Well, I can't believe it has been over a month since I've had time to write. After Thanksgiving, I came down with a nasty cold that knocked me out for most of a week (between cold and stomach bug, I used 5.5 sick days in November!), and then I've been playing catch up ever since. Add in the holiday demands and still sharing a computer with two teenagers and you get the picture -- I've been out of the picture!
Not only have I not written in a long time, but apparently I've been leaving some questions unanswered, according to one of my comment writers. My apologies. I'll try to rectify the situation (having fans carries a lot of responsibility -- especially when they are your sisters!).
Yes, the tilted duster is from the cover of the Fall Interweave Knits magazine and is designed by Norah Gaughan (pronounced "gone," I think). I'm going with an inky blue color, though, instead of the purple everyone associates with it. Sorry to make you have to Google things -- I'll try to put in links more often. (As an aside, I'm enjoying reading Norah Gaughan's blog about the design process -- she works for a yarn company called Berroco.) And, I decided to link my blog and my Ravelry name, so can be identified as "Journey Knitter."
In my knitting life, I'm especially enjoying my new knitting group at work. Due to my crazy month, I was a bit slow in organizing the second meeting, so was grateful for a member/colleague who nudged me along and helped me get the second meeting together last Thursday. I left with a smile on my face, though it was funny that everyone was so excited about sharing that we were all talking over each other and jumping from one topic to another. We've decided to meet on the first Thursday of each month. I shared my new favorite book, The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Knitter's Review's Clara Parkes (who lives in Maine) and it caught the interest of several people -- one of whom asked me to e-mail her husband and suggest it as a Christmas gift!
In the rest of my life, one son has been accepted early decision to his first choice college, Allegheny College, in western PA. He'll be a 12-hour drive away, but, having visited with him last spring, I'm confident it will be a wonderful place for him to go to college. One down, one to go. The other son is due to hear about his early action application to UVM any day/minute now. You can cut the tension around here with a butter knife.
ON MY NEEDLES
My main project at the moment is the lace shrug I'm knitting for one of my sisters for Christmas. She knows that I'm knitting it but doesn't know what color. I can reveal here that is is a variegated color combination -- I ordered three different colors and my sons picked one of them out for her. I'm a little more than half done and am just about to admit that it won't be done in time for Christmas (I should be knitting instead of writing this blog post!). I made huge progress on it the week I was home from work for 3 days with my cold, but can't afford to take more time off at this point. But, it is looking substantial enough to be able to wrap up for Christmas day. The pattern is from A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swanson.
Zeben's socks -- I actually got past the afterthought heel and am working up the legs/cuffs. I worked on them during the High School holiday concert the other night, but dropped a stitch on one before I got very far into the Golden Compass movie I went to see this afternoon and had to put them aside.
The other project on my needles is a new one since Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law took me shopping to Sakonnet Purls in Tiverton, RI and bought me a couple of knitting treats to celebrate my "big birthday" last October (they were traveling in England in October, visiting my niece and celebrating my father-in-law's birthday). I was salivating over the Cabled Tea Cozy pattern in The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes and she bought me the Malabrigo wool to make it. She also bought me Lantern Moon rosewood sock dps that I will be using to make mittens from the same book that I had bought Baby Ull for a few days earlier. The mittens are not on my needles yet, but I've done one side of the tea cozy and started the second side.
ON MY COOKING LIST
Since I don't have time to read anything at the moment (other than the latest edition of Interweave Knits and Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting magazines), I'm deep into Christmas cooking. Tomorrow, I'll be making Date-Filled Cookies (like the ones I used to snarf down at my grandparents' house at Thanksgiving), Festive Cookie Dough (from which I make the chocolate chip and dipped in chocolate crescent cookies that are beloved by family and friends), British Fruitcake (my neighbors aren't making it this year, so I'm picking up the slack -- believe it or not, one of my 18-year-old sons told me I have to make it because he "LOVES" fruitcake!), and Sugar and Spice Pecans. We've already been through batches of butter/sugar cookies and Chocolate Sour Cream Drops (another recipe from my childhood). Plus, I'll be making a big batch of American Chop Suey to keep us warm through the big snowstorm we're supposed to get tomorrow. Yummmmy!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Feeling Good Again
Whew -- I should have known that when the boys get the stomach bug, it is only a matter of time before Mom gets it! Don succumbed first, a whole week after Nate was sick, just when I was thinking we'd get off scot-free. And I woke up sick the next day. One day of everything coming up, and then a day of feeling like the stuffing had been knocked out of me.
On the bright side, I had taken my knitting bag (with the Braids sweater) upstairs yesterday and just didn't even have the energy to go up and get it, so I sat down and finished the sleeves of the Jean Frost jacket, AND went on to complete the collar! All of the pieces of the jacket are done. Now I just need to decide how to block them. As mentioned once before, I've never been one for blocking at all. For this sweater, you block the individual pieces and then sew it all together. I've not really enjoyed this sweater very much. I started another sweater with the yarn and didn't like it, so frogged it and started this one instead. Even so, I've told myself several times that I'll probably find this a great addition to my work wardrobe. Now to get myself to block it.
Feeling better today, I went for a long walk this afternoon. I decided to walk downtown and visit a couple of my favorite shops, knowing that they would be starting to put up holiday stuff. I was in Kmart earlier today and there were canned Christmas songs being played, which was a real turnoff. But I can get into the warm fuzzy holiday stuff in a small shop. Then I went to my LYS and decided to purchase Peruvia to make the Tilted Duster (Nora Gaughan, Fall 2007 Interweave Knits -- cover). I'm trying hard not to buy the color yarn in the pattern photo in IK but every color I picked out, they didn't have enough in stock for me to make it! Hmmm, is there a message there? I picked out a denim blue and they'll order it for me, but I'm OK with working on other projects in the meantime. The nice thing about this store is you can pick out your 8 (or whatever) skeins, purchase one or two at a time, and they'll hold the rest for you. That way, you are only spending a bit of your allowance at a time, instead of writing a big check :)
In addition to Don and I recovering from the flu, our kitten, Lydia, was spayed on Monday. She is acting like she is feeling better, but is still wearing the collar to keep her from licking her incisions. The funny thing is, she isn't much for self-grooming -- we give her a weekly bath and she gets more grooming from our older cat, Pandora, than she gives herself. But when we take the collar off a couple of times a day, she can't stop licking her healing spots. We take it off and give her a luxurious neck rub, and then she goes right at herself until we put the collar back on. Hopefully she'll only have to wear it a couple more days. There are five more days of giving her her medication (antibiotics) -- I'll be glad when that is over! Luckily, she doesn't seem to be holding anything against us. And, she's appreciated my sitting around the last couple of days so she can keep me company.
OFF MY NEEDLES
The Vine vest is done -- just needs blocking.
The Jean Frost jacket is knitted -- just needs blocking and assembling.
ON MY NEEDLES
The Braids cardigan is coming along very nicely. I really love the Colrain yarn and will definitely do another project in it.
Zeben's socks have gone nowhere, but I think I'll take them with me to a concert tonight.
Haven't touched the feather and fan scarf. I'll get to it eventually, but am itching to get to bigger and better lace projects.
NEXT UP
I've ordered lace weight yarn from Knit Picks (on sale!) -- some in handpainted colors and one plain, neutral color. My first project will be the lace shrug from Meg Swanson's A Gathering of Lace. What a nice project to wrap up in when the winter really sets in!
I need new mittens. And, I should start a pair of socks for myself as the sock yarn is starting to pile up -- three different ones waiting as we speak. A Tofutsies in variegated light and medium blues, an Aruncula Ranco in smoky purples, browns and greens, and a Knit Picks Gloss in burgundy. Now to pick a pattern! I just got Favorite Socks for my birthday, so will look there first.
On the bright side, I had taken my knitting bag (with the Braids sweater) upstairs yesterday and just didn't even have the energy to go up and get it, so I sat down and finished the sleeves of the Jean Frost jacket, AND went on to complete the collar! All of the pieces of the jacket are done. Now I just need to decide how to block them. As mentioned once before, I've never been one for blocking at all. For this sweater, you block the individual pieces and then sew it all together. I've not really enjoyed this sweater very much. I started another sweater with the yarn and didn't like it, so frogged it and started this one instead. Even so, I've told myself several times that I'll probably find this a great addition to my work wardrobe. Now to get myself to block it.
Feeling better today, I went for a long walk this afternoon. I decided to walk downtown and visit a couple of my favorite shops, knowing that they would be starting to put up holiday stuff. I was in Kmart earlier today and there were canned Christmas songs being played, which was a real turnoff. But I can get into the warm fuzzy holiday stuff in a small shop. Then I went to my LYS and decided to purchase Peruvia to make the Tilted Duster (Nora Gaughan, Fall 2007 Interweave Knits -- cover). I'm trying hard not to buy the color yarn in the pattern photo in IK but every color I picked out, they didn't have enough in stock for me to make it! Hmmm, is there a message there? I picked out a denim blue and they'll order it for me, but I'm OK with working on other projects in the meantime. The nice thing about this store is you can pick out your 8 (or whatever) skeins, purchase one or two at a time, and they'll hold the rest for you. That way, you are only spending a bit of your allowance at a time, instead of writing a big check :)
In addition to Don and I recovering from the flu, our kitten, Lydia, was spayed on Monday. She is acting like she is feeling better, but is still wearing the collar to keep her from licking her incisions. The funny thing is, she isn't much for self-grooming -- we give her a weekly bath and she gets more grooming from our older cat, Pandora, than she gives herself. But when we take the collar off a couple of times a day, she can't stop licking her healing spots. We take it off and give her a luxurious neck rub, and then she goes right at herself until we put the collar back on. Hopefully she'll only have to wear it a couple more days. There are five more days of giving her her medication (antibiotics) -- I'll be glad when that is over! Luckily, she doesn't seem to be holding anything against us. And, she's appreciated my sitting around the last couple of days so she can keep me company.
OFF MY NEEDLES
The Vine vest is done -- just needs blocking.
