Topi cubed

That's right, I'm finished with the Topi's for this winter. I knit total of 8 of these quick hats.

Did the package arrive before the holiday?

Ram Club 3.2 & Boku Yarn

Hi.
Spoiler Alert!

Spoiler Alert!



Ram Club Series 3 from the Unique Sheep
The Silky Wool is for the Branching Out Scarf.
The Noro Scarf will be made of Boku.
Red Bird Knits has a nice sock club.

When knittingbrow does forensic knitting...

I enjoy knitting in public with friends. Tonight's knitting was great fun. There were 10 people knitting at Cup O Joe/Lounge around a big table. Each of us were working on a variety of projects and laughing a great deal.

A few weeks back, I posted about a KAL for the Maine Morning Mitts, by Clara Parkes. (Did you know I met her at Knitters Connection in Columbus. She gave a great talk about "dating yarn" before you make a commitment. She was wonderful to speak with and to make sure that she had everything she needed. I've yet to pick up her newest book (The Knitter's Book of Wool) but look forward to it. If it's as good as the Knitter's Book of Yarn, it will be amazing.) MMMs are from Knitter's Book of Yarn. KnittingSavantDarla (KSD)joined KnitMeredith and I the week following our start. This is KSD's first time using dpns. She's doing well, overall. She's been running into the common problems of beginning with dpns. The one that got her tonight was a dropped st between needles. See the picture?


Dropped st. I had to drop down for her and pick the st up. She made up for the st a few rows later. It gets better. Turn up the volume (as the audio didn't record well)



Did you like that gasp?
Have no fear, I did spit splice the yarn back together. She continued knitting without further incident and even learned how to M1R and M1L. She's a good knitter. Here's a close-up of one of her beverages for the evening.


I sure hope that she'll be willing to knit with me again. :)

Enjoy!

Topi, topi, topic (again and again and again)

I got to spend Sunday evening with my Mom. I cooked dinner, had great conversation and shared some of my knitting with her.



I'm just about finished with my Topi obsession.
One benefit of visiting Mom is listening to her walk down memory lane. I've so enjoyed recording these videos.


(you did notice that I was wearing the same sweater, didn't you? knitSB got that for me. It's a great wool sweater and quite comfy.)

knittingbrow & his mom

A chat with my mom.
I want to fix this so she can wear it.

The Turn A Square is out of red Cascade 220.
The Topi pattern is here and is being knit out of Manos. Yes, this is my 5th or 6th one.

knitSB, LJ and I visited mom on Sunday. She cooked turkey and noodles for us. She even made an apple crumble for dessert. Man, was it good. We played euchre and chatted. It was a perfect afternoon and evening.

Topi it off Barista

Topi it off Barista
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

the recipient of the first Topi I knit. She l o v e s it and that makes me happy.

Enough For a Guage Swatch?

Enough For a Guage Swatch?
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

knitSB is knitting a pair of socks on a size 1 needle. He asked if this was enough for a guage swatch.

No. It is not.

**facepalm**

Pink Calorimetry

Pink Calorimetry
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

This is my completed Calorimetry. It is knit from using Malabrigo wortsted weight yarn and size 7 needles. I modified the pattern to CO only 96 sts rather thn the recommended 120. I think it will fit the recipient well. One more version of this is included on my holiday knitting list.

I rather enjoyed this project. It took me 2 hours and 12 minutes to knit. I think the purple button works nicely with the pink yarn. The button fits snuggly through the button holes.

I heard about Jeny's super stetchy bind-off from the Fall 2009 Knitty.com. I uses the bind-offfor this project. I am a huge fan of this way of bindingg off. I think it is a great compliment to the German Twisted Cast-on. Click on the photo and you'll go to my flickr page. There are two shots of the edge of the project. Can you see a difference?

My gift knitting has some quick deadlines coming. I have another project due in Sat and a hat she on Sunday. I am knitting on the Maine Morning Knits for the KAL for our knitting group.

I'm feeling some great motivation to get some projects done! I'll videoblog about the projects this weekend.

