In case you all were thinking that I was becoming a one-trick sock pony, I present to you a FO of another sort: Kipling! Pattern: Kipling, available for free at Yarn Abuse Yarn: Jeannee from Plymouth Yarns, color #7, 1.5 skeins Needles: size 7
This pattern was a delight, thanks to Kim for making available a baby project that just flies off the needles and was one of the simplest, quickest baby knits ever. If you can believe it, this was this yarn snob's first time around with--gasp--acrylic. Jeannee is 51% cotton and 49% acrylic, and was a pleasure to work with. The acrylic gives the fabric a lovely sheen and helps maintain the shape of the cotton. And since it's not going to be touching my body, I can fully endorse the acrylic content of this yarn. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone that a former dévotée of the Preppy Handbook is making that statement.
This sweater is destined for a first time grad student mother in our department, and I can't wait to give it to her. Can you stand how cute the collar is? Is there anything more fun that knitting for a newborn? Kipling: Highly recommended, a satisfying knit.
Look, I told you all that I had insanely good luck. Still skeptical? Well yesterday I received the Red Rocks yarn pictures below in the mail from the very lovely Courtney over at (prepare yourselves for the best blog name ever) Yarntootin'.
Yee-haw! And one of my favorite bloggers (and soon to be ex huisvrouw) out there Jen of Knitting Sutra is sending me some fantastic yarn from the Netherlands, just because I rustled up some interest in her contest. Honestly! And if you don't hate me already, I won some killer swag over chez Lone Knitter as well. Please know that there is a dark underside to my consistent winning of blog contests. I attribute it to the fact that the Internet is basically a soft addiction for me at this point. Yes, this summer Bloglines, Ravelry and I have logged a lot of hours together. It's been a non-stop ménage à trois. But alas the torrid summer romance will have to come to an end as other paycheck-related duties come to the fore. But we have had a hell of a time together.
A warning was posted earlier this week on a Ravelry discussion board regarding certain perved out foot fetishists on Flickr who have been, shall we say, enjoying all the lovely pics of the lady feet festooned with socks and sandals. I have to say that it gave me a chuckle. I mean now that I think of it, it seems so obvious--OF COURSE those shots of Jaywalkers-in-wedge-sandals are kinky to the max and worthy of libidinal investment! As it turns out we sock knitters have been unwittingly giving those Flickr foot enthusiasts the time of their lives. And since I subscribe to the 'if you're not hurting anybody/breaking any laws/corrupting minors', well, I guess I don't have a huge problem with it. But then again since I know that my Clydesdalesque clodhoppers aren't personally implicated in this affair, who am I to say? More SocksMy FO of the day is another pair of Thujas. This whole worsted-weight-socks-on-large needles things has been a real gas, but I think I'm putting this pattern away for the time being. I've enjoyed it but it's time to move on.Specs:Pattern: Thuja from Knitty, Winter 05Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino #107 , two skeinsNeedles; size 6 addi turboMods: Picot bind-off that to my mind looks semi-dorkyContest Results:I enjoyed the entries for the contest. Not only did I read some interesting anecdotes about gratitude and luck, I got to find out about several killer blogs that I had never seen before. Thank you all! According to the random number generator, i.e. Peeper-lou picking from a hat, fresh from her vacation in Ireland and Morocco, the winner of the Phildar mags is Teabird and the Bearfoot goes to Rosina! Two new faces round these parts, congrats to you both.
Tour de France roundup:Sadly my project is doa. Let's just say that the Canal du Midi sock project never really got off the ground due to indecision and poor strategy. But this KAL was certainly one of the best ever--thanks Meg and Debby!
