I know, I know…. I said no more baby sweaters for awhile, but when a member of your old knitting group gets pregnant and has twins, well, you know you have to rock it out knit-wise for the woman, right?

So, I bought this yarn for the babies–a boy and a girl–Finola and Eamon. Cashmerino Aran in orange and scarlet. And wanted to do something that would be kinda matchy but not too much.

I really REALLY wanted to do the Garn Studio Drops baby sweater that Saartje (yes, her again…I know, but I adore her work!) And check out the gorgeous one Kelp knit as well! Genius. But when I printed out the pattern, it asked for sports weight–not aran weight, which is what I had. And I’m using this yarn come hell or high water! 

Oh yeah–Cashmerino Aran should be knit on a 6/7 needle–not the 2/3 needle size that the Garn Studio sweater asks for. Yeah–just a bit off.

But of course that didn’t stop me. I tinkered with the pattern (which is wonderfully fun to knit) and realized that it just wasn’t going to work with the larger yarn. It just looked janky. See?

That is just way too big of a stop and start with the yarn for my liking. Heck, even the wrong side looks better, see? I almost considered doing it that way….

So, inspired by Mixie, the most amazing knitter and event planner known to man, I’m going to do the basic top-down cardi that we know and love and adding a binding edge from bias tape.

I think I’ll try to make my own bias tape using one of those bias tape making doohickeys. And this idea of making my own bias tape came from the ever resourceful and always charming Miss Posie. Hmmm… makes me want to play with pretty fat quarters…. Mmmm… quilting….

So now I have a real reason for going to Joann’s–to pick up the bias tape maker and some gorgeous orange and red patterned cotton fabric. Oh–or perhaps I’ll splurge myself silly and go to Britex or Poppy’s to buy the perfect fabric that I’m sure to find something perfect at Britex among the hundreds of gorgeous fabrics there.

But I must admit all of this knitting is taking a bit of stress on my arms. Might need to take a break. Bah!

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OK, I splurged and bought the Kim Hargreaves sweater kit for Peace…

And I was soo good. I didn’t rip off the paper with my teeth the moment I got it at work. I waited to take it home and photograph it properly. See?

Oooh, Royal Post! So fancy!

You must admit that the packaging is gorgeous…

But I’m not totally digging the red yarn.

Would it be bad to sell the yarn on eBay and hopefully buy the yarn in a color I like from a store–or heck–eBay? I could buy the Rowan handknit cotton in a nice leafy green. Mmmm…

We’ll see where this goes. Actually, I know where it will go. The yarn will go on eBay and I will go on eBay to Cucumberpatch UK and buy the “slippery” color.  (Note: whatever happened to calling colors actually what the color is. I blame J. Crew for this. I remember getting the catalogue and seeing the color “bottle” listed to describe the color dark green. Oh Marketing, what a love/hate/love relationship we have!)  

Anyway, I just feel that if you are going to put all of that time and money into knitting a sweater, you might as well make it in the exact color you want.

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Hey knitters, move over! I’m hopping on the jaywalker bandwagon and having a blast.

I was so bored with knitting my plain sock. It just wasn’t doing it for me. Which is a sign that it was time to move on….to patterned socks! But where to start? Where to find the perfect toe-up patterned sock…why Grumperina to the rescue with her genius knitting sensation, the Jaywalker sock!

And here is how it is coming along.

Isn’t it divine? And I must admit, Minnow looks pretty darn cute there too.

Don’t you love it when you fall back in love with knitting socks after finding them almost too boring and blah to deal with and then–kapow–you are back in the mix, taking it with you to work and loving every round?

I must admit seeing Rachel, a lovely knitting gal I met on the W bus heading back to our Isle of Style, got me wanting to knit again on the bus. Isn’t it lovely when you see someone on the bus and you KNOW that they are your kind of knitter? I knew she was a rockstar knitter when I saw her rocking the purple Knit Picks options needles and was working on a lovely sock. Hullo, Rachael darling, if you are reading this!

Anyhoo, here’s how it looks so far on my foot. Note: my ankle is not THAT thick! I swear!

And I love you, Minnow! Some people think she’s cross-eyed. I just don’t see it. Mother’s love!

And one last note, I will say that the yarn I’m using–a nifty Palace Yarns Bamboo yarn–is a tad splitty….

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Ah knitting and TV–they just go together, don’t they?

I must admit I do watch my share of TV–but I also work for a TV-based Website, so I have to be up to date on what the top shows are and this summer has a couple of great ones that I’d like to share with you.

