Wilde Thyme Knits

Import Export

2009-09-21T10:04:00.001-07:00

I've moved to www.wildethymeknits.blogspot.com

Now I don't usually profess to be much of a techie, but in recent days I've been confronted by some serious work on the computer front. Right now, I am feeling hugely proud of myself, because despite the fact that I've had the house to get shipshape after three months of kids at home, food to cook, soccer games to attend and knitting to see to, I have achieved the impossible!

I have exported my blog to another address.

It's a long story actually. About a year ago, not long after I started writing Wilde Thyme Knits, I had a major catastrophe......I accidently DELETED my blog! I know....pretty dumb really, but what can I say? It takes just one slip of the finger and life can never be the same again.

I wrote to Blogger....... I wrote to Blogger again.....I joined the throngs of people begging Blogger to PLEASE retrieve their beloved blogs.

Nothing. Not even a "Tweet" to say they'd received my pleading missive (and let's face it, they have intimate connections with Twitter, so a small microblog would not have been too much to ask.) Still nothing. I resigned myself to starting again with another url and have been saddled with a "TER" on the end of "KNIT" ever since. I've checked back with Blogger periodically over the past year, just in case I could get them to acknowledge my existence, but again nothing.

During a recent sojourn into Blogland, I made the discovery that Blogger was permitting access to old addresses again. Aside from the fact that by now I'd forgotten which e-mail ID and password I'd used to set up my original account, what I did discover was that I could now create a new blog attached to my old Expat blog account using my original url http://www.wildethymeknits.blogspot.com/

My life was complete.

This weekend I bravely created the new blog, exported the old to my desktop and then imported it from there to the new site. Can you believe it? I was holding my breath, I can tell you. A year's worth of work was on the line after all. But I did it! The only problem was that none of the features transferred with the posts, so I've spent several hours rebuilding parts of the site. This has also given me the opportunity for a bit of a face lift, so I've changed to a new template too.

My new found techie abilities saw me multi tasking on the way home from walking The Little Guy to school this morning too. As my text inbox on my cell phone was so full that it couldn't take any more messages, I decided to delete during the ten minute stroll back up the hill. I walked and deleted, crossed roads and deleted, all the while making this "ding dong" noise as each one of the 90 texts got erased from my inbox. (Talk about cleaning up! I've gone into over drive.) The final text was deleted just as I reached my front door.

So I've cleaned up, sorted out and am settling into a new blogging home now. Please come over and join me. Leave a comment to let me know you've arrived or join my Google followers. The kettle's on, the welcome's warm, I'd love to see you.

http://www.wildethymeknits.blogspot.com/

Round Up

2009-09-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally managed to set a side a little time yesterday to finish some items. Now that my home is finally kid-free and guest-free, I took a small break from the clearing up and sat down to face the Lacy Top that I'd almost forgotten about in my WIP's basket. With summer almost over now, I decided that I really should face the dreaded sewing stage on this cotton item. After all, we are only talking about 2 underarm seams and a few ends to sew in. Not exactly a mammoth task.

I lay the piece out on the table and prepared to bite the bullet. With my High Schoolers sneezing and snorting behind me (they've been off sick and it's only the first week!) I picked up my needle and scissors and got started.

Boy, do I HATE sewing seams. Even when I do the glorious invisible seams that give you a great sense of satisfaction as you draw up the thread and watch the knitted stitches slide together as if they totally belong that way. For some reason, I just hate having to sew after all that knitting. The only needle I want my garments to see is a knitting needle.

Despite the fact that the Lacy Top is a top down construction, the pattern requires you to cast on over the cast off stitches of the arm holes, thus requiring seaming at the end. How I wished that I'd just picked up and avoided the sewing entirely.

I know, it's pathetic!.....Two little underarm seams.......and I'm making so much fuss.

I walked to pick up The Little Guy from school inbetween armholes, hoping that the fresh air would improve my mood. No luck. What can I say? I just don't like sewing. Thankfully, I've finished and am now blocking the top. Hopefully I'll get to wear it as an early autumn piece, layered over the top of a plain T-shirt.

Another project that I made a decision on is the lace curtain. What was I thinking??? Loved the idea.......but the time, my friends, I just don't have enough of it! As much as I hate to admit that "The Husband" was right all along and will delight in my defeat, I JUST CAN'T DO IT ANY MORE!
In an effort to streamline my projects, I decided to abandon my dreams of lightweight English lace floating in the summer breeze and settle for a piece of heavyweight US lace that the previous owner of my house left behind! One small strip is perfect hanging from a cafe curtain rod in the downstairs bathroom and has the added bonus of keeping more of that NW chill out when winter arrives.

Finally, I just popped over to Jared Flood's blog and caught this terrific piece about an original EZ cardigan that he's been lucky enough to be asked to photograph. Following my own recent Elizabeth Zimmermann encounters, I can recommend it as an encouraging read.

For Want Of A Zipper........

2009-09-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

................the race was lost.

Yes, despite my best efforts, I just couldn't manage to get that "Tomten" jacket finished in time for my parents departure back to the UK at 5pm on Sunday night. With the weekend packed full of events like 'The Little Guy's' first soccer game of the season and a tourist trip to the local Ice Caves, I just ran out of time.

I did try hard. I knit the final border up the front and around the hood on Friday night, which made a superb finish. My plan then was to sew in all the ends, stitch up the sleeve seams and then put in the 16" zipper. The problem was, I only had a 10" zip in my stash (it's a zip because I bought it in England and that's what we call them there.)

After Saturday morning's soccer game, I raced to my LYS in the vague hope that my friend might have a secret supply of zippers hidden away somewhere. No luck. Even the swift round of phonecalls she made to local quilting stores along my proposed route to the ice caves that afternoon, proved fruitless. Looking at my schedule, there was just no way that I could fit in a drive to the city, just to pick up a zipper and then get said zipper stitched correctly into the garment.

I gave up.

The jacket is rather on the large side, so there's plenty of growing room knitted into it, I reasoned. There really is no rush to get it off to my niece. Pride was also beginning to take over. Did I really want to rush the finishing touches on this project? Haste would only raise the odds of making a gargantuan mistake at the last hurdle. Did I really want to risk that?

The answer was "No!"

So where is the "Tomten" now? Sitting in my basket of WIP's. After all, when the pressure's off, what's a knitter to do?

Why, cast on for something new ofcourse. =)

PS. If you're in the UK, check out BBC2 at 8.45pm on Wed 16th Sept and see my cousin, James Bumpass, boning an oxtail on "Masterchef!"

A Poor Craftsman Always Blames His Tools

2009-09-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

I came across this article this morning from one of my favourite financial blogs, "Get Rich Slowly." It talks about how to evaluate potential purchases and encourages us to think about our needs versus our wants. The author is building a new home, which will require a new kitchen. Or will it?

Having come across an article by food writer Mark Bittman entitled, "So Your Kitchen Is Tiny. So What?" it led her to question her reasons for wanting fancy new kitchen appliances. Do the appliances make the cook or is the art of cooking just that; an ability no matter how good your tools are?

Bittman, who writes The Minimalist column in The New York Times, describes in this article how he makes do with only 42 square feet of kitchen space. He writes:

[Chefs and food writers] know that when it comes to kitchens, size and equipment don’t count nearly as much as devotion, passion, common sense and, of course, experience.
To pretend otherwise — to spend tens of thousands of dollars or more on a kitchen before learning how to cook, as is sadly common — is to fall into the same kind of silly consumerism that leads people to believe that an expensive gym membership will get them into shape or the right bed will improve their sex life. As runners run and writers write, cooks cook, under pretty much any circumstance.

This got me thinking about knitting (just to make a change.) Are we really only as good as the quality of the tools we use or is the fact that we can knit really the most important thing?

Last week I attended the first ever meeting of our local Knitter's Guild. It was a wonderful evening and one of the funniest parts was the game, "Can You Knit With This?" Knitters were asked to delve into a brown paper carrier bag and pluck out two regular household items to knit with. What a riot! In the space of 3 minutes our valiant volunteers created fabric using everything from a wooden spoon to a whisk!

Frankly, I think this proves that true skill will prevail no matter what the circumstances. A real artist can create in any situation and it is the act of doing that is fundamental to developing that skill.

Now, I'm not advocating that you grab the turkey baster from the kitchen and set to with gusto, but don't let the quality of your tools and yarn stop you from creating wonderful objects. After all "sticks and string" really are all you need to create beautiful works of knitted art.

PS: I'm on the last sleeve!

A Race Against Time

2009-09-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Pattern: "Tomten" by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Materials: Plymouth Encore

Needles: US 8

I don't know how it happens, but somehow I always manage to turn a nice gentle knitting project into a race against time. Maybe I just have this deep desire to add spice to a simple project or perhaps I just get a kick out of self-imposed deadlines? Who knows. What I do know is that my glorious garter stitch project, which was supposed to lead me gently, in a 'California cruisin' style into the autumn, has suddenly become a race against time to complete. Maybe it's just because I'm on the homeward stretch, always the time when interest starts to wane and I can easily end up with an eternal 'Work-In-Progress' (WIP)! Or perhaps it's because my parents are returning to England on Sunday and I really don't want to have to post the Tomten jacket to my niece?

Whatever the reason, I am now knitting like a woman possessed. I knitted the hood last weekend in between trips out with the family and sat grafting it late on Sunday night while watching a DVD of Dale Chihuly's fantastic Glass Art. I followed EZ's Kitchener tips in her book, "Knitting Without Tears," but I know that "Knitty" and "TechKnitting" also have great articles on this easy sewing technique. (Video Tutorial at You Tube.)

So far, I have resisted the urge to alter Elizabeth's pattern. I wanted to stay true to her original jackets, the ones she knitted for her own children back in the '60's. You can see pictures in her book "The Opinionated Knitter" along with a reprint of the origional newsletter that she published.

Now I'm on the sleeves.

One child went back to school today, the others go tomorrow and with soccer practice tonight, I think I have a rainy date with the car and my Ipod later today. Should be able to make some headway........I hope.

A Knitter's Note

2009-09-04T10:22:00.001-07:00

Pattern: 'Tomten' by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Materials: Plymouth Encore

Needles: US 8

I write a lot of notes. I am always afraid that I'll forget something and so my house is littered with bits of paper decorated with my semi-legible scrawl. I have lists of groceries, a general daily 'To-Do' list and a liberal sprinkling of reminders to clean out the cat's litter tray, pay the bills or drive the kids to an event. In fact I really should write myself a note as a reminder to put my son to bed at a decent time (or actually 'at all!') Last night, I forgot and he was up until I went to bed. Not a very good omen when school is about to start back next week!

My life also consists of knitting notes. Sometimes I run out of row counters and so I revert to scraps of paper marked with roman numeral chicken scrawl. It's extremely effective and has served me well for 35 years. As long as I remember to put the note back into the knitting bag at the end of my session, I'm good.

It is not surprising then that I have had to write myself a rather large 'Note To Self' just so that I don't forget that I now have a man downstairs! Yes, having barged in on several important business calls during the past few days, I have reverted to the 'visual reminder' method of mental prompting that I know works so well with me. My note is kingsized and is working like a dream.

I've also taken advantage of a few moments in the car at soccer practice working on 'Tomten.' Despite the blazing sunshine, I was determined to make headway on the hood and spent a peaceful 45 mins knitting in the heat. In fact, I feel that I really owe EZ a knitter's note. I'll send it as a prayer, I think. It's very simple really. It'll just say:

"Thanks!"

Ready For Change?

2009-09-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Pattern:"Tomten" by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Materials:Yarn: Plymouth Encore

Needles: US 8

I have a man in my garage!

Yes, along with the three children lurking somewhere in the bedrooms and the visiting parents in the garden, I now have a husband working in my garage! In the absense of a home office, poor P.A. has been forced to take up residence in the only other quiet spot in the house...his beloved garage workshop.

The start of September has seen several changes here at Wilde Thyme including the slow disintegration of the job that brought us to America. With the lease up on his company's offices, working from home has just kind of happened, but for how long we don't know. Naturally we are "down" but by no means are we "out" yet. Let's face it, we are British and that stiff upper lip is alive and well and living at our house!! For want of a better analogy: "The show's not over until the fat lady sings!"

So with fortitude we have launched ourselves into our new routine. I can no longer go in and out of my house via the garage, but must now remember to take the front door key with me to lock and unlock the main door. This could well leave me searching my pockets, handbag and the car glove compartment on a regular basis, but I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually. Nipping out to the grocery store today though meant moving the truck, then my car, then replacing the truck, before I could drive my parents out. This was after I'd been on a hunt for P.A.'s keys. Reaching the freezer also caused a small hiccup as well. It now supports a fax machine so I'm going to have to get myself slightly more organised when it comes to defrosting things.

Thank goodness for "Tomten". I've been taking EZ's advice and have been 'knitting through all crisis.' Yesterday I took my knitting to my daughter's pediatrician's office. I'd just settled down to start, when the doctor walked in to see us. Thankfully she's a fellow knitter and was quite happy for me to continue with my garter stitch while we all talked. I managed several rows on one of the fronts while we discussed vaccination charts and medical insurance.

In fact, I really am going great guns on this project. I'm almost looking forward to the day I get trapped in the car by rain at soccer practice. Just imagine it, an entire hour out of 'the mad house', alone with my knitting! Now that's a change I'm ready for.

Knitting With Confidence

2009-08-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

Today is the end of the month and it is D Day for us. As well as having house guests from England at this stressful time in our lives, I am racing around organizing physicals for the children in case I end up without a doctor and doing all those things that one normally does to try to prevent major fallout.

I am also, I'm very happy to say, knitting again!!

Yes, EZ has been my saviour. Cracking open Elizabeth Zimmermann's book to research her "Tomten" pattern has got me back up and running in the knitting department. The pattern is perfect as a social project. Its simplicity lends itself perfectly to those occasions when you want something to work on but need to have your wits about you to converse with fellow knitters or your mother!

I leapt into my stash this weekend and pulled out several skeins of Plymouth Encore, an acrylic/wool blend, in a gentle shade of pink that will make a perfect warm winter jacket for a little girl. I'm using size US 8 needles and coming up with a gauge of 4sts per inch. After one false start when I swear the item could have stretched to fit around me(!) I have now cast on 104sts and am merrily producing pink garter stitch while my mum brings me up to date on all the news back in "Ol Blighty."

As to the rest of life? EZ even has an answer for that. She says: "Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crisis."

Sounds like good advice to me.

EZ To The Rescue

2009-08-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Not last night, but the night before, it rained. It's been so long since I heard rain, that I woke up wondering what on earth the noise was! The garden was almost gasping in relief at finally having a good refreshing downpour, but I didn't feel quite the same. Along with it came some early morning mist and the smell of Autumn, just in time to remind us that it's nearly the end of summer.

My thoughts are slowly creeping towards soup, pumpkins and woolly socks now that I can feel that nip in the air at the start and end of each day. Deep down I'm hoping that, along with it all, my knitting mojo will return.

In an effort to kickstart my knitting spirit again, I decided this week that a new project might be just the thing to get me going. Not that I don't have enough Works-In-Progress (WIPs) right now, but somehow I just don't want to pick any of them up. Perhaps a goodly dose of EZ might be in order? I turned to Elizabeth Zimmermann's "Knitting Without Tears" which seemed like a promising title at least. What I had in mind was her well known "Tomten" - simple, stressless and practical. With plenty of new little girls in the family to receive the jacket, knitting 'for' someone wasn't going to be an issue so I continued my research.

Elizabeth was a delight. Her soothing voice rose out of the pages of her book, inspiring me with their eaze. I spent time on Ravelry looking at other people's versions too (what a wonderful resource that is) and am now about to select yarn. With our job situation now at "Red Alert" I shall be stash diving and hoping for the best with whatever I find there.

Wish me luck.

A Relegated Knitter

2009-08-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been out knit? You know, someone else nearby is constantly managing to create the most wonderful things and you're struggling to even pick up the needles. To start with it's mildly irritating, but after a few weeks it REALLY begins to grate.

Such is my situation now. For all of my good intentions, I managed only about an hour of free knitting time during my vacation. It just wasn't that kind of holiday. In fact, I was so pathetic that I couldn't even get my act together enough to knit in the car as we drove to Canada. In my haste to get everyone and everything safely stashed in the vehicle, I completely forgot to throw my knitting on to the front seat. Halfway to Vancouver, I turned round to see that DD2 was knitting on a fushia pink winter hat and grinning like the cat who got the cream!

So much for being a knitter with a capital "K". This summer I've turned into a pathetic excuse for a knitter. A knitter who is definitely a knitter with a small "k" and should really be considered a "nitter" with no "k" at all! If I was a soccer team I definitely wouldn't be first division material and would now have almost certainly been dropped from the division and perhaps even relegated to the bottom of the league. Yes, relegation is my new calling.

In fact, my only saving grace was that I did have the forethought to pack my knitting bag where I could find it for the return journey. What a godsend that turned out to be. Friday night at the US/Canadian border is no picnic, I can tell you. I was relieved to have the scarf to knit and the latest copy of "Interweave Knits" to browse through while we sat in line. Eventually, I decided to take pictures of the beautiful garden at the border, a decision that very nearly resulted in me getting left behind. I was just heading back to our vehicle when they waved our block of cars on to the front of the line. I rarely run in public (and for good reason) but the prospect of being left in Canada with no passport and no money was enough for me to attempt to emulate Usain Bolt, much to the amusement of my fellow travellers!

We waited over two hours just to have the pleasure of showing our green cards to a stern border patrolman, who asked whether we'd bought anything and got hit by one of P.A's "Er, wells?" This was not the time for a laid back, contemplative "Er, well?" His suspicion aroused, the border guard ducked his head back in time to hear that DD1 had "just bought a few clothes." Now anyone with half a brain would know that purchasing anything up there would have been pretty pointless. The clothing was so small that I could have dressed a doll with it and there wasn't a yarn store within miles of downtown (I did google them.) Add to that the fact that everything cost a lot more than it does here at home and you get my point. Unless they happened to be selling Quivit nextdoor to my hotel, then I wasn't going to be tempted by much.

In California last week, I managed an hour on my Kid's Keyhole Scarf. I console myself with the fact that it was the most complicated part, as I managed to make the 'keyhole' part while I was there. Still, I am definitely fodder for the "Knitter Relegation Squad" when it comes to airline travel. Yes, I confess, I was intimidated by airline security and so I packed my knitting in my suitcase. I like to travel light too, which means that I check my tiny, roll along suitcase and then watch the rest of my fellow travellers trying to shove theirs into the overhead lockers. It's actually rather amusing. Here in the US you can bring a handbag and a small case on to the plane. As a European, I'm used to travelling with a lot greater luggage restriction and frankly, the hassle of trying to fight other people for that locker space is just not worth it. While they're wrestling with their hand luggage, I have usually left the plane and am cruising into the terminal to retrieve my roll along from the baggage carousel. I arrive at my destination a whole lot calmer and less dishevelled.

Still, I haven't mastered the art yet of aeroplane knitting. What are the rules? How do you get needles and stitch holders past airport security? Do you just use bamboo for airline travel and are socks out of the question because the needles are so small and sharp?

To avoid relegation, I think I need to know!

Vacation

2009-08-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally managed some knitting! Last night I kissed the family goodbye and grabbed my bag to go and meet with some knitting friends for a few hours. Initially it took me a while to remember what I was knitting, how far I'd come and if I could actually talk and knit at the same time. I was pleased to discover that I haven't lost the art of either! Indeed it's just like riding a bike - once you've learned, you never forget.