Certainly a sign of middle age is developing a strong attachment to music that you have no business (at your age!) to be listening to. The DRMC's age inappropriate love object of choice is Maroon 5. At age 50, their fey pop stylings are an odd choice for him. My age inappropriate musical inspiration? None other than those forceful Teutonic metalmeisters Rammstein. My favorite song? Rosenrot, number 1 with a bullet. So when I logged on to the Wollmeise site, would there really be any doubt in anyone's mind that I would immediately order the sock yarn of that very name? Plus four others? [From left to right you see Rosenrot, Frosch, Rhabarber, Poison #5 & Gewitterhimmel]. Yes, apparently I'm on an 'ordering yarn from Europe' kick (!?). After the brilliant Kauni-from-Denmark acquisition experience, I thought I'd go for broke. Seriously. I'm now broke, but it was so worth it. Isn't that what every fiendish addict secretly feels?
The site is set up in an informal way, your order is placed via an exchange of personal emails with the Wollmeise herself, and the yarn arrives in a lovely parcel. Claudia makes you feel like a friend to whom she just happens to be sending an exquisite gift. When the yarn arrives--a mere several days later, you feel as if you're opening a present of the most extraordinary kind. The utter richness of the colors cannot be overstated. Big, massive thumbs up for this gorgeous yarn and all around experience...if you're thinking of ordering, just do it. Wollmeise ist ausgezeitnicht!! I do have a modest FO to display. I mean, not only do I buy yarn, I actually knit with it:
Pattern: Thuja socks from Knitty Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino, color # 149 Needles: Addi Turbo Size 7, Magic Loop Mods: These were done a size 7 needle as I wanted a loose gauge for my FIL, who has Rheumatoid Arthritis and needs a little extra give in his socks. To accommodate for this I reduced the stitch count by 4. Artyarns Supermerino couldn't be more perfect--completely soft and beautiful in every way. The next pair will be done on size 6 needles, however.
Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful, perspicacious comments on the contest post. I have enjoyed reading every one of them, and promise to post the results this weekend...
Please don't think that based on the title of this post there is any Harry Potter content to be had on this blog. My use of the adjective charmed instead refers to the fact that in the last 72 hours I have won TWO contests! Both have provided me with luscious skeins of sock yarn from two lovely knitters. For giving a summer reading recommendation (Miranda July, No One Belongs Here More Than You), Laura sent me my choice of Cider Moon Glacier. I chose 'Peas and Carrots', because it reminded me of a favorite saying at dinner time from my household c. 1974, "eat every carrot and pee/pea on your plate!":
For sharing a traumatic travel story (mine involved a giant pot of honey dripping on hysterical passengers on a bus in Morocco.), Becky sent me two skeins of Koigu: Before you make any hilarious 'coals to Newcastle remarks', please know that they are two skeins that I actually have never seen, do not own, and adore. Read all of the entries, they are hilarious. Faith should have won in my book, but I'm not complaining!
Speaking of contests, Jen has a fabulous one on her blog and let me just say right now that I am hoping that the third time will be a charm for me, because the prize is unbelievable...greed is so unattractive, isn't it?
In other contest related news, my brother was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics!!! He wrote a song for MadTv called 'Merry Ex-mas', sung by the très gyno composite Tori McLaughlin. We are all very excited for him, despite the fact that he is threatening to permanently change his name to Emmy® Nominated Bruce McCoy™...
All of this good luck has motivated me to share the love and run a little contest of my own. My project for the Tour de France kal is the très compliqué Nancy Bush Canal du Midi socks and earlier this week, after just not being satisfied with the yarn--Mountain Colors Bearfoot--I frogged the hell out these babies. I restarted the project with the yarn I should've been using all along, my beloved Louet Gems. The stitch definition is so much better with this, I am so happy I bit the bullet on this one. There would have been a point in my knitting life that ripping wouldn't have even been an option. Can I just say how much I hate any mohair content in sock yarn? Blech. In any case, the contest:
Tell me how you are living a charmed (not necessarily knitting) life. How have you been lucky? What recent (not necessarily knitting) decisions have you made that you are happy about?
There will be two prizes for the randomly number generated winners, one will be two French Phildar knitting and crochet mags, the other will be a skein of Mountain Colors Bearfoot. If you're on Ravelry, I'll even let you choose it from my stash. Post your answers here on or before Thursday, and good luck!
