2007 was a busy year at chez fruity. We moved--twice, I learned to spin, tried lots of new knitting things, fell off the blogwagon, got back on, quit a job, started a new life as a full time mom....the list could go on from there but I think you get the point.

It doesnt end there! I have lots of plans for 2008! This coming year, I'll welcome a new niece or nephew, see my sister in law get married and try something new I'm not just quite ready to share with you all yet... but soon! Hopefully, if I can get everything together, next week.

Knitting was a little slow this past year. I never did get FO shots of everything I knit but heres most of it:

Sadly, Rogue is STILL not done yet, so I didnt really want to add it to the montage. I have about half a zipper still to sew in and I really would like to get it done tonight! Maybe the munch will actually go to bed early tonight so I can have a few hours to finish it up and work on a few other things I have going. I dont know how it happened, but I went from not having a thing going at all (other than the green shawl we shall not speak of...i'm putting that off until summer) to three things on the needles and several more planned. Oh well :) nothing like a new year to get a case of startitis going!

Not that the 50% off new years sale at the Woolie Ewe did much to help my desires...

Everything in the store was 50% off...I just couldnt resist.

It was nutty though....

but totally worth it.

Posted by fruitychick at 01:26 PM | Permalink

Some knits are so fast, you don't even get a WIP shot.

I've had this skein of deep beautiful blue Malabrigo sitting around for a while. I had planned a hat but I was in need of a quick knitting project after the epic Rogue knit. I cast on and--poof!--it was done!

I like it but I think I need one that is a little skinnier--I dont have big hair, so it looks a little funny. I think a more headbandish one would be better. I did modify the pattern a bit--I cast on only 96 instead of the 120 given in the pattern. I did short rows until it looked about right then did the second half. It was super duper easy schmeezy.

Over the Holiday, I finished all the hems and grafting on Rogue. It turned out....okay. It was my first attempt at grafting in a ribbing pattern and I did learn a lot. Somehow I ended a stitch off at the end so it looks a tad funny.

You know what? I dont care a bit. I did a little fudging and I think its fine. Yesterday I tried to install the zipper....it was just too much for my little sewing machine so I went out today to get some handsewing needles. I guess I'll be doing some handsewing tonight!

Posted by fruitychick at 01:08 PM | Permalink

Hope yours was as fun as ours...

Posted by fruitychick at 03:14 PM | Permalink

I put the finishing touches on Rogue last night and laid it out to dry after a nice bath. Not an hour later, there was a thump at the door and two packages arrived for me! My drum carder (which I haven't gotten a chance to play with yet...)and.... da da da:

Noro Sock Yarn:

I was lucky enough to happen to be perusing the Loopy Ewe site when the update went up and I snatched a skein of Noro Sock Yarn. I was tempted by many of the colors but I just wanted to order one skein to really try it out. Since my sweater was fresh off the needles, I didnt have anything going, so I immediately cast on for a pair of socks.

There was much talk over on the Ravely boards about the yarn and while I've only started working with it, I do have some first impressions (in no particular order):

The colors are certainly as vibrant and beautiful as you would expect from Noro. I've only worked barely into my second color but the slow change from color to color is there just as in all of Noro's other yarns.

The yarn is a single and though its not tightly spun, it holds together well. It has an almost felted feel to it and I'm not having any problems with splitting as I've had when working with Noro Kureyon.

There is a bit of a thick and thin quality to it. I'm working it on 2.0 mm needles (knitpicks circulars) and there are some places where the yarn is laughably large for the needle size but other parts where its nearly laceweight. The sections are pretty short though and it is mostly a consistent weight. I'm getting between 8 and 9 stitches to the inch and I dont know how much larger a needle I would be willing to use on this because the yarn doesnt feel like it would hold up extremely well to wear at a loose gauge.

The yarn feels a lot like Morehouse Merino lacweight but spun a little tighter.

As far as softness goes, I was pleasantly surprised. Its certainly no cashmere or merino but its significantly softer than kureyon or silk garden. I would say it falls somewhere around brown sheep sock yarn as far as softness--or maybe a patons kroy sock.

