Feather and Fan Stitch Baby Blanket

A FO...finally!
I started this baby blanket in October in 2006 for my (surrogate) niece.
Juliana Rose was born on July 10th and I finished the blanket earlier this week after half a year of off and on work between classes and thesis work and the rest of life.

Yarn: 8 balls of Zara merino wool
Needles: US 9 circulars
Pattern: Feather and Fan stitch







Despite a few kinks in the road - this pattern gets tedious after a bit - I think it turned out beautifully and will hopefully serve little Juliana well. It's light and lacy enough for use in a stroller or crib in the warmer weather, but large enough that she could be bundled up in it come fall and winter. I really love the minty green color too. I'm not one to ascribe to the whole gendered color thing - pinks for girls and blues for boys. I like that this color matches the underwater theme of the nursery well. I'm pretty excited to give it to the little peanut sometime this coming week.

My newest project is the famous Elizabeth Zimmerman February baby sweater found in her Knitter's Almanac. Updates on that soon!

Knitapalooza

I can hardly contain myself.
This is my last day of work at a job that I really dislike.
I'm not so much excited about leaving the job as I am about the fact that I have at least a week before I am gainfully employed again which means...

I will have entirely free days during which I can knit, knit, knit! Getting home at 6pm and then having to deal with dinner, working out, etc just leaves me exhausted and if I start knitting at 10pm I'm probably not getting to bed until 1am which means I will never wake up the next morning. Also - little Miss Fiona the kitten demands alot of attention.

With the new job I have lined up I will be able to take the train to work which provides ample time for knitting on the way into the city and the way out. I will also have a decent lunch break during which I can actually LEAVE my office and enjoy nature instead of being faced with major roadway outside the door.

Maybe this post-college transition won't be so terrible after all.

Things I need to finish up -

1. Baby blanket (I've been working this since October! The baby is here and I'd like her to have it before cold weather sets in)
2. Felted bowl (Now that I've rescued my double points from the darn moving company I can decrease, bind off, and felt the sucker)
3. Knitty Wisp (This pattern hates me, but I am determined to make it work and then not touch Rowan Kidsilk Haze for a while)

I also need to seriously decrease my stash. Why do I keep buying yarn when I already have so much!? Is there a diagnosis for this problem? I see lots of one skein projects in my future.

Goals -

1. Finally knit a sweater! How long have I been putting this off? Oh, just the last four years or so. I've been a competent knitter from day one, but I just can't commit to a sweater yet. It's time I take the plunge though and expand my horizons.

Pewter Cardigan

I've been thinking about knitting my Dad a sweater.
He's a button-up cardigan kind of guy.
He has this pewter gray number with brown buttons that he has worn for years. It has holes now, but it still gets worn when there is nothing else in the closet.
We live in Philadelphia and it might as well be Nova Scotia because Dad is always cold.
In 70 degree weather he is cold.
Dad grew up in Richmond, Virginia and he cranks up the household thermostat as if he came from the Deep South and not from just below the Mason-Dixon line.
Dad's surgery in January and subsequent chemotherapy and radiation treatments have caused his hypothalamus to go on strike-he is cold all the time, not just when my mother turns on the A/C to quell a menopausal hot flash.
Dad, unlike the rest of civilization, is wearing flannel in July which he pairs with his too-big sweatpants and the fuzzy slippers my Mom got him two or three Christmases ago. When we leave the house Dad totes a fleece jacket with him like a security blanket because there will probably be an arctic chill in the movie theater or restaurant or wherever.

So I've been thinking about knitting him a sweater. A cardigan, really, since that's what he likes. He has cancer and I don't know how to be a daughter to such a sick man. It seems that the only way to cope is to go full throttle into "nurse" mode. I'll knit something and it will be me taking care of him in a new way; in a way that doesn't make him feel childish, or mothered, or embarrassed. In a way that doesn't necessarily remind him that he has cancer. Maybe it will reaffirm his being, and remind him of the man he was when we used to sit on the stairs with a yellow legal pad when I was little and write "stories". I'll be the adoring daughter and he'll be Dad, the man in the gray cardigan.

Fiona - professional yarn unraveler

So I had planned to go to the charity knitting event at Loop this Sunday, but I got distracted by my new knitting buddy.



