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Heaps

Yesterday brought a heap of happy news to my universe.

Best

My very smart nephew Geoffrey was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. Here he is with his certificate:

I think it's difficult being a very smart kid in our culture; I'm glad that good work and intelligence is recognized. His mom, the beautiful and skull-clad Laura is an excellent mom in the pantheon of Great Moms.

Next-Best

My wool arrived! Pure J&S Shetland by way of Schoolhouse Press. Here's a photo of its loveliness:

Its arrival means I can start winding wool and then swatching for my next project, the incredibly beautiful and intricate Giant Latvian Mitten Cardigan, from Wool Gathering #67. I've been coveting this design for quite a while; all that stands between me and it now is some very pleasurable knitting! Sweet!

Pretty Good

I found out at work yesterday that I don't have to go in today; so it's a four-day weekend for me! That means lots of knitting and relaxing time!

Pleasant

And the pups had good news. There was a cancellation at Sandy Paws, the groomer they love, so everybody got to pile into the car and ride to Sea Bright.

They love visiting Dawn and her lovely assistant:

And I love having nice clean pups.

How About You?

Is that heaps of nice news or what? Happy Friday, happy weekend, everyone! What's happening in your world? I know David is playing in his first violin recital. Go wish him luck!

I-cord, therefore I am

Knitting on a second layer of i-cord:

You know what I love about this i-cord business is that it makes you feel so smart! You end up with a nice little tube of knitting as your border. It's a very good finish for the Mimbres vest.

So, as unvented by Elizabeth Zimmermann as Applied I-cord, you just pick up your stitches, cast on two cord or three cord stitches, and you're off to the races. Very cool! Meg Swansen has even made gloves out of i-cord. Geane used it to finish her Celtic KeyKnot cushion. I'm i-cording per the instructions in Knitting Around, EZ's book.

Pup News:

Della had a brief rain-free interval to explore the dandelions.

Thursday Already

Thanks very much, everyone, for your kind comments on the crocheted steeks. This weekend I'll add it to this site as a webpage, with questions answered. Speaking of the weekend, it's only a day away now! Yeah! Enjoy!

I-Cord. U-Cord?

Yesterday, using Elizabeth Zimmermann's clever technique, I i-corded around my Mimbres armholes. My first round of applied i-cord:

Pretty sweet!

But check out the inner armhole with its crocheted steek:

Totally Sweeeet! I remain completely enamored of crocheted steeks! And why not? Can you stand it? No ends! No fuzzy bits! Just a sleek little facing with a crochet-chain edge. I may have to wear my vest inside-out periodically, just because I think the steeks are so splendid!

Now, back to i-cord. I found it very pleasant to work a two-stitch i-cord around the edges. Today I'll cast on another two stitches and add another layer in turquoise.

Do you have Elizabeth Zimmermann's book Knitting Around? It's the one that contains the charming Digressions. EZ must have been the ultimate Knitting Geek, to use my blog-pal Teresa's happy phrase from yesterday's comments. I'm a knitting geek too, because I love clever technical stuff about knitting. Anyway, Knitting Around has more clever uses for i-cord than you can imagine! And certainly more than I could list here in a week of blogging. Check it out and be amazed!

Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday

Della says Woof it up!

Sleek Steeks!

There are some great references on the web for dealing with the wily steek: Flor, Wendy, and Geane can walk you beautifully through a Norwegian or Fair Isle-type steek preparation. But so far, the only reference I've found to crocheted steeks is in the much-mentioned and very excellent Sweaters from Camp. There are a number of reasons to desire a fastidious steek, but mine is that I don't have a sewing machine. And the unsecured steeks on Laura's vest (in which I used the knit-then-whack-with-scissors approach) nearly gave me the vapors.

So yesterday I sat down with my Mimbres and, with book nearby and crochet hook in hand, crocheted my steeks.

Basically, you're chaining the right and left halves of the center steek stitches together:

Because I speckled the steeks, it was easy to alternate picking up a brown stitch half and a turquoise stitch half. However, had I striped the steeks, I could have focused on one light half and one dark half. Here's the front steek in its crocheted glory:

Guess what? All I had to do next was snip the bars between the chain . . .

The result? Sleek Steeks!

Fabulous! No ends to deal with, no weaving--no mess, no fuss! Check out those tidy edges!

When I apply the i-cord a la Elizabeth Zimmermann, I'll just be picking up the brown steek edge stitch. The rest of the steek is sleekly and tidily finished. Awesome! Why do it any other way? Well, actually, there's one good reason to do it another way—if you are using a slicker yarn than Shetland. such as Heilo. As always, for further information on innovative knitting techniques like this, consult the Master.

Today I'll work on the applied i-cord after work, and then will be dreaming of my next project. The wool's in the mail!

It's Tuesday.

Try something different. Jack and Della wish you a good day, and happy steeking.

100% Legit Kniznit

The stranded knitting part of the Mimbres vest is finished:

You can see the effect of reversing the colors in the final repeat of the pattern. I like it!

Jack helpfully points out the steeks, neck shaping, and "kangaroo pouch":

And here is an image of Mimbres (also by the dawn's early light) that shows the colors a bit more realistically, browns and turquoises:

What's left to do? Well, the entire vest is finished with I-cord. I'm using Joyce William's method as described in Sweaters From Camp. Additionally, rather than sew, then cut the steeks, I'm going to try crocheting them, also describe in Sweaters From Camp. The introduction of this book has everything you need to know about fair isle techniques...I highly recommend it!
The sweater patterns in it seem almost like a bonus, because the intro is so full of expert fair-isle tech stuff. Get yer copy at Schoolhouse Press, where you can also see the original Mimbres design.

It's Monday

Move Your Feet!