Still Playing Catch-up

Since my return to NYC, I've been scrambling to find the time to catch my breath. First I took yet another audition (this was for a neighboring opera house to where I currently work): I did better this time, making it to the finals. There were 4 finalists in all, and between 250-300 people who took the audition from around the world, so I'm not feeling too bad about losing.

Taking auditions is definitely a marathon ordeal! Once you get there, there is a lot of sitting, waiting to be assigned a practice room, finishing your snacks and getting hungry, trying to stay focused while being surrounded by other auditioners, waiting for results between rounds... It's really exhausting, and it can take hours (the last day, I got out at 8pm. I had been there since 2pm, and was there the day before as well.)

After that was over, I thought, great, I'll have some free time now... and then I caught a nasty cold. I've finally gotten over the cold, and have been practicing like a madwoman for an upcoming chamber music concert.

The knitting has been sparse, but here is a pair of socks I knit for my mother as her get-well present after her knee replacement surgery. Thank you everyone for your kind words for my mom's recovery:

"Lotus" by Robyn Gallimore
yarn: 2 skeins Lorna's Laces in "Periwinkle"
mods: didn't like how the original cuff curled, so picked up stitches and added ribbing,
finishing with a tubular bind off.

closeup of the "lotus" stitch pattern

Well, otherwise, I missed my blogiversary (argh!), so I will be putting together a contest soon!

Not to be an enabler but Knitpicks is having their 40% off all books sale again!

Off to catch up on blog reading!

Quick Blurb

My apologies for suddenly having disappeared from blog-land; my mother recently had knee replacement surgery and so I've been in California the last few weeks helping her with her recovery. There has been a lot for me to do around the house, and very little free time as a result. I miss reading everyone's blogs-! Luckily my mother has started feeling better the last few days, so I'm looking forward to finally catching up on some reading :) Woohoo!

Before leaving for California, I managed to churn out a couple of knits:

Lacy Flower Sweater
yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton in "Mango Fool" (great name, huh?)

...for some reason I'm having trouble linking to the free pattern:

www.knitrowan.com/images/freepattern/lacy_sweater_feb_04.pdf

There are errata in the edging: it's supposed to be 14 (16:18:19). The instructions are a bit confusing because there are several different ways they ask for a Yarn Over. If you ever knit this, just do a regular YO every time. I modified the shape into a bit of an A-Line with some flair by decreasing under the arms to a 20" chest circumference.

Child's Cable Jumper
yarn: Katia Diana in a seafoam green

Pretty sure there's an errata in this one too, for the 18mo size; the cast on number of stitches is correct, but the subsequent rows have one too many stitches on the second half of the jumper (there is a P4 that should be a P3.) Both halves of the round should be symmetrical, in other words.

Wine Cozy

Used for a 60 year old bottle of Madeira which was a B-day gift for a 60 year old friend. I used the bobble and leaf patterns included in the instructions, but assembled them into one big grape cluster. Modified to knit in the round. I had to go up a couple of needle sizes for the base; it kept turning out way too small. :(

...and the Winner is...

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who participated in this little contest and for sharing all of your fantastic ideas and suggestions for warm weather knitting!!! I've definitely got enough inspiration from all of you to keep me knitting through the summer without the threat of bad mojo! Thanks again!

...so now here is my lovely assistant, sporting a recent F.O.

A pair of seriously decadent "Dashing"
1+ skeins of Artyarns Cashmere 5
(modified to a shorter length)

...and the winner is...

HeyCarrieAnn!!!

Congratulations! Please email me (violiknit@yahoo.com) your snail mail address, and your Trekking XXL will be on it's way to you :)

I'm off to do some serious catching up on my blog reading, and to F.O. some U.F.O.'s!

My pattern got published!!!...and a little contest

Woohoo!!! I'm so excited!!!

...So a while back, I made up this diagonal scarf pattern to go with some funky Insubordiknit handspun yarn...

Turns out, another talented spinner, Lexi Boeger (of Pluckyfluff Yarns), was in the process of coming out with her second book...

My "Go Diagonal" scarf pattern was knitted and submitted by Cindy Cafaro, and it ended up here:

"Intertwined" by Lexi Boeger
"The Art of Handspun Yarn, Modern Patterns, and Creative Spinning"

...and here it is on page 178!
(on Ravelry, it's here)

Not much knitting to show... lots of WIP's, but that's about it. The place where I work is having some major concert scheduling issues for next year, and I'm part of a group that has to deal with this headache... Needless to say, it has been sucking up almost all of my free time ("free" also goes for the fact that this is unpaid volunteer work...)