Best New Show EVER: Mad Men on AMC

According to the critics this show is getting more buzz than the Sopranos did when they started several years ago. And this show doesn’t dissapoint. It’s a smart, smoky, delicious take on Madison Avenue advertising men and how they changed the way we love products. I was sort of lost for the first half hour, but it all came together beautifully in the last half. Prepare to become addicted. And it is so gloriouisly late 50s/early 60s–rock that Swedish design love! And three martini lunches! Exhibit A below…

Best Mindless Entertainment: Rock of Love on VH-1

I’m sure my IQ just dropped 10 points after watching it, but boy, is it a trainwreck that you can’t help but love. I know you all love Rodeo! Yeeha! And don’t you threaten me with a good time! My friend Dana watches this show peeking through her fingers as she tries to shield herself from the shame.

Below is a picture of our favorite Samantha catching Bret’s eye.

Best Clever Show You Probably Never Watched: Flight of the  Conchords

If I was 25 living in NYC, I would probably live an existence similar to these guys. It is hilarious and their songs as so funny. Who wouldn’t want some guy to sing “Part-Time Model” to them. Eh, maybe only 30 percent of the female population, but who cares–it’s genius. Jerome as Bowie had me doing bad Bowie imitations for days. Aren’t the they epitome of indie hipster hotness?

OK, now that you’ve set your Tivos, I’ll be back tomorrow with updates on knitting, including some botched baby sweater knitting. And finally I jump on a very crowded bandwagon…COOL!

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Before I got to this:

I finished the darling booties for L & L’s twin girlies. They started out knit in one piece like this…

After trimming an insane number of ends….

But the final product was this….

Aren’t they sweet? Perfect for twin baby girls. Twice the spice. Took about six hours for the whole project. Thank you Saartje for the booties pattern. I plan to make many more.

Aren’t they sweet?

Like they could just dance away!

Sunday was spent diving into the book and relishing every page turn. I have the world’s best husband who did some very necessary laundry and made the most divine dinner while I read. I’m so lucky!

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Yes, I admit. I’m a fan. A huge proud fan, to be exact!

And I know the knitting world is full of such fans thanks to Mrs. Weasley representing the knitters of the world with her infamous Weasley sweaters. I love them almost as much as I love the books and the movies. I must figure out a way to leave messages on Felicia’s site, so I can enter that Harry Potter themed raffle! It’s too divine for words. Really! Felicia, if you are reading, darling, please add me to the contest! And I might attend this event in the city to get excited.

I saw the movie this weekend and it was great fun. Not as good as the book, but still there were moments that were just wonderous in the way that only film can be. Such as the glorious scene when the Order of Phoenix and Harry are flying over London–that was just joyous. 

Oh, and Alan Rickman rules. His performance is positively Shakesperean! So delicious. I swoon for you, Snapey!

And to prep for the book coming out this Saturday, I just re-read the sixth book, the Half Blood Prince to see if there were any clues or insights that I might need to remember. So, before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits the stores, here are my predictions (call Vegas now and place your bets…):

• Harry Potter will survive and kill Voldemort
• Harry Potter is himself a horcrux (OK–this wasn’t my idea, but I do believe it)
• Dumbledore is still alive
• Snape is a good guy (but will die in the end possibly)
• One Weasley will die–I really don’t want this to be, but I’ve been so positive–I’m such an optimist!

And I must say, I will be excited to see who this R.A.B. character is too. Don’t remember? Re-read the last chapter of the Half-Blood Prince…

In a moment of spazziness, I ordered my book over Amazon and can hardly wait to to open the box to see this cover staring back at me.

Don’t expect me to be anywhere than lounging on my bed reading the book Sunday.

*The title of this post is supposed to be pronounced with an awful Cockney accent like a certain friend of mine who loves to terrorize me with a bad impression of a chimney sweep from Victorian London.

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I’m sure everyone has read this great article from the NYT, right?

This does put the Tartan cardigan up higher than the other sweaters….

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OK, so I’m willing to spend the next month and a half cranking out some knitted items for those two sets of twins and I’m absolutely delighted with the projects and looking forward to them. And I realize that the gift of something hand knit isn’t about size–it’s about love and good wishes for that baby! Hurrah!

So, now it’s time to plan a knit for me. Yeah!

I’ve narrowed it down to the following six sweaters for consideration. I’d like to knit at least two this year. That’s totally doable, isn’t it?

Sweater #1: Nantucket Jacket from Interweave Knits 2006

Isn’t it gorgeous? This just looks like something I’ll wear all of the time. And hello–I love Nantucket! I even like the color–cranberry–Nantucket–get it?  And there have been some great knit-a-longs and it always looks cute. I’m slightly frightened that it might be too much for me. But it looks so comfy ans wearable! 

