Dear Kay,
Never underestimate the ability of a cat to do absolutely nothing. Kermit spends tremendous amounts of time doing stuff like this, staring off into the middle distance, zorked out in the bathroom not asleep but in some state of suspended animation. He is the poster child for low stress.
How could he not be FASCINATED by this Citron Grande wrap? How could it not leave him agitated with excitement that Food Lady has finished something?
Final recap: This is Malabrigo Sock, shade Chocolate Amargo, with an edge of Koigu, shade black. This is the full entire 10-repeat of Hilary Smith Callis’s Citron Grande, which ends up being about 63″ across. I used size 6/4mm needles. You will notice that some of the ruched sections toward the curved edge ended up wider than the others. I basically lost my mind, I think. It meant that I ran out of yarn prematurely. But that led to the black Koigu experiment for the last four rows, which I ended up liking so there you go.
This is a truly wonderful project. Those last 1,000-stitch rows are completely worth it for the resulting blankety experience of bundling up in this. I meant to get a Mother’s Day/23rd wedding anniversary action shot, but I had too much motherly bacon and forgot!
It’s 41 degrees here in Nashville today–May 13!–so I am enjoying the fact that I can snurgle up with this thing at this late date.
Go finish something! It makes you feel so great.
Love,
Ann
PS Just had a query re the audio edition of Bowling Avenue. The recording is complete–it’s just being edited, and all the slurpy/smacky sounds being mercifully taken out. I don’t have the release date set, but I’m hoping within the next few weeks. Thanks to all who have spent time on Bowling Avenue–it has been the most fun imaginable, hearing from readers, getting to visit with book groups, and eating more than my share of aspic and chicken divan along the way. I have met at least 130 people who tell me they either grew up on Bowling Avenue, knew someone who did, or still do. I even had the good fortune to attend a book group in a cozy house ON Bowling Avenue. They were so much nicer than anybody in my book . . .
Wow. That’s amazing. Congrats on finishing!
That truly is a grand grande. You must have the worlds most beautiful collection of all grey handknits.Damn that cheesy writer for stealing what could have been your handknit wardrobe’s name.
I love the Citron Grande. I get the urge to curl up with it, since spring has decided it’s not sold on warmth yet. I could make it, but the last ruffle on the original shawlette nearly killed me, so I think that this one would be the one that would finish me off.
And it’s nice and grey — that really is the best part.
Fantastic – both the finished article and that amazing photograph (of the nonchalant cat…..). Today I finished a three inch tall owl and felt good about that – so multiply that by a gazillion stitches and it might be close to how you deserve to feel!
Hi Ann, I bought Bowling Avenue last fall, but finally got to reading it now. I have to admit that I’m more of a non-fiction fan, but I’m in that staying-up-way-past-my-bedtime-reading phase of a fiction book where I just can’t bear to put the book down. In other words, I’m loving it!
By the way, I hope you did the reading for the audio version! Can’t wait to hear it!
Love, love, LOVE this! I am dying to make one of my own now.
One question for you, though — in your original post and on your Ravelry page, it says you used Malabrigo “Sock” yarn. But in this post, you said “Lace” (which the pattern also calls for…)
I LOVE the way yours looks, so I want to make sure I’m heading down the correct yarn trail before I begin.
I’m pretty sure it was “Sock” based on the color, but if you could confirm, I would be ever so grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Kelly–it was sock sock sock!!!! Definitely sock! I think it would be beautiful in Malabrigo Lace but for this size, I kind of like it a little heftier.
That is glorious. I’m having enough problems with my 378 stitch rows in a sock yarn sweater right now that I probably should wait. 1000 stitch rows might kick me to the curb!
It is absolutely gorgeous!!! I want one. Now to check out the pattern……..
Wow, this is so grande! I haven’t knit a Citron yet, but when I do I think I’ll skip the standard size and go straight to grande. Of course, nothing will happen until I get through Viajante, whose ending is far, far in the future.
I bet I’d wear more of my handknits if they were all gray–thanks for the tip! Why did I think I should use different colors instead of one that goes with everything?
Very beautiful!!!
Very beautiful!!!
I can’t believe I’m being sucked into a 1000-yard knitting project, but I do SO love your Citron Grande, I just might have to make one!! Wish I’d seen it before high school baseball season started…that would’ve been great “stitch ‘n’ pitch” knitting! It’s amazing!!
Lovely! I like that it has more substance to it than the original…a very good alternative for chilly days.
When I look at that picture of Kermit, I see a tension in his shoulders that says “Lady, I am waiting PATIENTLY for you to get the heck out of here so I can sleep on that knitting!” But I admit I have very bad cats who can never pass up a chance to steam block damp knitting and this may prejudice my views.
Oh, my! I just doublechecked the yardage…it’s closer to 1500 yards of yarn. And 1000 stitches at the wide rows. Need to have my head examined, but really, REALLY want to make one!
Ann — Thanks for the speedy response! Off to get myself some Mmmmmalabrigo (as my friends and I call it) SOCK yarn!! 🙂
AWE. SOME. lovelove the black border.
