Well You Don’t See That Every Day

Well you don’t see that every day.

wheeeeeee!

The space shuttle Discovery was strapped to the back of a 747 and flown over DC this morning on its way to Dulles. It’s headed to the Air & Space Museum/Udvar Hazy Center out in Chantilly and is officially retired. They did 4 passes over DC right over the building where we live.

I had the local news on in the background while I tried to get through some work while C was napping. I heard the announcer say it was about to pass into DC air space, so I grabbed my camera, sprinted up the 2 flights to the roof and joined the crowd. It was pretty neat to see all of the surrounding rooftops jammed with people pointing up towards the sky. I made it just in time to see the first pass, then watched another 3 passes before it headed off into the distance towards Dulles Airport.

I found the experience oddly emotional and was wiping away tears one second, then cheering with the crowd the next. I’m proud of my country (most of the time). I’m proud of (most of) our history and (most of the time) am glad I live here.

I’ll never forget seeing that.

Yes, Twist Collective, There is a Santa Claus….

I’ve been dying to have a design in Twist Collective since the first issue came out.

I submitted a design last year and promptly forgot about it until I got an email letting me know my design had been accepted. Super excited, I waited patiently for yarn to arrive in the mail, one of my favorites, Classic Elite Solstice. Knitting it in my favorite style, top-down raglan with bits of lace running down the 3/4 sleeves, picot hems and a huge, fold-over cowl, Fairfax is a great winter-to-spring pullover. Download the Fairfax pattern here.

all sweater images © Twist Collective

Yes, I design a lot. The funny thing about my designs are I always associate them with what was going on when I was knitting it, or way back in BC (Before Callum) what I was watching on my computer while furiously knitting into the night. The days of late night knitting and TV watching are over (except when a major deadline is looming on the horizon) and have been replaced with feedings and diaper changes, but I still have that association.

The way you usually learn a lesson is to make the mistake once and hope to never repeat it again. For example, touching a hot stove, agreeing to babysit sextuplets alone, going against your gut or eating all the cookie dough batter before it even makes it into the oven. Or in our case, deciding to go see Santa on Christmas Eve. “What the hell were we thinking,” you ask? Excellent question. We dragged our feet on whether or not to take C to see the man in red for weeks. I thought Santa might scare him, or the lines would be insane, the mall would be too hot or I’d want to find the stereo piping holiday music on repeat and beat it with a baseball bat a la Office Space. Yet Christmas Eve rolled around and I decided that you only have your first Christmas once and we better go do it.

We went to the smaller mall and thought we’d be the only idiots who waited until the last-minute. Perhaps you heard the thwak that was my head hitting the wall over and over when we got in line and were told it was a 2.5 hour wait. While C slept peacefully in his stroller most of the time, my husband called his sister and mom to come keep us company and to entertain him. I on the other hand grabbed my knitting bag and started to work. Mastering the art of standing and knitting while ridding the NYC subway for years paid off.

The Twist Collective deadline was such that my sweater had to be in the mail on December 26th in order to make it there on time. I didn’t want to spend my Christmas knitting so it had to get done. 2.5 hours of knitting later and I knew I’d be able to finish it, block it and write the pattern by the appointed hour. This sweater will forever be associated with standing in line, waiting for Santa to me. And yes, I learned my lesson. We’ll be in line next time on the first day he arrives.

And Callum? He was a champ through and through.

Serenity

It’s no secret that Firefly was the best show to ever air on television (if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor, get yourself out from under that rock you’ve been living under and WATCH IT NOW). The ship the crew lived on was called “Serenity.”

They always seem to kill the shows I look forward to watching… Firefly, Dollhouse, The River, Terra Nova, Battlestar (let’s not even talk about how they tried to bring that back a few years ago and killed it).

RIP, best show on TV. I still heart you.

I knit a cardigan for Caron a little over a year and a half ago and more or less forgot about it. I got their free e-newsletter this morning and lo and behold, the Serenity Cardi was there, smiling back at me (God love them, when will they learn to spell my last name correctly?). Good to see you, friend!

