Bichons In Berry Sauce

I'm planning to start a new Odessa soon, in pink, and was thinking about making a scarf to match. I wanted something swirly, Odessa-esque, so I settled in on the Ribbon Scarf from Handknit Holidays.

I cast on using the longest cord from my Boye interchangable set, but it isn't going to do it for this one. Right now, I only have 400 stitches, and I need to increase up to 1,600! Seems a little crazy to me. I didn't like the idea of working on two circs, so I ordered a 40" Inox circ last nite. Hopefully that will be here soon- in the meantime I can be working on the matching Odessa. I'm using Rowan Cashsoft DK for both the hat and scarf, the color is a pretty deep rose pink.

It's been freezing here lately, literally. I went to check my mail yesterday with damp hair and when I came back it was crunchy and stiff. Abby doesn't seem to mind the cold and likes the snow, she's been playing in it a lot. Mostly when she's supposed to be going potty.

Posted by Nancy at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Odessa, she's done!

Pattern: Odessa by Kathy
Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK in Lime and some size 6 clearish-sparkly colored beads from Joann's. On the yarn, the color is much truer in the pictures with Abby.
Needles: Inox 16" circulars, sizes 5 and 6, size 6 dpns
Modifications: After I had the requesite 5.5" from cast-on edge, I did a couple more pattern repeats, just to make sure the hat would be long enough. I figured I'm a tight knitter anyway, so my row gauge is probably a little shorter than it should be. Tight knitting: the same reason I used a size 5 instead of 4 for cast-on.

Some of you might say, hey, what's up with her swirls? Why are they going in the wrong direction? How'd she manage to mess that up? Answer: all of my knitting goes in the wrong direction, unless I change up the pattern. I'm a lefty knitter, so everything I knit is really backward. Think of it as knitting South of the equator. Like toilets in Australia.

This pattern is very clear and smartly written! I'm thinking about making a few more of these, it really only took maybe 5 or 6 hours. Thanks to Kathy for making this pattern available to all of us!

I asked Abby to model the hat for me, and she said sure, but only if I get to wear it my way. I think she's trying to be one of the "cool dogs".

Posted by Nancy at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Last nite, I finally cast on for Odessa. Having just one project going seemed like too little variety. (And I know I'm supposed to be working on the Demi, but it's just not fun. Maybe in a year or two I will be ready to knit the Demi, but I think I got myself in a little over my head.) So Odessa it was. I purchased some generic clearish beads with a slight sparkle to them last week at Joann's; they seem to catch whatever color they're sitting next to and reflect it. Very pretty against the green.

I'm using the recommended Rowan Cashsoft DK in Lime. Since I've been working with a wool/mohair blend for Midwest Moonlight, this Cashsoft is supersoft and smooth to work with. I'm already a few inches into the swirly pattern! Knitting with beads isn't as hard as I thought it would be-- it is a little annoying to have to pause to pull the bead up, but this only happens every fourth row. I can deal.

Abby has been sleeping on my legs during my knitting time today. Since her haircut, she seems to like to snuggle a lot more. She's a very good little girl, and keeps herself occupied when her mommy has things to do. Notice how her tail is always a blur in the pictures? She's such a happy dog, she can't stop wagging it!

Posted by Nancy at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Now normally, I'm pretty passive about football. If it's on, I will sit there and knit contently, and if there's a "great game" on per my boyfriend's standards, I'm ok if I miss it. I could take it or leave it. But. On superbowl Sunday, I am thankful for football, and I even love football. Why, you ask? Well, my most favorite LYS, New York Knits, has taken it upon themselves to improve this day of sports by adding in some yarn incentive. Every year on the special football day, most of the store is deeply discounted. They open up extra check out lines. There are women everywhere buying yarn (and a man standing next to a knitter holding her new stash). I went with my college friend Lizzy who bought some super soft Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in lavander and green to make a hat and scarf set. She just joined for working in the round (her first hat) and has a few very perfect hat brim rows.

I made more of what you might call stash additions. My enjoy making all sorts of baby knits, and my favorite yarn for this is the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I got enough for a sweater in the blue/lavander color, and a few skeins of light green and pink for accent, hats, or booties, whatever strikes me.

I also impulse purchased some Lobster Pot yarn that was a good deal. It's hand dyed in lobster pots in Cape Cod, how spiffy is that? These may become a hat and mitten set, not too sure on this one. The yarn is soft, but sturdy enough for something good.

I've also been coveting the Rowan Plaid collection booklet, and since it was on sale even cheaper than Amazon, I picked it up. There are quite a few nice sweaters in here!

Abby just watches me and I'm sure if she could understand, she would shake her head. She was too excited for photography this morning, visitors and all.

Posted by Nancy at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My college roommate is in town this weekend.. and she's a knitter too! She brought with her a super-soft pink baby blanket to work on. I'm still going on the scarf, but I have a Joann's coupon that expires today. I need to get some beads for Odessa and some straps for a dress. I'm thinking some clearish silvery beads and pink straps, the same shade as the piping. We'll see!

Posted by Nancy at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (69)

Look who go her hair cut! Complete with pom-pom ears, a fluffy, wagging tail, and paws that don't even seem to touch the floor. She's pretty, and she knows it. Imagine the softest yarn you've ever touched, now multiply that by ten times on the softness meter. That is what it's like to touch Abby. My special little pretty pretty princess!

When she gets older, she might look something like her cousin, Joseph:

Really, Joseph is a girl and her name is Zoey, but my grandpa can't hear, and he thought her name was Joey for a few months after we got her. Joey stuck, and now she goes by Joseph. Or Joseph Lieberman. Or Little Lieberman. Joseph lives in Arizona with her sister, Molliver.

Molliver is a girl, and her real name is Molly, but since Joseph has a boy's name, I decided Molly needed one too. Ollie could be short for Molly, and Ollie is short for Oliver, thus she will be known as Oliver. Or more often, Molliver. Molliver has been sporting a mullet lately, as my sister got tired of the 'Don King'-wild-hair look and cut off the top wisps.

Sometimes Abby visits with her Arizona cousins, but mostly, she hangs out in New York. She has a thing for snow.

Posted by Nancy at 07:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)