Friday, August 29, 2008

A Small Project

Sometimes you have to stop your regular knitting and interject a small project for a friend.

Tuesday I commented on Anita's new cute haircut. She looked at me like I had three heads (in a very sweet way) and whispered, "This is a wig. I have breast cancer and I'm going through chemotherapy. Didn't Connie tell you?"


No Connie did not tell me. And the wig looked great because I really did think it was her hair. I repeated that the wig looked great and offered to knit her a hat.


This is where Ravelry comes in. I searched for a hat pattern. Found it - Shedir. Checked out other people's yarn choices - Rowan Calmer spec'd by the pattern was the clear winner. I read people's notes and learned from their experiences. I also tapped the SOWs. We have several people with varying degrees of chemo experience. All agreed Calmer was a good choice. I'm headed to Yarns Ewenique in Ft. Worth tomorrow to pick up a skein of blue.


In the meantime, I discovered Pi Topper Chemo Cap that calls for Elann Esprit. It will go much faster than Shedir, so I'll cast it on first. I have three skeins of dark green Esprit. I'm thinking I can finish the green hat this weekend.


My sister made an interesting point, she said some people use chemo caps as pajamas for their heads. I thought that was cute.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

So What Are You Working On?

For all that Fair Isle swatching, I still have not cast on the Endpaper Mitts. I think I'm just not in the mood to cast on a big project right now.


I did finish two smaller projects in August. Another pair of clogs. This pair for Robyn, my SIL. I entered them in the Ravelympics Felted Freestyle and medaled. I am so happy to have these done.



I also knit this face cloth from Euroflax Original Sport Weight Linen. I'm a tad disappointed in the final product. I don't think it's gift worthy so I'm keeping it for myself. There was a honking knot in the yarn that ended up in the middle of the cloth. It's not square, blocking would probably fix that when I do get to the gift facecloths. And finally, I am just not a fan of garter stitch. This does not say to me that it is a fantastic and special handmade gift.

Since this only took 54yds of yarn, I have more. I'm going to do the same basic pattern next time, putting stockinette in the center. One smooth side and one purl side for exfoliating. I hope that looks nicer and more luxurious. I'll be more careful when I cast off to make sure that corner isnt' too pointy. I'm going to pair these "fantastic" facecloths with bars of handmade soap for Christmas gifts for work friends.

I also cast on the Moss Grid Towel in worsted kitchen cotton. So far I don't like it. Tough on my hands and it's clunky. I figure I will finish it and use it in my kitchen. I probably won't do another one.

So what am I really working...still knitting on the Blue Sky Alpaca Silk Clapotis. Have mercy that thing is taking forever. I'm currently knitting from balls 4 and 5. When I finish 4 and start on 6, I'll start the decrease section. Balls 5 and 6 should be enough to decrease. The Alpaca Silk is a joy to knit with and it's even better after knitting a few rows in kitchen cotton.

I really want to finish this clap before starting Robyn's Christmas Clapotis, but I may be running out of time. I've been knitting on my current clap for 5 months now. However, it is going to be worth it. It's beautiful