Suddenly the need to write relevant, purposeful project notes on Ravelry project pages has presented itself. The new 'Are these notes helpful to you?' feature demands a utilitarian perspective on a space that I had heretofore used to write such bromides as 'I love Jitterbug' and 'I've said it before and I'll say it again, I hate mohair'. I now feel an urgent need to go back and recall all the truly useful details such as yardage issues, guage riddles and modifications that might assist others. I have to say that I love this concept as I've always felt writing with constraints to be a particularly productive endeavor. Now Ravelry has given us a reason to write with helpfulness in mind. I love it! My wish now is to undertake all in the name of the Helpful.
During my recent travels I picked up a yarn with the single-most intriguing name ever to spring forth from the world of branding: Jojoland Melody. The name Jojoland resonates with me on so many levels: is it a mythical place where Hello Kitty and her pals reside? Is it an oddball term translated awkwardly from the Japanese? Can I go there and meet Jojo? However you slice it, I would like to offer my strong admiration for the madcap individual who dreamt up this heavenly name and all that it represents. Luckily the yarn itself lives up to its inscrutable name--the color is mood-ring gorgeous and the softness is notable. I don't know who Jojo is, but I know that I want to take up permanent residence in his/her (?) land of twee enchantment.
I'm off to Minneapolis today to assist with my dad's return home from a nursing home --yes, that does occasionally happen, much to our happiness and relief. Once there I will be spending some quality time at the fancy grocery store's salad bar and seeking out many falafel opportunities--something that I am unable to do here in the 1950s (i.e. central Pennsylvania). Normally this is the point in the post where I'd offer some tepid remarks about 'no LYS action for me', but I think we know each other well enough at this point to dispense with that, right?
Man alive my life has been consumed by work-related travel as of late, and there are no signs of it letting up. Not that I'm complaining mind you (although my brother is FURIOUS that I have somehow managed Northwest Silver Elite status and am having my ass upgraded left and right. Sorry sucka!!!), but the traveling is a. hard on the digestion (because I seem to eat corn at every meal) and b. despite airplane knitting, not so great for the craft that keeps this blog going. I have finished one paltry item since last posting, and believe me, it ain't that impressive in the whole grand scheme of things. N.B: The t-shirt above is brought to you courtesy of the Human Rights Campaign shop in Dupont Circle, Washington DC.
Specs
Pattern: Textured Shawl Recipe by Orlane
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino, two skeins of Smoke
Needles: Size 8
Time: A week or two, off and on.
This is a great concept--I only wish that mine had turned out to be like 2.5 times bigger. After blocking it's still a smallish triangle, which is fine, it's just that I have more than a few shawls this size. I suppose the answer is to wear it as a scarf and forget that it has 'shawl' in the title. Once again the Malabrigo Silky Merino is a giant winner of a yarn--the color and sheen are stupendous.
Unfortunately the junior crew will not be making blog appearances for the next month or so--they are visiting their dad, step-mom and baby sister in NYC and are thus unavailable. This makes me sad but also frees up the day for extended cocktail hours, insures that my life will be 100% Twilight free and means that I can listen to Lady GaGa without anyone telling me to turn it down. Also, it means that I get to make the Curmudgeon model my garments--this fact alone might make me finish what I have in my queue.
While in Louisville I stopped by one of my fave LYSs around, the Knit Nook. I love that shop and the friendly ladies who knit there. I bought the pattern for Rusted Root and more balls of Calmer (to add to the ones I bought there last year ) and am now on my way and am almost ready to divide for the sleeves. Fun pattern! Love that lace panel! While there a Louisville author stopped by to work on a sock--can you guess who it might have been? [Hint: the title of this post.]
Above you see an in-progress Amtrak shot, a train ride that held many surprises, including the joy of knitting in the Quiet Car (sshh!! no talking or cell phones, please) and sitting across from an Amish boy reading a book about bullets. As I joked on Twitter, that must be like Amish porn--so forbidden.
I am hoping to finish Rusted Root and the Diminishing Ribs cardigan before my next slate of travels begins next week, as I don't really fancy lugging sweater-quantity batches of yarn around in my suitcase. Not that it matters to a Silver Elite traveler, as I check my luggage for free:) Brucie that comment is just for you...
