Fiber Dreams

In some ways I feel guilty spending time knitting, thinking about knitting, while so many so close to me are struggling with fire and its effects, but I’m here to share knitting stuff, and I do need to think about something other than smoke and fire. And I did finish the sweatshirt sweater yesterday, so let’s talk about that a bit instead.

• Pattern: Sweatshirt Sweater from HeartStrings FiberArts
• Yarn: Katia Baltika, 6 balls, red mystery yarn, just a little bit
• Needles: US size 3, 6, and 8
• Elapsed time: July 11 through October 22
• Size made: Medium
• Notes: This pattern was really easy to knit. As usual, Jackie’s instructions are clear, well written, and easy to follow.

I could have made a size small with this yarn, I think, and still ended up with a wearable sweater. As it is, the sweater is a little big on me, but that’s okay. I do plan on wearing layers under it during the winter, and that was the plan from the get-go. That said, because of the size and the super fluffy yarn I feel like I gain 50 pounds when I put it on. But it’s warm. And I’m only going to wear it at home anyway, so does it really matter? If made with a regular yarn, something not so fluffy, I’m quite positive that it wouldn’t have that weight-gaining effect.

I had a little trouble with the second sleeve. I did the decreases following the schedule I’d mapped out for the first sleeve, and ended up with a much shorter sleeve with too few stitches on it. I have no idea how I did that. I ripped out the sleeve far enough to have the correct number of stitches, then re-knit it without the stripe on it. Dave thinks having one sleeve striped and one plain is rather strange, but I like it. I think I used the wrong size needles when I started the sleeve. That’s probably what threw me off, but this yarn is so hard to frog—and the finished garment does fit—that I decided it wasn’t worth it to rip it all the way back. I reserve the right to change my mind later.

Based on the yardage the pattern said was required, I thought I’d be a little short with the ten balls of this that I had on hand. So Kristie helped me to pick out a ball of pretty red yarn to use as a stripe to extend the yardage just a bit. Kristie, can you believe I have four balls of yarn left after all that? Me neither. I might knit a cat bed out of it. I think Ricki would like it. The yarn is nice and fuzzy, after all. And there’s plenty left. Geesh.

South Seas Stole

Kathryn finished test knitting my South Seas Stole, blocked it, and has finished photos on her blog. It looks fabulous, sweetie! Thank you for all your effort in test knitting it. More test knitting is still in the works. I hope to get the pattern released for sale next month. Watch this space for updates.

Misc knitting stuff

KnitPicks has a great tutorial, weaving in ends. It seems I’m always dissatisfied with my end weaving. Love this tutorial. There are a number of methods discussed, and photographed.

Vogue has released the next volume in their stitch dictionary series. I was more than a little disappointed, though, to discover that Stitchionary 4 is all crochet stitches. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been known to use a variety of crochet stitches myself, and totally see the need for crochet stitch dictionaries, but… I was really looking forward to Vogue filling in some of the gaps left by the first three volumes of knitting stitches. It’s not like there’s a shortage of knitting stitches to be cataloged. Also, couldn’t they have called it something else? Hrmph.

Fire stuff

While I can think about other things, knitting being a pleasurable diversion, the fires are not far from my thoughts. All I have to do is take a breath or look out the window to be reminded. It’s got to be murder for people who have asthma or any other breathing problem right now. Smoke is everywhere. Dave helped me to wrap a kitchen towel around my nose and mouth this morning, bandana style, so I could go outside to water the poor windblown plants on the deck. I still got a lungful of smoke. Even through a double layer of thick dish towel fabric. I wonder what the local mail carriers are doing. I hope they’re wearing something to protect their respiratory systems from all the damaging smoke.

I took this picture of our neighbor’s pepper tree on Sunday when the winds were really fierce. This is looking down through Dave’s office window.

Here are a few more photos for you. Another of the neighbor’s pepper tree blowing in the wind, looking in a different direction at the smoky sky, and our poor peach tree. Nearly every remaining leaf has been blown off of it in the last couple of days. Between the barren branches you can see how dry our yard is. There’s a green shrub, a prickly pear, and the lower part of a different neighbor’s peach tree. That’s bare dirt. It’s been so long since we’ve gotten rain that nothing is growing down there where it should be covered with grasses. Makes me wonder what the poor bunnies are eating. I hope they’ve been staying safely in their warren, out of the wind and smoke.

The only good part right now about having no grasses down there at all, is that there are none to burn, so the fire hazard is lower. It’ll be brutal if we ever do get rain, as there’s nothing left to hold the hill together.

Sigh.

But. We’re fine. Smoky, but fine. And that’s the important part. Hugs and thanks to all of you for your well-wishes and concern.

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