Am I Blue

As predicted in the last post, I did rip Fantine back all the way to the armpits and I repositioned the short rows for bust shaping.

I am so very happy that I didn't listen to the schusslig little knitter in my head that told me to leave it as it was. (My Pennsylvania Dutch is showing again. Schusslig means clumsy or muddleheaded, but my grandma used it when she felt that I was rushing through something and not giving it the attention it needed.) It fits and looks much better without the extraneous under-the-boob-pooches. I am quite pleased with the little crocheted ring that I devised for a button loop.

(As usual, the pictures are craptastic so it's hard to tell how it looks but, trust me, it's quite adorable considering I cannot crochet worth a damn. The color of the Rowan Big Wool I used falls somewhere between that in the pictures, not too pink and not really maroon.) Sadly, I had to abandon plans to use a really fabulous Moving Mud button in my stash because it was just too heavy. I gave it a noble effort, but it was a no-go. The abalone button works pretty well, I think.

In addition to re-knitting half of Fantine, I also made a couple of Lady Detective Hats.


This picture makes them look like they are for wee, jaunty leprechauns, but they are really quite flattering on an actual head. I fussed with doing a full band, but it didn't really add much to the hat. As you can see, I did a short, decorative band for one and I made just enough of a band to attach the buckle on the other. I did both in seed stitch because I loved the added texture--as if this pattern doesn't have enough of that! I loved knitting with the Noro Iro and have ordered it in four more colorways. I want this hat in every color-scheme there is. I am also going to do some stash diving to see if there are any other appropriate yarns for this pattern already in-house. (I'm thinking that I have some Manos or Malabrigo that could look good.) I love the irregularity of the Iro and I get cheap thrills from the trademark Noro striping. I had the vintage celluloid (or maybe they are Bakelite) buckles in the stash. I have a few left, but I am now going to be on the lookout for more because I loves 'em.

Since last I posted, I have started a pair of Nutkin socks in Wollmeise (oh. my. I am in love with the subtle shadings of Wollmeise) and I also have a Tuscany shawl on the needles. I'm using yarn from an indie dyer in a carbon gray, and the base is the Kraemer yarn that has sterling silver spun into it. It is going to be a little glitzy without being too flashy--very important. I am going to Pennsylvania next week, and a trip to Kraemer in Nazareth, PA is on the itinerary.

While in PA, I intend to be a walking billboard for Barack. The primary in the state isn't until April, so I figure I might do some good. It is my personal mission to convince my mom's manfriend (he's too mature to call a boyfriend) to vote for Obama. I have loaded up the iPod with all of the official Obama podcast segments and I am taking copies of his books. I know I have my work cut out for me. It is SOOOOOOOOOO conservative where I came from and I can prove it: Santorum. 'Nuff said? When I lived at home, I was always a little blue dot in a sea of red.