I have a friend who is legendary for calling up her other friends with 'major realizations' that are in fact nothing of the sort. They are usually so painfully obvious that they don't even qualify as ideas that are vaguely new or interesting. "Guess what, I realize that if I eat less junk food, I feel better". "Major realization: guys don't like it if you try to control them" and my personal favorite, "If I spent less money, I'd have more in my bank account at the end of the month". Well my days of bemused superiority are over, because I have my own major realization:
The more you work on multiple projects at once, the less you actually accomplish.
Yes, my non-stop knitting wonderland has come to a grinding halt due to lack of real progress on anything. Flitting from project to project may have its advantages in the natural world, but it spells nothing but disaster for a crafter. I thought project promiscuity was the way to go, but as it turns out, monogamy has its advantages. So yesterday I buckled down (to resurrect a parent/teacher conference golden chestnut) and completed something. I forced myself to finish the Elann Toe-Up Chevron Socks and experienced a rush of adrenaline-induced satisfaction whilst moving these socks from the wip to finished category on Ravelry--don't tell me that that moment hasn't been a beacon for many of you while imagining actually finishing something!
This was an enjoyable, easy-to-memorize pattern that I highly recommend. The Smooshy is a soft yarn that comes in a myriad of fantastic color ways, see 'Lipstick Lava' and 'Beach Fog' below. The yardage is truly impressive--450 yards, enough that I can now make Tween Thing a pair of socks from it. This was my first opportunity to use my new Chinese HiyaHiya needles. They are amazing. The cable is ultra-flexible and the joins rival those of Addi Turbos and Knitpicks. Check them out and they have the nice made in China price of $7.50. Yes, just one more way the Red Giant is kicking our flabby American asses, people.
Speaking of Ravelry, (don't worry, I'm not going to drone on about how amazing it is because I could never do justice to how completely life-altering it is proving to be) my friend Dinty Moore--that is actually his name--sent me a link to a Techcrunch article about Ravelry. You have to read the piece as well as the reactions to believe it. The article talks about the popularity of the site in a 'knitting, who knew?' sort of way. The gearheads post many 'knitters use computers?' type of comments. These statements are not new to anyone here, but Casey aka Awesome Whiz behind Ravelry posts a great comment that gently puts the nerds in their place. Check it out!
Before going over to the dark side of 'round the clock knitting (watch for a cavalcade of FOs later this week), my husband and I spent an all too short week in Minneapolis visiting my parents. I was supposed to have an awesome knit blogger meet-up with Ali of Skeins her Way, but Northworst Airlines had other ideas. Next time! Once we finally arrived, I went to what might be the most amazing (in terms of sock yarn) LYS ever--Borealis Yarns in St. Paul. Wow. This place blows doors off the competition in terms of the shear amount of sock yarn they have, indeed they have an entire room devoted only to that. And the employees are the embodiment of Minnesota Nice. I picked up several skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy and am loving it. Pictured below is 'Cool Fire':
While away we also visited my very close friends Phil and Randy at their farm in southwest Wisconsin. My mother recently said that "...every bit of trouble Heather ever got into was with Phil". Yes, that's true, but we're all grown up now. He is one of the head honchos at Star Valley Flowers, a huge flower farm that specializes in flowering branches. If you watch Martha Stewart, he has been on several times (most recently in Feb.) forcing branches. He and his partner are getting an entire flock of sheep as well as a ram and, if you can believe it, a llama. This ornery bugger keeps a watch over the flock and will supposedly stomp any coyotes or wolves that try to make of with a ewe. Good luck guys!
Besides visiting the farm and shopping, we did things that we can't do here in Pennsyltucky, like visit coffee shops with wi-fi. Note the Darling Resident Marxist Curmudgeon's unstoppable technique for reading in public--yes, he's wearing ear plugs. Could he be any more charming?
