avknits

a mosaic of me

2008-06-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by AV Knits

Got this off of Sandy's blog. It is:

1. my first name (Alison)
2. my favorite food (cookies)
3. my high school (Hanover High School)
4. my favorite color (blue)
5. my celebrity crush (Colin Firth)
6. my favorite drink (water)
7. my dream vacation (Cinque Terre)
8. my favorite dessert (sticky rice with mango)
9. what I want to be when I grow up (go ahead, try to guess)
10. what I love most in the world (dogs)
11. one word that describes me (loving)
12. my flicker name (AV knits)

I have to admit, the overall effect makes me verrrry happy.

feet

2008-04-15T05:12:00.001-07:00

Some things you just don't appreciate until something goes wrong with them. Feet, for example. Who would have thought that a little teensy bit of toe surgery could set me so off for so long? However, my foot and I have come a long way. Here is my foot today:

My, sez you, that's a humdinger of a scar. Yes, well, I suppose it will fade some, and as my sweetie (diplomatically) pointed out, my feet never were my most beautiful feature. There's still some swelling and I start eight rounds of physical therapy next week. FOR MY TOE. For crying out loud.

Meanwhile, there has been some birthday knitting. For my son the football fanatic (remember when he used to be the penguin guy? Now it's all Randy Moss, all the time), I knit a hat in the colors of the San Diego Chargers. I knit it, he loved it, he wore it to his Alexandria Band Concert the very night of his birthday, and accidentally left it there. Poor guy, he was bereft. So I knit him another:

TVE's chargers hat
Yarn Harlot's generic hat pattern
dark horse yarns

For my sweetie's birthday I knit socks. He's been begging for socks. He is the most appreciative recipient of handknit socks I could possibly wish for. He lurves my socks. As soon as they're washed, he wears them again. It is so fun to knit him socks. Mods: one of them is knit in garter rib, and with the other I carried the 4 X 1 ribbing down the top of the foot. Both legs are loooong and without calf shaping, per request. Here they are:

SE birthday socks
Hellen's Favorite Socks pattern
yarns bought in Berlin (Meilenweit and Gedifra)

Lastly on the knitting front, this Mason-Dixon bib for my Mom to give to a dear friend's new granddaughter:

Becca's bib
Mason-Dixon Knitting
Sugar n Creme

So now we're fully into the spring season, last quarter of the school year, preparing for spring concerts, spring field trips, spring things. I've managed to put together all the complicated summer activities and still leave each kid with at least 3 weeks ABSOLUTELY FREE. Very proud of that. This week we're picking out courses for the girl's first year of high school (how, exactly, did THAT happen??). I'll leave you with two springy pics:

our dogwoods, just thinking about blooming

birthday guy, riding high

in which her good sense is removed with her bone spur

2008-01-31T05:23:00.000-08:00

So, I had this clapotis that I made, that I love so much I want to wear it into the shower with me. I love it so much that I want another one, this one in bright, rich, lush colors to contrast the caramel goodness of the first one.

And I had this leftover hand-dyed sock yarn. About 250 grams of perfectly perfect Lisa Souza hand-dyed "wild things" sock yarn, just longing to be knit into a bright, rich, lush clapotis. The only problems is, the clapotis patterns calls for 400 grams of yarn.

Here's the part where I lost my mind.

I'll order some more! [sensible brain: that's hand-dyed yarn, idiot. It won't be the same!] It will be close to the same! [close only counts in horseshoes, dummy. Have you never knit anything before in your life?] I'll put the lot that I like best at the ends, and the other lot in the middle, and then the difference won't be noticeable! [Have you ever seen a scarf before?] Yes, I got well into the straight rows still convincing myself that it would be workable, several rows into the new dye lot, now thinking things like: it looks obvious when it's spread out, but when it's bunched up around my neck the difference with smooth out! [I give up. Pass her some orange acrylic--she'll knit anything. Hey, anybody got a martini out there?]

But at some point, the most denying knitter has to face facts. Which is how my two-toned clapotis became this:

perfectly lovely, not-its-fault
Lisa Souza superwash merino hand-dyed
colorway "wild things"
new lot on left, old lot on right

I find, miraculously, that frogging is not all that painful for me. It's like getting to start a new project without finished the old one. And we all love that, right?

After some thought, I still think that clapotis is what I want to do to show off this yarn's jewel-toned glory, so I'm going to knit a smaller, thinner version. I've begun already. And I've got lots of time to knit these days because of this:

This is my left foot, two days after surgery to remove a bone spur from the outside of my big toe (does anyone see that I got someone called "Randy Moss" to sign my bandage? hm...). This surgery's been a long time coming. Apparently a long-forgotten dance injury (first thing the doc said when he examined my toe: "do you have a dance background?" Number One common injury for dancers--arthritic big toes), over the years it became arthritis, which morphed into a big fat old bone spur wrapping around the joint. A few shots of cortisone were miraculous for a few days each, but clearly weren't going to return me to my yoga and 3-mile dog walking routines. So I bit the bullet and off came the spur.

A note is appropriate here to thank my fantabulous husband for taking over all of the duties that I normally perform for our family with graciousness and good cheer and remarkable competence. Also to my dad for chauffeuring boys to trumpet lessons and myself to doctor's appointments, and to my best buddies for bringing me lunches and company. The kids have been a big help too, reserving the bulk of their complaints for the usual things. Thanks, everyone.

Now that a week has passed and the ginormobandage has been removed, I've graduated to a smaller bandage encased in, what else, a slightly oversized (because it was the first sock I EVER KNIT) handknit koigu sock:
True, it hasn't been signed by Randy Moss, but MAN is it soft and comfy. So I think I'm ready for a 4-day ski trip, don't you? No? OK, it's true: I'll be the one not skiing. But who could resist 4-days of r & r in the mountains of West Virginia at my friend's brand new house, where 10 other women will do the skiing and the cooking, and I'll do the knitting? What better way to recuperate from foot surgery (and give the family a chance to recuperate from me)? So I'm off.

Before I go, one more pic from the Christmas knitting. This morning my aforementioned wonderful guy came downstairs wearing his Christmas vest, and although it was not a sunny morning, and therefore not auspicious for photographing, I seized the moment and snapped a pic:

Peter Easy Vest
knitpicks swish worsted, colorway lilac heather

Overall I think we're both quite pleased. Ideally the armholes would be larger and the v-neck smaller, and I don't yet have the tweaking skills necessary to change a pattern that way. But it fits, it looks excellent, it's warm and soft and woolly, and I think it might be safe to say that I'm not afraid of sweaters anymore. Time to knit one for myself... ? http://www.knitty.com/issuespring07/PATTtahoe.html

gratuitous poodle post

2008-01-18T08:01:00.001-08:00

This is my sweet Josie, wondering what to make of the snow. She is a true Virginia dog (born in Dinwiddie!) and has seen the white stuff few enough times that she is always astonished by it. As a rule, she runs around in mad circles, lets fly a round of exclamatory barks, jumps on a nearby human, and then stands, bemused, which is the state captured above. For all that she is an utter goofball, she does have a stately carriage. A handsome, unpoofy poodle if ever there was one.

holiday update (about time)

2008-01-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

I do seem to be one of those who is loathe to post without photos. I still don't have photos of everything from my holiday knitting, but here's some progress.

Decorating:

I knit 18 korknisse and 11 round ornaments (photos in previous posts), plus 3 more ornaments for gifting. My son and I also made roughly 11 of these:

modern paper ornaments
design*sponge

Gifts:

That same son was gifted a pair of handknit socks, which he was gracious enough to put on his feet right then and there and he wears them any time they're clean:

TVE orange socks
Hellen's Favorite Socks pattern
yarn purchased somewhere in Berlin

For my mom, more things to keep her warm:

fetching for Mom
knitty.com
debbie bliss cashmerino

Dad then wore Mom's fetching mitts pretty much all of Christmas day. He says the warmth helps his arthritic hands. Well, who could resist that?

fetching-ish for Dad
knitpicks swish
same colorway (same yarn) that I used for BAWK

I started to knit him a pair of dashing mitts, given that they are supposed to be the masculine version of fetching. But by the time I'd gotten through the first big cable it was clear that these were not going to work for my Dad. They were both too long and too narrow. Instead, I simply knit him a pair of fetchings, omitting the cables. They're handsome and stretchy and soft, and we're both quite pleased.