My Brother Got Me Pr0 n for Thanksmas

So the video is a bit long but...it's about knitting books



The two wonderful books are from my Amazon Wishlist.
Men's Knits by Erika Knight
Hat Heads by Trond Anfinnsen
his blog is knitkid or Knitkid.

Jack's Big Smile

photo
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

My family has great smiles

My BIL is Knit-Worthy

photo
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

This is my BIL, Jack. He received an unexpected gift of handknit boot socks from knitSB at Thanksmas this year.

I snapped a couple of photos of him opening the gift bag and seeing the socks for the first time. I like this photo especially because it shows the attention and appreciation that Jack has for handmade items and the enjoyment in receiving them.

He hugged knitSB and had tears joy in his eye. It is wonderful to have gift receIved with uch genuine appreciation. I know these socks will be worn and cared for so they will keep his feet warm for many winters.

Jack is so knit-worthy.

Maine Morning Mitts KAL

Knit Meredith, KnittingSavantDarla (KSD) and I are doing knit-a-long for the Maine Morning Mitts by Clara Parkes. If you care to join us in the fun, please do so and post a comment on the blog.

Here's KnitMeredith casting-on.

This is my reality-style photo for my cast-on.

Here is our progress by the end of the evening.
Knit Meredith's Maine Mitt is on the left, mine on the right. I knit twice as she. But I didn't have a glass of wine.

It was a fun evening. I have promised to only knit these when I'm around Meredith. So I'll be knitting more on Friday. The mitt is a quick knit and pleasing to knit.

I'm looking forward to helping KSD get started on her Mitts. She'll be learning DPNs for the first time!

How You Doin'?

photo
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

This is knitSB modeling the Turn-A-Square hat that I made while at Thanksmas 2009. I think a perfect caption is "How you doin'?"

The pattern is wonderful and has a jogless jog technique that is new for me. I used Lamb's Pride Worsted and some Noro Silk Garden.

I really like the color combination with the gray. My brother Mike gave me a hat book as part of my gift. I asked if he wanted a hat. Yes, he wanted one but nothing as fancy as the hats in the books. I had just finished this hat and said "You mean a simple hat like this?" Yep. So I gifted this hat to Mike.

What is wonderful is when I see people wearing the knitted item I made for them. My brother wore the hat the rest of the day. I did mention that he didn't have to wear it for my benefit. "I'm cold and it keeps me warm." His wife wore her shawl all day, too.

I had a great knitting day at Thanksmas 2009. Two of my neices asked me to knit Topi hats for them. My future nephew-in-law wants a red Topi and my great nephew's father wants a red stocking hat. I'm happy that so many of the family has asked for hand knitted items.

Wave for Joy Shawl

My family celebrates Christmas & Thanksgiving together on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. "Thanksmas" is when the family gets together to eat, drink and be merry and to exchange holiday gifts. Since I've been knitting, I've tried to knit my gift for my sibling. This is my sister-in-law Joy who was glad to receive the Joy Wave Shawl. We talk about the gift in this vlog.



I really like it when someone appreciates the hand knitted item. This is a picture of her opening the shawl.


She really likes the shawl. She wore it all day. Here are two pictures of her enjoying Thanksmas while wearing the shawl. It makes me feel great to see someone so enthusiastic about their gift.


I discovered a broken stitch right after the filming of the video.
I used a duplicate stitch with some leftover yarn to resolve the issue. I made certain to catch the new yarn several times on each side of the broken stitch so the shawl wouldn't unravel.

The pattern and detail photos

This is based on the Feather and Fan Stitch or Old Shale taken from the Barbara Walker Second Treasury.
Cast on 88 sts in color 1, K 8 rows for the set up (4 garter ridges).
Color 1
Row 1 (right side): Knit
Row 2: Knit
Switch to Color 2
Row 3: K 8 sts*(K2tog) 4 times, (YO, K1) 8 times, (K2tog) 4 times: repeat from * to last 8 sts, K
Row 4: K 8 sts, Purl to last 8 sts, K8
Repeat these 4 rows, moving up the other color until there is enough yarn for for 8 k rows (4 garter ridges) using color of your choice. BO loosely.
Block

I used a size 9 needle.
I wanted a garter st boarder so I always knit the first and last 8 sts.
This shawl took 330 yards of Classic Alpaca in Color 1603 (Cowboy Blue)
and approximately 330 yards of Noro Tidiori in Color 1

I just realized that I didn't take final measurements after I blocked the shawl. Joy, If you read this, can you please put a comment and let me know the final dimensions?

