My personal quilting history - a story of cursed yarn.

Roughly 11 months ago I bought some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. And by some, I mean about 11 skiens. No shit. I had just learned that my one and only sister/sibling was pregnant with my first niece and wanted to make something fantastic. My sister is a third grade teacher and so I thought that the Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket would be exactly perfect. And it was.... but my yarn? My mountains of cashmerino? CURSED.

Every time I felt like I was getting somewhere with the blanket I would realize I had two too few or too many stitches which, if you look at the blanket, throws just about EVERYTHING off. I was trying not to be obsessive about the blanket's short comings, but my perfectionism got the best of me and rip rip rip - the blanket was done for good. And I was left with lots of expensive cursed yarn.

Still wanting to make the most special blanket I could, but not willing or able to use the un-knittable yarn, I began my slow descent into madness. My Legal Writing teacher, my favorite teacher of all time, actually, is a quilter. A ferociously talented, unapologetic quilter. And a sassy attorney to boot. I was sitting in her office discussing my appellate brief one spring day and we started discussing an article she was contemplating about the trademarking of quilt designs. Until then I didn't really understand how cool a quilt could be. That they didn't have to be all forest green and burgundy and that quilting can be modified by the quilter's own creative style just like knitting. EUREKA. I would make my sister a quilt.

I wanted my mom to be a part of it too, to make it even more special. So before spring break I went to Quiltology (one of my favorite places in the city) and picked out my fabrics and a design. After 3 days of cutting and trying to figure out how to "square off" corners and what a seam allowance should be, we had a beautiful quilt top. It took me quite some time to find the courage to bind the quilt... in fact, it took me about 4 months from start to finish with this quilt. But I am so happy we took on the adventure. Here she is.

I used minky on the back - because I can't help myself with that stuff. The consequence being that Misha will be 12 before she is strong enough to carry the quilt around if she so chooses. Now she uses it for tummy time and for when my sister gives her bed time massages (must be rough). I decided that I love the look of hand quilting, so, starting with the Misha quilt, I have always hand quilted a little on each of the quilts I make. Can you see? Around the two green flowers? In any case, that one quilt created the monster that I am today and sparked all sorts of new sewing projects that I will share soon.

But what about my cursed yarn? Well, I got out all the kinks during the making of.... TA DAAAA!

Pattern: Clapotis (pronounced "clap-oh-tee")
Designer: Kate Gilbert
Get it: Here
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (about 4 skeins)
Model: My Beautiful Big Sister

This pattern is really an amazing piece of design work. The texture is made by dropping stitches, which are knit on the bias. It actually won Design of the Year on knitty.com (well deserved). The dimensions of the scarf are incredible: A little over five feet long and about a foot wide. It's squishy, warm, and practical. I love it. Oh - and the pattern is free. SCORE. This scarf will be going with me everywhere - especially the cold, lonely library. (:

Something more about the designer, Kate Gilbert. She's great. She and friends came out this last month with a new knitting magazine (maybe just on the web?... webzine?) full of trendy beautiful designs. It's called Twist Collective and you must, must, MUST check it out. I have never seen a knitting publication with so many "hits" and, really, not a single miss. I have picked out 2 projects for Moi, one for my mom, and I'm hell-bent on making the "Daniel" sweater but have yet to find a man in my life that will wear it. It's a goal of mine to make a friend that will wear it (and get A's in school and learn French).

I am in Michigan visiting my sister, bro-in-law and (of course) Miss Misha. My B-I-L is at work, and Sasha (sister) ran to her class room for a few hours. I've got the run of Babyland and all she wants to do is sleep.... for once. OOPS! As always, I spoke too soon. She is starting to fuss. I'll leave you with a shot from bath time last night. We call her The Michelin Man for a reason.

Comme Again?!

Uhh, okay. It has gone too far. H&M will be featuring a line by Comme de Garcons. Read all about it here.

(Picture from W Magazine)

Okay, sure - fashion should be accessible. But it BLOWS MY MIND to think that 14 year olds from the burbs are going to be wearing the fashion concepts of Rei Kawakubo. I remember doing a pretty intense project on Comme De Garcons back in my days as a fashion student and thinking that I really barely understood what the hell was going on with this brand. It's abstract, it's out there, and it is definitely more art than sportswear. Making Comme de Garcons for the H&M demographic is like handing out original Salvador Dali paintings to everyone on Michigan Ave. Sure, the recipients might say "this is by an important person, so I like it" and then they go hang it in their bathroom. They might understand that it's art, but they'll never understand what it means. This is mind boggling. H&M, you've gone too far. Rei Kowakubo: you were already crazy, but you've obviously recently lost it completely.

I have no excuse.

I could pretend and say THINGS HAVE BEEN CRAZY!!! But in actuality, the only craziness in my life is the Olympics and I should have more to post today. For the first week I was home I just sat and knit and enjoyed having a couch and a TV again. Total bliss, really. Unfortunately, I had two set backs in my knitting.

1. My mom's birthday present has sadly been a nightmare. I was working on making my mom a birthday gift out of this beautiful LOOKING stuff:

(Jojoland Harmony)

When I realized... I HATE WORKING WITH LACE WEIGHT. A lot. I tried every pattern on ravelry and none of them made me feel good. I just kept thinking "this will not keep her warm, this is not something she'd wear, this is not practical" and then... rrrrrriiiiiiiip! Out came 6 hours of work each time. So I've given up on this very pretty but ridiculously impractical yarn. I have no idea when I will be able to use it again, but I'm moving on.

