slightly off-topic

I bought a set of INANIMATE stickers from modcloth, a fun indie and retro-style clothing store.

It's one way to have a grownup version of Richard Scarry.

Firmaments Lace Shawl

This is the shawl that never ends --
Yes, it goes on and on, my friends.
Some people started knitting it,
Not knowing what it was
And they'll continue knitting it forever just because
This is the shawl that never ends--


At least, that's what I tell people when they ask what I'm knitting.

Firmaments Shawl, Day 532

I cut the Fountain Lace section a few repeats short today. I fear the shawl is now growing beyond my control. I'm hoping today's action will help to at least curb its growth once it is in the blocking stage.

Firmaments Shawl, Day 540

Partway through the edging. I am beginning to have doubts about curtailing the Fountain Lace section. Perhaps it would have been better to do five more repeats of the chart. But, dear God, I could not have done five more repeats of Chart C! I fear that I will never have a restful night's sleep -- one without the page full of the same chart, over and over again, always trying to highlight a finished row -- and the highlighter ink never sticking! Would I have been haunted, night after night, by the Fountain Lace chart's taunting rows?

No, I had to stop at six repeats. It was for the shawl's own good. Too many more and I would have put it down altogether. I needed to start the edging, to know that there was -- there truly was -- an end in sight.

The double-pointed needle recommendation for the edging is a dangerous choice. I put a point protector on one end. That cut the risk of losing all the stitches when the shawl was in transit by half. It does nothing, however, for ensuring that the shawl does not escape while in transit. I'm currently using my "Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend Could KNIT Like Me?" knitting tote, and that seems to provide enough protection. I still keep an eye on it, though. I can't risk it springing out and engulfing an innocent bystander. Something about the alpaca part of the yarn that I don't trust...

Firmaments Shawl, Day 542

The shawl has been surprisingly quiet lately, as I slowly work my way through the edging. It makes me nervous, that this has been going a little too smoothly. I know that there is a graft up ahead, to join the beginning and end of the edging into one continuous piece.

And then -- I almost don't want to mention it -- the blocking. I know it will resist that. I suspect that the shawl may be in secret negotiations with my camera, which turned up recently after having been put in a drawer and forgotten for several weeks. Perhaps the camera was out doing reconnaissance, and used its advanced mind-wiping technology to make me forget about it, and think that I had simply forgotten where I put it. I will have to keep a closer watch on that camera. I'm not too worried, though, as long as I can keep it in sight; I know where its batteries are.

Pratchgan 2008 - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

link to cherryred's post, with pictures!

WE DID IT! <--clicky for awesome write-up and photos

Three cheers for Shirley, for organizing and sewing up this wonderful creation!


(I know I'm not the only AMKG Raveler thinking: I can see my squares! SQUEEE!)

If you were wondering, I did the E in "ATEN'T" and the square that's -- starting at the bottom left corner, two over and three up -- the black and yellow twisty cables. It has a label on it that identifies it as "B.S. Johnson's Patent Automatic Pasta Cooker and Rib Take-Away Window."

And now for something weird.

Last night I dreamed I met the Yarn Harlot.

Not to insult the Harlot, but that hasn't exactly been a long-standing desire for me. I've been meaning to go to her events, and I've been meaning to read her books, but so far all I've managed is a half-hearted blog-stalking. Granted, the bits of her blog I've read have been hugely entertaining. I like reading her blog because it inspires me to knit more: The Harlot's knitting; why aren't you?

So it was kinda weird when, last night, I dreamed that I was walking along a path on a beautiful stretch of land really similar to what I saw in pictures of her trip to Newfoundland. She was standing there and she smiled and she asked me to do something for her: spell out the word "laugh" in glitter and icing. It was surprisingly difficult. I had to do the serifs in icing and the lines of the letters in glitter, in these big, playful loopy letters. I accidentally smudged icing on her baby (she left her few-months-old baby lying on the ground for some reason), and I apologized, and she said it wasn't a problem. When I finished, there was a group of people there and they cheered. And we all had cupcakes and were happy. And then I woke up.

What I've taken from this is that the world needs more cupcakes. And I'm going to go work on that shawl now.

brief update

This post is a bit of a cop-out, since it's mostly just to say, "hi, I'm not dead, and I haven't stopped knitting."

So there you go.

Chugging along on the Firmaments Shawl. I am now on the third (last circle)... and even though I knew at the last increase I was doubling the amount of stitches, I'm still not used to how long it takes just to knit one round.

Pictures soon.

Unrelated: I spent a happy half-hour (or so, I don't remember how long it actually is) this morning watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Fashion Notebook

Following up on Harper's Bazaar "140 Best Accessories" story:

21/21
The gauge swatch jab would be too easy. Just marvel in the horribleness.


17/21 - Hey, hey, hey, it's...

They took Dumb Donald's hat, overdyed and felted it for a fresh look for fall '08.



photo cred (l) Dan & Corina Lecca

It Begins...