At Mom's request, I knit these ballband dishcloths for our cousin Huddy, who wrote me a delightful thank-you card in return:

ballband dishcloths
Mason-Dixon knitting
sugar n creme cotton yarn

More holiday knit pics soon, plus an update on last year's resolutions (no sock yarn! no dishcloth cotton! Ha!), and some new ideas for 2008.

crafty nuttiness

2007-12-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

I seem to have gone a bit off the deep end with the holiday crafts... in addition to various gifts which I won't show here until they're given, I've made:

knitted ornaments
Melanie Falick, Handknit Holidays
stash sock yarn and beads

bitsy elf clogs
allsorts.com

snowman
alisha bauman at knitlist.com

And ever more korknisser
:

the holiday knitting begins!

2007-11-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

Around this time of year it gets harder to feed the blog, because so many of the projects underway are secret. I have many holiday thingies going now, but there are a couple of things that I can share. First, my mom's birthday present:

BAWK hot water bottle cozy
www.yarnagogo.com
knitpicks swish, colorway forgotten

This was a huge hit, and very fun to knit.

Next up:

korknisse
saartje knits
stash patons classic merino (various colors)

These take me about 20 minutes to knit, and I knit one whenever I need a break from some other task. They're delightful, and I still have about 10 corks left in my stash. No end in sight.

Finally, something for ME!

ropes and ladders scarf
pieknits.com
luxury cashmerino from AC Moore, 2 strands

This yarn started out to be a sweater for myself about two years ago, but I got bogged down keeping track of increases and decreases. I frogged it last new year's in a fit of UFO cleansing, and it was thrilling! I still have some left for a pair of fetching to match (although when one would wear this snuggly, bulky scarf with bare fingers is not clear to me). I wish the scarf rolled less at the edges, but maybe that's just because I'm too lazy to block it. It's really cozy and looks great with my black winter jacket. After about 10 minutes the wool does begin to itch a little bit because I am a certified wool wimp, but it's worth it.

more small projects

2007-09-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Two quick FO's:

garter stitch booties
knitting pattern central
knit picks shine worsted in "wisteria"

Booties in the hosta! Booties in the hosta! I made these to match the heartbreakingly cute baby kimono for Casey and Kelly's baby, which is expected soon. They too about an hour to knit.

felted coasters
from Felted Knits
Patons classic merino, in "harvest" and brown

These were also quick and easy, and make very usable coasters. For my Dad for his birthday, which is an odd birthday present, but only if you don't know my Dad. The colors are darker and richer in reality.

I'm beginning to get some holiday knitting going! I have one fairly large project planned that I hope I'll be able to get done in time. The yarn just arrived, so I'm off to a good start.

small projects

2007-09-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

You know, I think I might just be a small projects kind of gal. When I was in Knit Happens the other day, buying yarn for not one but THREE small projects, I confessed that I've never (successfully) knit an (adult) sweater (this is not technically true. I did knit something called a "fisherman's sweater" in high school out of pink wool. It was badly finished and, duh, made out of wool, so I never wore it). Oh! said the Knitters. You could make a sweater! But I hate seaming, sez I. We can help you with that! But I'm afraid I won't get the fit right. Of course you will! But...I have so many small projects already in the line-up. Ah HA! Really, I think I might just be a small projects kind of gal.

So while my Big Projects (afghan, clapotis, mystery stole, on which I've actually made modest progress through clue 4) languish on the sidelines, here are my most recent small ones:

baby kimono
from Mason-Dixon knitting
knit picks shine worsted, in wisteria

This is for an old friend of the family and his wife who are expecting their first child together. Mom asked if I'd make them a sweater, and I was delighted to oblige. I was going to make a hat to go with it, but I don't have enough of the yarn left and I'm not sure it's worth ordering more. I did get a really cute sculpey button for it:

Next up:

legwarmers
downloaded from chic knits
black horse yarn in black

The eagle-eyed out there will notice that one of these legwarmers has ends hanging out. The recipient grabbed the legwarmers and chopped off the ends with scissors before I had a chance to weave them in. I had trouble with this pattern: it was not transparent to me exactly how I was to maintain the rib pattern after the decreases, so I just fudged it and probably did it differently each time. Nevertheless, she keeps wearing them to class, so they must be at least OK.

Finally:

Odessa by grumperina
downloaded from magknits
debbie bliss rialto in pale blue

This, I'm sorry to say, is for my friend Katie, who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer over the summer. The taxol treatments are beginning to take their toll on her hair, among other things, so although it's still warm in Virginia, it is autumn and a knit hat seemed in order. Let's hope she'll be able to wear it both with and without hair for many years to come.

The yarn is lovely and very soft, but I think perhaps too stretchy for this pattern. I wasn't happy with the evenness of my stitches, which is usually not an issue. My only modification was to omit the beads, and while it's not as snazzy without them, I think it will be more comfortable against her bare scalp.

For comic relief, I offer you Poodle Wearing Odessa:

and Poodle Wishing Not To Be Wearing Odessa:

wraps in progress

2007-07-27T05:10:00.001-07:00

Progress report: I finished clue 3 of the Mystery Stole:

Can you believe I knit that? This lace thing is amazing. I think it's a stunning pattern and I'm so glad I got sucked into it. I do a fair amount of tinking, and I'm addicted to my dental floss lifelines... seldom go 10 rows without a mishap... but it's so worth it. Meanwhile...

stuffed dog added for... scale?

I started this clapotis on my spa trip. The yarn (knitpicks gloss) is luscious, although I'm not sure it's going to be a great color for me. I'm thinking I'll take this and something else on our Maui vacation. Not sure what the something else will be... socks? another lace scarf? think think think

good news, bad news

2007-07-10T07:08:00.001-07:00

The good news, more pics of FO's!

Oak Leaf and Acorn Scarf
Fiber Trends pattern
Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn
(can't think of the name of the colorway)

This is a lovely, easy lace pattern, a great way to cut my teeth on lace knitting (so to speak). The yarn is soft and luscious and I just love the color, which if I weren't such a lazy sod I'd go upstairs and root out the ball band... but it's probably long gone anyway. So there's my oak leaf scarf in the mystery colorway. Next up...

Clapotis scarf (aka Clapotini)
pattern from Knitty
Claudia's handpainted, "denim"

I've already ordered myself some knitpicks yarn (I forget what it's called, but it's a merino fingering-weight in a cream color) to make myself a full-sized clapotis wrap, which I hope to get going on in time for my 3-day spa trip with Tracy and Susan next week (speaking of which: does this sound like paradise to any of you? Three days in a spa in rural Wisconsin with the two smartest, sanest, lovingest people in the world, who have been your steadfast friends for 20 years THIS SUMMER, in a place that serves gourmet healthy food, has a purifying bath ritual, full spa services--I'm getting the sundara body boost and a pedicure--and encourages guests to stay in their luxury terrycloth bathrobes for their entire stay. Oh, plus there will be margaritas).

cloverleaf eyelet cable socks
pattern: Hellen's favorite sock pattern, plus Sensational Knitted Socks
Lisa Souza sock yarn, colorway "wild things"

With this pair of socks I've figured out a good system to fit my feet: 64 stitches for the leg, whittled down to 60 for the foot. Isn't this colorway delicious?? I have enough to make something else from it, too. Yay.

And then... the bad news.
A big, fat, glaring, irreconcilable GOOF about 15 rows back in my Mystery Stole 3. sigh. The worst part of it is that I discovered this bad boy just about two minutes after I had cavalierly pulled out my previous two lifelines. What the hell--I'd just installed a new lifeline. What would I need the old ones for? answer: OLD MISTAKES. sigh.

If you can't see the mistake, or aren't familiar with the ms3, those three right-slanting diagonal lines of yarnovers are supposed to be just that: lines. Not lines with a big zigzag in them. sigh.

I've gone over the various options, including living with it, but I've decided that the only thing that I can sensibly do is tink back 15 rows or whatever (ie, roughly 1500 stitches). Please send your sanity vibes my way.

prepare for FO's!