So, I was in search of the perfect mom gift ALL OVER Ravelry. I found a few small projects that she will actually use, though they may not be so coherent. I don't want to spoil the surprise, so if you are not my mom look here and here for her gifts. I wanted to make more, but I've realized that this "handmade pledge" easily gets out of hand. I don't want to be anti-climactic at holiday time. (:

2. I fell in LOVE with Eunny's Deep V Argyle Vest and have been working on it almost non stop. Unfortunately, my gauge, once again, is off and I'm going to have to tear the whole thing out and go with a bigger needle. Yes, JUST LAST POST I said I was going to start doing a swatch. But I didn't. I'm a bum. I relied on the fact that the pattern called for just sport weight, which I had, and went with it using the needles called for by the yarn req's. Silly me. No I have to pull out days of work. Makes me a little sick.

I've also been working on my quilts! I am FINALLY SATISFIED with Dara's baby naming quilt, so here it is:

I have gotten RAVE reviews from friends (other than Dara's parents) who have seen the quilt. I am pleased with the results and at peace with the fact that the hand quilting took over two months for me to finish.

I'm also very close to finishing one of the "sister quilts" that I have been working on. My friends are having their second daughter and I wanted to make the new baby a quilt without making the soon to be big sister feel left out. So for the past month I have been working with way too much pink fabric. Maybe that is why I have been so slow to finish?? Here is my modified Coin Stack Quilt from, you guessed it, Last Minuted Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. It was originally a much larger pattern so I shrunk it down to a crib size. I'm IN LOVE with it.

The minky on the back is proving difficult in the quiting process. Being a knit fabric, it loves to move and stretch when it goes through the machine. I've had to tear out more than my fair share of quilting to reposition the fabric. Another reason it has taken me so long. (:

I have battled with the zig sag quilt from day one and have decided that it is a no-go to copy straight off the pattern. I just don't like the look of it. I have a few ideas from Denis Schmidt's book, but I'm running out of patience.

Yup. Yuck. I don't even want to talk about it anymore. Today I am off to Stanley's (the best and cheapest place in Chicago for fruits and veggies) and then running to Jo-Ann to get zippers and some interfacing to finish my Amy Butler Weekender Bag! I am so excited. I'll post pictures soon - I'm going to my Sister's to play with her and Misha on Saturday. I'll try not to saturate this blog with baby pictures. (: 'Til next time...

It is SO GOOD to be home... and to have some FOs.

Well, at this time yesterday I was living here.

Now, after 14 hours of driving straight through the night, I'm back home.

(View from the roof deck and my couch/favorite piece of furniture ever)

I'm never, ever, ever leaving again. Ever. This is the first time in 6 years that I have lived at an address longer than one year and it's given me the opportunity to decorate how I want. Of course, once I got it the way I liked it, I left for Delaware and left my pretty pretty apartment to my boyfriend to live in alone. Not fair.

In any case, I am back and inspired to make this place even more like home. I am totally inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Green Apples. I want to paint my office now, more than ever, and in a wildly romantic colors like she has chosen. We live in a condo building that was formerly a spaghetti factory. The timber loft can be so cozy and warm, I'd like to get ride of just one of the white walls. To me, they just don't go with how well the brick and the woodwork play together. To demonstrate: My dad eating cereal this morning at the kitchen table.

Unfortunately, every wall is white except for one... and on that wall the landlords did something, uh, interesting?

It's a real library ladder - it moves and everything. Unfortunately, the books that you see are wall paper. I want nothing more than to knock out that wall and make it into an actual book shelf. As a result of us both enduring law school (he did it 7 years before me, however), boyfriend and I have TONS of very cool looking (but now useless) books that need a good home. Right now they are shoved into an Ikea book case. It's just not right.

Anyway, an FO! Here is the Mrs. Darcy sweater (ravelry link), in all of her glory.

Mrs. Darcy Sweater
Published in: Ramblings of a Knitting Obsessive

Yarn weight: Aran / Worsted

Gauge: 16 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Needle size: US 9 / 5.5 mm

Fiber: 3 skeins (645.0 yards) Berroco Ultra Alpaca
Size: SMALL.

Okay, so what did I learn this time.... TO ALWAYS SWATCH AND CHECK YOUR GAUGE. The pattern actually calls for about 900 yards. As you can see, I made mine out of just under 650 yards. Not good. Thankfully it fits, but I'm uncomfortable with the fact that the V-neck is so wide. I think I am going to attach a wider ribbed neck band and continue down for the buttons. It's also too short - and I am probably a world record holder for short torsos. I will likely pick up and cast on in order to make it longer. I haven't decided yet if I am going to do a ripped bottom or not, but I think it might be too much next to the twisted rib.

I love love LOVE the idea of this pattern, I only wish I had executed it better. If only I did a swatch! But I'm already learning from my mistake! I am going to do a swatch of my bro-in-law's holiday present sweater even though I've already cast on. I'd rather tear the whole thing out than make him a sweater he can't wear.

Speaking of WIPs, I started Clapotis by Kate Gilbert last week. It is a genius pattern that I will certainly discuss when I am finished and have some sweet photos to show off to you. In the mean time, here is the big bad WIP Pic:

By the way... I am probably the last known knitter to have cast this on. Ravelry shows that this pattern has been made 7007 times. I think that is pretty effing amazing.

Well, I am tired, hungry and have 20, no 19 minutes to get ready for my best girlfriend's house warming party. (I am so excited to have her close... she moved 6 blocks from me and now we can walk to school together...**nerds**). Wish me luck.