Scarf for MariaOD

Scarf for MariaOD
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

I'm doing some knitting for staff who don't have a nbd knittedotem from me. MariaOD bought some yarn because she really likes the scarf pattern that came with the pattern.

I completedy knitting at Thanksmas and went about 3 hours without knitting. I was between projects. I thought I would get started on this shawl for MariaOD. I didn't have the right needle size so I had to get creative.

I used hair bands on the end of double points to knit. This will work well as the pattern calls for a narrow scarf with only 22 sts cast-on. Once I finish with the white, I'll add black yarn. A simple but nice scarf.

Topi for me 3

Topi for me 3
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

This is the third Topi that I've knit in the last 4 days. This one is for me and is mostly knit in a discontinued Noro yarn with some extra black to help cover the yardage needed. I think I've memorized the pattern.

Musicaljeff tried it on and liked it so much he asked for one in blues. I had some blue/purple/teal silk garden in stash so I knit one for him. (That is number 4) They take about 5 hours to knit.

I cast-on another version using dark green Cascade 220. I'm almost done with the top of the hat. :). (that would be number 5)

And I have number 6 in the queue. Details soon.

Topi for knitSB

Topi for knitSB
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

I knit a second Topi out of Cascade 220 that knitSB now claims as his own. He looks rather cute in this hat, doesn't he?

The Bedroom by Van Gogh

The Bedroom by Van Gogh
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

I got to see one of my favorite paintings of all time on Monday at the Art Institute of Chicago. Van Gogh's "The Bedroom" has always made my heart flutter. The composition of the simple bedroom, painted with such colors emotes a variety of emotions from me. I would almost bet that the actual colors of the room were not this vibrant or layered. The paint is put in the canvas with a purpose and define the shapes just enough to leave room for the viewer to "fill in" whatever is missing.
I think the painting is beautiful and I got to see it in person

Expedition detail

Expedition detail
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

After visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, I took the short walk to The Loopy Yarn for their Men's Knitting night. I had a good time and got to meet Todd. Todd is an up and coming designer for men's knitted garments. He's modeling hi last design called Expedition. It is a nicely designed sweater and looks great on him, don't you think? I took this detail so you could see the detail of the front (and the cabling.)

You've heard the problem about sweater models being too cute as they distract from the sweater, haven't you? I admit there are times that I've had to put my thumb over the face of a model so I could concentrate on the sweater. ;) Todd has a great smile makes the sweater look even nicer. I have posted a photo without the smile so you can see the sweater.

I'm hopeful that he'll let me test knit a future pattern. {{hint, hint}}

FO!

I've been working on some knitted gifts for the great ladies that work at the coffee cart where I work. My barista knitted items have been pure pleasure to knit.

The second item is the Topi hat from the Spring 2006 Knitty. It was a quick knit and only needed to be frogged once when I realized the size was gigantic and too large. My modifications include using two yarns and striping the hat. If I were to do it again, I would change to two rounds in each color rather than the one. I wasn't able to single stripe the brim to keep the same striping pattern.




My Ravelry details are here.

I like this hat a lot more than I thought I would. I like it so much that I cast-on a version for me using Cascade 220.
I don't have a completed picture of the Barista Colonnade Shawl but I'll remind you of the progress with this picture.

It is the Colonnade by Stephen West from the fall 2009 knitty.

1st & 2nd Mates

You may have watched this vlog about my theater experience with a wonderful crew for How I Became A Pirate. I wanted to share a few more pictures & videos of K & M. I hope you enjoy.
M & K thought it would be fun to make t-shirts for any member of the production crew that wanted a Tartuga t-shirt. Of course, everyone needed a name to go on the back. This is a picture of the back of their shirts. I think they did a great job! The back of my shirt said "kid knittingbrow."