2007-07-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

Just one pic today, of my completed clue 1 (charts a and b) of the mystery stole:

If you look closely you can see that I've already learned my lesson and added a lifeline (after discovering a grossly misplaced yarnover and tinking back literally hundreds of stitches). I also learned, about lifelines, that while dental floss inserted into the hole of the knitpicks options needles IS an awesome way to add a lifeline, DON'T use waxed floss. Too sticky. Makes the next row troublesome, especially k2togs.

I'm slowly figuring out the most comfortable way to sit and knit off a large chart, with my aging eyes and reading glasses and inherited need to have my feet up off the floor at all times. I think what I really need is a big easy chair labeled For Knitting Only, with an ottoman, a side table on the right and a music stand on the left. This, however, is not going to happen. The music stand might.

Other FO's this week include my clapotini and one eyelet cable sock (the second), and two more zippered wristlets and a purse! Photos to come.

that giant sucking sound...

2007-06-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

... is me getting sucked into the e-knitting underworld! First ravelry (could I possibly spend more time noodling around that site?), and now the Mystery Stole 3 Knitalong. sigh. I'm a goner. Here's my swatch for MS3:

The color is not true--in reality it's a lovely dark green heather. But I'm happy with my gauge, etc: this is knitpicks laceweight merino, colorway "lost lake" (so romantic!), knitpicks options needles size 4US.

Meanwhile I'm making good progress on my Clapotini, as I now call it. I'm hoping to finish it before the first Mystery Stole clue comes out tomorrow. And I whipped up a sleeve for my new nano (my wonderful first-generation ipod finally gave up the ghost. That baby was a real dinosaur, and subject of wonder wherever it was seen). I wanted it to fit both the nano and the little radio device that lets me play it in the car, so it came out long and slender, and looking like it might be a sleeve for something quite other than a personal listening device.

I found out last night that even when your son's swim meet lasts (including commute time) 6 1/2 hours, you're still not going to get much knitting done, because a) you can't knit in the car because you get carsick and your friend Silvia is too entertaining; b) you can't knit while the sun is up because it's eight billion degrees in Virginia; and c) you can't knit for very long after the sun goes down because, well, duh. But today is another day.

rip and sew

2007-06-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

I finally did what I should have done in my LYS about three weeks ago: I accepted the fact that I do not have enough of my Claudia's handpainted to make a full-sized clapotis. Happily, I found a pattern for a scarf-sized one on the clapotis knitalong site, so I ripped and started over. I find that I don't mind, actually. Although I would have liked a full-sized clapotis, starting over comes with that pleasant casting on feeling. I'm going to find a different pattern for a wrap, and be satisfied to have a lovely handpainted merino clapotis scarf.

Meanwhile, I'm teaching myself to sew!

wristlet tutorial from splityarn

I had so much fun making this little bag. You can see from the photo that my seams are far from perfect, and there's a little odd bulk in a few places, nevertheless, as my very first sewing project (that's almost true: many years ago I did some quilting, and in middle school my mom and I tried very hard to master the world's easiest pattern for a wraparound skirt. We gave up. A few weeks later my dad finished it for us) I'm completely delighted with it. I'm going to make another one and fill them both with... I dunno, something... as gifts for the two graduate school buddies I'm meeting up with in July (spa days! yee ha!).

the not knit post

2007-06-23T06:03:00.000-07:00

Not that I haven't been knitting. I've been knitting quite a lot, but I don't have pics yet. Let's start off with a nice gratuitous poodle pic:

Josie in the hostas

Since this pic was taken the hostas have bloomed beautifully, proving (against all other evidence) that not every green thing put into my care dies within a month. Although when I think about it, all I did was buy them and decide where they should be planted. Still, that's usually enough to sign a plant's death warrant.

Come to think of it, I do have one FO pic to show:

baby bibs o' love
lily sugar n creme
mason-dixon pattern

These are way fun to knit. If only I were of an age to know more babies! My mom asked if I would like to knit something for her friend's new granddaughter in Hong Kong, and of course I was delighted. I even had the yarn in my stash, thanks to last year's overenthusiastic storing up for ballband dishcloths at the AC Moore sale (I got tired of dishcloths after about 10 of them, which is probably what would happen with the bibs).

As for non-knit FO's, here are a couple of little somethings that got whipped up on a verrrry rainy day in Chincoteague this week:

We actually needed a butter dish. I can't say that we need a gecko, but I think T will like it for his wall when he gets home from camp.

I keep meaning to post about recent reading, but this knitting stuff sure cuts into my reading time. I have, however, read the most recent Elizabeth George, What Came Before He Shot Her. It is unrelentingly depressing, but I did want to keep reading to get to the end. More recently I read, Richard Russo's Risk Pool, which, like all Russo's books, has a terrific turn of phrase and an absolute genius for character, plus a surprisingly poignant plot. I didn't love it as much as I loved Straight Man or Empire Falls, but I did love it. I read two Yarn Harlot books and found them happily diverting. And I've just started (about 50 pages in) Alison Lurie's 1987 book, Foreign Affairs. So far, so good.

I want to reread Alfred Lansing's Endurance. Need a Shackleton refresher.

I'm also enjoying Ravelry! Boy, I wonder if frecklegirl had any idea what she was getting into...

some knitting, some yard sale, and a pdq

2007-05-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of things I've been up to:

stripey jaywalkers
pattern by grumperina
meilenweit lana grossa (purchased at the Winterfeldplatz market in Berlin) sock yarn

I'm pretty sure that when I bought that sock yarn I had my daughter in mind, but the colors no longer look like her to me. They don't look much like me, either, to be honest, but I wanted to try jaywalkers in a really stripey stripe. Also I love the way they look in the dogwood tree.

This is my lovely lovely lovely oak and acorn lace scarf, and I am completely thrilled with everything about it: pattern, yarn, knitting, blocking, wearing. MUST KNIT MORE LACE RIGHT AWAY. Here it is in its unblocked state and then blocking. The colors are washed out in these pictures and don't at all do justice to the luscious Lorna's Laces yarn. Final pics and stats coming soon.

This:

is what went to the Salvation Army after the annual block-wide yard sale. We seemed to get lots of customers, but they weren't, apparently, in much of a buying mood. Nevertheless I considered the whole thing a huge success because of all the things we got out of the house. This victory was tempered slightly by all the stuff that Tommy bought at the other houses on the block... but he made up for it in sheer joy.

Finally...

Choral Arts Society of Washington
Kennedy Center
May 2007

This is my fabulous, ridiculous chorus, in all its wacky splendor, just before our performance of PDQ Bach's The Seasonings. That's me, center front, lounging lustily in mauve. In addition to the (ahem) glamorous outfits on the chorus (I believe it was a pun on choir robes), the performance featured two kazoos, two slide whistles, a shower hose, a tromboon (basically half tombone, half bassoon, or a brass bassoon with a slide), and Peter Schickele himself on the windbreaker (a big pan flute made out of wrapping paper rolls and duct tape). Oh, plus a full orchestra and an organ set to the soap-opera setting, whatever that's called.

what have you done?

2007-05-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

I cribbed this from Mim's blog. Man, has she done a lot more stuff than I have. She wants to do a lot more stuff too... but that's OK. There's room in the knitting subculture for a wide variety of ambitions.

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Meanwhile, I knit another Pasha the Penguin (no need for a pic--it's exactly like the first one), this one for an upcoming birthday, and I'm nearly done with my oak leaf and acorn scarf. Pic soon.

after some thought...

2007-04-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

A letter to my daughter:

You and I have had some disagreements over my blog.

I appreciate that you do not want your private life aired without your permission over the web. I understand that you don’t want your picture, or pictures of your friends, on your mother’s blog.

Nevertheless, it is my blog. I have final say over what goes into it. That said, I do actually want to respect your wishes about how you appear in it, so I’ve come up with the following guidelines for myself:

1. I will not call you the Movie Maven. The convention in blogdom seems to be to refer to someone in your position as DD, for “Darling Daughter.” I’ve found that a little snide, but if you prefer it I could use it. Or I could simply refer to you as “my daughter.” Or I could use your name, or a name you choose, or your first initial.

