Four Years

In March of 2003, I had just moved to this apartment. Leaving behind a lot of wreckage from my last misadventure in real estate. Penny had died just a few weeks before, and the Man, having endured a year of misery in our living mistake on Campbell Ave., had told me he was not moving with me. I was looking on Petfinder, and found Piccolo's listing, and took a chance. It was a long drive to Detroit, and when the door of the foster mom's closed behind Piccolo, she had a response of "I'm not getting in the car with that lady." Eventually I got her in the car, and made it back to our new home. Not long after, she cast her spell on the Man, and he came home to us. We are a happy little unit. Every day with her brings delight. She's a remarkable little varmint, and we're lucky to have found her.

I Can't Stop

More reruns and leftovers. If I like a pattern, I'll knit it again. It's another Briar Rose Fibers Tuscany Tank, yarn purchased from their web site. The colors, as always, are one of a kind. The reds are a departure from the blue that has been getting my wardrobe attention lately.

So, are you wondering what ever happened with that book I was writing? Here's what I know as of today. The title will be Doggie Knits: Sweaters and Accessories for Your Best Friend. The anticipated publication date is now Spring 2008. I guess a year goes slower if you're waiting for something. I had no idea. It took me a long time to write it, but it looks like even longer to finish it off. There's a few little technical things I'm adding, and I'm working on the step outs for that. I've really got to get started on the Next Big Thing if I want something else published.

All Little Dogs Need Sweaters

This is so cute. Little Saki in the Penny sweater, knit by his mom, Nicole. Saki is a ten pound Maltese, and the sweater is the larger size, but there's enough stretch in the design that would accommodate a lot of sizes and body shapes. These colors look great on a white dog, and the design is classic enough that Saki still gets to be the star! Nicole used a yarn called Licorice, that she found on sale at a Joann's. Hooray for finding yarn on sale! I really love seeing a little dog in a sweater. Thanks to Nicole and Saki for letting me post this!

More March Project Spectrum

More happy feet. They could have been happy sooner, but when I was almost to the toe shaping on the mate, I spotted a dropped stitch in the gusset, too far gone to pick up. So, rip back I did. They're the Embossed Ribbed Bootie, from Three Trails Handknit Designs, in Mountain Colors Weavers Wool. I love hand washing these, especially now that I have a collection of Soak in assorted scents, and a big bottle of Euculan. I won't be wearing these much for the next few months, I'm afraid. 75 degrees. In March. Who in the hell thinks that global warming is hype? I actually don't think anyone really does. Just to some, commerce comes before everything.

My own exercise in commerce was a bust. 75 degrees. No interest in a wool dog sweater.

Weekend Plans

Sunday, March 25th, 10 AM-4 PM

Flealess Market at Stay

4130 N. Rockwell Ave., Chicago

The (Not So) Famous Socks

If any one still stops by after I was linked by Bonne Marie a few weeks ago, I started my vintage Socks That Rock Garnet Dreams socks around the time she started her Moss Agates from the trade. I'm using a stitch pattern culled from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. I love the patterns in that book, but they are for vintage feet. Vintage meaning tiny. The stitch pattern is from the Heelless Sleeping Socks, where you are instructed to cast on 46 stitches in sport weight wool. Not on my 20th century ankle, would that fit. What I like about this stitch pattern is the swirl effect it gives in the opposite direction of the swirl striping of the yarn. For the leg, I had 64 stitches on a size 2 needle. Now, on the foot, I'm down to a size one needle for a firmer fabric. The heels are reinforced with wooly nylon, and the toes will get the same. It takes me a really long time to knit on needles this small, so I imagine Bonne Marie will finish her socks long before I do.

I spent most of the day home in pajamas, working on edits for the book. My project has been passed along in the process, and the new (to me) editor is really smart. My stuff is getting a lot of much needed scrutiny. So, going back over things, I've had a lot of instances where I ask myself, "what the H was I thinking?" She had the brilliant idea of doing photos or illustrations of the making leg hole maneuvers that applies to most of the projects. So, I had to knit some examples for that. It rained most of today, so I had no decent outdoor light, and inside the apartment is mostly too dark. I have to go back to the day job tomorrow, but there's still quite a bit of work on the book still to be done.

Meaning What I Say

I said I wanted one in every color, and I'm working on it. This is the One Cable Vest from Blue Sky Alpacas. This time, knit in Beaverslide yarn. I thought I was purchasing a smoky blue. I guess I can't trust my monitor, because purple is what I got. I have shade cards, should I decide to purchase more in the future. I'm not sure that I feel love for this yarn, the texture reminded me of knitting with polar fleece. But, it's super comfortable on. If I knit this again (likely), I'll go back to the Blue Sky Alpacas worsted. I'm hoping to find some on sale!