My delightful little project bag (handmade by my MIL) proved to contain the dear little grey Keyhole Scarf that I started aeons ago. It was honestly good to kick back and knit a little on something that didn't take a lot of brain power or energy. After weeks of decorating, driving kids all over the county, watering a parched veggie bed twice a day and mopping up cat pee (don't ask!), I was glad to escape and chill over the needles.

I am hoping to do more, although as I've finally planned a few days away (for the first time in 2yrs) I suspect that laundry and packing will take over my life this weekend. We're heading over the border to Canada on Monday followed next Saturday by a whistle stop trip to California for DD1 and I. I'm going to be busy.

Packing for five is no joke either. When the kids were small we resembled an army on military manoeuvres whenever we all left town! Now we no longer have to take half a hundred weight of nappies (diapers) with us, things have improved, although teenage girls on tour are not to be messed with, especially in the clothes department. When we were first married, P.A. used to complain that I took so much stuff when I travelled. Oh, how times have changed. Now I gladly leave the kitchen sink behind and can makedo with what commonly passes here in the US for hand luggage. Instead the girls have taken up my space in the trunk of the car with 'goodness only knows what.' Thank goodness we have a minivan!

Even if the girls do manage to do their own washing these days, it's pretty inevitable that we'll all need to use the laundry machine at the same time. Perhaps if I'm really quick, I could get a load or two on before they start jostling for the 'casual/permanent press' button? Do you think 6.30am is a totally unreasonable time to start the machine? Hmmmm, maybe I'll just chill with those needles and enjoy the quiet for a little longer.

See you soon!

Summer Projects

2009-07-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well my projects this summer have not been of the knitting variety. Sad to say, I have not picked up my needles for over a week. It is all because I have needed to work on that 'To Do' list that I planned at the beginning of the year. Starting to paint our house has been this year's major project. You see, we think that it hasn't been done since it was built 16yrs ago!

You can imagine what condition the walls are in by now. Thankfully nothing is peeling, but they really are so dry that just one whiff of emulsion and they cry out for attention. To say they are thirsty is an understatement.

So this week, while my girls were away, I tackled the last of the kids bedrooms. DD2 was the lucky recipient, after all, I just couldn't pass up the chance of having a spare room to put all her stuff into and no one to rehouse in someone elses room during the process. It was a golden opportunity.

It was also hard work. The walls were full of pin holes that had to be filled and sanded. Then the entire room (including the closet) was daubed with basecoat and finally, several days later, I started painting the ceiling. It was backbreaking work even with my trusty roller taped with duct tape to the top of a mop handle. By the end of the day my legs ached from running up and down the ladder and the stairs. My feet were also so sore from walking barefoot on plastic, that I swear I was going lame. By Saturday I enlisted P.A's help to paint the final two walls green.

Yesterday we started moving the furniture back in. It was just like doing a Makeover TV show as we counted down the hours until the girls would arrive home. Such a shame that they arrived back from New Orleans in the early hours of the morning, so I haven't seen them yet. Still, I know DD2 will love it. At last her American bedroom is truly hers and I can tick another project off that giant list!

Six

2009-07-20T07:05:00.001-07:00

I actually managed to knit six rows on the Swallowtail Shawl this Saturday. I know it was only six rows, but as the project is starting to grow more now, those six rows take longer than they did before. I'm still religiously ticking them off on my "Swallowtail Shawl Mileage Sheet" and hoping and praying that I maintain the correct stitch count, but hey, IT WAS SIX WHOLE ROWS!

My main issue is having the energy to knit at the end of the day. I could really do with the calming presence of my knitting, but most of the time I'm too wiped to do more than fall into bed in a state of exhaustion. Consequently six rows really was a major achievement. Six rows meant setting aside an hour on a deck chair in the sun listening to my iPod and cutting everyone else out for that time. Six rows meant ignoring the cries of "Muuumm?" as they tried to find me and six rows meant ignoring P.A waving from the pool as he tried to draw attention to the fact that it was now 80 degrees and he'd actually got into it!!

DD2 is coveting my progress. She hit an issue again so her yarn is back in the corner of the room in a tangled heap. She's trying to pursuade me to redo it for her (she keeps ending up with too many stitches), but so far I have not succumbed to her butt-licking declarations of "You know you love me, Mum" or "I'm your favourite daughter and I love you soooo much!"

Thankfully I've been too busy keeping control of our burgeoning vegetable garden to be sweet-talked into someone elses lace project. The weather has been unbelievably hot this year and so watering has been a big job. The plants on my front deck are beginning to get away from me now. It's just so hot there and we're all getting too lazy to contort ourselves to water the hanging tomatoes and strawberries. The white onions in the container have been wonderful though. Every time I need one to go in the dinner, I just pop outside the front door and pull it fresh out of the soil.

Meanwhile, the zucchini (courgettes to my fellow Brits) are taking over! I've had at least ten already (yes, more than six) and I only have two plants. They are coming on so thick and fast that my stomach can't keep up with the pace of production! This weekend I resorted to chopping, blanching and freezing some to use at a later date in soups, stews and quiches. After all, you can have too much of a good thing and I really don't want to become sick of the sight of them by the end of the summer. I'm also on the lookout for any new zucchini recipes, so if you have a good one you don't mind passing on, I am your grateful recipient.

Now, I wonder if I have time to knit another six rows before everyone else gets up today? The benefit of waking before six every day (yes, there actually is an upside) is that I can sneak in a few uninterrupted stitches during the most peaceful part of the day.

Ahh, bliss.

Driver's Ed

2009-07-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I still haven't had time to pick up the needles. There have just been too many other projects going on that require my attention. It's not easy. Summer is the time for birthdays in our house, so there has been cake baking, parties, outings and ofcourse the ongoing experience known here as Driver's Ed.

The latter has been quite enlightening. It's our first time. We're complete novices, so as usual DD1 has been the guinea pig. We've experienced the usual 'foreigner-in-a-foreign-land' unspoken rules. You know, all those things that you're just supposed to just know. The main unspoken truth was that as soon as your child gets their permit you can put them behind the wheel.

No one mentioned that at the DOL. No one mentioned that at the parent's evening. Even the insurance company (whom we had to pester to know whether they would accept our foreign driving experience as part of the 5yrs that the parent has to have been driving) didn't mention it. We were supposed to just know. Consequently DD1 arrived at class having had a quick lesson in a car park from yours truly the night before and was required to drive around town on her first day! Scary! Once I'd got over the shock that my child had survived to tell the tale, all I could think was, "Thank goodness it's an automatic."

Thankfully she has succeeded and 4 weeks later has passed Driver's Ed.

Her father and I are now also fully trained in the art of teaching teenagers to drive. We no longer grip the passenger seat as she takes a corner too hard or involuntarily lean in towards her, eyes round with fear, as she passes a line of parked cars. Our feet have stopped trying to brake as she tailgates the car in front and our hands no longer sit in our laps clenched into sweaty balls. Indeed you could say that we are now graduates of "Passenger's Ed"!!

The arguments were also few and far between. For once our authority and superior experience were accepted without question. The realisation that passing meant 'sucking up to the olds in a big way' led to relative peace and harmony inside the vehicle. In fact, we now have 5 more months of potential behaviour modification powers before she takes her test. This should be good for some SERIOUS help at home. Success is, after all, still dependent on enough practice and that in turn is determined by us.

Ah, what it is to have power!

Lipstick

2009-07-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

I always know when life has spiralled out of control because I start leaving the house without putting on any lipstick. Don't get me wrong I'm not a vermillion lipped diva with a Marilyn-style pout, but I do normally manage to at least slap on some lipgloss before I race out of the door in the mornings.

Recently I've been jumping into the car in a mild state of undress. I've managed to make sure that I've had my clothes on (although I will confess to having looked down to check that I am actually wearing trousers and not my P.J's!), but my lips have been totally naked.

Now I'm one of those people whose face looks instantly transformed by a quick swipe with a pale pink stick of Cover Girl (or whatever I happen to have open.) I instantly look 'dressed' when my lips are coloured, no matter how little other make-up I've used. I usually manage a spot of eyeliner and some mascara too, but the lips just seem to 'do it.'

Sadly, I have now become so busy that nakedness has been the order of the day in the lip department. I am achieving things, so it's not all bad, but I'm beginning to look like the wreck of the Hesparus in the process! It's my fault really. This is what happens when you have 3 children instead of the standard 2.2 or whatever the latest government statistic is. It's only when you finally hold number 3 in your arms that you realise that you just relegated number 1 to the crook of your leg when it comes to the heirachy of family hugs. Suddenly two arms are no longer enough and when they all want a cuddle at the same time, you have to learn to hug one of them with your leg!

Granted my oldest two are now beyond the age of competitive hugging, but they make up for it in other ways. They're quite happy to wait until I'm available before they claim their cuddle, but when it comes to hogging all their parent's attention, teens and American culture conspire to turn the tables on younger siblings. Suddenly 'the nipper' is forced back into his/her rightful place as 3rd in line to the Mamma Bear and the Mamma Bear knows it. She longs to spend time with number 3, but preparing number 1 for life in the big, wide world takes all her time.

This is the point I have reached now. I've made great headway this summer; The Little Guy has a newly painted room, DD1 is becoming a 'good' driver and both girls are about to leap out into the world alone next week on a trip of a lifetime to the National Lutheran Youth Gathering in New Orleans. But I miss spending one on one time with my son.

This past year with two kids in High School was so busy that I felt he was becoming overlooked. I longed for the summer, so that we could hang out together, but the demands of a High School Senior are encroaching on our time. Knitting has been all but forgotten in the chaos of life, but as much as it pains me to sideline my obsession, I don't really mind. Finding time for The Little Guy is the most important thing right now.

To that end we've borrowed a book from the library called "Lunch Money" by Andrew Clements. I'm reading it to him. We're finding quiet places to go in the house or the garden, where we can just sunggle and read. Hopefully it'll give us that time together that we both crave.

We Have Growth

2009-07-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, the chart is working for me. Slowly but surely I am seeing growth in this project and I'm maintaining my stitches. Sometimes I find that I miscount because one of the YOs has got wrapped around the next stitch, so the best solution I've found is to count my stitches as I purl the even rows. I've also put an extra marker on each end to denote the two knit stitches that make the top edge of the shawl. Just having one on the right side row was not working for me. When I purled back, I'd just forget when I'd got to the edge and P2 instead of K2.(sigh)

The best thing though is that DD2 has been inspired to start again. Seeing my 4 inches of work now, she has been motivated to pick up her needles again and crack on with her green version. She's using a smaller needle though (which doesn't bode well in my opinion) but she's managed to get to the start of the Budding Lace repeats.

What's amazed me though, is that she's decided to 'put in a lifeline' to prevent herself having to rip the whole thing out yet again if she makes a mistake! She googled 'lifelines' and has worked out what to do. Honestly, she's making me feel totally reckless jogging on as I am, without a safety net!

Anyway, time will tell. I'm crossing my fingers that I can get to the end of the 14 repeats (I'm halfway!!) and then may be I'll consider a lifeline too before I start the Lilly Of The Valley pattern. With all those nupps to do, it sounds like a good idea to me.

Seeing Red

2009-07-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

It seems that I've fallen into a summer schedule whether I intended to or not. Please check back regularly for updates which I will post 'as and when' (but at least once a week.) Although summer should be a time of R&R (don't worry, I have penciled in some time for that), mine has turned into an onslaught of Driving and DIY.

Well, my wonderful weekend of knitting really was a weekend of knitting but wasn't so wonderful. I enjoyed a couple of hours on Saturday starting off my Swallowtail Shawl. DD2 on the other hand, spent her time ripping back her first attempt. With increasing frustration, she has declared her Knit Picks Shadow a 'no-go' yarn and thrown the whole project into the corner of her room in disgust.

She'd been doing fine, but then realised that she had too many stitches and when she tried to frog back, the rather delicate, fuzzy yarn got so knotted up that it broke....several times. Patience was not in her vocabulary and, eyeing my small piece of work, she warned me that the going might get tough.

It did.

On Sunday, I went back to my two inches of work only to discover that I too had created way too many stitches on my second lot of 6 rows in the Budding Lace Pattern. Determined to be more patient than my offspring, I frogged back to row 6 and attempted to start again. Two rows in and I again had too many stitches.

I went to Ravelry.

Reading the comments listed for the Swallowtail Shawl written by fellow Ravellers, I found Kim at "Musings Of The Fuzzy Kind". Having sat there doing the math trying to work out how many stitches I should have after each pattern row, I discovered that Kim has already done the job. She has made a PDF called "The Swallowtail Mileage Sheet" which lists the number of stitches for each row for the entire 14 repeats of the Budding Lace Pattern. Invaluable!

Despite trying to frog delicately back, I eventually decided that I'd actually done so little that I might as well just rip out the whole thing and start again. So I did. Late last night I reached the second repeat of the Budding Lace Pattern.....and made the same mistakes over again. In complete and utter frustration, I turned to the chart to see if that would shed more light on the issue than the written instructions. And do you know what? It did!

Just before I went to bed, the penny dropped. From studying the chart, I realised that I'd been repeating the entire section between the stars instead of just the 6-stitch repeat! That was how I was ending up with too many stitches.

Duh! Dunderhead!!

There is now a chance that I will get beyond the first repeat of this lace shawl and who knows, maybe once I do, I'll persuade DD2 to take the journey with me again.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T17:24:00.001-07:00

Pattern: Swallowtail Lace Shawl - Evelyn Clark
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow - Hot Rod

Time for sticks and string.....at last!

Size Matters

2009-06-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally managed to pick up the sticks and string again yesterday after a whole week of D.I.Y. It was a blessed relief I can tell you. I have done enough filling, sanding, priming and painting to last me, oh, several weeks at least. As if the world knew how much I needed the respite, the sun came out as well. I spent the afternoon sitting on the back deck listening to David Reidy on my iPod and working on a sample Kid's Keyhole Scarf that I started a couple of months ago.

I also managed to finish the African Hope Hat that has been wandering around with me for months hidden in my purse. (There hereby follows a major lesson!) Now I really must insist that you NEVER, repeat NEVER leave a purse project in your handbag for months at a time. It would seem that it is absolutely imperative to gauge that your work sees the light of day on a regular basis.

You see, after I'd excitedly sewn in the ends of my project and stepped back to admire it, it just didn't look quite right. For one thing, I hadn't been measuring properly (couldn't always find the tape measure) and as I'd only managed the odd round here and there inbetween picking up a kid from an activity, there was just no continuity. The pattern looked continuous (and is indeed correct)..........but the gauge is totally off!

The hat is child-sized.

I can only surmise that my tension (in every sense of the word) was so 'up-the-swany' that the hat turned out smaller than I'd intended. I guess that's what you get when you have way too many W.I.P's. Still, it won't be wasted. As the hat was originally designed as a charity project, I shall just put it away until such a time as a charity needs it.

Still, I'd really better get a handle on this 'creating some more F.O's thing.' If hibernation always leads to gauge issues, there are a variety of items that I could end up having trouble with, a sweater for P.A. for one. I don't think he'd be too happy if I claimed "expansion of his girth" rather than "reduction in my gauge" as the reason for problems with fit!

I'd Love To Knit, But....................

2009-06-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

Now I know that this is the same picture that I posted on Monday, but don't worry, you're not having a Groundhog Day experience. It is the same picture because, to put it simply, I have not knitted a stitch since Sunday!

I know, it's beyond comprehension isn't it. How on earth am I managing to survive, you're thinking? Well, I have to tell you, I'M HANGING ON BY A THREAD! (excuse the pun.)

The withdrawal symptoms started yesterday. I swear that I was shaking uncontrollably as I got out of the car in the afternoon, although that could have had something to do with my 'car-crazed' teen who was driving. This first week of Driver's Ed has completely taken over my life. Never have I needed to knit so much and yet never have I been so strapped for time.

To relieve my stress, I've been compelled to paint The Little Guy's bedroom. This project is coming along famously, it's just the assortment of toys and trash that his room has disgorged that's the problem. Climbing over an extra nightstand, three boxes of stuffed animals and a model aeroplane to get into my bed every night does nothing to quieten the mind at the end of a long day. I fall asleep aching and exhausted dreaming of traffic cones and kids in diapers driving high speed vehicles.

Fully aware of my present state of mind, DD2 has wisely suggested that we wait until the painting is done before we begin our Swallowtail Shawl KAL. Thank goodness someone is talking sense right now. It's certainly uplifting to have a pal who understands your pain; someone who doesn't Cast On in front of you; someone who is sensitive enough to take their own knitting to a babysitting gig and afterwards refrain from proudly showing you how much they've accomplished.

Although she's only been knitting for a year, DD2's become an amazingly astute knitter. Somehow she just seems to know when to usher me up to my room, place my knitting bag at my feet and say;

"Here, Mum. Knit!"

Top Gear

2009-06-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't exactly characterize my knitting life as being in top gear right now, unless ofcourse you're referring to something you wear on your head. Hats I can do, or rather one hat in particular, my African Hope Hat. This hat has been sitting in my handbag for what feels like centuries. It goes everywhere with me, so it is close at hand should the need or opportunity strike for me to execute a quick k5, k2tog. Yes, at any given moment during the past few months, I have been ready to get that crown shaping done. I just haven't. In fact I don't think I've worked on it at all since the time I lost P.A. in Home Depot and retired to the truck to knit, knowing he'd turn up eventually.

So last night I pulled this forgotten project out and knit a few rounds while I watched the first episode in the new season of the cult British car show "Top Gear." The excitement was palpable as we all settled back to watch the 'grown up' versions of our heros tackling a myriad of mighty road vehicles. (Check out the "You Tube" commercials for a look at the kid versions of Jeremy, Richard, James and The Stig.)

Indeed a return to our favourite car show was just what I needed ten minutes after having given my eldest child her first driving lesson! Thank goodness the download took most of the day (I believe fans crashed the server)and we were able to squeeze in her lesson before our family broadcast. The sight of Jeremy racing around an airfield in a gorgeous looking white Lotus Evora would have been asking for trouble from a car-crazed teen. I fear that my large white Dodge minivan is not quite as sprightly, although I have to say that you can 'turn it on a dime!'

So it was with great delight that I returned to the calming effects of some decrease shaping, even if I didn't manage more than about four rounds in an hour (did I mention how much I love the cinematography in this show?) The shock of seeing Michael Schumacher on the interview couch dressed in white leathers and white helmet left my knitting hanging from my armchair though. I suppose that even a seven times Formula One world champ has to do something in retirement, but I remain unconvinced that he could possibly be our "tame racing driver". As far as I'm concerned, the question still remains:

Who is The Stig?

D-Day

2009-06-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hours remaining........2hrs 00mins

The hours are ebbing away and I'm still surrounded by lists. Some things have been ticked off in a very positive fashion, but the fish is still swimming around in its bowl of green slime. P.A. casually remarked on it for the first time, today of all days. He was lucky to live, probably because he wisely chose to comment when I was not holding knitting needles.

I have just under two hours to orient myself before the children descend for the summer vacation. My main focus this year is to "get my house in order." I've only lived here for 4yrs but the place still looks like it belongs to someone else. That's the one problem with moving around. After a while you're almost afraid to put your mark on a place in case you have to leave again. Now is the time though, to lay claim to my home so decorating it is my way of telling the world that "THIS KNITTER IS NOT MOVING!" Let's face it, the stash is well hidden around the house now, a sure sign of 'permanent residence!'

So along will teaching DD1 to drive (anyone got a knitting pattern for a crash hat!) and knitting a shawl with DD2, I have hopes of painting some rooms in my house and making cushion covers out of the material that I bought last summer. Naturally I have probably overestimated the length of this summer holiday. When you're looking at it from the beginning, it always seems as if you have acres of time ahead of you, but I live in hope.

