Sunday, October 30, 2005

Sweater completion!




The sweater that the pattern called "The Four-day Sweater" is completed, finished, in-the-can. Let's just say that it took a great deal longer than the pattern suggested: had I had the gumption and free time to actually make a sweater in four days, it would've been a round-the-clock endeavor. Suddenly, knitting wouldn't be the 'fun pastime' it was meant to be, a bit of chore, don't you think? So, introducing the "Nineteen-day-because-I-work-and-have-a-life-Sweater". Doesn't DH look smashing in it?

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Dirty, Pretty things...


The name of the company that makes this is Lorna's Lace, which has always struck me as a titillating, vaguely dirty sounding name for a yarn company. It resonates on the same register as a Russ Meyers film; Lorna's Lace conjures up the image of a buxom blonde in a bee-hive hairdo and merry-widow, a whip in hand as she stands over her minions who dutifully spin her yarn. But I digress...after all this is a KNITTING blog.
This particular yarn is called 'Glenwood' and is a most lovely multi with a very soft hand. When I was in my LYS today I saw it and knew that ours would be a tale of lust and greed. I HAD to have it--and now it is mine. I have decided that I need to knit a hat out of this as soon as possible, given that I just had my roots done and my hair is the perfect ashey shade of blonde to show off these autumnal hues--quick, before my roots come in and the illusion is shattered! So like a heroine from the above-mentioned director's film, I find myself in a torrid relationship of which no good will probably come, but we'll have a hell of a time together.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

The Scandinavians--a love story



Honestly, what's not to love about the Scandinavians?
From the naughty yet sensible sensuality depicted in 'I Am Curious Yellow' to the fabulous selection of practical and stylish housewares made available worldwide at IKEA, the Scandinavians are second only to the Japanese in terms of cool. I'll admit that my fetish stems from growing up in Minnesota. As one of only two dark-haired children in my third grade class (Jacob Blumenthal was the other), I have always looked at Scandinavian culture with a great deal of admiration and lust. As a child on the outside looking in, I wanted to BE one of them--the shiny blonde hair, the enthusiastic, effortless talent on the ski slopes, the uncomplicated, non-dogmatic Lutheran faith, and of course, the Volvo. Need I say more?
Now I have another reason to love them--Dale of Norway yarn. Just check out these acid neon colors, what blue-eyed blonde wouldn't look stunning with a hat knit out of these?

Sunday, October 09, 2005

S.E.X.--Stash Enrichment Expedition


This sweater is for Miss Buttermilk and is being knit out of one of my faves--Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed. Being half brit (the other half is hillbilly -- we don't advertise that one nearly as much), I have a preternatural fondess for tweed, the scratchier the better. If it looks like wearing it would produce the equivalent unpleasant sensations of that of a medieval hairshirt, I am so there. This led me to Kathy's Kreations in Ligonier, Pa. Here I was able to round out my stash of tweedy yarns, so that if I knit non-stop around the clock from now until Dec. 24th, taking breaks to ovulate and work on my OTHER project--ahem--, making Christmas sweaters for all my peeps should be a cinch!

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Miss Buttermilk knits away!




Everyone's favorite task master is knitting a scarf, no doubt SHE will finish her project!

Zitron Loft


This is a ribbed scarf still in process done in Zitron 'Loft' and is one of the perhaps 6 scarves I have on the go at the moment. I pick them up and put them down, mostly because I move on to more complicated projects which weirdly I normally always finish. There is something about the scarf that lends itself to the no-consequences approach as they usually involve only one skein, represent a minimal financial input and can be restarted without confusion.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Why knit?

Because in 6th grade home economics class my teacher Miss Roberta Mitchell told me that the madras golf skirt that I had half-heartedly stitched together showed a lack of skill and that my biggest problem was that I "didn't take pride in my work". Ditto for the Shark Pillow. This message would be internalized and come to signify many other endeavors in my life, including my Girl Scout sit-upon, every science lab ever handed in (usually late), the majority of "research" papers written in college and finally my Ph.D.dissertation, an undertaking which took many years to complete and was characterized by the phrase "just scan for quotes".
Why such a lackluster history of project completion?
I took up knitting several years ago during a job-loss crisis brought on by--surprise!--the unfinished dissertation. Knitting quickly became a pass time that alleviated the anxiety and stress brought on by the unfortunate circumstances I had created for myself. I embraced this tactile activity, at first as another form of procrastination but gradually as a way of redefining my relationship to my work. The process of casting on, purling the purls and knitting the knits and after many moments finally casting off gives form to an inchoate ball of yarn and occasionally yields a finished, end product.
Or doesn't.
For me satisfaction ensue from the process and not so much the product. I think perhaps knitting, more than any other activity, including junior high home ec projects and scholarship, has taught me to inhabit the process rather than focus on the end result. Most of the projects I've begun remain unfinished, but unlike the world of work, this has had no negative consequences. A certain yarn captures my imagination and I start a scarf or sock, I work on it for a time and it serves a purpose at that moment, I put it down and return to it later.

Colinette Skye



This is a close-up of my fave Colinette yarn 'Skye' in Toscana. I went a little ebay mad and got many skeins of this (yes, it's a problem) and am always looking for more...

Lollipop sock!




Behold the tiny toddler sock done out of Opal Lollipop. Opal is a marvelous self-striping sock yarn that seems to last forever and knits up beautifully.