Enchanting Juno

The things that make us happy.

I've been toying for a while with the idea of buying some of those colorful puzzle mats for the floor - the padded ones - because after the experience of blocking the Highland Triangle - the bent pins, the holes in the rug - I was pretty sure I needed another alternative.

The blocking board is a beautiful thing, but it isn't really big enough for me to fit all the pieces of something on at once, and no shawl I am ever likely to make is going to remain confined to that area.

I even tried the full sized guest bed, but it wasn't big enough in all directions, and I didn't feel like I was getting good tension anyway, all the way out at the curve of the edge.

I ended up with the living room rug, and that was OK, but as I said, I didn't feel good about the scratches in the floor below, or the bent pins, or the holes in the carpet.

But those mats are expensive - and don't ask me why a couple hundred bucks for mats seems expensive, but I don't have any trouble buying vast quantities of yarn.  You want logic, go someplace else.

I had a doctors appointment this week (I noticed recently  that now that I am 36, every doc I see feels compelled to remind me that I shouldn't be counting on my fertility forever.  They say it more than once too, like I am too stupid to know this.  I would find it all a little less offensive if I had ASKED, and am disturbed by the implication that since I am nearing my sell-by date, I should just go out and grab the nearest passing sperm donor and fulfill my biological destiny, like, RIGHT NOW.  Have we come so short a way?).

Anyway, they needed me to come back for something.  It was Monday, so the LYS was closed, and me with a couple hours to kill.  I ended up here.  Even if I don't find anything, it's always fun to browse the housewares.  But I found something....

3 packages of 12 1 ft square 1/2 inch foam tiles.  In a tasteful wood grain.  For 9.99 each.  That's enough square footage to block everything but the largest of square shawls.  Cool.

They had packages of 4 2x2 ft tiles too - but those were 35.00.  I just couldn't do it. 

Off to Vermont for the weekend - family time, and perhaps a little wool festival thrown in around the edges.  See y'all next week.

It's a bird, it's a plane....it's a girl in a cape?

You know how when you go to a fiber thing with a friend, you try on goofy hats and make fun of stuff that you think could never work in a million years?

Yeah, me too. 

So I'm standing in a booth, looking at the nice rustic Briggs & Little and trying to decide if I've overcome itch sensitivity to the point that I can contemplate using such a yarn (I'm on a self-imposed wool de-sensitization program and I'm not stopping until I can wear Icelandic next to the skin.  Dammit.), when I spot a vintage-looking cape thingy on a hanger.   I think that it would be really fun to wear (I love the things that swish and sweep), and that I have to try it on because even though it will look like crap on me, how can I pass up the opportunity to swirl the cape like a matador?

You know you want to swirl the cape like a matador. 
Plus it is fun to provoke the mockery, if the mockery will be funny, you know?  Anything for a laugh.

So I'm all like "Hey, check it out" and I gave that cape some serious wrist action, and as it coiled through the air and settled around my shoulders I saw the expression on Steph's face, working up some smart remark.   And then the expression stopped.

You should make that.

What?  No way.

But I look in a mirror and you know, I should make that.

So I bought the stuff.  Chocolate brown Briggs & Little, held together with a strand of tri-colored  alpaca.  The same alpaca, by the way, that I had 600 yards of and gave away 6 months ago because I could not figure out what to do with.  Doh.

No fringe though.  No buttons.  Silver clasp at the neck.   Slashed at the hem so you can use your hands and everything.

The woman who wrote the pattern modeled it after a button-front poncho her mother-in-law made for her in 1971. 

But please, call it a cape.

What does this make - 13 projects, I think?  Yeah, I'm a smart girl alright.

A finished object.

I was going to tell you all about Stitches...and I will.  But I was distracted by a finished object which made its final passage to garment at knitting group tonight.