In the "getting my house in order" vein, I could also complete some knitting projects. I have an African Hope Hat sitting in my purse that just needs the crown shaping finishing. I also have a Kid's Keyhole Scarf on the needles that should probably take its place in the handbag and we just won't mention the Norwegian sweater I started for P.A. about 7yrs ago! Time to get things sorted I think. Now where's that cup of coffee? I must just check out those amazing lace scarves in the latest edition of Knitty!

Hours remaining........1hr 40mins

Still Into Lace

2009-06-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hours Remaining........ 25hrs 00mins

It's all go. I haven't wanted to pick up my needles for the past 24hrs. I must be ill. I need to pick up my needles if only for the meditative therapy, but I just can't face it right now. Maybe I need to start a garter stitch scarf or something? An eco wool blanket like The Yarn Harlot's making might do the trick I suppose, although a garter stitch blanket does seem rather a large project to undertake when I'm (hopefully) just in a rut.

Maybe it's too much lace, after all I have just knitted my Lace Ribbed Top (photos to come when I stand still long enough to get someone to take some.) It's turned out great I can tell, because DD2 has already suggested that if it doesn't fit me she'll have it! Honestly, if she can't get her hands on my yarn before it's made, she'll try to afterwards. I'm thinking of having a T-shirt printed with "Hands Off My Hanks!" emblazoned on it.

Anyway, we do have growth in the bathroom curtain department. I am seriously wishing that I'd cast on about half as many stitches when I began, as the window is not very wide and I could have got away with a lot less. I've been tempted to frog, but then I think of my night with Daniel Craig and the will to continue returns. There are just too many memories wrapped up in this now. I also have the most enormous ball of yarn to use so I need to really make a dent in it if only to reduce the need for future storage.

DD2 and I are also planning our first summer Knit-A-Long (KAL). We are hoping to tackle Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail Lace Shawl. Feel free to join us if you want to, but I warn you we're slow! In preparation we have raided our stash and come up with some Knit Picks Shadow which we have wound ready to go. I will be using a deep red colour called "Hot Rod" and SusieLusie (DD2) is going for the "Spring Green". Let's hope we'll both still be into lace when (if) we finish.

Hours remaining........24hrs 30 mins

The Countdown Lists

2009-06-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hours remaining........72hrs 30mins

It's the last week of school. In a few days the children will be descending on the home front for an entire THREE months. It feels a bit like countdown at Cape Canaveral before a rocket launch. They are counting the days (hours) until they're free; I'm counting the days that I have left to get things done before I find myself in a war zone every day. It's an interesting dicotomy.

I'm making lists. There are lists of errands to be run, lists of people to see and lists of projects to be started. Then ofcourse there is the "Summer List", the one with all the projects on it that I hope to complete while the children are home. This could turn out to be the most challenging of all of the lists, but hey, I'm an optimist! (at least I am at this end of the summer vacation.) By the time August arrives, I'll have realised that I was hoping to attain the impossible and have accepted defeat over at least half of it.

So, in an effort to update you on the projects happening here at Wilde Thyme right now, here's a few pics:

The garden's growing like mad. We've had more than 20 days without rain here in the NW and everything has been growing wildly. We're picking snap peas daily (and fighting over who gets to eat them), we've had fresh cilantro, Italian parsley and chives in our food recently and the potatoes are growing so fast that I'm running out of soil to cover them with.

After my recent see-through skirt experience, these arrived in the mail from my MIL. Isn't she sweet. In an effort to protect my modesty, she headed off to M&S and bought me two petticoats. She's priceless!

On the knitting front, I'VE FINISHED MY LACY TOP! Just got to seam under the arms and block. I did run out of yarn, so I had to unravel the swatch when I got to the sleeves. I divided the yarn in two and had enough to make each one about an inch, rather than three inches long under the arms. Hopefully it'll look ok and won't make my shoulders look any bigger than nature intended.

WWKIP day went well too. It was gloriously sunny and we sat outside Main Street Yarn in Mill Creek knitting, spinning and chatting. There were knitters of all ages there, which was a wonderful testament to the appeal of our craft.

Well, got to get back to the list now. It's telling me that the rabbits haven't been fed yet today and that the fish is on its last legs (well fins) because it can't see through the dark green water it's living in. Looks like my injured back has returned to age 43 just in time.

Hours remaining........ 72hrs 00mins

The Weekend Starts Here

2009-06-12T07:42:00.001-07:00

......and it's a busy one. My son needs one of our pets to arrive at school by 12 noon today so that he can present it in the Pet Parade. Oliver's giving me his "if-you-think-I'm-getting-in-that-car-one-more-time-this-week-you're-crazy" look, so I think he's out of bounds. It's just not worth the hissing and the scratches, not to mention the trauma when he encounters the other kids dogs! (that's my trauma not his ofcourse.)

The rabbits are......not to be parted. One could pine without the other and that could lead to all kinds of social and jealousy issues once they're reintroduced to each other. Again, way too much hassle. Trying to carry them both in one crate would also be a problem as, naturally, I have a bad back this week (I'm now about 63 not 93, so things are improving.)

I have even considered the fish as an alternative. She's a Beta so no social problems there - she simply doesn't get on with anyone. How a 10yr old could carry her in a pet parade is another matter though. The risk of water and fish splashing on to the concrete is way too high in my estimation and I don't relish the prospect of having to perform CPR on a Beta, especially in front of a lot of impressionable elementary school children.

So, I think the only solution here is to go for the stuffed version of Oliver presented in the kitty crate. No potential issues for either child or pet in this scenario..........I hope. Honestly, sometimes I think that schools come up with these ideas just to make parent's lives more difficult. My son is sulking and for the first time ever I'm actually wishing that we had a hamster! C'est la vie.

I also have my first HS graduation to attend tonight (clothes need ironing, food for the kids needs preparing, balloons and flowers need to be bought and ofcourse, I really must remember to write in the card!) Making space for coffee and some therapeutic handknitting sounds like a must, doesn't it.

Thankfully, there's "World Wide Knit In Public Day" (WWKIP) tomorrow and I'm hoping to be hanging out on the streets for a few hours with my bathroom curtain...........and lots of other knitters and outside a LYS, just in case you thought I'd be wandering the streets wrapped in a plastic shower curtain. I am still working on the lace curtain for my downstairs bathroom and I'll be bringing that along.

So I'm ignoring the mess at home today, focusing on the essentials and trying very hard to glide elegantly from one thing to another. I suspect though, that the harried looking woman with the crazy hair carrying a stuffed cat that you may come across in the grocery store, well that'll probably be me!

Knitting - An Extreme Sport?

2009-06-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm suffering. It started when I woke up yesterday, the niggling ache at the base of my spine. Then, in less than 12hrs, my body went from age 43 to age 93! Honestly, aside from the clothing (I am still youthful in some aspects,) I wouldn't look out of place behind one of those zimmerframes with the off-road wheels that seem to be all the rage amongst the elderly these days.

I haven't a clue what I've done this time, but sometimes this just happens. The family are being their usual sympathetic selves (I don't think!) and P.A. even suggested that I may have injured my back by doing TOO MUCH KNITTING.

Now where on earth did he get that one from? Since when was knitting considered an extreme sport? Let's face it, the way I look right now, people are bound to assume that I've either been basejumping, ice climbing or free running (Parkour) not cleaning my house (although that feels like an extreme sport at times) and knitting a summer top.

However, on further investigation I have discovered that knitting does bear some resemblance to a hard core sport. Wikipedia says that extreme sports "often involve speed, height, high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear or spectacular stunts." I think that just about covers knitting, don't you?

Take speed for example. Some knitters can knit so fast that their needles just become a blur. Hazel Tindell and Miriam Tegels are the world's fastest knitters. Take a look at this!

Then there's "height". Seeing as there are, at this moment, hundreds of Nepalese women handknitting products for small handicraft companies right there in the Himalayas, I think they've pretty well got the height issue covered. Plus, there's all of those Peruvian knitters creating knitted masterpieces at altitude too. Height? Yup, we knitters have that one sussed!

Now "the high level of physical exertion" aspect is slightly more subjective, don't you think? We're all different. A high level for one is just a walk in the park to another. But, if you qualify physical exertion by number of injuries, I think we can also take on the best of them there too. The fact that we even have to consider ergonomics when it comes to knitting, shows that we're right up there with cycling , basejumping (ergonomic bags are a must) and kite surfing.

"Highly specialized gear" - well, this one's obvious, just look at all the needles out there. Cable needles, square ones, circulars, different lengths and thicknesses of each, you really can't get more 'specialized' in the equipment department than that. As for "stunts", well C6B,C6F looks pretty impressive to me not to mention the art of double knitting. The greatest knitting stunt I've ever seen was someone knitting two socks at once, but one inside the other. (Peacework Magazine had a good article on this back in January.)

So, on reflection, I think P.A. may have been on to something when he put my back troubles down to my fibre fascination. Knitting could be said to be a specialized, urban athletic pursuit, although I put my back troubles down to the consequences of childbirth. Having had three children without the aid of medical intervention, well that really is an extreme sport!

SAT's, Stress & The Swatch

2009-06-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

So, it's time for true confessions. Yes, you were right, I do have the attention span of a gnat when it comes to yarn. Yes, I admit, I struggle to stay within the realms of normality when a newly blocked swatch is staring at me. Ok, I know, I shouldn't have, but it really was sooooo exciting to see how the swatch looked once it was washed and the feel of the finished piece of fabric was so intoxicating that I just had to......................cast on!

After all, I did have the pattern right there in front of me and even if I couldn't get the scanner to work so that I had a working copy to carry around with me, it wasn't too much of a hardship to cart the entire magazine around instead. Yes, I succumbed. I took a few days off from the bathroom curtain and cast on for the Lacy Ribbed Top that I swatched for last week. I know, I'm weak.

Actually, in my defense I'm citing stress.

Saturday DD1 sat the infamous SAT's - yes, those college entrance exams that we have been hearing about ever since we arrived in the US when she was halfway through 7th grade. Having had the test date hanging over our heads since last September, the dreaded day finally arrived.

For the past year I have been inundated with cold calls from companies trying to blackmail me into buying their SAT Prep products. For a mere $300 I could ensure that my love for my daughter would be adequately exhibited by making sure that she had all the 'essential' prep tools she needed.

I bought her two books from Amazon that are the size of our front steps!

My role on the day was to make sure that she arrived at the test centre on time. Thank heaven for Google Maps. I ran a search the night before and using the satellite version, planned and drove my route virtually as if I was preparing for a military operation. It paid off. We cruised into the car park of a High School that we'd never been to before early enough to allow peace and calm to prevail. It was a miracle.

I'd made a conscious effort all the way to remain calm and zen-like in order to counteract the increasingly distressed vibe eminating from my offspring. By the time I got home though, I needed coffee! It's hard work meditating for two not to mention trying to keep your eyes open at 7am on a Saturday morning.

I thought about her all the time. Nothing I did could distract me from it, so I gave up and started knitting. When it was time to head back to the test centre I put my sleeve stitches on holders, drove there, then picked up my top again and set to work. I listened to one of my favourite podcasts, "This American Life" and waited.............and waited. Suddenly teenagers streamed out of the High School along with a huge air of relief (and tiredness.) It was over.

I replaced my point protectors, marked my round and we drove home.

I looked at my daughter that day and saw that a great weight had lifted from her. It seems such a short while ago that we'd never even heard of the SAT's (in fact it's taken us several years to work out exactly what they are.) When she was 12, she was using Norwegian as her first language every day; speaking, reading and writing it at school. Now, just over four years later, she has taken critical reading and writing in English on the SAT's.

I'm immensely proud of her.

I've also forgiven myself for casting on yet another project. I think this will turn out to be a special one because it marks a major milestone in my daughter's life. I hope I'll think of her whenever I wear it. There's just one possible problem.

I may run out of yarn.

Squaring The Circular

2009-06-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

This week I had the opportunity to 'test drive' one of the new SQUARE circular needles by Kollage Yarns. Now, I wasn't entirely convinced to begin with. After all what could square needles give me that round ones couldn't? I decided to give them a go though to find out.

Starting to knit with square needles was really mostly a mental adjustment. Square needles and round stitches just don't quite seem to go together, but actually I was pleasantly surprised. I started knitting with a Us 5 24" circular and it was a bit like holding one of those triangular shaped pencils that you can get for small kids. Holding the needles was a breeze and after a while I completely forgot that they were square at all.

I found that the best part was the point. P3tog can sometimes be a bit of a struggle, but with square needles it's really easy. Somehow the flat edges of the needle open the stitches up more than round needles do, which makes it so much easier to slip the tip of your working needle into them.

People with arthritis or other hand maladies swear by these needles and I can see why. They are light weight yet strong and make the act of physically holding the needles much easier because you have something more to grip on to.

The only problem I have found though is with the cable. Although it is made from modern materials and, as advertised, "won't kink, kurl or knot," I have found the join to be inferior. It is driving me mad having to manually slide my stitches over the rather ragged join at the base of the needle. I am working with worsted weight yarn and, to be honest, I dread to think how damaged my yarn would be if I'd chosen anything lighter.

So, although I've enjoyed experimenting with Squares, I won't be rushing out to build up my collection unless they improve the needle join. For now I'll stick with my Knit Picks Options and my all time favourites, the Addi's.

Have you tried these needles? Tell us about your experience in the comments. I'd love to know what you think.

Feelin' Hot!

2009-06-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's hot!

Yesterday we hit the dizzy heights of 88F, not much for some of you I know, but this is the Pacific NW. We have literally only just emerged from the depths of winter. My feet have been encased in woolly socks right up until about 2 weeks ago (in fact, come to think of it, my Broadripples could still be laying in a heap on the bathroom floor.)

Thankfully we got our pool up over the Memorial holiday weekend which has turned out to be perfect timing. As soon as the kids get home from school, they want to get straight in. The nights are another matter though. A house devoid of air conditioning at a time like this is no fun and makes you long for cool European cottages built from stone. Wood is great when you need flexible building materials to cope with the odd earthquake that tends to hit when you live on a fault line, but you can't beat grey stone in a heat wave.

The sudden warm weather has also led to bare leg syndrome. Yes, I have finally got out of trousers and even braved it and wore a skirt last week. I was lucky enough to get a new one in a recent sale and hastily threw it on as I raced off to attend DD2's final band concert. It was only as I was walking across the road in the late evening sunshine, that I realised that something might be amiss. A truck driver at the traffic lights was giving me a very strange stare as I passed in front of his vehicle. Glancing down I realised to my horror that my lovely new skirt was entirely see through!

I turned every shade of pink imaginable and spent the rest of the evening avoiding any kind of back lighting!

I now have an extra project to add to my to do list. I have bought several lengths of white cotton muslin and some elastic so that I can make what we used to call in England, a petticoat. This was a demure little underskirt that any and every self respecting woman had in her wardrobe, in fact she often had several. For fear that she would be deemed a woman of 'loose' or 'easy' virtue, every real 'lady' wore a petticoat or slip under her dress. This allowed her to move freely in any given situation without the fear of inadvertently showing off the shape of her legs and arousing unwanted male interest.

What a pity they don't sell them in the shops any more (petticoats not unwanted males.)

The Secret Of The Swatch

2009-06-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

A swatch is a great thing.

I know most of us hate knitting swatches, but honestly, they really are quite amazing. They tell you so much about a yarn without you having to find out the hard way! And, I can tell you, over the years I've had my fair share of knitting disasters. For the most part, these happen because we don't swatch (or we don't wash the swatch after we've made it!)

The only way you really get to understand how a yarn knits up is by working a swatch. It's really quite incredible. For all the finger walking we do with yarn, caressing it's softness in the store and giving it a tentative touch every so often once we've got it home (just to stay connected, you understand), we really don't know how it will feel until it's worked. This is where the swatch comes into its own. For better or worse, that small square of knitted fabric can feel totally different to the skein we've loved from afar.

A swatch is also a memento, particularly if you give away a lot of projects, not to mention a 'living' reference card. You can work different needle sizes, different patterns and different colours all into one swatch. If a sweater comes unravelled or develops a hole sometime down the road, you also have matching yarn on hand to make a repair with instantly. To be honest, a swatch is a work of art all by itself.

The funny thing is that I've only just realised this myself. Normally I HATE swatching. When I start a new project, I'm always so excited about it that I can't wait to get going. Everything else in my life comes to a grinding halt as I eagerly cast on and get going. Slowing down long enough to knit the perfect swatch always seems just a tad too restrictive for me. Until recently that is.....................................

It all started last weekend when I took DD2 to the LYS to select some yarn in an effort to stop her coveting the Harmony by Jojoland. I sat down at the work table to avoid the temptation all around me, only to be confronted by a wonderful ribbed lace top pattern in July's edition of "Creative Knitting." A top-down construction by Kristin Omdahl, it looked like a simple knit that would be a wonderful summer addition to my wardrobe.

I left the building.

Last week I went back. It was just the pattern after all, not yarn, and being a classic it could just sit in my pattern file until I needed it. "Let's face it, my knitting queue is so long that I'll be a classic by the time I get round to making it," I thought to myself. "One little pattern won't do any harm."

I thought about the pattern for the rest of the week. It hovered there at the back of my mind, drifting to the front whenever I got fed up with my other projects. Two rounds on my forgotten wooly purse project while I waited to pick up the girls from school led to thoughts of cool cotton tencel. Then it hit me!

I HAD PIMA SILK IN MY STASH!!

When I got home, I tore the house apart looking for the delectable cotton/silk combination that I'd bought for half price in the middle of winter. There was probably enough for a cotton classic....... but I didn't need to actually knit the top. I am bound to the lace bathroom curtain right now after all and really don't need a distraction. But...........................................I could just swatch.

Yes, dear readers, guess what I did on Saturday? No, not 25 rows on the lace curtain resulting in a half finished product. I did that other hateful thing, I swatched.....................and I loved every glorious, unadulterated moment of it! You see, the secret to swatching is to do it when it's forbidden; when you're supposed to be working on something else. Suddenly a swatch becomes the best thing since superwash merino. The delicious feeling of doing something ever so slightly 'naughty' makes swatching a breeze. I may just have to swatch a few more projects while I'm knitting that curtain this summer.

Anyone want an afghan?

Dreaming The Impossible Dream

2009-05-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Do you ever cast on for something, in that wonderful dream-like daze where everything seems attainable, only to get that slow creeeping feeling after the first few rows that it's impossible? That's how I feel about the bathroom curtain. Don't get me wrong, it's coming along quite nicely, but it's just taking soooooo looooong!

Every row seems to go on forever. To add insult to injury, just as I seem to be making some progress, the whole thing curls itself up so that even I can't see it's beauty. Add to that the fact that I could probably have cast on half the number of stitches that I did, and you have a recipe for potential failure.

The problem is that I'm not a quitter. When P.A. spotted the enormous ball of Aunt Lydia's last week and remarked upon the size of the gargantuan skein of thread, I was forced to reveal my plans for the bathroom curtain to him. "That'll take a long time," he stated in an extremely dry tone. My heart sank. Even he didn't think my attention span would last long enough to complete it. Mind you, who could blame him. When you have to clamber over at least two different project bags, a couple of skeins of wool and several magazines on a regular basis just to get to your spot on the sofa, then you tend to have a heads up about the gnat-sized attentive abilities of your spouse! The fact that he thinks that this curtain will never actually see the light of day (literally) is like throwing down a gauntlet though. Now I HAVE to complete it!

To add to the fun, every time I go into the downstairs cloakroom I mentally try to measure how far up the window I think my work has come. This in itself is quite disheartening as I think I'm only about two inches above the windowsill so far, just in line with the top of the turquoise candle that I got as a freebie from the makers of Bombay Sapphire Gin! I have considered turning the whole project on its side, after all the pattern is symmetrical and that way I'd have half as much to knit. The trouble with that though is that the whole thing would be too long (sigh).