This is Fiona, a 10 week old tabby cat that I adopted from Save the Cats, Inc at Petsmart in Jenkintown on Saturday. We already have 2 cats and a Pug in our house and I don't know what possessed my mother to suggest that I adopt another. I had been planning to adopt a fuzzy friend when I move out in a year or so, but knowing that this post-college transition + my dad's illness has been hard, perhaps she wanted me to have some sort of consolation prize. So, being that she's so tiny and needs to get acclimated to her new home, I ditched charity knitting.

So far, Miss Fiona enjoys freaking herself out in my mirror, pouncing on catnip mice, nibbling noses, and tangling herself up in small balls of yarn from my stash. She's pretty tiny and had separated herself from the other kittens in the pen at the store. I felt instantly drawn to her - to that feeling of needing a little extra TLC. In just two days she has really blossomed into an inquisitive and confident little kitty.

I'm working on a baby blanket in a feather and fan stitch right now and her little ears perk up as she watches the movement of the needles. She'll be a fiber lover in no time at all!

Got a heart of gold? Put it to good use!

For all you do-gooders out there, here is a charitable way to spend your Sunday this weekend.

One of Philly's local yarn shops, Loop Yarns on South Street, is having a charity knitting club event on Sunday, July 15th from 1-3pm. Loop is donating the yarn and patterns so all you need are your needles and an open heart.

The aim is to knit squares that will be later composed into blankets for Project Linus which is in need of blankets for teenage boys. Project Linus, a non-profit organization, donates blankets to children who are affected by illness and trauma, or who are otherwise in need of a lovingly handmade gift.

The club will continue to meet on Sundays to further help Project Linus keep kids cozy and comforted. You'll find me on South Street this Sunday pitching in and I encourage all you Philly fiber lovers to stop by.

You can find more info here

Kickball isn't just for Kids

I've been pretty melancholy about my move back to Philadelphia since graduation in May. After 4 years of living with some of my best friends, we've all been suddenly scattered to throughout the country - going back to hometowns, taking jobs, traveling. So it's just lonesome little me in Philadelphia and I've been pretty worried about opportunities to make new friends at 22 considering I won't be in a classroom 9 months a year anymore.

Then I happened upon the World Adult Kickball Organization. Kickball? For the over 21 set? What a great idea! Except that the only two divisions in PA were in West Chester and Pittsburgh - a significant schlep from my home. So much for something to do on my Thursday nights, I thought.

Until...I got an email yesterday morning informing me that due to popular demand WAKA had created a Philadelphia division (PA Liberty)! *happy dance* I signed up immediately and I'm hoping that there are a significant number of Philly folks who feel similarly lest they cancel the division due to lack of participation. I love the thrill of trying new things and meeting new people and am pretty excited about getting to engage in a middle school past time on an adult level. I'm pretty sure kickball beats the gym any day. And I am assured that I will be spending at least one night a week outdoors instead of moping with my cats about leaving the excitement of New York City.

I haven't really thought about the fact that athletic activities are not my forte at this point, but if I can knit, I'm pretty sure kickball will come easily enough. Luckily for me, it doesn't take much actually athletic finesse.

Oops...I did it again!

I should be working, but I'm not. Go figure.
I got engrossed in the Glampyre Knits' (Stefanie Japel of "Fitted Knits") blog. Again.
Then I linked over to Spincycle - handspun yarn heaven!
I couldn't help myself, I'm an addict and I know it.
I bought this really snazzy pattern from them called a "Harf" - a marriage between a hat and a scarf. I've been looking for this type of pattern for ages. Finally, an item that keeps your head AND neck warm. No more having to knit hat and scarf sets. How cute will this be come January with my wool toggle coat.






They also had a great earflap hat pattern where you knit from the top down meaning there's no need to pick up stitches for the flaps. Genius.



I think that my post-college transition is going to be made much smoother by all the knitting I'm doing. I love Barnard, but it sure didn't leave me much time for relaxation or fiberly pursuits. Who knows what I might come up with in the next couple of months. Dare I say a sweater perhaps!?
Maybe I can even get my mom to finish the wrap I started her on back in March. (Note to world: never try to teach your mother how to knit. You'll end up yelling and then she'll remind you not to take "that" tone with her, she's still your mother. She'll probably tell you that if she could potty-train you, she can learn to knit. You'll undoubtedly roll your eyes at this, but what can you do?)

**All photos courtesy of Spincycle Yarns**