The main negative I've experienced is that the strands aren't particularly strong. I had a knot in the middle of my ball I had to pull out and I thought the yarn was going to break before it came out. I certainly wouldn't work a crazy pattern in this yarn that called for something like a p3tog through the back loop. I dont think the yarn could handle the pressure or strain.

I think the weight of the yarn lends itself to having most of the VM weeded out. I've only come across one very small piece that was easily pulled away from the strand.

Lets see...what else. The yarn is VERY grabby. If you use bamboo, you will have a total headache on your hands. This is definately the time time for some super slick addis or knitpicks.

All in all, I like it. And at the price (18.50), I think its a pretty good buy for a pair of socks. The put up is pretty decent--420 meters, so that should give you a nice tall pair of socks.

I'm going to work on mine throughout the weekend!

I'll probably take a miniblogbreak for Christmas--I'll see you guys again on Wednesday with a FO shot of Rogue and some photos of the Noro Socks!

Happy Christmas everyone!!

Posted by fruitychick at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Heck knows I am tired of seeing pictures of an in-progress Rogue.

Thankfully, it is so close to being done this is the last one you will see:

Hood is Done:

Attached I-cord edging is on its way to being done:

I am going to block it before I graft the hood so I can keep things as flat as possible on the blocking board but thats ITS--the LAST STEP. You have no idea how excited I am to be finished with this thing. I've been trying hard to be a monogomous knitter and its so hard to not run off and have a torrid affair with something in my stash.

Of course, I haven't been *completely* faithful to the knitting....

This is my Spunky Eclectic club yarn from a few months ago--a Merino Tencel Blend named Aspen. It is an absolute dream to spin--it just flows onto the wheel. My singles are coming in at around 36-38 WPI--the thinnest I've been able to consistently spin.

I've spun up half of it and just barely started the second half. I can't decide if I'm going to chain ply to maintain the colors or two ply it to get a thinner yarn for a lacy scarf like Yarn Loopie's.

I'll be blocking Rogue tonight! Wish me luck!

Posted by fruitychick at 12:27 PM | Permalink

I am so close to finishing the body of Rogue I couldnt wait any longer to start the blocking. By the time the sleeves are dry, I'll be ready to pin out the body!!

The yarn relaxed and bloomed really nicely--you can already tell a difference in the hand of the fabric. I think there is a big difference between this photo and the photo from yesterday of the hood detail.

This yarn is not easy on the hands to work with but the results are proving worth the effort.

Posted by fruitychick at 01:02 PM | Permalink

The area surrounding Rogue's hood is, apparently, a time warp. You can knit and knit and never feel like you are making progress.

I cross out lines on my chart (with more and more enthusiam) but the hood never looks any bigger. My chart says I have only 40 more rows:

I dont know if I really believe it though. It feels like I'll be knitting it forever.

Can you believe its nearly christmas?

That means its nearly time for New Years when we all make our resolutions. Mr. Fruitychick and I always try to make some kind of meaninful and fun resolution--learn something new, try something new together, etc. This year our "together" resolution is to try to learn some spanish so we can begin teaching the munchkin from an early age.

I have a few resolutions for myself:

1. Knit at least 6 sweaters/tops. Thats one every two months. The rate I'm going, I'll be able to finish Rogue in two months, so I think thats a decent benchmark. In all this time I've been knitting, I just dont have hardly any actual clothing to show for it and I want some, darnit!

2. Improve my spinning. My birthday/christmas present this year from Mr. Fruitychick was a drumcarder--a Strauch Finest. I want to learn how to blend fibers and spin great yarn from batts. My spinning has greatly improved since I started but I feel like I spin a lot of sock weight three ply. Its not a bad thing, but I do want to expand my horizons.

3. Improve my photography. Everyone likes good photos, right? I ordered a light tent the other day (yes, I know you can make one for nearly free but I wanted one that collapses easily so I can store it in a place where I will actually use it) and today I dropped by the hardware store and bought two clamp on lights and some daylight bulbs. I can already tell the difference that good lighting makes:

The colors in this picture are dead on without any retouching at all. I can't wait to see the improvement the tent will make! (Knitting is a Bucket Hat in Malabrigo "lettuce," by the way)

So what about you guys--do you have any knitting/blog resolutions?