2. I will not post any pictures that show your face.

3. I will not post entries that are specifically about you, stories about you, or pictures of you for the sake of showing pictures of you. I will, however, feel free to illustrate moments from my own life that include you, without showing your face or revealing private information. This means, for example, that the post about the mother-daughter weekend would be permissable if I were to remove pictures of your face. In consideration for your friends, I would also remove their faces.

4. I will not post entries that are critical of you. I will occasionally post entries that are proud of you, but I will try to refrain as often as I can because I know it’s not your favorite thing. But it is my blog, and I am a mother.

I know you’d rather I never mention you in my blog in any way, but that would compromise my authority over my blog more than I am willing. I hope that my guidelines will generate a blog that you can live with. If not, we can talk more.

With love and respect,

Mom

magic!

2007-04-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Which is to say: felting! My first felting. I'm so thrilled. Never have the muggles been so impressed with my yarn-and-sticks passion. Never have I had so many spontaneous exclamations. You made those? You KNIT those?

Yep. I knit those. These:

Penguin Boy's Hausschuhe

Paton's Classic Merino, chocolate and wedgewood colorways
Fibertrends pattern

Poodle not included

Hausschuhe for MOI

same yarn (leaf green), same pattern

Agatha Christie movie and ankles included for scale

Plus they're sooooooft and squooshy with the double soles, and just luscious to wear. They're a remarkably quick knit (which is a good thing, since my sweetie has already put in an order, and since I intend to make a pair for the Movie Maven even though she says she doesn't want any) and the yarn is inexpensive at AC Moore. Delightful.

Meanwhile, I've started a lace scarf (also for MOI) in gorgeous Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn (gold hill is the colorway), using another Fibertrends pattern, the Oak Leaf and Acorn scarf. I started this instead of the pawprint lace scarf I'd intended to make, mainly because I bought the divine yarn and it looked more like leaves than like paws. I've also knit one jaywalker in a VERY BRIGHTLY COLORED lana grossa sock yarn (#632) I must have bought in Berlin last summer, and one sock using the cloverleaf eyelet cable pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks in Lisa Souza's Wild Things sock yarn (neither words nor links can adquately express the beauty of this colorway). Knitting one sock at a time is my way of conquering second sock syndrome: I knit one, move on to something else, and by the time something else is completed I'm all psyched up to get going on the socks again.

I made myself a nice pair of dark-chocolate-colored fetching gloves, per my 2007 knitting resolutions, but before I even took a picture of them I'd lost one somewhere between My Organic Market and Charles Barrett Elementary School. I think I have enough yarn (Debblie Bliss cashmerino) to make another.

Finally, I made this for Penguin Boy's birthday, a Lion brand pattern:

and he is very pleased. His friend's mom asked if I would make one for his birthday in June, which I'm delighted to do. PB also wants me to make another penguin for the same friend's June birthday. I'm so pleased that these labors are loved and appreciated that I really am glad to make more. It tickles me (no fuzzy hedgehog pun intended).

It occurs to me that I made a pair of socks for my sweetie's birthday that I forgot to photograph, so I'll have to get to that in another post.

winter pictures on a spring day

2007-04-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

Or, things I didn't get around to posting.

Cold sheep.
January day.
Norwich, Vermont.
5 degrees above zero.
Dirt and straw and steamy breath.

I love this sheep.

And some pics to warm the heart of any knitting mother of a teenaged kid, or any mother of daughters, or any reader of early feminist American literature, from our annual mother-daughter weekend getaway:

Teenaged girl knitting while second teenaged girl reads aloud from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper."

Teenaged girls knitting while listening to "The Yellow Wallpaper."

Teenaged girl perplexed by knitting, or perhaps by "The Yellow Wallpaper." Either way, she figured it out.

Teenaged girl reading aloud from "The Yellow Wallpaper," while teenaged friend knits.

life can be so very sweet

blog backlog

2007-03-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

Long time no post! Oy. I'll start with some FO's and other knitterly things:

Here's the silver and black fuzzy pillow that had me in fun fur heck. It was meant to be for the Movie Maven for Christmas, but didn't quite get there. Here it is against a backdrop of late winter snow.

This was the first of many attempts to make myself a beautiful scarf. I do think this is a beautiful scarf, but it proved too itchy for me to wear (my neck does NOT like wool, not even when it's mixed with silk and stuff). So I gave this scarf to my dear friend who came to visit from Germany, and she loves it as much as I do and apparently can wear any old sandpaper around her neck, because she never took it off for the remaining days of her visit. Seriously, I think she slept in it. Yarn: some Noro something. Silk garden, I think? pattern: fishtail lace scarf, found on the web.

Attempt #2 to knit myself a beautiful scarf. More Noro, this time the merino/cashmere/silk stuff. Still basically too itchy for my regal neck, and plus I wasn't happy with the colors. So it took a trip to the frog pond and became this---->

Dunno what I'm gonna do with it now.

These, however, are a smashing success! Apparently my feet are not as delicate as my neck, as they are perfectly delighted to be encased in trekking superwash merino, part of the stash of sock yarn I picked up at the Winterfeld Platz outdoor market in Berlin this summer. Heaven.

And finally, a pic of what makes a knitter happy:

A boy in his handknits by the fire. Ah.

silent poetry for Brigid

2007-02-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,--
One clover, and a bee,
And revery.
The revery alone will do
If bees are few.

Emily Dickinson

I am in fun fur heck

2007-01-15T16:44:00.000-08:00

OK, it is January 15 (Happy Birthday, Dr. King!), and I am already having trouble sticking to my 2007 knitting resolutions. Haven't caved yet, but....... I am in fun fur heck (the Movie Maven does not like bad words, so I refrain for her sake). I have a lovely new project on the needles, which is a gift and therefore I cannot post photographic progress. That it is a gift also means that I cannot work on it when the future recipient is around (which he or she happens to be a lot on a holiday weekend), which means that, according to the 2007 KR's, I have to work on a UFO whenever I am not working on the fun new secret project. And the UFO I've opted (god knows why) to tackle is the fuzzy pillow for the Movie Maven.

OMG. Endless stockinette fun fur. I perish.

But I am determined to get it Off My List, so I persevere, which is particularly difficult since this arrived:

Isn't it luscious? Laceweight merino in gently heathered greens. Oh, I love it. It's going to be the Paws to Remember scarf, my very first lace project. Giving in to my occasional tendency to be a gearhead, I ordered a set of lace blocking wires with the yarn.

However... even though I had the yarn and the blocking wires in hand, the pattern for the paws scarf was still en route to my home, and rather than plunge myself back into fun fur heck I cast on some Noro silk garden from my stash:

[It is ENTIRELY possible that there's a poodle in that picture.] Anyway, it's a fishtail lace pattern that I found on the web, very easy to memorize and fun. I did find, though, something that it's impossible to learn looking at pictures on other peoples' blogs: I can't put Noro next to my skin. itchy scratchy ootchy. I can knit with it, but my neck rebels against its scritchy charms. So I think maybe this scarf will go to the school silent auction. What shall I suggest it's worth (without the poodle)?

On a c o m p l e t e l y different subject, my chorus has begun rehearsing for our March concert, one old piece and one new. The new piece, an Amy Beach work with which I'm completely unfamiliar, was fun to read through, kind of like starting a new project when you're not familiar with the mode--like, casting on for your first lace. Exciting, intriguing, but you really don't know how much you're ultimately going to like it. But ah, the Poulenc "Stabat Mater"--THAT'S like digging out your most luscious stashed koigu and casting on for a pair of perfectly perfect socks. You KNOW you love it. You've walked this road before. It's all gravy. Any more metaphors you'd like me to toss in? If you're still not sure what I mean, go put on your favorite pair of handknit socks and find yourself a recording of the "Stabat Mater." And enjoy.

well, now I know

2007-01-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

You Are An INFJ

The Protector

You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.

Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.

You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience.

You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them.

You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

What's Your Personality Type?

