The Keyboard Biologist Knits

Winter Socks

2012-01-29T06:15:43Z

Yarn: Austerman Step 01
Pattern: My Standard Toe Up Short Row Heel Socks
Needles: US 1

Simple socks are about all you'll find on my needles right now. They can be easily knit while I watch John play Skyrim or while I am participating in a conference call or webinar where I am not a significant participant, but need something for my hands to do to keep me from checking my email and not paying attention all together. I started these socks some time ago... maybe in early 2011 when it was chilly out. Even though this yarn is a commercially dyed self-striping yarn, I'm excited about it: it's Austerman Step, the yarn that was impregnated with jojoba oil and is supposed to be moisturizing for your feet.

After Z was born, my skin when from just being sensitive to a full blown eczema*. With help from a good dermatologist and a lot of Zyrtec it's under control, but the dry Chicago winter weather is still hard on my skin, so I'm always looking for ways to make it feel better. I've never figured out whether I'm wool sensitive or not, but since most wools do amp up the itchiness factor, I've been weeding most of them out of my life in favor of the softer merinos, silk and cotton. Those fibers (except for merino) aren't common in sock yarn so I'm looking forward to seeing if this one keeps the irritation down but still gives me warm winter feet.

*I don't get rashes so much as I feel like I want to itch the top layer of skin off. And I love the irony of being an immunologist with an overactive immune system...

Triana Scarf

2012-01-24T06:42:26Z

Clearly there is no witty knitting post title today, but if you want to feel knitting witty and make friends with people you don't know, this scarf will do it for you.

Yarn: Katia Triana
Pattern: Triana Scarf
Needles: US 10

Ribbon lace yarns seem to be the new thing in novelty yarns. I am a little embarrassed to admit that there are times when I dig a dive into a big bucket of novelty. This is definitely one of them, because the results are just awesome, and I think a bit more timeless than the average fun fur scarf.

This scarf is dirt simple to make but no one around you will know unless you tell them. I made 4 of them during December -- and my schedule was not exactly filled with leisurely knitting time. This is a project where the novelty yarn does all the work for you, all you have to do pull loops through loops. The only thing challenging about making these scarves is getting a good visual for how it's done -- and Google and YouTube will be happy to provide assistance with that. It makes a great affordable last minute gift. I could probably have made 2 of these in a day if I was focused.

After knitting this up, I've been thinking what a blast this stuff would be to use to make frilly cuffs or a collar for the right sweater. Of course, by the time I get around to it, it will no longer seem fashionable any more.

I blink....

2011-12-19T02:10:26Z

and its 2012.

Wow.

And the silence of the blog might make you think that I've been doing nothing but working.

Which is sort of true.

But would leave out:

The fun I've had making pin boards over at Pinterest. I think it's my new favorite social networking site. Looking at other people's pins gives me lots of ideas.
The fact that I have a new crush on novelty ribbon yarns like Katia Triana and Trendsetter Cha Cha and that I made 4 of these scarves before New Years and have started 1 of these. The scarf is deceptively easy and is highly likely to make you the recipient's new best knitting friend. My only regret is that I gave three of them away as gifts and didn't get to photograph the whole group together.
Making play dough for the kiddo using this recipe and McCormick's so-called neon color food dyes. The small person had great fun with it.
Making 2 batches of these Double Chocolate Cookies and a batch of these very fun and extremely easy Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites -- I glitzed them up for the holidays by dipping them in sugars, nonpariels and jimmies. I tested out a molasses cookie recipe as well, but that one didn't give me the results I was looking for.
Downloading Rainmeter and customizing my computer desktop -- I can spend hours downloading skins and playing with things and not getting bored.
All the time I've spent with my elliptical

Life is fun, but I don't get as much time as I would like to document it.

I think my only goal for the new year is to get back in touch with the programmer girl... she's been AWOL for a while and I miss her.

