Did you see me? I'm a weaver. I weave. I'm WEAVING!!!

So if you haven't seen the film What About Bob you probably don't think the title is particularly funny, but the point is that I have fully embraced my name and have begun taking weaving lessons in preparation for work on my giant estate sale floor loom.

Now go crazy. Weaver! Weaver weaves! Ann Weaver is a weaver! I'm a Weaver! I WEAVE!

Now that that is out of everyone's system, I'll be able to post about it this weekend. Today, I'll update the knitting content aspect of this site. First up, an entrelac scarf that will be a Christmas present for someone worked in Friendz Blendz two-ply mohair/merino blend that I purchased at New Hampshire Sheep and Wool this year.

Look at that striping! Those angles! I swatched and swatched and played with this yarn, trying to figure out how best to show off the colors and then THIS! I am ENTRANCED! It's Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Wurst und Kraut, Wine and Cheese, Vodka and all the Things That Go With Vodka. Stripes and Entrelac. And the halo that mohair give that royal blue, well, it's hard to convey in the photo.

I'm also almost finished with the most adorable baby hat ever. It's for the child of one of my mom's friends. Here, one of our plaster cats (this is half the pair; my grandpa made this great find years ago at a yard sale and I ended up with it at Christmas) evaluates my work:


It's made from a skein of Spunky Eclectic Super Sport in the color "Bird Face." This was in a sale bin at the Maine Fiber Frolic because it was alone and not quite enough for a pair of socks. I could not be happier with the way the yarn is striping . Okay, I could be happier, see above re: the Stripes and Entrelac, but not about this project.

And, finally, two more pairs of baby shoes, made from scraps of MaxiRingel, now discontinued (if anyone has some I will buy it from you), and Socks that Rock. They're for baby showers that my mom will be attending over the next few months. That is all with the knitting. I am also beginning to search for a new Jobjob in earnest. Hooray! Photos of the weaving soon. Stop chuckling.

You know you wanna.

Here's the back, and here's a shot of me as I was dressed riding Chris' single-speed to the subway station this morning:Chris has noted that I seem to be taking over this bicycle, but I let him know that I wouldn't consider it "mine" until I had lowered the seat about two inches. Easily done!

In any case, Mermaid is fantastic, and I anticipate wearing it all the time, as a jacket now and as a sweater under a jacket when it gets colder. What did I learn from making it?

Even tension in a small gauge in garter stitch will create something that will astonish your coworkers, weaving teacher, and random people at bars. Very few people will believe that you made it, and everyone will look at you differently after you insist that you did and they look more closely... and they realize that they've seen you knitting portions of this at work/in the bar for months.

Also, the sleeves and body both grow several inches in length with a soak and moderate blocking. Really, about 3 inches.

Oh, remember this?I'm teaching a class at Yarns in the Farms during which we'll make this! It's only $45, and includes the pattern and two Saturdays of fun and ice cream from Captain Dusty's right across the street. And let me tell you, Yarns in the Farms is the most comfortable, homey, friendly yarn stores I've ever visited. We're talking couches covered with handknit throws and such. Oh yes. You can see more photos on my right sidebar. Contact Yarns in the Farms to sign up, or just contact them because they're just so fun and have an excellent selection of hard-to-find yarns.

Slap-Happy Friday!

It's been a long, long week for both Chris and me, can you tell?

Mermaid is almost done, lacking only the i-cord edges on the sleeve cuffs and, as you may have noticed, one sleeve set in. And a good soak and wet blocking, since I've heard from everyone who's made it that both body and sleeves grow quite a bit in length, which is good news for me, since right now these sleeves are about 2 inches short, and the waist sits a bit higher than I would like.

And hey, Mom's birthday present is DONE and will be in the mail tomorrow. Some of you knitters out there may know what the blue thing in the photo below is, but Mom doesn't.

Finally, thanks to everyone for all the compliments on my Neiman sweater. I am really, really excited to see what others do with the pattern, so please, send photos! Email questions! I though of a few substitute yarns for the Wool Cotton, and was given some suggestions by others interested in the pattern. Here they are:

1. Jaeger Matchmaker DK: Itchier and warmer than Wool Cotton, but a bit cheaper, very durable, and has a matte finish that would contrast nicely with the silk.
2. Rowan Calmer: oooooh yeah. For all of you out there who don't want wool.
3. Rowan All-Seasons Cotton would also be nice, I think.
4. Elann has a new DK weight superwash wool that looks good, it's called "Peruvian Luxury Superwash," but I haven't tried it yet; love some of the colors, though, and it would be very reasonable.

I think these yarns would maintain the overall look of the sweater very nicely. However, think of how it would look in a tweedy yarn, or something with a bit of color-on-color dye action. Or with Artfibers Regal Silk in a varregated color or something exotic like Alchemy Silken Straw (saw this at Purl and have it on the brain) for the yoke detail! I know I'll be making another one soon, and plan on a little experimentation.

Neiman @ Knitty

I've been waiting to show photos of this sweater since MAY!!! It is now up for public consumption in the Fall issue of Knitty. I feel particularly special because I think this issue of Knitty is AWESOME!

New York City!

This photo captures much of the spirit of our trip. We did a lot of walking about and shopping, the sort of captivating walking/shopping that is only possible in small, isolated pockets in Boston. My friend Amy and I were taken with these Sohung Designs coats and pretty much everything else he had on display at The Market, NYC, a showcase for young designers. The coat I'm wearing came back to Boston with me. Looking at the photo, I may need to order the belt, too! Almost everything else I purchased has to remain secret until after Christmas.

We stayed with Amy and her boyfriend Aaron in the East Village. We enjoyed 241 top-shelf martinis just down the street from their appointment (dirty, of course, with lots of olives, since, as Amy says, that makes them practically a meal).

We went to the Russian Baths, spent a lot of time on the roof (and even had an illegal open-fire picnic with a tiny hibachi grill and sausages), and went to Coney Island. We rode the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, Chris and Aaron, particularly Aaron, were talked into playing games like "Bushel Baskets" and "Shoot out the Star," we rode bumper cars at the El Dorado (Motto: "BUMP YOUR ASS OFF!"), and we walked all the way down the boardwalk from Coney Island to Brighton Beach, where in the span of about 200 yards the mixed working-class families seen at the amusement park shift to a group composed entirely of Russian-speakers, primarily old Russian-speakers, gathering in little cliques on the benches to smoke and talk and, yes, even sing songs in Russian.

And I did knit! And I went to Purl a controlled myself with only a few skeins purchased! In fact, here's a photo of me knitting the MERMAID SLEEVE in front of Purl!

A finished Mermaid is in the near future. Hooray!