I do have one FO to show you, it's the Green Gable from several months ago. I decided to give it to my mom as the color was less than flattering on me. She's looking very regal for someone who has a Willy Warmer in her desk drawer, wouldn't you agree?
For anyone that was wondering what would happen to me while those kiddie winkies were half a world away and the D.R.M.C. was in Durham, N.C. at the lab doing his proton routine, well, that mystery has been solved. Clearly when left to my own devices I cannot be trusted to keep the knitting within the boundaries of reason. No sooner had he turned the key in the ignition than I transformed our sweet little home into something entirely other: a Den of Knitting Iniquity.
Behold the dining room table:
The window sill:
The kitchen table:
People, none of these are even sanctioned craft areas. That's what the entire third floor is for! In the few short days that I have been alone my house has become a topographical representation of a twisted mind that thinks only of its one pleasure: Knitting. Yes Dark Master, I serve thee.
Of course part of being in maniacal knitting mode comes the inability to focus on one project at a time (hence the title of this blog). Foreseeing the potential problem that hours and hours of unstructured knitting could present, I have set forth a rigid schedule for myself as I know the importance of discipline:
The A.D.D. Knitter Schedule for July, 2007: 6:30-8:30am: Embossed Leaves socks. SUCH an amazingly fun pattern and the Fleece Artistmerino sock yarn is maddeningly gorgeous. I need to limit my time with this project as if I had my druthers I'd only ever work on this, and that would be very undisciplined.
8:30-9:45am: Coffee, newspaper, shower (on an as needed basis).
9:45-noon: Canal du Midi socks, my Tour de France kal project. This is some high cognitive load knitting, so I must approach it during the late morning when I am in a state of peak mental alertness. I am very glad that I have until July 29th to finish these...I am doing these in Mountain Colors Bearfoot and am wishing that I would've opted for some Louet Gems, just something with a little more stitch definition. But I am only in the beginning stages of this project, so I will refrain from judgment.
noon-1:30pm: Lunch, errands, bloglines.
1:30-3:30pm: I do actual work for my day job!
3:30-5:00pm: Free knitting project time. This unscheduled time is an open period when I am free to work on an unspecified knitting project that might require extra attention.
5:00-6:00pm: Cocktail of choice (yes I drink alone, do you have a problem with that?) on front porch, savory snacks like Doodads™ or Triscuits™. Greet neighbors and people who are coming home from their strenuous work days.
6:00pm: Dinner. Alone.
6:15-8:00pm: Unspecified Internet time.
8:00-11:00pm: Work on Kauni sweater while I watch movie of my own choosing. When the DRMC is away, I am free to watch vapid Jennifer Aniston movies, y'all, and no one can criticize me for being hoodwinked by the culture industry. While the girls are away I am not required to watch anything with Corbin Bleu--even though he is a major doll with that impossibly adorable hair.
11:00pm: Lights out! I have a busy day ahead of me...
So there you have my strenuous drill. Lather, rinse, repeat!
Last week I visited my freewheeling Unitarian parents in Minneapolis. Without fail going back to the house where I was born and spent my entire life propels me instantly back to my adolescence: I start raiding the fridge for ice cream, staying up late and talking on the phone, and rummaging through my parents' drawers. I'm not proud of these fiendish adolescent behaviors, I'm just trying to contextualize the photo pictured above. Now, I can safely say that I could have gone my entire life not knowing about this particular knitted garment and been perfectly happy. But no, my childish impulses had to get the best of me, and this is what I find. Luckily my mom is an open sort who gets a huge kick out of my 'hissy fits', and she was delighted to see my reaction of revulsion and disgust. She told me that it was a gag gift that someone had given my dad in the '70s. Gag gift indeed. Well luckily it's never too late for therapy, right?