The Jean Frost jacket is knitted -- just needs blocking and assembling.
ON MY NEEDLES
The Braids cardigan is coming along very nicely. I really love the Colrain yarn and will definitely do another project in it.
Zeben's socks have gone nowhere, but I think I'll take them with me to a concert tonight.
Haven't touched the feather and fan scarf. I'll get to it eventually, but am itching to get to bigger and better lace projects.
NEXT UP
I've ordered lace weight yarn from Knit Picks (on sale!) -- some in handpainted colors and one plain, neutral color. My first project will be the lace shrug from Meg Swanson's A Gathering of Lace. What a nice project to wrap up in when the winter really sets in!
I need new mittens. And, I should start a pair of socks for myself as the sock yarn is starting to pile up -- three different ones waiting as we speak. A Tofutsies in variegated light and medium blues, an Aruncula Ranco in smoky purples, browns and greens, and a Knit Picks Gloss in burgundy. Now to pick a pattern! I just got Favorite Socks for my birthday, so will look there first.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Time Flies
I'm finding it hard to believe it is November already, even though the weather is finally beginning to act more like Fall in Maine. I made an appointment for a student to meet with me next week and realized it will already be halfway through the month!
I took the train to Boston and back for a work event and got lots of knitting done on the Braids cardigan. Actually, I slept most of the way down on Thursday morning because I'd been up a half-dozen times during each of two previous nights -- my sons had the stomach flu and still appreciate having Mom check on them. Zzzzzzzzzz
I used Interlibrary Loan to borrow A Gathering of Lace and Victorian Lace Today -- ah, what pleasure to peruse! I've added quite a few projects from both books to my Ravelry queue. I don't know which I'll get to first, but need to go to the Knit Picks site and order lace yarn on sale -- I can make several of my favorite projects for about $16-20. Not bad!
Speaking of money, I attended a Financial Aid Information Meeting last night at the high school. Gosh, things are going to be tight for the next few years. Zeben got an estimated aid letter from Allegheny. The FA Director at Colby said it was a very generous offer, but it still looks like we and the boys will have to cobble together quite a hefty sum each year. She reminded us, though, that one thing to take into account is money that you'll save by them not being at home. Just lunch money alone is $120 a month! And now that milk is over $4.50 a gallon, just that will be a big savings. Add in the hot water costs, electricity, and food and maybe Don and I will be able to scrape along. Since they won't be able to take a car with them to college, maybe we can cut back on insurance, too. We won't really know what all of this looks like until after we submit the FAFSA in January, so I suppose I shouldn't worry too much about it now. I did nearly empty the mutual fund today in order to pay down our home equity loan so that we'll be able to cut back on our monthly payments there, too. We'll get there somehow.
I was proud of myself in Boston, however. I did do a bit of shopping, but resisted buying yarn when browsing in Windsor Button on Temple Street. What looks kind of like a dingy JJ Newberry's, turns out to be a wonderland of yarn and other needlework stuff. I really wanted a skein of Fiesta La Boehme (in Quince) but resisted -- at $30 I'd be afraid to use it and would probably need 2 skeins to actually make anything. I'll just enjoy drooling over it.
ON MY NEEDLES
The Braids Cardigan is progressing nicely. I really like the Valley Yarns Colrain I'm using -- it has a beautiful feel and lustrous look to it. The color is Grape Jelly, but most people think of Burgundy Wine when they see it.
I picked up the jacket today and plan to leave it out where I'll pick it up more often. Really, how long can it take me to finish the caps of the sleeves?
I finished the Vermont Bag in Artful Yarns Shakespeare. It still needs to be sewn together and then I REALLY need to felt everything waiting to be felted: another Vermont Bag, a Fiber Trends bag, a cat bed, and this new bag.
Feather and Fan Scarf -- haven't touched it in a couple of weeks.
Finished, but not blocked: The Four Seasons Vine Lace Vest in Berocco Comfort (a freebie pattern from the Classic Elite site).
Waiting in the wings -- several skeins of sock yarn, including Tofutsies!
WHAT I'M READING
The Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning book has given me a good review so I can get my spinning wheel back in action. I bought some roving over Labor Day weekend at "Done Rovin'" in far Downeast Maine but was having trouble spinning. This book has helped immensely, though I have yet to sit down and try it again.
The Glass Castle, loaned to me by my mother, is about a really whacked out family, the memoir of one of the children. Good reminder that my own family is pretty tame!
The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn by Clara Parkes. So far I've just browsed, but am about to delve into it.
I took the train to Boston and back for a work event and got lots of knitting done on the Braids cardigan. Actually, I slept most of the way down on Thursday morning because I'd been up a half-dozen times during each of two previous nights -- my sons had the stomach flu and still appreciate having Mom check on them. Zzzzzzzzzz
I used Interlibrary Loan to borrow A Gathering of Lace and Victorian Lace Today -- ah, what pleasure to peruse! I've added quite a few projects from both books to my Ravelry queue. I don't know which I'll get to first, but need to go to the Knit Picks site and order lace yarn on sale -- I can make several of my favorite projects for about $16-20. Not bad!
Speaking of money, I attended a Financial Aid Information Meeting last night at the high school. Gosh, things are going to be tight for the next few years. Zeben got an estimated aid letter from Allegheny. The FA Director at Colby said it was a very generous offer, but it still looks like we and the boys will have to cobble together quite a hefty sum each year. She reminded us, though, that one thing to take into account is money that you'll save by them not being at home. Just lunch money alone is $120 a month! And now that milk is over $4.50 a gallon, just that will be a big savings. Add in the hot water costs, electricity, and food and maybe Don and I will be able to scrape along. Since they won't be able to take a car with them to college, maybe we can cut back on insurance, too. We won't really know what all of this looks like until after we submit the FAFSA in January, so I suppose I shouldn't worry too much about it now. I did nearly empty the mutual fund today in order to pay down our home equity loan so that we'll be able to cut back on our monthly payments there, too. We'll get there somehow.
I was proud of myself in Boston, however. I did do a bit of shopping, but resisted buying yarn when browsing in Windsor Button on Temple Street. What looks kind of like a dingy JJ Newberry's, turns out to be a wonderland of yarn and other needlework stuff. I really wanted a skein of Fiesta La Boehme (in Quince) but resisted -- at $30 I'd be afraid to use it and would probably need 2 skeins to actually make anything. I'll just enjoy drooling over it.
ON MY NEEDLES
The Braids Cardigan is progressing nicely. I really like the Valley Yarns Colrain I'm using -- it has a beautiful feel and lustrous look to it. The color is Grape Jelly, but most people think of Burgundy Wine when they see it.
I picked up the jacket today and plan to leave it out where I'll pick it up more often. Really, how long can it take me to finish the caps of the sleeves?
I finished the Vermont Bag in Artful Yarns Shakespeare. It still needs to be sewn together and then I REALLY need to felt everything waiting to be felted: another Vermont Bag, a Fiber Trends bag, a cat bed, and this new bag.
Feather and Fan Scarf -- haven't touched it in a couple of weeks.
Finished, but not blocked: The Four Seasons Vine Lace Vest in Berocco Comfort (a freebie pattern from the Classic Elite site).
Waiting in the wings -- several skeins of sock yarn, including Tofutsies!
WHAT I'M READING
The Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning book has given me a good review so I can get my spinning wheel back in action. I bought some roving over Labor Day weekend at "Done Rovin'" in far Downeast Maine but was having trouble spinning. This book has helped immensely, though I have yet to sit down and try it again.
The Glass Castle, loaned to me by my mother, is about a really whacked out family, the memoir of one of the children. Good reminder that my own family is pretty tame!
The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn by Clara Parkes. So far I've just browsed, but am about to delve into it.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Time to Blog
Today's title is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Obviously, it has been a couple of weeks since I posted anything, so it is time to do that, but it also has to do with finding time to do it. Sharing a computer with two teenagers makes it difficult to get my turn. So, I've been making notes in my Moleskin about blogging topics. Hopefully I'll get to some of them sooner rather than later!
For a year or so, I've been thinking about starting a knitting group on campus. A colleague thought it would be a great idea, but it took me a while to get around to it. Well, I finally got around to it and had 7 enthusiastic knitters attend the first one this past week. I had offered to share information about the internet knitting community, so found myself talking more than was necessary, but I think we'll do more knitting and sharing at our next meeting. Yes, they want to do it again! At our next meeting we're going to bring our favorite knitting books.
I spent last weekend traveling with one of my sons to visit colleges and sat up late through the last two ALSC games to make sure I didn't jinx the Red Sox by going to bed before the game ended so got lots of knitting done. One of the projects I put a lot of time into was a prayer shawl which suddenly had a purpose, unfortunately. My youngest cousin lost a 6-month-old baby very suddenly and I wanted to get the shawl blessed this week and send it off to her on Monday. So sad. As always, seeing someone else's misfortune brings clarity to the blessings in my own life, which include two healthy young men, my sons.
The other knitting problem I'm facing is that I've been invited into Ravelry! Yes, it is very exciting, but the problem cropped up when I went in to register and needed to pick a username. There is a warning to choose carefully as it is the name you'll be known by in the Ravelry community and that is what has me stumped. What do I want as a name? Here are the ones that have come up: CateinMaine (my son says someone will try to stalk me), Cateroo (an old nick-name -- sounds too young for a 50-year-old?), JourneyKnitter (refers to my blog), or NanaTalbot (my grandmother's name), or something else. LavendarLady crossed my mind as I can't seem to stop being drawn to anything purple or blue. I've got to make a decision very soon -- I hope my invitation hasn't lapsed!
ON MY NEEDLES
The prayer shawl needs to have the fringe put on before church tomorrow morning. It is a deep, mottled purple yarn (Lion Brand, can't remember the name) -- soft and textured. So, I guess this is actually "off" my needles.
I started the Vine Lace Vest from a pattern on the Classic Elite site and am using Berocco's Comfort in a poison green color. It has gone together very quickly and all I have left is a little ribbing around the sleeve openings. It is a birthday gift for my sister-in-law since my son told me there was no way would my niece be interested in it ("Too old-looking," I think he said)! I like to pick yarns that can be washed for many people I knit gifts for, though I prefer to knit with natural fibers myself. The Comfort, however, has been quite nice to work with.
