On My Needles: A Mystery!

Is anyone else knitting along with Wendy Johnson’s Summer Mystery Shawlette? I started mine late, so there’s not much to share (4.5 rows), but it’s already feeling scrumptious in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in Turquoise Mix. I’ve had this stashed for so long, earmarked for a project it became apparent I was never going to knit. So this KAL popped up with perfect timing. Check out the original post here and the Rav discussion thread here if you haven’t already!

ALSO: Is anyone else partaking in The Knit Girllls‘ “Stash Dash 5k”? It sounds really cool and exactly what my stash needs: you count every yard of yarn used from 5/27 to 8/15 to try to get to 5K (5,468 yards) of yarn! It seems daunting, but I love the idea. And lucky for me, WIP’s finished after the start date count! :) Check out the discussion page here.

On My Needles: Woven Fingerless Gloves

This is one awesome pattern. I’m making these as Christmas gifts for somebody (they’ll go in the box so I’ll have them when I need them.) They’re knitting up so fast, and they look more intricate than they really are. Kind of an English-equestrian vibe, I think (maybe it’s the Hermes-ish colorway).

Pattern: Woven Fingerless Gloves from Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in Butternut

Needle: Size 2

(Edit: They’re so easy to knit, one of them is done already! I really can’t recommend this pattern enough for gift knitting!)

On My Needles: Rugby Hat

Consider this a preview. It’s going to be my first-ever pattern, and I like how it’s coming along. We’ll see how it goes, so stay tuned!!

On My Needles: Lacy Shrug

Here’s a pretty little cotton shrug I’m working on. I hope it’s finished before my friends’ wedding in Virginia next weekend. It would be the perfect weight and style for their country farm setting. It’s going pretty quickly…I’ll update you as it progresses!

Pattern: Something Lacy Shrug
Yarn: Rowan RYC Cotton Jeans in Cheesecloth
Needle: Size 6 & 7 (Addi Lace)

On My…umm…Needles…

Okay, this one of the “traitorous” projects I’ve been working on. It’s crochet! I swore I would never give up my two needles for one lousy hook! But my sister, who’s the crocheter of the family, taught me how and I was–uh–hooked (sorry!) I had a big bag of Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller Bamboo Ewe that I bought back when I first learned how to knit but never knew what to do with, so I cast on for a blanket. It’s a worsted-weight version of Purl Soho’s Granny Stripe Blanket, made with a size I hook (because that’s the only hook I have). I have no idea how big it’s gonna be–we’ll see when I get sick of hooking. It might be a big blanket!

I’m Ba-a-ack!!!

Bet you thought I was gone for good, huh? Nope, just gone until my final exams were over! And by “gone”, I mean completely unresponsive (unless the response you were looking for was, “Hearsay! Fifth Amendment! The Abercrombie Spectrum of Distinctiveness! Rogers v. Koons!) and completely fiber-free. Well, that period of sadness is over, the proverbial sun is shining (if not the physical one) and I am finally able to stop and smell the peonies my glorious husband gave me after my last exam.

Now I am ready, too, to share the projects I was working on before exam-mageddon struck, and which I have picked back up. Get ready, ‘cuz it’s going to be coming fast and furious!

Promises.

This is what I get for making promises on the eve of Exam Period here at law school. Foolish me. I have so many projects and progresses and presents I want to share with you, but alas, they will have to wait. I am officially declaring this blog AWOL for at least the next week. Thank you for your patience!

ummm…

Did I say “tomorrow”? ‘Cuz I meant next week. Camera’s on the fritz and I’ve been too busy to fix it. Catch you later!

Cheater

I have a confession to make: I haven’t been knitting lately. That’s why it’s been an eternity without a post–just thinking of blogging made me feel guilty. But I promise I haven’t been idle that time–no, it’s just that my hands have been cheating on my needles with some other fun toys that I’ll tell you all about tomorrow!*

*Oh, and the fact that I have finals all this month. But it’s not like that ever stopped me from knitting up a storm before!

About Town: L’Amour Fou

The Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea has mounted a spectacular exhibition of works Picasso did of his muse, Marie-Thérèse, in the 1920s and ’30s. The show feature sketches, drawing, paintings, and sculptures from museums and private collections–which means, not only will these works probably never be seen together again, but some may not be displayed publicly for some time. It’s thrilling to see the works I clumsily copied in art classes in person, to squint at the brushstrokes and palette knife marks. And there are drawings and a film of Marie-Thérèse, which reveals an interest paradox: does the Picasso look like Marie-Thérèse, or does Marie-Thérèse–with her strong, round-yet-linear features and full body–look like a Picasso?

The show is free, and even if you’re not a modern art enthusiast, the show is worth it alone for the knitwear inspiration–the strange-but-appealing color combinations, the stripes and shapes, and the clothes Marie-Thérèse wears in the portraits, from hat to sweaters to striped socks, each more chic than ever. Please, if you live in or near New York, go to this once-in-a-lifetime show.

Free at the Gagosian Gallery, 522 West 21st St. through June 25

Read the New York Times review here.