I would make a crappy alternative medicine guru, but otherwise this feels pretty comfy.

the multitasking post

2007-01-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

UF'ed business

I decided that while I was listing UFO's, I might as well list this one, although it is clearly not knitted:

I began this baby quilt when I was pregnant with the movie maven, which is to say that I haven't touched it since October 9, 1993. I do intend to finish it someday; all that's left is about 2/3 of the quilting and the binding. I don't, however, plan to make it part of my knitting resolution rules, which are below.

knitting resolutions 2007

1. I must finish one UFO before casting on a new one. Ie, I'm nearly done with Murphy's pair of socks; when they're done, I can cast on something new. When it's done, I have to go back and finish another UFO from yesterday's list. And so on.

2. There will be no new sock yarn purchases in 2007.

3. There will be no new dishcloth cotton purchases in 2007.

4. I must cast on projects first for which I already own a pattern and/or yarn. I will make exceptions for gifts if I really can't find a suitable gift project in my stash.

That's it! Those are my resolutions. They seem pretty manageable...

2007 planned projects in no particular order

1. fetching (hey, EVERYBODY'S doing it)

2. pawprint scarf. This will be my first lace project! I already have the yarn, but I forget what it is and you're just going to have to wait to find out because I'm not going to unstash the stash again just to look at the ballband.

3. hair scrunchies for the movie maven

4. top secret birthday gifts for both penguin boy and my sweetie (March birthdays--better get going on those)

5. jaywalkers. FOR ME. Made with one of the luscious self-striping things I bought at the Winterfeldplatz market in Berlin last summer

6. felted slippers (we call them Hausschuhe) for someone in the family. We all wear them (storebought!), and I have to tackle felting sooner or later

And I've got a couple of skeins of Noro that really should be a scarf or a hat or something... plus about 8 billion more balls of sock yarn...

just because they love me

Here's what I got from my fambly for Christmas!

From penguin boy

Hm... maybe he's spent some time waiting for me in bookstores while I've obsessively pawed through the knitting books...

From the movie maven

We've already watched all fifteen delicious episodes. If you didn't watch it on PBS, some stations (including ours) are airing it on Masterpiece Theater again beginning this Sunday (Jan. 7).

There's that poodle sneaking into the pics again.

And look what my sweetie got me!
That's right: the full set of Knitpicks options needles. Ah, now there's a man who loves his knitter.

lastly, belated showing of holiday knits

These did all appear on the Who Wouldn't Love A Handknitted Gift blog, but for those of you who weren't there, here were the final few:

diamond lace bookmark for my sweetie

I made it out of the yarn for Murphy's Pair of Socks, just so he'd have something under the tree knit by me

I ended up making more of these to give to my parents, a perfect gift for readers who are about to downsize their home (especially from a knitter who has about 75 acres of sock yarn)

fuzzy scarf for the movie maven

I abandoned several projects for her before landing on this one with only a few days to go until Christmas. Hence the now-begun fuzzy pillow pictured in yesterday's UFO list.

Poodle was a good model for this one.

My Personal Favorite: Penguin Boy's Penguin

Lastly, Cara over at January One (where I've long been a stalker) tagged me (at my own request) with the 10-things challenge, letter W. I need to give it some thought, but it'll be here in the next few days. I hope. I do have to factor in the zillion hours I'll be singing at the Kennedy Center this weekend, my chorus's moving and rousing annual Choral Tribute to MLK. Maybe I can rustle up a few good W ideas from my wild and wooly (ahem!) chorus buds.

Ignominious UFO List

2007-01-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! In the spirit of resolution, I've resolved (ahem) to post a photo-documented list of my ignominious hoard of UFO's. This will be the first step of my 2007 Knitting Resolution: I will finish one UFO before taking on each new project, that is, no casting on without first finishing one lovely, lying-around-for-god-knows-how-long thing. Here they are, my UFO's, in no particular order:

linen table runner
As you can see, this is a VERY unfinished object.

yet another fuzzy pillow
for the movie maven

twin rib sock in Lisa Souza handdyed,
colorway "wild things"

plus poodle

brightly colored warshrags,
only two waffly rows from done

peagreen cashmere funnelneck sweater,
front only so far

I really like this sweater and mean to wear it!

OK, how did that dog get into all these pictures?

This is Murphy's pair of socks, nearly done, for my sweetie for Christmas. In January. These socks have been through many trials, but they look like excellent socks in the end.

Lisa Souza, colorway "petroglyph"
some funky rib pattern that I might have made up

And finally, my afghan! It's been so long since I got this out that I had forgotten how much I loved it. Patons merino, my own simple seed-and-stockinette pattern. Two and a half panels (roughly) to go.

Tomorrow, a list of planned new projects, plus belated pics of Christmas FO's.

Lastly..... Happy opening day to the 110th Congress of the United States, DEMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED!!! May our representatives show the courage of their convictions. Remember our deteriorating environment, our vanishing civil liberties, our poverty-stricken and our homeless citizens, our dismal reputation in the world, the devastated people of Iraq and our soldiers and civil servants there. Peace and justice are not impossible goals.

And won't it be lovely not to have any flag-burning or marriage-saving amendments proposed?

murphy's pair of socks (a letter to my sweetie)

2006-12-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Sweetie,

Remember those handknit socks I promised you for Christmas?

First, I started making you a pair of blue/green socks. After a couple of inches I decided that that yarn was too purply, therefore too girly (eventually I showed it to you and you said it was fine, but by that time I'd started on a different, more masculine pair of socks for you). So I gave up on those.

So I knit you the first sock of a new pair. It was the same yarn and the same needles and the same number of stitches as the pair I made you this summer, but I used a different stitch pattern for the leg. I was worried about the size as I knit, but didn't listen to myself. When the sock was finished it was clear that this pattern made an insufficiently stretchy, therefore too small, leg. So I gave up on that sock. Using the same yarn, I started another sock in a stretchier pattern.

I knit that sock. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it.

I unraveled the first, too tight sock, rewound it into a ball, and began knitting the second sock. Yesterday while you were at the museum with the penguin boy I finished the leg and turned the heel on that sock. This morning I picked up the gusset stitches and began the ankle decreases. After about 8 rows I noticed that something was wrong: in a place where I should have had 16 stitches on a needle, I only had twelve. After several minutes of counting, ripping, recounting, picking up, more counting, I figured out that, indeed, I have knit the ENTIRE SECOND SOCK with four fewer stitches than I knit the first (sufficiently stretchy, therefore not scrapped) sock.

I cannot fix this before Christmas. I have to knit a penguin. I love you and I want you to have many many pairs of handknit socks, but on this particular pair of socks in time for Christmas, I have to say "uncle."

with heartfelt apologies, I am your lovin

AV

knitting like mad, nothing to report

2006-12-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

Like everyone, I am knitting like a nutcase but it is all stealth holiday knitting and therefore cannot be publicly posted. With luck I'll finish yet another hat for penguin boy to wear for safety patrol (he lost the first two I made for him within a week), and that I'll be able to show you.

In other forms on noncommunication, I have LARYNGITIS. This is something a singer never wants, but a singer really really really does not want it in December. Gigs out the wazoo, and no voice to bring to them. I have a brief 3-day respite from singing (starting today) before the next onslaught, and am following the generally approved advice which is to drink plenty of fluids (the advice doesn't specifically instruct, but I've found that the corollary mandate is to make many trips to the restroom) and don't talk. So I ain't talking. Not talking is awesome when the phone rings, because I hate the phone. But I'm planning to be a little embarassed at my haircut in an hour... The kids went through this no-talk routine with me a couple of years ago, and it becomes a kind of game for a while.

So there I am: shut up and knit.

Thanksgiving 2006

2006-11-23T04:56:00.000-08:00

Among the many things for which I am especially thankful this year are:

* DEMOCRATS. Hallelujah! Jim Webb, the lushly purple state of Virginia and the proudly blue city of Alexandria. On to 2008!

* Cool rainy days and good aged firewood

* The pizza place at the corner of Suedwestkorso and Wiesbadener Strasse; the lake by the Schelands' house in Leipzig; the sand pit at the IBZ; the U-bahn; sunset at 10 p.m.; a good (long) stroll through the Tiergarten (and past the Spanish Embassy twice!) with 14 of my favorite people

* Josie's other mom, Katy

* kids playing instruments; handknit hats; the Maury playground after school; the dog park; La Piazza; afternoons on East Walnut Street; Karen's pies; a good laugh

* modern antidepressants

* my children's grandparents

* the house on Bradley Hill Road; the breathtaking slideshow Steve made of it

* the back porch

* email exchanges, sometimes frivolous, sometimes profound, with Tracy and Susan

* 13-year-old girls (who knew how much I'd like them!)

