Anticipation

Demi is all washed and pinned out, and I'm impatiently waiting for everything to dry!

I used my usual method of blocking: hand wash everything in tepid, soapy water. Right now I'm using Ivory Snow detergent, but once that runs out, I'm thinking of getting my hands on some Soak. The Ivory Snow works just fine though. I just fill up the kitchen sink, let it all soak for about 20 minutes, drain the sink, smoosh everything carefully to get extra water out, fill up the sink with clean water, repeat. The Kathmandu DK surprisingly bled quite a bit during its bath. I don't think the color left in the yarn suffered at all, but I do wonder how a darker color would fair. I think I did about three rinses before the water was reasonably clear. (The picture above shows the color most accurately.) After that, I lay out the pieces on towels, roll it all up, and kneel on the rolls to get as much water out as I can. Then the pinning ensues.

The schematics with the pattern were a little short on details to say the least, so I mostly relied on measurements from another store-bought sweater that fits the way I'd like this sweater to fit. This ended up corresponding pretty closely to somewhere between a M and a L according to the schematic measurements. I added some length to the body and the sleeves though, so for these measurements I followed my store-bought sweater.

I love blocking heavily patterned pieces like these and lacey knits, because it really is the magic moment where the pattern opens up and gets a beautiful, dimensional quality. It's just begging to be touched and squeezed.

Now I've got to decide what to seam this with. I don't think I'm going to use Kathmandu DK, because it just doesn't sound like fun to do a whole lot of seaming with a yarn that has a whole lot of tweedy nubs. I have some leftover Shine Sport that's kind of close in color, so I may use that, but ideally I'd like to use something with a little elasticity. I've also got some yellow Cotton Fleece that may be a contender. Any pointers for a smoother seaming process?

What I've been up to...

Is it just me, or is January just flying by? I can't believe this month is almost over. I've been getting a good amount of knitting done at least.

Demi is ready to be blocked and seamed. That's this weekend's project. I can hardly wait!

I'm also knee deep in tons of tiny black cashmere-blend sweaters. My friend Caroline is re-releasing a book about a man, a sweater, and a love that knew no bounds, and the first 100 copies come with a little tactile delight.

And last but not least, I have a new nephew! Bring on the baby boy knits!

Be Still My Heart

I had such a wonderful experience knitting my wedding stole with Handmaiden Sea Silk, I paid particular attention to the Knitter's Review email I read this morning about Handmaiden Swiss Mountain Cashmere and Silk. I think it's safe to say this yarn gets a thumbs up from Clara Parkes - I wouldn't be surprised if she needed a cigarette after her swatching experience!


I love that it's produced using turbines powered by nearby mountain streams. That description reminded me of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, when he goes shopping at Whole Foods and remarks on that fact that all of our food has an accompanying story that makes us feel good about buying it. Our butter is produced by Betsy the cow, who grazes serenely in a pasture in Vermont, the chicken we're about to roast once roamed freely on the farm of John and Jane, two honest-to-goodness farm folk who just want to bring you wholesome food. And so on. Apparently we now need this kind of rhetoric to get us to buy yarn. Just because I notice it doesn't mean I'm immune to it either. I'm a complete sucker for the story. I do try to throw a grain of salt in there though.

Need to do some stashbusting?

I found just the thing! (via Craftster)

Rembrandt. Self-portrait with curly hair, c.1630. Etching; 51 x 46 mm;

second state. © Trustees of The British Museum.

Researching Demi

Before I start working on a project, I always Google the pattern (or, lately, look it up on Ravelry) to see what it looks like on real people, changes they've made, problems with the pattern, etc. This also serves to inspire me, make bolder color choices, and egg me on to finish the damn thing already. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite Demis:

• Winnie's beautiful white version at Knitting Escapism.
• Nasti's extra-tweedy take at Pujoliivi (too bad I can't read Finnish!)
• Elli's brilliant blue one, complete with tons of helpful comments at Elliphantom Knits.
• Amelie's Demi with some added lenth (which reassured me that I didn't add too much length to mine) at Benighted.
• Another gorgeous creamy white version by whitknits.

Not only do I research a pattern before I knit it, but I continue to seek out the FOs of others while I'm knitting and as little questions arise. Will my Demi look okay in a lighter color? Will it still be flattering with a little added length even thought it has all that ribbing? How many center panel repeats did people end up with along the body and arms? All these questions are answered for me from the helpful posts of others. I don't know what I would do without knit bloggers and Ravelry!

Seeing how nice other finished Demis look keeps me motivated to finish my own. So far I've completed the back, one arm, and gotten a good start on the front. I'd better get a move on though, because as usual, the sweater I'm currently knitting is the only sweater I want to wear!