Anyhow, let's get onto the little contest:

Up for grabs is a lovely skein of Trekking XXL in color #06

Here's the thing; it's getting warmer outside, and with this sort of weather, my knitting mojo starts to sag...

Please leave a comment telling me about what kind of knitting project keeps you most motivated during warmer weather!

The contest ends on midnight, Monday April 21, and the winner's name will be posted here later that day.

Best of Luck!

Oh, Phooey!

I did not win the audition. :( Darn! Oh well, next time, perhaps...

Meanwhile, I just wanted to say:

Thank you everyone, for your supportive and kind comments!!! They always mean a lot to me, but I really appreciated them during this crazy stressful time!!!

...as a small token of appreciation, I will organize a little contest for my next post... I will try to get it all together this week... stay tuned...

I actually did manage to do a little knitting here and there:
This is the sweater from Kate Gilbert's Peapod Baby Set. (The pattern is free, but you have to register with the Knitting Daily Site. It's possible to unsubscribe later.) The yarn is Louet Worsted weight (which was more like DK weight), and the wooden ducky buttons are from M&J Trimming here in NYC. It was a bit of a juggling act keeping track of the pattern, the edging and the button holes all at once, but I think it was worth it.


And this Tulip Cardigan... yes, it's the one that was so crazily popular about a year ago... I got completely caught up in the frenzy of it all and managed to buy a kit, but after seeing soooo many people knitting it and blogging about it, I sort of lost interest and just never got around to knitting it until now...
I must say I totally love this sweater. The yarn is beautiful, and it passed the "Mommy Gaga" test with flying colors. (The "Mommy Gaga" test: I show a knitted item or its picture to several of my friends who are Mommies. If they totally flip out and ask me to knit one for their kids, it passes the test.)

I'm slowly working on this Afghan by Barbara Walker (I'm using Cascade 220 superwash):

Squares #1 and #2

Squares #3 and #4

Squares #5 and #6

And here's another Knit in Action:

Modeled by the supremely cute Miss "A", this is the February Baby Sweater from E.Z.'s Knitter's Almanac that I knitted about a year ago.

Audition Woes and Knits in Action

I have been knitting, really.... but only a little, because my hands feel totally shot.
You see, stupid me decided about a month ago that for the fun and challenge of it, I would try another audition. I figured practicing for this thing would keep me in good playing shape during my current off-season. The last audition I took was 2 years ago, and during that time, I must've gotten hit on the head or something, because I clearly forgot the craziness of it all.

For those of you who have not experienced an orchestral audition, it goes something like this:
A position is announced, and depending on the orchestra, there can be 250+ applicants sending their resumes for that one job. Of those, less than half are invited to a live audition. You are then given a list of excerpts of pieces which you practice to the point of insanity (I've been clocking about 5-6 hours of practice a day).

At some point, it is common to get "burnt out" on playing these same little excerpts over and over, but it's also frustrating because there are some beastly little passages in there that require all your attention and finger acrobatics to land safely. (Imagine knitting in stockinette stitch for miles and miles, and suddenly you have to negotiate an incredibly complicated cable stitch within a few seconds, and you're not allowed to frog it if you mess up.)

I think the worst part of these auditions is that after so many hours of preparation, you have about 5 minutes, behind a screen, to play it all perfectly. Anything can go wrong from nerves making you shake to your instrument acting up; and there's always something. You just have to ignore it and do your best anyway.

Perhaps I will come to my senses and just not take this audition; I have 2 jobs already, and I'm quite happy with them. But more likely, I will take the bull-headed approach and just do it.

...sigh...

Well, the fun thing is that my friends have sent me pictures of their daughters wearing the things I knit for them; it's great seeing knits in action, and reminds me why I enjoy knitting so much:

"A" wearing the BSJ that I modified (longer body and sleeve length, and added hood). She was stopped by a knitter in a NYC subway station who knew this was a BSJ.


"M" wearing the original BSJ. Also stopped in a T-station in Boston by a knitter who recognized Elizabeth Zimmerman's BSJ.

Both "M" and "A"s mothers are not knitters, and so were extremely impressed by these people who could recognize the "brand" or "designer" of the knitwear their kids were wearing from across the station.


"S" wearing a Bolero, booties and posing next to a baby-sized version of this afghan (I'm working on a full size one right now; pics of squares soon)

I'm Addicted to Ravelry

I remember reading in someone's blog about how Ravelry would possibly make blogging obsolete. I didn't believe it at first, but now I understand better after all the time I've been spending there lately...