I know the knitter who made this is unknown to you, but please, look at this:

A moment of silence for her work, followed by tumultuous applause, is, I think, appropriate.  I met D.  for the first time a little over a year ago, when she was completing a beautiful afghan in cashmerino chunky.    Her first knitting.   But she was born for it - as we can see here.

This was originally a Lana Grossa pattern, heavily adapted and modified by the Knit Goddess (who really, really needs to start publishing her own patterns) and executed by D. 
Who saw Grafton Fibers in my bag tonight and decided maybe she should go to Rhinebeck this year.

The Grafton Fiber Response - which may well be an actual medical condition, as it was Linda's fiber which pushed me over the wheel-buying edge in June - was the final sign that D. is a Future Spinner.  If she does come to Rhinebeck, I am so siccing Claudia, Cate, Julia, Steph, and Cassie on her.  The Spin Posse will lasso her in in no time.

Stitches was an experience.  Much less dominated by novelty yarn than I had been led to expect and slightly overwhelming - I spent much of the weekend yarnblind from sensory overload, the sights, the lights....but there were lovely people, some beautiful things found their way into my bag and I had a ridiculously good time with Stephanie.

I feel like dragging things out a bit, so today I'm only showing one thing from this weekend, and telling one story.

This is a shawl.  It is a beautiful shawl, so beautiful I could not bring myself to put it down while we sat on our beds eating sandwiches.  There were crumbs.   Then I carried the tray out to the hallway - fully dressed, I assure  you - and returned to  the room.  Absently, I bunched the shawl up in my hand and used it to brush the crumbs to the floor.

And from across the room came a shocked voice, a horrified voice, an appalled voice...... "We do not SWEEP with the Orenburg!"

Good point.

It was on sale...how could I resist?

Found poetry.

Julia hit me...with a meme.  So I went to my 23rd post, found the 5th sentence and:

"Still a simple rectangle, but my first experiment with making something on purpose, choosing colors to illuminate a specific idea, understanding that the direction of the knitting affects the drape of the garment. "

Could have been worse.

Maybe if I break it up?

Still a simple rectangle

But my first experiment with

                making       

                       something

                            on purpose 

Choosing colors to illuminate a specific idea

understanding

that the direction of the knitting

affects the drape

of the garment.

Nah.

I didn't say it was good found poetry.

And to the Google inquirers - I'm way behind on my email folks, way behind, so forgive the global explanation.

I use Statcounter to track my visitors - they have a free counter that tops out at a few hundred hits, and a fee based one that tracks your last 1100 hits, and I don't know if the Google search feature is included with the free counter.  But once you set up the account and put the code on your page, it gives you a lot of information other than just that someone came and opened the page - how long, if they've been here before, what referral page they clicked through from...and if they found you through a web search, what search string brought them there. 

Those can, particularly if you are prone to innuendo, be pretty amusing.  Actually, Google's ability to assemble the match from wherever on your page can lead to some pretty amusing hits even if you are clean of mind and word.

Not that I would know anything about that.

Google giggle.

I know that dwelling on the Google searches that bring people to one's blog is a tad narcissistic, but I got me a good one or two recently, and I can't keep them to myself.

your narcissism

If you are  struggling with self obsession, perhaps a therapist might be more useful than Google? I'm just saying.

slubby breasts

Now that's just mean.

Wool fetish store

Where?

Comcast sucks

I'm with you.

And finally...

knitted nipple pattern

I think a 7 or 9 stitch bobble would do, depending on the yarn, don't you?  Or, under the circumstances, should that be a nupp?

I had dinner with an old friend today and answered lots of questions from her 8 year old son about "that string you really like."  Smart boy.  He was interested in the YO, and the chart and what the symbols meant and how decreases and increases worked.  It was sweet, but I can't decide if he's a potential knitter, or just saw the shawl as a possible fishing net. 

Could go either way, really.

PS  - I've been watching Alan Alda on the Daily Show and it is freaking me OUT how much he reminds me of my dad.   Something about the build and ... something.   The hair on my neck is prickling.

