Thanks for all of your input on the size I should choose for Aaron’s sweater! What a dilemma. After listening to the pros and cons of each size, Aaron assured me that he will wear any size I make. I agree with many of you that meeting halfway is probably fair enough so I cast on for the 41″ size.

I really enjoy the knitting; however, my knitting time has been all but replaced by a looming MCAT test date of August 7th.

I’m worried. Mostly because our childcare is going to be limited in July, we’re traveling to Cincinnati this weekend and Aaron has some big projects due at the end of the month. And because I scored low on the physics sections of my last two practice tests. Help! It looks like I will be working through a lot of physics problems in the next five weeks. I really want to score well enough to not have to retake the exam. Is that too much to ask?

The toddler sewing pictures I promised will have to be put on hold a little longer, since the garments in question seem to be perpetually in the laundry. In the meantime, check out my new sweater!

As if this cardigan needs any introduction…

It’s a Central Park Hoodie. You’ve seen it before. In fact, you’ve probably knit one yourself. More than 1400 Ravelers have.

Pattern: Central Park Hoodie

Yarn: Tahki Donegal Tweed in #850 (”Obsidian”), every last yard of 6 skeins

Needles: US 6 & US 8

Modifications: I knit the 36″ size exactly from the pattern but I added two inches in length because I wanted to wear this as a coat.

This is definitely an outerwear garment. Tahki Donegal Tweed is every bit as hot as you would imagine. In spite of its warmth, I have little doubt my CPH will become my most worn hand knit garment. In fact, I’m contemplating a second CPH in something softer and more appropriate for indoor wear.

You cannot possibly imagine how hot I was just taking these pictures. I could only keep it buttoned for a few minutes. Finishing a heavy wool sweater in 90 degree weather? Suboptimal.

While I love the tweed I chose, I admit that I regretted not using my Skye Tweed stash having seen the CPH iSeL finished recently - I even have the same color stashed! But no, that particular yarn was already set aside to copycat Christy’s Tweedy Aran.

A few weeks ago, I looked through some cable stitch books and swatched a cabled sweater for Aaron, what I’ve dubbed “Aaron’s Aran”. I initially intended to use Harrisville New England Highland but when Ram Wools had a sale on Selkirk, I bought it instead. Lots of it. Even without the sale, Selkirk sells for $5.95 for 273 yds of worsted weight yarn. In fact, my Selkirk and Highland swatches feel the same and both knit up at exactly same gauge.

And now for the big argument: what size to make? The knitter would prefer to finish in her lifetime and to fit his 35″ chest. The tall, skinny man who buys clothes far too large for him, would prefer the 44″ size. Where is the middle ground? What would you do?

It’s been a busy few weeks here! We just returned from a weekend trip to my 10 year high school reunion. I’m so annoyed with myself for forgetting my camera at virtually all of the events but I did manage to snap a few pictures. Only about a quarter of the class made it back but it wonderful to see those who came.

We picked up right where we left off ten years ago as if nothing had changed. While our lives have changed radically, the personalities certainly have not! I think my class must have been a particularly good one because there is not one person with whom I would not enjoy spending time. That was certainly an interesting observation to come out of the weekend. I doubt many people could say that about their high school class. I think the reunion also gave Aaron some context for my stories, since it is often difficult for him to understand the boarding school setting. Oh and the other bonus? I ran a personal record in the annual 5K pie race - 26:57!

The reunion provided my hands a much needed, 3-day break from knitting. I usually manage at least a few rows every day but it was too hot and sticky to even think about it. Instead, some of us played with the hose.

So, a break from what knitting? Sweater knitting! Doesn’t everyone pick up a heavy wool sweater when the temperature climbs into the 90s?

Here we have the back, fronts and one sleeve of a Central Park Hoodie, which I hastily cast on and furiously knit last week. The yarn is Tahki Donegal Tweed in “Obsidian” (#850) or, as I’d like to call it, “Only Photographable with a Tripod and ISO 100″. I am making the 36″ size (no ease) and when I knit and washed my first sleeve swatch, the gauge matched precisely. Perhaps a result of using the recommended yarn? Forgive my surprise, following patterns exactly is a new thing here at ExerciseBeforeKnitting. Knitters on Ravelry have commented that the cardigan fits snugly; however, the stretchiness of the yarn makes me wonder if the knitted fabric will sag and droop. Still, nearly 1400 knitters Ravelers can’t be wrong, can they?

My fiendish sock knitting last month wore out my hands so I sought out some projects that could be knit on straight needles. I know many people curse straight needles but I confess that I love them. Brittany birch straights, in particular. Circular knitting always hurts my hands after a while but I could knit painlessly with straight needles forever. While they are impractical for a lot of my projects, I usually pick them up when I’m tired.