I'm also working my way through another Vermont Felted Bag (a Webs pattern and an earlier knit-along on Ready, Set, Knit) using Artful Yarns' Shakespeare. It doesn't feel as sturdy as the Berkshire handpainted (a Webs Valley Yarn) I used for the first one. It is a one-ply, loosely spun variegated yarn in a beautiful combination of blues and nearly turquoise. I'll finish it this weekend and try to get all my felting projects felted at once. If I like how this one felts, I'll order some more. The colors are great and the price is right (on closeout at Webs).
I haven't touched Zeben's socks, the feather and fan scarf, or the jacket in a couple of weeks.
Feeling like I'm getting to the end of a couple of projects, though, allowed me to cast on for a new one. The Cabin Fever "Braids Cardigan" out of Webs' Colrain in Grape Jelly. I cast on during a meeting yesterday, but didn't get far until I got home and could concentrate. I took it with me to a football game last night, but it really was too cold to knit and it was an interesting game, so I'm about to put on the teapot and pick it up for a while this rainy Saturday morning.
For a year or so, I've been thinking about starting a knitting group on campus. A colleague thought it would be a great idea, but it took me a while to get around to it. Well, I finally got around to it and had 7 enthusiastic knitters attend the first one this past week. I had offered to share information about the internet knitting community, so found myself talking more than was necessary, but I think we'll do more knitting and sharing at our next meeting. Yes, they want to do it again! At our next meeting we're going to bring our favorite knitting books.
I spent last weekend traveling with one of my sons to visit colleges and sat up late through the last two ALSC games to make sure I didn't jinx the Red Sox by going to bed before the game ended so got lots of knitting done. One of the projects I put a lot of time into was a prayer shawl which suddenly had a purpose, unfortunately. My youngest cousin lost a 6-month-old baby very suddenly and I wanted to get the shawl blessed this week and send it off to her on Monday. So sad. As always, seeing someone else's misfortune brings clarity to the blessings in my own life, which include two healthy young men, my sons.
The other knitting problem I'm facing is that I've been invited into Ravelry! Yes, it is very exciting, but the problem cropped up when I went in to register and needed to pick a username. There is a warning to choose carefully as it is the name you'll be known by in the Ravelry community and that is what has me stumped. What do I want as a name? Here are the ones that have come up: CateinMaine (my son says someone will try to stalk me), Cateroo (an old nick-name -- sounds too young for a 50-year-old?), JourneyKnitter (refers to my blog), or NanaTalbot (my grandmother's name), or something else. LavendarLady crossed my mind as I can't seem to stop being drawn to anything purple or blue. I've got to make a decision very soon -- I hope my invitation hasn't lapsed!
ON MY NEEDLES
The prayer shawl needs to have the fringe put on before church tomorrow morning. It is a deep, mottled purple yarn (Lion Brand, can't remember the name) -- soft and textured. So, I guess this is actually "off" my needles.
I started the Vine Lace Vest from a pattern on the Classic Elite site and am using Berocco's Comfort in a poison green color. It has gone together very quickly and all I have left is a little ribbing around the sleeve openings. It is a birthday gift for my sister-in-law since my son told me there was no way would my niece be interested in it ("Too old-looking," I think he said)! I like to pick yarns that can be washed for many people I knit gifts for, though I prefer to knit with natural fibers myself. The Comfort, however, has been quite nice to work with.
I'm also working my way through another Vermont Felted Bag (a Webs pattern and an earlier knit-along on Ready, Set, Knit) using Artful Yarns' Shakespeare. It doesn't feel as sturdy as the Berkshire handpainted (a Webs Valley Yarn) I used for the first one. It is a one-ply, loosely spun variegated yarn in a beautiful combination of blues and nearly turquoise. I'll finish it this weekend and try to get all my felting projects felted at once. If I like how this one felts, I'll order some more. The colors are great and the price is right (on closeout at Webs).
I haven't touched Zeben's socks, the feather and fan scarf, or the jacket in a couple of weeks.
Feeling like I'm getting to the end of a couple of projects, though, allowed me to cast on for a new one. The Cabin Fever "Braids Cardigan" out of Webs' Colrain in Grape Jelly. I cast on during a meeting yesterday, but didn't get far until I got home and could concentrate. I took it with me to a football game last night, but it really was too cold to knit and it was an interesting game, so I'm about to put on the teapot and pick it up for a while this rainy Saturday morning.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Birthday fun
Well, the "Big Birthday" is tomorrow. My personal celebration always includes taking the day off from work. This year I made it a long weekend by taking Friday off too. I tried not to have an agenda for my time off, other than having a few things such as doing laundry and cleaning the bathtub on my must-do list. I ended up spending more time than I might have planned on Friday spending a bit of my allowance on yarn. I looked through the patterns I've been wanting to do and went shopping online. I also spent some time accumulating a list of books I'd like to buy (almost all knitting books) and whittling down the list to an affordable one. It was great fun! And when the boxes arrive, it will be fun all over again!
I solved the problem of what to do to really celebrate turning 50. As I've mentioned before, I considered a spa day or a dinner party, but ended up electing to plan a knitting trip in the spring. I've been listening to the Webs podcast, Ready, Set, Knit, and decided that a trip to Northampton, MA would be just the ticket. We'll go in May, when they are having their anniversary sale, and I'll see if I can plan it for a weekend when there is a class or event that I'd like to attend. We'll find someplace to spend the night and a good place to go to dinner and just have fun. Planning that far ahead will allow me to save up some of my allowance for the spending -- ah, I feel the tingle of anticipation already!
I remember one Christmas when I was a teenager, when I had the opportunity to be home alone (or, all my younger brothers and sisters were in bed and my parents were out -- it was pretty rare to actually be alone in our family of 7), when I realized that anticipation is often as good as, if not better, than the realization. Planning my knitting trip so far ahead gives me the best of both. Plus it solves the problem of figuring out when to fit it into an already busy fall.
Speaking of anticipation, I'm only about 1500 people away from being invited to join Ravelry! I hope it really helps me organize my stash in a usable way. I'd really like to be an organized person, but somehow it never seems to stick.
I also made a dash to my LYS (Local Yarn Store -- an acronym I learned from reading the "New Guard" interviews in the 25th anniversary Vogue Knitting magazine) yesterday, under the guise of taking a walk, and picked up yarn for a gift for one of my nieces for Christmas. The other thing I did while shopping online on Friday was look at the Classic Elite yarn site. I had spotted a pattern photo in the Webs (paper) catalog but didn't want to buy the whole book unless there were more than one pattern I liked. (Yard Goods, here in Waterville, had the book and I bought it -- Celebrating Classics by Classic Elite.) Anyway, I found about a half dozen free patterns (there were lots of patterns to choose from) that I liked and downloaded them. One of them would be an easy, pretty gift for a teenage girl -- the Four Seasons Vine Lace Vest. YG didn't have the Four Seasons yarn, but I opted for Berocco's Comfort (machine washable!). Then, today I took my ipod for a walk and Steve Elkins was talking about Comfort on the podcast I was listening to. Funny how life often criss-crosses itself in that way.
Anyway, even though the "Big Birthday" (that's what my husband wrote on our family calendar) isn't until tomorrow, we celebrated with my parents and one sister and one brother yesterday. It was a lovely day and we had a leisurely lunch and afternoon together. I'm working my way through my favorite birthday cake -- white cake with brown-sugar frosting (really more like penuche fudge than frosting) and enjoying knowing that I don't have to go to work tomorrow. And now, I think I'll take my next piece of cake into the living room and pick up my knitting!
ON MY NEEDLES
I'm up to the cap on the sleeves for my Jean Frost jacket. I thought I was going to be very close on the yarn, but discovered another skein in my big yarn basket. Phew!
I bought a ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino recently to make the Fetching fingerless gloves since the pattern claims you can make a pair in one weekend with one ball. I didn't get them done in a weekend, but I do have one hand done and have started the other one. (The pattern is free at Knitty.com.) We like to keep our bedroom quite cool, but also like to read in bed before going to sleep, so these will be wonderful for the winter. Now I should make a matching shrug. The yarn is just beautiful -- so soft.
The Vine Lace Vest is being knit in a poison green (that's a color that is popular in quilting). I'm not sure I could wear the color myself, but it is fun to knit with it. I've started the back and got about an inch of the 4X4 ribbing done before I had to go to bed last night. I was up late the night before and couldn't stay up to knit or listen to the late Red Sox game against Cleveland. It is probably my fault they lost but I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.
I haven't touched the feather and fan shawl in a week or so, but am not in a hurry.
I tied in the ends on my poncho which I started last spring. To get the correct gauge, I knit it rather more loosely than my normal stitch and may end up wishing I'd knit it tighter, but it is warm and pretty in Brown Sheep's berry heather (not the real name) color.
Zeben's socks are languishing. I need to have him try them on, but never seem to think of that when his feet are clean. Teenage boys' feet are not something you want to have your knitting touch unless they've just come out of the shower!!
WHAT I'M READING
I just finished the first book in the Sunday Philosopher's Club series, lent to my by my Aunt Alice. I'm not sure what I think of the book (my aunt and I love the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by the same author), but thoroughly enjoyed the scenes of Edinburgh in the story. I lived in Edinburgh for 7 months in 1981/2. I was a CSV (Community Service Volunteer -- a youth voluntary program in Britain), working in a psychiatric hospital, and loved being there. I think the neighborhood that the main character lives in is close to the neighborhood I lived in, Morningside. It was one of the most formative experiences of my life, so I'll probably read more of these just to get those peeks of Edinburgh.
And I've just started a book my mother lent me, called Shoutin' into the Fog: Growing up on Maine's Ragged Edge, by Thomas Hanna. From the introduction I get a hint of self-pity, but am keeping an open mind. I grew up near the coast myself, so am always interested in stories about the area.
