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OK. I know knitting is big here in Los Angeles. I along have 2 LYS within walking distance and their are hordes more in the greater LA area but I didn't think it was popular enough to merit a random entry on a blog about things in LA (food, music, and other happenings). And it's doesn't even really have a LA bent. It's just a review of a new knitting book although it does mention a local LYS.
Methinks it a little strange, stinky even.
Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson (October 2004)
Now I have been wanting to get my hands on this book for a while. There was a flurry of blog love and talk on the Boards when it came out but I never had a chance to sit down with it before now (I don't get to bookstores that often) as I was on the library waiting list for months.
And I am torn. It has it's good points and it's "let's be mediocre" points. Visually, it's a great book. The picture are artistic, pleasing and they show the pattern details. I especially like the ones that aren't related to the patterns. A handful of yarn that explodes with texture and color is something I would consider framing and hanging on my wall. This photographer knows her stuff and is apparently quite well known (which explains why her name is on the cover.)
And the author also knows a thing or too about design. Her explanation of color is clear, concise and encourages you to think outside your crayon box. I had never even heard of the word "chroma" before.
The rest was similar to many a beginner book - the discussions on tools, gauge, yarn, finishing. But unlike most books, it was good. Simple, easy to understand and useful. Great for a beginner. In her explanation of the natural fibers, she even touches upon how different types (kid vs fluffy mohair) will knit up. It's the little touches that count.
Then it's on to the patterns which are divided into estimated knitting time (<2hrs, 2-4hrs, 4-6hrs, 6-8hrs, >8hrs). This is where I felt the book was lacking a bit for me. I mean Pompoms and Tassels are included as patterns. There is nothing knitted about those. They are decorative touches that enhance your knitting. The patterns are nothing special...stockinette hats, a little mistake ribbing, stockinette sweater, stockinette baby pants, some garter stitch patterns, etc. It's the yarns that make these projects special, pulling from more of the higher end fibers (Rowan, Manos, Noro).
The book closes with a little section on how to wrap hand knit gifts. A bit inappropriate and unnecessary to my way of thinking. I mean there are entire books on this subject.
So I say anyone who considers themselves an intermediate knitter, skip this book. But if you are (or want to gift) a beginner who needs a pattern, even for a garter-stitch kerchief, it's set up nicely and worth the paper it's printed on.
Knitting is going on but nothing exciting to show. My pinwheel continues to grow and yoga bag is about ready for a strap. And although both are a bit monotonous to knit, I am not bored. Maybe a weird PMS symptom?!?!
The big thing that will be happen over the next few days is the redecoration of my room described in excruciating detail here at my other blog. New paint was slapped on the walls last night and the trip to IKEA will happen after work. Then it's building, cleaning, purging, and reorganizing everything from my closet to my stash and if all goes to plan, I will have a whole new look come Monday. I am so excited. Maybe I should have went into interior design.
I was a member of Secret Pal 1, hosted by Sandy last summer. I enjoyed sending little packages to my pal and thanks to blogs, I know she appreciated it but my pal sucked. I got one card and that was it. Needless to say, she never revealed herself. This left me a bit soured on the whole thing but time has eased the pain. I am ready to try again. I have seen again and again how many awesome people participate and I am fairly certain I won't be paired with another lemon. So I took the plunge and signed up for Secret Pal 5!
Thanks for all the kudos everyone! It's nice and will help keep me from being sad when the shawl is with its new owner.
Instead I give you my Newsboy Cap! I couldn't snag my roommate to model it last night so you got me instead. The pattern was designed by the fabulous Shannita (a Los Angeles knitter even!) and can be found in Stitch n' Bitch Nation. This baby took a little less than one skein of Cascade 220 which required smaller needles for gauge. 
And I knit the big head version so that my roommate could tuck all her braids underneath (why it looks baggy on me). This construction of this hat is simple knit in the round but I thought the coolest thing about it was the brim! You knit a little pouch and put a piece of plastic in for shape.
This is another project that I really like. I think after I finish up these next few things, the next projects will all be for me! This hat in a cotton blend will be on the list. For Southern California, wool is too much. It was not fun doing this photo shoot while my house was baking at 85-degrees. My head started to sweat as soon as the hat touched down!
My weekend was a blur for the most part with lots of magic viewing, lots of late nights (never getting to bed before 3am), three nights of dress-up and luckily quite a bit of knitting. Finishing even!!
Now I didn't quite get to everything I had planned. My Snuggly Button Down is not complete yet. I join the back and front pieces and knit the border but I didn't get to the sleeves. And once those are on I still have to buy those pesky buttons! Since I have no experience with buttons, I will be bringing the sweater with me on the button buying excursion I have planned this weekend. I wouldn't want to buy the wrong size! And then I have to research how they are sewed on. Do you use thread or yarn? Guess I will find out soon. Plus, par for the course, I am late and missed the shower (in Las Vegas) so have to mail it to boot. With a matching hat as penance.
So what did i get done you wonder? My roommate's Cabled Newsboy Cap is done but I want to save revealing it tomorrow after I get a picture of her modeling it.
