Applause for Clapotis

Worn as a scarf, Clapotis is thick and warm.



Worn as a wrap, Clapotis is light and airy.



Love the yarn and the drop stitches.



Dresses up a t-shirt, fishing pants and purple Crocs nicely, don't you think?



Protected me from the mosquitoes when the sun went down.



From start to finish, Clapotis is a good knit. I give it a standing ovation!

Clapotis
Yarn: Brooks Farm Yarn Duet (1+ skeins)
Fiber Content: 55% Kid Mohair, 45% Fine Wool
Color: Cinnamon Spice
Needles: US 8 (5 mm)
Notes: I purled the drop stitch instead of using stitch markers, but otherwise, followed the pattern as written.

E is for Egg

My love of brown eggs goes way back to when I was a little girl and lived next door to a man who raised chickens in his backyard. My sister and I would often feed the chickens. Mom would give us each a handful of dry dog food and we would drop it one piece at a time through the fence. The chickens loved it and the man didn't mind.

Occasionally he would come to our house with a carton or two of fresh eggs--always brown. The eggs we bought at the store were white, so in my young mind, fresh eggs were brown and store-bought were white.

Still to this day I prefer brown eggs. They are more special than white ones to me, so that's what I buy. Even though nutritionally and taste-wise there is no difference, I'll pay extra for them just because of a happy childhood memory.

Nearing the Finish

I'm making good progress on Clapotis this week.


Brooks Farm Yarn Duet
55% Kid Mohair, 45% Fine Wool
Cinnamon Spice

I just completed the straight section, which consists of thirteen repeats of twelve rows, 107 stitches per row. Each repeat took me about an hour to knit, plus another ten minutes to completely unravel the dropped stitch ladder.

I thought the dropped stitches would unzip easily, but that's not the case with the yarn I'm using. It is necessary to pick the stitches apart one at a time, due to the fuzzy nature of mohair. I'm glad I decided to unravel as I go. It's a built in break between repeats, which gives my hands a rest. And, I don't have hours of unraveling hanging over my head at the end.

Now that I'm moving on the the decrease section, things should speed up a bit. Shorter rows and shorter ladders means I might even be finished by the end of the week!

Down This Road Before

I'm talking about Hwy 45 N out of Houston. I didn't expect we'd be heading out of town again so soon, but an opportunity to visit our daughter and her husband arose and we ended up in Fort Worth this weekend.



Car knitting was preemie hats. I finished five on this trip. Add these to the others for a total of ten preemie hats for Hannah's Knitsters.



Preemie hats this size are quick to knit. There are only 48 stitches. Just knit in the round for four inches and then work the decreases. Knit an i-cord or add a pom-pom and you're done.

While we were in Fort Worth, Robyn and James treated us to dinner at Edelweiss.



It was an experience like none other. Good food and live accordion music in a welcoming family atmosphere.

How many restaurants do you know of where the chicken dance is the highlight of the evening?



And how many places provide cards like this one at every table?



It is an unique place and we certainly had fun.

Catch-up Day

I finally got to stay home yesterday. I put on my "comfy clothes" (one notch more presentable than pajamas) and tackled the mountain of laundry accumulated over the week. In between loads I answered questions from my FHBS students; replaced burned out light bulbs (not my favorite chore); and knit.

Three preemie hats were added to two I already had finished.



Rolled-Brim Preemie Hat
Yarn: Bernat Satin Sport (100% Acrylic)
Color: Seashore and Meadow
Needles: US 5 DPNs
Size: 1-3 lbs

I'm using Bernat Satin Sport for the first time and I love it. Satin is a good name for it. Another good name would be silk. It's extremely soft for an acrylic yarn, which makes it perfect for a baby's delicate skin.


Seashore

When I use up both skeins, I'll send these hats to work with John to deliver to Hannah's Knitsters. Amy and Laurie have started a knit-at-lunch group for the employees of the company. Their focus is charity knitting in honor of Amy's daughter Hannah.


Meadow

I'd love to join them for lunch and knitting one day. I'd even be willing to change out of my "comfy clothes" for that.

Checking In

We made it home safely on Monday evening. The drive was exactly 9 hours long. However, I didn't knit in the car like I thought I would. So, no progress to show on Clapotis.

The other project I have going is a pair of socks. The first sock is finished and the second is started. Here's a sneak peek of the stitch pattern.



I'm using Baby Cable Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks plugged into Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' formula for sock knitting. So, you know there are also short-row heels and toes. The yarn is Soft Sea Wool.

I could have these socks finished in a day or two, if I put some effort into them, but knitting this week will not come easy. There are too many things scheduled that take priority over yarn and needles. And, that's the way it should be...sometimes.

Weekend in Oklahoma

We left early Friday morning for Oklahoma Christian University to visit our son and attend Spring Sing. I brought along some knitting for the road.


Between Houston and Dallas

This is my first time to knit Clapotis. I'm using Brooks Farm Yarn Duet in Cinnamon Spice. Anyone thinking of knitting one of these might want to join us in the Fashionably Late in '08 Knit Along.

Several hours of knitting in the car yielded three repeats to the straight row section. This scarf/shawl is easy to knit, but I'm not breaking any speed records with it.

It's been a good visit with Matt and his girlfriend, Carly, though our time together has been brief and squeezed in between Spring Sing shows and clean-up. Matt was the stage manager this year and Carly was performing with her club. Carly's club theme was Shrek and Donkey, hence the green face makeup.


Shrek and Tech

For the uninitiated, Spring Sing is an entertainment event and competition between campus clubs. Each club chooses a theme and performs parodies of popular songs, accompanied by choreography and costumes. Student hosts also entertain the crowd with musical performances.

All too soon it is time to go home. The upside is I'll get a few more rows of Clapotis finished on the nine hour drive back. Though if I had a choice, I'd trade knitting those rows for staying a little longer.


Dropped Stitches