Catkin Swatch

2011-11-07T06:19:23Z

Inspired by the Yarn Harlot, I've decided to tackle Catkin. During the winter, I spend a lot of time in turtlenecks, and my favorite way to accessorize them is with scarves and shawls. Catkin appealed to me both because of the many ways it can be worn and because I liked the way it used two colors, but seemed to keep the knitting pretty simple.

After digging through my stash (I really am still dedicated to shopping my stash for most of my projects right now) I decided that I wanted to give the Madeline Tosh Merino Light suggested by the author a chance. I selected Fathom and Glazed Pecan after looking back over my last 20 or so projects and realizing I was stuck in a magenta/burgundy colored rut. I've always loved deep sapphire/electric blues and Fathom is no exception. Glazed Pecan has something of a tarnished brass quality. Together, I think the two colors make a smashing pair.

I always think it's a good omen when the suggested needles result in a swatch of the suggested size -- so I have high hopes for Catkin being a great project. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that I actually didn't have circular needles of the suggested size. I was certain by this time I had every needle size known to knitterkind multiplied by several times.

P.S. to Claudia. Sorry to see you wrap up your blogging days. I'll miss your wit and thoughtful project consideration. Keep in touch!

So Called Scarf

2011-10-31T05:58:42Z

I'd been feeling a little guilty about not making anything for Ms. Z. So on a recent errand running excursion, I told her if she was good, we could go to the yarn store and she could pick out yarn for a scarf.

After some consideration, I guided her to the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted (because it is washable, and thus child friendly). She selected a skein in "Somerset" -- which does a wonderful job of being both sophisticated and including the favorite colors of every little girl I have ever known: pink and purple.

It took me a little while to identify a good pattern. I've had my fill of ribbed scarves, but still wanted something with an interesting texture. I opted for he must do scarf of 2008: My So Called Scarf minus the fringe (I like fringe, but it seemed like one more thing to get caught in a zipper, leading to frustration for both me and the kid).

It's not quite scarf weather yet, but Ms. Z helped me out with an indoor Sunday morning photo shoot.

I cast on the suggested number of stitches and knit through the entire skein -- and the scarf length and width were on target for a small person.

This pattern is a quick knit -- definitely one of those to remember for the "last minute hand knitted gift" file given it's unique texture and compatibility with hand-painted yarn. It's designed with worsted weight in mind, but would be just as great in Aran or bulky weight.

Flaming Herbivore

2011-10-17T05:04:08Z

Project: Herbivore from WestKnits
Yarn: Sundara Fingering Silky Merino in "Flaming Flamingo"
Needles: US Size 6 (4 mm) KnitPicks Harmony

After I finished up Pogona for my mother earlier this year, I've wanted a similar shaped scarf for myself. I didn't want to make another Pogona right away so I looked through the rest of Stephen West's catalog to see if I could find a shawl with a different design, but similar shaping -- and not too complicated for distracted knitting, Herbivore seemed like an obvious choice.

I love silk blend yarns, and I've had a skein of Sundara Fingering Silky Merino that has been considered and tried out for several previous ideas, none of which really seemed like a perfect match. If there's anything I like about Ravelry, it's the opportunity to see what results other knitters have gotten from yarns similar to those in my stash. The FSM seemed like a nice pairing for Herbivore -- lots of drape and sheen and enough extra yardage to make it a little bigger than the standard pattern (I think the pattern calls for the middle motif to be 12" from the starting point, and I was able to knit to at least 14" -- it gets larger after blocking).

As a sidelight: I really enjoyed knitting with the FSM. It's got great hand and minimal pooling and the stitch definition is beautiful.

As with Pogona, I think the best way to wear this scarf/shawl is with the center motif in the front and the wings wrapped around and secured with a shawl pin. Honestly, I have never been able to figure out shawls where the most beautiful part of the garment is on the back where only people walking behind you get to see it. With the extra inches I got into the pattern, this shawl wraps over my shoulders, giving me an extra layer of light weight warmth (silk is a great insulator) that isn't bulky. And the shaping of the shawl means it stays put -- even without the shawl pin in place.