This is the back of a sweater for Beatrix. Little Knits recently had a sale of 10-skein bags of Rowan Cashsoft DK in “Madame” for $25 and I bought one in spite of my current ban on pink and purple. A $25 Rowan sweater? What would you have done? Well, if you were smart, you would not have received ten skeins of bright pink, notoriously pilly yarn in the mail. In fairness, I did not expect it to be quite so bright. I suppose I will use it for baby and toddler knits now. I think an adult sweater with this yarn would be too garish to wear.

I hope you all had a great weekend! Expect some more sewing from me later this week!

Thanks for your sweet comments about my new cowl pattern. You should see some of the others too: Nova’s Birthday Cowl, Caro’s Philly Cowl and I’m certain that Ashley and Minty are working up their patterns as I type! Look for them in the coming weeks because nothing says summer like cowl knitting.

While mowing last week, Aaron found a rabbit nest a mere five feet from our tomato garden. I had already noticed some leaves nibbled down to stumps. Sadly, this could not remain. The rabbits can have any plants but tomatoes! Lawanna told me how to move the burrow and so that’s what we did this weekend.

Between this and a trip to a nearby farm with chickens, geese, turkeys, ducks, peacocks and ponies, Beatrix squeezed a whole childhood’s worth of Nature into two days. She was delighted, terrified and, most importantly, exhausted.

And as for the bunnies, there were five of them and all five are still alive and settling nicely into the new burrow. I feel terribly guilty about uprooting helpless babies so I’ve been checking in on them every day.

I took some time this weekend to work on a few sewing projects. Here is the latest addition to the toddler wardrobe.

Pattern: Butterick 3782

Fabric: Feedsack III Daisies - Blue by Windham Fabrics

I bought three yards of this on eBay last winter so you will certainly see more of it in the future. I used about a yard of it and made the size 2 dress, which is a little big (wide) but otherwise fits well. These tank dresses make diaper changes a breeze and allow lots of room to grow. I also like the idea of dressing my daughter in something that is not bubblegum pink from Target.

While my zippering skills have improved, I admit that I ripped out two zippers this weekend. I am surprised and relieved that this zipper looks clean (there was a great deal of cursing setting it in).

The pleats were supposed to be basted in place until the bodice and skirt were sewn together. However, I rather liked how the stitching looked so I left it in place.

Lastly, I keep meaning to blog the lovely socks I knit in transit to Philadelphia last weekend. As I was catching up on blog reads this morning, I saw that Tiennie practically wrote my post for me! As it turns out, we both started a pair of socks with some Sundara yarn on the way to Philadelphia, we traveled to the same yarn shops and we finished our socks on the way home. The travesty is that we missed each other by mere days!! I suppose this means I should be looking for excuses to travel to Seattle!

Pattern: Fancy Silk Socks for a Child of 5 or 6 Years from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Sundara Sock in “Dahlia” from Nova

Modifications: I separated the cuff and the leg with two rows of purl. Also, I did not knit the lacy cables down the stockinette ribs because I thought it looked like overkill in the book. As it turns out, I should have waited a day or two for Terhi’s magnificent version. I might need to give these another try. Katy also just started a pair. See? All the cool kids are doing it. You need a pair.

As it turns out, I missed a glaring error with the one sock until it came time to take the FO pictures: one of my lace panels abruptly stops on its way to the heel flap. I would never frog a sock back to the heel once the pair is deemed finished so I will live with a little imperfection. Pam sealed the deal by pointing out that less lace will make the heel more sturdy in shoes.

In the end, a 72-hour pair of socks? What a deal. I wonder if this is what it would be like to be unemployed and kid-free (or, in college) as a knitter. I could knit the world socks! Stay tuned for more sewing and a mad rash of startitis!

As I mentioned yesterday, I made two other cowls last month.

Pattern: Aspen Neck Cowl

Yarn: Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette in Pearl, a gift from Christine

Needles: US 4

I thoroughly enjoyed knitting with this yarn! It is so luxurious - soft, warm and shiny! I would most certainly call it bling for knitters.

The Aspen Neck Cowl is supposed to have the purl side out but I rather prefer it with the knit side out. I love those purl ridges. They were, in fact, the inspiration for the second cowl.

For lack of a better name, I’m calling this the Ridged Lace Cowl and you can find the free pattern here. The stitch pattern is so simple that I am not even going to bother with a pdf. If you decide to knit it, please let me know what you think!

Pattern: Ridged Lace Cowl

Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Angora

Needles: US 8
Here is a closer view of the stitch pattern, although the color is a bit washed out. Bright orange is difficult to capture! The photos above are better representations of the color.