Project Spectrum--March

Respecting the stash. For most of what I have, I figured there was a reason why I purchased it, so it's time to show some love. I've had this navy Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran for probably four years. I started a Must Have cardigan (from Patons' Street Smart), but it didn't really work for me. So, years later, out of the pattern stash comes a cabled cardigan with a ribbed yoke from Karabella. My gauge swatch ended up becoming the left front. There's four pieces that are sewn on to a ribbed yoke. Lots and lots of finishing. If it works, it will be a nice wardrobe piece. I'm done with both sides of the front now, and a few rows into the ribbing on the back.

I'm cooking corned beef and cabbage in a new, larger crock pot today, because we were in Wisconsin yesterday. I made some pork tenderloin with a leek and mushroom gravy on Friday, and it was a big hit. I see a lot more meals cooked in the crock pot in our future. It's a perfect solution for our lifestyle, where we fall into a pattern of leave late, come home late, have no dinner plan, then cook spaghetti or order out.

I have some pattern editing to do with for the book, so of course I'm distracting myself with knitting and a blog post!

International Trade Agreement, part 2

We were thrilled to get our package from Norway! The sweater is a wool/mohair blend, knit by Bente. She calls her design "Marius." I'm curious about the origin of the name. We road tested the sweater immediately, on a snowy day last week. I can report that I love receiving knits made by others. It's so nice, and happens rarely in a knitter's world, I think. Thanks again to Bente for the marvelous idea to swap.

Other surprises were in the package, too. Funny how Bente knew I was obsessed with the gap between my coat and gloves. And not pictured, some melkesjokolade that Bente says is the best in the world. Now, that's some Norwegian we can all understand!

What Night Is American Idol On?

Most of the time, I feel that the Man and I are out of touch when it comes to popular culture. American Idol, for example. I've never seen it. I have no interest in it. The same goes for Gray's Anatomy. I've never seen it. I have no interest in it. I have no interest in medical dramas at all. The job I have to pay the bills is in the health care field, and I have a hard time seeing physicians in any sort of sugar coated or romantic way, and it doesn't matter how cute Patrick Dempsey is (is it me, or has he gotten better with age?). I'm just cynical that way. I'm not crazy about pop music, and I could not comment about Britney Spears' or Jessica Simpson's bodies of work. I will say that the few times I've seen Justin Timberlake on Saturday Night Live, I think that he's the real deal. A real Entertainer. Most of the time in my car, I have a news station or progressive talk on. It might be different if the CD player in the car worked properly, but I live with it.

What I am in touch with, is the knitting culture. If the Man is watching some financial show on tv, I'm probably at the computer lurking on some blog. I know who's knit what, who's working on what book, who's editing what magazine, etc. Maybe too much.

I guess I missed this part on Oprah, I must have been out of the room refilling my coffee. She had a show last week where the topic was aging. Sort of relevant to me. Nora Ephron said that older women knit and crochet because they're sexually frustrated. All I can say is that my knitting gets set aside plenty to take care of other matters.

Vest in Progress

A work in progress. I like it, then I analyze it, and tweak it. This was the Market Vest, a Blue Sky Alpacas design. The original is for two strands of sport weight held together to be knit at worsted weight gauge. Why not just write it for the worsted weight yarn? Answer--because this way you buy more yarn. I guess that is what to expect when you write a design to be pattern support to a yarn company. Of course the objective would be to use more yarn. So, I had this vintage Annabel Fox Aran, and picked a few colors to work the stripes. Then I thought, stripe sequence + pattern row sequence, at the same time? There had to be a better way. So, self striping. Noro Kureyon, color #272. Which would be excellent for a man's garment. Annabel Fox Aran for the ribbed bands and back. I'm past the armhole shaping on the back, and the wide ribbed bands will break up the mismatched stripe sequence on the upper front.

I'm marinating some ideas to use stash yarns this spring. Can I not buy anything until Stitches in August? By the respective sizes of my stash and bank account, I need to.

International Trade Agreement, part 1

We live 5000 miles apart. Me, in a big American City, and Bente on a little island, Frei, in the North Sea of Norway. Our lives seem incredibly different, but we share a love of pets and knitting. Here is Geisha wearing the sweater that I knit for her! I went into my stash and chose yarns that were probably not ones that Bente would ever find at home. For the body, I used Christopher Sheep Farm wool from Maine. I used this for a sweater for Piccolo that years later, remains a favorite, and really holds up to wear. The bands are Lucy Neatby's Blue Faced Aran from Canada, and the tips are Cloverleaf Farms wool/mohair from New York state. It looks like it fits really well from the photo. That's the farthest that I've sent a custom piece, so getting the fit right was a concern. Some surprises went along with the sweater. I wanted to keep them unique to the States, so I sent a hank of Lorna's Laces Bullfrogs and Butterflies, dyed in my neighborhood, and the famous Socks that Rock. I loved the idea of doing this swap, it really put a little spice into my knitting! I still need to download my pics of the goodies that came my way, all the way from Norway! Part 2 to follow.................

Fashionista, or Dork?

How many knitted items can you wear at one time? Here's me on a typical winter day.

