Knit and Plenty

Late Knit with David Letterman

Mary Ann (my soul friend) and I are both night owls. When the world goes to sleep, you'll find us in our respective casas, knitting and flipping (the remote) and I admit we can both get sucked into a Signature Club A sales pitch on QVC or watching David, or Tyra or Conan to the very end. We have both discovered that when we go to sleep has a lot to do with what we're knitting. If we're knitting in the round it could mean an all-nighter because there is never a good place to stop - while garter stitch is rather easy to walk away from.   If I am working in stockinette, knit a row, purl a row, I feel obligated to end with a purl row, but once I get there, I am compelled onward because I know I can fly through the upcoming knit row. But, then, I really should end with a purl row --- and so it goes. If I'm working a rib, I usually find that I want to stop in the middle of a row but, of course, I never do. Mary Ann is working on a baby blanket for her sister in law, and it has a six row repeating pattern.

1. (RS) Knit across
2. (K1, P1) across
3. (K3, P2) across
4. (K3, P2) across
5. (K1, P4) across
6. Knit Across
                      
   

I'm tired just looking at it. She has to finish it before the Baby Shower this weekend. Have another cup of coffee, Mar - it's gonna be a loooong week.

The Regina Moss Stitch Scarf

I admit it. I often get "Yarn Envy." Usually when I see a friend's finished project, I want to run right out and get the same yarn (in a different color, of course). I nearly swooned when I saw Regina's latest completed scarf. It's made from Karabella Cashmere Superwash. Pastel Pink for the body and Pink for the ruffle.It has a wonderful Moss Stitch pattern. The ruffle was inspired by the Latifa scarf.  Regina is allowing me to share the pattern on my Knitting Recipes. You can't believe how incredibly soft this feels. And like great cooking, you have to start with the best ingredients to end up with this level of quality.  So, I can have all the envy I want, but at $50 a skein, I might not use the Karabella. I'll have to settle for a cheaper imitation. But at least I got to see the original up close and personal.

Words to Knit By

Have you ever decided to turn a UFO into a WIP, began to tink by realized it needed a total frogging only to find out that the KAL is MIA and the LYS is out of DPNs? Striving for an  FO, you take a skein of worsted and swatch a gauge while your BP is on the INC. You obviously got out of the WS of the bed.
Such is the language of knitting.
UFO - Unfinished object
WIP: Work in progress
KAL: Knit a Long (a group of knitters sharing info)
LYS: Local yarn store or my kid's college tuiton

Tink: Rip out one stitch at a time , for knit backwards
FROG: Remove rows of stitches, as in Rip it, Rip it.
DPNs - Double pointed needles
FO: Finished Project, also known as "NEXT!"
Swatch: The sample of knitting made by doing a gauge.
Gauge: That thing we say we vow to do, next time.
My two favorite knitting ephemisms: Knitting with One Needle (bad thinking) and "One skein short of a sweater". We could make up some new ones, like "That's so acrylic." Any thoughts?

A Yarn of a Different Color

There's no place like home on a Saturday. Puttering about. Choosing to run a load of laundry - or not. Curling up with a good skein.  It feels good to not be in charge today. It feels good to not be thinking about anything except what new pattern to try or what movie to see tonight. Today, I have made the choice to surrender to the day. No matter what comes my way, I am going to remember that I can choose how I react, and mostly , I can choose how I think. Isn't that the only thing we really can control ??  One minute that horrible green yarn was a "what was I thinking?" and the next it's the perfect color for a flower stem. And the best part is that the power to change your mind is always just one thought away. Like Dorothy who always had the power to get herself home and interestingly, everyone she meets in Oz already has exactly what they are looking for -  when they choose to see things differently.
To remind myself to not hold on so tight, I painted and embellished an old jean jacket.{click photo to enlarge] I think I'll wear it to the movies tonight.

My Gal Friday

Hooray. Today was Playdate Friday. It's kind of my equivalent of a SNOW day. I totally play hooky from work and hang out at my gal Regina's house (which, by the way, is a crafter's paradise). Today we played with Shrink plastic (remember Shrinky Dink),experimenting with possible jewelry or stitch marker ideas, and then we tried sewing some yarn pouches. Those were kind of tricky and actually require the use of Pi (C = pi*r^2). I'll post pictures of these projects once we've ironed out the kinks.
Regina was also kind enough to model my finished felted hat. It's the one I shared earlier in the month as my giant felted head cover. But guess what?  It actually became a rather stylish chappeau. I used a great hat block that I ordered from HatShapers, thanks to a tip from Marcia at Spinnerella's Attic. They have tons of cool shapes. I think I'm going to try their baseball cap next. It was just a great, fun, totally selfish day - much needed, and well deserved.