Instead I am very happy to debut the most intricate, time-consuming and ultimately the most beautiful thing I have ever knit, the Field of Flowers Shawl! Now the saga of this shawl began on February 1st. To recap, this is the first time I have ever knit a lace-weight shawl with an intricate pattern. It was challenging. I had no problem following the charts (the engineer and me) but the way the directions were written had me scratching my head a few times but I was able to puzzle everything out. It just seemed to take forever to knit!
And I was a bit leery of blocking it. I had never experienced the magic of blocking lace before but after it's all said and done, it was nothing short of a miraculous experience.
Before a little TLC, my shawl was all schlumpy. I thought I was going to be able to block on my makeshift board, but it was soon apparent that the only place this princess was going to fit on was my bed! So I grabbed the pins and started at it (after making my bed of course). I quickly discovered that I am also not a perfectionist when it comes to blocking! I did a quick soaking with a little fabric softener, learned that cashmere soaks up a lot of water necessitating a few hand squeeze, and then after some rough measurements gave it a few gentle tugs. I pinned only the scallops points and not that carefully as I noticed later (sometimes I pinned a single thread which pulled a bit).
Still I felt like I should worship some pin-pushing deity as I labored, giving it shape and spearing it to my fleece blanket. I was worried that it was going to take a while to dry and that I would be pulling pins out when my boyfriend got back from his magic gig in the wee hours of the morning but between my fan and the 80 degree temperatures, she was bone dry in 2 hours!
As I gently freed her from her pointy prison, she retained her shape and seemed to be lighter than air. I cavorted down my hallway as I held her above my head, creating a breeze for her to gracefully blow in. Luckily no one was home to see that little bit of insanity. Straight to her photo shoot she went, no touch-ups required. Look at those details, those elegant lines. Breathtaking.
And a shot of it in action that I really like (considering I was taking my own snapshots and we know how easy that is!). I look all dreamy and soft. Totally unlike me. Must be the magic of the shawl!
Just looking at the shot, makes me forget the 4-months it took me to make her. I never thought I would become so attached to a lace shawl but I will be sad when I gift her to my aunt-to-be next week as a wedding gift. She's extremely light-weight, warm and adds a touch of elegance to even my tank top. Hopefully she and my labor of love will be appreciated. I think I might have to make one for me now! Though not square. I only want a triangle.
24-Hour Knitting Projects by Rita Weiss (February 2005)
The first thought that immediately jumped into my head looking at this book was, "That model is scary looking. Looks like an android." And that was the most entertaining thought I had while perusing this book.
All the projects are blah and a few border on the hideous for me. Two of them you can see on the cover - the fun fur top and the pink monstrosity in the opposite corner. The whole thing reminds me of a Lion Brand catalog. Wait. Maybe it's because every other pattern uses LB! And that's not necessarily a bad thing when paired with a cute pattern. This was not the case this time.
In terms of formatting, I did like how the contents had a thumbnail picture of the patterns. It would make locating the one you were thinking of easy. And it had no beginner knitting instructions. Apparently this book is intended for those who already have the skills.
So the only thing really going for it, is that everything in this book is affordable. Besides LB, the patterns use Bernat, Patons and Coats & Clark. So if cheap and ugly is your cup of tea, this book is for you!
Election day was slow - very, very slow. We got 197 voters out of 836 over a 13 hour period. Total turnout for this election was around 30%. Abysmal I say. Still in the end Los Angeles has a new mayor, the first Latino in 100 years. I will withhold judgment until I see what he can do.
Yet the day was not wasted. I knit and knit and knit some more on my Pinwheel. I can see now why most people knit it to baby proportions. This sucker is slow once it's bigger than 18". I have no idea how many stitches I am up to (add 10 more every other row) but it's about 28" in diameter. In my 7 hours of knitting I got about 6 inches done. I am not sure how long my yarn will hold out (and it's time to wind some more) but I am hoping to at least get a 4-foot diameter blanket. Hope being the operative word.
And can I tell you summer colds suck. I feel like ass right now. I would have called in sick but of course I had to get something out this morning. Now that it's done, it might be time to head home. I may even cancel my appointment with my trainer (which I hate to do).
ps. - Thanks for all the congratulations. When I make my splurge fiber purchase in the name of my promotion, you guys will be the first to know!
I think I forgot to mention I got the promotion at work. It was official last week though it hasn't showed up my paycheck yet. When that happens, there just might be a special yarn purchase made just for me.
Well yesterday was a great day. The big todo was a visit to Disneyland with my love (which we do pretty often having Annual Passes) to check out some of the special touches for the 50th Birthday Bash. <>
The park looks great and they have tweaked and improved almost every ride. And added lots of special golden touches, especially to the original attractions from opening day like a Golden Teacup (this is one nearby for photo ops but the ride has one too!). And incidentally this is one of the rare photos documenting coupledom. We just don't take a lot of pictures together.
But the day was fabulous even before heading to Disney. I finished knitting on my Newsboy Cap! I don't know why I have been putting off knitting the brim, it was so easy and quick. Now I have three things to do on what I am dubbing "Finish Me Up" Friday (my day off). Weave ends, wash and block my Field of Flowers Shawl, cut and insert plastic brim, and weave ends on my Newsboy Cap and seam, do edging, buy and add buttons to my baby cardigan. Hopefully I am not being too ambitious!
And tomorrow I anticipate a bit of knitting time as I am a Pollworker for the local mayoral election. I will be at the polls from 6am to 9pm! A long, long day!
