L is for...

Linen. I had been working on the Moss Grid hand towel from Mason Dixon Knitting for over a year; I just couldn't seem to feel the love for the linen. It was dry and hard to my fingers. Okay, not that dry and hard, but compared to a nice merino wool, yes, hard and dry. Like knitting with old string. None the less, I pushed myself to finish this and did so on June 8. Here is a picture of the unwashed towel.

The next day I threw it into the washer with the regular wash and let it ride. No great difference after the washing, but I tossed it into the dryer with the other things and turned on the heat. When the cycle was done, I hunted it out. Eureka! Amazingly soft and fluffed out! And not a bit of blocking needed!

Seriously, I was blown away by the results. I was standing there in the laundry room, squishing the towel in my hands and against my face, certain that some washer/dryer gremlin had replaced the dry, hard linen with this wonderful fabric. I'm sold. I'm converted. Now I believe that those beautiful patterns knit with linen are entirely worth the investment. (Now, if I hadn't put myself on a stash-only diet...)

Specs: Louet Euroflax Originals, one skein French Blue. I only had enough to knit 10 repeats of the pattern instead of twelve. US Size 5 needles. Scrumptious.

On the Needles, or, I Think This is Still a Knitting Blog

There are a number of small projects on the needles these days. After finishing the Moderne Baby Blanket, I don't think I'm going to want a major project for a little while yet. So here's what's working:

About a year ago I started playing with some Louet Euroflax, casting on for a Moss Grid Hand Towel from the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I lost interest in this for quite a while, but lately I've been seeing a lot of patterns knit in this yarn. So I've resurrected the hand towel and I'm picking this up at work when things get slow. I'd like to work on this and see if I really like the linen yarn before getting into a big project using this.


Also in my take to work bag is the beginning of an entrelac scarf. I'm using Laura's pattern for this and using the yarn Mary of The Wool Palace sent to me a while back when I was a lucky number commenter. This is Schoeller + Stahl Limbo Color in the colorway 2539. This is becoming a real practice piece for me. I'm using it to practice knitting backwards; if I'm ever going to do a really big entrelac piece someday, like the Lady Eleanor shawl, then I'm certainly going to need to know how to do that. I've also been practising knitting continental style, in preparation for doing some colorwork one of these days. All in all I've been having fun with this.

Sitting at home is my little knitting bag with a new sock in it. I'm sort of using the Basic Sock Recipe from Stephanie, as found in "Knitting Rules", but what I'm really trying to do is knit a sock without referring to a pattern. I want to learn to trust my own knitting and get confident enough to just pick up yarn and knit without thinking about it. This is just a simple project to pick up and go to appointments, car trips, etc. The yarn is Austermann Step in color 09, a lot of browns in it just like an Arizona winter.

I cast on for a Traveler's Stocking from Nancy Bush's "Knitting on the Road", but the Panda Wool just didn't let the pattern show through. It got frogged after several inches and the yarn put away for another project in the future. I still want to knit the pattern, but after researching Ravelry I've decided that I will probably do it in a light colored solid yarn to show the stitches off.

I've really been concentrating on the Shoulder Shawl in Cherry Leaf Pattern from "Victorian Lace Today". I've got fourteen of the fifteen pattern repeats finished. Since I've still got plenty of yarn, I thought about making it larger than the pattern, but I've decided now to make it the size the pattern calls for and use any leftover yarn for another project.

Finally, I've cast on for another little project, but I won't show you that one until I get something worth taking a picture of.

It's spring break this next week and I'm getting swamped with college kids this weekend and the next. I'll still be posting as time permits, in between maintaining a 24 hour kitchen. Have a great weekend, everyone!

A Blankie for a Birthday Girl

I haven't been posting about too much knitting because I've been devoting myself to finishing the Moderne Baby Blanket. If you recall, I started this blanket for granddaughter Felicity on the day she was born, March 4, 2007. She was born on her grandpa Joe's birthday and I cast on that same afternoon. The blanket languished in one of my work bags for quite a while until I decided I had better get busy and finish it up for her first birthday. The pattern is Mason Dixon Knitting's Moderne Baby Blanket. I used four colors of Dreambaby DK, which while soft and washable might be a bit too soft and drapey for my personal taste. I used a little under two skeins of the cream color, and slightly over two skeins each of the light green, dark green, and blue. There is a fair amount of yarn left over that I will save and use for something else someday. I followed the pattern exactly, except that I chose to do a knitted-on Icord edging in the cream color. I really like the Icord for edgings; the neatness really appeals to me. I don't know, though, if I will do another project again that is this big using only garter stitch. But I am quite pleased with the results and no regrets about doing this. The blanket has been wrapped and sent on its' way to the east coast, where it should arrive in time for Little Missy's birthday on Tuesday.

Physical Therapy

There is probably no better therapy for nerves that are shot to pieces than to knit with lovely, soft, and/or satisfyingly colored yarns. I've been working on the second Trekking sock when I can get the chance and am ready for the little sock needles. The play of colors in the Trekking is so soothing to the eye, and the feel of the wool on my fingers is elementally comforting. I'd really like to get these finished up soon. Perhaps if there is some down time at work this week -- hopefully the phones and the air conditioning are fixed -- I will get to do exactly that.

If I'm looking for something easy to knit, I work on bias squares for Rebuilding Greensburg. I've got plenty of yarn I could use for the squares, and I imagine that I will knit away on these until at some point I decide it's time to mail them off to Laura. Knitting on these -- any charity knitting -- is always guaranteed to make me feel better.

Finally, if I'm really in need of the ultimate comfort knitting, I reach for little Felicity's Moderne Baby Blanket. The Plymouth Dreambaby yarn is so soft, and I find the rows and rows of garter stitich to be endlessly soothing. I resisted getting Mason Dixon Knitting for a long time, but now it is one of my favorite books. I always smile when I pick it up. Who would have thought that plain old garter stitch could be so popular?

Then there is another kind of physical therapy, the one which involves pushing the proper computer buttons. This morning, when I checked my email, I found the news of Knitpicks 40% off books sale. So I promptly indulged in a little physical therapy of the library variety. Oh, and of the sock yarn variety as well.

Of course, taking Buddy for a walk also is good physical therapy. Especially when the evening sky looks like this.

More FOs

I have a few more finished objects to show you. These have been knit over the last few months as my stuff-into-the-purse sit-in-the-car-and-wait-for-somebody knitting. So each of them took a while to do, but hey, who's in a hurry?

Yellow and Blue Mason-Dixon-Knitting style ballband dishcloth. Knit from Peaches and Cream in -- surprise -- yellow and blue, on Size 7 bamboo circulars.

Multicolor Garterlac dishcloth, knit in Sugar and Cream "Midnight Magic", also with the Size 7 bamboo circulars.



Baby Genius Burp Cloths, the quintessential Mason-Dixon knitting. Done in various colors of Peaches and Cream and Sugar and Cream. Done on some Size 6 old aluminum circular needles. The back left one is done with solid blue and solid yellow; the middle is done with a solid light blue and a variegated pastel; and the top right was done with two balls of bright variegated color.

Very nice, easy, carry-along knitting for those desperate moments in life when unavoidable boredom threatens to strike.