Ply and Burl

The Victoria and Albert Museum website has a whole collection of knitted items, including this Share Your Knitting gallery where visitors can share photos of their non-garment knitted items.

Anyone else know of interesting museum collections (digital or brick-and-mortar) of knitted objects?

All that talking about the inimitable Kureyon hat got me itching to make another. Which was fortunate, for at the precise moment I felt the yen, my sweetie placed an order for one. I’m making up the pattern as I go, and surprisingly, it’s working out perfectly. Perhaps I’ll post it once I’m done. In the meantime, behold: the start of my modeling career! I’m wearing the almost finished hat.

Longing to express your religious fervor through your needles? Go forth and knit your devotion with Lucia’s knitting pattern of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Sherry’s knitting pattern of the Flying Spaghetti Monster!

Let the knitted noodlyness uplift you, Ramen!

UPDATE: More knit FSM goodness!

• Flying Spaghetti Monster Knit Hat
• Flying Spaghetti Monster Knitted Halloween Costume
• Very yarny Flying Spaghetti Monster

Certain things in this world have universal appeal; in my humble observation, they include: puppies, babies, girls in bikinis, ice cream, chocolate, and Noro Kureyon hats.

What is it about this old hat? I’ve been wearing it forever — I can’t even remember when I made it, but it is at least six years old, possible nine. The yarn has started to felt, there’s a little hole on the side, an end has come unwoven and pokes out the bottom, the top is puckered due to my off-the-cuff pattern design, the roll at the brim has come unrolled, and the hat’s gotten loose all over.

Yet every time I take out this hat, I get scads of compliments. Even I’m under its spell — I’ve only made two other hats for myself during those years, both of them more becoming than the Kureyon hat, but they never got as much head time. Clearly, you can deduce from my nomenclature, I think it’s due to the yarn; that lovely, rainbow, speckled, earthy yarn.

Yesterday, I had a brief moment where I thought I’d lost this hat, and I secretly had that feeling you get right before you cry. Luckily, I found it just moments later, and no tears were shed. But it made me pause to admire the irresistible magnetism of my little hat, such a grand enchantress of headwear!

Do you have an object you’ve knit like this? Perennial friend you wear year after year? Widely admired despite being a little old and rough around the edges?

So much progress!

I’ve nearly finished my Sunrise Circle Jacket. All the panels are knitted, all the ends are woven in. Now all I have left is to block and assemble, a prospect I’m terrified of. Even Knitty’s article on seaming has a caveat from the author about how much she dislikes assembling, and how little she actually knows about it. How comforting! All this work, and I could destroy it with a few stray pokes of the needle.

On the upside, I bought some beautiful buttons for it while visiting Dad in Boulder. Behold:

In other news, I finally finished the only item I’ve ever knit for my dad — a pair of house socks to keep his toes warm in the winter. Apparently he has cold toes, a problem I never knew about, considering he’s always cruising around barefoot. I made him the Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays (a most fabulous book, if for nothing but the photography) with some gorgeous Cleckheaton Merino Supreme yarn from Knitting Etc.. It’s the softest, yummiest stuff around. Here’s a pic from the book (my own forthcoming):

It has been months and months that these two have been the only projects on my needles. Which is why, now that I’ve (nearly) finished them both, I am chomping at the bit to get rolling with the other projects that have been a patiently standing by.

First up is a pair of Embossed Leaves Socks from IK Winter 2005 made with Knit Picks Essential in Grass (lovely color!) — this will be my first time working with their yarn and I’m excited to see how it goes.

Next (most likely simultaenously, despite my being a largely monogomous knitter) is the Tilted Jacket from IK Winter 2004. I can’t wait to make this. I’ve been waiting years!

Stay tuned for notes on the progress!

For artistic inspiration, and to spend time with some pals, we went to Insectapalooza (a bug fair at the local university) this past weekend. If you’ve got a weak stomach for bugs, don’t look. But if you want to see some beautiful bits of nature, click here to see the slideshow (or click on the image below).

Wahoo! One panel done! Weirdly, the second is almost done too. I had almost finished the left, when, in order to have something to knit without counting, I started the right panel. But the right panel got done first, and now I have to go back to the one that was almost finished way back in the winter and knit the rest. But no mind… I’ve started watching Grey’s Anatomy on the ABC website, so the last few rows are clicking by.

What I wouldn’t give to look exactly like her. Classy, babely, authentic.

What better to lift your spirits than bedsprings? (via Kottke)

Oh, Knitpicks, I have nothing but love in my heart for you. 100% Merino, worsted-weight, superwash? Did you make Swish Superwash just for me? Did you read my mind, or just have excellent focus groups? I can’t wait.