I solved the problem of what to do to really celebrate turning 50. As I've mentioned before, I considered a spa day or a dinner party, but ended up electing to plan a knitting trip in the spring. I've been listening to the Webs podcast, Ready, Set, Knit, and decided that a trip to Northampton, MA would be just the ticket. We'll go in May, when they are having their anniversary sale, and I'll see if I can plan it for a weekend when there is a class or event that I'd like to attend. We'll find someplace to spend the night and a good place to go to dinner and just have fun. Planning that far ahead will allow me to save up some of my allowance for the spending -- ah, I feel the tingle of anticipation already!
I remember one Christmas when I was a teenager, when I had the opportunity to be home alone (or, all my younger brothers and sisters were in bed and my parents were out -- it was pretty rare to actually be alone in our family of 7), when I realized that anticipation is often as good as, if not better, than the realization. Planning my knitting trip so far ahead gives me the best of both. Plus it solves the problem of figuring out when to fit it into an already busy fall.
Speaking of anticipation, I'm only about 1500 people away from being invited to join Ravelry! I hope it really helps me organize my stash in a usable way. I'd really like to be an organized person, but somehow it never seems to stick.
I also made a dash to my LYS (Local Yarn Store -- an acronym I learned from reading the "New Guard" interviews in the 25th anniversary Vogue Knitting magazine) yesterday, under the guise of taking a walk, and picked up yarn for a gift for one of my nieces for Christmas. The other thing I did while shopping online on Friday was look at the Classic Elite yarn site. I had spotted a pattern photo in the Webs (paper) catalog but didn't want to buy the whole book unless there were more than one pattern I liked. (Yard Goods, here in Waterville, had the book and I bought it -- Celebrating Classics by Classic Elite.) Anyway, I found about a half dozen free patterns (there were lots of patterns to choose from) that I liked and downloaded them. One of them would be an easy, pretty gift for a teenage girl -- the Four Seasons Vine Lace Vest. YG didn't have the Four Seasons yarn, but I opted for Berocco's Comfort (machine washable!). Then, today I took my ipod for a walk and Steve Elkins was talking about Comfort on the podcast I was listening to. Funny how life often criss-crosses itself in that way.
Anyway, even though the "Big Birthday" (that's what my husband wrote on our family calendar) isn't until tomorrow, we celebrated with my parents and one sister and one brother yesterday. It was a lovely day and we had a leisurely lunch and afternoon together. I'm working my way through my favorite birthday cake -- white cake with brown-sugar frosting (really more like penuche fudge than frosting) and enjoying knowing that I don't have to go to work tomorrow. And now, I think I'll take my next piece of cake into the living room and pick up my knitting!
ON MY NEEDLES
I'm up to the cap on the sleeves for my Jean Frost jacket. I thought I was going to be very close on the yarn, but discovered another skein in my big yarn basket. Phew!
I bought a ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino recently to make the Fetching fingerless gloves since the pattern claims you can make a pair in one weekend with one ball. I didn't get them done in a weekend, but I do have one hand done and have started the other one. (The pattern is free at Knitty.com.) We like to keep our bedroom quite cool, but also like to read in bed before going to sleep, so these will be wonderful for the winter. Now I should make a matching shrug. The yarn is just beautiful -- so soft.
The Vine Lace Vest is being knit in a poison green (that's a color that is popular in quilting). I'm not sure I could wear the color myself, but it is fun to knit with it. I've started the back and got about an inch of the 4X4 ribbing done before I had to go to bed last night. I was up late the night before and couldn't stay up to knit or listen to the late Red Sox game against Cleveland. It is probably my fault they lost but I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.
I haven't touched the feather and fan shawl in a week or so, but am not in a hurry.
I tied in the ends on my poncho which I started last spring. To get the correct gauge, I knit it rather more loosely than my normal stitch and may end up wishing I'd knit it tighter, but it is warm and pretty in Brown Sheep's berry heather (not the real name) color.
Zeben's socks are languishing. I need to have him try them on, but never seem to think of that when his feet are clean. Teenage boys' feet are not something you want to have your knitting touch unless they've just come out of the shower!!
WHAT I'M READING
I just finished the first book in the Sunday Philosopher's Club series, lent to my by my Aunt Alice. I'm not sure what I think of the book (my aunt and I love the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by the same author), but thoroughly enjoyed the scenes of Edinburgh in the story. I lived in Edinburgh for 7 months in 1981/2. I was a CSV (Community Service Volunteer -- a youth voluntary program in Britain), working in a psychiatric hospital, and loved being there. I think the neighborhood that the main character lives in is close to the neighborhood I lived in, Morningside. It was one of the most formative experiences of my life, so I'll probably read more of these just to get those peeks of Edinburgh.
And I've just started a book my mother lent me, called Shoutin' into the Fog: Growing up on Maine's Ragged Edge, by Thomas Hanna. From the introduction I get a hint of self-pity, but am keeping an open mind. I grew up near the coast myself, so am always interested in stories about the area.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Indian Summer
Last week the weather was hot -- unusually so for fall. Not as hot as it sometimes gets in the summer, but hot nonetheless. This was a challenge for me. I have July and August off from work (ah, the joys of a 10-month contract!) and therefore don't really have any summer work clothing. Even if I did work those months, I'd probably be wearing shorts anyway. So, I perspired my way through the week. Not exactly conducive to knitting, either.
But, the fall weather has returned and thoughts turn to holiday gifts and knitting. I've made quite a bit of progress on my jacket sleeves -- all that is left is the caps. As someone who sewed a lot of my own clothes in my younger years, I'm fascinated by many of Jean Frost's jacket patterns. They are definitely knit, but the more tailored shape means that the pieces look as if they were cut out of a sewing pattern. I'm not in love with the jacket I'm making, but had the right yarn for the pattern and am sure it will be a versatile wardrobe addition (lt. gray, cardigan). When I finish the sleeves I'll just have the collar and button bands to do. Then my plan is to actually follow the instructions on blocking. I usually ignore the need to block and end up being somewhat dismayed by the outcome of my hard work, but this time I want to do it right.
My other knitting progress has nothing to do with any of my current projects. A year or more ago, I had conversations with two different colleagues at work about the idea of starting a knitting group on campus. I'm finally following through on that idea and put an invitation out yesterday on the General Digest. In two weeks, I'm sponsoring a knitting lunch. It isn't a class, though I've invited beginners to come if they'd like. Rather, I'm hoping just to bring knitters of all levels together to share projects, solve challenges, and enjoy each other's company. I've had four people say they plan to come -- one saying that she hoped it would help her work on a sweater she wants to do but fears she may find too challenging -- exactly the kind of thing I was hoping would attract people!
I've offered to bring information to the first meeting about the knitting community on the internet -- videos, podcasts, blogs, etc. I don't know whether I'll mention this particular blog to them, but I may hint about its existence. With any luck, this will be a regular monthly meeting at lunch time on campus. Maybe I'll offer to replicate it for students in the spring.
I've also volunteered to teach a knitting Inspirations Course during Jan Plan. I've done it in the past a couple of times, but haven't been available to do it the past two years. I don't know if they already have someone else lined up, but I put in my offer. I am still in touch with a couple of students I met in one class nearly 6 years ago -- a side benefit of teaching.
ON MY NEEDLES
Besides the Jean Frost jacket, I've put some time in lately on the feather and fan scarf. It isn't hard and is growing steadily. I find, though, that I have to do the complete 4-row pattern every time I pick it up or I wouldn't know where to start the next time.
I haven't touched Zeben's socks. I'm just about to the heel, so will need some time to pay attention to what I'm doing. I'm taking a long weekend to celebrate my birthday this weekend, so maybe that will yield some quiet time.
I'm still really itching to do a lace shawl, so may have to take my blog commenter (my sister) up on her offer to pick one out for me to do!
WHAT I'M READING
My new Interweave Knits arrived. I used to subscribe to it for my mother and then she would pass the copies along to me. She's stopped knitting so I stopped subscribing. I'd buy it once in a while in a bookstore. This summer, though, I signed up for Interweave's Knitting Daily e-mail newsletter and at the same time subscribed to the magazine. It is well worth the investment. I'll give you a rundown of my magazine subscription list in another post -- I'm a magazine addict.
I also picked up the 25th anniversary copy of Vogue Knitting. What a tome! I'm working my way through the articles at the moment. I just finished the interviews of the "old guard" of knitting and am about to start reading the interviews of the "new guard," including the author of Knitter's Review who lives right here in Maine! Vogue patterns are often just a little too, well, stylish, for me, but I'm definitely enjoying this edition.
But, the fall weather has returned and thoughts turn to holiday gifts and knitting. I've made quite a bit of progress on my jacket sleeves -- all that is left is the caps. As someone who sewed a lot of my own clothes in my younger years, I'm fascinated by many of Jean Frost's jacket patterns. They are definitely knit, but the more tailored shape means that the pieces look as if they were cut out of a sewing pattern. I'm not in love with the jacket I'm making, but had the right yarn for the pattern and am sure it will be a versatile wardrobe addition (lt. gray, cardigan). When I finish the sleeves I'll just have the collar and button bands to do. Then my plan is to actually follow the instructions on blocking. I usually ignore the need to block and end up being somewhat dismayed by the outcome of my hard work, but this time I want to do it right.
My other knitting progress has nothing to do with any of my current projects. A year or more ago, I had conversations with two different colleagues at work about the idea of starting a knitting group on campus. I'm finally following through on that idea and put an invitation out yesterday on the General Digest. In two weeks, I'm sponsoring a knitting lunch. It isn't a class, though I've invited beginners to come if they'd like. Rather, I'm hoping just to bring knitters of all levels together to share projects, solve challenges, and enjoy each other's company. I've had four people say they plan to come -- one saying that she hoped it would help her work on a sweater she wants to do but fears she may find too challenging -- exactly the kind of thing I was hoping would attract people!
I've offered to bring information to the first meeting about the knitting community on the internet -- videos, podcasts, blogs, etc. I don't know whether I'll mention this particular blog to them, but I may hint about its existence. With any luck, this will be a regular monthly meeting at lunch time on campus. Maybe I'll offer to replicate it for students in the spring.