So I sit like a little old lady knitting away on my curtain not really caring how many yarn overs (YO) I put in or where exactly they go, because by the time I've finished it, the whole thing will be all gathered up on the rod and no one will really notice. This aspect could have been the most defeating of all, but actually it's really quite liberating. I can knit away quite merrily and not worry if I have a few stitches too many or too few at the end of the round.

Memories of what I am doing while I'm making the curtain are also getting knitted into it ofcourse. Last Saturday I knitted several rows of Daniel Craig into the white frilly piece. We spent the evening watching "Quantum of Solice" and now I swear I can see some double "O" 7's in the curtain. Somehow though, I don't expect this memory to last. When I walk into my bathroom and see a frilly white lace curtain hanging at the window, I'm hardly going to think, "Ah, James Bond" now am I.

Or am I? I think not. Male machismo and white lace do not generally go together..........unless ofcourse we're talking Colin Firth in "Pride And Prejudice"................ Oh, dear I can see where this is leading. Think it's time to get back to the job in hand and knit a few more rows. With any luck I won't see or hear from anyone while I do that so the curtain will be safe............... at least for a while.

The Mist Lace Scarf And The Cat

2009-05-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, my lace scarf. I just have to sew in the ends and take some decent photos of it.

It blocked up really well thanks to the Knit Picks wires and pins and as for the blocking mats, well, they are marvellous. It takes a while to get rid of that nasty chemical smell that you get with new foam, but if you can get past that, then the tiles themselves are great. I particularly love the fact that I can put them together according to the shape of my piece. In this case I made my blocking board 2 tiles deep and 5 long. I bought two boxes of them rather than one, just to be sure that I could easily block larger projects (each set contains nine 12" mats.) They slotted together beautifully and the pins slipped effortlessly into the foam.

The blocking took place in my bedroom. Having spent so much time on this scarf, I just had to find a place where the yarn could do its thing without the risk of a cat or child accidently destroying it.

My cat, Oliver, has often been tempted. Unattended yarn is like a red rag to a bull with him. I once caught him sneaking up on a pair of Two-At-A-Time socks. When I sprinted across the room yelling at him to "Get Off!" he panicked (wouldn't you?) and took off, catching the yarn around his neck and dragging my "work-in-progress" with him. Cat and knitter could be seen tearing around the house yarn and swear words flying. I finally cornered him in the front room. He looked innocently up at me with a heel flap dangling from his ear. As he resembles the ginger cat in "Shrek," you can picture the look he gave me. "Hard luck, cat," I thought, "if you had the voice of Antonio Banderas, I might fall for your charm, but not this time. I'm not so easily taken in."

Somehow I managed to retrieve my socks from my manic moggy. Actually, I think he was just as relieved as I was. Getting caught up in a mass of fiber and needles was proving to be less fun than he'd anticipated, I think. He looked at me as if I'd saved him from a terrible fate and then slinked off to lay in the sun for a while. Miraculously not a stitch was loss.

Since then I've had to be far more vigilant when Oliver is anywhere near my knitting (yes, he's named after that cuddly little kitten from the Disney animated movie, but he's about as far from that image now as a cat could possibly get.) Even leaping up to answer the phone can mean that when I return I get halfway through the next row to find the yarn has been gently gnawed through in my absense. Obviously blocking lace requires a room with a closed door and if necessary a full blown barricade.

When I took pictures of my work he 'pretended' to protect it.

When I started to block he positioned himself at the top of the stairs in a nonchalent fashion.......................but watched everything!

Somehow the scarf survived and therefore so did he, but the battle lines have been drawn.

The Stash Is Under Attack

2009-05-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

No, it's not an infestation of the dreaded moths or any other creepy crawly insect with a taste for yarn. No, it seems that my stash is under siege from The Family!

It started on Saturday when DD2 (SusieLusie) caught sight of that Harmony sitting in a ziploc bag on my rocker. If I'd been sensible, I'd have stuffed it into the depths of my hoard as soon as it had had its rock star moment in front of the camera, but no, I was still dreamily contemplating its future as a top notch lace product, so there it still was, on show for all to see.

It was love at first sight.

She took it out of the ziploc, fondled it and admired its colour and yardage, well, like a fully fledged yarnie really. How quickly these things catch on. It was only last summer that she was asking me, "Mum, how do I purl?" and now here she is caressing Jojoland as if she was, well, 'born to it!'

I guess this is what happens when a yarnaholic begets another yarnaholic. You think it's oh, so wonderful to have someone in your immediately family who truly understands your fiber fascination, who totally gets it. Oh the joy of a shared mother/daughter bond as you take a trip to the local LYS to check out their latest aquisitions; the pleasure of having someone else who also 'feels the love' as they fondle Filatura. If only it were that simple. No there are those dark moments that creep into all relationships when someone else covets your stash and, fearing for its survival, you have to find a new hiding place for it.

She spent the day trying to bribe me with Kid Mohair. She knew I'd liked the two skeins she'd scored at the spinner's sale last month and was keen to use that leverage. So far I've held out, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll last. The deep lilacs of that lace weight have been winking at me from across the room and begging to be swapped. I'd close my eyes, but my fingers are the problem!

I took her to our LYS in the hope she'd find something else and my Harmony would be saved. We snuck out of the house leaving a hastily scribbled note on P.A.'s workbench. It read, "Gone to the yarn store" and in brackets "(sorry)." Staring temptation in the face by deliberately walking into Aladdin's cave was likely to result in Oscar Mayer Weiners for dinner instead of barbequed chicken. I felt a touch of remorse.

DD2 was flush with cash from a recent babysitting gig and keen to increase her stash of lace yarn. I tried to find a balance between knitterly interest and self-preservation as we perused the Kid Seta and rifled through the Rowan. After a while I sort sanctuary at the large wooden work table in the middle of the shop where the owner was working on a summer top.

Big mistake. She's good at her job. The top was lace and as she passed me a skein of the yarn she was using, I found myself touching an 80% silk, 20% cotton combo. It was to die for! It took all of my rapidly fading will power to resist the urge to pop a few skeins up to the cash register to enhance my stash a little more. Thankfully the prospect of Oscar Mayer Weiners in my immediate future was enough to frighten me into sobriety. I sat on my hands.

Feeling immensely proud of myself for actually walking into a yarn store and leaving empty handed, we headed back home for a spot of lemonade and a discussion about DD2's purchases. The shared interest thing was a true pleasure once again. As she left to store her new yarn somewhere where I wouldn't find it, P.A. came out with a suggestion that left me reeling in shock:

Could some of the yarn budget be used to buy wine!

"Yarn budget? What yarn budget?" I countered.

"Well, I just thought....." he started, realising that he was perhaps on shaky ground.

"I just walked into a yarn store and didn't buy a thing!" I replied, utterly incredulous that this man could not understand how much fortitude it had taken to do that. Did he really not undertsand just how close he'd come to grilling Oscar Mayer Weiners on Memorial weekend?

"I don't believe you," he said, with a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Shitake mushrooms! He was enjoying this.

"Honestly," I replied, trying to convince him that he should actually be very proud of me. "I didn't buy a thing!"

"Well, I just thought....a few bottles on the rack......."

A few bottles on the rack, I thought. That leads to cases and that leads to cruising wineries. I know how these things are. Wine, yarn, wine, yarn - I was weighing it up in my head. The idea of a cold Chablis on a warm sunny day was pretty compelling, but so was a skein of prized quiviut or a ball or two of alpaca. What do you get at the end of it too; an empty bottle and a hangover or an heirloom lace shawl? In my mind there was no contest. It would be nice to have both, but I didn't hold out much hope for the heirloom lace shawl if I'd already consumed the bottle of Chablis. Frankly this was a no-brainer.

"Sorry, mate," I replied.

Shaking my head and smiling sweetly, I handed him a bottle of beer.

The Yarn Magnet

2009-05-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

My name's Jane and I'm a yarnaholic.

It's been,...oh.....nearly 24hrs since my last acquisition.....but it's ok people, IT WAS ANOTHER GIFT!

Yes, I went to my knitting group yesterday and my friend and fellow knitter, Tinki, gifted me this gorgeous Jojoland Harmony that she'd won on the LYS Tour. Knowing my present predelection for all-things-lace, she sweetly passed the skein in my direction. Oh, the feverish excitement. My heart started racing at the prospect of yet another lace project and images of fine wool scarves flashed through my mind. It took me a good ten minutes and a strong latte to calm down. In fact I swear that my ADD tendencies are leading me into a state of perpetual WIP's.

I found myself sitting next to Kristin of AllSpunUp yesterday and we had that exact conversation. I was truly impressed with her fortitude when it comes to not going over the '3 projects on the needles at once' thing. I always seem to have so many WIP's that I end up overwhelmed with choice and project bags (I had to climb over 3 last night just to get to my knitting chair!) Still, I need a lot of variety in life I guess. As much as I long for a simpler existence, the moment I get it I'm bored. It's the same with knitting.

Acquiring yarn is often the catalyst for a new project. I get so excited by the prospect of working with my new yarn that I just have to plan a project. If I can manage to thrust the new skeins into the bulk of the stash as soon as I get them, then I'm in with a fighting chance of survival, but if not, I'm doomed to trawling Ravelry for a suitable pattern or sketching something out myself.

It's hard being an addict.(sigh)

Take that blue Wilma that I was given last weekend. I've already decided that I'm going to make a February Lady Sweater with it. I've wanted to make one for a while and suddenly I've found myself in posession of just the yarn to make it with. The temptation to CO is immense.

Instead, I sat calmly next to Kristin yesterday, trying to suppress my obvious yarn magnetism, and watched as she knitted up one of her beautiful skeins of handdyed yarn into a pair of socks. She passed a finished one towards me to fondle. It was dreamily soft and painted in earthy hues of greens and golds. The magnetic field must have kicked in though, because a moment later she gave me a knowing look and put it safely back into her bag (either that or it was the drool seeping from the corner of my mouth!) My chance to slip the sock on to my foot and conveniently forget about it had passed me by.

Instead I came home, blocked the Misti Lace Scarf (much to the rest of the family's fascination who were all very intrigued by the wires and T-pins) and set about pondering the Harmony.

Hmmm. Now, I wonder what you're meant to be?

It's Curtains For Me!

2009-05-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finished the Mist Lace Scarf. I feel sad and excited at the same time - sad that it's over because I really got into the pattern; excited because now I get to use the new KnitPicks blocking mat and lace wires that I got for my birthday.

Ofcourse I cast on for something else immediately. The thought of being without a lace project was just too much for me right now, so I sorted through the stash and came across this enormous ball of crocheters cotton which I bought last summer. I had planned to make a net curtain for my downstairs bathroom - you know, one of those floaty, lacy things that hangs there looking prettier than a frosted glass window pane. In the absense of frosted glass windows in rooms that contain toilets here in our corner of the US (maybe it's just a British thing?), a net curtain is something of a necessity when your bathroom is on the ground floor and your neighbourhood is full of little boys! (Need I say more.)

So, I have cast on for KnitPicks Lace Curtain. The cotton is very fine and a bit slippery on my Addi Turbo needles, but as long as I can manage to make some version of light lace fabric without stressing out my arms and hands in the process, then all will be well. After three rows though, I am already missing using a chart. I've discovered that although having the written pattern to follow is just fine, I really rather like the simplicity of a chart. Now, I know that not all lace charts are simple. Some of those huge projects, like the shawl that Rudee is making at the moment, require planning of military proportions to execute, but compared with the written version, they are a whole lot easier to follow once you get going.

My window is a lot smaller than the one in the pattern, but I'm hoping that the finer cotton will produce a narrower result and it'll fit beautifully. Now all I have to do is maintain the patience to see this project through to the end and that, as they say over here, "is a whole different ball game!"

LYS Tour 2009

2009-05-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend it was the annual LYS tour here in the Puget Sound area. It's like a pub crawl only with a lot of yarn involved instead of alcohol - equally as intoxicating though! The yarn crawl involves whizzing from one LYS to another during four days of pure indulgence. Along the way there are discounts, gifts and stamps to collect in your official passport which, if completed, enters you into a draw for yet more yarnaholic delights.

You'll be pleased to know that, under the present circumstances, I resisted the temptation to take part in the full blown fiber frolic and instead contented myself with one yarn store visit.

Yesterday was Norwegian National Day, so as usual we had planned a family outing to the annual parade in Seattle. Now, last year I happened to discover that the very car park we use to park in when we're down there, just happens to be right next to a yarn shop! What a happy coincidence. Having ducked my head inside quickly last year, I vowed that this time we would leave early enough to make a prolonged visit 'a plan.'

We did.

The Darling Daughter's and I spent a good 45 minutes 'petting' everything from Cascade Pima Tencel to Kid Seta. Meanwhile harried knitters flew in and out getting their passports stamped, snapping up the free knitting patterns and pausing just long enough to 'pet the peruvian!'

I blame the heat - it must have been over 75F outside and we have had a particularly hard winter.

With time marching on and some anniversary cash in my pocket from P.A, I finally settled on 2 skeins of Misti Alpaca in a candy pink shade. I'd drooled over some gorgeous Cascade 220 in a beautiful royal blue and stroked some Manos Del Uruguay in a deep red, but the pull of that lace phase I'm going through was just too strong.

As we emerged into the full heat of the day and made our way down towards the parade route, we were also excited by the prospect of meeting up with some old friends from our time in Norway. As special guests in this years parade and with a packed schedule, we would only have a few moments with them though.

Meeting up was easy, parting was hard. Imagine my joy though when they both presented me with bags full of Norwegian yarn that they'd de-stashed especially for me! There was Lanett, Silja and Wilma by Sandnesgarn and Falk from Dalegarn. I was so excited that it was all I could do not to pull some needles out of my handbag and get started straight away.

At the end of the day, we wended our way back to the car weighed down with folding chairs and bags of wool. Thanks to the kindness of old friends, our weekend LYS Tour could truly by entitled "Destination Yarn!"

Lace Yarn & Musk Ox

2009-05-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed! One small piece of knitted lace and I'm completely and utterly hooked. Honestly, I must be easily led. Last night, while everyone else was watching tv, babysitting or hanging out in their workshop, I was surfing Ravelry and drooling over lace. I think I just doubled my favourites in one go!

Then ofcourse that leads on to drooling over lace yarn. I've looked at everything from fine cobweb to handspun with beads. It's a whole subcategory of yarnology. ("yarnology", is that a word? Well, it is now.)

If you're a knitter, you've got to know your yarnology. It's an extensive field and with the advent of the internet, an ever increasing one too. Yarn knowledge seems to be hugely complicated and the more I read about different yarns, the more I just can't wait to try them out. Honestly, a little bit of knowledge takes yarn petting to a whole new dimension.

I've discovered that the Alaskan yarn Quiviut (Pronounced: KIV-EE-UT) is the most coveted fiber out there. It comes from wild musk ox which reside up in the arctic circle. Musk ox are relics of the ice age some 20,000 years ago. They lived at a time when saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths roamed the treeless high Arctic. As you can imagine, they have very thick fur that keeps them warm during the arctic winter. Their outside hair is called guard hair, the very long hair on the back, but leading up to winter they start growing underwool which is called quiviut. It is very light and soft and is perhaps one of the finest fibers there is. Consequently, the price of quiviut is more than $40 per ounce, yet demand by us knitters far outstrips supply.

This will be one fiber to watch as the world faces the challenges of climate change though. As the arctic gets warmer and the ice melts, what will happen to the musk ox? Will it die out or will it adapt to the new climate and if so, will this mean no more quiviut?

Something to think about, isn't it.

Anniversary

2009-05-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

Today P.A. and I have been married for 20 years. Quite an achievement really, it's almost half of my life. In fact it's very strange to think that I have indeed known this man for half of my life. We honestly feel no different from the way we did all those years ago. If it wasn't for the three children and the few grey hairs we've acquired along the way...oh, and the few extra pounds around the middle........then we'd still think we were in our 20's.

Instead we have teenagers to keep us in check with their "Oh, Mum, do you really have to do that?" or "Dad! You just don't understand!" (Oh, how I'd love to strap on my inline skates and zoom off down the local bike trail without having to worry about their street cred!)

Yes, we've reached the age of embarrassment.

Thankfully we are no longer an embarrassment to the older generation. In appreciation of our marital milestone we received this surprise gift from my mum and step-dad. Entitled "Breakfast In Bed" by Wine Country Gifts, it's the perfect present for two people trying to recapture their youth!

Garden Glory

2009-05-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

I had a great Mother's Day. I spent it with my family doing the two things that I enjoy the most, knitting and gardening. These days I seem to love any pursuit that has a kind of built in zen element to it - I guess you'd call them 'meditative' activities. When I'm knitting a lace scarf (and not listening to a podcast at the same time), I'm zoning out of the here and now and tuning into my needles. It's the same with the garden. My focus becomes the plants, their position in the soil, the quality of the soil itself in fact.......... Then a strange thing happens. I feel peaceful.

Communing with nature soothes my soul much like knitting does. These are also the elements that I love about yoga and Tai Chi. Not that I'm about to stretch into Downward Dog while I'm planting potatoes ofcourse, gardening is enough of a workout in itself, but the sense of calm that I feel after my green-fingered pursuits is just the same.

I also love to repurpose items for the garden. A couple of years ago our old mail box was replaced with a smart new one with a key. Not wanting to get rid of what was to me (a foreigner used to a hole in her front door for the letters to go through) an example of American culture and future antique, I repurposed it as a planter. I painted a Norwegian design on the front and planted it up with flowers the first year; this year it's strawberries.

Over the weekend I got my seedlings all planted up. I'd been hardening them off all week, so I was ready to begin the big plant out. I even managed to swap a few for some broccoli and cucumber starts, so now I've got a whole host of stuff to try to maintain this year. Thankfully the young kids in the neighbourhood find it all very exciting and were on hand to water everything in after I had planted it up last night. My Little Guy was proud as punch to be back to watering the veggies again. Let's hope his enthusiasm doesn't wane before the season's out!

When The Going Gets Tough........

2009-05-08T08:41:00.001-07:00

...................the tough cast on lace. I know, only a mad woman would consider casting on for a lace project when all around her seems to be falling apart, but........what can I say? When I need comfort, I run to my knitting and hiding in a project which challenges me with YO's, SSK's and K2tog's has been just the therapy I need. I was even brave enough to take it to my knitting group yesterday. Obviously, I wasn't full of conversation, after all I had a lace chart on my lap, but listening to everyone else's jolly banter perked me up no end.

I've been wanting to tackle some lace for a while and so I have CO with some KnitPicks Palette from my stash. The colour is totally 'me' ofcourse and it seems to be knitting up a treat. I'm enjoying hiding in my 'Mist' Lace Scarf project and avoiding the knot in my stomach created by the fact that my husband is about to lose the job that we moved halfway round the world to take up just over 4yrs ago.

Perhaps lace is the perfect project for a situation like this. Maybe gauge is not such an issue as it is with stockinette or garter stitch? Controlling the tension of your needles as you run the full gamut of emotions that possible unemployment throws at you (with loss of medical insurance and everything that that entails) is perhaps easier with lacework? Who knows? All I know is, it's working for me! Every time I feel that lump leaping up to grab my throat, or that anger threatening to harden my heart, I reach for my lace scarf and knit.

Right now, I'm very glad I'm a knitter.

