Thursday evening, I finished knitting the button-band on the Cider House Rules vest for Bryan. Friday evening, I sewed on the buttons and Saturday, it got a good washing and serious blocking on our bed, it needed to be stretched about three inches lengthwise.

Today he wore it for the first time. He absolutely loves it and it looks so good on him.

pattern: Cider House Rules Vest from Interweave Knits, Fall 2000
yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton
started: 18 October 2006
vest knitting completed: November 27, 2006
vest completed: January 26, 2007

Here’s a more detailed account of our trip to Seattle.

We arrived in Seattle Friday afternoon, January 19. Not long after we checked into our hotel, we went to the convention center to complete our registration for the ALA Midwinter meeting. That evening, we went out to dinner and then met up with E, one of Bryan’s friends from grad school. I’d never met her and it’s always so wondeful to meet people that Bryan was friends with in grad school. She took us to University Hill and we had tea at the Grand Illusion which has a cute little coffee shop attached to it. We were both exhausted after a long day of traveling, but had to get a photo with E.

Saturday, we explored the exhibits at ALA in the morning. When I saw the Baker & Taylor cats, I had to get a photo with them. We also had our photo taken for our own Read poster. Going through all of the exhibits was a blast. So many free things that I would have liked to have taken but there just wasn’t the room in my suitcase. I did manage to take several young adult novels and a few graphic novels. I’ve already finished several of the items that I picked up. Saturday afternoon, we attended some committee meetings on a few topics. I was interested in a young adult discussion about books for reluctant readers. What I didn’t realize is that the committee was going to be discussing books to create a list of the top 10 books for reluctant young adult readers. I hadn’t read any of the books, so the discussion was interesting but probably would have been more interesting to me if I had read some of the books. That evening we went out with Shirin, a collage artist that Bryan has admired and corresponded with for a while, and her husband. They took us to Mama’s Mexican restaurant, which is a great local place. After dinner, we went to Shirin’s studio and Bryan was in complete awe. Someday he’ll have a studio too, I hope. Then we walked a bit around downtown Seattle and then went for tea. Unfortunately, we didn’t have our camera with us the night we went out with Shirin and her husband.

Sunday, we took our time getting around in morning. That afternoon, I attended the President’s Lecture where Deena Ebbert talked about the Pike Place Fish Company’s “Fish” Philosophy, while Bryan went to a discussion group. For dinner, E and N picked us up and took us to a Thai restaurant in the Fremont neighborhood (The Center of the Universe). After dinner they showed us around Fremont, where we saw the huge Lenin statue, the rocket and the Fremont Troll. The Troll is so interesting, it’s under a bridge and under his left hand is an old VW beetle that is a time capsule. Then they took us to the Capitol Hill neighborhood and we drove by the apartment building that was the setting for the movie Singles.
Monday was our day to just wander downtown Seattle. We went to the Seattle Public Library for most of the morning. We took a tour of the library and just wandered around. It’s a new library that has received a lot of press. While we were wandering around, we had mixed feelings about the place. There is a lot of open space but not really any nooks to curl up with a book and definitely no comfortable chairs to sit in. The chairs that they have reminded me of cheap chairs from IKEA that aren’t comfortable to sit in, after a year and a half of being open the chairs were starting to show a lot of wear. The spiral where they keep all of the non-fiction is a really interesting idea but when there is no other way to go down except by elevator, it’s a bit annoying. Of course, we looked at the library in a more critical way than most patrons would but I’m so glad we visited. I was really impressed with the fact that they have an area just for teenagers with computers for the teens. Being interested in young adult librarianship, I’m always interested in what space the libraries have for teens. If you’re in Seattle, the library is definitely worth stopping and seeing. (More library photos are on my flickr page here.)
After the library, we headed to Palba Indian Restaurant for some wonderful Indian food and then to the Pike Place Market. I mainly wanted to see the Pike Place Fish Company, even before I saw the ALA President’s Lecture guest. We’d hoped to see some flying fish but it was a slow day and were only treated to some mussels flying in a bag to the counter. We also wandered around the rest of the market and Bryan bought a wallet. What an amazing market with so many fruit and vegetable stands, we could definitely do all of our produce shopping there. It’s like our local farmer’s market times ten, it was amazing and so tempting to buy a lot of the colorful fruits and veggies.

