Pardon the Dust

I'm giving my blog a new look and switching over to the beta version of Blogger. Please pardon the dust and possible strange formatting while I'm in this process. Thanks!

Clapotis Sighting

The Clapotis. Everybody and their mother have been knitting this thing. Everyone except me. With such things as the Clapotis Knit-A-Long and Team Clapotis, there's no escaping this bias-knit creation. It's EVERYWHERE, and a few days ago, I saw it it with my own two eyes. And it was beautiful.

Before I go on any further, let me make one thing clear: I believe what I saw to be the Clap. I was moving with the cattle to the train station after the daily grind of my 9-5, and walking in the opposite direction was this chick with a lovely scarf wrapped around her neck. Lo and behold: it was the infamous Clapotis. Now, on any other given day, at any other given place, I would have stopped this chic chick in her tracks to ask if it was indeed the Clap, and how long it took her to knit it, what yarn she used, yada, yada, yada. But, as anyone who commutes to the city on a train schedule knows, you can't just stop someone while they're heading to their train, unless it's maybe a long lost friend that you haven't seen in years, and then it's just a quick hello and a hug before saying, "I've got to run to catch my train." So, I reluctantly passed her by. But, the image is ingrained in my brain.

I've avoided knitting the Clap for a long time. Not for lack of loveliness - it's an extremely lovely scarf, and I'm all about scarves. But, I've read a lot of posts about the Clap and I've heard from more than a few that they get bored as they're knitting it up. Also, A LOT of people have knit this scarf, and I really don't know how I feel about knitting and wearing something that almost everyone in the hip knitting community has already knit. Well, at least, I didn't know how I felt about it till I saw it in the flesh and blood. And now, I WANT ONE!!

So, I'm embarking on a search for yarn. I'm in no massive hurry to get this on my needles. God knows I have enough projects waiting in the wings. But, I'm keeping the yarn requirements of the Clap tucked neatly in the space of my brain reserved for my knitting (it's a huge space, really, almost no room for anything else!). So, until I find the yarn that screams "Clapotis!" I will dream of the day when my perfect yarn will meet my pointy sticks. And, it will be glorious.

Book Review

I recently ordered Designing Knitwear by Deborah Newton. This book is great!! It has all you need to know (maybe not all, but a helluva LOT) to design your own knits. From sketching a design to fine dressmaker details, this book has it all. A great reference for anyone embarking on the designer's path.

All Wound Up

I made a trip to my LYS a few days ago and purchased a few hanks of Misti Cotton in Kiwi (I would have named it Green Apple, but that's just me). It's 83% pima cotton/17% silk at it's A DREAM to work with. I'm swatching for an upcoming design proposal. This will be, by the way, my first design proposal submission. I've sketched it out to be a variation of Emily: same cable, but only 1" of ribbing and with cute, little cap sleeves. At least, that's my vision. We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!!

AV Shawl Collar Pullover

Yes, yes, I've been neglecting my poor little blog. But, this is no time to dwell on that and I need not offer up any excuses. Anyways, I've been knitting, isn't that excuse enough?

With the yarn I purchased at Stitches (Knit One Crochet Too's Angora Soft), I'm knitting up Adrienne Vittadini's Shawl Collar Pullover featured in Vogue's Winter 04/05 issue.



So far, I've worked the front and back and sewn the shoulder seams.



I'm almost at the cap shaping for the first sleeve. Hopefully I'll have both the sleeves done by the weekend. Then I'm onto the shawl collar, and before I know it, this puppy will be done!! I love the way this yarn feels when knitted up, but knitting with it is kind of a pain. It tends to split and snag (grrr). I guess as long as I stay away from sharp objects, I'll be able to wear this pullover comfortably. :-) All sarcasm aside, I love this sweater and really hope it doesn't end up being one of those things I knit and never wear.