* knitting blogs

* having Paul around

* the children's classes of the Choreographers Collaboration Project

* Friday happy hour with Karen and Mary Jo

* so-called book club

* netflix

* family movie night

* Steve's willingness--not to mention ability--to oversee a 7th grade science fair project

* Choral Arts, St. Albans, and anybody else that wants me to sing for them; the members of my choral family who are no longer with us, and the musical moments that can only happen at a choral singer's memorial service

* Tommy's impressive social life

* my indispensible Potluck family, whose gifts are beyond words

* did I mention Democrats?

Happy Thanksgiving, Bloggolites.

I'm ambi-mind-rous!

2006-11-14T07:38:00.000-08:00

You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

linen woes, fo's, election throes

2006-11-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness I am finished knitting the linen hand towel.

Pattern: Mason-Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Euroflax linen in champagne
needles: US4 circs

I haven't done the part where I wash it and it gets all drapey, mainly because I'm not sure how I'm supposed to wash it. I know, there should be (and probably is) a ballband around here... but I want to know the BEST way from someone with experience. Machine or hand? line dry? block with pins? soap? what kind? Please advise.

Another FO:

Pattern: borrowed from the Harlot
yarn: wool ease from my stash
needles: US10 1/2 dpns

Penguin Boy recently became a 5th grade safety patrol, and some of those autumn mornings at 7:20 a.m. were a little nippy, so I thought he needed a hat. I knit him one. He loved it. He wore it two days. It got lost. I never even got a picture. But I made him this one, and he likes it too, so yay.

Speaking of yay... welcome to the brave new world of the post-November 7 political landscape! I didn't dare post anything until Allen conceded yesterday at 3 p.m. (the movie maven and I sat in the car for about 15 minutes on a perfectly perfect fall afternoon just to hear the moment on c-span radio). Hooray for Virginia! Hooray for northern Virginia! Hooray for my city, Alexandria, which went 2 to 1 for Webb (and, by the way, also went 2 t0 1 against the ignorant and bigotted marriage amendment, which passed anyway, the only dark spot of the election outcome)! Hooray for the brilliant, self-correcting democratic process!

Oh, it's going to be so much more fun to watch senate judiciary committee hearings.

Finally, gratuitous autumn poodle shot:

ow

2006-10-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

So, in between ballband dishcloths and socks, I've been drooling over the linen handtowels in the Mason-Dixon book. When my mom asked if I would be interested in knitting something for a friend of hers in Scotland, I suggested a linen handtowel. Easy, right?

Well, first of all, my LYS doesn't carry linen yarn. So I ordered it online and it took a week or so to get here (I wasn't counting, it just felt like longer than Amazon). And it arrives looking lovely and linenny and I start rolling it into a center pull ball and...

OW. That is some stiff and scratchy stuff. I mean, REALLY stiff and scratchy. Plus when I knit up a ways

not only are my fingers chafed from the yarn rolling over them, and my wrists sore from the lack of give to the yarn, but it looks like... nothing. The stitches are so big and fat and loopy that you can hardly see the clever grid pattern. What's up, Kay and Ann? You put all those luscious linen garments and things in your book like linen yarn was something a person would actually want to work with. What's the deal? Oh, I read the bit about how it gets all drapey when it's washed (it better), but that doesn't make it any more pleasant now for the 10 remaining pattern repeats until I get this thing off the needles. Hmph.

End of grumpy linen post.

dual outrages

2006-10-25T05:25:00.000-07:00

Outrage #1: According to the Washington Post, in three Virginia jurisdictions (including my own), the electronic balloting machines were unable to cope with the bizarrely unwieldy (catch that sarcasm) candidate's name: James H. 'Jim' Webb. Oh, it's there on the voting page where you have to check it, but on the summary page (due to a change in font size, believe it or not) he will appear only as James H. 'Jim." I'm not kidding. George Allen will appear as George Allen, but Jim Webb will appear as James H. 'Jim.' Apparently we are supposed to be reassured by the fact that election officials promise to have the problem solved by the next election.

This is one of the closest senate races in the country, folks. Money is pouring in from across the country to fuel this race. And we can't get the guy's NAME right?! Puh-leeze.

Outrage #2: Michael J. Fox has recorded very moving TV spots to boost political candidates who support embryonic stem cell research. Rush Limbaugh, who clearly has no shame, accuses Fox of (and I am not making this up. He said it on his nationally broadcast radio show) faking his Parkinson's symptoms for sympathy and political gain. As a person with a family history of Parkinson's (and, while we're at it, as a basically decent human being) I hope Limbaugh gets his righteous butt crucified for this.

No knitting content today. Too busy being outraged.

swatch post

2006-10-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Since many of my current projects are intended for holiday gifts, I feel I can't post pictures, which is very frustrating! Just for the sake of my own ego, here are a couple of pics which (I hope) only hint at what they are:

If you can guess what they are, good for you!

Here's something I can show you because I don't know to whom I'll give it yet, therefore I doubt that that person will look at the blog and know that it's for them. It is one and a bit of the UBBD (ubiquitous ball band dishcloth). I'm very happy with the colors.

4 things meme

2006-10-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

This whole meme thing is so self-indulgently delicious.

4 Jobs I've Held

1. receptionist at the Sierra Club national headquarters
2. adjunct professor of English
3. day care sub
4. cashier at a country general store (Dan & Whit's)

4 Movies I Never Get Tired of Watching

1. The Princess Bride
2. Local Hero
3. Philadelphia Story
4. Best In Show

4 Places I've Lived

1. Norwich VT
2. San Francisco CA
3. Madison WI
4. Washington DC

4 TV Shows I Like

1. American Experience
2. Mystery
3. Jeopardy
4. Masterpiece Theater

4 Places I've Vacationed

1. Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
2. Costa Rica
3. Cinque Terre, Italy
4. Ireland

4 Websites I Visit Often

1. Washington Post
2. New York Times
3. Mason Dixon Knitting
4. Yarn Harlot

4 Special Treats for Me

1. a night in a hotel
2. cannolis
3. a hot bath
4. sitting by the fire in my pj's on a snowy day in Vermont with a mug of cocoa

1 Place I'd Rather Be Right Now

Actually, I'm pretty content right now. But I'd never mind being in Vermont.

I have finished a couple of objects but I can't show them to you because they're gifts for people who might look at the blog.

blog oversight

2006-10-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that this

turned THIRTEEN last week?

5 Things I Totally Love About My Daughter the Movie Maven

1. She's funny. Witty funny, like sneaking in a clever reference to something that happened a month ago funny. Sarcastic funny. Sardonic funny. Really funny.

2. She's intense. The MM doesn't generally do things in a small way, be they projects, thoughts, feelings, actions. She's a deep thinker.

3. She loves dogs and classic movies. These are fabulous healthy things to love that will never desert her.

4. She cares about her friends. She's sensitive to their feelings and she keeps in touch. She likes them. They're not trophies.

5. I trust her. Not with candy in the house, but with pretty much everything else.

And no, you can't have her.

the promised spanky shiny pictures

2006-10-13T06:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, dear Moooooom

2006-10-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, today is my Mom's birthday. My brother is arriving there for a brief birthday visit and I know there's a meal at a new Italian place on the agenda. I made her a pair of gloves (my first!) out of some of the luscious and cheap Trekking sock yarn I bought at the Markt am Winterfeldplatz in Berlin this summer, but I forgot to take a picture of them. arg. I will ask my Dad for a pic for the blog.