I've also volunteered to teach a knitting Inspirations Course during Jan Plan. I've done it in the past a couple of times, but haven't been available to do it the past two years. I don't know if they already have someone else lined up, but I put in my offer. I am still in touch with a couple of students I met in one class nearly 6 years ago -- a side benefit of teaching.
ON MY NEEDLES
Besides the Jean Frost jacket, I've put some time in lately on the feather and fan scarf. It isn't hard and is growing steadily. I find, though, that I have to do the complete 4-row pattern every time I pick it up or I wouldn't know where to start the next time.
I haven't touched Zeben's socks. I'm just about to the heel, so will need some time to pay attention to what I'm doing. I'm taking a long weekend to celebrate my birthday this weekend, so maybe that will yield some quiet time.
I'm still really itching to do a lace shawl, so may have to take my blog commenter (my sister) up on her offer to pick one out for me to do!
WHAT I'M READING
My new Interweave Knits arrived. I used to subscribe to it for my mother and then she would pass the copies along to me. She's stopped knitting so I stopped subscribing. I'd buy it once in a while in a bookstore. This summer, though, I signed up for Interweave's Knitting Daily e-mail newsletter and at the same time subscribed to the magazine. It is well worth the investment. I'll give you a rundown of my magazine subscription list in another post -- I'm a magazine addict.
I also picked up the 25th anniversary copy of Vogue Knitting. What a tome! I'm working my way through the articles at the moment. I just finished the interviews of the "old guard" of knitting and am about to start reading the interviews of the "new guard," including the author of Knitter's Review who lives right here in Maine! Vogue patterns are often just a little too, well, stylish, for me, but I'm definitely enjoying this edition.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Lust continues
I've found a new podcast to feed my ipod habit. I'm listening to Stash and Burn, a west coast pair of knitters talking about their stash habit. As usual, I'm starting with podcast number one and will work (walk) my way through the series until I get up to the present. I'm now up to last June in Ready, Set, Knit, and have just a few more episodes of Knit Picks to catch up on. Luckily, wanting to listen to all of these programs inspires me to walk! I rarely allow myself to listen to them when not walking -- just sitting around doesn't earn me my programs. Sometimes on a long car drive I'll listen to a few, but as I'm usually quite happy listening to the radio while driving, I try to save them for walking.
I was very excited to receive my first ever Webs catalog yesterday, and my Fall Interweave Knits edition. I stayed up late looking at the pictures -- tonight I'll start reading the articles!
ON MY NEEDLES
One other UFO I haven't mentioned (nor have I touched it in months) is a prayer shawl. I go through spurts when I've participated in our church's prayer shawl ministry. I'm particularly inspired when there is someone I want to give one too -- a friend with breast cancer in my basketweaving group and a friend who was remarrying after the death of his previous wife were the two that I worked hard and fast on. This one is just one for the group to have on hand if there is a request for a shawl, so it is slow going. I like to develop a mantra for the three stitch pattern. For my friend with cancer, I think it was Love, Strength, and Warmth. For the wedding one it was Faith, Hope, and Love. That way I'm not just knitting, but actually knitting my prayer for the person into it. I don't remember the prayer I was using for this shawl, which may be part of why it is hard for me to pick up and complete. I'll have to work on it (the prayer, that is, then the shawl).
Speaking of shawls, I'm itching to do a lace one for myself. I've either got to get the Knitting Around book so I can knit the Pi Shawl, or I've got to finally select one of the Folk Shawls to do. It made me laugh (while walking) when Kelly Petkin on Knit Picks' podcast mentioned that she has the Folk Shawls book too and has looked at it many times but never knit one of the patterns. Guess I'm not alone!
I was very excited to receive my first ever Webs catalog yesterday, and my Fall Interweave Knits edition. I stayed up late looking at the pictures -- tonight I'll start reading the articles!
ON MY NEEDLES
One other UFO I haven't mentioned (nor have I touched it in months) is a prayer shawl. I go through spurts when I've participated in our church's prayer shawl ministry. I'm particularly inspired when there is someone I want to give one too -- a friend with breast cancer in my basketweaving group and a friend who was remarrying after the death of his previous wife were the two that I worked hard and fast on. This one is just one for the group to have on hand if there is a request for a shawl, so it is slow going. I like to develop a mantra for the three stitch pattern. For my friend with cancer, I think it was Love, Strength, and Warmth. For the wedding one it was Faith, Hope, and Love. That way I'm not just knitting, but actually knitting my prayer for the person into it. I don't remember the prayer I was using for this shawl, which may be part of why it is hard for me to pick up and complete. I'll have to work on it (the prayer, that is, then the shawl).
Speaking of shawls, I'm itching to do a lace one for myself. I've either got to get the Knitting Around book so I can knit the Pi Shawl, or I've got to finally select one of the Folk Shawls to do. It made me laugh (while walking) when Kelly Petkin on Knit Picks' podcast mentioned that she has the Folk Shawls book too and has looked at it many times but never knit one of the patterns. Guess I'm not alone!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Knitting Lust?
I have a birthday coming up. It is a "big one." My sisters asked me what I'd like to do to celebrate and I suggested a girlie outing -- maybe a spa day. While that still sounds like fun, I'm also thinking this is an opportunity to ask for some of the knitting books I'm longing to hold and read and dream over and to have an excuse to buy yarn and start new projects. Or, is that just pure lust? I get that feeling every time I listen to knitting podcasts or reading Knitting Daily or other blogs and online newsletters. Even though I know that my schedule just doesn't permit me to spend much (any?) time knitting (and you can insert quilting/sewing/basketweaving in there too). Then I get too many unfinished projects sitting around and my husband complains that there is nowhere for him to sit.
The root of the problem is that I'm an idea person. I'm full of ideas and attracted to the idea of many different projects, but just don't have the time to execute them all. It is so frustrating and almost a physical feeling of frustration when my hands can't work on the things in my head. I laugh inside when people say how empty my nest will be next year (my sons are twins, so we'll be empty all at once) and think about all of my other "children" in the form of unfinished projects and lovely un-acted upon ideas. I think I'll be OK. I can cry and knit at the same time.
ON MY NEEDLES
Everything is exactly as it was the last time I blogged -- just waiting for my attention.
WHAT I'M READING
A friend just loaned me Water for Elephants. I'm anxious to read it as three people I know could hardly put it down, but I'm also anxious about reading it as three people I know could hardly put it down. For a woman with no time to knit, a riveting book may not be the right tonic. But, who can resist a good book or a beautiful skein of yarn? Not me!
The root of the problem is that I'm an idea person. I'm full of ideas and attracted to the idea of many different projects, but just don't have the time to execute them all. It is so frustrating and almost a physical feeling of frustration when my hands can't work on the things in my head. I laugh inside when people say how empty my nest will be next year (my sons are twins, so we'll be empty all at once) and think about all of my other "children" in the form of unfinished projects and lovely un-acted upon ideas. I think I'll be OK. I can cry and knit at the same time.
ON MY NEEDLES
Everything is exactly as it was the last time I blogged -- just waiting for my attention.
WHAT I'M READING
A friend just loaned me Water for Elephants. I'm anxious to read it as three people I know could hardly put it down, but I'm also anxious about reading it as three people I know could hardly put it down. For a woman with no time to knit, a riveting book may not be the right tonic. But, who can resist a good book or a beautiful skein of yarn? Not me!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Knitting on the Back Burner
So far, this month hasn't been one for getting much done at home. I was in the car for about 2 1/2 hours today, driving to and from a meeting at Camp Bishopswood, and managed to listen to about 5 broadcasts of Ready, Set, Knit. I discovered the podcast this summer, but am still trying to get caught up to the present. I think it would be fun to participate in a knit-along in real time (I did the Vermont Felted Bag during the summer while listening to the early broadcasts -- still haven't actually felted it, though) but like to do things sequentially, so am about 20 broadcasts away from current ones. I also was very excited to find that a new Let's Knit 2gether was available today, and very disappointed to find out that the Red Sox did not have a Stitch 'n Pitch!
I'm wrapped in my Clapotis Shawl, even though I haven't yet taken care of the yarn ends. It is getting chilly early here in Maine but I can't bring myself to turn on the furnace until October at the very soonest. The shawl is quite nice, but not as big as a real shawl -- more of an in-between a shawl and a scarf. I'd love to do a real shawl, but can't decide which one out of the Folk Shawls book I should do first. Decisions, decisions.
ON MY NEEDLES
The feather and fan scarf has been coming along nicely, though lace knits up so much more slowly than worsted. I thought at first that it would be slow torture but am pleasantly surprised with the progress I'm making.
Zeben's socks are nearly up to the ankle. This pattern calls for you to do the heel after the rest of the sock is finished (it looks like you put the heel stitches on waste yarn, cast them back on and knit the rest of the sock and come back to do the heel). I've never done the heel that way, but am enjoying how quickly the socks (plural!) are moving along on two needles.
As mentioned above, the Clapotis is done, but not finished.
The jacket sleeves are untouched.
And, I realized that I have a couple of things on needles that I haven't admitted to. I have a half a lace-pattern cardigan half on and half off the needles. I made one many years ago that I wore until it could be worn no longer, but only got this one up to the armholes before putting it aside more than a year ago.
I have a lace scarf in the works that I started back when the boys were in 4th or 5th grade. It is one where you knit two halves and graft them in the middle. I've got one side done and then had problems with the second side so it sits in a bag now.
I have a green Lopi sweater that I made for Zeben but which was too tightly knit in the body (knit while watching regional swim meets two years ago) and too loosely knit in the yoke. I took the yoke out and need to re-knit it. I also have a Lopi sweater for myself that is up to the yoke, but laying dormant.
It seems to me there was another project I found the other day, but I can't even remember what it was, so you can tell it is quite abandoned.
I did take out all the socks I'd finished and sew in the ends and grafted the one toe I hadn't finished. I even wore a pair to work the other day!