I have recently discussed my new found enthusiasm for Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. Not only are the patterns in the book appealing, but the concept of the book is an intriguing one. Each pattern relates to a certain place that the author has visited. One of the most popular patterns in the book--Conwy-- happens to relate to a place I have a very strong personal attachment to as my grandparents lived there for my entire life and we visited them there nearly every summer. For a time North Wales was the place to which English from Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire retired to--sort of like Arizona in the United States. After a life of frugality and saving, they bought a cottage in Llandudno, the town next to Conwy. Their cottage was perched on top of a large hill from which you could see Conwy Castle, the inspiration for the Nancy Bush pattern. Their back garden opened onto a large green pasture (see A.D.D. Knitter, c.1970, pictured above) where local sheep grazed and shepherds trained their work dogs. Working on the pattern I thought about my grandparents and the magical place that they lived and enjoyed revisiting the time that my family spent with them. Specs: Pattern: Conwy from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug Needles: Size 2 circular Mods: It seemed entirely appropriate to use a Welsh yarn for this project. Colinette Jitterbug is a dream to knit with--very springy à la STR. I modified the pattern and did it toe-up using the Magic Loop method as I have sworn off cuff-down forevah. As children my brother and I spent many carefree hours playing behind my grandparents' cottage on the hill. When I was an older adolescent I would take my diary, climb up to the top which was craggy and steep, watch the clouds roll in across the bay and dream about my future. North Wales was pure magic, and as an adult I realize how fortunate I am to have been imprinted by my experiences there. I am curious: What special childhood places have left an indelible impression on you?
There is a fun event about to happen and as a French teacher I would be remiss in not coercing gently suggesting it to you all. It's the Tour de France knitalong and is promising to be super chouette...You choose a French-inspired pattern (or one that you'd be not afraid to wear for fear of being ridiculed at a café in France) and then choose your category. You'll receive a special jersey (button) depending on the category that you choose. Since I am old school all the way, I'm going for the yellow jersey, natch! And because I'm on a major Nancy Bush Knitting on the Road kick, I have chosen the appropriately French Canal du Midi socks and plan on using this lovely Fleece Artist Sea Wool. You don't have to be a Francophile to participate, just someone who loves looking at guys with extremely muscular legs in tight shorts!
Every once in a while, I actually begin a project, work on it in a semi-diligent way, and finish it. It happens. To wit: Ginger. I purchased this Rowan Summer Tweed at the Knit Nook in Louisville (go there, it rules) several weeks ago and immediately fell in like with at least three patterns from the Rowan Summer Tweed leaflet by Kim Hargreaves. The yarn itself feels slightly rough before knitting but it really softens while you work with it. The pattern, while somewhat laconic in certain sections in that very British way, is not difficult. Above you see a shot from the back and excuse the inexplicable hunchbackness of my posture: Please note that because we're trying to not earn an NC-17 rating for this blog, there won't be a frontal shot. Why? Well let's just say that from the front, and I quote the DRMC here, "there is major titty action". After seeing it on from the front I had a sudden flash of comprehension as to how the word torpedos came to refer to a woman's breasts. Yes, we'll just leave that image for you to contemplate and opt to forgo the inevitable psychological damage that actually seeing the front of Ginger would likely induce. You can thank me later. I am very glad to be done with Ginger as I can now clear the decks for another project, one that has captivated my attention and indeed that of countless other bloggers who are desperately trying to order the yarn from Denmark for--you might have guessed it--the Ruth Sørensen Kauni cardigan sweater. All I can say is WOW this sweater is a sight to behold. Mme Yarn Harlot is currently working on it and there is a kal as well. The pattern itself is a free one, you can find it here(just click on strikning and then you'll see it available in English). Be prepared to drop some serious coin on the shipping of the yarn as it isn't available--that I know of--stateside. I ordered mine from here, but Astrid's Dutch Obsessions--I just love writing that--has it as well. As an example of a gorgeous rendition, below I have linked to Margaret, an awesome knitter whose blog is here. Check her out, her masterful turn at Kauni is impressive. You'll also find K2Karen's beautiful in progress Kauni as well. While you're at it, check out Ali, she has a new killer contest!!:
