Sassy Does It

I passed by a concert venue in the city this weekend that was featuring a band called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head.

At first I thought it might just be the sign guy being funny, but the warm-up band listed was a normal-sounding name, and it seemed like a lot of trouble to put all those letters high up there on that marquee just for a laugh.

Well, color me pink  - there really is a band with this name (I checked on it later, in between Curlicue rows).  NPSH for short.  If I’m not mistaken, Nat had her head shaved for that V for Vendetta movie, so I’m guessing there may be a link there.  Ya think?

That movie looked scary to me, so I didn’t see it.  I’m a wuss.  I’ve learned not to pretend I can watch scary movies unscathed - doing so ends badly for everyone in the same house with me once the lights get turned out that night.

In less frightening news, I’ve whipped out my cashmere, and life is good.

Isn’t she lovely?

You’ll remember my recent ode to the Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere I bought from WEBS.  I unhanked my first skein and unwound it (by hand), then re-wound it (by hand) into a center pull ball - all 400 yards of it.  (Yes, I’ve been hinting pretty heavily to the fam that a ball winder and swift would make a grrrrrrreat gift at some point, sometime.  Any old time.)

It’s gorgeo.  Really, so soft and delicate.

A little too delicate, at first, for my unaccustomed-to-such-fineries man-hands.

I thought I was winding it loosely enough, but once the ball was completed, the first few yards I pulled back out were tougher than I expected.  After breaking the thin fiber a couple of times inadvertently (eeeek! eeeeeeek!), my fingers took the hint and handled it more gently.

Sheer Poncho
by Amy Arifin

Now the center pull is playing nice and I have a pleasing on-gauge swatch on which to base my work for the Sheer Poncho.  Remember this?  Yippee!  So happy to think I can cast this on any day.

The Jade Sapphire (2 ply) label provides guidance for a 6-8 stitches/inch gauge on US 1-3; the Sheer Poncho pattern calls for stitches that are “loose and open” with a 6 stitch/inch gauge.  The pattern as written by Amy Arifin (and featured in MagKnits, Warm 2004) features Jagger Spun Zephyr Lace Weight knit on US 5.

I was curious to see how the fabric of my cashmere pick would knit up on US 2, so I tried that first, just for kicks.  I came in at 8+ stitches/inch, and the stitch definition was nice and even; a smooth, solid look.  You can see this tighter gauge knit in the first four rows of my (small, lazy) swatch at the left.

However.  It’s a good thing that the stitches are meant to be more open for this garment, because I’d go buggy knitting on US 2s for the entire duration of something like this (all stockinette, all the time).

I finished my swatch with US 5, and the stitches are airy and sheer as prescribed.  Gauge is 6-7 stitches/inch:  close enough.

I’ll knit on the bigger side, and the fabric will be a bit stretchy - I think we’re going to be OK here.

As the WIP turns:  Boy, the Curlicue is flying along.  The tininess of the US 3s is a red herring when it comes to progress because the Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton is such a nice full fiber that the fabric feels like it knits itself.

Done with my second of four skeins, so we’re now at 50% length - well over 16 inches.  (See my quarters next to the blanket?  You know, for reference?  Thought you’d like that.)

Amy = Happy.

Happy with knitting, happy with the state of things in the country at large.  All is well.  Hallelujah.

While I’m waiting on the edge of every seat I’m sitting in today to hear a-n-y breath of the first election results, I might as well confess a sin.

It wasn’t premeditated, I swear.

I was downtown Saturday night and while walking back to my car, I passed Walgreens.  The devil on my shoulder said, “Hey, you know, I betcha (*wink*) they’re selling half-off Halloween candy in there.”

Did I summon the angel supposedly keeping watch on the other shoulder?  The better angels of my nature, maybe?  My common sense?  No way, Jose.

I stepped inside, and with purpose.

I took my time perusing the wall of 50%-off candy, knowing out the gate that the Reese’s cups were coming home with me.  Bidie likes the Peanut M&Ms (I’ll have a wee lookie at those, too, if forced), so I added those to the pile in my arms - two bags’ worth, to “stock up”.   As if this is something we stock up on, like canned goods on sale. 

And oh, the candy corn - who can leave that out, right?  It’s tradition.

Needless to say, this candy then became my dinner.  Yeeeeaaaaah.

The next day I could almost see the empty calories dripping from my thighs.

I ate half of the candy corn bag that first night, and I’ve made pretty good progress on the second half since then.  What am I eating?  A delicious mix of wax and high fructose corn syrup combined with a melange of artificial flavors - awesome.

[scurries away to eat another handful of candy corn]

In other news, Curlicue is coming along.  Oh, girls, I’m so excited (girls = girls, boys, women, or men) because it’s looking and feeling so nice.  Still happy with my bright pink choice, and the Blue Sky Alpacas cotton is soft and dreamy to knit with.

Pattern is easy, although I did struggle for a little while because reading the pattern literally (usually a good place to start) led me astray.  There’s one bit I needed to figure out, and then everything was fine. 

All of the even rows, 2-12, have a variation of knits and yarn-overs that end the same way:

Written as…
Row 2:  k2tog, * knit 5, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 2, sk2p *   last repeat is finished off with a ssk.

Added clarification that saved me…
Row 2:  k2tog, * knit 5, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 2, sk2p *   last repeat is finished off with a ssk WHICH REPLACES the final sk2p.

Yeah, I spent a lot of minutes trying to find out how to unearth three more stitches to combine into one for the sk2p double decrease (the one that was supposed to precede the final ssk single decrease).  And even if I found those three stitches I’d end up with one stitch too many in the end.

After racking my brain and actually charting out the stitches in Excel [insert joke about math geek here], I realized that the last ssk doesn’t simply follow the last sk2p, but rather replaces it.

Got it now.

You’ll find the whole pattern as written by Skruddevutt here, but FYI if you want to make this blanket, keep the above clarification in mind.

The only other deviation from the pattern I’ve made is to add a 3-stitch garter border on each side along the length of the blanket because I think it ties together with the garter border as written for the top and bottom, plus I think it finishes it off nicely and thwarts any rogue attempts of stitches to curl under.

Oh, and I did down-size the needle size on this again before I cast on - I just didn’t feel it was tight enough gauge with the US 5, so now it’s at a US 3.  I know the stitches will blossom upon the first wash, but I just wanted a more substantial look, and thought I’d make any other adjustments to dimensions via blocking in the end.

As it stands, I’ve used 1 of my 4 skeins, so the finished length should pan out around 32 inches.  It’s 26 inches wide right now, just as planned (funny how gauge can be your friend in this way, huh?).

Now I’m cranking along on it and it’s fun and easy.  I worked on it during my plane ride to Kentucky yesterday and I was chirpy the whole time.  It’s a very lovable pattern.

What was that about Kentucky?  Yes, Kentucky.  I didn’t realize for a while that this work trip fell on Election Day, but yaaaaaiiiiis, it sure did.  So the election parties (or depression-filled gatherings) around here might be a little one-sided tonight - if there are any gatherings at all.  But, as Lish texted me today from Texas (that’s where her job planted her today), there’s no reason we can’t find a little place on our own later to raise a glass of bubbly from our position in the minority (as determined by our current surroundings).  Oh heavens, I’m so hoping there is something wonderful to celebrate!

We shall soon see.

FYI, just polished off that bag of candy corn.  I know I’m bad, but man, that’s some tasty fructose.