Thank you for kicking my ass.

No really.

All your comments reminded me that I was losing sight of something -

I like to knit. 

And yes, it is good to finish things, but I'll just knit something else, some hip-swaying, lash-batting hussy of a new yarn will seduce me, sure.  But since I like the knitting, why be urgent about it? 

And...

And...

I'm going to say it...

I'm going to make 5 repeats.   Because I really, really hate little shawls.  They make me feel brobdingnagian.   I will never regret making it bigger, but having it be a bit to small would ruin the outcome and take something away from the process.

There, I'm committed.

Maturity is hard.

I spent the night on the phone catching up with friend non-knitting H and writing a long letter to a boy.  So no progress.  But that's OK.

But what is this?

A little something from this past weekend....love the swatch(es).

But what could it be?

The easy way out?

With Lotus Blossom, I had decided to make it bigger - the pattern spec is for 78 inches across, I think, and that is too small for me.  So I switched to a slightly heavier yarn -

(photo courtesy of Too Much Wool, who happened to have both selections in her home when I was at work and making this important work related decision) -  and 5.5 mm needles, the ebony circs (which are to die for), instead of the 4.5 or 5 mm called for.

I planned to add a repeat of the blossoms (chart 5, 16 rows).  When I finished chart 3, it seemed like a good idea to add some stem as well as blossom, so I threw in a repeat there too, another 16 rows, which means that the original pattern ended at row 166 and the modified version should go to row 198

And now I'm at row 167.   I'm losing my forward motion.  I can stretch the long side out to 92 inches now.  And if I skip the final chart addition, then I can stop after row 182.  Which would make me...83.1 % done. (I'm not thinking about the bind off)

If I go to the revised end, I'm only 70.3. (Still not thinking about the bind off)

And I'm starting to be troubled by the fact that that would give me 4 blossom rows.  3 is good.  5 would be fine.  But even numbers are non-harmonious.  And there is no way I'm doing five.  None.  Zero.  Fuggetaboutit.

I took it off the needles to see what it looked like.  In a word?  Tiny.  It is an illusion, I know, but I'm So Depressed.

On the other hand, it is really pretty. (The 1/2 completed third blossom row is kind off lost in the edge.)

What do you think?  More? Less?  Or will I have made up my mind in the night and committed myself?

I'm not sure commitment is the best word choice here....

And I'm still not thinking about the bind off.  Knit every stitch twice, PLUS the bobbles.

Ugh.

Lazy, lazy, lazy.

I got mail today.  I love mail.  They know me at the post office.  Know me well.

I got my shiny new copy of Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter, which I am enjoying thoroughly, as it is very funny, which should surprise no one,  and sounds exactly like my friend Steph, which is also not really surprising, considering.  I appreciate it both because I know for a fact that writing like this is a lot harder than she makes it look and, well, I like sitting on my couch giggling like a maniac in need of a straight jacket because I can hear her voice in my head telling these tales.  One of the nicest things a book can give you is a night off from whatever the inside of your head is brooding over and this delivered.
Though I probably, now that I think of it, shouldn't tell you that I hear voices in my head, whether or not the voices are the voices of friends or unknown to me. 

But I shan't worry about the possibility of being crazy because Webs sent me an experimental ball of Classic Elite Duchess in Patrician Port, which is a very silly name for a very lovely merino, cashmere, viscose, angora & nylon blend yarn that I am considering for something, even though I am not allowed to use bulky yarn ever.  And I should probably also say that the experiment is in buying one ball of something I like and swatching it before I unload real cash on a sweater's worth of something that might not be suitable.  This nod to practicality...I'm just not sure it will last, but it sounds good, you know?

In between reading and swatching, I am also watching Celebrity Poker Showdown, which does not charm me in quite the same way it used to, but still has its moments of loopy appeal.  I'm not a Survivor-ite, which is what most people are watching tonight.  Either that or the presidential address, which I couldn't watch because I just get angry and froth at the mouth.  I do better reading the transcript after.