As with Pogona, this pattern is another easy to follow, easy to knit design -- and it doesn't take very long to knit up a very pleasant fall warmer. I think this scarf is likely to get a lot of air time over turtlenecks this winter.

I'd like to give a little shout out to Ysolda Teague's Farinelli gauntlets. I wear these all the time. They don't entirely go with the scarf, but they are so perfect in the fall and winter when you don't want mittens or gloves but do want some extra warmth. If you're looking for another quick to knit treat for you or someone else, they really are perfect -- and the Dream In Color Smooshy has really held up well to a lot of wear -- much better than I expected from a 100% merino yarn.

A Donation that Doesn't Cost Anything -- And a Committment

2011-09-19T05:15:20Z

About 4 months after Ms. Z was born, my dad needed heart surgery to replace an aortic valve. The surgery went well, but there were complications with the anti-coagulant therapy that resulted in my dad experiencing a ruptured spleen and significant internal bleeding. My dad jokes that he needed "a full oil change" -- when all was said and done, it took 7 units of O positive to help save his life.

Up until that point in my life, I'd always been a little scared of giving blood -- needles and bleeding just weirded me out. But if there's anything I got used to in the process of trying to and having a baby, it was to deal with blood draws and IVs. So I got to thinking about it. As I've gotten into Health IT and started working at a university with major medical center, I've spent a lot more time thinking about health care, and how I can make a difference personally. Giving blood seemed like the perfect way to start.

In honor of my dad, I've made a long term pledge (to myself) to donate 7 units of blood. On Friday I made my first donation, and I promise to update my progress here as I go along. Here's a few things I learned from my first donation:

At any given time only 38% of people in the US are eligible to give blood (i.e. they meet the health previous history requirements)
Only 8% of people give blood
Giving blood is easy and does not take a long time -- it took about 10 minutes for me to make my donation and another 15-20 to hang out after the donation while you drink some juice.
Drink a lot of water before hand -- it will help the donation go faster and more smoothly (and you'll feel better, too!)
You feel like a real hero when you're done.

The Red Cross website is great at helping you find out more about your local Red Cross chapter as well as a a place to donate in your area -- most of the time you can even make an appointment so that you can do it at a time that works best for you.

To put the incredible gift that my father received in perspective: when people donate blood, they can only donate 1 unit at a time and you have to wait at least 2 months to donate more. There's a good chance that 7 different people contributed to what my dad received. Although they will never know it, there are seven people in Southeastern Michigan who helped make sure that my dad is still here to watch his granddaughter grow up.

If you can donate, I'd really like to encourage to to do so. So many people need blood and when it's needed, there's no more precious gift in the world.

Blog Exile

2011-09-06T20:14:59Z

I've been so sporadic in my blogging this year that I am beginning to feel like an exile from my own blog. My absence hasn't been from a lack of interest in posting or crafting. I'd like to be doing more of both of those (and certainly the latter feeds the former). Instead, it's been about priorities.

I've come to discover that it's really hard for me to have more than 3 or 4 active priorities in my life. Right now, kid, job and some semblance of physical fitness have been the dominant ones. You'd think it wouldn't be all that hard to include some crafting, but I've been having difficulty finding time to carve out space for it -- mostly because I've just never been the kind of person who is good at taking advantage of small amounts of unused time. And because knitting needles and elliptical machines seem to be mutually exclusive devices when it comes to using either of them effectively.

With fall coming, I have high hopes that there will be more inspiration for engaging my needles. Certainly someone in my house must need some new socks....

Summer Cocktail: Papa Doble

2011-08-08T05:49:07Z

It has not been a summer of much crafting, but it has been a summer of enjoying a refreshing cocktail. On our recent trip to Ann Arbor, we stopped at Zingerman's Roadhouse (Chef Alex won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Great Lakes this year) and I decided to try one of their classic cocktails: the Papa Doble.

It's a wonderful drink, inspired by Ernest Hemingway's desire to double the rum and lower the sweet on a Daquiri. When I asked for the recipe for the drink, the Roadhouse was happy to oblige. Now that I have successfully repeated it at home, I thought I would share.