A hooded, lace cardigan in my favorite color in time for the warm weather? Yes, please.

This cardi knits up in a jiff (promise) and I may knit another up in my size. It’s a great project if you’ve done a few easy lace projects and are ready to attempt a sweater. Download the free pattern here or queue it up here on Ravelry.

 

Free Pattern Alert!

I’m excited to offer up another free pattern just in time for Spring, the Chickadee Shrug!

It’s cherry blossom season here in Washington, DC and while it’s been hot and sunny in the afternoons and early evenings, the mornings remain slightly chilly. The famous trees around the Tidal Basin are done already (they came early this year due to our lack of a real winter) but there are over 200 varieties, 12 of which bloom here in DC across our 3, 750 trees! I see the blossoms each year and have learned over time to go as early as possible so you can actually see them without getting jostled by tourists, school groups, Segway tours or overly enthusiastic photographers. This means going out in the cold but it’s well worth it.

What better way to usher in the season while out and about in the chilly morning air than a Chickadee Shrug? Knit in Cascade’s super soft Pacific Chunky, this shrug knits up in a jiffy and can be easily sized up or down by adding or subtracting reps or ribbing. I really like the bounce of the yarn, the gentle ply and the fact that it’s superwash with a fiber content of 40% superwash merino wool and 60% acrylic. Being a mom now, I understand the importance of all things superwash and even more so, a quick knit to whip up while the baby sleeps. Also, only 240 yards for an entire lace shrug? Works for me!

The shrug takes only 2 skeins of Pacific Chunky and is knit on US 10 needles with simple ribbing on the ends and lace that mimics the flower buds in the middle. While I chose a color appropriate for Cherry Blossom viewing, this yarn comes in over 40 colors so you can find a color for whatever flowers you’re celebrating in your neck of the woods! Maybe I should knit up a yellow one for the daffodils or a purple one for the crocus next year…

Download the pattern for free here on Ravelry. Happy cherry blossom season!

UFOs

You know those mice and birds in the Disney version of Cinderella? The ones that help clean up, keep Cinderella company and most importantly, make her clothes? I’d be willing to bet they can knit pretty well, too.

© Disney

This is when I really wish I had Jedi mind trick power, or birds and mice (ok, not the mice) that would finish my UFOs for me. I’ve been doing pretty well between my real work and other assorted projects and tasks with fitting in a few rows here and there of the dreaded UFOs.

I’ll admit it was slightly disheartening to find another 5 lurking in assorted places throughout the apartment that joined the already intimidating pile. 6 out of 17 are done or 35%… My goal is to finish them all by my birthday in late August or at the very latest, Halloween.

I feel like the knit version of the Little Engine that Could. I think I can knit, I think I can knit, I think I can knit…

Spring Cleaning Destash Sale!

A couple of weekends ago my husband and I decided to tackle the 2 main closets in our apartment over the course of a weekend’s worth of the baby’s nap times. I won’t lie… It was ugly. On the upside, we donated a bunch of clothes, found a few missing things, organized like crazy people and gave the vacuum a good workout.

I think the most startling thing was getting all my knitting stuff in one place. Organizing my stash by weight, finding (unfortunately) about 5 more lurking UFOs (unfinished objects) to add to my list of things I want to get done and out of my life, getting all my blocking stuff together (hooray!) and making a pile of yarn that needs a new home was no small task. But it’s done, the closets are tidy and it’s time for my first ever destash sale.

I have tried my best to accurately represent the colors of the yarn. All yarn comes from a smoke-free home, has been kept in airtight bins and while a few have already been wound into cakes, the yardage is 100%. Any already-wound yarn has its label in the center of the cake. Everything is first come, first served so please email me at tanisgray at gmail dot come with “destash” as the subject line. I only accept PayPal and if payment is not made within 24 hours of your email I will offer it to the next person on the list. I have fairly priced these yarns so please do not ask to negotiate or split up yarn quantities as there are a few sweater quantities worth. Finally, the price of yarn does not include shipping, so please include your mailing address when you email me so I can calculate shipping. All yarn will be sent USPS First Class unless you want Priority (please let me know your preference when emailing). I will email you asap with shipping costs and get the yarn out the next day.

