitty circular needle. When I first spied it, I thought it was a dollhouse knitting needle toy, but it turns out to be a needle for knitting one sock in the round, a Clove 9″ circular bamboo needle (size 0 / 2mm). I have a crosswalker sock-in-progress that’s been sitting untouched for over a year because I can’t stand working it on DPNs as the pattern called for. This itty bitty circular needle would be perfect for getting my sock moving again. I brought home the dollhouse needle, then knit the sock onto it. It is quite fiddly to work with; the inflexible, wooden needle parts are so small that you almost have to pinch them with your forefingers and thumbs. After knitting a few rows, I got more comfortable with it. For me it will be fast than knitting with DPNs, plus it makes me laugh.

I’ve bought new yarn.

New yarn? Internet, I know you’re thinking, “It’s about time!” I couldn’t agree with you more.

Alice’s parents live in Montana and raise angora goats. Said goats were recently sheared, their wool was spun, plied, and/or dyed. The new yarn just arrived here in Alabama. Its warm, mohair-wool fibers are just in time for hot and humid August.

Alice brought a tote bag full of one-of-a-kind hanks to Skanky Knitting tonight. Based on her recommendation, I chose the undyed, unbleached, natural color yarn. I’d always assumed that undyed wool was a creamy color, but as you can see in the photo below, this wool is a neutral gray. Alice claims it’ll take dye quite well, so if I start feeling frisky, I may just have a go with some pigment and a crock pot. (Find more yarn details in my Ravelry stash.)

What should I knit with this beautiful yarn? I need to finish my Peacock Shawl first, but this mohair-wool blend will be my next lace project OTN.