b r o o k l y n t w e e d: homeward bound

5.30.2006

homeward bound

tomorrow i hop on a plane and head for my dear sweet home of washington state. its a short visit, but i couldn't be more excited to see the mountains again! especially since we've hit the humid ass-heat of summer here. i'll gladly fly away from that. tonight i'll be 'packing,' which basically means planning out which projects to take where, double checking airline regulations as they pertain to knitting needles, projecting how many extra hanks of yarn i'll be needing, etc. etc. 7 hour flight? dont mind at all as long as i've got a portable project handy. and (*please god*) a tolerable seat-partner who will stay relatively quiet and keep the gawking at a minimum.

i'll be heading down to the oregon coast on thursday for my big bro's wedding. why should you be excited about this? because i'll finally be able to show you a project that i've been keeping quiet about for some time. its for my (very) soon-to-be sister (in law) (Joelle, i'm assuming you wont read this before thursday, what with wedding plans and all...). and i'll give you a little peek at it right now to keep you coming back for more later...

leaves

ooh, i'm excited to show you the rest in a few days. sorry to make you wait. regarding other projects: despite the heat, i worked with wool all weekend and finished both front pieces to Jarrett. I also started up the sleeves and am about a quarter of the way done with them. I'm hoping to finish the sleeves by the end of my vacation so i can come home and start the finishing!

what else? oh - swatched and washed the denim. still loving it. looks like i'll be making this thing on US 7s. still didn't really get guage, but close enough. nothings holding me back from raspy now (i'm still debating on whether or not i want to bring it to WA and start it there... very tempting). and i've started the trellis scarf. See below:

lacin' it up

worked about 2 inches and already hate the k7togs. whats up with that? sure they look cool, but is it worth the wrist torture and stress of 7 stitches shooting off your needle at any moment? and please no comments about the use of addis. i've tried three types of needles, and none of them have made it 'enjoyable' yet... but the baby silk was sticking to the bamboo like crazy and driving me nuts. i opted for the smooth glide, despite the blunt stumps. we'll see how this project goes. for now, i'm reserveing my judgment until a later date. god knows this is definitely not plane-safe. i dont want to find myself cursing loudly and scaring small children...

happy knitting and i'll see you on the flipside!

¶ 12:24 PM

Comments:

Mmm ... what a lucky sister-in-law! Congratulations to your brother!

# posted by Agnes : 30 May, 2006 13:52

have an amazing time on your trip.

# posted by Nik : 30 May, 2006 13:53

oh i'm very intrigued by that lace shawl! can't wait to see more - both colour and pattern look gorgeous.

have fun at the wedding!

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 14:02

You are an amazing brother-in law!I've been married for 13 years, I have only one brother-in law, and never gave me anything. Oh! yes he's going to give me a godson.Congratulations to your brother! and congratulations to you, those lace leaves look great!

# posted by andrea : 30 May, 2006 14:04

beautiful photo of the leaves. the soft, white trellis scarf is just gorgeous. love your photography.

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 14:07

Have a great time! Sounds like it will be wonderful! And that "peek" at the gift looks wonderful. Love that color.

As for the Trellis Scarf... k7tog?! Ouch.

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 14:15

Have you tried Inox circulars? They are almost as slippery as Addi's but with a nicely tapered and pointier tip. The cable is not as flexible though? Might be easier on the k7togs!! I didn't even know that was a possibility!

# posted by jillian : 30 May, 2006 14:35

oh, the lace shawl looks lovely. Have a great trip to the west! Maybe using even smaller needles and knitting loosely on the trellis scarf will help with the k7togs?

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 14:37

I'm waiting eagerly to see your finished Jarrett. I'm planning to knit it too, and I actually bought rowanspun dk for it as well.

You mentioned earlier that you had to make some modifications because of the gauge you got. Did that mean complicated calculations? Any advice is appreciated - you seem to be the only one knitting this jacket.

Process pictures will be seen in our blog sometime soon - unfortunately only in Finnish for now.

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 14:58

Can I sing the praises of socks as in-flight projects? If the needles are wood they won't even come up in the airport scanner, plus the yarn doesn't take up much space at all. My guess is that unless you are super-fast and the pattern is super-easy that you could do one sock per flight.

# posted by Julian : 30 May, 2006 15:19

I hope you get lots of knitting done on your trip! Although the k7tog don't sound like much fun at all (on any needles), I'm anxious to see how great and deocrative they look in the fabric!

P.S. Where did your sidebar go?

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 15:57

Have a good time! Gorgeous leaves, what a nice gift.