Posted by fruitychick at 12:38 PM | Permalink

I've tried to put almost everything I've knit up on Ravelry but, every once in a while, I run across something in a drawer and realize I had totally forgotten about it.

The other day was sock laundry day and I found a few pairs that had yet to be ravelized.

Girly Stripe Socks

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Girly Stripe
Needle: ??
Knit: 2006??

These are some of the best fitting early socks I finished and some of the very few pairs of my handknit socks that have been tested inside a shoe. They have held up pretty well-- a little felting/pilling action on the heel and bottom of the foot but no holes or anything and given they were probably knit at a very loose gauge (as many of my early socks were..) I'd say they have stood the test of time. I really like the pattern as well. I don't remember where I saw it but it was a simple yo, k1, yo, knit a few, triple decrease, knit a few kind of things.

Next up, some truly horrible socks:

Yarn: KPPPM
Needles: probably a two.
Knit: 2006ish

These really don't look all that bad on but holy crap are they huge. Heres a comparison to the Girly Stripe socks that fit really well to the giant koigu socks:

yikes. Thats at least an inch difference.

Last up:

Pomatomus
Yarn: KP Essential
Needles: 1ish?
Knit: I actually distinctly remember knitting these at my many doctors appointments while pregnant. So that would put them in the first half of 2006.

I really like these socks. The pattern was great--it was one of the first (and really only) complicated socks patterns I've knit and I've even considered knitting it again. I'm not completely crazy with the yarn; I think its a touch scratchy and, unlike a noro yarn that I've used for other socks, there isn't any awesome color benefit to weigh out the scratch factor. It is a pretty hardy yarn though, these socks don't show a lick of wear after all this time.

Rogue is steaming along:

I've worked my way a little bit into the hood chart--only 70 more rows to go!

This does beg the question though: how do you block a sweater with a hood? Do you block the different parts separately? It just doesnt seem like I"ll be able to lay it all out flat at once to block the cables in all the different areas. Anyone have suggestions??

Posted by fruitychick at 12:29 PM | Permalink

Mr. Fruitychick's car went haywire this morning (exactly 7 months after our super extended warranty ran out, I might add) and I spent the morning with him at the car dealership sorting things out.

Then we came back to the house where I had to surrender my keys to him so he could go to work...

So I spent the day with a crabby Munchkin (went to bed way to late, got up way to early and refused to nap)

Then, we had to return to the car dealership to pick up the car...where we waited....and waited...

Thankfully we have portable cartoons.

On the upside: a crabby munchkin means a lot of cartoons throughout the day, so I got some knitting done. Rogue is to the hood now! Woohoo!! I tried it on as is (no sleeves and the front curling something horrible and it is a little long but it is nice and comfy cozy. I can't wait to finish it! I'm a woman on a mission now and I want it done by the weekend!!

Posted by fruitychick at 06:28 PM | Permalink

Its December and that means one thing: Holiday Cookierama. I do it every year--bake a gazillion cookies and send them out in lieu of holiday gifts. I am a terrible shopper and an excellent baker, so it works out for everyone involved. It does cut into the knitting time but its a sacrifice to the cookie gods I'm willing to make.

First up:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I couldnt find my regular sized cookie scoop among the boxes when I made these so I resorted to an ice cream scoop. Holy Crap--you'd better use a regular cookie scoop when you make them or you will want to die from the chocolate overload.

Not that the cookie wasnt worth it though. These were fudgy and delicious and not for the faint of heart--almost like a cross between a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Great Cookies by Carole Walter

8 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tblsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (unsalted)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar (yes, dark. dont use that light stuff)
2 large eggs
2 tblsp hot water
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 bag-o-chocolate chips

Melt the chocolate over a double broiler (or live on the edge like I did and do it in the microwave).

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside

Mix the butter on low speed untl smooth and creamy, add the sugars and mix until well blended and lightened in color. Add the eggs, mixing until well combined. Blend in the warm melted chocolate, then add hot water and vanilla extract.

