What I'm into Now: Summer, Glorious Summer

It's no secret that I like baking, cooking, and all sorts of other kitchen-y good things. However, it's been a gloriously hot summer. HOT. which means cooking doesn't sound nearly so attractive, since my apartment only has one window unit air conditioner, and it is at the opposite end of the apartment from the kitchen. But I've definitely tried my hand at some new things this summer. For example:
 
Making ketchup from scratch was probably one of the easiest and most satisfying from-scratch things I've done all year. It's so easy, and much healthier than normal ketchup (since there's high fructose corn syrup in most commercially prepared ketchups). And it tastes amazing!

(why yes, I did make ketchup from scratch and then use it with terrible, frozen food section McCains's fries. I know that makes no sense. I put it on delicious home-made burgers a day later, I swear. )

Ribs. Specifically, this recipe, which makes the most delicious ribs I have ever had. You MUST try this recipe, it's to die for. G and I are very particular about buying only local, organic meat from stores/butchers that can vouch for the humane treatment of the animals; so we don't eat meat often, but when we do- we pull out all the stops. 

 This has also been my summer of sangria. I pretty much have a pitcher of it on the go in my fridge all the time. I do both red and white sangria, and I find it so relaxing to sit outside on our patio drinking sangria and relaxing, I've yet to remember to take a picture. But trust me- sangria, taken like a daily post-work vitamin, is good for the soul.

Also, I tried my hand at making my own insect repellent spray using these guidelines, and I had a lot of success. I found that the natural one I mixed up needed to be reapplied frequently, but I figure that's a small price to pay to avoid DEET and other harsh chemicals.Has anyone else tried making their own bug spray? I'd be interested so see what other essential oils people have tried.

We've also made friends with the friendly squirrel that lives under our patio:

 (in the top left photo, he actually has a bit of ice cream on his nose! 

That would be G's idea, of course) 

 

Isn't he a cutie? Although I think we've become a bit too friendly with the squirrel- we've had to stop propping open the patio door for the cats, because twice the squirrel has decided to come into the kitchen, and once he actually chewed the lid off of some cocoa powder. Squirrels are much cuter when they are not terrorizing your kitchen!

Modification Mondays: Tweed Cloche

Original Pattern: Caroline

Knitter Extraordinaire: Arlette (Rav ID, Blog)

Mods: Although she thought she got gauge, her hat turned out waaay too big. Being an intrepid knitter, she figured felting it would help- but the double-thickness hem didn't felt as at the same rate as the crown, and the pleats got even more out of proportion. So, she created a little rosette on the side of the hat with the pleats, and turned what was going to be an FO fail into a gorgeous, flattering, compliment-fetching hat.


What Makes This Awesome: The finished result is so lovely, I had no idea that it wasn't her intention to knit the hat exactly as it turned out!  Arlette transformed what could have been a knit disaster for many of us into what is easily the prettiest hat I've seen in a while. I love her version! Project page, including details on how she did the rosette, is here.

FO: Tea Rose Tank Fail

Pattern: Tea Rose Halter

Needles: US 11 / 8mm

Yarn: Patons Cotton DK in royal blue

Mods: Cast on only 74 stitches for the body, decreased to 62 for the ribbing, increased back to 74 when the lace resumed for the bust. Added two crochet chain straps for a tank top configuration, instead of a halter.

Notes: My darlings, I have a problem. And I'm not sure if this is something that is just a given, or if I'm doing something wrong, but every time I try to do ribbing in a cotton yarn, the ribbing bags and pouches. it does not pull things in, like it's supposed to (like ribbing does when knit in wool, for example). This pattern is knitted with DK yarn held quadruple (which is what I did), do you think that was part of the problem?

So... see how the lace pulls in everything, gives a great shape? And see how that ribbing just makes it... wrong? What happened?! This is not the most flattering thing I've ever knit, that's for damn sure.

 I speedily knitted this up in hopes of wearing it on the recent TTC Knitalong, but no go. I wore this instead. I think, sadly, that the Tea Rose Tank is destined for the frog pond.

Update: Rose Armwarmers and Agathe

I knew that if I asked my fellow knitters out there, you'd have awesome solutions to the problem of the rose armwarmers! I was absolutely bowled over by all the awesome suggestions, links to patterns with similar charts, etc. I can see now that I'll probably have to do some swatching with the colourwork charts, to see what will work- a big chart can only be scaled down so much when using fingering weight. I'm so excited to start them in the fall! As soon as I come back form England in September, I'm going to get started on them right away.

So. remember when I was trying to decide on the colourway for my Agathe pullover? And you all got to vote? Well, the yarn arrived, and I've swatched!  I don't think like it. Well, it's okay. Maybe it'll grow on me?

I got another colour, just in case:

 what do you think?

Modification Mondays: Tropicana Jaden

Original Pattern: Jaden

Knitter Extraordinaire: Marceline (Rav ID, Blog)

Mods: So many! She knitted it in the round, added single crochet edging around the armholes, used the top half of this pattern for the shaping and ribbing, and did all sorts of mathematical gymnastics to customize her perfect fit.

What Makes This Awesome: It's gorgeous. The colour, the fit, the style- this is such an amazing summer knit. It look so flattering, and I bet it's comfortable.  I'm so impressed by Marceline's determination to have the perfect custom tank top for summer- the way she used multiple patterns, adjusted her gauge, and really made this her own. And the results were so worth it!!!  Also, you really need to check out her detailed pattern notes- they are incredibly helpful. Full details on her project page .