Zingerman's Roadhouse Papa Doble
(makes 1)

1.5 oz   10 Cane Trinidad Rum
0.25 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
0.75 oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
0.5 oz   Grapefruit Juice
0.5 oz   Simple Syrup

Mix all ingredients, shake over ice and strain into Martini style glass

For best results, chill glasses before hand as well as the juices. When I made drinks for two, I tripled the recipe with excellent results. I don't know if there's a difference between pink and white grapefruit juice, but I selected white.

The recommended liquors are on the pricey side, but well worth it when you taste the drink. If you opt for a different rum option, I would select a gold rum.

Happy summer, everyone!

Now We Are 4

2011-07-19T05:34:32Z

In what seems like the blink of an eye, my baby is a little girl. To celebrate her birthday she got a "big girl" bed and a trip to the spa to get a mini pedicure. (Thank you so much to Margarita at Mojo Spa who really treated my girl like a little person!)

Happy 4th Birthday, Little Girl. Mama is having a wonderful time watching you grow into yourself!

Trillian

2011-06-13T05:28:08Z

Project: Trillian by Martina Behm
Yarn: Bright Dyes Sock Yarn in "Scarlet Macaw"*
Needles: 3 mm

I think it is likely to be the summer of one skein scarf/shawl projects with simple knitting elements. Trillian is a simple asymetrical scarf with a lacy little border and a clever way of getting the lace border on two sides of the scarf. The pattern works with almost any fingering weight yarn, but lends itself particularly well to crazy multicolors because the number of stitches changes every other row. The bias stitching also lends itself well to stripey yarns. I've been tempted to find some Noro Silk Garden Sock to test out with it.

The Scarlet Macaw yarn, with it's vivid primary colors seemed like a perfect test. Of course, it did have areas of pooling, but I thought they looked lovely and gave the scarf a bright watercolor aesthetic. The pattern was intended to be used with a skein of Wollemeise, which has more yardage than this skein, so it's a little smaller than the scarf in the pattern. The pattern is written such that you can take it on without worrying about how much yarn you have. Again, making it perfect for a single skein of sock yarn that you can't quite imagine as socks.

As summery as the colors are, the yarn is a wool/nylon blend, so it won't likely see too much action until fall rolls around again. I think it will be great matched up against a black or red turtleneck

Hopefully I'll be back again soon. My work world is a busy place right now and it's been seriously cutting into my crafty time.

*This yarn was a trading gift from Emma, who found the most lovely indy UK dyers. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the dyer is actively dyeing anymore. It feels like I just got the yarn from her, but of course it's been in my stash waiting to be called on for almost 3 years. Time flies...

Note to My Daughter

2011-06-09T15:15:40Z

I hope you always enjoy your raingear (especially fun rainboots) and splashing in the puddles. I want you to love being outdoors and to take joy in the beauty of the wind and the rain.

And you remind your mother that it's sometimes the smallest pleasures that make the biggest happy places in our hearts.

Pogona for Grandma

2011-05-16T05:26:26Z

Friends are very handy for introducing me to things that everyone else seemed to know about, but that I somehow missed. Julie and I were out coffee shop hopping when we took a detour into a yarn store and she started talking to the girl behind the counter about Stephen West and his neat scarf constructions.

Fifteen minutes later, I had West Knits book in my hand and ideas about scarves and was looking forward to adding a little more color to my neckline.

I've been fortunate in my knitting life to have acquired quite a few special skeins of yarn. I find it very hard to make a commitment to doing something with these skeins, because I worry that I might not use them for a worthy project. When I found Pogona, I felt like I had found a pattern that was special skein worthy: not only did it have interesting construction, but it had both shawl and scarf-like qualities, making it more versatile. Not only that, but one skein of fingering weight yarn looked sufficient for the project, so a quick knit a well. Win.