Ah, new yarn calls me to start new projects like a siren -- maybe there is a silver lining to the busy start of the school year. It is easier to pick up and work on projects already in progress than to start a new one.
I'm wrapped in my Clapotis Shawl, even though I haven't yet taken care of the yarn ends. It is getting chilly early here in Maine but I can't bring myself to turn on the furnace until October at the very soonest. The shawl is quite nice, but not as big as a real shawl -- more of an in-between a shawl and a scarf. I'd love to do a real shawl, but can't decide which one out of the Folk Shawls book I should do first. Decisions, decisions.
ON MY NEEDLES
The feather and fan scarf has been coming along nicely, though lace knits up so much more slowly than worsted. I thought at first that it would be slow torture but am pleasantly surprised with the progress I'm making.
Zeben's socks are nearly up to the ankle. This pattern calls for you to do the heel after the rest of the sock is finished (it looks like you put the heel stitches on waste yarn, cast them back on and knit the rest of the sock and come back to do the heel). I've never done the heel that way, but am enjoying how quickly the socks (plural!) are moving along on two needles.
As mentioned above, the Clapotis is done, but not finished.
The jacket sleeves are untouched.
And, I realized that I have a couple of things on needles that I haven't admitted to. I have a half a lace-pattern cardigan half on and half off the needles. I made one many years ago that I wore until it could be worn no longer, but only got this one up to the armholes before putting it aside more than a year ago.
I have a lace scarf in the works that I started back when the boys were in 4th or 5th grade. It is one where you knit two halves and graft them in the middle. I've got one side done and then had problems with the second side so it sits in a bag now.
I have a green Lopi sweater that I made for Zeben but which was too tightly knit in the body (knit while watching regional swim meets two years ago) and too loosely knit in the yoke. I took the yoke out and need to re-knit it. I also have a Lopi sweater for myself that is up to the yoke, but laying dormant.
It seems to me there was another project I found the other day, but I can't even remember what it was, so you can tell it is quite abandoned.
I did take out all the socks I'd finished and sew in the ends and grafted the one toe I hadn't finished. I even wore a pair to work the other day!
Ah, new yarn calls me to start new projects like a siren -- maybe there is a silver lining to the busy start of the school year. It is easier to pick up and work on projects already in progress than to start a new one.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Getting Back on Track
School and work are now fully in session and I'm starting to move with the rhythm and can feel the momentum moving me forward. There are seismic shifts taking place in my profession at this time and they are starting to have more impact on my personal work life -- a dear colleague at another institution who has been a friend and support for many years recently left his job rather suddenly. It is one of many changes happening in career planning offices, but one I didn't expect and just one more way that the landscape of my professional life is changing drastically.
Couple change and uncertainty with busy-ness that prevents my knitting or quilting or basketmaking, or even cleaning or tidying the house and cooking and you find me feeling very disconnected and tired. I slept like a rock last night (after finally getting a bit of time to knit while watching the beginning of the 2nd season of Hill Street Blues -- something my husband and I are working our way through together) and got up this morning to walk with Ready, Set, Knit on my iPod. I'm up to Show 20 and would love to get caught up to real time. And, I'm thinking that a trip to Webs in Northampton might be a good birthday present for me!
I'm liking the Knitting Daily newsletter. Today there was a link to a blog with photos demonstrating a technique for weaving the ends into your knitting as you go along -- fabulous! I'm actually someone who doesn't really mind weaving in the ends (call me crazy), but I will still really like getting to the end of a project and not having to do so many. Take a look at http://sockpr0n.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-weave-in-ends-while-knitting.html I'm not sure that link works, but go to http://www.knittingdaily.com/?ET=knittingdaily_blog:e766:77106a:&st=email for a link to the site and notes from A Delightful Chat with Mags Kandis (Part 1).
ON MY NEEDLES
I knit about 20 rows on the Clapotis Shawl last night but forgot to drop stitches on one side so will have to take those out today. At least they are shorter rows as I'm decreasing on each side. I may go get another yarn to do another one -- in another color. It would make a great gift.
Haven't touched the jacket -- maybe this weekend.
I started a feather and fan lace scarf before school started but haven't gotten very far. Maybe I could take that with me to the football game today if it isn't raining.
I made progress on Zeben's socks while camping but haven't touched them since.
Pretty pitiful, overall, what I've done and haven't done this week! No wonder my eyes are glazed over and I'm exhausted! I need my knitting lift! Knitting is what I need to get back on track with.
Couple change and uncertainty with busy-ness that prevents my knitting or quilting or basketmaking, or even cleaning or tidying the house and cooking and you find me feeling very disconnected and tired. I slept like a rock last night (after finally getting a bit of time to knit while watching the beginning of the 2nd season of Hill Street Blues -- something my husband and I are working our way through together) and got up this morning to walk with Ready, Set, Knit on my iPod. I'm up to Show 20 and would love to get caught up to real time. And, I'm thinking that a trip to Webs in Northampton might be a good birthday present for me!
I'm liking the Knitting Daily newsletter. Today there was a link to a blog with photos demonstrating a technique for weaving the ends into your knitting as you go along -- fabulous! I'm actually someone who doesn't really mind weaving in the ends (call me crazy), but I will still really like getting to the end of a project and not having to do so many. Take a look at http://sockpr0n.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-weave-in-ends-while-knitting.html I'm not sure that link works, but go to http://www.knittingdaily.com/?ET=knittingdaily_blog:e766:77106a:&st=email for a link to the site and notes from A Delightful Chat with Mags Kandis (Part 1).
ON MY NEEDLES
I knit about 20 rows on the Clapotis Shawl last night but forgot to drop stitches on one side so will have to take those out today. At least they are shorter rows as I'm decreasing on each side. I may go get another yarn to do another one -- in another color. It would make a great gift.
Haven't touched the jacket -- maybe this weekend.
I started a feather and fan lace scarf before school started but haven't gotten very far. Maybe I could take that with me to the football game today if it isn't raining.
I made progress on Zeben's socks while camping but haven't touched them since.
Pretty pitiful, overall, what I've done and haven't done this week! No wonder my eyes are glazed over and I'm exhausted! I need my knitting lift! Knitting is what I need to get back on track with.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
In a Spin
Yep, it is officially the beginning of the school year. My head is in a whirl and the knitting that would calm and center me just doesn't fit in with the demands of work and family for a few days. Once work gets on an even keel (not just a cliche here -- the office is like a boat that gets upset when too many people step in at once and push off from the dock before everyone is settled into their seats. Several of us come back from having the summer off and all jump in at once and it just feels unsettled for a while).
I did get a chance to do some knitting over Labor Day weekend. I worked quite a bit on my Clapotis Shawl, and probably would have finished it but didn't bring the last skein with me so had to switch to working on my son's socks. We were camping with friends at Cobscook Bay State Park almost as far east as you can go in the U.S. In fact, we spent a day in Eastport, which really is as far east as you can go. We also spent a day on Campobello Island. This weekend or next has been a family tradition with another family for about 13 years. All four children (two sets of twins) are seniors in high school, so next year the parents will have to camp without the kids. This weekend comes at an extremely hectic time, but I'm always so glad we make time for it anyway as it feels like a small oasis in the midst of the beginning of school chaos. It is centering for me the way knitting is.
One night at Cobscook, I got up to go to the loo and stepped out of the tent into a world of light and magic. It was about midnight and the moon was just past being full. The light fell in an intricate pattern on the ground and the trees. As I walked along the camp road, it seemed as if the light radiated from the trees rather than shining on them. The light even created the illusion of diarama-like views into the woods. I felt very fortunate to have the chance to experience it.
ON MY NEEDLES
The Clapotis shawl is nearly finished. I'm kind of wishing I'd done it in another color. I think I've got to make myself choose colors besides purple/lavendar/periwinkle/etc. even though they are my favorite colors. I'd like to do another one and work on it more slowly -- as a secondary or third project rather than as the project I'm working on the hardest.
Zeben's socks are starting to go faster. I just got new #2 needles from Knit Picks, so not having to deal with that awful join is going to make them go even faster. Two more inches on the foot and I'll be at the heel already.
And, I haven't touched the jacket sleeves in over a week. I've really got to get those done before starting any other new projects.
IN THE WINGS
I've got yarn for another Vermont Bag -- a green tweedy wool from Knit Picks. I've also got two new sock yarns and want to try the pattern for semisolid dyed sock wool, even though these are plain colors. The pattern is beautiful and looks like fun anyway.
I got the Knitting Daily post today and was thrilled to see that they had posted the Modern Quilt Wrap pattern! I'm intrigued by several of the patterns in the new Folk Style book, but mostly want to make that wrap as it pulls together my love of quilting and my love of knitting in a highly portable project -- what could be better?
I did get a chance to do some knitting over Labor Day weekend. I worked quite a bit on my Clapotis Shawl, and probably would have finished it but didn't bring the last skein with me so had to switch to working on my son's socks. We were camping with friends at Cobscook Bay State Park almost as far east as you can go in the U.S. In fact, we spent a day in Eastport, which really is as far east as you can go. We also spent a day on Campobello Island. This weekend or next has been a family tradition with another family for about 13 years. All four children (two sets of twins) are seniors in high school, so next year the parents will have to camp without the kids. This weekend comes at an extremely hectic time, but I'm always so glad we make time for it anyway as it feels like a small oasis in the midst of the beginning of school chaos. It is centering for me the way knitting is.
One night at Cobscook, I got up to go to the loo and stepped out of the tent into a world of light and magic. It was about midnight and the moon was just past being full. The light fell in an intricate pattern on the ground and the trees. As I walked along the camp road, it seemed as if the light radiated from the trees rather than shining on them. The light even created the illusion of diarama-like views into the woods. I felt very fortunate to have the chance to experience it.
ON MY NEEDLES
The Clapotis shawl is nearly finished. I'm kind of wishing I'd done it in another color. I think I've got to make myself choose colors besides purple/lavendar/periwinkle/etc. even though they are my favorite colors. I'd like to do another one and work on it more slowly -- as a secondary or third project rather than as the project I'm working on the hardest.