"Perhaps I ask too large --
I take -- no less than skies --
For Earths, grow thick as
Berries, in my native town --


"My Basket holds -- just -- Firmaments --
Those -- dangle easy -- on my arm --


"But smaller bundles -- Cram."
- Emily Dickinson

Insubordiknit Spinning Workshop (part I)

Hey, if I'm already dividing a post into more than one part in the title, you know it's going to be good.

Under the expert instruction of Jacey, my weekend went a little something like this:


1. In the beginning, there were tables laden with roving. And Courtney saw this, and said, "Awesome!"




2. Then Jacey taught us how to spin super awesome stuff. This is just the beginning. I haven't photographed everything I spun this weekend yet.

to find out what I did with these batts and roving,
tune in next time!

3. And now for something completely different:

A tall glass of awesome
aka Clementine's Lime-Basil Elixir.

The food at Clementine = Awesome+1. Even this food snob was delighted. I'm only sad that I don't live closer. Of course, my waistline probably thanks me; if I lived closer, I'd probably just stay there and eat all day. But if you're anywhere within a half-hour's drive, it's totally worth it. The thick-cut bacon sandwich with asparagus, field greens, tomato and thick slices of white cheddar... magnificent.

ZOMGEYEBALLZ!

You may be wondering why my internal monologue is set to a continual, "SQUEEEEEEE!".

On second thought, I hope you aren't wondering that, because if you were wondering that, that would mean you could understand my internal monologue and that would probably be really bad. Oh, and by the way, I think your new haircut is really flattering. Please totally forget what my internal monologue said earlier -- and no, that is not -- NO IT IS NOT a lie. SHUT UP, INTERNAL MONOLOGUE!

*ahem*

Anyway, the constant SQUEEE! is because I am signed up for Insubordiknit's artyarn spinning workshop this weekend. It is Jacey's last workshop before she packs up and leaves and takes her profound spinning knowledge with her moves to the midwest. I will learn to make wicked cool yarns that are actually knittable/crochetable.

I already have this vision of spinning up a black sparkly yarn with needle-felted 3D kissy lips (a la the eyeball yarn) and maybe some black feathers and calling it, "Voulez-vous crochet avec moi?"

No, I don't have a wheel yet. Patience, young Grasshopper. I'll get one some day (hopefully sooner, but since I'm about 80% sure I want a Schacht Matchless, it will probably be later).

BUT SRSLY YOU GUYZ! Check this stuff out!

image from / property of / spun by insubordiknit.com

I will be sure to take lots and lots of pictures and eventually put them up in a post for you -- so look for that next week!

New Beginnings

Hey, it looks like somebody was bitten by the fangs of the Cast-On Fairy*, or hit over the head with its wand, or something like that. I became so tired of knitting #$(%*#% dishcloths. In the back of my mind, I knew I was just biding my time until THE NEXT BIG PROJECT came along.

So, the other Saturday I was in Eleganza and I milled around the store for a bit... I started flipping through the Spring/Summer 2008 VOGUE Knitting. I saw the Medallion Top. Kristi had the yarn in stock in two potential color choices (the blue is my first choice, but I'm happy with the iced lavender). I bought the magazine and the yarn. NEXT BIG PROJECT: FOUND. 8-st Cable? 2 cable needles at once? Bring it on!

I bought some other things, too... such as the Stitch of the Day perpetual calender. Swatch in progress is from the Yarn of the Month Club, which ships out samples of yarn enough to make a full-size swatch and satisfy the knitter's lust for novelty. It's great because you don't have to commit to a full skein, or stand in the yarn shop fondling it, thinking, I think I like it, but what the hell am I going to make with it? and will I like it once I start knitting with it? Thank you, Yarn of the Month Club, for enabling me to fill the gap I created for myself. ;-)

Olive by Zaol

100% Tencel Color 1224 8 sts/inch on US 2s.

I love my Jenkins #2s. Check out those tips!

I'll have better photos up once I have some time and remember to shoot photos in daylight.

Medallion Top from VOGUE Knitting Spring/Summer 2008
Cascade Pima Tencel (50% Peruvian Pima cotton, 50% Tencel)
Color 9514 -- color altered in this photo -- still not right but close enough

Sirdar 1521
Reynolds Kids Wash Day Wool
100% Superwash wool (and soft!)
Color 5623


closeup of the pattern.

*The Cast-On Fairy is begging for an illustration, isn't it?

Knit One, Purl One, Drop One

Cast On, Cast Off.

Knitting needles don't kill people; old ladies do!

If you haven't heard it already, here it is, from Tim FitzHigham.

It's probably my favorite thing since Tea Partay.

EZ and MM, don't talk to me 'bout jerks like them
That 50 Cent, he ain't no better
He can't even make a nice Aran sweater.

Knitting for Horses

interesting (1) | disagree (1) | love (5)

photos from camillavalleyfarm

I suppose I could knit this in the round and then steek it...