Monday night we had a light dinner, since we’d stuffed ourselves silly at the Indian buffet for lunch and went back to the hotel to get ready to head home on Tuesday.

Tuesday was our long day of traveling, but we made it home safely.

Seattle was great.
Here’s a quick version of our trip, a more detailed version will follow in a few days.

All photos are on the flickr page (click on the troll photo above) until I get a more detailed account written.

We arrived in Seattle Friday afternoon, January 19. Not long after we checked into our hotel, we went to the convention center to complete our registration for the ALA Midwinter meeting.

Friday evening, we went out to dinner and then met up with E, one of Bryan’s friends from grad school. She took us to University Hill and we had tea.

Saturday was exploring the exhibits at ALA and attending a committee meeting. That evening we went out with Shirin, a collage artist that Bryan has admired and corresponded with for a while, and her husband.

Sunday, I attended the President’s Lecture while Bryan went to a discussion group. For dinner, E and N picked us up and took us to the Fremont neighborhood (The Center of the Universe). After dinner they showed us around Fremont, where we saw the huge Lenin statue, the rocket and the Fremont Troll.

Monday was our day to just wander downtown Seattle. We went to the library and the Pike Place Market.

Tuesday, we flew home.

You know that spam comments have gotten out of control when Britney Spears is sending you spam comments about various unmentionable things. The spam comments are so ridiculous sometimes that I have to laugh. Fortunately, Wordpress allows us to “trap” them so they never see the light of day on my blog.

I’ve kept a knitting journal for almost seven years and I’ve always kept track of the pattern I’m working on, the yarn used, gauge, needles, start and completion dates, and once in a while, photos. My third journal was finished just a few weeks ago and with a new year, a knitting almanac and a new book, I’m recording this year a bit differently. Not only am I keeping track of the projects but I’m writing in it my thoughts about the projects I’m working on. In the last week, I’ve noticed that it’s not boding well for the blog since I’ve been writing in it a lot about my frustrations and progress and forgetting about the blog. Then again, I’m sure you don’t want to read all about some of my drama with the button-band but I’ll fill you in. Yes, even if those knitters who appear to know what they are doing, secretly rip out things to make them look just right.

Thursday, I figured out the knitted-on the button band described by Bonne Marie and also in Domino Knitting, then worked it on the Cider House Rules swatch. It looked wonderful, so I decided that with all of those 350 stitches that I’d picked up I’d make a go of knitting the button-band on. When I started to work it on the vest, it just didn’t look right. So rip I did. Fortunately, I’d only worked about an inch and a half and I’ve become so obsessed with making this vest look good that ripping the button-band is no longer a problem for me. The 350 picked-up stitches weren’t going to go to waste and I figured my last option was to work the k1, p1 rib along them for the button-band. About 4 rows in I still wasn’t completely satisfied with how it looked, but I figured it was my last option so I kept knittin thinking it would look better when it was finished.

Sunday, I finished the k1, p1 rib band and I hated it. It just didn’t look right and the button-band would have to be blocked every time we washed the vest. So once again, I ripped. Monday morning, I went with last option number 2, the sewn-on garter-stitch band, which I think they did for the original vest. After about an hour of knitting the garter-stitch band and sewing it on, I was completely dissatisfied with the results. It was making the vest pucker and just looked wrong. I’m sure some of my sewing was also the problem. Finally, I decided that I was going to go back to the knitted-on the button-band in garter stitch. It was going to look good, I was going to make it look good if it took me all night. Once again, I picked up 350 stitches around the edge of the vest. I made one attempt with knitting it on and realized after rereading the directions that I was picking up the stitch from picked-up stitches too frequently and it just wasn’t working. After reading the directions and following along exactly, the button-band looked great. The new button-band is coming along beautifully. I’ve finished all seven buttonholes and am starting the neck. My plan is to have it finished by the time we board the plane for Seattle on Friday morning. I only want to take one project with me to Seattle and not lug around two.