Stay tuned for some Nancy Bush socks!

Last Friday, I took my last exam then promptly drove to the airport to meet up with Ashley, Caro, Christy, Diana, Jennie, Julia, Maritza, Megan, Minty, Nova, Pam and Specs in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, Nova hurt her back and Jennie got sick (and then got a PhD!) so I missed them, providing plenty of reasons to plan another knitting weekend. The rest of us communed over good food and even better yarn for a weekend of knitting-related silliness fun.

(check out Flickr for details and photo credits)

I scored an amazing cowl in a little swap we planned. Diana knit me the most beautiful, silky blue cowl in a traveling rib pattern.

Would it be in bad taste to wear it every day? I cannot stop looking at my lovely cowl; the color is very striking!

Look at the stitch definition! Stunning! The yarn is Tilli Thomas Fil de la Mer and its content is 70% silk and 30% sea cell.

I knit a cowl for Minty out of Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk held together with Plymouth Royal Llama Silk. Actually, I knit three cowls for this swap (more on the other two later). I could not decide which one she would prefer so I brought all three and let Minty choose.

She picked the first one I made! I admit to liking this one the best, even if it is the simplest of the three. Here’s Beatrix modeling it before I left.

Pattern: modified Gloria Cowl

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk (in Mandarin) and Plymouth Royal Llama Silk (in #1880)

Needles: US 8

In the interest of brevity, I will save the other cowls and the pair of socks that I started and finished over the weekend (incredible!) for my next post. After Maryland Sheep & Wool this year, Lolly commented the dread she felt about the post-festival blog post: there is so much to say, so many pictures, so many links. I feel the same way about my weekend in Philly. For that reason, I will let Flickr do the rest of the talking. Needless to say, it was great fun and I look forward to a sequel!

Babies! Swaps! No way are you going to even manage a peek at all the knitting going on here! I offer you a drive by post on the socks I just finished for my mother-in-law.

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in “Violet”, a gift from Christine
Needles: US 1 1/2

This is a basic 68-stitch cuff deceased down to a 60-stitch foot. I’ve been studying like mad so I needed a project that was even more mindless than usual (why bother knit, really?). I like how these look but I admit that stockinette socks always end up being more work than I anticipate because I count rows to match the second sock to the first one. A few people from my knitting group laughed and suggested a tape measure would yield more or less the same results but I prefer to match my socks to the row!

Next up is a great stashbuster! This is the beginning of the Aspen Neck Cowl (Rav link here) with Posh Yarn Emily.

This is actually inside out. I prefer knitting this pattern inside out because I knit faster than I purl. Here is the other side (the right side) of the fabric.

Lastly, somebody has learned to knit! Or, sort of. We caught Beatrix “knitting” shoe laces last week. How old does she have to be before she gets her first pair of needles?

The more I think about the San Francisco Marathon, the more I think it’s a bad idea. Perhaps I’ll run the half marathon. I could aim for a better, faster race instead of slog my way through 26 miles. A few of you mentioned that you’re running too, which I think is fabulous! I fully support the runner’s high addiction. And let’s not forget the yarn addiction! I think we should all get together and run a nice half marathon in a city with great yarn shops. It would be the perfect marriage of two dangerous hobbies!

Progress on the knitting front has been less than perfect, however. I’m almost to the armholes on one of the fronts of the Katharine Hepburn Cardigan. I look forward to the other half of the front because all of the cables will go the other direction, which I find easier to do without a cable needle.

While knitting the other day, I found myself wondering about why the yarn cake deforms the way it does. I’m pulling yarn from the left in this picture but as I pull out the innards of the cake, it bulges to the right. Why is that? I would expect it to explode in the direction I pull. Anyone? Erin? Adam? People who know physics? You now know what absurd things I think about as the semester draws to a close. I’m studying for finals and the MCAT but hey, what’s up with my yarn cake? I am easily distracted at the beginning of May.

Lastly, once I realized that I was on track to complete one pair of socks per month, I decided that I had to cast on for a mindless stockinette pair for my May socks. I actually started these weeks ago but there has been a shocking dearth of knitting around these parts so they are only now making an appearance. I cast off the first one this afternoon and I’ll probably start the second one later this week.

While my knitting seems interminably stuck in the pinks and purples, locally grown asparagus adds a nice splash of color to my day! If only my tomato plants would GROW! It is so hard to pick out tomato plants at the nursery because each variety is supposed to be the BEST TOMATO YOU’VE EVER TASTED. I may have planted close to 20 plants. I have no willpower when it comes to the best tomato ever tasted.