Rose Armwarmers- My Obsession

I was perusing the new Rowan (issue 48) on their website, and came across these lovely things ( I apologize for the slightly blurry screen capture):

I love the idea of these: the elaborate, old-fashioned roses knit into a lovely, simple arm warmer. I'm obsessed with making these for fall! But- I do not want to buy an issue of Rowan (which is mucho expensive here in Canada) for only one pattern. Which leads me to wonder why Rowan doesn't sell their patterns individually & online like so many other magazines, but whatever. Lamenting various realities will not get me closer to these mitts.  I'm thinking of searching out a lovely intarsia/fair isle rose pattern from something else, and incorporating them into the mitts. Sounds deliciously simple, right?

So I've been hunting through Ravelry patterns, looking for some lovely fair isle roses- but I feel like most of what I find is only 2 colour versions- the rose on a different colour background. I really like the many shades of pinks and reds in these roses, and the way it adds to that old-fashioned look. Any thoughts? Ideas? Have you seen anything like this in your travels through patterns? Any help would be welcome!

TTC Knitalong 2010

Another summer, another TTC Knitalong in Toronto!!  If you haven't done it before, let me tell you: It's SO MUCH FUN. This year our awesome swag bags were filled with wonderful goodies from Bernat, The Naked Sheep, The Purple Purl, Plymouth Yarns, Patons, and even some bags had knitting books donated by Simon & Schuster. It was a serious score. And then to top it all off, many of the yarn stores were having special discounts and sales for the TTC Knitalong crews! Talk about getting your fiber fix. If you live anywhere near Toronto and haven't done the TTC Knitalong, you're missing out. Even if you think you're too shy, or don't have any one to go with- don't worry! You don't need to bring a friend. You don't need to be super outgoing. You just need to show up, and the mutual love of yarn and knitting pretty much takes care of the rest. It's a very welcoming, fun day for knitters of all skill levels.

I was fairly restrained in my yarn purchasing this year- I bought with very specific projects in mind, which really helped me stay on budget and on task. Let's get a closer look, shall we?

The two skeins of the Mission Falls superwash is to make my nephew a little Sheldon stuffie. The gorgeous Indigodragonfly skein (which is called "Oh Glenna and her Lemongrass Martinis") is destined to become  these armwarmers. The lovely sunshine yellow skein of Tanis Fiber Arts yarn is going to become Duck Socks (well, probably many, many pairs of duck socks). As for the Malabrigo....I couldn't resist the Pearl Ten colourway (that's the brownish-grey skeins), and then I couldn't leave the lovely, creamy natural skeins behind, either. Sigh. You can never have too much malabrigo laceweight!! Projects? Ahem. So much for staying on task! I haven't quite decided, but probably a whisper cardigan, and a featherweight cardigan. Or maybe this cowl. Or..... we'll see!!

Modification Mondays: Red Marjorie

Original Pattern: Marjorie

Knitter Extraordinaire: Alana (Rav ID)

Mods: Knitted it top down, using Barbara Walker's simultaneous set-in sleeve method. Also changed the neckline, eliminated bust darts, and added some length.



What Makes This Awesome: I loooove this pullover. But I completely overlooked the original pattern when it came out, because of the neckline- crew necks make me look short. How short sighted of me! Alana changed up the neckline for a lovely scoop, and knitting it top down allowed her to try it on as she knitted. Plus most top down knits are raglan, so it's great to see her using the set in sleeve. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I have never tried the top down set in sleeve method, and maybe this is the project that will inspire me to branch out my top-down skills!

FO: Athyrie

Pattern: Athyrie

Yarn: Mirasol Nuna in 'Royal Purple"

Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4)

Mods: Eliminated two of the hexagon repeats, as I was concerned that the silk in the yarn would already yield a much longer garment, post-blocking.

Notes: I fell in love with this pattern, and I have a soft spot for convertible items of clothing and accessories (perfect for travelling!) but this was just a bit off the mark. Some of it was the pattern being a bit too general in it's sizing, and some of it was my fault. The 'my fault' part: buttons. I was so excited to use a bunch of the vintage shell buttons I had, but I find that the results a bit too much of a gypsy sort of look. Not that it's bad (it isn't) but it's not my style. I wish I had gone for more subtle, nearly invisible, buttons.


The pattern: the sizing is waaaaay to big for my arms (the photos hide how flappy the sleeves are. I don't understand why fit issues never seem to show up in the photos- I swear it's not all in my head!). I understand that the width is meant to give it the option of being a wrap, but I don't think it then converts easily into a shrug for those with skinny toothpick arms. If I were to make this again (and I very well might, I love the idea of it so much) I would eliminate about 15-20 stitches of the stockinette in the middle.I also would probably eliminate another 2 hexagon repeats, so that it could still be worn as a vest (see the Flickr photos for better shots of when worn  as a vest) but with less fabric volume.

Otherwise, this was a fun knit. It's a good thing that I'm determined to give lots of knitted gifts this year! I believe this lovely thing will go to someone who fits it better.

Also, I never gave an update on the  Agathe colour combo voting!! Option 3 won out, but not by much. And there were some excellent suggestions about possibly mixing it up based on some of the colours in that post- using pink stripes in with the black or brown, for example. So- I've placed my order for  option 3 colours, and when they arrive I'll begin watching!!

Modification Mondays: Starry Vest

Original Patterns: Blush and Fresco Colourwork Wrap Vest

Knitter Extraordinaire: Marije (Rav ID)

Modifications: Used the Blush vest instructions for the basic layout of the vest, and the chart for the Fresco Colourwork Wrap Vest.

What Makes This Awesome: I love seeing it- the perfect mash up of two great patterns. The colourwork vest was lovely, but wrap vests (or wrap sweaters) aren't for everyone.  This vest is so beautiful- the colourwork and simple shape are so very wearable. I love it! Just goes to show that if you find a great pattern that fits and flatters you, you can always use other patterns as jumping-off points for using colourwork or even stitch patterns to revamp a classic style.