'Late to the party' doesn't even begin to cover it. Yes, I have finally discovered the pleasure of the Mason-Dixon Ball Band Dishcloth...about a year later. But that's par for the course for me. I didn't ever see even one single episode of American Idol until early this May, at which time my brother was gobsmacked by my very original and perceptive observation that 'Simon is so mean'. I didn't try a mojito until sometime late last August, and as you might recall, only joined the toe-up, magic loop sock club sometime earlier this month. Sheesh, how sad. Next I'll be gushing about an amazing pattern called 'Clapotis' and a neat blog by someone named 'the Yarn Harlot'...pathetic examples of my permanent state of behindness aside, these dish clothes are perfection. You begin them and finish them in one and half sittings. They allow you to experiment with different colors while perfecting your slip stitch technique. The yarn costs about $1.39/ ball. I have made three so far and plan on making about 5 more to go in the last minute (re)gifting zone, a special shelf for items that will make excellent last minute presents. You can also knit these babies pool side, so when your husband spills his drink on your pool bag, the damage is minimal. I have included gratuitous poolside shots of the junior set, just for kicks: Speaking of the junior set, on Monday they are off to Ireland to see the best band ever and then on to Morocco with their dad and his family. I am very excited for them but am dreading their absence. Once the thrill of walking around the house completely naked wears off, I am going to be at loose ends without them, and no amount of knitting will change that. If you want to see Peeper-Lou in action, the Letsknit2gether video podcast was just updated and her 'I knit with corn' interview is the very last item, check her out!
I am sure many of you are Socks that Rock club member--have you received this month's yarn yet? Upon opening the package, I gasped at the utter gorgeousness of the yarn. I have been severely underwhelmed by the first two patterns and yarn, but June's installment has finally made me feel like I'm not a total idiot lemming for having plunked down that cash back in January.
In case you haven't picked up on this fact yet, the A.D.D. Knitter has the maturity level of a 13 year old boy. Yes, I think terms like 'ass clown' are funny and I can't help but being incredibly amused with myself for using such nonsensical, vulgar expressions, especially when using them to describe myself. Because really, what other term would you use to describe someone who casts on for the February Baby Sweater with merely two skeins of Koigu held together? (Douche bag maybe, but I've already used that term on this blog, much to the dismay of my mother who told me to grow up). And lest you think that ordering more from Purl is an option, let me also go ahead and mention that I wound these skeins of Koigu over a year ago and have permanently misplaced the ball bands. There is no way I'm going to to have enough for this sweater, unless maybe I go for a cap sleeve modification, which would earn free style points but be totally impractical, right?
This weekend I was reading the class descriptions for Stitches East and one of the concepts of a class is now resonating loudly in my ears. The course is about properly planning for projects and warns that "most mistakes are made within the first 20 minutes of a project, learn how to avoid such errors", etc. Hmm, I'll have to see if that would be worth my precious time. As Tween Thing would say: "Duuur!"...
Well, I'm going to go as far as I can on this baby (i.e. drive it 'til the wheels fall off, so to speak) and hope that I can put my hands on some more Koigu in the near future. If any of you have an idea about the precise color way, that would be a huge help. Other suggestions would also be welcome. It's a shame because I am enjoying the pattern and continue to love the utter simplicity of the EZ touch.
FYI: The Blogger Destash for Cash is dead, long live the Wordpress Destash for Cash! No sooner had the terrible news of the former's demise come down from on high, than had the creation of the latter been announced. Hooray!
Kenric update: He's made three more purses in the last week. Now I really feel like a you-know-what...