I really like this picture of these two amazing crew members. They had a great time and it shows on their faces. I believe they still like each other after the experience, too. Always an added bonus, I think.



They spent much of the show moving the dinghy.


and they wanted a picture of them holding it.


And what does the crew do during the performances? Check these out.

or this one


Theater should be fun. And this experience was fun.

HIBAP Production Crew

I had the BEST production crew for How I Became A Pirate. Moving bookflats, holding curtains and making a mast crack isn't always a fun evening. These people were great to work with and fun. Thank you Al, Sam, Ryan, Lance, Emilee, Melissa & Kailey. We moved sets and props for 21 performances over three weekends. This does not include tech & dress rehearsal weeks which adds another 5 full runs of the show. My hats are off to the crew. I look forward to working with you again.




The review from the Columbus Dispatch.

KoolHaas "wHip" hat side

KoolHaas "wHip" hat side
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

knit using Aracunia Nature Wool from the Interweave Knits, Holiday Gifts 2007. I completed 7 pattern repeats and it is a bit large. I wear it turned up in the back so it is more of a skull cap. I can turn it down and the hat will cover my ears comfortably.

The stitch definition with this yarn is lovely. I really like how the hat top is worked.

daffodils

daffodils
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

This painting hangs at my mom's house and was part of my senior thesis exhibit my senior year of college. I did a series of flower paintings as part of my exhibit. This oil painting was completed in 1988.

My First Sweater (5 yrs later)

My First Sweater (5 yrs later)
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

It was a beautiful day in Columbus today. Perfect weather for this sweater. I took a class to learn how to knit a Lopi sweater the fall I learned to knit. I remember struggling over the color of yarn and size of the sweater. The class was a good class and I learned a lot through the process.

I didn't finish the sweater during the class and it hybernated a few months. I remember when I finished the sweater. It was a Friday night knitting at Wolfe Fiber Arts and a lot of knitters were there knitting. I had to run in the ends. I still dislike running in the ends. I got all done with the sweater that evening and got a round of applause when I pit the sweater on for the first time.

I think every knitter should get a round of applause when they finish a project. I feel really happy that I still enjoy this sweater.

The "Jerrius"

The "Jerrius"
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

Darla knit her version of the Karius scarf following the alterations that I used for Angie's scarf. Darla's version uses a Patons wool in moss heather. She did a garter ridge every 8 rows and her increases were every 4 rows.

Yummy Birthday Present

Yummy Birthday Present
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

My friend Peggy Lilac asked wha I wanted for my birthday. I don't need any more "things" and Peggy is a great cook. She suggested cooking some food that I could take to work for lunch. Such a great idea for me! Today's food is split pea and rice soup. It is quite tasty. The seasoning is really good and has a hint of mustard. I like split pea soup and make it a lot for myself. Peggy's is perfect for my Thursday lunch.

Behind me is the quilt that N-cubed made for my birthday several years back. I love the quilt and it hangs in my office to remind me of how amazingly colorful life should be everyday.

I've been feeling "old" over the last few days and it is good to have some good reminders of the "happy" aspects of birthdays. The feeling "old" shows up by getting irritated by slow drivers, how young some people look and that I still have so much left on my life to-do list. I'm working on keeping everything in perspective and to stop "talking about" things and to start doing things.

What was your best birthday gift?

Birthday Card from M's 2009

Birthday Card from M's 2009
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

This lovely card was given to me by the M's. It is a Muse of Knitting card. It is a very appropriate card because she taught me to knit. She and her friend Sarah came down to visit me and see the Chihuly exhibits at the Franklin Park Conservatory and the Columbus Art Museum. we had a greattime and enjoyed lunch at Old Bag O' Nails.

My niece and me at a wedding

My niece and me at a wedding
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

This past weekend was a family wedding. Some many of my nieces and nephews are growing up. I'm starting to feel old.

This is C. Doesn't she have a great smile?

Babossa the CPA

Babossa the CPA
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

L as Stubby Barbossa

How I Became A Pirate opens Thursday.