Jacket #2: Jakke from Poetry in Stitches

Inspired from the  Saartje, the Norwegian uber knitter goddess that I can’t stop worshipping right now. Seriously, doesn’t her lavender version of the sweater look heavenly? I don’t know why, but I’m quite in love with the look of garter stitching right now and the fact that this is knit from side to side is very very intriguing to me as well. It even have that oh so flattering gores.  My only issue with it is that  the collar looks kinda unfinished to me. I think I’ll have to see how Saartje’s finished sweater looks.

Jacket #3: Mermaid by Hanne Falkenberg

And keeping with that “garter-knitting-side-to-side” love there there is this cutie from Hanne Falkenberg–another Saartje find, I must admit, but those gore details rule. Enough of the bulky sweater. Yeah! This would be a great jacket substitute. I think it’s nice that she has picked out some lovely and smart color matches for her rather spendy kit, but I would want to substitue the blue for a nice red. Heh! That would make it look like that Shocking skirt that Pepperknit so valiently knitted up. I do adore that Pepperknit and her knitting cleverness. But I don’t know–does it look rather mature?

Sweater #4: Peace by Kim Hargreaves

But Hanne’s kits are a tad expensive. Er–$250 to be exact. That makes Kim Hargreaves kits seem downright cheap! And I’ve knit two of her designs so far. Kim’s directions are always flawless.  Perhaps third time is a charm with this one. Check this beauty out. Insanely gorgeous, eh? I love it to the brink. It’s totally adorable and perfect to knit for my upcoming long trip to Bolinas Bay. Hurrah for summer. Yeah! I’ve never worked with Rowan handknit cotton. I hope it isn’t ghastly like that Rowan summer tweed of the last Kim Hargreaves sweater I knit and hated knitting.

Jacket #5: Tartan Jacket from Interweave Knits

Oh, but then, there is also this lovely lovely friend that I’ve had my eye on for ages. The tartan jacket by Teva Durham. I think this would be absolutely amazing in a lovely chocolate brown with a little pink or green accent. Adorable, no? And I really really need a brown coat for my wardrobe. And doesn’t it remind you of her new crochet book cover?

Hmmm… Didn’t I mention something ages ago about wanting to learn crochet?

Anyway, back to the sweater countdown.

Jacket #6: Poinsetta from KniteScene 2006

Oh and remember this old friend? I really want to knit this sweater last year, but I just don’t look that great in cross-over sweaters. But these gorgeous sleeves! Seriously, these sleeves just look too wonderful. Hmmm… it DOES look like it might be rather shortwaisted…Wouldn’t it be lovely in a charcoal with yummy scarlet cuffs. And I would really like to try knitting with that Classic Elite Princess. And I haven’t seen many knitted up versions of this sweater on the old blogosphere.

Ah, so many choices so little time. The knitters eternal dilemma. Thoughts? Suggestions?

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So, last Saturday I spent the day with Craft Mom (CM).

Isn’t she gorgeous? Yes, this is the wonderful woman who taught me so much not only about knitting, but about quilting, sewing, and every craft in between.  Don’t get me wrong. I love my mother to the brink, but she would break out in in hives just entering any store involving any craft. Where my mother fears to go CM sashays in with amazing ideas that would send Martha Stewart into a flutter. CM was in town and all is right with the world!

But get this, it wasn’t only the delight of having CM in SF. I was also lucky enough to have her two dear friends Diane and Dottie. And the three of them together are a triumpherant of uber fabulousness.

Look at this innocent trio. Don’t let them fool you.  They ran me ragged on a day trip to Sausalito. Outshopped, outwined, outdined, outjoked, outcharmed me in every way. They were already nicknamed, “the Unholy Trinity” by an SF bartender within their first 48 hours of being in San Francisco before I even met up with them

Oh, but we had so much fun. I haven’t laughed that hard in awhile. So much fun that we missed the ferry back to San Francisco.  Had to take the bus. And they were such good sports about it. Saw it as a way to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Dottie*, you have my heart for that.

*BTW, Dottie is the leading ice figure skating silver champ in her age group. She has more silver medals than Kristi Yamaguchi. She spends about four hours a day skating.  Inspiration, anyone? Actually, all of these women are inspiring and amazing in their own way.

Holy Trinity, I can’t wait to you ladies come back!

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My darling friend Dana’s best friend had to deliver her baby boy two months early last Friday.

So I made these for him.

Making these was mind bending. Seriously, I can’t even fully tell you how satisifying and delicious bootie knitting is. A dear little foot would fill this bootie. It’s so wee. And only took a half hour. And is so sweet. So full of hope.

Yes, just as much love goes into knitting the booties. I think more than the sweaters, if that is even possible.

I’m officially giving booties to babies. They are a joy to make.

Thank you Quinton for being the perfect recipient for my first pair. Wear them well and may you grow out of them very very soon.

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