As I rooted through my stash, I put my hands on a skein of Skein Queen Squash in Rose Red. The colorway has deep reddish purples and some purply chocolate brown as contrast. It came from a trade with Emma. Emma was really my catalyst into sock knitting and has incredible taste in yarn. I felt like I had the right combination of yarn and pattern. Double win.

As I was knitting this project, I started to get an odd feeling about it. Not a bad feeling, just a feeling like this project might not have the destiny that I had thought it would. About three quarters of the way through, I realized that while I liked the colors in this yarn, they were really colors that belonged to someone else that I know well, and so I finished it up with the happy realization that without planning it at all, I had come up with a Mother's Day present.

Since it may be a little while until we see her in person, I hope Grandma doesn't mind me modeling her scarf.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Queen Anne's Lace Scarf

2011-04-18T05:12:34Z

Project: Queen Anne's Lace Scarf
Yarn: Premier Yarns' Serenity Garden Yarn, Colorway 4
Fiber Content: 100% Microfiber
Hook: F (3.75mm)

Time to kick off the spring projects with something fun, lacy and easy to make. Ms. Z has been getting into all things girly lately: twirly skirts and dresses, delicate little shoes, almost anything pink, butterflies and jewelry, particularly necklaces. After finding the Serenity Garden Yarn on sale at JoAnn's I set about looking for a scarf pattern that would appeal to a little girl and be entertaining for me as well. I'd been itchy to break out my crochet hooks again, so Khebin Gibbons' Queen Anne's Lace Scarf seemed like a perfect match.

I love the colors in this yarn. They really say spring to me and remind me of the spring bulbs that my mom and I used to plan in the front yard when I was a kid. Red and orange and yellow tulips, purple hyacinths and crocus. I wish we got more sun in our yard so that I could continue the tradition with Ms. Z now that growing things are of much more interest to her.

The mottled quality of the yarn gives it almost a hand painted quality. The fact that it is all microfiber means that it is soft and child-friendly and can go in the wash after it goes out to play.

The crochet pattern is one of those that looks complicated, and does take a little attention when you are first starting, but is easily memorized and easily done. It requires no more complicated stitch element than a double crochet. One skein of this yarn made a scarf that was more than sufficient length for a small girl -- and would probably be suitable length for a big girl as well. This is also one of those patterns that would probably look lovely in almost any yarn you had and with a wide combination of needle sizes. For Z, I wanted this to be relatively compact and a bit more dense than lacy to minimize the chance it would get caught on things.

It wasn't hard to get her to smile for the camera and pose in her new scarf. She let me know many times how much she liked the yarn and the colors and insisted on heading off to t he park wearing it. Such a treat to make things for her right now. I have a second skein of the yarn and have been thinking of making one for myself so we can have a shared Mama/Daughter accessory...

Mondo Cable Shell

2011-04-12T05:44:53Z

Pattern: ChicKnits Mondo Cable Shell/Vest
Yarn: Goddess Yarns Phoebe -- 100% Alpaca
Needles: US Size 8 Inox/US Size 7 AddiTurbos
Size: 36"

Just in time for spring, I finished my Mondo Cable Shell. Pretty sharp, eh? It took me a lot longer to make my way through this pattern than it should have, mostly because I kept thinking that the Phoebe, which has no elasticity and seemed to work itself towards uneven stitches no matter what I tried, was really going to make it look like a hot mess. And then, of course, I blocked it, the alpaca became one with the warm water and everything evened out, leaving a lovely garment behind.

Bonne Marie's construction of this garment is an interesting (and I mean that in a good way) examination of top down construction. I particularly liked how she started the cable process at the V neck. Even with the clever construction, this is still a nice project for a new-to-cables knitter, or for something to work on while you relax in front of the TV with a cup of tea. Not too hard, but enough details to keep you interested.

Even though I like the vest (and can see making another out of a nice cotton yarn for the summer), the jury is still out for me on the yarn. It is wonderful, warm and squishy and feels very rich. The color is delish. That said, aran weight alpaca is heavy and I worry that over time this garment will lose its shape. I guess I'll just have to get some wear out of it and see.