1. Hat

2. Scarf

3. Vest

4. Gloves

5. Gauntlets (during this cold snap, I've been obsessed with keeping extremities warm, and that gap between my coat sleeve and glove was bothersome, so I designed my own. I'm hoping to post the pattern sometime soon.)

6. Socks

and if you count my little dog as an accessory,

7. dog sweater.

Today, two of the items were not hand knit by me. The gloves were knitted by an Estonian lady, purchased from Nancy Bush following a workshop, and Piccolo's sweater was knit by my Norwegian friend, Bente. I took some photos of Piccolo in her new sweater, but not having a card reader that works with my computer, I have to trot back to the CVS pharmacy and the Kodak picture kiosk to have it put on a CD. This explains the lag time between a finished object and the time it makes it to a blog post. The vest is another (!) Rosebud, in Briar Rose Fibers Sonoma. I finished it a few weeks ago.

Tonight the Man and I drove to a job site, and he took me for coffee afterwards. Piccolo waited in the car, and when we returned, she wanted to get to me so fast, she flung herself at the car door before I got it open. With our staggered schedules, and the Man stopping home in the middle of the day sometimes, Piccolo doesn't spend much time alone. Which makes it more upsetting for her when we are gone. I could just explode sometimes I'm so full of love for this creature.

I Stuck a Toe In

I've been curious about crochet. I think that I has the potential to be as popular as knitting is. I've only done the occasional edge. I would like to try a garment at some point. Last week, I took a workshop from Judy Swartz. She may be familiar to you as the past editor in chief of Interweave Crochet, and she's authored a few books, including the one book that I think is the gold standard for those of its genre, Dogs in Knits. I used some Dzined sport weight and my knitting machine for a 6+ foot long scarf for edge embellishment. I think I was a little over-ambitious regarding this project. It took me most of the afternoon session to accomplish this lacy edge. Counting is key for proper placement of the lacy arches. I have to do a row of double crochet on each LONG edge in a multiple of eight to set the arches correctly. Should have made the scarf shorter! But, I was fascinated. I made the one skein scarf from The Happy Hooker. The yarn used was Cherry Tree Hill Silk and Merino DK, color Green Mountain Madness, an extra hank from the Ruffles scarf that I've never finished. Since I was using a lighter weight yarn than the pattern specified, I added two rows of double crochet, or the scarf would have been more of a necklace. The finished piece is still narrow, about 3" wide, but I love how arty and bohemian it looks. So, I feel confident that I could incorporate crochet into my knitting. More as a garnish than the main course. There's a Jo Sharp sweater design that I've been aching to make, but it has a crochet panel in the front. I think I could accomplish it now!

I'm doing a little better with lubricated joints. And, I had a surprise when I came home tonight. My package from Norway! I have to take pictures, but the sweater is a perfect fit for Piccolo, and just a super piece. It's so cool to have a new sweater for her that I didn't make! There were more lovely surprises in the package as well.

Some Days It Just Doesn't Come Together

Yesterday, in the middle of errands, the wind was blowing the snow around so hard, that I gave up on driving and just went home. Before that, in a vulnerable moment, I had been at Knitting Workshop and ended up purchasing two vest's worth of sale yarn. Fortunately, the Man wasn't home when I brought the bag into the house! Today, I was pretty much in my pajamas until about 3 pm. I finally made it to the grocery store at 5:30. The new Whole Foods. It's huge, but the aisles are still too narrow for two carts to pass comfortably. Annoying. I spent a lot of money, and still don't think that I even got a week's worth of meals. A lot was spent on anti-inflammatory supplements. My knees have really been painful lately. I wonder if there's any cartilage left in one knee. I can hear them creak when I climb stairs. I don't know if it was the damp or the cold that made them worse than baseline, but going up the one flight of stairs to my apartment was uncomfortable. So, I'm doubling up on the glucosamine and chondroitin, and getting modest relief. After spending a few weeks last year, and in 2001, immobile, I will do whatever, short of surgery (and the many weeks of rehab), to keep moving. I may not look my age, but man, these last few days, I feel it. There's still cleaning, laundry, and projects to catch up on, but this time of year, hibernation sounds very appealing.

On Serendipity

If you've come over to look because of the story on Bonne Marie's blog, here's my side of the story. I had no idea until last week that there had been any resentment that I got the now vintage Socks that Rock before she did. I should have known not to come between her and that particular shade of green! As things turn out, I never finished the sock that I had started with it. I think the pattern I used just wasn't making it for me, so the neglected project just got thrown on the pile in the studio, where it's been marinating for the last three years. Perhaps the bad Karma created at the fiber festival was responsible for my socks never reaching completion! She was ripping her sock out, and I was taking mine apart at the same time, and the suggestion to trade just sort of flew out of my mouth. I'm gravitating to red colors now, as I've stated before. Hopefully now all is well with with Knitting Cosmos, and our respective socks will turn out fine. I think the whole thing is funny, and the socks that each of us make with our exchanged yarn will have that funny story. So, if anyone thinks that I'm offended or hurt, I'm not. It's hilarious. It's just yarn, people!