Speaking of FO's and pics for the blog, I have many minor FO's to report, and I even took some pics this morning, but they won't transfer onto the computer. I'm trying not to associate this in any cause-and-effect way with the fact that my sweetie borrowed the camera last weekend (for the first time) for a cub scout camping trip... So now I will make an utterly boring pictureless list of finished objects, and when my sweetie figures out how to fix the camera there will be a lovely and not boring post with spanky shiny pictures. Imagine, please:

1. A set of two dishcloths, ubiquitous ballband design, in greens and purples. Meant for gifting.

2. Another set of two dishcloths, one ballband and one not, in beige and variegated mauves. Meant for gifting.

3. Yet another set of dishcloths, this time a trio with textured pears. For my SIL for Christmas.

4. One sock, plus one half of a sock for a different pair, both meant as Christmas gifts and therefore not likely to appear in photographic form on the blog.

And That Is All.

socktoberfest!

2006-10-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

I've managed to get the buttons onto the blog, but have not managed to turn them into links. One step at a time, I guess. Meanwhile...

Socktoberfest! Here are my answers to Lolly's sock questions:

1. When did you start making socks? etc I made my first pair of socks last spring, which means that only now (since I live in Virginia) are there occasional opportunities to wear all the socks that I've knit so far! I went into my LYS (where, as it happens, a couple of knitters were sitting around making socks), asked for advice, and went home with a Fiberarts pattern (Hellen's Favorite Socks, I think it was called--I've since memorized it and given it to a young knitting friend, who is on her second pair of socks!) and some truly delicious koigu. Poof! A sock knitter is born.

2. What was your first pair? My first pair was made with the above pattern and yarn. Midway through the second sock, the Movie Maven laid claim to the pair, which I happily gave her. They were too big for her (possibly for me too), but before I could get them back one of them slipped into the black hole of the MM's room, whence it has yet to be recovered.

3. What would you have done differently? Smaller needles. I seem to be a loose knitter (ahem).

4. What yarns have you especially liked? I've really loved Lisa Souza's superwash merino hand-dyed. It's lovely to knit, lovely to wear, and the variegation is subtle and sophisticated. I love to knit with koigu kppppppp(whatever)m, but I really need something washable for my life, which does not include handwashing anything.

5. Do you like to crochet your socks? etc I don't know how to crochet. I've tried dpn's and two circulars, and seem to prefer dpn's, especially if they're wooden.

6. Which kind of heel do you prefer? Flap. I've only tried one pair of toe-up short-row socks, and I had problems. See blog entries involving the "bob sock."

7. How many pairs have you made? ummmm... seven, I believe. No, eight. And I've got two on the needles for Socktoberfest!

the knitter in her natural habitat

2006-10-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the knitter at the playground after school. It feels right to immortalize the moment, because this is the last autumn that I'll spend my afternoons this way, with a small collection of friends and a large collection of (mostly) boys, a blanket on the ground, a scattered array of (mostly organic) snacks. Penguin Boy is in fifth grade this year, so the end of elementary school is in sight. Where did it go?

The thing I'm knitting is a dishcloth. Or a washcloth, depending on who I end up giving it to for Christmas.

I leave you now with a boy and his Poodle. And please oh please, can somebody out there tell me how to put buttons on my blog?????

choral music, fo's, and a meme

2006-09-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

This is how those of us who have no swift/ball winder make center pull balls of yarn.

Here's a close-up of that yarny goodness. Luscious, no? It's Lisa Souza, colorway "wild things." Darker and lusher in person. Ooooo, I love it.

CHORAL MUSIC

Check out this guy's face. My personal theory is that he reaaaally didn't like sopranos. Another plausible theory is that he was a deaf instrumentalist writing choral music. Whatever the reason, his Missa Solemnis is, and I feel quite strongly about this, NOT MEANT TO BE SUNG BY HUMANS. LOUD soft LOUD soft. HIGH low HIGH low. This is simply not rational human behavior.

This guy, on the other hand, makes me feel like a bird in flight, particularly in the two lovely lovely pieces we're preparing for my church choir: He that is down need fear no fall, and a setting of the 23rd psalm from Pilgrim's Progress. The only conclusion I can draw from comparing these two faces and their respective works' singability is.......... that it's not about the eyebrows.

I love this:

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: ( pet and current street name) Josie Walnut That is so awesome.

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your moms side, your favorite candy) Helen Marzipan (ahem)

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of last name, first three letters of your middle name) V. Eva Actually I don't really know what a fly girl is.

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Dog (zzzzzzzz)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Eva Hanover

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom’s maiden name and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.) Valalhenor

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The”, your favorite color, favorite drink) The Blue Caipirinha That does not sound like a superhero, but it's fun to spell

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first name of both your grandfathers) Thomas Ernst I also like the one that uses their middle names: Easen Wilhelm

9. FUTURISTIC NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne and the name of your favorite shoes) Cinnamon Sandals (OK, I know NOTHING about perfumes and little more about shoe brands. Still, I kind of like Cinnamon Sandals)

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother/father’s middle name ) Louise None My Dad has no middle name, but what a witness protection name!!

Thanks to Lair of the Silkwyrm for this meme. Can't remember how I found her.

Finally, another pear dishcloth is born!

but lo!

2006-09-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

I fixed it!

Most of it, anyway. I still don't know how to become a member of the mid-atlantic knitters ring. I'll save that for another day.

is it true?

2006-09-27T05:59:00.000-07:00

Did I just erase my entire template trying to add my blog to the mid-atlantic knitters ring?

the ribbed scarf...

2006-09-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

... was for my Dad's eightieth birthday. Here's a bit of knitterly joy: the night before his birthday he said to me, unprompted, "You know, someday I would love to have a scarf that you made. I love a real, woolen scarf." My poker face must have been effective, because he appeared utterly surprised the next morning when he opened the gift! I'm so pleased.

Recent reading:

Apart from an Agatha Christie spate, brought on by the MM's recent discovery of Miss Marple, I've been reading a lot of Anita Shreve. The answer (although you don't yet know the question) is: I like her historical fiction waaaay more than her contemporary stuff. Two that I loved:

Fortune's Rocks Turn of the 20th century, set in an unforgettable seaside house in coastal New Hampshire. A love story, and an agonizing portrait of social restrictions. Awesome characters.

Sea Glass Depression era, set in the SAME HOUSE (also the setting for The Pilot's Wife). Again a love story, against the background of a mill workers' strike. She really is gifted at place and time and character. A beautiful book.

Now rereading Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose for my so-called book club, and just finishing a recent Ruth Rendell, 13 Steps Down. I haven't quite figured this one out yet.

Finally, just for fun, here is a study I call "Sleeping Poodle with Dishcloth in Progress."

und endlich...

2006-09-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

My final few FOs of the summer.

A simple 3 X 3 rib scarf from two balls of Rowan Tapestry. It's a surprise, so I can't tell you who or what it's for yet. Many thanks to Maeve at Knit Happens for the blocking advice! It turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.

Assorted dishcloths out of Sugar n Cream. Several other dishcloths got churned out over the last two months that have already been put to use or given away without so much as a ceremonial photo. More to come too (holidays approach!).

Now I'm off to take the poodle to the dog park, meself to Old Navy, and Penguin Boy to the allergist. That way everything should be squared away for tomorrow's departure for Vermont and a three-day visit with the parents extraordinaire.

Bis bald!

the FO showing continues

2006-09-19T05:53:00.000-07:00

My knitting goal for the six weeks we spent in Berlin was a pair of socks for each member of my family (myself excluded). Here they are:

Stripey socks for Penguin Boy. Top-down, 3 X 1 rib, US 0 dpns. This is Regia that I bought in Vermont. I love these socks, and so does he. Note the prominent bruise. This is typical for PB, as I'm sure it is for many 10-year-olds. I remember vividly his 18-month checkup with the pediatrician, who caused some mild panic in this Mom when he started counting PB's bruises... and then said, "Seventeen. That's about right."

Garter Rib socks for my sweetie, from Sensational Knitted Socks. Lisa Souza's glorious hand-dyed, colorway "petroglyph." US 0 dpns. He's worn them several times and they're holding up great in the washer. These are being modeled on my feet, so if it looks like they're about 3 inches too long, that's probably right.