Podcast

2009-05-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hurrah! David Reidy was back from his recent break this week with more "Sticks & String." I haven't been listening for long, but I've already discovered that I love this podcast. David's calm, natural style in front of the microphone and his soothing use of folk music, make this show a total pleasure to the ear (his Aussie accent does no harm either!)

I suddenly realised yesterday that it was the beginning of May (I think it was paying the bills that did it!) which meant that the latest series of "Sticks & String" would have been broadcast last Sunday. I raced to iTunes, downloaded the show to my iPod and then proceeded to tune out the sibling rivalry going on around me while I tackled the mountain of ironing (formerly known as Everest) which lay before me.

Never has the ironing been quite so enjoyable.

I was instantly transported to Australia where I attended the Sydney Royal Easter Show and learned a lot about how not to hang knitting exhibits! I also discovered what makes the Blue Mountains look blue.

As David uttered his closing knitting slogan, "Carpe Lanum," (sieze the wool) I finished the last of the days ironing and set the iron to cool down again. I unplugged my earbuds and found myself abruptly back in the world of teenage angst and Littlebrotheritis.

It had been a pleasant interlude.

Pattern #5

2009-05-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a hat pattern at the moment. I started it over Christmas when I was 'confined to barracks' because of all the snow that we had. It was the ideal opportunity to pick up my needles and some yarn from the stash and just knit.

When I finished the piece though, I was so shocked by how good it looked that I decided I needed to be able to produce it again. This is proving more difficult than I thought it would. The combination of the stitch pattern, the sizing and those decreases for the crown, have led me now to prototype #3.

This could be the moment where boredom gets the better of me and I pick up my "Monkey" socks instead! The thing is, the hat looks so bloomin' good when it's finished. I'm determined to master the pattern writing issues simply because the hat deserves to see the light of day.

My first sample was made in Heirloom Merino Magic, a lovely 100% Australian wool. For the second though I switched to RY Cashsoft, a blend of 57% extra fine merino, 33% microfibre and 10% cashmere. It felt a little strange to knit with at first, but now that I've got used to it, it's great. The stitch definition is amazing and perfect for this particular hat.

So I'm on to sample #3 and at this rate I'll have made a major contribution to my Christmas gift knitting! Guess what they'll all be getting?!

Animal Antics

2009-05-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm at the frog pond with my "Monkeys" already! I know, I've barely started, but being the dunderhead that I am I got so caught up in knitting the lace pattern that I forgot that I should be doing the sole in stockinette. Yes, I have 5 rounds of lace on both the top and bottom of the foot. That'll teach me to knit late at night when I'm tired!

So, 'Rip-it', 'Rip-it' was a regular mumble last night as I moaned, grumbled and frogged back to the start of my lace pattern. It sure isn't 'easy being green', as the most famous frog of all time would say.

Green was definitely a colour that was on my radar yesterday. While running errands in the next town, I just happened to be close enough to the yarn store where I bought my Noro Kureyon back in the fog bound days of last Autumn (it became "Sea Urchin.") Naturally, I popped in, signed up as a preferred customer and came away with this gorgeous local sock yarn to gift to a friend.

I think I'll direct her to Cookie A's "Monkey" pattern too and see what animal antics she comes up with!

Broadripple & Monkey

2009-04-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

Now that I've found a sock knitting method that I feel comfortable with, I am finding myself addicted to creating footwear. This addiction is closely followed by a naturally developing love of sock yarns, which explains my recent yarnie purchases (and gifts.)

The Toe-Up Broadripple socks are a wonderful addition to my sock drawer and have inspired me to keep on knitting Two-At-A-Time and Toe-Up. I really loved being able to try on the socks as I was making them and I'm totally enamoured of the Two-At-A-Time Magic Loop method. It looks a bit complicated - two balls of yarn getting tangled up with one enormous circular needle - but once you get past the two toes, you're off and running (excuse the pun!)

Following the Broadripple success, I have now CO for a pair of Toe-Up Monkey by Cookie A. I received this gorgeous Drops Fabel sock yarn by Garnstudio from my Norwegian swap partner, Kate, when I took part in a swap last summer. I love the way that it is knitting up. I have CO 10sts and increased to 56sts, because I have rather narrow feet. To enable the pattern to fit this stitch count, I've reduced the lace pattern from 16sts to 14sts by taking out 1 purl stitch before and after the first and last yo in the pattern.

So far, so good!

Birthday

2009-04-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was my birthday. Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes on Ravelry. It really meant a lot. As you can see, I gave myself a face lift for my birthday! (Well, I am feeling every one of my ** years right now.) I haven't quite finished, but I wanted to update the look of the blog a little, because it was really annoying me, and make it more 'me.' (It's a work in progress, just like I am.)

As you can imagine, I was blessed with yarnie type gifts on my special day.....in fact all my favourite things really. There was sock yarn (yum), knitting books (Mmmmm), flowers (ahhh) and ......... two boxes of Knitpicks blocking boards with lace wires and pins.... oh, and a set of sock blockers.

Now all I have to do is find some time to take a proper look at everything!

The Galina Interview

2009-04-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

I just finished listening to last week's podcast from the Knitmore Girls (I'm a bit behind as usual) and I really can't recommend it enough. If you're interested in lace knitting or are just intrigued by knitting stories from other nations, then you have to listen to their interview with Gallina Alexandrovna Khmeleva of Skaska Designs. It provides a fascinating insight into Russian life in the '60's,'70's and '80's and Gallina's business acumen and stoic resolve immediately reminded me of the Russian women I befriended while living in Norway. One was a gifted ceramic artist and the other a dance teacher, but for both art and culture were important aspects of their lives in Russia.

You can listen to the interview "Galina Knits Behind The Iron Curtain" here at the Knitmore Girls site or on iTunes.

If You Want To Keep Your Cash..............

2009-04-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

.............................don't go to the bi-annual sale at the local spinner's guild!
That's where I went last night. It was touch and go whether I'd make it at all, but half an hour after it started, I succumbed to the temptation and headed out the door. It was only 5 blocks away, so it seemed just so, well, easy really, to 'nip' up the road and see what was happening.

What can I say? The place was an Aladdin's cave. There were spinner's everywhere, vibrant coloured fleece by the sack load, gorgeous shawl pins and several people selling off items from their stash. The thing about spinning is that once you've started creating your own yarn, I'm reliably informed that there's nothing quite like knitting with your own handspun. Sounds a bit dangerous to me. I could easily get sucked in.

Mind you, some of the stash being sold at half price was pretty nice stuff. Look what I got!!

I think I'll be making socks for quite a while.

Normal Service Has Been Resumed

2009-04-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I've recovered from the kitchen calamity, in fact it was somewhat like riding a horse. I just had to get straight back in there and stubbornly prove to myself that things were fine. I needed to make a dessert for an event at the High School and so I made these. It took me ages, but I was doggedly determined to produce something exquisite from my oven again. The cooker is now spotless and a source of great delight every time I open it. For a rather ancient machine, it's holding up pretty well and our relationship has drastically improved over the past 72hrs.

The weekend was full of knitting, although not always intentionally. On Saturday I managed to lose P.A. in Home Depot (I know, it's a common occurance when you take a man to a DIY store). I'd only permitted him and The Little Guy to join me on my quest for some pots to plant my seedlings in, because they gave me that 'doe-eyed' look that I can't resist. What should have been a 10 minute dash into the store, turned into half an hour of searching and swearing! Spitting bricks and worried that I looked like I was staking out the entry, I finally retreated to the car..........where I picked up my purse project and reduced my blood pressure. The boys have never been so glad that I always carry knitting with me!

I did managed to pot my seedlings on without killing them all though and then spent Sunday afternoon at a local bookstore in the company of the author Cricket McRae. She was signing copies of her latest murder mystery, which happens to be based around the craft of spinning. DD2 and I spent a pleasant 2hrs working on our projects and listening to Cricket as she read excerts from her book.

Last night I finished my Toe-Up Broadripple Socks. I loved every minute of them and will never knit socks any other way. The single needle magic loop method satisfies my need to make 2 socks at once and Rob Matyska's pattern is easy to memorize. Although the socks are not identical, you can tell that they're related. Maybe I should call them my Fraternal Broadripples?

Kitchen Chaos

2009-04-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've had a culinary calamity! For those of you who know me, you know how rare this is (not surprising, perhaps, but rare nonetheless.) For those of you who don't, let me give you a brief synopsis of my background.

I come from a family of foodies. You wouldn't know it to look at us, but my family loves food and really knows how to cook it. One member has even gone on to become a top class chef. Family conversations are invarably peppered with tales of culinary extravaganzas or tips, tricks and techniques on how to recreate Grandma's best biscuits and Uncle Mark's Sunday roast. My mother cooked from scratch every night when I was growing up and often threw small dinner parties, designing her own menus and executing them in Cordon Bleu style.

Not surprisingly I progressed from sampling the leftovers, to creating my own cakes, pastries, breads and main courses at an early age. To me cooking was like falling off a log and soon I could do it in my sleep. This is probably why I did not elect to pursue it at school. I just thought that everyone could cook, so what was the big deal.

Consequently cooking has just been something I do at home. I cook every day, am passionate about REAL food (the stuff that comes out of the ground not a box) and have shared tips and recipes with friends and family. I even catered my own kids christening.

But......even good cooks can have a bad day. On Wednesday I was distracted by the girls watching Susan Boyle on YouTube just when I was putting a Chocolate Brownie in the oven. It had been a while since I'd made one and I knew that it didn't look quite right, but I slammed it in anyway. BIG MISTAKE. Thirty minutes later the Brownie was a sloppy half-burned mess and had risen up and out of the pan (which was obviously too small for the mixture) and was now sending a putrid burning smell wafting around the kitchen.

I threw it into the sink in disgust and resolved to set the cooker to 'clean' mode to sort out the large globules of brown stuff that were now stuck all over the shelves and base of the oven. Dinner might be a little late, but I'd get that Thai Chicken Curry sorted out afterwards.

Well, "the best laid plans" and all that...........When P.A. came wandering in the door and I told him what had happened, he informed me that the oven's cleaning process takes 3hrs(!) and that once it's started, you can't stop it. Unless we wanted Thai Curry at 9pm, then we'd have to eat out. I was mortified. This mess up was going to cost us an arm and a leg. He however thought it was hilarious. A few humorous hours and many dollars later, all 5 of us got back home to discover that in fact, I had not set the cooker to 'clean' as I intended, but merely switched the fan on. The oven was not locked and I could indeed open it to see those same large globules of brown stuff sitting there just as they had done before. The look of horror on my face was, apparently, quite a picture.

The question now is, dare I pick up my knitting? If this is what happens to a skilled cook, I don't hold out much hope for a semi-skilled knitter!

Expat Easter

2009-04-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

I'll never get used to not having an Easter vacation here in the US. For 39yrs I've celebrated Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Sunday and Easter Monday (known as 2. Påskedag in Norway.) Over here we just have one 'normal' weekend. It always seems very strange sending the kids off to school as usual on the Friday and Monday and I always get callers from Europe who are disappointed not to find them at home.

The other issue is that we have built up a lot of family Easter traditions during our years in Europe, which we now have to try to cram into one weekend. We usually pot up a twig from outside and decorate it with handmade eggs, do an egg hunt in the back garden after the Easter church service, hard-boil some others and colour them for our annual egg roll on Monday and bake delicious hot-cross buns. Now we also have the annual Easter parade here in our small town to fit in, which DD2 marched in on saturday with her High School band. It's exhausting. Something has had to give.

So, our Easter celebrations are starting to change. We just can't fit everything into the two days set aside for Easter over here. The homemade hot cross buns have been replaced by a dozen provided by our local bakery. (This is one job I'm truely happy to relinquish. I've been baking them for over 10yrs, ever since we left England, because there was no such thing in Norway. This is how ethnic food comes into being. Immigrants have to recreate the dishes they love because there's no one else who will!) I also decided not to take my son to the community egg hunt, which is quite a spectacle actually. Small coloured eggs fill a large field as far as the eye can see and kids race to pick them up in the baskets they've brought with them from home. Now he's 10 though, it's just not cute any more. As much as he still wants to join in, I feel that it's more about greed by that age and there's nothing cute about that.

I'm sad to see some of our traditions go. I guess I'll make the Easter tree again when the kids are gone and I have more time. Then I'll look at all the beautiful eggs we made and remember the fun we had. In the mean time, keep your fingers crossed for good weather this week. We might manage to have our egg roll done by next weekend!

Project Progress And A Friday Funny

2009-04-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I'd give you a little update on the projects going on here at Wilde Thyme this week. The main thing is that I've finished the neck trim on the Sample Sweater from "The Tailored Sweater" workshop. I decided to go for a picot edging, but then loved the openwork too much to actually hem it. As the yarn is Cascade Sierra Quatro, a cotton/wool blend, the openwork seemed to add that Spring-like feel to the piece so I've stuck with it. Just got to sew in the ends and block it now.

The Two-At-A-Time, Toe-Up socks in Broadripple pattern are coming along wonderfully. I even took them with me to the DOL on Wednesday when I had to renew my Driver's licence (yes, I've been here long enough to warrant a second visit to the Department Of Licencing!) I knew the queue would be bad so I went prepared. I came out with a new licence and several rounds of the sock gussets completed.

Out in the garden, the peas in pots are beginning to snake their way up the garden canes that I added for support and P.A has industriously built me my first raised bed. After last years successful container crops, we've gone for a bigger option this year. We did decide not to get too carried away though and have only built one 4'x8' bed. Coupled with the containers, this should be more than enough to manage (baby steps and all that.) Mind you, as I used up yet another jar of homemade tomato sauce this week in a pasta dish, the temptation to grow as many plants as possible was quite overwhelming!

Finally, I came across this book in a thrift store and just had to pick it up. Anything Norwegian is always a temptation, but the prospect of Ole and Lena jokes whenever we need them was irresistable. Last night P.A. and I kept dipping into it and sharing a good laugh. It is just what we need right now.

So here's a Friday Funny for you, courtesy of Ole and Lena:-

Ole had the misfortune of having his car stolen from right in front of his house. He chased the escaping car thief for three blocks until he ran out of breath. Upon reporting the theft to the police, the officer asked Ole if he could identify the thief.

"No," said Ole, "but I got the license number."

The Joy Of Life Skills

2009-04-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

I was really blessed this week. I was given two dozen fresh farm eggs by my daughter's friend. To me fresh eggs are like gold dust. You really can't beat them (well you can, but....) The yolks are so golden that they look orange not yellow and they taste amazing. For most of the year I just use regular eggs from the grocery store, but once the farmer's market comes to town, I'm usually on the look out for farm fresh eggs. As you can imagine, I was over the moon to receive such a wonderful gift so unexpectedly, especially during these hard times.

In the spirit of bon hommie, I decided to return the favour and included two extra loaves in my weekly bread baking session, which my daughter presented to her friend later that day. Not only did it feel great to have produced our own food, but to have shared it 'in the old way' was really quite special.

Being able to create my own food and sew or knit my own clothes were skills that I learned growing up - they were considered 'life skills.' What a shame these abilities have become so derided in recent years. I have been considered very old-fashioned because I can make jam, can fresh produce, bake pastries and cakes, sew curtains and pillow slips, make prom dresses, mow lawns, double dig borders, paint walls, put up shelves and sex rabbits (don't ask!!)

It's the same with knitting. People still think of knitting as something 'old' women do when they can't do anything else. Well, hello! There's nothing old about me, neither in my physical body or my state of mind. I just happen to strongly believe that skills like these should be preserved and passed on, for the good of us all. This old Chinese proverb captures it very well:

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."

Sample Sweater

2009-04-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Well, Spring break is over.........and, ofcourse the sun has now arrived! Isn't that always the way. We have gone from woolly sock syndrome to open-toed shoes in a matter of days up here, but I don't expect it to last (pessimist that I am - or rather I should say, 'realist'.) We're just making the most of any warm rays of sunlight we can get before a return to the more normal rain.

Back to the start of the vacation though, and my workshop on "The Tailored Sweater" with Tuulia Salmela. Wow! What an amazing time I had. I learned so much that it was well worth every penny. I'd never been to any kind of knitting class before so I wasn't totally sure of what to expect. I knew I'd be knitting top-down for the first time, but aside from that my mind was totally open. As it was, the fact that I'd never knit top-down before was something of an advantage I think, because I didn't have any preconceived ideas of how things 'should' be. I just did as I was told and........I'm thrilled with the results!

I also learned how to do a crochet cast on (which is handy as DD2 had just asked me that exact question and now I can wow her with my superior knowledge - if I can remember how to do it ofcourse!) The other expert tip I picked up was how to hide your wrap-and-turns when you're doing short rows. This is invaluable. I didn't quite get it right the first time so I can see the stitches that I did wrong on my sample sweater, but hey, that's the point of making a sample. It's there as a permanent reminder of what not to do. The second time, I cracked it and boy is it wonderful to look at a piece of shaped knitted fabric without a hole or a twisted stitch in it. I'm quite proud of myself.

Tuulia herself is endlessly patient, lively, fun and a fellow European to boot. The subject of washing swatches led to a meeting of the minds as we discussed the differences between US and European washing machines. Not that either of us recommend washing your handknits in a machine (which ever country you're living in), but we know people who do. Just be aware - that agitater in a US top-loader packs a mean punch, so if you must put your superwash in a machine, make sure it's a front loader that bounces the fabric gently from side to side. It may take twice as long, but the gentler ride will give your hours of work a better chance of survival.

"The Tailored Sweater" tutorial is now available as a download over at Knitlob's Lair or on Ravelry.

Kid's Keyhole Scarf

2009-04-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

I finally finished creating the PDF for this scarf which I originally designed for my cousin's 3yr old son. They had been everywhere looking for a scarf suitable for a small boy and in the end they asked me if I could knit one for him. I spent several weeks just mulling the project over in my mind while I got on with other things. What yarn should I use? Which stitch pattern would look good? How could I make my little friend feel independent when he got himself ready to go outside?

Unsure if he was sensitive to wool and needing a yarn which would hold a stitch pattern well, I settled on Encore by Plymouth Yarn. I figured this acrylic/wool mix would be easy to clean in the event of an accident and the vast range of colours it comes in was another plus. I settled on blue.

The Mock cable stitch gives the scarf a warm cosy look and the keyhole design means that small hands can slip one end through the large hole unaided encouraging independence. It also means less bulk at the neck, enabling the child to still be able to swallow or move their head whilst wearing the scarf!

Older children seem to like it too. If the length is too short for them, you can just make it longer, but remember to adjust the placing of the keyhole too. My son actually likes the shorter scarf because it doesn't get in the way when he's playing, but keeps his neck draft free. He also thinks it looks cool!

To access the PDF file just click on the picture in the side bar. Enjoy!

Signs Of Spring

2009-03-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

At last........there are signs of Spring around us. These are the first blooms on my Camillia this year, such a welcome sight after a long hard winter. The plant is still quite young, but each year the blooms become more and more abundant.

I've also created some pots for the front porch in the hope that the rain will soon stop long enough to sit out there and enjoy them. Instead of the usual floral display though, I have planted Snap Peas in the middle (just got to put the cane support in) and some Green Onions around them. They not only provide a visual balance to the colourful Primroses, but will hopefully grace our plates with their produce in a few months time!

My seeds have also been started (a little optimistically perhaps) as we're all desperate to feel as if warmer days might be on their way. At least by starting the seeds we feel as if we're doing something towards the garden while the rain is lashing down outside.

Now we're on Spring Break, so with everyone home, it's hard to find a moment to think straight. The workshop with Tuulia Salmela on Saturday was fantastic, but I'll save that for next week when I've completed the sample sweater I'm knitting and can show it to you. I'm hoping to finish that up and work on the Two-At-A-Time Magic Loop Socks, which I'm making using Rob Matyska's "Broadripple Design," at the same time as I feed the family, declutter the house and celebrate my eldest daughter's 17th birthday.