The koigu looks great!
Are you the reader for the audio book?????
That is beautiful. I greatly admire your perseverance. I have a half knitted Citron waiting for me to find the knitterly backbone to finish it! I even bought extra yarn to make it bigger!
I make myself laugh sometimes.
Anyway, yours is stunning.
That’s a gorgeous project.
Kermit is just standing sentry duty for possible rogue bamboo circulars.
So glad the book has done well. That Citron.Is.Gawjus. I think I will have to make one.
Ann, I love this… it looks so sea-creature-y. I’ve been meaning to knit a Citron for years– this may actually get me to start one! –Carol
That is so beautiful, I’m envious, I wish I just finished knitting it!
I love that staring at the wall thing cats do. I wish I could find the cartoon (the thought of which still cracks me up) where one cat-as-office-worker says to another who is sitting in a corner staring at the junction of two walls, “How’s the new corner office working out?” Though maybe Kermit is contemplating the wonders of geeothermal heating in the first photo?
Also, Citron Grande in Chocolate is Amazing.
Grande is right! Wow! I always loved the citron!
Grande is right! Wow! I always loved the citron!
WOW!!! It’s beautiful and inspiring (except of course to cats).
WOW!!! It’s beautiful and inspiring (except of course to cats).
Love your Citron Grande — I think the black edge takes it up a notch, in fact.
Kitty Zen abounds: our puffy lump frequently strikes a pose and then disappears into himself for extended periods, re-emerging close to dinnertime — it never fails.
Go Kermit!
Way to go – this is absolutely beautiful.
PS Harry Houdini, our feline low stress representative, is a soul brother to Kermit.
I assume Kermit is either bathing in the heat coming out of the floor register, or sitting there waiting for it to kick in.
Gorgeous. I love it best with the black edge.
Bee yooo tee ful
I really like the edging – interestingly, it looks like it’s dark navy on my monitor -nice effect.
It looks large and lovely – so does Kermit for that matter. Colours are very posh. Happy Anniversary!
mary todd lincoln would have adored your wrap
I like the grande size so much better than the regular size – but I’m not sure I would finish something that big without lace to keep me interested!
And I may have to go re-read Bowling Avenue….
Beautiful!! And wow, that was quick….and yeah to the audio of Bowling Avenue, so exciting!
I love the brownness of this brown. Epic work. Now make another one.
xoxoxo Kay
That’s quite a grand Citron Grande!
I love the black border.
The cat is just keeping warm next to the heat
register!
Congrats – it looks fabulous!!!
I made the smaller version, but wound up giving it as a gift to a family member. I may just have to make this larger version for me.
Amazing! And how did you manage to keep Kermit off of it? Maybe because the black cat hair doesn’t show on this color?
glorious!
‘now make another one’. She’s a wag, isn’t she, that Kay? Is Kermit just staring at the wall? We used to have a rabbit that did that. We never quite worked out what she could see or hear.
Pic of you swathed in Citron Grande, please…
Kermit is not interested because you ARE interested. Isn’t that how it works with cats?
The staring at the wall is always fun with cats. In NYC, most cat owners I know assume they’re wishing the roaches or mice would come out of the wall so they could chase them around.
That’s just, you know, a delicious little thought for your next novel. Sorry.
-Amber
I had to look again to see those larger ruched sections, but it works and so does the black edging. Beautiful. Sophisticated cozy!
It’s EPIC! and also gorgeous!
Your work makes me want to cast on the Grand immediately, but then I remember how the one, much smaller Citron drove me a little crazy. All those long rows of purl; throwing each and every one in the most awkward technique-I think I want to anyway!
May we know how many skeins of Malabrigo sock it takes to (almost) finish a Citron Grande? I see one in my future….
Hi Evelyn! It took three skeins of Malabrigo sock, and that would have been enough to complete it without resorting to a contrast border had I not added all those extra rows of ruching . . .
hey Food Lady– the opening pic of your finished C.G. took my breath away! ( this phenomenon seems to happen often to me when tunining in to MDK). BEAUTIFUL shawl! BEAUTIFUL work! and i’m loving the black koigu border. it is also my distinct impression that kermit is so overcome by all of this beauty that he cannot. lay eyes on it all at once, so he appears to be oblivious when in actuality he is trembling in awe… ( i’ ll bet he can’t wait to see you model your new C.G., too…….)
knit on!
lovediane
That is a cat worshipping at the shrine of warmth.
Great shawl!
I knit a Citron in Kidsilk Haze…love it…but your Grande is making me want to do another one….a bigger one…..a grande one!
41 degrees?! It took me a minute to realize you meant fahrenheit!
Ann, You really stunned me with this one! I gasped when the page opened! It is a monumental work, no doubt, but one of great beauty with the added practicality of being something to cozy up in. I absolutely love this and can’t imagine ever doing it (which may be why I’m awed by it). WTG!
Utterly delicious. Now, is it just me, or did this projeck get finished at near-lightning speed? Esp. With that yardage!!!! Lovely wrap– so generous.
Ann, that is a really yummy-looking Citron!