2ktog

Remember Omar? Here he is modeling the hat I made him for V-day out of two strands of Dale Sisik. The stripe is Knitpicks Merino Style. Sisik is so wuzzy and soft, and the boy confirms that it is very warm. Not for distainers of mohair, but has enough synthetics to be soft enough for me. I can't stand the mohair in Lamb's Pride, but this is just right. I'm trying so hard not to buy yarn, but this stuff is so nice and it's on clearance at WEBS for 2.99/ball, great yardage (148). That's $0.02/yard! Please refer to Michelle's cents per yard rant! Oh, restraint!
Anyway, Omar is cute. He is making himself wristwarmers/mitts out of the leftovers. And gratuitous eyelash, ninja monkey, and engagement ring shot! He's using my swallow casein 3s in this photo. They smell funny to me, but feel nice!

Of course, a girl just can't go around bareheaded in this cold. I have a defined lack of hats, or at least hats that fit, are warm, stylish, and can be located. Anyway, we haven't had much subzero weather, and I do have thick hair. So guess what is just right? Panta! I just love to say it. Panta panta panta! It reminds me of other goods things, like pants and pandas.

That's one way to wear the coveted Panta. Here's another:

I like Panta both under (first pic) and over (second big pic) my hair. I find it easier to pull it on over my hair when going out, and I like the flapper effect.

Project Specs:
pattern: Panta! On Craftster
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in a lovely teal
Skeins: 1 + a tiny bit of a second
needles: Size 6 Denises

I will be making at least one more Panta soon for a gift. I wonder if Panta is plural?

Stay tuned, because I've volunteered to knit something for my friend's wedding! Oh, I'm so excited. What could it be? A dress? A garter? A knitted bouquet?

We also finally upgraded our MT, and are going to work on redesigning the blog, the sidebar will return. Let us know if anything's busted.

I think I have a blog hangover. Look, a whole post without pictures of MIMi! She only appears sporadically in above the neck shots. ;)

Posted by Miz Boots Valentine at 5:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

I like variegated yarn, but I thought this Fixation was stripey. I turns out it is tri-colored (peas porridge hot!) , about one row per stripe. To take advantage of that, I wanted to find a slip-stitch pattern that would show it off. It's been a long road since those first picots, but here we are. You'll notice I'm now attempting to put some pointy, picot-like bobbles at the bottom of the cuff to recall the cast-on. I'm having fun with these socks, I hope I can get the damn math to work out. (Psst, these are sockapaloooza socks.) I am going to make a new Boston sock map. I had one all done over a week ago and then Photoshop died and I couldn't face it again.

I am slightly obsessed with slip-stitch patterns now. I love the texture and color possibilities. Have you seen Laura's lovely Esther Williams hat?

I have joyous news. No, Omar isn't back from his blogging hiatus. No, he has not finally upgraded our MT so I'm not drowning in SPAM. But we did find Lopi Mouse. He came through the wash, smaller and smelling more of fabric softener than captnip. He is stuffed with roving, so even his guts shrunk a little. I "ripped him a new one" as the old thread was obscured, and filled him with fresh catnip. Oh, it's just like old times. I swear there was shrinkage. Can you tell?

Before:
After:

It's panta-monium! Stop me, I could go on all night. This little hot item was born to the blogging world when some clever chicks on Craftster translated a Finnish pattern. MiMi provided at no extra charge, as she is bound to start her own internet phenomenon, like Limecat. Panta doesn't look like much let, but just you wait. Yes, that's Alpaca Silk, a birthday gift. I love the color, I just want to put a big red flower on it.

Posted by Miz Boots Valentine at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This is really a huge tragedy in our house. MiMi has lost Lopi Mouse, or rather Lopi Mouse has deserted his post as friend and companion, right after the photos for the mouse post were taken.
If you see this varmit, tell him Sheriff MiMi has her claws out.

Posted by Miz Boots Valentine at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The title of this post has nothing to do with socks or blankets but it has been stuck in my head every since I read Bill Bryson's account that they actually play that song on the ferry. This has nothing to do with knitting, either, except that maybe you could knit on the ferry.

As you can see from the amount of yarn re-wound around the tidy Cascade Fixation yarn barrel, I made a sizable swatch with this, testing various stitch patterns. I found one I liked, but nothing can rival my adoration of the picot cast-on.

I'm sure I'm not the first, but I modified what I found to my liking:

• Using knitted cast-on, CO 3 stitches.
• BO 1 stitch Return bound-off stitch to left needle, Knit
• Return bound-off stitch to left needle again.

I added knitting of the bound-off stitch because otherwise I didn't find the picots pointy enough! And picots should be pointy!

Black yarn is not the photographer's friend. Please use your imagination to project how hip and sassy this blanket will be when blocked and not bunched on three (!) circular needles. It's now at over 400 stitches. Pinwheel, pinwheel.

I'm usually not much for WIP pictures, but there you go! Lemonade stand in hell today.

Posted by Miz Boots Valentine at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Many of you have read about Sew Fast, Sew Easy's claim that they own the phrase "Stitch 'n Bitch" that forced many local knitting groups, including SNB Boston, to change their name on yahoo groups. This all went down several weeks ago. But look what I saw on yahoo earlier this week!

Now...

File under, WTF? Walk the walk if you talk the talk.

Posted by Miz Boots Valentine at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)