I am trying to decide if I have enough motivation to get up, put on something other than a bathrobe and go to the 7-11 for diet coke, because I am completely out and that Is Not Allowed.  I wrote this sentence at 8:30 and now it is 10:30 and no leaving of the house has occurred, so this is a first in about 2 years:  I drank water when I wasn't at the gym.

In breaks between all these many fascinatin' things, I am staring at the Lotus Blossom shawl, stalled at 62.7% (in good cause, in that I put it down to finish the Sweater for G), which is in a pile next to me, but somehow the power of my mind is not enough to make it knit itself. 

Someone ought to look into that.

Aren't you glad you came by today?  For the stimulatin' discourse?

What a flash does to red yarn is just annoying. Think more wine, less crayon.

details, details.

I forgot that every chance met passerby did not have visceral feelings of abject failure at even the mere sight of teal and orange stripes, much less the immediate knowledge of what I was yapping about.

Funny how we magnify the obviousness of our own foolish woes.

The overly long sleeved sweater in question is for my nephew, the Baby G, who should be upgraded to merely G since he will be two this autumn.  And therefore no longer a bebe, no matter how adorable I find him.

Finis:

Though now that I see the photograph, I may have to add a line of stitching to stabilize the front and minimize the way the top of the pocket pulls down.

I assure you I would not make a rectangular, over-sized, garter stitch hoodie for myself.  I learned my lesson with Klaralund, which is that such a beast would give me the appearance of one who is All Boob. 

And not in the good way.

The Complete Item is for this little guy, show here with his father for scale.  And also the heart melting, yes?

Pattern from IK.  Details about which I am too freaking lazy to hunt up right now.  At some future date I will add them to the completed file to your left.

Gems Merino super wash yarn, 3mm addi naturas and a gallon and a half of heart's blood. May I never knit plain garter stitch again.

This feels so fabulous that I want to finish something else now.  What?  What can I manage quickly so I can feel like this again?  So pavlovian....

And I promised you grafted seam porn.  This is a great seam technique, reasonably well executed.  I like the sides so much I unpicked the hood and redid it graft-style.  It turns the feel of the garment into something less stiff than a mattress or backstitch seam - makes everything hang better, more fluidly.

Am I turning you on yet?

Great Balls of Fire.

You have to say that JUST like Jerry Lewis, too.  Get a little yeeha in there, put a little spin on it, give a little swivel.  Put some english on the ball.

Why, you may ask?

Because baby, I have finished something.

And not just anything.

Something old - from December '04.  Something that has been a burden of the spirit, something that I wanted to have more than I ever wanted to make.  Something that makes me believe I can finish anything.

Monday night I went to knitting group - about which I can only say, thank you jeebus, for these women - and J looked at the thing I was pulling out of the bag and said, "Isn't that done yet?  God, just shoot it already."

Which is about the way I felt. But it has been sitting around for a while wanting only seaming and Monday night and last night that's what I did.

Are you ready?

Can you stand it? 

Do you know what it is?

This is the final sewing (of the pocket) in progress.  Otherwise, seamed, ends sewn in, hood attached.  It has even been blocked, although recent residence in a plastic bag has obscured this detail with heavy wrinkling.  Why is that is it that the superwash process makes wool crease more?

Tonight I steam out those wrinkles and then take pictures of my grafted seams because I know they are going to make you all hot.  Hot, I tell you.  I will probably also find a smaller hanger because this is a big one and it makes the sweater look very broad shouldered.  Just remember that that's a drop sleeve.

Lay down your sword, my child.  You have fought the good fight and the battle is over.  You are done.

Although now that I look at it, I think the sleeves are probably too long.

No, no, don't think about it.  Concentrate on the being done.

Cute though, huh?