This past weekend, we went up to Chicago to see Emily Haines for a wonderful concert. It was one of those concerts that was so great that you wake up the next morning and think, “Did that really happen? Can I rewind and see the concert again?” If you like Metric and you haven’t heard Emily’s solo album, it’s definitely worth checking out. On the way up to Chicago, I got a lot of knitting done on Martha. On the left front of the cardigan, I’m already up to the waist. Good photos of Martha soon.

This is probably my last post before Seattle. I may post while we’re there if I have an opportunity.

My library school application was sent off yesterday and it’s such a relief to have that all completed. Now it’s out of my hands and I’ll find out whether or not I’m accepted in mid-March. My goal is not to let the waiting get to me like it did last year.

Something that hasn’t been much of a relief is the stupid button-band on Bryan’s vest. After finishing all 60 inches of the button-band, I started stitching it to the edge of the vest only to find that I would need to re-stitch it because the top button-hole wasn’t lining up properly. I decided to look at the photo of the sweater only to notice that the sweater pictured in the magazine doesn’t match the instructions, the button-band isn’t the same. I was so angry with this button-band that it just had to go back in the knitting bag for some time-out. Then I did what any sane knitter in her right mind would do — I started a new sweater. Martha and I have become new friends, she’s comforted me in my times of angst with the vest. She’s a slow-knitting sweater right now but I know once I get going on her pattern, it will pick up.

Then yesterday after work, I knew what needed to be done with the vest, so I pulled out the stitching that attached the button-band to the body by just pulling the sewing yarn out, it basically just zipped out. I decided I was going to investigate a better way of doing this button-band. After a bit of time I thought about how bulky the button-band would be if knit to the specifications of the pattern. Then I thought I’d try the button-band that Bonne Marie describes here but then I thought it would be more work than it’s worth. I’ve been trying to avoid the picking-up of millions of stitches along the edge of the vest and knitting the button-band in the “old fashioned” way, but after some searching, I think that’s the only way it’s going to look the way I want it to.
Off I go to pick up over 400 stitches.

In all of my excitement of sweater month and boredom with the 13 stitches of a button-band for the Cider House Rules vest, I started the Bianca jacket on Friday night. I received the yarn (Debbie Bliss Tweed) from Knitbrarian in October and have been wanting to start this sweater since I received the fall issue of Interweave Knits. In a promise to myself and Bryan, I was going to finish the Cider House Rules vest before starting this project. Friday night, I just couldn’t even look at the 13-stitch button-band that needs to be 400 rows (60 inches), so while we were watching The New World, I started the Bianca jacket. I started with one of the fronts of the jacket just in case it wasn’t going to turn out the way I’d hoped. It’s almost like the universe said, “Don’t waste your time with the back, you’ll hate it anyway and end up irritated with yourself. Start with the front so you won’t hate yourself tomorrow.” After three hours of knitting, I wasn’t really keen on the way it was turning out. I couldn’t even see where the decorative decreases were. Bryan being his ever-supportive-self said, I think it looks great but I still wasn’t sure.

Yesterday, I got together with SK and K for some knitting and asked them their opinion. I think they knew I was unsure about the sweater, but that’s what knitting friends are for - to give you their honest opinion. They agreed with the universe and now the sweater will be taking the plunge into the frog pond. I’m not even sorry about it, I’m actually relieved. This sweater needs a yarn that’s light in color with some lovely stitch definition, which the Debbie Bliss yarn doesn’t have. I think this yarn will become a lovely top-down cardigan in it’s future. For now, I’m putting the yarn away and I’m going to finish the Cider House Rules button-band, I’m more than half way through and will soon start the Martha sweater (from Rowan Magazine 28). Wouldn’t you know it just before I started the Bianca jacket, the lovely Phoebe pullover from Knit Picks caught my eye. Thursday night, I went to sleep thinking about it and even had a dream about it. It’s a pullover but I plan on making it a cardigan. I love the color that it’s knit in on the website and when it’s feasible, I plan on buying the yarn and adding it to my almanac list.

