redefining "air"

Project Spectrum is partly about trying new things; however, the "air" theme of grey, white, and yellow for the next couple months is just not doing for me. Grey just makes me think of dirty city smog, and white is not practical for crafting.

When I think of air, I think of the sky. So this round of Project Spectrum is going be all about the sky here at Caffeinated Yarn.
Exhibit 1: Denim Sky
It's a belisama scarf, designed by Lori Law of Oceanwind Knits. I purchased this as a kit from her website, but I don't think she sells them anymore. The silk noil yarn has a neat, slubby texture, and the "denim sky" colorway is an amazing mixture of blues with hints of pink, purple, and even green. Lori's truly a color whiz.

I added Peter Rabbit Buttons to the little Mason-Dixon baby kimono just in time, as my friend gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Friday.

Exhibit 2: Sky

Pattern: One-Piece Baby Kimono by Cristina Shiffman

Yarn: Manos Cotton Stria, Sky, just under 2 skeins
Needles: US 5 bamboo circs

Anybody else catch Death Cab for Cutie at the Pritzker Pavilion last night? It was a pretty good show, but the real scene stealer was the beautiful Frank Gehry pavilion, partially shrouded in fog, reflecting the setting sun.

socks on shrubs

I've been knitting like a fiend lately, but I don't have too many FOs to show for it. I need to block a few things, which is always complicated by my dear felines. I'm also chugging away at a baby blanket. I do have one FO, though.
Pattern: Garter Rib Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks, by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Cider Moon Glacier, "June Carter" colorway
Needles: US 3 KA bamboo DPNs

Notes: I cast on 48 stitches for these, which is perfect, as they are quite stretchy. I love the colors, which are just the thing for this round of Project Spectrum. I must admit that there were a few knots, splitty areas, and weak spots in the yarn, which was disappointing. Sigh... I used the same yarn in the "Winter Twilight" colorway for a previous pair of socks, and I had no problems then.

Kylie looking a bit suspicious:

Kylie looking downright startled at being an impromptu sock model:
Guess who else was at the Ben Gibbard show last week? None other than the sock goddess herself, Cookie A. Ben did two acoustic shows back-to-back that night, and Cookie and I were both at the late show. I didn't see her, though.

Ben was great, esp. on songs where he played the guitar. There was a good mix of Death Cab and Postal Service songs. The piano he played looked and sounded like a relic from a high school group practice room, and the tempo was awfully slow on all the piano songs. Surprisingly he played a cover of Nirvana's "All Apologies." The crowd was a very odd mix. People did a lot of talking during the show, and the octopus man standing next to us spent most of the evening groping his date. The highlight of the show was a version of "Such Great Heights" played a la Iron & Wine.

Good grief!

Please pardon the prolonged silence. Cable internet disastre struck casa Caffeinated Yarn last Friday, and it has not been resolved yet, despite three visits from the cable guy (including one marathon 5.5 hour session on Tuesday). Good grief, to quote Charlie Brown.

Knitting has occurred, some of which fascinated the cable guy as we watched the Cubs game while awaiting the arrival of yet another cable guy.

The Falling Water Lace Scarf is just waiting to have its ends woven in and a good blocking. I loved the pattern and the yarn. I'll post full details post-blocking.
A basic garter rib sock (from Sensational Knitted Socks) is on the needles. I'm using Cider Moon's Glacier yarn in the colorway June Carter. Very pink/yellow/green for Project Spectrum, no? Despite following the gauge chart, I found that casting on 56 stitches made for too loose a sock. I went down to 48 for my narrow feet and apparently quite slender ankles.

Here's my nervous internet conundrum knitting -- a modified version of Cider Moon's Carpathia scarf using GGH Soft Kid in a lovely sea foam green. I added an extra pattern repeat and a couple border stitches on each end. I asked Paul what he thought:

Paul: It looks very dainty.
Jodi: What do you mean by that?
Paul: It reminds me of tissue paper.

Whatever. In non-knitting news, look who I had a date with last night:

Colin Maloy and the rest of the Decemberists crew. Paul was there, too, along with a few thousand fans. The show was OK, but a bit of a disappointment in comparison with their stop in Chicago last fall. Methinks the band spent a bit too much time drinking at the Green Mill jazz club across the street before the concert. They played many songs from Castaways and Cutouts, but it was a fairly short show. One disappointment was a rather lackluster version of "O Valencia!"

They did play the much-requested Mariner's Revenge Song as an encore. That one doesn't do it for me, in part because they ask for audience participation. That always makes me squirm, and my inner Cure-T-shirt-wearing, silently-rebellious teenager rears her ugly/non-participatory head.