Ankle socks for the Movie Maven. Also Lisa Souza yarn, colorway "Delft," and US 0's. After asserting for many months that she is not interested in handknit socks, will not wear handknit socks, and generally thinks handknit socks are a very bad idea, she has worn these practically into the ground. I finally got to wash them yesterday. I lent the pattern (same one I used for the Stripey socks, only shortened) to a friend and I've forgotten what it's called. I'll get better at this, I promise.

back from hibernation

2006-09-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

After a lovely (hot) summer in Berlin (not as hot as the summer in Alexandria, thank goodness), a lovely trip to Vermont, and having gotten a couple weeks of the school schedule under my belt, I think I'm ready to come back to the blog. My sweetie helped me figure out some of the things that I'd like to do (eg., put things in sidebars, make links, intersperse the photos throughout the text). And I've forgotten what he told me to do to put things in sidebars. sigh

Not to be deterred from my real mission of putting pictures of things I knit on the web for the whole dang world to see... here are a couple pictures of my first FO's of the summer. More anon.

Cozy for Penguin Boy's ipod shuffle. Sock yarn from stash, US1 dpns. Made up the pattern. Both the shuffle and the cozy were lost somewhere in Berlin.

Baby Jester Hat for Mika. Made up the pattern, but I have it written down if anyone wants it. Leftover Debbie Bliss cashmerino from an afghan made for a friend last year. US6 rosewood needles. I love this hat. I made it up for my friend Ann's twins a couple of years ago.

be happy you're not covered in greasy seal soot

2006-06-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

Recent reading: just finished The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party, by Kelly Tyler-Lewis. Imagine being marooned on Antarctica for two years. Now imagine feeling obligated to bury thousands of pounds of supplies in several depots 700 miles into the continent. On foot. In blizzards. Antarctic blizzards. Trust me, you can't even begin to imagine it. If you've read any of the Shackleton stuff you'll be amazed by what you missed--this is an incredible story, every bit as incredible as the Endurance saga, and masterfully told. There are many characters and few photos, but Tyler-Lewis manages to make the various individuals recognizable and palpable. Four stars plus.

I might not pick up a new book before we leave for Berlin on Thursday. I like to have a fresh read on a long trip. These are the books I'm bringing with me:

Doctor Zhivago
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Devil and the White City
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

I'll knit between now and then. I'm also bringing three sock projects and NO OTHER KNITTING. And my yoga mat. And my laptop. Roughing it.

glad to see the back of the bob socks

2006-06-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

OK, well, they're done.

bob socks
pattern: wendy's generic toe-up
yarn: regia something
needles: US 0's for most of it, US 1's for the top inch of ribbing, and US 3's for the bind off
modifications: 3 X 1 ribbing for the leg

I love this yarn, and I loved starting the toes this way, but the leg part was very frustrating, required a few rippings before I could wear them, and still feels kind of snug. It's possible that I've been knitting so much that my gauge is tightening, and I therefore simply knit the socks too small. Anyway, DONE.

to build a better bob sock

2006-06-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I knit up the second bob sock following Wendy's Generic Toe-up Sock Pattern, and although it is (deliberately) 2" shorter than the first one (i.e., it doesn't try to reach over the "powerful" part of my calves) and I bound off using size 3 needles (compared to the size 0 needles with which I knit the socks)... it is still too damn tight at the top. I did not have this problem with top-down socks, so I'm a little baffled. My new plan is to rip out the top inch of ribbing and increase by four stitches (as Wendy recommends in her pattern) and at least one needle size. If that doesn't work, I might just give up on the toe-up sock. :-(

Otherwise I really love these socks. Pics at some more completed stage.

My education in the knitting of socks continues hand-in-hand with my education in blogging. I have yet to develop a blog voice that fills me with joy. With other kinds of writing I've found that this is largely an audience problem, which is to say that I sound funny if I don't have a clear sense of who I'm writing for. Two solutions occur to me:

1. I could make up a fictitious correspondent, let's call her "Poodle," for example, and write my blog entries to her.

2. I could share my blog with someone, a la Mason-Dixon Knitting. I love this idea. The perfect correspondents for this purpose would be The Wise Ones, my two graduate school buddies (from lo these many years past), except that........ they are (gasp) not knitters. But what the hell, they could write about other stuff, right? I provide the knitting, singing, and poodle content, they provide the academic, career, Unitarian, dance, and cat content, just to name a few possibilities? The other stumbling block would be their very demanding jobs, but maybe the benefits to soul and intellect of sharing a blog with me would cancel that out.

Just thoughts.

new do

2006-06-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

The poodle has her summer do! And doesn't she look happy about it. I love the way she comes out all skinny and pointy. She only weighs 37 lbs. under all those curls. Nothin' but curls and bones.

My sweetie just left for a week in Poland. I hate it when he leaves. But this week will be the last week of school (all half days), so that will be easy. Then he'll be home for four days before we all leave for summer in Berlin! Prima! Toll! Viel Spass!

My in-laws gave me a lovely check for my birthday with which to buy something nice for myself in Germany. I'm thinking....... YARN. Anybody know any good LYS's in Berlin?

the bob sock

2006-06-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Meet the bob sock, so called because it was knit, from about 1/2" above the toe to where you see it now, while waiting for my friend Bob to get into, through, and out of his retinal re-attachment surgery. Which went well, thanks for asking. Maybe I can get this puppy off the needles while I take Bob to his eye doctor this afternoon.

As a thank-you, Bob gave me a Richard Shindell cd, Vuelta, which is awesome and bookends beautifully with the Richard Shindell cd, Blue Divide, that my sweetie gave me for my birthday. If you don't already love Richard Shindell, go out and discover him (start with Somewhere near Paterson, or Cry Cry Cry, which he made with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky).

Anyway, the bob sock. It's my first go at the toe-up sock, using Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock pattern (sorry I don't know how to link yet; I'll learn), and I'm very much infatuated with the toe-up sock. It's entirely possible that all three pairs of socks I intend to knit this summer in Berlin (one for my sweetie, one for The Movie Maven--my 12-year-old daughter-- and one for the Penguin--my 10-year-old son). No, I have no plans to knit socks for the poodle. She already has a sweater, which she doesn't even like. And as soon as I figure out how to put FO's in a sidebar, I'll post a pic.

very important "person"

2006-06-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

THE POODLE.

seasonally inappropriate gifts

2006-06-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

But what the hell, I'm a knitter. I make knitted gifts. These voodoo wrist warmers are for my indispensible support system, my graduate school buddies. The reddish ones are for Tracy and the tealish ones are for Susan. Worsted weight yarn from my stash, size 3 dpns, pattern from knitty.com.

recent reading

2006-06-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

Just finished Philip Roth's The Plot Against America. The ending is pat and disappointing, but the rest of the book is brilliant. The narrator (a 9-year-old named Philip Roth) is a gem, and the premise (that Charles Lindbergh wins the presidential election and the US is plummeted into an era of latent fascism) is so believable, at least as it gets played out in this book, that it reads as a cautionary tale. Four stars (out of five).

I can't recommend strongly enough that everybody read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. I am a wimp about things like terror, injustice, suspense, gore... and I loved this book. I'd never read Capote before (never really liked the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's--don't tell my daughter the classic movie afficionado), but now I'm panting to read more. Don't think of it as a murder story. Think of it as a collection of beautiful character studies. Five stars.

Just started The Lost Men, by Kelly Tyler-Lewis. A Shackleton spin-off. Who knew there was another whole exploration party attached to the Shackleton trans-Antarctic mission? that did NOT all survive? Completely absorbing so far.

Now again, when I figure out how to get people to see my blog, can somebody tell me how to put things like "recent reading" in a sidebar?

hol(e)y jaywalkers

2006-06-02T11:01:00.001-07:00

First FO to blog! Koigu jaywalkers. They're a little too short for my feet because I was worried about running out of yarn (I needn't have been), but perfectly wearable. I loooove koigu. BUT... I did have some issues.

See that hole, right at the ankle where I picked up the 16 gusset stitches? It happened with both socks, and on both of my first pair of jaywalkers, but only on that first side of the gusset. Can anyone tell me why that happened? And then can anybody tell me how to make it so anyone ever sees my blog?

First blog!

2006-06-02T05:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

No idea how this blog thing is going to work. I have a feeling it could really eat up my time...... but I've had so much fun and learned so much reading other knitters' blogs that I had to give it a go. Stay tuned!