For now, it’s back to sweater month. I’m so excited about this year and the potential that it has. Having a plan for each month has motivated and reinvirogated me and my knitting, it’s given me something to look forward to each month.

And in case you’re wondering how the lesson with the sock-knitting machine went. SK showed me how to use her antique sock-knitting machine yesterday, which was a bit of a frustration for me. I managed to drop half of the stitches off the cylinder and wreak havoc on poor SK’s patience. Someday, like everything else that I’m determined to learn, it will become another accomplishment. I just need to give it some time and take frequent breaks.

Ever since Bess mentioned doing her own knitting almanac I’ve been thinking about it a lot and am even planning my own. Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac is such a classic and an inspiration. I feel that I should plan the entire year out now so that I can try to stick to it, “try” being the key word here, but I know how I can be when something more interesting comes along. There is SK’s sock-knitting machine that I’m going to try out on Saturday, and Project Spectrum 2.0, which can inspire something completely different than I ever expected. Hopefully, my projects planned for the month can fit into Project Spectrum, too.

Here’s what I have so far. A few of the months correspond with the classes I’ll be teaching. I’m also not going to be strict and make myself work on the theme of the month exclusively since there are some gifts that need to be made that I won’t fit into any particular month.

January: Sweater month.
* Finish up Bryan’s Cider House Rules vest, which is very close to being finished. I’ve already finished sewing on two armhole bands and am on my third attempt at the buttonhole band. Darn those evenly spaced buttonholes and making them match up to the vest. I had to restart the buttonband last night after being more than 40% finished. Oh well, now it will fit perfectly.
* Start and complete the Bianca Jacket from the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits. If Bianca Jacket is completed before end of month, then start the Martha sweater from Rowan Magazine 28 in deep red Felted Tweed.

February: Sock month.
* Finish the Go with the Flow socks from Interweave Knits, Summer 2005. I’m 1/2 way through the cuff on the second sock.
* Knit the second sock for the Watercolor socks. One is a display at the store but by summer I hope to have another sock knit for the store’s display.

March: Lace month.
I’m teaching a lace class and hopefully, will be knitting some lace of my own. I don’t know what I’ll knit for this month, something to keep me sane while I wait for my letter for library school.

April: Shawl month.
Start one of the many shawls that I’ve planned to make. The three that I’ve been planning for awhile are the Summer in Kansas shawl, the Flower Basket Shawl and the Diamond Fantasy Shawl.

May: Afghan square month.
I’ve been working on the Great American Aran Afghan from Knitters since May 2002. For the last several years, I’ve been knitting two squares in a year and then skipping the next year. This isn’t a year I plan to skip. I’ve completed 10 of the possible 24 squares, I may not make all 24 I haven’t decided yet. If I could finish 4 more squares this year, I would be happy. Heck, if I worked on one a month, which was the original plan I could be finished by February next year. If you know of a store that carries Anny Blatt’s No. 4 let me know.

October: Socks for Socktoberfest 2007, if Lolly hosts it again.

That’s all I have so far. I would like to “learn” something new this year but at the moment I’m not that into challenging myself too much. Some things I’d like to do this year:

• More felting, but our current washing machine situation doesn’t lend itself to felting. Sharing two machines with 20 other apartments isn’t completely ideal.
• Learn how to do the Cat Bordi mobius cast-on.
• Knit a vest from my own hand-spun yarn. Maybe I’ll designate a month entirely to knitting with my own hand-spun.
• Attempt to swatch and start the Garter Stitch Jacket from Norsk Strikkedesign. I love this sweater but I’m wondering if it’s even my style anymore.
• Since I’m using Elizabeth Zimmermann’s idea for a yearly almanac, I have to knit something from an Elizabeth Zimmermann book. I might try the Baby Surprise jacket or one of her EPS sweaters.
• Work with the lovely Blue Sky Alpaca yarn that I have for a cable-knit sweater.