10 June 2007

The Backwards Knitter

My favorite flavor, cherry red...

In the effort to combat the stash, and to keep it from taking over, I have placed a moratorium on stash enhancement ventures. This has been difficult for me, as I have made a few stops into my LYS (perhaps just to torture myself). Last weekend I did obtain three balls of yarn--purchased by my grandmother--to knit a scarf for her to wear to Red Hat events. It doesn't count as stash, as it's a project--one in which I am already many rows deep. I am making The Emperor's New Scarf by Lucy Neatby in red Karabella 8 (color 7) with purple accents in Trendsetter "Sunshine" (color Periwinkle). I needed a break from Exchequered. Those endless checkerboards were starting to wear on me.

I am a bit alarmed at how fast I am running through this ball of Karabella 8. Judging by my progress on one ball of it, it will take three balls to finish this scarf. No, I did not swatch. After all, it's a scarf, and size isn't exactly critical. I'm using my Knitpicks Options size 8 on a 32" cord.


The brown stitches are waste yarn, which will be removed to reveal magical ogees to crochet in purple. If it weren't for my grandmother, I assure you those colors would never meet under my watch. *suppresses a shudder* Red and purple. I know, I know, part of their thing is that they can wear horrid color combinations, because they're old and don't care. It's glorious that these women find companionship and empowerment... but red and purple? Must they?

Then again, there are a lot of people who make decisions that I would not file under aesthetic wisdom. I, for one, will maintain my stance on the... uh... ramparts of the... fortress! Yes, the Fortress of Visually Pleasing Stuff. With big vats of boiling tar at the ready to pour on ugly things, and gigantic paper bags with which to cover them. That's it. I would also like to take this moment to remind visitors to Knit Goddingdom that there is a blanket ban on anything Harvest Gold, Avocado Green or chartreuse. Avvocati, however, are perfectly welcome.

It just occurred to me that I am knitting backwards in terms of project material. Most knitters start with scarves and move on to socks, hats and sweaters. I started with a sweater, knitted some hats, moved on to socks, and have arrived at scarves. Granted, the scarves I'm knitting are a little more complicated than endless hours of mindless stockinette... but when you break them down most knitting patterns are little more than a series of knits and purls, with the occasional YO, SSK, PSSO and other acronyms of yarn acrobatics thrown in for good measure.

Haven't settled on a pattern yet for Bryan's beanie. I was originally thinking of doing a double-sided one, but I changed yarns... The London Beanie looks promising. I've decided to do pattern work in duplicate stitch for the sake of my sanity. I have to protect what little remains of it.

NONPROFIT PROMO: Claudia is in the homestretch of fundraising for her MS ride. Heard about it through Anne at Knitspot. Go on over to their blogs, read all about it, and give if it moves you to do so. At the very least, it will do wonders for bolstering one's faith in the goodness and generosity of others (and knitters in particular).

Am re-listening to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in anticipation of the last book coming out. Will probably also review Order of the Phoenix before the movie comes out.

That's all for now. À plus tard.

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