Reduce the speed on the mixer and blend in the dry ingredients.

Bake at 350 for 10ish minutes. Take them out while they still look just a touch underdone and they will firm up while they cool. Let rest on a cookie sheet for a minute then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Book says it yields 4 dozen cookies. I say ha to that. I got approximately 20 with my ice cream scooper.

Next up:

Sugar Cookies

If you like yours chewy (and doesnt everyone, really? those crunchy cookie people are just nutty) this is the recipe for you. The dark brown sugar and corn syrup really keep these moist and delicious. I roll mine in a mix of large sanding sugars to make them festive but I guess you could leave them plain or use table sugar.

These wouldnt be good for roll out cookies, by the way....

Chewy Sugar Cookies
From The King Arthur Flour Baking Companion

3/4 cup unsalted butter
2/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg (I couldnt find mine so I used a little cinnamon and it was super tasty)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup coarse sugar for coating

Beat together butter, granulated and brown sugars, corn syrup, vanilla, nutmeg (or cinnamon), baking power and soda, salt and egg. Stir in the flour.

Use a cookie scoop and drop into a shallow dish filled with sanding sugar, rolling to coat.

Bake for 10ish minutes at 375 until very lightly golden brown. Bake them too long and they'll be crunchy and you wouldnt want that.

As far as knitting goes, I'm still plugging away at Rogue, I'm nearly done with the back and I'm ready to start the fronts--then just the hood! I'll post another WIP shot as soon as something interesting happens...

Posted by fruitychick at 01:32 PM | Permalink

I am humming along on the Clean Slate by 08 challenge. I ripped a bunch of stuff earlier in the week and now an FO!

Pretty Firestarters

Pattern: Firestarters by Yarnissima
Knit for: Me!
Begun: October 30, 2007
Finished: December 3, 2007
Yarn: Pretty Pirate by Yarn Pirate
Needles: Knitpicks size 2mm for the foot, 2.5mm for the leg
Leftovers: about 1/3 of the ball
Verdict: Me Likey!

I did make some changes to the pattern but none intentional. For some reason, I didn't read the work the heel flap in a 1x1 twisted rib part nor did I manage to work the leg in 1x1 rib either. For some reason, I swear it said 1x2 rib. Oh well, I like them anyway. Next time I will follow the pattern though and I'm pretty sure there will be a next time since it is a really great sock pattern. It looks fiddily but the pattern flows really well after the first repeat and its easy to pick it up and work on it without a pattern right in front of you all of the time.

Posted by fruitychick at 11:31 AM | Permalink

I unpacked (yet another) box today and found my mom's old box of betty crocker recipes from the 70's. The thing is a classic--full of great section headings like "Men's Favorites" and "International Cuisine." I just love to think that there was a time that Tacos were considered an "international" dish.

Anyway.

I emptied the whole thing out to reorganize and flip through the recipes. There aren't any handwritten gems since my mom very rarely cooked from a recipe. Though her old betty crocker cookbook does automatically open to the best ever butter spritz cookie recipe.

Once it was emptied out, I found this at the bottom:

It took me a minute to realize what it said: Found 8/28/71. I don't recognize the handwriting though I suspect its my Grandmother's.

I flipped it over and found this:

A four leaf clover, taped to a scrap of index card. I wonder who found it more than 36 years ago. My Mom? She and my Dad hadn't even married yet. My Gramma? One of my aunts or uncles? I have no clue and I dearly wish there was a name on it. I do know it had to have come from my Mom's side of the family but it seems very out of place since my Gramma isn't a terribly sentimental person. I don't know what I will do with it but for now, I think I will tuck it back in the recipe box for safekeeping. It certainly kept it safe for all these long years--a little while longer won't hurt.

In any case, I hope it brings us luck as my Gramma was rushed to the hospital just yesterday after suffering yet another heart attack. She is stable now though the doctors want to keep her a few days. I've been waiting by the phone for updates though it sounds like only waiting is really going to tell us anything.