It's going to be another busy week.

Unravelled

2009-03-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've had to do some serious ripping this week. First there was the gansey. Yes, I know, it doesn't bear thinking about, but it's true, I've had to rip....and this is why:

Yup, it's big enough for a giant! I was knitting along quite merrily, developing some length and then making the gussets, when I had to split on to two needles for front and back. That's when I realised that not having a pattern to work from (or previous experience knitting ganseys) had resulted in an overestimation in the stitches department. Yes, my gansey could fit King Kong!

I'd have made it for P.A. if I hadn't already put my own initials on the front, plus for some reason he seems to think that it's even too big for him. I think he's right. As a result, I'm back at the frog pond. This time I don't mind though. I like this Fisherman's Yarn (the smell reminds me of my childhood gansey) and so I'd rather start all over again and make something wearable. You win some, you lose some!

Mind you, this was not the end of it. I'm having a run on ripping right now. My latest socks are also giving me trouble.

On Wednesday I started my first Toe Up, Two-At-A-Time, Magic Loop socks (yes, I'm doing 2 on one needle!) All was going well until I discovered that one toe was starting to stripe differently. I'd started them at what I thought was the same place in the colour pattern, but about three stripes in I found that one started to stripe in white and the other green. Turns out that one skein was wound the opposite way to the other. I ripped back and rewound the ball, certain of success the second time around. Lady luck was not smiling. The same thing has happened again, so I can only surmise that the skeins are dyed slightly differently.

I've given up. I'll just have to have non-matching socks. The most important aspect of this exercise for me is learning the technique. It builds upon both my Magic Loop Socks and the Two-At-A-Time Socks (see previous post.) I'm so glad that I worked my way through both of those techniques before attempting two socks on one needle. It's given me an understanding of the processes involved which is now helping me deal with one long circular and two balls of yarn at the same time.

Toe-Up is fun too. I've CO using Judy Becker's invisible "Magic CO" and it's fantastic. I can foresee a lot of use for this, especially for the base of totes or pin-wheel shawls. I found all the info I needed to get going on my toe-ups thanks to Charisa Martin Cairn, who's put it all into an easy pdf called "Lifestyle Toe Up Socks" Check it out.

Needled

2009-03-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I'm taking part in a workshop with Tuulia Salmela. She will be teaching us her Tailored Sweater method. I am so looking forward to it as this will be my first formal lesson here in the US, in fact, it'll be my first formal lesson full stop. Aside from the generous instruction I received from my grandmother at age 8, I am entirely self-taught, so this will be a new adventure for me.

In preparation for the event, I started to look out the required materials yesterday. I could manage the tape measure, scissors and stitch markers, but the stitch holder request means I have to get my baby jacket, Mae, off the needles this week and, ah, needles........... Yup needles were an issue. US 7 is not something I commonly have laying around in my very cosmopolitan needle collection. You see, I own needles from several different countries which I can tell you, does not simplify life at all! My needle gauge is my best friend and without it I'd be totally stumped. I'm always trying to translate US or UK sizes into metric, then I get confused and finally end up forgetting whether I'm looking for US6 (4mm) or US4 (3.5mm). Sometimes it can really be a problem.

I wouldn't mind if this just happened with knitting needles, but as it extends to every area of my life, it's no wonder I'm disorganised. My home filing system has to manage both American letter-sized documents and European A4 sized ones, so my hanging files have to be legal sized to fit everything in. If I could find my scanner, I'd go completely digital and get rid of the paper altogether!

In an effort to order my circular needles last year, I received a beautiful silk holder as a present. I was ecstatic, until I tried to do just that. Each pocket is labelled with the US size, so I had to go through all my other needles writing the US sizing on the packet to slot them into the right places. By the time I'd finished there was so much packaging in the holder that I couldn't close the thing! So much for organization!

Anyway, I managed to knit this swatch out of Cascade Sierra Quatro with the only US7 that I had. I hit gauge perfectly, so I have invested in some new needles which are the correct length to complete our sample at the workshop. I'm really looking forward to some down time with friends this Saturday and afterwards I shall delight in slipping those needles into the correct pocket of my holder. At least one set will be organized.

Oh, here's yesterday's pictures of the Space Bag full of yarn and the kid's rescued handknits.

A Solution To The Moth Problem?

2009-03-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

My magazine arrived safe and sound on Friday, just in time for what I had anticipated would be a more relaxing weekend than I've had for many months. The kids had nothing on the calendar for the first time in 'forever' and I was feeling pretty wiped any way.

Then Saturday arrived and with it some sunshine - not a lot, but enough for the daffodils to open and start bobbing their golden heads in the breeze and for me to develop a modicum of Spring Cleaning fever.

I decided that the answer to a peaceful soul is a peaceful home and as the daily lives of five busy people make a peaceful home almost impossible, I'd have to do the next best thing: declutter! After a hearty breakfast I set to and began sorting out my room and making space for P.A. to come home again. Laundry was folded, clouds of dust were dispersed and nightstands polished and reorganised. Then I looked under the bed. Good grief, what a mess. The dust bunnies had not only visited, they'd moved in and built a warren!

I got the vaccum cleaner and dragged everything out like a madwoman, determined to create order out of chaos. It was then that I remembered the Space Bags. I'd come across them at Costco during the week and picked them up because I'd been looking to purchase some for the past month. You see, I've had a MOTH problem.

A moth must have taken up residence (along with the dust bunnies) and has chewed right through my sons' handknit wool blanket, a gift from a friend when he was born. I found it a few weeks ago when we had that very cold spell and he needed a little extra on his bed at night. I was mortified. I thought of all the woollen garments I have laying around the house totally unprotected! I was particularly horrified by the thought of all the baby sweaters I knitted my children when they were small being munched through by a squadron of flying insects. It was time to take action. Space Bags would be the answer to my storage issues, but they might also be the solution to the moth one too.

So on Saturday I vaccum packed! There were duvets and blankets, summer clothes and beach towels, in fact I loved watching the hoover suck all the air out of those things so much that if you stood still in my house that day, you were liable to find yourself on the inside of one of them! It was then that I remembered the moth. "Hah, just try to get past this, buddy!" I thought as I sucked the life out of an extra large bag filled with Patons Classic Wool Merino and some Encore.

Brilliant!

I'm having some photo issues, so no pictures today I'm afraid. Picasa is playing up and driving me mad!

Art And Re-creation

2009-03-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I taught my monthly art class at our local elementary school. We've been studying the history of Illuminated Manuscripts and this week my class of 5th graders were able to finish off their own letters which they had traced onto vellum last month. It was great fun. We spent our time talking about the colours that were used by the monks to create the uncial letters and the wonderful pictures that were often worked into them. The use of gold and silver leaf caused quite a stir until they were told that we would be using metallic gel pens to create the same effect on our pieces!

We also talked about the most famous illuminated manuscript which resides in Dublin, Ireland: The Book of Kells. As it had just been St. Patrick's Day the day before, the students were quite switched on to all things Irish and thought that it was pretty cool that the book's home was in the Emerald Isle. This led on to an exciting discussion about the latest addition to the world of illuminated manuscripts: The St. John's Bible. This manuscript has the potential to become America's answer to The Book of Kells. Utilizing all the ancient techniques of old manuscript writing, but using a modern text and contempory illuminations, The St John's Bible is an historical treasure in the making.

I found the fact that I could relate the principles that I was teaching to a modern context hugely exciting. Somehow it gave the lesson a sense of roundness; a completion and a relevance for the kids to the time they now live in. Mentioning that the image of the Twin Towers will be used to illustrate forgiveness, gave the talk of goose feather quills and calf leather parchment a modern day resonance that the students could relate to.

It showed in their work. They produced the most beautiful letters, each mounted on coloured paper, which will be displayed in the hallway for everyone to see. I am very proud of them.

Recreating old items led me back to my gansey this week too. I wanted something that I could unwind with and knitting large rounds proved the perfect zen-like experience. Then I got to the underarm gussets. Not quite so relaxing, as I also started the pattern rows for the yoke. Still, I feel like I'm making progress, infact the whole jumper is beginning to get too big for my project bag. At this rate I'll soon be carrying it around in a holdall!

Super Sleuth

2009-03-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received this in the mail. At first glance I thought that it was just a flyer advertising "Knitter's" magazine, but on closer inspection, I noticed that it was telling me that I only have two issues left in my subscription. The fact that I've only actually received one so far, led me to deduce that....there probably should have been a magazine attached to the flyer!

Oh, joy. My Spring issue of "Knitters" is probably sitting at the bottom of a postal worker's cart somewhere, getting ripped to shreds under a mass of paper communications.

I was glad that the flyer made it though, because without it I'd never have realised the mistake. However, my frustration is now acute. The flyer has made me very aware that I'm missing out on the luxury of perusing the featured designer's latest pieces. A quick e-mail to the subscription department has sorted out the problem. A very sweet lady replied to let me know that she will be sending me a copy directly.

Now I just have to contain my excitement for a few more days and hope that this one makes it into my mail box!

Neckwarmer

2009-03-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday night P.A. and I grabbed a moment to pop out for a drink at our local watering hole. We were due to attend the District Dance Championships to watch DD2 compete with her High School Hip Hop Dance Team on Saturday and then he had a 7pm flight to Copenhagen to round off the day. In amongst all that we had to pack clothes, prepare gifts for family members in the UK (his final destination), on the off chance he might see some of them and...oh, yes,.......do our taxes! In light of all this, a farewell drink on Friday seemed like a necessity.

There was just one problem. I wanted to wear my new neckwarmer and........... I hadn't quite finished it yet. There I was knitting a few rows in between loads of laundry; lipstick on, hair done and outfit ready. The only item remaining was the neckwarmer.

I'd been planning it for some time. I had one skein of red Frog Tree Merino in my stash and had picked up a skein of SWTC Calypso ribbon yarn from the bargain bucket at my LYS a few months back. The two could probably be knit up together, I thought, and vowed to experiment. The project began last week. I used US11 needles and started with a drop stitch pattern. I knitted half the yarn before I decided that the fabric it was creating was really not what I had imagined. It was turning out way too floaty and the two types of yarn were just not complimenting each other in any way at all.

I frogged and started again. I cast on 25sts and did a knit 4 rows, purl 4 rows, design. Although the resulting fabric was much denser, it still wasn't quite what I'd envisioned (this 'minds eye' business can be quite infuriating at times!)

I ripped it all out again and cast on 25sts.

In desperation I resigned myself to the embarrassment of basic garter stitch. OK, so I wasn't going to produce some fantastic arty piece with loops, twirls and endlessly complicated yarn overs. I'd just have to suck it up and face the knitting group on Thurday looking like an 8yr old, with my vibrant mauve jumbo needles and garter stitch square.

I got well through my neckwarmer at knitting that day, taking the ergonomic tack to explain my needle size (after all I had been knitting a lot of socks recently.) My Central Park Hoodie proved a great distraction too and there was a whole lot of spinning going on, so I got back home relatively unscathed in the 'street cred' department.

I cast off the neckwarmer moments before venturing out on Friday night. As I secured it with a marcazite pin, I realised that I'd created a lushious looking warm, springy fabric with all the passion of a Chanel tweed. I felt very Jackie O as I teamed my red and black masterpiece with a black rollneck sweater, black suede jacket, black trousers and knee high boots. The electrifying red of the neckwarmer was the piece de resistance and centre piece of the outfit. It looked amazing.

I will certainly never knock garter stitch again. In fact, I'm sorely tempted by the thought of a Chanel jacket right now.

Hmmmmm, I wonder?!!

Colour Coordinated

2009-03-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I went to have lunch with P.A. again. Yes, I know, it's pretty unbelievable but after 17yrs with kids, nearly 20yrs of marriage and 7mths of almost continuous travelling on his part, we've learned to have our 'date' time whenever we can!

His office is 'conveniently' located near a fabric and yarn shop, so a quick trip to the neighbouring town for lunch just had to include a visit to the store. I made a beeline for the yarn section and spent a very pleasant half an hour caressing Cascade and hankering after Handspun (sigh). I picked up a packet of point protectors, as I never seem to have enough, and ogled the Addis before moving on to the sock yarns.

What a yummy mistake! It was akin to being on a low fat diet and finding yourself standing in front of a shelf of gooey chocolate eclairs and custard slices. The Noro was naughty, the Trekking (XXL) tasty and the Hand Dyed could just about heave you over the edge.

I was good, I walked away........................but only for about five minutes. When I realised my time was almost up, I swung back, lunged for the object of my lust and promised myself, I'd work off the excess skein with a few more push-ups!

At the check-out, the assistant met me with the standard American greeting, "Did you find everything you were looking for?"

"Yes," I replied jovially, "and something I wasn't."

She seemed surprised, obviously not a yarnaholic. (Bet I could tempt her with a colourful piece of 'Liberty' print though, or a metre of 'Laura Ashley!')

Once I was safely back in the car and my breathing had slowed to an acceptable rate, I eyed my purchase. It took me all of two seconds to realise that the skein of sock yarn I'd chosen was the exact same colours as the outfit I was wearing! Now, how does that happen?!!!

Sock It To 'Em

2009-03-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

You can always tell if someone has never worn a handmade sock. They are normally the ones who spot you knitting, ask what it is and when you tell them it's a sock, they ask "Why?" They usually then add that you can "buy them at the store for a few bucks." These people act as if they're letting you in on the secret to a successful life and generally come over all superior as they look at you with a face that's etched with sympathy. In short, they think you're nuts. Why make something when you can buy it just up the street?

Well, my friends, I'm here to tell you, that if you've never been blessed with a handmade sock, you haven't lived. (Actually, it's better to be blessed with two ofcourse, unless you're in the unfortunate position of only needing one, but even then, two would be an extra blessing because you'd have a spare.) Indeed, if you've never owned a handknitted sock, then you've missed out on a treasure trove of experience.

Socks, knitted, with love and a great deal of care, really can't be beaten. First and foremost you get a perfect fit, secondly they're warm when the temperatures are subzero (centigrade ofcourse, I'm a European) and lastly, they just look damned good! You'd have to go a long way to beat the quality and style that a pair of handmade socks provide.

I was first introduced to sock knitting while living in Scandinavia. I have to confess that when I lived in England, socks were not top of my agenda. I was going through my baby phase in those days and my knitting consisted of booties, matinee jackets and the odd All-In-One Batwing sweater (it was the early '90's) to satisfy my selfish knitter tendencies.

Norway saw me launching into socks for the first time. I'd never really thought about them until then. The relatively mild climate in the south of England left my cotton/elastic Marks & Spencers bargain buys in the 'perfectly adequate' category. It was only when I moved that they ceased to meet requirements. In the snowy Norwegian winters that followed, woolly socks were a must inside both boots and ski shoes, so I set to with my needles. What a satisfying experience!

Making a sock fullfills both my desire to be creative and practical. I love that I can produce something so useful just by picking up some sticks and string; something that keeps my family's feet snug and warm (at least when I'm not in a selfish sock mood.) This is the secret to a successful life; an artisan's skill that can be used to bless those around you and in turn be blessed yourself. Often times, we knit for fun, we knit to explore, to create, to soothe, we knit to stay warm, to care, to love, we knit for all sorts of reasons, reasons that are captured in each and every sock.

So I look at the person who has never owned a handknitted sock. I smile back at their haughty expression with sympathy in my eyes and hope that someday they too will know the 'warmth' of a handmade sock.

Sockcess

2009-03-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

My DH, otherwise known as P.A. (no, he's not my Personal Assistant..............but there's time!) well, he arrived home from his most recent trip (did I mention that he travels ALL the time?), anyway, he finally got home just in time to witness the completion of my Two-At-A-Time socks.

He thought they looked wierd (huh?) but then clarified his statement by adding that it was the technique that looked wierd, not the result. The result has the entire house coveting my feet, especially as snow has hit us once again. Just as it seemed that the crocuses might get a clean run through March, they're now subject to a winter blizzard.

My feet are toasty warm though!

I have to say that it was fantastic to finish both socks at the same time. For a moment I felt like there was something missing, then I realised.....no Second Sock Syndrome! No sinking of the soul (or should I say sole ;-) at the realisation that the project is only half finished; no struggling to get that second one done; no mismatched pairs. It was worth the slower progress just to have that sense of completion at the end.

While I was in a productive mood, I also finished the Magic Loop socks. I enjoyed using this technique, but in future I think I'll knit them with the instep stitches on one side of the loop and the sole stitches on the other. I didn't like making my toe decreases in profile. It worked perfectly well, but I preferred doing it at the beginning and end of each row as I did with the Two-At-A-Time technique.

There are so many different ways to knit socks these days, thanks to the tremendous advances in circular needle technology over the past few years. I'm really rather enjoying discovering which method suits me.

For more information on sock knitting techniques, check out the following books:

"Socks Soar On Two Circular Needles" by Cat Bordi

"Knitting Circles Around Socks" by Antje Gillingham

"The Magic Loop" by Bev Galeskas (based on Sarah Hauschka's invention)

"2-at-a-time Socks" by Melissa Morgan-Oakes

Take a look online at "Knit Wiki" for details about Magic Loop.

Video at "Knitting Help" and YouTube.

Look at "TechKnitting" for the theory of knitting seamless tubes.

Frost Bite

2009-03-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

It was -5C (23F) here this morning. My summer garden table was covered in a heavy frost and the wooden front steps were, once again, lethal to any early morning visitor not 'in the know.' Winter has returned.

Frankly, I blame the groundhog! Seeing his shadow and scurrying back into his burrow, doomed us to an extended winter. What a pessimist. Let's face it, he's the one that nature blessed with a pretty warm coat. Wimping out and leaving the rest of us to brave the elements without adequate natural protection, was a pretty poor show, in my opinion.

Still, it appears that he's not the only pessimist out there right now. The western world seems to be having one long pity party, at least that's what the media would like us to indulge in. Don't get me wrong, I know that things are bad (the evidence is only to plain to see) and we all deserve to have a good old cry from time to time, but the constant run of bad news just does nothing for a person's mojo.

My 'joie de vivre' has been sorely lacking this week. I knew it was bad when I took DD2 to the doctors yesterday, armed with my Magic Loop sock, and couldn't manage to muster the desire to knit a stitch. My feet are crying out for another pair of socks, but the circumstances leading up to our visit had left me so depleted that I couldn't be bothered to pick up my needles.

I know that it's time to take action when even my knitting ceases to be a comfort. Step one is to get off my butt and get to yoga today. Even although I know the exercises will half kill me, those natural endorphins really can't be beaten! This should leave me mentally fired up enough to keep the news switched off and the knitting needles switched on. Then, if I can finish that pair of socks, not only will my feet be free from frost bite, but my mind will be too.

Wish me luck.

Not Exactly Flying

2009-03-04T11:13:00.001-08:00

Well, I wouldn't say that 'socks soar on two needles' exactly, but mine are coming along. I've completed the small ribbed cuff, the st st leg and a very nice (and probably hard wearing) heel flap, which I've also turned. The yarn is a simple Lion Brand Wool Prints in this delightful pink, plum and peach colourway. I'm using it because US 6 circular needles are the only ones I have in both the 16" and 24" lengths required for this Two-At-A-Time technique.

It's been an interesting process so far. Starting off was a bit of a nightmare. I just kept getting all twisted up and sometimes the entire project looked like it had had a major fight with the cat! It wasn't until I was at least halfway down the leg that things began to settle down a bit. Having two different sized needles was actually a good thing because it made it easier to tell where you'd got to if you had to put your work down for any reason. There have been times though when I've thought that perhaps it would be easier to knit two socks simultaneously using the Magic Loop technique (i.e. have two needles the same size with one sock on each and just pick them up and put them down as the pattern or the knitter's whim dictates.)