Zeben's socks are starting to go faster. I just got new #2 needles from Knit Picks, so not having to deal with that awful join is going to make them go even faster. Two more inches on the foot and I'll be at the heel already.
And, I haven't touched the jacket sleeves in over a week. I've really got to get those done before starting any other new projects.
IN THE WINGS
I've got yarn for another Vermont Bag -- a green tweedy wool from Knit Picks. I've also got two new sock yarns and want to try the pattern for semisolid dyed sock wool, even though these are plain colors. The pattern is beautiful and looks like fun anyway.
I got the Knitting Daily post today and was thrilled to see that they had posted the Modern Quilt Wrap pattern! I'm intrigued by several of the patterns in the new Folk Style book, but mostly want to make that wrap as it pulls together my love of quilting and my love of knitting in a highly portable project -- what could be better?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Still Zagging
My contract requires me to return to work on September 1, but mentally it is nightmare to return so close to when the students return. I need time to pull a few thing together. For example, one of my very first days back at work is the day I coordinate the training of our student employees. So, today was our planning day for the fall semester. All staff, including three of us who aren't officially back to work yet, were there and we chewed our way through topics such as which days which person will cover our drop-in hours to meatier topics such as our new intake system for counseling appointments and the fall slate of workshops and events.
I wish I could knit during these meetings, but realized after the day ended how very much like knitting the meetings are. Several of us have worked together for 16+ years and we've developed a style of coming to consensus on many items that other staffs would simply have decided for them by the Director or by others. We slowly knit together the plans, sometimes unraveling a bit, sometimes knitting in a little decorative design, other times plodding along in garter stitch, but always getting to the point of having a serviceable and even quite good-looking piece of work.
But, it is more tiring than a day of knitting with yarn, I can tell you!
ON MY NEEDLES
I cast on and got through 2 repeats of the feather and fan pattern for my lace scarf. Maybe this will get me interested in picking up the much more complex lace scarf I started about 8 years ago when I was sitting through several ballet classes each week.
I've ordered some new circular needles for sock-making and hope to start a second pair of 2 socks on 2 circs when they arrive. For my first attempt, I happily invested in a pair of Crystal Palace bamboo circulars, which are lovely but have a terribly catchy joint between the needle and the cable. They were a large part of the difficulty I had with my first cast-on socks but are working fine at this point. But, I won't be using them again for socks!
READING LIST
I'm currently reading a lovely book in the Cottage Tails of Beatrix Potter Mystery Series, given to me by a friend. I love to read books that I can describe the reading experience as being like wrapping up in a warm blanket. I think this series qualifies. Plus I've been reading articles in the two latest Spin Off magazines. I subscribed many years ago and am thinking about subscribing again as I get out my wheel and dust it off.
I wish I could knit during these meetings, but realized after the day ended how very much like knitting the meetings are. Several of us have worked together for 16+ years and we've developed a style of coming to consensus on many items that other staffs would simply have decided for them by the Director or by others. We slowly knit together the plans, sometimes unraveling a bit, sometimes knitting in a little decorative design, other times plodding along in garter stitch, but always getting to the point of having a serviceable and even quite good-looking piece of work.
But, it is more tiring than a day of knitting with yarn, I can tell you!
ON MY NEEDLES
I cast on and got through 2 repeats of the feather and fan pattern for my lace scarf. Maybe this will get me interested in picking up the much more complex lace scarf I started about 8 years ago when I was sitting through several ballet classes each week.
I've ordered some new circular needles for sock-making and hope to start a second pair of 2 socks on 2 circs when they arrive. For my first attempt, I happily invested in a pair of Crystal Palace bamboo circulars, which are lovely but have a terribly catchy joint between the needle and the cable. They were a large part of the difficulty I had with my first cast-on socks but are working fine at this point. But, I won't be using them again for socks!
READING LIST
I'm currently reading a lovely book in the Cottage Tails of Beatrix Potter Mystery Series, given to me by a friend. I love to read books that I can describe the reading experience as being like wrapping up in a warm blanket. I think this series qualifies. Plus I've been reading articles in the two latest Spin Off magazines. I subscribed many years ago and am thinking about subscribing again as I get out my wheel and dust it off.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Zigs and Zags
Journeys always take interesting turns -- some expected and some less expected. My journey always takes a zag at this time of year. As an educator, married to an educator, with children in school (hardly children as they are 18 and starting their senior year in high school), daughter of an educator, my life's calendar year has always begun in September. I've worked in higher education for 25 years now and continue to love working with college students, but the September zag seems to be harder to do each year.
Most of my women friends work, but I am one who would love to stay at home. I went back to work when my sons were 3 months old and never had the stay-at-home Mom experience, but I can easily imagine keeping myself very busy staying at home without children. Luckily, I work just 10 months out of the year, since my college has no summer school, and am home for about 2 months every summer. This has dovetailed very nicely with my sons and husbands being home in the summer over the years and allowed my husband to have various interesting summer jobs.
Anyway, I get enthused about my many projects each summer and then hit the zag in late August when it is time to get back to the office and pick up the threads of that life again. In many ways, it is like casting on a new project -- probably most similar to the casting on of my toe-up two socks on two circs earlier this month. I cast on at least four times, and ripped out three of them, before getting it going smoothly. I know that in a few weeks I'll be back in the groove at work, but at the moment it is somewhat painful to be caught between the two worlds.
ON MY NEEDLES
I've read that blogging helps keep you on track with projects. So far, so good!
I finished the Vermont felted bag and then stitched together the handles on the other felted bag I'd made last winter but never finished. Then, I pulled out the Kitty Pi bed that I started last June and finished that. Then I went and bought zippered pillow cases and am ready to felt everything as soon as I get a bit of time to spend in the laundry room. Now, however, I've got an order in for yarn to make another Vermont bag (Christmas presents!) and since we adopted a new kitten this summer (who will be bereft when we all go back to school next week), I'm going to have to make another kitty bed -- possibly the dotty one I found on line.
My Clapotis shawl is making good progress. I've been trying to get one dropped stitch section done a day -- it is so much fun to drop a stitch on purpose and pull it all the way down!
I've picked up my jacket and made a bit of progress on the sleeves. Doing both sleeves at once is really a good idea -- not just for the consistency, but for the psychological benefit of knowing that I won't have to do another sleeve after this one! I've never been much for blocking, but am promising myself to really block these pieces so that it will have that nice, finished look. After the sleeves, I'll just have the collar to knit.
The one thing I haven't touched is the socks, but those will be perfect to take on our camping trip this weekend, so hopefully I'll make some progress there.
Now that the bag is off the needles, I'm thinking about starting the feather and fan scarf that I bought the yarn for from Knit Picks. I'll be using their free pattern and can't remember if I'm making the scarf or shawl -- guess I'd better pull that out.
The one item of progress made in my knitting world is the installation of a door between the room where I knit (called the fireplace room, it now has a lovely gas stove in it for warmth and ambience) and the living room where my family likes to watch movies (hurrah for Netflix). Now I can knit to my own music (or podcasts!) instead of to whatever soundtrack is on the TV at the moment. Mucho thanks to my Dad for helping us put that up yesterday!!
Most of my women friends work, but I am one who would love to stay at home. I went back to work when my sons were 3 months old and never had the stay-at-home Mom experience, but I can easily imagine keeping myself very busy staying at home without children. Luckily, I work just 10 months out of the year, since my college has no summer school, and am home for about 2 months every summer. This has dovetailed very nicely with my sons and husbands being home in the summer over the years and allowed my husband to have various interesting summer jobs.
Anyway, I get enthused about my many projects each summer and then hit the zag in late August when it is time to get back to the office and pick up the threads of that life again. In many ways, it is like casting on a new project -- probably most similar to the casting on of my toe-up two socks on two circs earlier this month. I cast on at least four times, and ripped out three of them, before getting it going smoothly. I know that in a few weeks I'll be back in the groove at work, but at the moment it is somewhat painful to be caught between the two worlds.
ON MY NEEDLES
I've read that blogging helps keep you on track with projects. So far, so good!
I finished the Vermont felted bag and then stitched together the handles on the other felted bag I'd made last winter but never finished. Then, I pulled out the Kitty Pi bed that I started last June and finished that. Then I went and bought zippered pillow cases and am ready to felt everything as soon as I get a bit of time to spend in the laundry room. Now, however, I've got an order in for yarn to make another Vermont bag (Christmas presents!) and since we adopted a new kitten this summer (who will be bereft when we all go back to school next week), I'm going to have to make another kitty bed -- possibly the dotty one I found on line.
My Clapotis shawl is making good progress. I've been trying to get one dropped stitch section done a day -- it is so much fun to drop a stitch on purpose and pull it all the way down!
I've picked up my jacket and made a bit of progress on the sleeves. Doing both sleeves at once is really a good idea -- not just for the consistency, but for the psychological benefit of knowing that I won't have to do another sleeve after this one! I've never been much for blocking, but am promising myself to really block these pieces so that it will have that nice, finished look. After the sleeves, I'll just have the collar to knit.
The one thing I haven't touched is the socks, but those will be perfect to take on our camping trip this weekend, so hopefully I'll make some progress there.
Now that the bag is off the needles, I'm thinking about starting the feather and fan scarf that I bought the yarn for from Knit Picks. I'll be using their free pattern and can't remember if I'm making the scarf or shawl -- guess I'd better pull that out.
The one item of progress made in my knitting world is the installation of a door between the room where I knit (called the fireplace room, it now has a lovely gas stove in it for warmth and ambience) and the living room where my family likes to watch movies (hurrah for Netflix). Now I can knit to my own music (or podcasts!) instead of to whatever soundtrack is on the TV at the moment. Mucho thanks to my Dad for helping us put that up yesterday!!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Knitting Journey Introduction
I've found myself on a knitting journey this summer. It is a trip I didn't plan to take, rather, I fell into it. I haven't decided which direction the journey is going -- sometimes it feels like I'm going forward, but other times I feel like I'm going back to earlier times in my own life. I'm enjoying the journey and look forward to the unexpected views along the way.
