stitch marker

eden larissa rhubarb and a pink pink sweater

Photo by Sarah Gilbert.

Yes, you have seen this sweater before. But I love this photo and wanted to show you. At our farmers market there's a place called Cafe Velo that custom drips Stumptown single origin coffees in ceramic cones. I had ordered some sort of coffee that had "eden" in the name, but I was knitting the sweater for the daughter of my good friend Eden and so asked Sarah to photograph the cup and sweater together.

I haven't seen enough of either friend, Eden or Sarah. I'm sad about that, or, more wistful. There should be more friends together time. I miss people, I miss my dog, I miss my family from traveling, even for a single night.

But Berkeley was lots of fun! I had a wonderful interview with Mike from YKnit (you must click here because we are toooo cute,) and visited Mrs. Dalloway's Books where they were so kind to me. Aurora works there and is someone who knitted pieces for our book.

When I returned I found out my previous trip to Denver continues to pay off. Our book is on the Denver Post bestseller list this week! This is really amazing to me. I didn't imagine a knitting book could do that. I'm thrilled.

Have a cup of coffee with me?

if you are eden, don't click this picture

Unless you want to see your baby's finished sweater before I mail it!

Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann's February Sweater from Knitter's Almanac.
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, in Petal Showers colorway.
Vintage buttons from Button Emporium in Portland, OR.

the days are longer, but not long enough

This little sweater is almost finished. Almost.

But I had to take a break because I got the most amazing opportunity to take an all-day class with Annie Modesitt yesterday. I took her Twisted Float shrug class (more on that after I download the pictures). Today I'm making up for lost work time over the past two weeks.

While I sit, head bowed over grant proposals, the hops are starting to climb. Birds are chirping in high gear. Our locust tree is getting its leaves, to join the leaves already out on our vine maple and hawthorn.

Sebastian is practicing saying "I'm three." So very big. He puts a piece of paper on his head and says "This is my house, Mommy." A piece of straw, "This is a propeller, Mommy." When it's time for bed, "Snuggle me, Mommy." Every second I look at him he breaks my heart.

So so many things I  want to think about, read, cook, knit. I wish I had another entire day for every actual day.

just some knitting

April has been wild already. The rest of it is full. May is lousy with birthdays, book signings, and more. But today. Today is a still point. The epitome of Sunday. I think I'm going to head out to the Abundant Yarn Sunday brunch potluck and see where I go from there.

My friend Eden visited from Boston with her 3-month-old lovely little girl, and she picked out this tender Dream in Color Classy yarn in the Petal Shower colorway. So pink, and yet with a slight edge, it's knitting up like a Neapolitan dream. This is the start of Elizabeth Zimmermann's February Baby Sweater from Knitter's Almanac, a pattern I've wanted to knit for ages. Ages. I have desired to knit this pattern and never fit it into what was happening. Today it could even get finished, all at once. It's such a tiny gem.

And this is, after all, a whole Sunday.

an updated feather & fan

The re-written pattern for this bonnet is here:

Download juniperbonnet.pdf

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did it! all!

Photo by my sister, Lynette Golden.

Besides finishing the vest, the night before the wedding, we celebrated, saw off my little brother (who yes, looks like House) with his lovely bride (eee!), met my sister's boyfriend with whom she's extremely seriously going to get married, wore my fabulous dress and shoes, saw Betsy Ross House (my choice of one Philadelphia landmark; she was a seamstress after all), ate a lot of good food including lots of waffles at various hotels, and made it home through all our airplane rides, including two planes alone with just me and Sebastian. The little man loved his new uncle (the very seriously going to get married one), and had a great time getting re-acquainted with his aunt.

Ahhhh, it's so good to be home. He's asleep, probably for about two days.

knitted, steam ironed, ready for edging

Thanks to Barbara, for teaching me how to cable without a needle (while she was driving and I was in the seat directly behind her, so she did it all by explaining verbally, how cool is she?), and to Kay for her exuberance about ironing. Ironing made it so beautiful!

There is one mistaken stitch--a purl where a knit should be--really far down in one cabled part, and so that is staying in. It's the stitch that proves it's handmade. ;-)

And now they have me seam just one shoulder, then pick up the neck and rib flat. Because I'm inclined to do things in harder ways than they need to be done, I knit the body in Cotton Cashmere on size 4 needles. That's thick yarn on relatively small needles, for those who haven't used it. And yet, for the ribbing I go down even more, to a size 3. Wrists, beware.

I may not get to do that until late tonight. I'm working a lot - like paid work - today. But I think this could might will happen.

deadline knitting

The reason you may not have heard from me? My little brother (Ryan, or as Sebastian calls him Unkie Ryo) is getting married in 6 days, and my son is wearing this harvey vest. It's a Rowan pattern that I'm making in Cotton Cashmere with a bajillion little cables. I started it a while ago but have not been focused, and so by yesterday I was not nearly close enough. I had two days off, and so have not lifted my head out of my knitting fog for those two days, except to eat a LOT of cookies, take one bath, and run 2 miles, y'know, for health.

Yesterday I knit on the MAX train, while waiting at PGE Park for the lovely Barbara and Melissa to pick me up, all the way to Canby for the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival, all day at the festival, and on the way back. I'm almost finished with both the back and front. Then I'm on to the armbands and neckband. And the wedding!

all aboard

I'm finishing things. I just want to get through a certain number of unfinished projects (I'm not sure of what number that is) so I can move on to another wave. I have some knitting to do by late September for my little brother's wedding, so I'm feeling the crunch.

So following up the simple cabled blueberry socks, I have The Bootees. They are Cute. In the pantheon of cute they sit in a high place. They made the desired impression on my neighbor when I gave them to her and congratulated her on her new granddaughter.

Pattern: Saartje's Bootees
Yarn: Shibui Sock in Sand colorway
Needles: US 2 straight (If I do these again I may try Adrian's circular method. There was a lot of fussy sewing for such a small project. Though the results are worth it.)
Buttons: From a garage sale haul.

These are great booties. So damn cute.

Almost as cute as what's happening right now:  Martin blowing a horn in Sebastian's bedroom and telling him it's "the sleep barge" coming to put him to sleep. "Everybody on the sleep barge gets their own blankie, and their own doggie, and their own water bottle." Look out; here it comes.

sweet

The sweet baby cap from Gros Blog, via Hello Yarn.
Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock mediumweight in Moss Agate.
Size 1 needles
2 days

And a ton of yarn left, or a few ounces anyway, for the new mom to make something to go along with it! And no, Sarah, even though you jumped the gun and started having contractions yesterday this is not for you and Baby Monroe. You're not ready yet. And I am not ready for your baby either.