Thank you for your many insightful comments and observations about my last post. I will entertain the possibility of a regular summer open house, garden permitting; however, I think Amy is right in pointing out the danger of trying to recreate something from one’s youth. Still, Wendy and Nova and Ann have found ways to make open houses work. And Zarah pointed out that Kelli frequently hosts community suppers - Kelli’s suppers were what made me think a common meal could work. Nevertheless, you all brought up interesting points and I appreciate your thoughts. Let’s continue a discussion about this in the community we share: the knitblogosphere!

Let’s move on to the knitting! I have been working on some old projects lately, adding more length to my Drunken Bee sock and finishing up the back of my Katharine Hepburn cardigan.

I started this one last fall but I set it down because the stitch pattern is both mindlessly dull and impossible to knit while reading. Nevertheless, I love how it looks! The pattern is from Lace Style (Ravelry link here) and the yarn is Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport in “Chuck Berry”.

Taking stock of my recent projects (this sweater, my Newburyport socks) and my remaining sock yarn stash tells me that I have a color problem. Specifically, I have a problem with pinks and purples. Who knew? I always thought my favorite color was blue! Needless to say, there will be a lot of pink and purple knitting coming your way in the coming months. I will certainly return to blue and green yarn once this stash is exhausted. In the meantime, what does one do with 4 oz of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in BRIGHT PINK???

And speaking of that sock stash, it is down to 13 pairs worth of socks (from 21). I used up four pairs and traded away almost all the Knit Picks. This is what remains. There is hope!

Finally, in an exercise bit of news, I finished my second half marathon yesterday and cut about 22 minutes off my time (largely for lack of desperate porta-potty stops). I think I ran about a 9:30/mile pace but I had to walk mile 11 because I got bad cramps. In the end, I think my time was around 2:11. It would really be nice to break 2:00 next time around!

I’m thinking about running the San Francisco Marathon in August but I’m pretty much scared witless. Any opinions? Do any of you lovely knitters want to run a marathon this summer/fall? Tell me all about it! I need to be talked into this one.

Just after Beatrix was born, I bought a skein of J. Knits Superwash Me Light Sock yarn in the Newburyport color. It was most certainly an impulse buy, driven both by post-partum boredom and nostalgia for the time I spent in Newburyport as a teenager. My boarding school was a few miles outside of Newburyport and the school ran Saturday morning vans into town. I’ve been thinking a lot about the old school lately, in part because my 10th reunion is coming up this June but there’s more to it. I must say that my greatest disappointment with adult life is the incredible lack of community in my life. By this, I do not mean friends. I mean community. Let me explain by telling you a little bit about this school.

Every Saturday night, the headmaster and his wife would open their home to students, faculty and faculty families. There were pool and ping pong tables in the basement, a game or a movie on the television in the den, an informal chess tournament, lots of board and card games and a piano in the living room and a bridge game at 9 p.m. The food was a teenage treat as well: ice cream, chips, nachos and all the soda one could consume. There may also have been weekly bets as to whether my freshly charred baked chocolate chip cookies would bring the fire department but that is a story for another day. Nevertheless, Open House was a chance for people to relax after a grueling week, to catch up with friends and to spend time together.

Looking back on it, some of the most important lessons I have learned came from Saturday Open House. At the time, I valued being with friends. What I think is even more valuable now is the time I spent with people who were not my friends: faculty, acquaintances and even declared enemies! I think it is a very humanizing experience to sit around a table with people who are not close friends and have frank, honest discussions about life, the universe and everything. In fact, I believe these sorts of encounters formed the basis of the school’s strong community spirit. They are most certainly what I find lacking in my life today.

Would it even be possible to recreate Open House in a non-campus environment? I have my doubts. Most likely, it would involve cars, planning and the Midwestern bringing of casseroles - in other words, it would be just another party. A community supper might be another idea - and one that my garden could support, at that. I wonder if a supper could ever reach a critical mass, however. Still, neither is the same as walking in your neighbor’s back door, kicking off your shoes and grabbing a bite to eat before jumping into a bridge game.

What do you think? Do you keep any community traditions? Is Open House worth trying to recreate or is it something that should be left alone? Discuss!

Oh yeah, socks. They’re done, I’m happy with them and you should all go buy J. Knits. Specs below.

Pattern: Latvian Socks from Folk Socks by Nancy Bush

Yarn: J. Knits Superwash Me Light Sock (550 yards/skein!) in “Newburyport”

Needles: US 0

Even though these were knit on size 0s, I loved knitting these socks! The yarn was just wonderful. I have enough yarn left over for another knee sock! J. Knits = great yardage for big feet.