I'm back from Louisville. Let me preface my reflections by letting you know that I am the kind of traveler that visits a place, always loves it, and wants to then move there. Louisville: I visited it, I love it and I want to move there! It's neither entirely Southern nor entirely Midwestern nor entirely Appalachian, and thus it has a strongly border feel to it that is very appealing. While there I finished my toe-up socks. I'm sold on this method and may never look back... As promised here is my review of the Knit Nook, Louisville's primo LYS. I visited twice (I'll be getting into that in a minute). The owner Kristin is a lovely and friendly person who made many helpful suggestions and was patient and welcoming to me and my French teacher clan. Here she is winding the Rowan Summer Tweed I bought for Ginger, a cute-as-pie shell that I am knitting up at the moment: This pattern is rocking my world right now and was perfect for the airplane. (I can't believe I thought I could work on the Hepburn pattern, you know, the one with the cables, lace and intricate chart, in flight? Sometimes I just need to get real.) Ginger is from the Rowan Summer Tweed Collections leaftlet by Kim Hargreaves. I'm somewhat surprised that more people aren't blogging about these patterns as they are classic, chic and very simple. And unlike many Rowan leaflets, there are at least 5 patterns that I could imagine doing. In any case, during my second visit to the Knit Nook, while I chatted with Tonya of The Shizknit--she's pregnant and glowing, check out her blog--my NON-KNITTING PAL Kenric was eying some Brown Sheep for the Mason-Dixon Buttonhole purse pattern. He was intrigued. He wanted to know more. He bought the yarn. Can you see where this is going? While I was picking Kristin's brain for color suggestions, he cast on. By himself. We left and at the restaurant, he knit some more on it. At the café afterwards he worked on it and figured out how to pick up stitches by himself while I was on the phone. Yeah, guess what? HE FINISHED IT THAT NIGHT. Sheesh! The kid is a natural. We joked that he should go to Housekeeping at the hotel and ask them to felt it for him in an industrial washing machine! Don't think we weren't serious about that...Things that Babs had to show me 3-4 times this guy just doped them out on his own. It reminds me of how my ex-husband asked me to teach him how to play tennis and then wiped the court with me by the end of the lesson. Ladies and Gents, I think we have a new believer on our hands, as upon returning to CA. he immediately went to a yarn store, and last night he called me to tell me that no yarn shops in San José had Brown Sheep, and could I believe that some suggested that he buy yarn at Walmart? Puh-leeze. Kenric, welcome to our world. Know that you've signed on to a world of shrinking bank account balances, Maryland Sheep and Wool obsession, Internet trolling (not for porn silly, for patterns!) and other activities that making knitting in the 21st c. such a hoot.
Since Saturday I have been released from my regular household duties that include but are not limited to shifting money around from various accounts in order to give my husband the impression that I am not spending gobs of money at Target every several days, constantly changing the location of the various Cadbury chocolate confections so that at any given time I am the only one who knows where, for example, a Fruit and Nut bar is, and of course, cooking up ways to embarrass Tween Thing in public, preferably within earshot of local junior high schoolers. The above-mentioned all consuming activities are currently on hold as I am fulfilling my role as AP French exam reader in Louisville, Ky. And I am loving it! Not only am I catching up with various trends in the profession and meeting interesting colleagues, I am also getting to pal around with old friends. And what with all the flights, the breaks in between grading the cassettes of the most adorable high school French you could possibly imagine and the pool side cocktail action, there is also much knitting happening 'round these parts (don't I have such a knack for the local lingo?). Pictures and LYS reviews will follow soon, but I can't seem to locate my camera cable at the moment... This flurry of professional/knitting activity has me thinking about a curious commonality between being a French teacher and a knitter. Both inspire a rather confessional tone on the part of those that one encounters. "Oh you teach French? (nervous, awkward laughter) "I hated French, I took Spanish." Or "...I took it years ago but I've forgotten all of it". "Gee it must be so hard". Substitute 'knit/did crochet' for 'teach French/took Spanish' and you see what I mean, right? Both tend to produce a sort of anxiety, a need to confess one's own perceived lack or inabilities. Mathematicians have told me the same is true for them. I am sure that every one of you has had a similar interaction regarding your knitting. What is this about?