Louet Gems Fine/Sport Weight
675 total yards
100% merino wool superwash
color: crabapple
$20

Plymouth Yarn Mulberry Merino
990 total yards
52% mulberry silk, 48% merino wool
color: purple
SOLD

Classic Elite Magnolia
360 total yards
70% merino, 30% silk
color: granite
$20

Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb
825 total yards
100% extrafine lambswool
color: coral pink
$11

Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb
825 total yards
100% extrafine lambswool
color: cobalt blue
$11

sheep Shop Sheep Number One
520 total yards
100% pure wool
color: multi
$32

Socks That Rock Heavyweight
350 total yards
100% superwash merino
color: happy go lucky
$20

Suss Yarn Suss Twisted
648 total yards
100% slub cotton
color: red/aqua
SOLD

Dream in Color Smooshy
450 total yards
100% superwash Australian merino wool
color: raspberry blaze
$18

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock
430 total yards
80% superwash wool, 20% nylon
color: sand ridge
$35

Socks that Rock Lightweight
360 total yards
100% superwash merino
color: lucy
$16

Malabrigo Silky Merino
450 total yards
51% silk, 49% merino wool
color: cloudy sky
SOLD

Plymouth Earth Ranch
182 total yards + small ball (not pictured)
100% alpaca
color: tan & cream
$8

Louet Eastport
1500 total yards
70& USA alpaca, 30% merino
color: quoddy bay grey
$80

Mary Jane Mucklestone December Lights Tam Kit
pattern & yarn
(one kit, front and back shown)
$25

Ready, set, destash!

Eleanor Jean

I really enjoy teaching knitting. Seeing people tackle a technique they were afraid of or just curious about, watching a group of students go from casting on to blocking out a beautiful lace shawl, seeing people get the hang of 2-handed fair isle knitting or just the sheer joy of a finished project and a smiling student makes me happy. It’s our duty as knitters to pass on this wonderful craft and I do that through teaching.

Another thing I very much enjoy about teaching are the people I get to meet. Here in Washington, DC there are scads of interesting people working very interesting jobs. I get some people who work in such a specialized, top-secret field that they cannot even tell me what they do. A student not too long ago has a husband who is one of Michelle Obama’s secret service people. People writing code, people protecting our country, stay-at-home moms and dads with hilarious tales, students needing a break and trying something new, inventors, patent writers, authors, musicians, doctors, nurses, technicians… The list goes on.

Every now and then I really connect with one of my students and we become friends outside of the classroom. This is always an unexpected treat and I feel like we’ve bonded in the knitting trenches. One of my students in a cabled mitten class happened to live very close to me and we’ve developed a friendship over the past few years. She recently had her first child, a daughter, named Eleanor Jean. Ellie was born in mid-January when the daylight starts to go from gray to pale yellow as Spring begins. It’s a beautiful time of year and she’s a beautiful little girl.

I was asked recently to do a project for the Yarn Company, a wonderful shop in Manhattan with a great location and fantastic owner, Tavy Ronen. I chose my exclusive color way of Solemate, a new yarn from Lorna’s Laces in a “grellow” (gray and yellow, just like the light in January) dyed only for the Yarn Company, called “West Side Highway.” With Ellie as my inspiration, I casted on.

Behold the Eleanor Jean Mitts…

I really enjoyed knitting these and as always, loved knitting with Lorna’s Laces. They take only one hank at 425 yards and the yarn is held doubled. Ladylike, lacy and elegant, I hope they do her justice.

The pattern is available on Ravelry here or you can get it directly from the Yarn Company as a kit here. Happy Spring!