I've always been a crafter of some sort. I learned to knit when I was 6 years old. I got a learn to knit kit for Christmas and started with a bright purple square which actually ended up being a triangle. It worked just fine as a cape for my Barbie doll. In high school I continued to knit some, though rarely finished a project. I also started sewing my own clothing and did finish a lot of those projects. I graduated from high school in the Bicentennial year and became interested in quilting after attending an exhibition of traditional crafts. Imagine my delight when my freshman year roommate showed up with two kayaks and a spinning wheel! Luckily, the kayaks couldn't get around the corner into our room and had to be stored elsewhere on campus, but we had the only spinning wheel on campus in our room! I continued to knit sporadically in college (though I knew no one else who knit). I also spent a January term at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, KY in my junior year and made a mountain dulcimer that still hangs on my wall and quilted a couple of pillow covers.
After college, living in Scotland for a bit, I discovered a great knitting shop and took a few classes. I had roommates from Switzerland and Denmark who knit and we knit a lot of Lopi sweaters that year. I also learned to knit socks for the first time. Then I moved to Montana and continued to quilt and knit. On an airplane layover I ran into a professor from the college where I worked and discovered in the conversation that she was an avid knitter and spinner. I joined the local spinning guild, bought an Ashford Traveller spinning wheel and started to get excited about spinning. That came to a halt when I moved to Ohio to go to graduate school. There was an active spinning guild there, but I didn't have the time to join. I continued to quilt and sew clothing and do a bit of knitting.
Then came the child-raising years. After graduate school, my husband and I moved back to Maine, where I had grown up, and back to the college I had graduated from. I have worked as a career counselor and administrator (i.e. I oversee our website and library collection, hire and train our student employees, advise students applying to law school, and anything else that comes along and needs doing) for over 20 years now. I have twin sons who just turned 18 and are in their senior year in high school. As you can imagine, the job and the boys have taken an enormous amount of energy over the years, but I have continued to knit and quilt (and sewed a lot of their clothes when they were little -- it was so hard to find fun and colorful boys' clothing at that time!). Somewhere along the way, I also started taking basket weaving classes at a local shop.
Nowadays, I have fallen into several patterns related to my handwork. I got back into knitting regularly when the boys started being on teams or in other activities that required me to wait around for them (for example, I have one sweater that I identify with 4th & 5th grade basketball and another from junior high basketball), and went through a cross-stitch phase while the other son attended ballet classes. I got rather compulsive about baskets for a while, until my family complained that I never gave any of them away. Now I knit year-round, do baskets only in the summer (and only on Tuesdays with my basket ladies group unless I need to finish something between meetings), and quilt intermittently -- usually inspired by attending workshops at the annual quilt show in late July.
So, I'm at this point in my life where I'd love to spend more of my time on my projects. In fact, I often feel an acute physical (or is it psychological?) NEED to work on my projects, but have a distinct lack of time. I think that is probably the heart of my journey and I'm looking forward to facing it head on -- I just need to grab one of my project bags to take along for the ride!
ON MY NEEDLES:
The sleeves (yes, I'm doing both at once so that the increases are even) of the Brocade in Charcoal jacket from Jackets for Work and Play. I love the idea of these tailored, knitted jackets for work in the winter and just happened to have the Cascade 220 the pattern called for, in gray, but not in charcoal.
Two socks on two circs -- my first attempt at socks on circular needles. I went overboard, of course, and am doing the toe-up socks from Kelly Petkin of Knit Picks as my first project. I'm making them out of the sock yarn with Aloe Vera in it and they are turning out a bit big, so I've promised to give them to one of my sons. I'm about half-way up the foot. I've got to get going on them because I've offered to teach a two socks on two circs class at my local yarn store later this fall!
A Clapotis scarf. I kept hearing about this in the Let's Knit 2gether video podcast this summer and finally found the pattern on Knitty.com. I'm making it out of Cascade 220 marled yarn (purple, my favorite color) and am almost done with the increases, which means I'm almost to the interesting part where you start to drop stitches. I hope to get to that part later today.
The Vermont felted bag from Webs on Berkshire Hand Painted from the Great Adirondack Yarn Company (ordered from Webs). I've been listening to the Webs owners' podcast, Ready, Set, Knit, this summer (got me through a lot of woodwork painting on a couple of hot days!) and this project was their second "knit-along." I'm working on the handles at this moment and have started to sew up the bag seams. I have another bag that needs to be felted, so I'll do both at once sometime this weekend, I hope.
Just off my needles: I spent an hour yesterday going through about 5 pairs of socks I'd knitted but hadn't grafted the toes and/or tied in the ends. They are now all in my sock drawer, waiting to be worn when the weather gets a bit colder. I also just finished a Debbie Bliss sweater for the son of a friend. It was a good challenge because the yarn I wanted to use didn't match the gauge, so I had to do a lot of recalculating -- with great results, I must say. And, I just put buttons on several children's/baby sweaters that I'm stashing away for just the right person to come along.
I am hoping that blogging will help me stay on task with my knitting and other projects.
I've always been a crafter of some sort. I learned to knit when I was 6 years old. I got a learn to knit kit for Christmas and started with a bright purple square which actually ended up being a triangle. It worked just fine as a cape for my Barbie doll. In high school I continued to knit some, though rarely finished a project. I also started sewing my own clothing and did finish a lot of those projects. I graduated from high school in the Bicentennial year and became interested in quilting after attending an exhibition of traditional crafts. Imagine my delight when my freshman year roommate showed up with two kayaks and a spinning wheel! Luckily, the kayaks couldn't get around the corner into our room and had to be stored elsewhere on campus, but we had the only spinning wheel on campus in our room! I continued to knit sporadically in college (though I knew no one else who knit). I also spent a January term at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, KY in my junior year and made a mountain dulcimer that still hangs on my wall and quilted a couple of pillow covers.
After college, living in Scotland for a bit, I discovered a great knitting shop and took a few classes. I had roommates from Switzerland and Denmark who knit and we knit a lot of Lopi sweaters that year. I also learned to knit socks for the first time. Then I moved to Montana and continued to quilt and knit. On an airplane layover I ran into a professor from the college where I worked and discovered in the conversation that she was an avid knitter and spinner. I joined the local spinning guild, bought an Ashford Traveller spinning wheel and started to get excited about spinning. That came to a halt when I moved to Ohio to go to graduate school. There was an active spinning guild there, but I didn't have the time to join. I continued to quilt and sew clothing and do a bit of knitting.
Then came the child-raising years. After graduate school, my husband and I moved back to Maine, where I had grown up, and back to the college I had graduated from. I have worked as a career counselor and administrator (i.e. I oversee our website and library collection, hire and train our student employees, advise students applying to law school, and anything else that comes along and needs doing) for over 20 years now. I have twin sons who just turned 18 and are in their senior year in high school. As you can imagine, the job and the boys have taken an enormous amount of energy over the years, but I have continued to knit and quilt (and sewed a lot of their clothes when they were little -- it was so hard to find fun and colorful boys' clothing at that time!). Somewhere along the way, I also started taking basket weaving classes at a local shop.
Nowadays, I have fallen into several patterns related to my handwork. I got back into knitting regularly when the boys started being on teams or in other activities that required me to wait around for them (for example, I have one sweater that I identify with 4th & 5th grade basketball and another from junior high basketball), and went through a cross-stitch phase while the other son attended ballet classes. I got rather compulsive about baskets for a while, until my family complained that I never gave any of them away. Now I knit year-round, do baskets only in the summer (and only on Tuesdays with my basket ladies group unless I need to finish something between meetings), and quilt intermittently -- usually inspired by attending workshops at the annual quilt show in late July.
So, I'm at this point in my life where I'd love to spend more of my time on my projects. In fact, I often feel an acute physical (or is it psychological?) NEED to work on my projects, but have a distinct lack of time. I think that is probably the heart of my journey and I'm looking forward to facing it head on -- I just need to grab one of my project bags to take along for the ride!
ON MY NEEDLES:
The sleeves (yes, I'm doing both at once so that the increases are even) of the Brocade in Charcoal jacket from Jackets for Work and Play. I love the idea of these tailored, knitted jackets for work in the winter and just happened to have the Cascade 220 the pattern called for, in gray, but not in charcoal.
Two socks on two circs -- my first attempt at socks on circular needles. I went overboard, of course, and am doing the toe-up socks from Kelly Petkin of Knit Picks as my first project. I'm making them out of the sock yarn with Aloe Vera in it and they are turning out a bit big, so I've promised to give them to one of my sons. I'm about half-way up the foot. I've got to get going on them because I've offered to teach a two socks on two circs class at my local yarn store later this fall!
A Clapotis scarf. I kept hearing about this in the Let's Knit 2gether video podcast this summer and finally found the pattern on Knitty.com. I'm making it out of Cascade 220 marled yarn (purple, my favorite color) and am almost done with the increases, which means I'm almost to the interesting part where you start to drop stitches. I hope to get to that part later today.
The Vermont felted bag from Webs on Berkshire Hand Painted from the Great Adirondack Yarn Company (ordered from Webs). I've been listening to the Webs owners' podcast, Ready, Set, Knit, this summer (got me through a lot of woodwork painting on a couple of hot days!) and this project was their second "knit-along." I'm working on the handles at this moment and have started to sew up the bag seams. I have another bag that needs to be felted, so I'll do both at once sometime this weekend, I hope.
Just off my needles: I spent an hour yesterday going through about 5 pairs of socks I'd knitted but hadn't grafted the toes and/or tied in the ends. They are now all in my sock drawer, waiting to be worn when the weather gets a bit colder. I also just finished a Debbie Bliss sweater for the son of a friend. It was a good challenge because the yarn I wanted to use didn't match the gauge, so I had to do a lot of recalculating -- with great results, I must say. And, I just put buttons on several children's/baby sweaters that I'm stashing away for just the right person to come along.
I am hoping that blogging will help me stay on task with my knitting and other projects.
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