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 16:12

if i can make a suggestion, listen to an ipod or other portable device while knitting on the plane. either that or wear a sandwich board that says, "i'm knitting and i don't wanna talk about it!" otherwise, you're asking to be trapped in conversation ....

the leaves look great!

# posted by carrie : 30 May, 2006 17:23

I've been working on the trellis scarf pattern. Not that I'm done with it yet, but I've been starting out the knit 7 togethers by putting the needle through the stitches the wrong (easy) way first to sort of stretch everything out, then attempting the stitch. It helps a little!

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 17:59

Ooooh, those green leaves look lovely! I can't wait to see what it is. And um, did you say K7togs? I can't even imagine! You're a braver knitter than I...

# posted by Elizabeth : 30 May, 2006 20:37

Have a wonderful trip! Love the works in progress.

# posted by Anonymous : 30 May, 2006 21:31

Oh, I am so glad to see someone else with tons of WIPs! Have a relaxing vacation.

# posted by Veronique : 30 May, 2006 22:16

The leaves shawl looks so beautiful, so velvety! Can't wait to see it!

# posted by Hege : 30 May, 2006 23:18

Have a great time!

Those leaves...I can't wait to see the whole thing; it looks beautiful.

# posted by iSeL : 31 May, 2006 07:02

Thanks for the advice on recalculations on Jarrett. I actually thought you'd had done something like that. My gauge with size 4 mm needles is correct, but as you said the fabric produced is sort of thin and holey. I might do the same you did, go down a needle size - though first I perhaps should wait and see how it all turns out for you. The tubular cast-on was a very good idea too - I'll propably be copying that.

Looking forward to seeing your progress :) Anna

# posted by Anonymous : 31 May, 2006 08:28

Oh I can hardly knit in this heat. I can't wait to see what your "Leaves" project is...it is absolutely gorgeous. I tried tthat scarf...the k7tog...and figured out I was allergic to alpaca. What a pain that manouver was though.

# posted by cmeknit : 31 May, 2006 08:36

Have fun on your trip home. You're going to get some much done on your plane ride. Good luck witht the seatmate. I agree with Carrie. The Ipod screams "I can't hear you, don't talk to me".

# posted by Saun : 31 May, 2006 08:51

hello! i read your blog every time you post, but i haven't left a comment til now. it's about those k7TOGs. try this:
knit the first one, then pass it back to the LH needle. then, flip the next 6 sts, one at a time, over that stitch, as if binding off. if the effect is the same as actually kitting 7 together, this may be a good substitute, and may save your interest in doing the scarf . . .
have fun at the wedding!

# posted by Anonymous : 31 May, 2006 10:13

I always lurk but decided to reveal myself and wish you a safe trip. I love the "leaves" and can't wait for more.

# posted by Sherri : 31 May, 2006 19:04

Glad to hear living in New York doesn't turn a northwestian away from their true self! I've just decided to move to NYC to be with the boyfriend, so I need a little reassurance that I won't forget my roots.

# posted by dlittlegarden : 31 May, 2006 22:34

I started Trellis recently, and I feel your pain! I'm hating the knit 7 tog. and may just give up if they don't get to be more tolerable.

# posted by Anonymous : 01 June, 2006 00:38

Hey...for the k7togs I've been using a size 1 dpn to actually do the stitches, tug them to make sure they're loose, and then slide the whole shebang onto the working needles. much less profanity, and makes the scarf go by MUCH quicker...

# posted by Anonymous : 01 June, 2006 10:56

Oooh you are going to be in my neck of the woods!! Where along the Oregon Coast is he getting married?

Love the peak at the projects and can't wait to see the start of Raspy. I am still ogling and considering buying some of that Den-M-Knit.

Have a great and wonderful time in the Northwest!

# posted by LisaB : 01 June, 2006 22:18

lovely projects all lined up - fun. about the k7togs, i agree with anne. i just finished the madli's shawl from a few interweave knits back and they had the same thing. it was driving me crrrrazy, but then i read somewhere someone suggesting the same thing anne did and man, did the knitting just fly by. *much* easier. give it a try - i think they even get nicer, neater results.

;)

# posted by Anonymous : 02 June, 2006 16:11

Lovely blog! Just found you via the Grumperina.

Another note on the k7togs (and I haven't tried this so I hope I get it right): I've read to slip5, k2tog, and then pass the slipped 5 back over for the same effect.

Your knitting's beautiful. Good luck!

-Lynn in Tucson

# posted by Anonymous : 02 June, 2006 16:37

I just discovered your blog and I'm impressed. I just subcribed to it so that I can keep up with your knitting.

# posted by Anonymous : 03 June, 2006 22:51