One of the aspects of lace knitting that most attracts me is the chart. I love me a good chart and everything about it. I love the fact that a chart means instant progress tracking and that you can cross off rows as you go. I love that once you visually master the pattern, you know right away if you've made a mistake. And most of all I love that feeling of triumph that is the 'edging' or final chart. Yes--I'm in the home stretch and can taste victory...
However for this pattern, the 'edging' chart is basically 1/3 of the pattern. Wha??? I was thrown off a bit and even deflated, but then I decided to get over it. I am in love with the results. Kate Gagnon is such a talented designer, I want some sort of 'auto-subscribe' feature to her work.
The Specs:
Pattern: Springtime Bandit by Kate Gagnon
Yarn: Brooks Farm Solo Silk, color unknown.
Needles: size 8
Time: about a week with major breaks for carousing with friends, stressful hockey games, dealing with a Creeping Charlie problem in our garden and having my mind blown by two, new albums (I still call them albums).
I am a huge fan of the Brooks Farm Solo Silk. Sadly I lost the ball band and do not know the name of the colorway. I'm going to call in 'Fruit Punch' because it's graduation garden party season. I bought it at MDS&W and recommend that you keep a look out for it.
I continue to work round robin on a variety of projects but am likely to add one more to the party: The Textured Shawl. I have spent far too many hours perusing this pattern on Ravelry and acknowledge that I am probably powerless when faced with the possibility of not starting it right away. Finishing Springtime Bandit means that I have an opening in my 'knitting that doesn't require serious attention, is portable, can de done while watching a movie yet isn't making me want to fly into a blind rage because of lack of progress (Featherweight, that category is all yours)' category. So, yeah, watch this space for the pattern that is taking Ravelry and Flickr by storm, the Textured Shawl.
I feel that my role in our ye olde village is to be that person that you can always look at and say to yourself, "well at least I'm not as batshit crazy as Miss Thing over there...". Because a. I have not finished any of my projects on the go and b. have cast on for one more, and it's a doozy! And I might have even ordered the yarn, stalked the pattern and made all the plans for all this foolishness since my last post. Put me in the knitting stockade, I am certifiable. Hey--you're welcome.
I have been dying to make the Diminishing Rib Cardigan as it has all the hallmarks of WIN written all over it: top-down raglan construction (yes), done on size 8s (more yes), and no expectation of it being able to be buttoned closed (a big plus-sized YES). My yarn choice, pictured above, is no surprise: Silky Malabrigo in Wisteria. Genius call, right? Also I love Linda at Yarnzilla because she let's you write things like "yes I'm f*cking crazy, I'm ordering more Malbrigo from you" in the comments box of your order and not only doesn't get offended but usually writes something hilarious right back atcha. Love her and her drugs.
Well, I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself. Some of you clearly share my distracted ways when it comes to knitting. Many of you came clean and admitted to having many, many things on the go, and I appreciate that. A random selection based on nothing in particular except for me not having to pay postage to California (KIDDING) has brought up the names of Laura and Beth, and I will be sending them their winnings very soon indeed. Thanks to everyone who shared their indiscretions with me.
I know that I am potentially jinxing myself right now, but I think I might be in love with socks again. There are many indications that this is perhaps the case. They include:
-staying up past my bedtime to read Wendy Knits' Socks from the Toe Up and Cookie A.'s Sock Innovation. I can't put these two books down! I know that there is many a slip twixt the reading about socks and the making of them, but doesn't it seem like a good sign?
-obsessively looking at Ravelry FO pages and scanning for time to completion stats. Pomatomus Socks. Started: March 25, Finished: March 29. Hey, I could've done that....(sure, if I had taken to my bed, but still! Seems semi-plausible!)
-making sure I have all the Addi Turbo Lace needles in sizes 1-2-3 at the 47 inch length. The utter superiority of these needles is blowing my mind. I know, having the needles is one thing, but using them is another...