But, I just can't give up my little blog, no matter how infrequently I post. It's still fun for me!

Here are some knits I've been cranking out:

This is the Puff the Merino Dragon Scarf from Morehouse Merino. This was for a little boy, so I omitted the tassles, and modified the pattern to make a smaller dragon (about 36" long). It took one ball exactly of Morehouse's 3-ply. I also added some neon nostrils to match the neon eyes.

When my b.f. saw this scarf, he mentioned that if he ever wore such a thing to school when he was a kid, the likelihood of it getting stolen would be very high. So, I sewed on a tongue with the initials of the recipient hidden inside.

My favorite hat book ever is "Hats On" by Charlene Schurch. It's also one of my first knitting books, and I've knitted more things from it than anything else in my knitting library.

This is the "Tassled Fez" hat. If I went skiing regularly, I would love to wear this hat knit up in screamingly loud colors. However, the reality is that for practical reasons, I want to be able to wear something that I won't get tired looking at.
Side view:
The Twined Herringbone edge (at base of hat) was a little too loose for me, so I slip stitched a row below it to make it firmer.
I used Rowan Cashsoft Aran yarn, and I don't know if it's because the yarn is a little stretchy, but this was one of the most even looking two-stranded projects I've ever done. I didn't even bother to block it.

I made a checkerboard patterened scarf last year, and had yarn leftover, so I made a hat and mitts to match. It's Jade Cashmere 8-ply. I had about 2 inches of yarn left at the end. Couldn't bear to waste any of this yarn...! It's soooo soft!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!!

Longest Project Ever

Finally!!! I'm finished with these Gentleman's Lozenge Socks!!!!!
These sat around in various stages of unfinished-ness for over a year and a half. (I'm so embarrassed to admit that...) The fact that my parents visited last week gave me the much needed momentum to finally finish these for my father. They fit, they looked great and he loved them!

Just to repeat some specs:
needles: size 0 (never again! took forever and cramped my hands!) addi 47". Knit 2-at-once, top down.
yarn: 3 skeins of Lorna's Laces Sock in "Cedar". I started the 3rd skein halfway through the toes, so there is a lot of yarn leftover. Men's size 11.5 and everything. The frugal yarn scrooge in me is crying.

I went on a mini-tour with an orchestra. 2 days of conforming my posterior to the shape of a bus seat. I finished this Odessa the first day (apologies for cell phone pic here):
Turned out a bit smaller than my other Odessas, but this was for a young girl who happens to detest anything remotely "scratchy", so Rowan Calmer yarn was a good choice for her.


The next day, I started to knit the "slouchy" version of Ysolda Teague's Gretel. I guess I was going through a Rowan phase; I used some Kid Classic for this hat.
I learned a great technique from this pattern: stocking stitch tubular cast-on. I had done tubular cast-ons before, but they required knitting and slipping alternating stitches for 4 rows. This was was so much easier, and it looks the same!

A little story about this hat: I happened to have this project with me at the reception of the orchestra's Carnegie Hall concert, and I ran into the famous knitwear designer and cable specialist, Melissa Leapman! (never leave home without your knitting!) I was having some trouble with a wonky cable stitch and she was generous enough to help me out. I must've looked ridiculous standing there in my black formal concert gown, balancing a glass of champagne while struggling to pull out a half-knit hat from the dark recesses of my purse. I'm sure people thought I was crazy, but it was worth it!

Rhinebeck!

I got to go to Rhinebeck! It was my first ever fiber fest. There was SO MUCH YARN. I got really dizzy from trying to look at it all, and I don't think I got through half of it. If I go next year, I'll definitely go both days and start early.

From the alpaca/llama tents:

This guy had such a charming smile, I just wanted to take him home with me!

Loved this guy's color and big eyes!

This bunny has both his front feet in the food dish...

In the sheep area, this guy had the most intense look...

This was a "judge my rump" contest. There was a judge explaining what she did and didn't like about all these sheeps' backsides...hmm...do you have a favorite?

This has got to be the biggest spinning wheel ever. You could sell tickets and ride that thing.

Rhinebeck was a really beautiful place with all the foliage turning. I highly recommend going if you ever have a chance.

Alright, on to the important stuff...
...drumroll...

The haul:

A couple of skeins of Glimmerglass Alpaca yarn made from a blend of 3 different alpacas.

Some very pretty roving from Steam Valley Fiber.


From the Fold: STR, Gypsy Girl Creations (can't wait to try this stuff) and a Brioche sock pattern.