So far, I'm really not sure if this method is an improvement on Magic Loop or not? I think I'm going to love finishing two socks at the same time, but the road to victory may just have too many pot holes for me.

Foot Fetish

2009-03-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

I've developed a foot fetish. It all started last week when I happened to notice that this year's long, cold winter was causing havoc with my handmade socks. I have been wearing them so much that they're beginning to look rather worn. The prospect of breaking out the double points to make some more pairs, was less than exciting, so I decided to embark on the infamous "Magic Loop" technique.

I recently received a copy of Bev Galeskas booklet "The Magic Loop - Working Around On One Needle" from Knitpicks (along with some delicious yarn for a shawl) so I got it out and cast on with some Reggio sock yarn from my stash.

Wow, what a great approach to sock knitting! My socks have flown along. I've made them cuff down and just concentrated on the technique (no pattern details used this time.) Then on Saturday night, I met up with my fellow knitting cohorts to celebrate our group's first anniversary. We had a wonderful evening, drinking, eating, knitting and listening to live music in a downtown bookstore. The evening was topped off with a draw for door prizes and I was lucky enough to win this book:

Guess who had to cast on as soon as she got home?!!!

Sea Urchin

2009-02-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of exhibiting my FO's (because I've actually got some at last!), here are the completed pictures of Sea Urchin too.

Now you may remember the issues that I had with this in the beginning. The good news is that it was all worth it in the end. Blocking was an important part of the creative process with this hat as it really set the lacework and has shown it off in its best light.

I think this hat is destined to become one of my all time faves. I've only been wearing it for a week and people comment on it everywhere I go!

Central Park Hoodie

2009-02-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well, here's the moment you've all been waiting for, the pictures of my finished hoodie. I am ecstatically happy with this FO. It is amazingly comfortable to wear and the fit is perfect. I adore the long sleeves, as I often have cold hands, and the hood does actually sit flat on my head even although it isn't doing so in the pics. I could really have done with a dresser to dress every shot and make sure the hoodie was positioned correctly. Perhaps I can bribe DD2 with yarn if she'll do that job next time!

Technically Challenged

2009-02-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

So, along with everything else I fill my days with, like running 3 children around, washing, cooking, cleaning, ironing (not so much of that lately) and seeing to the cat, rabbits and trying not to forget the betta fish.........(pauses for breath), I have been trying to work out how to upload my beautifully written and laid out PDF file of the African Hope Hat on to Ravelry?

Today I did it. I now have my first 'free' download available to all here and on our favourite knitting networking site. I'm sure there are other more technical things that I can do with this pattern, but they'll have to wait for another day. My time is almost up.

I have this:

this:

and this waiting for me (not exactly this, but something similar.)

Yes, I have a date with my husband for lunch, which is indeed such a rare occurance that I fully expect to find a group of anthroplogists camped outside the restaurant ready to document such an unusual sighting!

The Ergonomics of Knitting

2009-02-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

I was reading a blog comment recently from a knitter who suffers from Repetitive Stress Injury. She was saying how important it is for her to rest and care for her hands and arms so that she can still enjoy her favourite craft. It got me thinking.

RSI is a very common modern day ailment. Since the advent of the computer, more and more people have become subject to movements that are so repetitive that they eventually cause pain and injury. As knitters, we are also open to injury. Knitting requires us to make the same movements with our hands again and again to create our garments. We often sit for long periods of time with heavy amounts of fabric hanging from our hands too. Over time this can lead to pain, not just in our hands and elbows, but in our backs and shoulders. If we are not aware of what we are doing, then it can lead us to a life of immense pain and even surgery.

So, how do we look after ourselves so that we can enjoy our craft well into our twilight years?

I found a number of interesting articles on this subject when I started surfing the internet:

Knittingabout.com had lots of good tips in this piece;

Accidental Yarnover has some valuable ideas here;

And there's a great discussion of this subject here at Knitters Review.

My conclusion is that it's very important to:

a) Get your posture right. Sit comfortably with both feet on the ground and make sure you have adequate lighting.

b) Relax!!!

c) Take regular breaks, setting a timer as a reminder if necessary

d) Keep your joints warm - use wristwarmers or salve to help

e) Use circular needles whenever possible as they easily hold the weight of the fabric in your lap rather than your hands

f) Work on a variety of projects using different sized needles.

The last one is my particular favourite. I aways knew there was a good reason why I have so many WIP's!!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Have you got any tips or tricks you'd like to share? E-mail me at the above address or leave a message in the comments. Thanks.

While I'm Waiting

2009-02-23T08:50:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day here on Saturday. The sun shone but it was still cold enough to wear my Central Park Hoodie. Yes, I wore it, it's now had its first outing. I put it on in the hope that DH would manage to take some stunning pictures of me outside in the glorious sunshine. Sadly it was not to be. Having been away from home for 6 weeks, the other jobs that had accumulated over that time took all his attention (not to mention the 3 children!) so there was no time for a relaxing photo session. I'm a pretty good photographer myself (spent 4yrs at Uni taking Media Arts), but I can't model and photograph at the same time, without the aid of a remote button and a good deal of contortion.

So I'm waiting............patiently............for him to get round to doing his Strobist thing.

In the meantime I'm cracking on with the little Matinee Jacket that I'm making. Yesterday I spent a lot of time ripping back to get my sizing right on the sleeves. I'm using an old handwritten pattern as inspiration that I wrote up back in the early '80's, but I'm making a smaller size. This is requiring some adjusting as I go. Then ofcourse, I have to knit the second sleeve exactly the same!

It's all good fun.

Sea Urchin

2009-02-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the Sea Urchin hat made from Noro Kureyon. I didn't get around to blocking it until yesterday, which turned out just fine as the Central Park Hoodie was blocked which freed up the mini basketball again. The Sea Urchin hat is now stretched over it doing its 72hr thing.

I'm interested to see how the top turns out. I was quite disappointed with the colorway when it came to the top as the color was not solid enough to really make the star-shape pop out well. If I make another, I think I'd have to join in further along the second skein of yarn just to get a better continuation of color for the star. It also seems a little strange to be decreasing to 15 sts and then finishing. This makes the top very bunched up when you finish knitting, but is probably why the blocking stage is so important. You can see from the pictures that once the hat was stretched out over the ball, the top flattened down more.

Should be ready to wear this by Monday.

Buttons

2009-02-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spent an hour at my LYS selecting buttons for my Central Park Hoodie. It wasn't easy. I had an idea of what I wanted but finding something that looked right and wasn't too big or too heavy took much longer than I'd expected.

The buttons really change the look of a piece. You really need to lay the item out on a table and experiment with different ones to get the full impact. Sometimes I found that laying out the full six buttons on the hoodie gave me a whole different impression to just one button. With other styles, one button was enough to know that that one was a 'no go'!

In the end I selected the ones in the picture. They are delicate enough not to shout "Button" at you when you look at the hoodie and not so shiny that you need a pair of sunglasses to look at them. The wavy edges seemed to echo the cables in the piece and the fact that they look like hearts seems an added bonus as I've finished this up in the 'lovers' month of February.

Just got to sew them on now.

Life And Art

2009-02-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

I've hardly had time to knit a stitch recently, hence my blogging absense during the past week. I have been painting. Not quite in the Michaelangelo way (although I did do two ceilings!) but more like in the roller and masking tape way. I just spent our four day weekend painting my daughter's bedroom. It was backbreaking work and to be honest by the end of the day I was so tired and my hands ached so much that I just couldn't pick up my knitting at all.

I then devoted the earlier part of this week to teaching a class on Illuminated Manuscripts, a totally fascinating and very inspiring topic. I absolutely adore the history of art and could spend hours just researching around my given subject for the month.

Last night I finally got back to knitting.

I'm fiddling around a bit right now, creating a matinee jacket, which was one of the first items I ever knitted. I've not made that many in recent years so it's quite interesting to go back to creating something so small and beautiful. I'm using an acrylic yarn from my stash, because baby items really need to be easy to wash and dry and I'm just making it up as I go along. It's proving quite interesting with it's delicate openwork, artistic in fact!

Central Park Hoodie

2009-02-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, this is what the hoodie is doing now. I finished sewing it up on Tuesday and then bit the bullet and washed it very gently. I am hoping that the cables will flatten down a bit and that the arms will relax and widen (they were a little tight when I eagerly tried it on in front of the bathroom mirror.) I keep trying to resist the urge to prod, poke and generally fiddle with it and I'm constantly reminding the kids to keep the door to the room that it's in closed so that the cat doesn't try to 'help' me!

72 hours is a long time.

Yesterday I went back and put the miniature basketball into the hood to try to prevent the ribbed edge from flaring.

I'm trying to be patient...............while I swallow the large lump of anxiety that keeps forming in my throat.

72hrs is a long time.

I'm also about to block "Sea Urchin" so there's potential for throat lump number 2 as well. I haven't got a hat form, so I'm trying to think of something else I can use to block it over? (the small basketball is, ofcourse, otherwise engaged.)

I'm trying very hard to be patient...................but I think I may just have to turn the Central Park Hoodie tonight.................................... just to make sure it drys ok on the other side, ofcourse ;-)

African Hope Hat

2009-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a little treat for 2009. I decided that it was time to share my Hope Hat. I made another one over the Christmas vacation and this time I actually wrote the pattern down.

I first made this last Autumn as a charity project for some children in Tanzania. They love bright colours and so I thought that the fun Fair Isle pattern would brighten their days too. This time I decided that it would be the perfect project to use up the yarn I had left over from the Center Square hat.

The African Hope Hat is a great introduction to stranded knitting for those looking for a simple starter project. It can be adjusted to fit a variety of head sizes, although the Patons Classic Wool Merino which I used has enough stretch in it to accommodate most head sizes anyway. The hat is 5.5 inches deep from the CO edge to the start of the crown shaping.

Let me know if you have any problems. Enjoy!

African Hope Hat

Materials:
Yarn:

Patons Classic Wool Merino: 1 ball Petal Pink 00210 (M)
1 ball Bright Red 00230 (C)

Needles:

3.5mm circular needle (40cm), UK - 10, US - 4
4mm circular needle (40cm), UK – 8, US – 6
4mm double pointed (dpns) needles

Pattern: 8 stitches in repeat

Gauge/Tension: 5 stitches = 1”

Abbreviations:

M = main colour
C = contrast colour
CO = cast on
Rnds = rounds

With 3.5mm needles and M, CO 96 sts. Join into a round being careful not to twist sts. Continue in K2, P2 rib for 1”.
Change to 4mm needles and work in stocking stitch (stockinette) for another inch (approx 6 rnds).
Join in contrast colour (C) and prepare to begin colourwork. Remember to keep your strands loose so that your work does not pucker.

Pattern:
Knit every round using following colour sequence:
Rnd 1: 2C,*1M,1C,1M,3C; repeat from * ending 1M,1C,1M,1C.
Rnd 2: 1C,*2M,1C; repeat from * ending 1C,2M.
Rnd 3: 2M,*3C,3M; repeat from * ending 3C,1M.
Rnd 4: 1M,*2C,1M; repeat from * ending 1M, 2C
Rnd 5: 1M,*1C,3M,1C,1M; repeat from * ending 1C,3M,1C.

Continue in C, working in stocking stitch (stockinette ) for 1” (approx 6 rnds.)
Rejoin M and work pattern again working M in place of C and C in place of M.

Work 1” in stocking stitch (stockinette) as before (approx 6 rnds.) Hat measures 5 ½ inches.

Complete hat by shaping crown. Remember to change to double pointed needles (dpns) when necessary so that you decrease evenly.

Shape Crown:
Rnd 1: K6,K2tog
Knit all even numbered rnds.
Rnd 3: K5,K2tog
Rnd 5: K4,K2tog
Rnd 7: K3,K2tog
Rnd 9: K2,K2tog
Rnd 11: K1,K2tog
Rnd 13: K2tog
Rnd 15: K2tog

Finishing:
Using a wool needle, thread yarn through the remaining stitches and secure work on the wrong side.
Weave in all ends.

I've Cracked It!

2009-02-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hurrah! I've finally managed to get off and running with Sea Urchin. I attacked the project again yesterday while the Pro-bowl Football game was on tv and I've managed to get those center stitches to stack properly. I'm overjoyed. The yarn is zig-zagging beautifully as a result.

It wasn't easy though. For a while I thought I'd never get beyond that first pattern row. Everything was set up, the starting stitches were all in the right places, but I was totally thrown by the stitch marker. Slowly I worked it out.

What I did was:- I made sure that at the end of every round the stitch marker was moved so that it always sat after the second yo. This meant that I always had to slip the final stitch of the round from the left needle to the right, remove the stitch marker, slip that final stitch back to the left needle and then replace the stitch marker after the yo I'd just made. I then started the next round with K2, not K3. This has kept my 'center' rib stitches stacked properly.

Right now the hat is looking wonderful and I'm so glad that I didn't give up in frustration!

Knitter Natter

2009-02-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, knitters enjoy a good natter both in person and now virtually. With that in mind, I thought I'd take a quick look at what's new in the world of knitting. What's the goss? What's the chatter? Settle back, let's have a natter.

*****

My top pick has to be this fantastic new scarf designed for Crystal Palace Yarns by Grumperina. The intricate scallop shell patterns in the center flanked by mussels on the edges are knit with CPY's Panda Silk DK into a dream of a scarf named "Mother of Pearl." The effect of the soft pink yarn with its shimmer of silk and Grumperina's design make this a scarf any woman would be overjoyed to wear.

Old news perhaps, (but as I just received my copy of Vogue Knitting yesterday, it's new to me) is the feature Vogue Knitting's Winter edition includes on Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed fame. If you're looking for a cabled glove to knit, then Jared's "Almeara Gloves" could be the pattern for you! Made with Rowan Scottish Tweed DK, they look amazing and probably feel even better.

Over at The Yarn Harlot, Stephanie is having a major case of lust (as only a knitter can) followed by a crisis involving 4.5mm needles. Knit And Tonic's Wendy Bernard is having problems with pom poms and in Edinburgh, Ysolda Teague has finally found the perfect name for her newly designed honeycomb hat and wristwarmer set.

In other news, if you're on the US west coast then check out the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat which starts next week (12th-15th Feb). The list of teachers reads like a Who's Who of the knitting world!

Now I'm off to make a fresh cuppa. All this chatter is making my mouth dry!

Central Park Hoodie

2009-02-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm still working on my Central Park Hoodie. I'm so close to finishing it that I can taste victory, but real life keeps getting in the way and slowing up my progress. I'm not disheartened though. You see, when I do get a large chunk of time in which to work on it, the results are so fantastic, that I'm overjoyed.

On Tuesday I managed to baste and tie one side and arm seam. I then continued to complete the seams by sewing an invisible join. I even managed to work it so that the ribbing on the cuff meets perfectly.

I love invisible seams. I hate sewing them because they are soooo time consuming, but I do love the results. There's no bulk, just beautiful, flat invisible joins. Theresa Vinson Stenersen wrote a great article called "Putting It All Together" for Knitty's Spring issue in 2004. It contains a step-by-step description of how to perform invisible vertical seaming on both stockinette and garter stitch fabrics. The pictures clearly illustrate each step making the process very simple.

Sewing in sleeves is a whole different experience though. It can be very daunting to be faced with one set of horizontal stitches and one set of vertical ones. Theresa has the answer for this too. In another article on sewing in sleeves, she goes through the steps of invisible vertical to horizontal stitching, making the process almost enjoyable.

Now I just have to do the other side and I'll be ready for blocking. Bit nervous about that part, but as my new bottle of Eucalan just arrived from Knit Picks, I'm sure it'll work out fine.

At The Frog Pond

2009-02-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

Life at the frog pond is never easy. You do all that work and then have to sit and rip it all back. It can be very disheartening. What keeps you going as you pick up and get started again, is the prospect that things are going to be better this time around.

I've been there with "Sea Urchin", the hat that I'm knitting. It was looking wonderful (the colorway is divine) but it just wasn't looking like the pictures. I went on to Rav and found a message from Susanna IC the designer. It turns out that I am one of the first people to start knitting the pattern and so she was keeping in touch with my progress. Several messages were exchanged and Susanna graciously helped me to understand where I was going wrong. She then went back and adjusted the wording on the pattern so that even a dunderhead like me can understand the concept.

You see, my vertical ribs were just not stacking. Instead the entire hat was slanting, more like Grumperina's Odessa does as you knit it. It seems that you have to move your marker to get them to stack up right.

So, I've been frogging. In fact I frogged right back to the beginning. Frankly this Noro deserves nothing but perfection from my knitting and I intend to give it. I can't wait to see that star at the top of the hat radiating out from the centre and if I have to frog to achieve it, then so be it!

Ribbit! Ribbit!

Bootie Update

2009-02-01T06:06:00.000-08:00

To Bust Or Not To Bust?

2009-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

I just came across this great article about the value of going through your stash. It's a wonderful read and makes me feel totally good about the time I've spent pondering mine. The only aspect I haven't mastered yet is parting with some of it. I really should be brave and move on to the "Happy" and "Unhappy" division of the stash, but I'm not quite ready for that yet. I think I'm afraid that I'll just have to go out and replace it. (With something wonderful, ofcourse!)

In the meantime, I think I'll continue cataloguing rather than busting my pile and see where that adventure takes me. Hopefully I'll discover more 'smiley' than 'grumpy' yarn anyway.

Sea Urchin

2009-01-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to show you this. It's "Sea Urchin" by SusannaIC of Zuzusus Designs. I found it on Ravelry last weekend and just happened to have recently stashed some Noro Kureyon. As soon as I saw the pictures, I knew that my Noro was meant for this design!

It's my first time knitting with Noro so it's quite an interesting experience. The yarn is very slubby and uneven at times, but the colours are amazing. I was a little unsure of the pattern when I started it because there seems to be slight errarta (one reference to the pattern is different to the other) so I'm just going to knit it the way I think and see what happens.

It certainly is the best yarn to be using during the dark, dismal days of winter though. Really lifts the spirits!

Answering The Call

2009-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I've finally got a new purse project. I'm making a hat for a homeless man in the city as part of a contribution my knitting group is making to President Obamas call to service. Knitters are known for their big hearts and frankly, never has this country needed its big-hearted people more than NOW. It doesn't take much. Just one hat from one person will, collectively, become a heap of hats for lots of people. It's like the slow drip, drip of water dropping from a tap. Before long you have a whole cup and then a whole sink full!

My first hat turned out a bit small. I'm knitting with Red Heart which is 100% acrylic. It's not a wonderful yarn, but it washes well which is what they need at the homeless shelter. I was hoping it would give a little but the combination of yarn and a smaller needle led to gauge issues. My son is thrilled though. Now he gets the hat he's been asking me for since Christmas!

So now I'm casting on more stitches on a larger needle and making another. (The pattern is the Marsan Watchcap by Staceyjoy Elkin.) This one will definitely reach the person its meant for. As it's my new purse project, I'll be working on it wherever I am, serving our community one hat at a time.

Sunday Knitting

2009-01-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

It was challenging at church this morning.

The pastor was in fine form as usual, his analogies hitting the mark perfectly. His message was clear and appropriate during our present times, exhorting us all to think deeply about our lives and the lives of others. Even my voice was challenged this morning by the vast range of music that the worship team had chosen for this weeks praise. Yet the most challenging aspect of the service came in the form of a fellow worshipper.

I shared my pew today with a lady who knits. Now, I'm well aware of the fact that our pastor has nothing against people knitting during his sermon, what I wasn't aware of though, was how absolutely, torturously tempting I'd find it!