-getting three golden oldie WIPs out and working on them in my spare time. This might be my greatest piece of evidence that the socks are back in the house! STR 'Spacedust' Monkeys, Malabrigo 'Violetas Africanas' Embossed Leaves, and Plain Ol' Sock in Kaffe Fassett 'Landscape Fire'.
And luckily my sock-thusiasm is back just in time for you-know-what: MDS&W! I am ready to hit the ground running on Saturday with my trusty companion Peeper-Lou (check!), my insatiable thirst for Lime Fizz (check!), and my secret the-bill-is-sent-to-work credit card (double check!). Maybe I'll see you there...
I believe that the cowl was sent to knitters the world over to provide us with the ability to make a hand knit gift for someone in under 36 hours during the work week. You know the time line I'm talking about: "....so-and-so cordially invites you to attend a party in honor of so-and-so in x amount of days". Naturally your mind races--do I have any recently finished hats to give? Umm, hello, it's supposedly April, not exactly hat weather. How about a Mason-Dixon Ball Band Dishcloth? Nice, but somewhat awkward. Happy Birthday! You can use this to clean up the puke after the party! No, the project must be special and fast--this is why the cowl exists, I'm sure of it.
The Specs:
Pattern: Chickadee Cowl by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Pagewood Farm St. Elias in 'Turquoise', two strands held together.
Needles: Size 9
Mods: I cast on 99 sts and it came out perfectly! I quite like the smaller stitches. Another winning pattern from our friend at TTL.
This is for a friend/colleague who turned 50. Not the friend colleague you see pictured here--you might recognize her as my impossible stylish French pal Sandrine. I love her because of her photogenic ways and also her willingness to go along with whatever I propose. I send her a brief email in the morning "need you for a photo shoot" and she dutifully waits for me outside the classroom and helps me scout out a good location. She never complains and is a sooper trooper. Sadly the greenhouses were closed for spraying, so we made do with the parking lot.
Those of you who guessed that I'd be working on the Acorn cowl were correct! I can't wait to get going on that, such a great pattern. We really are fortunate to be knitters at a time when so many awesome indie designers like Kirsten Kapur (SLOW DOWN I can't KEEP UP), Larissa Brown (Knitalong is a rad book that you MUST have), Pam from Flint Knits (attn: please don't make $$ of her FLS pattern, to do so is extreme douchery and will cause me to sick the Marxist Curmudgeon on you) and Kate (The Selbu Modern and Opus Spicatum made 2008 a better year for me and 2009 is looking up because of Springtime Bandit ) are working hard to keep us busy with interesting, creative patterns. Let's all do our best to respect their work and support them, ok?
...because I have a finished pair of socks ! Yes--me. Socks. A pair. How long has it been since I can lay claim to finishing a pair of socks? The wayback knitting machine of Ravelry tells me that it has been since August. Like, before-Obama-got-the-nomination August. These are the TTL Mystery socks, and I am so happy that they are done. Moving them into the done column is providing me with a sense of accomplishment, which in my little Potemkin village of a life, is something.
Specs:
Pattern: TTL Mystery Sock pattern, 56sts
Yarn: MadTosh Sport Weight in 'Chamomile', 2 skeins
Needles: Size 2
Mods: I did the plain pattern, w/o the cables.
I think sport weight might be the way for me to go in all things socks. Doing them on a size 2 needle is deeply gratifying as they do tend to go much faster. I was about to write 'fly off the needles' and then I restrained myself, because, umm, hello? I did start these in October. I am glad that I followed the suggestions of those who recommended doing both at the same time.Whew! The appeal of the MadTosh yarn is that it is so darn durable. No splitting, very sturdy and the colors are stupendous. Count me in as a fan.
Not that my sock yarn purchases would be any indication of my sock stagnation--no worries, although it has slowed down, it is still managing to find its way into my ever-loving stash. Next up for me are two cowls: one for a colleague and another that is quite 'nutty'--can you guess what it is?