In the meantime, I am plugging away at Rogue...despite a near horrific accident involving a 18 month old getting a hold of the knitting while I went to grab a new drink. Thank goodness it is hearty wool because I didnt even notice it at first and jammed the whole thing back in the bag. It wasn't until hours later that I picked it back up and saw the horror:

Nearly half the sweater had been ripped off the needles but Rowan Scottish Aran Tweed came to my rescue by holding on to every single stitch. Its almost enough to make me believe in steeking without machine sewing first. almost.

Posted by fruitychick at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm going through the stash and photographing it for upload to ravelry. I'm taking it a little bit at a time, lest the stash try to consume me if I dig to deeply.

Yesterday was Socks that Rock Day:

Yikes, huh? This isn't even all of it. There are at least 5 that I missed yesterday or that were already up on Ravelry.

Yesterday, I spent a good amount of time taking photos of my wips. You'd think that after taking photos of it and then knitting on it for quite some time (enough time to knit a few pattern repeats, turn the heel and knit another two pattern repeats) that I would have noticed something very important about my Georgetown Socks.

Can you tell? If you take a close look, you probably will faster than I did.

The completed sock has 6 repeats across the foot. The in progress sock has only 5. GRR!!!

Now here is the real question of the day. I certainly have to rip the sock in progress. Should I just go ahead and rip the completed one? I love the pattern and the yarn but the cuff is a little short (as so many of my toe up socks are...I think I just run out of steam). I think the yarn would be better suited to a different pattern and the pattern could do a heavily variegated yarn some real justice.

What do you think? Rip one or both??

Posted by fruitychick at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Maybe I'll blame Ravelry; it seems a convenient scapegoat for my growing knitting queue. There are so many great patterns out there and every time I get on Ravelry I add something (ok, five somethings) to my queue. The only problem is that I feel like I have the same WIPs hanging over me all the time. I never work on them, heck--I don't even like some of them. But they linger on in knitting limbo, hoping and waiting for me to pick them up again. But I, my friends, am fairly fickle. Odds are, if I shove you into the closet, you aren't ever going to get finished. Its sad, but true.

And so I joined the Clean Slate by 08 group in Ravelry and I'm going to try hard to get control of the WIPs--or rather WNIPs (works not in progress) as well as finishing the few things that are actually going on the needles so I can start 08 with a clean knitting slate and no WIP guilt.

So here they are:

WIP #1. Rogue.

This one is certainly going to be finished. I'm making good progress and am still happy with it. I'm ready for the upper cabling portion under the arm, then I'll divide for the front and back and knit the hood. Then I'll have to graft in pattern, which scares me but I'm not going to knit the whole thing only to leave the hood ungrafted.

WIP #2: Georgetown Socks

These are also nearly complete and I do actually like them. They've only lingered this long (what--like 5 months??) because I had so many other things going and then they were stuck in a storage box during the move.

I love the look of the pattern on these and it was so easy to memorize. I love socks like that!

WIP #3: Crinoid Shawl.

I'm guessing I'm about half done with this one. Its probably the only one of these thats going to give me any grief when it comes to getting everything done. I'm only about half done with it and the rows are loooonnngg...I think 400 stitches or something like that. I'll probably save it until last and end up rocking back and forth on the couch from knitting hours of garter stitch. Its a good tv watching knit though, so maybe that will prevent any impending hysteria.

WIP #4: Green Moss Shawl.

I know when to say uncle--there is no way I can finish this by the end of the year. Luckily, I don't want to. I like the shawl but I'm just not in a mood to knit lace a the moment and I'm tired of this one hogging my lace chart magnet set and a row counter. For as little work as I have into this, I can redo it during the summer, when I actually knit lace. RIP!

WIP #5: Twisted Flower Socks

I sized up the needle for the leg portion and it was a bad idea. It looks like junk and will be ripped. I can't believe I've put it off for this long.

There are also a few other things sitting around waiting for a good rip. Some socks I experimented with as well as the sadly fated Rainbow Socks. RIP RIP...

Since I don't knit for anyone for Christmas, I think this is totally doable. Not even half a sweater, half a sock, and half a shawl?

Do you have knits that linger over you? Do you like to think that you'll finish them one day or do you just hate to rip your own hard work?

Posted by fruitychick at 02:11 PM | Permalink