Out of the corner of my eye I could see her needles flying as she made great headway on a hat for a local mission project. I found my thoughts wandering from the pastors words as I wondered whether she was an English or Continental knitter; a wrapper or a thrower?

I snuck a surreptitious glance to my right and quickly ascertained that, yeah, she was a 'cottage' knitter just like me and she throws her yarn!

As the pastor continued his eloquent sermon, I wrapped my arms around myself to try to contain the movements that my hands were so desperate to indulge in. I could see the rythmic movement of the knitting needles just within my line of vision. I can't tell you how painful this was. In the end I had to position myself very slightly turned towards my left in an effort to ignore my fellow knitter.

Sitting on my hands, it took all my concentration at church this Sunday not to yell out, "Are you knitting top down or bottom up?!"

No More Stash & Dash!

2009-01-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

For me January is always the month of the year when I attempt to get organized for the year ahead. I spend inordinate amounts of time sorting, filing and archiving all of our household papers, I send out long overdue school pictures to our family members in Europe and I go through the kids bedrooms, like a tornado, reducing their clutter.

With this same attitude in mind, I have started to catalogue my stash. With no central area for doing my knitting, I also have no assigned area for my stash, so there are balls of yarn in ziploc bags all over the house! (sound familiar?!!) Consequently, it's very easy to forget exactly what I have.

This is where Ravelry comes in. Thank goodness for their stash page! I have decided to make a concerted effort to get my stash details and pictures online so that I can keep track of it all. Thankfully there's also a little section where you can write down exactly where that item is stored. Hurrah! No more hunting through all my hiding places looking for a needle (skein) in a haystack!

Baby Steps

2009-01-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

We're expecting news of a new addition to our extended family sometime over the next few weeks, so in anticipation of the event, I knitted these on Sunday. Aren't they adorable?! I raided my stash and found one skein of Dale Babyull, a fingering weight wool with a beautiful soft texture. Following "Ruth's Perfect Baby Booties" pattern from The Knitnook and using a size 2.5mm needle, I cast on and created these cuties in a matter of hours.

Now, when the call comes, all I have to do is thread some blue or pink ribbon through the eyelet holes below the cuff and they're ready for their new owner.

It's always great to have the excuse to knit for a baby.

Swap Parcel

2009-01-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited. Yesterday this parcel arrived for me from my swap partner in Norway (thanks Spinnvill!) With all the snow and floods we've had recently, I only just mailed my own package at the beginning of the week. It was a real treat to end the week receiving one myself.

The chocolates are my favourite Norwegian ones, which I haven't had since I left the country. I always used to buy a box of the coffee flavoured Mokka Bønner at Christmas. The Melkerull were popular with the children. If they're really good I might share them with them, but in the meantime they're sitting temptingly in the fridge!

The yarn is Gjestal Bris a blend of 50% wool and 50% soy. I've never used soy before but have been very intrigued by it whenever I've been in my local LYS. I was actually looking at a baby blend last summer which contained a lot of soy and wondering whether to add it to my stash. Somehow, I managed to deny myself, but the memory of it lingers temptingly!

Funnily enough, I'd just come across a great scarf pattern on Thursday, so I think that's what this yarn will become. Who knows, it could be my next "Purse Project"!

Hoodie Update

2009-01-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally stopped procrastinating and got down to it. It took a while. I paced the room wringing my hands and perspiring profusely at the prospect of approaching the hoodie again, but knew that I couldn't put it off any longer. I'd told the girls at my knitting group that I was sacrificing our Thursday morning meeting in order to get this beast sewn up, so I had to do it.

I put "44 Scotland Street" by Alexander McCall Smith on the CD player......and started!

I did this:

Then I did this:

Three and a half hours later, I'd done this:

Now I just have to find another chunk of time to complete the rest of it.

A Memorable Hat

2009-01-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

Here's another little finished object, my second Chameleon hat. This one is made out of Cascade 220 in a beautiful shade of blue appropriately named Puget Sound. During the run up to Christmas, this was my "Purse Project" (it sat in my handbag!)

This is the handbag in question.

I bought it several years ago, used it a handful of times and then threw it in the back of the closet. Last year I came across it during a daring spring cleaning episode and decided that it would be perfect for carrying a small project with me. It has several pockets inside which hold needles, markers, candy and the obligatory umbrella, while the outer pockets are useful for all those boring necessities like, keys, cell phone and, oh, yes....my wallet!

So, this is where my Chameleon hat has been hiding out. It's seen a lot of life during that time, I must say. When I look at it, I remember.......the Allergists office:-

"k1,P1,K1, P5..."

"Mum, I'm scared."

"K1,P1...you'll be fine, dear. P1,K1,P5...."

"Mum, it hurt SOOOO bad!!"

"P1,K1,P1,K5....never mind, dear. It's all done now."

Then there were the late nights parked outside the High School waiting to pick up a child from band or dance, football or hoops.

"Blimey, it's getting dark in here. I wonder how much more I can do before the light fades. Was that a knit stitch or a purl? I can't quite make it out. Maybe I can do it by touch? Oh, do shut up Peter Cetera, I'm trying to concentrate! I think I just dropped a stitch (raising panic). Oh no! Now I'll have to take back the last 3 rows."

I finally finished up during basketball season though. I took the hat to every practice, sitting on the sidelines while my son ran around wearing himself out before bed (perfect!) The problem with basketball practice though is that it doesn't seem to matter where you sit, you always get hit by the ball! I studiously avoided sitting directly under the hoop, that would be asking for trouble, but it proved extremely difficult to find a spot that was safer. I swear those balls have homing devices in them. I seem to spend every session, looking at my knitting and bobbing my head up and down to avoid a basket ball-induced concussion.

To be fair, the players treat me very kindly. They do always yell, "Look Out!" or "Heads Up!" as the ball comes flying in my direction, allowing me just enough time to incorporate the appropriate manouvre into my knitting:- "K5,P1,K1,Duck1,P1,K5,Head1, P1!"

So you see, Purse Projects are not for the fainthearted. You just never know where you'll be when you have a spare ten minutes to whip out your sticks. Exterior challenges can abound! But what makes them the most wonderful projects to indulge in are the memories you'll weave into them. They're priceless.

Historical Beginnings

2009-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

It would appear that I'm a cottage knitter. You know, one of those old-English, working class, country folk who knitted practical items out of necessity rather than desire. Not that I knit out of necessity, you understand, although you could say that when someone really gets into knitting, the practice of it could be classed as a necessity! No, what I'm referring to is the way I hold my needles.

I've always been a bit embarrassed about the way I hold my knitting needles. You see, nothing's changed for me in that department since I was 8yrs old. I hold both needles in the palms of my hands in a rather inelegant fashion and expend a lot of energy letting go of the right one to wind the yarn around the tip to make the stitch. During my travels, I've become aware of several different ways of knitting that seem to be so much more refined...... and fast; the Continental style, started in Germany, the Peruvian techniques and even the pencil-holding style that is often taught as the English 'thrower' method of knitting.

Reading the first few chapters of Richard Rutt's excellent book, "A History of Hand Knitting", I've discovered that the English style that we know and love ( and which I don't do) was first introduced to Britain during the Victorian era when knitting moved from being a cottage craft to an artistic pastime performed by "ladies". In order to exhibit their hands to their best advantage, these women started to hold their right hand needle like a pencil. This was said to make the exercise of knitting appear more delicate and refined, allowing the little finger of the right hand to be crooked just like they did when drinking tea.

Although it's a bit of a blow to discover that my knitting technique is less than refined, I have been immensely comforted by the fact that it does in fact date from pre-Victorian times. Rather than being the method left over from starting my craft at the tender age of 8, I am truely excited to discover instead that I am a living relic (when it comes to my knitting style at least!) What was good enough for the Shetlanders for centuries is good enough for me.

I will henceforth hold my head high and my needles just the way I've always done!

Fisherman's Sweater

2009-01-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

At last, my PC is sorted out so I can get back with a few photos!

Here's the Fisherman's sweater that I've started. I've nicknamed it "My Way Gansey" because that's exactly how I'm knitting it - my way. I love the yarn. It's knitting into a wonderfully warm looking fabric. I'm a bit worried that it's going to turn out too big though as my 7sts per inch swatch turned into 6sts per inch once I was knitting in the round. In future I think I'll knit a swatch cap just like they used to in the old days instead of a flat swatch. Apparently gauge over stockinette in flat knitting is sometimes different to gauge in the round, so I've learned something already.

Here are my initials knitted into the bottom right hand side. Next time I'll probably knit those a little further apart too, just so that they show up a bit better.

This is my cable cast on in double yarn (with half the amount of stitches) that I described before. I vented the piece to allow for any restriction that this cast on might give. After all, it's not the most elastic of cast ons, but it should be very hardwearing.

So far I'm enjoying the acres of stockinette stitch required for the main part of the sweater. It makes it an easy piece to take to my knitting group and to work on while I'm watching tv with my family.

Tomorrow I'm planning to finish the Central Park Hoodie, so stay tuned for an update in the near future!

New Year News

2009-01-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in 2009. I can hardly believe it. Time seems to fly by and the end of the year always seems to morph into a complete blur. We still have snow on the front lawn, but it is melting away now. There are big solid clumps left where my son had build his moguls (down the side by a fence) and the sledging bank which was positioned at the edge of the drive to stop the snowboards and inner tubes from careering into the neighbours shrubbery.

The snow had a lot to answer for in the gift department this year too. It prevented Mr Brown ( the UPS delivery guy) from bringing some of the presents on time. What a total mess that has been. By Christmas Eve I was making coupons for the children to open the next day and by New Years Eve we were all watching for any sign of a brown van! Thank goodness we are solution orientated. It's a pity UPS aren't! Our package finally arrived today having been delivered to the wrong address three streets away yesterday. Thank goodness for honest friends/neighbours.

I was lucky enough to get some wonderful knitting gifts this Christmas, notably a lot of books. I have been reading "The Opinionated Knitter" by Elizabeth Zimmermann and have been totally inspired by her. Coupled with Gladys Thompsons "Patterns For Guernseys, Jerseys and Arans", I have felt brave enough to cast on for my own gansey. I am using some unbleached Fisherman's Wool by Lion Brand that I bought in the summer from JoAnne's in a sale. It smells of lanolin and brings back memories of the traditional blue guernsey sweater I had as a child.

The most inspiring thing of all though is that I've cast on without a pattern. I am just knitting it blind; following tradition and creating as I go. It's a little nervewracking, but at the same time really quite exhilarating. I decided to knit a vented welt and I wanted it to have the hardwearing texture that I remember from my childhood gansey. When I made my swatch, I got about 7sts to an inch with 3.75mm needles so I have calculated that I'll need about 288 sts to get a suitable size. This made 144 sts each side. As I wanted to cast on in double yarn and it looked really bulky when I tried it with that many stitches, I ripped back and cast on just 72 sts in cable cast on with double yarn on a 2.75mm circular needle ( so that the welt would be in a coarser fabric). Then, on my first row, I knitted into both loops of each cable, thereby creating my 144 sts. The result has been a beautiful, decorative and hardwearing edge which looks great on my vented garter stitch welts. When my computer is finally over its problems (just pictures to sort out now) I'll show it to you.

Now I'm knitting the main body in stockinette stitch up to the arm gussets. On a whim last night, I knitted my initials into the fabric as some of the fisherman's wives did in England in days gone by. It seems a fitting tribute to my ancestors and the legacy they've left us.

Christmas Greetings

2008-12-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

Well, we're still snowed in. The temperature has been as low as -14.7C (6.5F) and I'm looking at a foot of snow here. The entire family is suddenly very glad that I knit as they've all been sporting wooly socks, sweaters and hats. Even The little Guy has stopped complaining that his 'Hey Dude!' hat itches.

Sewing up the Central Park Hoodie has been put on the back burner until after the holidays. I don't want to make a mistake after coming so far with it and with everyone home all the time now, there's not much room for concentration!

I've actually been working away on another little project, that should see the light of day in the new year. I'd give you a clue, but as my PC is still having problems (and that's where all my pictures are), you'll just have to wait a while. It's proving to be great fun though.

In the mean time, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and health, happiness and plenty of knitting time in the New Year.

Winter Woolies

2008-12-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

I'm having a few technical difficulties. Along with the recent snow and temperatures of -11C (11.5F), my PC has gone down with a serious virus. I am writing this on my Mac which is not set up for pictures, so I'll have to come back to those.

I just thought I'd bring you up to date on the Central Park Hoodie. It's coming along nicely. Last night I finished the hood and I am almost done with the front bands now too. I Cast Off last night only to find that it was way too tight, so I've unpicked it and am contemplating a different kind of bind off instead.

I think I will go up a needle size to start with. That should get me a looser BO and I'm thinking of using a decrease bind off. I'm hoping that this will maintain the elasticity of the ribbing and give me a looser edge.

My second Cameleon hat is still in my handbag and goes everywhere with me. I added a couple of rounds to it yesterday when I took my daughter to get her last allergy shot. I'll be shaping for the crown very shortly, so it's almost completed. Just in time really. If it gets any colder, I'll be needing to wear a hat in bed!

The Pomatomus socks are proving to be a delightful side dish, so to speak. When I get fed up with the Hoodie, I just turn to the socks and the change in pace and needle size is enough to calm a frustrated mind. The intricate pattern is far from annoying, which has surprised me. Mind you, I am still knitting the leg. I may feel differently when it comes to turning the heel or shaping the toe.

Talking of socks, I was interested to read Kate Atherley's thoughts on grafting in this quarter's issue of Knitty. She is an advocate of cinching socks, the only way I had ever finished mine until I came to America. I shall certainly be trying her less pointed cinching method on my Pomatomus socks. The one item that I would consider grafting next time though is the hood on the CPH. It was handy to have the seam easily visible when I was picking up stitches to knit the front band (I did mine all in one piece), but I think that it would look better with the invisible join that grafting produces.

Well, time to break out all my winter woolies again and try to keep warm. Thank goodness I knit!

Christmas Spirit

2008-12-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

Every year in Norway the televison channels broadcast their children's advent calendar. It's a series of programmes screened in 24 episodes, one for each day of December right up until Christmas Eve. This year NRK1 is showing "Jul I Blåfjell."

My children loved this show. The eldest was just 7yrs old when it was first screened back in 1999 and since then December isn't December for her without all the blånisse (the mountain elves.) Before we left Norway we bought the series on DVD, so now here we are in America watching "Blåfjell." DD1 can be found stretched out in front of the TV every night (she's very tall now, so takes up a lot more space than she did when she was 7) watching the 'julekalender.'

We have introduced her little brother to it as well. Although he no longer understands everything, he is now beginning to sing along to some of the songs and we translate the story for him when he gets confused. Last week, he was so excited about Blåfjell, that he just had to run and find the blue elf hat and sweater that I had made him when he was about three. Thankfully, it is oversize so still fitted after a fashion.

The sequel to this show is called "Månetoppen" and features some red elves who live on the farms below the blue mountain. Several years ago, I also made him a special red hat and sweater from a pattern published to promote that t.v. show too. Last weekend my Little Guy insisted on slipping into that outfit as well!

It's wonderful to see how much our knitted items can enhance every area of our lives. We knit a lot for every day use and don't think that it's such a big deal, but it really is. Seeing the delight on my son's face as he wore items that I'd made for him years ago, but that he associates with a special ocassion, made me realise that what I do is not just 'knitting.' We have it in our power to create memories with our knitted items. This is my legacy. Provided the moths don't get them or they aren't lost, the items I make for people and the spirit in which they are made, are what I will leave behind.

Anyway, enough of that. Not to be outdone, here are the pictures of the finished Tretta hat too. I've had a lot of compliments on it, so even although the yarn was slightly thicker than recommended, I'm finding it perfect for our more northerly climate.

Pomatomus

2008-12-08T13:19:00.001-08:00

Don't you just love the way this "Happy Feet" by Plymouth Yarn is knitting up? I knew the Pomatomus pattern would be perfect for it! Mind you, it is very complicated. These few inches are the sum total of hours of work. By the time I've finished one sock, I may never get on to the other!

Perhaps I should plan to wear them to next years annual physical. At least that prospect might give me the impetus I need to complete them both.

Sock Humour

2008-12-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

Humourous moments are what keeps our lives on a steady keel. I had one such moment this week when I went for my annual physical. Now, the doctor's office is not usually a place where I have a lot to smile about, but this time it was different.

When you have a full health check-up, you have to strip down to nothing and put on one of those awful gowns that gape open at the back showing your derriere to the world. The only things you can keep on are your socks.

I was wearing two pairs that day; one white cotton and the outer layer a simple handknit pair made from self-stripe yarn - Reggio by Gjestal. They had been a relatively quick knit, made as they had been not for me, but for my daughter and designed to be practical not ornate.

As I climbed up on to the examination table in my homemade, slightly too large, multi-coloured socks (DD2 is a shoe size 8 and I'm a 6), the doctor was totally enamoured of my socks. In fact, she loved them so much that she pointed them out to the attending nurse!

It was enough to make a grown woman blush (or at least smirk silently to herself!)

This And That

2008-12-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a lovely Thanksgiving and I trust that all my American friends did too. The Central Park Hoodie was put on the backburner for the long weekend in favour of smaller projects that don't require quite so much concentration. It's still sitting there calling to me inbetween all the Christmas shopping, card writing, cooking and event attending that goes on at this time of year.

I did make one little foray to the yarn store on Black Friday. I hadn't planned it, but my dear daughter persuaded me to take her. I had a long chat with the owner about choosing buttons. I had been surfing the Central Park Hoodie group on Ravelry checking out other people's versions and noting the myriad of different button choices. It got me thinking. It would seem that the best thing to do is to take the finished garment to the store, lay it out on the table and choose the buttons there. That way I am less likey to make a mistake with my choice. I'd hate to get home and discover that the buttons were too heavy for the fabric or just didn't look as good on the piece.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I haven't knitted the hood yet! You see, I've also been trying to decide whether to continue the cable up the back of the hood or to keep it plain? It looks lovely both ways, but I've concluded that, as I won't be wearing the hood up very often, it would be a waste of time to decorate it. I will just stick with the single cable across the front, which will look fine layed flat across my shoulders, which is how I'll wear it most of the time.

Meanwhile, I've finished the Tretta hat. What a pretty pattern Grumperina has created. I think my choice of yarn could have been better though. My Lion Brand Wool seemed just a little too thick for this design. I thought I'd got a DK, but it turns out that the yarn symbol 4 (Medium) is actually classed as a worsted weight/Aran. I think that a DK/sport would have been better. I know, it says in the pattern DK, but I fell for the colour. I still haven't got used to these yarn weight symbols. I much prefer it when the band tells you straight whether it's a DK, worsted, fine etc. I hail from the old school of 2-ply, 3-ply, 4-ply and Double Knit, you see! It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks!!

Still the hat turned out well, so now I will just have to take some pictures of the finished product.

While I was at the yarn store though, I did fall in love with a sock yarn called "Happy Feet" by Plymouth Yarn. After the "Oh My!" debacle, this is the first yarn by "Plymouth Yarn" that I've bought. I'm hoping that it performs well. The colorway is a glorious red with a hint of burgundy here and there. On Sunday I cast on for Pomatomus by Cookie A. I'm hoping that this pattern will have the right balance of design to go with this yarn. I'm using 2.5mm needles, so it's very small work; progress will be slow.

Finally, I have finished my Christmas knits. DH's Navy hat was completed and hidden away until Christmas Eve, although I will need someone to model it for a picture before I wrap it up.

I wonder who's available? Perhaps Brad Pitt could oblige?