Ram Club 3.1

I got my first shipment from the Ram Club-Series 3. The yarn is Foot Prints, a sport weight, merino superwash. I like the bark series. You can only get it as part of the Ram Club. :) There are quite a few nice colors available that you CAN buy. Tell them knittingbrow sent you. The pattern is Intersector Socks by Sarah Wilson. Pattern look pretty good. I'll give more details later.

Update

I've not updated you properly on what has been going on in the knittingbrow household.

Two weeks ago knitSB was in an automobile accident and totalled his car. He was in the hospital for three days and released with a fractured pelvis. We were surrounded by friends and family who cared a great deal and offered support by visiting, cooking us yummy food walking our dog and moving furniture around to accomodate knitSB needing to be on the first floor. Thank you.

What has been impressive is knitSB's healthy attitude and progression. He's walking with a cane and still has some pain when doing steps. He started school and has been able to keep up with his homework. :). Monday, he was diagnoised with the flu and missed three days of work while getting that under control. I stayed home in an effort to help him.

We're both getting a little frustrated with each other. (I expect this is normal).

I've been working on How I Became A Pirate which is turning out to be incredible fun. You've seen the posts, right?

On the knitting front, knitSB successfully turned a heal and finished a gusset for our BIL's 2008 Holiday socks. I finished a slipped ribbed shawl using handspun that I bought in vacation this year. The pattern is from Stephen West. It was an enjoyable knit that just needs blocking. I've had to unknit the Collande(sp?) Shawl from the Fall Knitty 2009 twice. That's what I get for trying to watch Torchwood and work on a fairly easy lace pattern. I've fixed it and am using st markers and some better notes on the pattern. It is turning out nicely.

I taught a Color Wave scarf class at Knitters Mercantile this past Saturday for two students. They were a lot of fun and have selected great yarns for their feather and fan based scarf. I wrote the pattern two years ago. Maybe I should post it here?

Expect more Pirate posts and picture uploads.

LaToe's headwrap

LaToe's headwrap
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

sometimes pirates need to be silly after a good rehearsal.

Half st off

Half st off
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

I've been working in a knitted hat for one of the pirates in "How I Became A Pirate" which opens on October 22, 2009. The first version of the hat stretched a great deal more than I expected. I used a size 7 needle in a K2P2 ribbing. I am using Comfort by Berroco.

I decided it best to knit the bottom part of the hat on a smaller needle. I'm using a size 3. I think the rib will be snug and not fall off the actor's head. I opted to unknit 4 stripes by unraveling the yarn and picking up the sts with a needle. I'll be knitting down on sts that were knit going up. I know this has been done before because I remember reading any this in EZ.

The picture shows that the sts are a half st off. I wasn't expecting this but noticed the ribbing was off. I also found that the sts didn't sit on the needles quite right. Some were twisted and others looped wrong. I decided just to set the ribbing sts as closely as I could.

I knit all the sts in the first row with the new color. The prevents purl bumps from showing on the front and looking odd. I think it will be fine with the half st off in the pattern. I figure that if an audience member is that interested in the details of the hat there are other problems. :)

sandcastle 2

sandcastle 2
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

the progress of the sandcastle for How I Became A Pirate

Darla's Neckwarmer

Darla's Neckwarmer
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

Darla learned to knit. This is her first project, a neckwarmer.

Pirate rehearsal

Pirate rehearsal
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

Rehearsal is happening in the theatre now. I think this is one of the most charming scenes of the show.

Treasure Chest

treasure chest. 

Today, I made this 

look like this

as part of my Props Master work on How I Became A Pirate. 

The fun really shows up when I fill it full of treasure!
TREASURE! 

Slipped Rib progress 1

Slipped Rib progress 1
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

Knitting on the slipped rib scarf using handspun

Handspun from Lofty Lou's

Handspun from Lofty Lou's
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

these skeins are turning into the Slipped Rib Scarf

I'm enjoying the knitting and will post an "in progress" picture.

Darla learns to knit

Darla learns to knit
Originally uploaded by knittingbrow

I taught Darla to knit at Cup o' Joe on Friday night. I'm teaching her to knit continental. She's a natural knitter.