Good Wool Hunting

"When you're alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go...downtown" - to the local yarn shop.  That's where I ended up today, after getting some nerve-racking medical news (to be continued). I needed to escape from the world and the LYS is always the perfect spot. I chose the Needlework Shoppe ( we call it The Shoppy) in downtown Westport. It's a small shop but it has floor to ceiling yarn and a great selection. Of course, I have to make up some excuse for being there, like the Yarn Police are going to jump out and arrest me for "possession with intent to stash." My normal excuse is Cascade 220. Who doesn't always need Cascade 220?? Of course, the sales person usually shakes her head knowingly, "MMM, Cascade 220, you say?" as if she knows she'll soon find you in utter BLISS. (Debbie Bliss, that is.) Actually, I did end up with some 220, a brown that I'll be using to create a Nantucket Basket.

A Botanical Basket Brimming with Bounty

Yes, I love to knit. Yes, I love the process of creating and watching a project bloom into its own. Yes, I love it when a project is done and I definately love seeing what others have created and sharing my work with them. But I honestly never realized, or thought about the fact that I just love yarn. I love going into a  yarn store and seeing all the fibers and colors.  It's like going to the Botanical Gardens. This is a good thing to keep in mind next time I am in a shop: that when you go to the Botanical Gardens, you don't get to pick all the flowers and bring them home. You can just look and appreciate. O.K. - I never just "look" - but this love of yarn explains why sometimes I just buy one $32.00 skein, even though I know it won't be enough to make anything. Perhaps you have already realized this about yourself but  now can clearly see that I am not only a knitter - I am a YARN COLLECTOR.  It explains why I have it on display everywhere. Jennifer has a giant glass brandy snifter filled with balls of yarn. Regina has this beautiful piece of furniture that was once an old dry goods storage chest, filled with her incredible collection. I have a large felted flower basket (Vogue Knitting, Winter 2005) that displays some of mine.  Now I can refer to all those plastic storage bins downstairs, brimming with my yarn treasures as The Archives. I'd love to hear how you choose to display your collection.

Knit in Shining Armor

On my last visit to Janet Kemp's shop. I spotted a shawl that she had made that combined EROS Glitz and sock yarn. I thought I'd give it a try using one skein of each for a smaller triangle. In the process, I Iearned that the word "kerchief" is archaic, because when I told my daughter what I was making, she said , "Kerchief? Is that like some sort of bandanna??"  I immediately imagined a flashback of me as a child looking up at my Russian grandmother and saying "Bubushka? Is that some kind of kerchief??" And actually now that its done, I am wondering what they would have called it in Medieval times because it came out looking an awful lot like chainmail.

Hooked on a Fish

I'm not that crazy about Sunday nights. The thought of all the "have-to's" looming large for Monday morning and the must-do's for the week ahead.  Growing up, my dad was a bear on Sunday nights. Luckily, there was Lassie and Ed Sullivan to look forward to. Now I have West WIng, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. I am totally hooked on these three hours of total escape.  I even escape from the knitting projects that I really "should" be working on. Sunday is not a time for "shoulds." And I love coming up with a small project that I can begin at 8 and finish by 11. So, last night, I knitted up a fish for my cats. Now,what could be more frivolous than that? This morning I felted it and filled it with catnip and talk about hooked!! My three guys (Jed, Dexter and Dewey) had a field day. Now, that's how to start a week off right. Hope yours is even better.

 

Brought to my Knees

Yesterday I went to visit Deb who is recovering from double knee surgery. She is in rehab for the next two weeks (for her knees, not the Vicodine --- that's next month.) She is in good spirits and working amazingly hard in physical therapy. Deb taught me to knit 25 years ago, and she still, to this day, helps me to finish projects because I have never mastered the art of seaming. She has the talent and temperment for it, although we're not quite sure if the same is true about her surgeon. Now, I love all this medical stuff, but I'm posting the picture as a thumbnail for those of you who may be squeamish. If you choose to click on the picture to enlarge it, I'll warn you - it is a little, how should I say it...unseamly.  Deb is a great sport with a terrific sense of humor, so she laughed when I pointed out that there was a remarkable similarity between her stitches and the raglan spine on my new cropped poncho. (if we lose our sense of humor....)

As she took a stroll with me down the hall as I left, we passed many people using walkers and wheelchairs, and I took stock in how lucky we all are for simple things like knees. I think I'll get on mine later, give thanks that I can kneel today and send all these folks, and especially my pal Deb, my prayers.