2 skeins of Flock Sock from VanCalCar Acres. These were on sale because they weren't skeined "prettily" enough. Clearly, that didn't bother me.

Finally a couple of scarf kits from Morehouse Farms: Rat Race and Baby Alligator.


Happy Halloween Everyone!

Finally, a day off...

Sorry to have disappeared again... I'm playing in 2 orchestras right now, and my life has gotten a bit busy as I sandwich rehearsals for orchestra #2 in between performances of orchestra #1. My biggest concerns are to remember what days I need to be wearing concert clothes and to show up at the right building for the right rehearsals. Playing the music is the easy part. I can't tell you the number of times musicians have shown up to concerts having forgotten part of their concert apparel. "Does anyone have an extra jacket? Bowtie?" Once, a colleague of mine showed up to a concert with a mismatched pair of black shoes...and no, the heels were not even the same height.

I knit a pair of socks for a friend's B-day. These are the Crosshatch Lace Socks from More Sensational Socks, knit toe-up with Fleece Artist Merino sock yarn in the colorway Mermaid. The most exciting thing for me was that I conquered my fear of the short row heel!!! I still think double wraps are finicky, but it was much less of a strain on the needles for 2 at once Magic Loop. Cat Bordhi's YouTube Video on Wrapping and Turning was a great help.

Stitch Pattern closeup:

I also built a Lazy Kate following the instructions in Spin to Knit. The BFL Roving was from Spunky Eclectic, and the spindle is one of my new Avi Wassermans.

You slide the cop onto a straw,

Slide the straw onto a metal rod (regular nails were called for, but I didn't have any long enough...so I used some odd dpns)

Pull the singles through the little hook, and ply. (Plying spindle is a Cascabeles)

The spindle got REALLY heavy.
The Lazy Kate worked okay, but it did get stuck often, so I had to gently untangle (yank violently) the singles to fix things.

My B.F. went to Virginia, and brought me back some beautiful Cria Alpaca yarn from a local farm.

They even give you a pic of the Baby Alpaca and it's name: Snow White. How cute!

p.s. I'm in Ravelry! Yeay! Those who haven't signed up yet, go do it! You have to wait a little while, but it's worth it!

BSJ hybrid

BSJ with Mods complete!


Back View:
The story is: I had 2 skeins of L.L.'s Worsted that looked completey different despite being from the same dye lot. I made one "standard" BSJ with one of the skeins a few weeks ago for my B.F.'s niece. I showed it to my friend "L" who has a daughter the same age, just to double check with her that it looked the right size. She loved it so much, she asked me to knit her daughter one too. I hate knitting the same thing twice; I get really bored, so we decided to tweak it a bit.

This BSJ has:
1. The Tomten Hood, a BSJ addition recommended by Meg Swansen in The Opinionated Knitter (both the BSJ and Tomten patterns are in this book) The hood opening was finished with a sc edge.
2. Longer sleeves following the instructions at this website except, I still used a crochetted chain provisional cast on, and I knit extra garter rows onto the sleeves at the end.
3. Longer body: where it says to work on the middle section only for 10 garter ridges, I knit until there were 19 (would've done 20 if the yarn didn't run out)
4. No button at the bottom; it's longer after all, and the baby is starting to walk.

Measurements:
Cuff to cuff: 23"
Arm length (neck to cuff): 9.5"
Shoulder to bottom: 13.5"
Underarm to bottom: 9"
Across chest: 9"
Across bottom: 10"
(I wanted it to fit loose so she can wear it through the winter)

Materials used: Addi turbo #6 24" (my gauge was about 5sts=1"), 1 skein Lorna's Laces "Embers", 4 skeins doubled Dale Baby Ull (burgundy), 1 skein Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK (grey). All Machine Washable.

The Mittens:
Those super-cute mittens are the result of leftover yarn. The pattern is from Robin Hansen's book, Favorite Mittens. I'm loving this book; it has great mitten patterns based on traditional mittens found in Maine (not as fancy as the lovely mitts in Selbuvotter, but still nice). It also includes a pattern for beautiful gloves, thrummed mittens, shrunken mittens, some baby/children's mittens and several matching hats.

I got some presents...
My B.F. recently returned from a trip abroad, and look what he brought me: 2 Avi Wasserman Spindles! The one on the left is made of Carob wood, and the one on the right is Olive wood with turquoise inlay. What's really cool is that my B.F. went to Mr. Wasserman's home/studio to pick these beautiful spindles for me! Of course I had to go get some yummy Fleece Artist BFL roving to spin with for these special spindles.