I seem to have succumbed to the lure of the shawl. I have found myself mostly buying shawl quantities of yarn and the sole Ravelry patterns that make my heart go humpa-pumpa are tagged with 'shawl', and 'wrap'. This is quite hilarious to me as when it comes to wearing a shawl, I have absolutely no idea how it is best done. I can't even imagine it. Sometimes when I see a pattern, I envision myself wrapped in a shawl as I lead students through a difficult yet enlightening reading of Rimbaud while grasping a hot cup of tea for warmth. This vision usually gives way to the recognition that during class I tend to be covered in chalk, many students didn't do the reading and are therefore texting and not into the whole close reading thing, and that I'm more of a vending machine coffee person anyway (DON'T JUDGE there's a secret machine on campus that makes coffee that tastes like European train coffee). Next comes the unfortunate realization that the shawl would most likely be there to cover up the lunch stains on the front shelf rather than to shield me from the draft . Alas...I still love knitting the shawl as it is the most gratifying of knits. After blocking it you find yourself marveling at it, the same way that a non-knitter would. "Gee, I really made that...". And no hand knit gift is more warmly received.
Right now I have two on the go that are at various stages of completion. I began the Leaf Lace Shawl a little over a month ago thinking that I'd wear it for Easter. Ha! Today I realized that Easter was a week from today...but won't this be great for Memorial Day? I'm doing it out of some Silky Malabrigo 'Narciso' on size 9s and I sort of wish I would have gone down a needle size as the 9s feel gigantic in my hands, but I have made it this far and am not about to rip it out. This pattern is one of the most intuitive patterns ever--at any given time, you just know right where you are, and I like that.
This weekend I was casting about for more patterns to start and thus began Icarus, i.e., the shawl that has tested the patience of many. I am attracted to it because à la Ishbel, the first 40 hours or so are spent on a giant, fairly plain almost-as-mindless-as-stockinette section. I figure once I hit the pattern section, tedium will have fried my brain and I'll be ready for something new. I chose two skeins of Jitterbug 'Whirly Fig' that had been languishing in the stash for a while. I'm not putting an end date on this one, but since my Labor Day is wide open, why not spend it blocking a shawl?
I also have my eyes on the Springtime Bandit. KG has yet to steer me wrong, and as Ashley pointed out, the model on the pattern might have found the optimum way to wear a shawl. Of course I'm afraid that I'll look like the Frito Bandito or one of those doughy people that have the 'dress like a baby in diapers and a bib' fetish, but she and the other Flickr peeps make assurances to the contrary. I inexplicably have no yarn that would fit the fill for this pattern, so maybe this can be the pretext under which I go to MDS&W this year...
So the stink eye from the rejected skein of STR for Ishbel was too much for me. I had to knit it up right away, it was an imperative. And I am so glad I did! I wore this cowl on an early morning brisk walk around the borough (Keystone State REPRESENT). It felt so lovely to have Pond Scum around my neck. And I have now just written the most unlikely sentence ever in the history of knitblogging.
The Specs
Pattern: Anniversary Cowl by Orinda5
Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight, Pond Scum. This pattern calls for two strands held together, and I was happy to oblige.
Needles: Size 7
The springy-sproinginess of this pattern and yarn combo cannot be overstated. This might be one of my favorite cowls ever! I'm surprised that more knitters haven't given this pattern a try, it's completely mindless knitting and I know that everyone reading this has some extra solid sock yarn around. Notice I said SOLID. Variegated yarn would be a mistake. Even tragic.
Last week's concert was transcendent. We had such a great time in Pittsburgh: the Curmudgeon, who was behind the wheel, actually drove to Knit One on his own, without any cajoling or simpering on my part, parked in front and said "Oh, I mean, this is where you wanted to go first, right?". He then proceeding to go to the back table, slump over and take a half hour nap. When he came to he asked "So, what did you get?". It is best not to try to understand his curious ways and just accept his mercurial nature.
What I got was some Koigu, a sock yarn for which I have a renewed liking. When I look at my Ravelry page, I see that I have actually been a prolific sock knitter at one time in my life, and I'm trying to get back to that place even though I cannot even image what that would look like. Yes, such is my current mindset of alienation from the socks. I'm thinking about some plain stockinette socks, just to reacquaint myself with the whole sock thing. But I'd be willing to entertain suggestions if you have any...
