Thursday, April 26, 2007

Insane Weeks

Sorry about the relative silence, lately. It has been a completely insane couple of weeks, in good and bad ways. I won't comment further, since it is all work related.

Instead. Knitting progress.

Shawl Detail

Here is a detail shot of the shawl I've been knitting. I'm almost done with the knitting, then I will employ some sort of crocheted cast-off, block it, and then maybe string beads on. We'll see how ambitious I am.

And since I actually have to watch the knitting on the shawl, I've also made quite a lot of progress on the body of the Equinox Pullover. No picture, though, it's really too boring to show. Instead, have a daffodil:

Yellow&White Daffodil3

I was going to say something else, but I don't remember what. That's the kind of week I'm having.
*********************

Valerie, I like that question from your son's Econ Class. It reflects, I think, the very complicated relationship between wealth and poverty in this country.

Monday, April 23, 2007

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I have a young friend, A (she was my Little Sister through Big Brothers/Big Sisters*). Due to a variety of circumstances, A is in county jail until mid-May. In order for her to write letters, she needs to have stamps and envelopes. Her mother (or I, for that matter) can't take her stamps and envelopes, they have to be purchased through the commissary, which is now online only.

On the one hand, it is nice that I can buy a few things for A, given that I don't live anywhere near her. On the other hand, it seems to me that the friends and family of those in this rural county jail are exactly the population who have been left on the wrong side of the digital divide. Most of them probably do not have computers or internet access at home, so they need to find the time and know-how (not to mention the non-maxed out credit card) to access the online store from somewhere else (like the public library). Seems like a lot to ask to me.

In addition to the stamps and envelopes, one can also buy a variety of care packages. One of these is called "Big Slammer". You know. For your loved one, who is in the slammer.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Home #3

Grass Lake Road

I see this every day driving to work. Worth risking a broken axle for, don't you think?

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Because I Find this Amusing

And have nothing else to show:

Shoes

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Boneheaded

This is how last night went: I got home around 6:00 pm. Len had already sunk into the couch (it's freezing out and he has a nasty cold). I joined him. We had left over lentil soup and stale bread for dinner. We watched Antiques Roadshow, then a really interesting and depressing documentary on Jim Jones. Then we went to bed.

This morning I remembered. Yesterday was our 4th anniversary. Doh!

In other boneheadedness (this time not on my part): it was pretty foggy this morning. It wasn't so bad that you couldn't see the road in front of you, but bad enough that you really couldn't pass the guy going 45 mph in a 55 mph zone (nor was it so bad that you needed to go that slow). Not an insignificant number of people were driving without their headlights, some may have just not thought about it, but others were driving with their parking lights on. What's that about? If it's dark enough for the parking lights, isn't it dark enough for the headlights?

Comment:
Valerie - they are string heddles (DMC Cebelia, size 30 - I have a boatload of the stuff). It seems like they will hold up, but I haven't really started weaving yet. The germ of the idea came from episode 5 (Inklings) of WeaveCast. Syne Mitchell's guest, Robyn Spady, mentioned that she had used her inkle loom to weave wire. They had just enough of a discussion of how to do it (i.e. don't warp the whole loom, just use the perimeter), but not enough to make it seem indimidating. Then again, I am a bit dim. I've only thrown a couple of shots so far, it didn't go well. I'll play with it more tonight. It should be interesting. Or a big mess.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Warped with Wire

Warped with Wire7

I finally got to warp my inkle loom with wire. Once I put the brass wire on a shuttle, the process went very smoothly.

Warped with Wire6

However, as it turns out, wire does not behave the way cotton yarn does. I know. That came as a complete surprise to me, too! Warping with wire, easy. Weaving with it. Not so much.

Silver & Brass2

Friday, April 06, 2007

Home #2

Contraption

This contraption raises and lowers the windows in the roof of our greenhouse. We have a greenhouse. Which would be useful if were above freezing. Or sunny.

As Promised

The socks I started are the Cable Rib Socks from IK's Favorite Socks (also a recent-ish issue of Knits, but I don't remember which one. They are in green Louet Gems Pearl. I had originally bought the yarn to make a different pair, but lovely as it is, it turned out to be utterly wrong. Ah well.

The sweater. The sweater is my own version of the Equinox Yoke Pullover from the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits (one quibble: it is described as a "not-so-classic take on a traditional Fair Isle sweater". I fail to see how there is anything traditional about this sweater in construction or color pattern. It has stranded knitting, and if anything, takes it's cues from Bohus knitting. Anyway.) I am making some major changes. I'm combining some of the colors, e.g. all of the reds and oranges will be a single red. The original pattern has the body and sleeves knit flat up to the yoke, then it gets joined up and knit circularly. Why not do the whole thing circularly? So I am.

But wait! There's more! When I started thinking about making this, I thought it was too bad it wasn't a cardigan, since I probably wouldn't wear a pullover. But because of the shape of the neckline, and having somewhat limited imagination, I couldn't see it as a cardigan. But then the next issue, Winter 2006, had a pattern for the Enid Cardigan (which really is described as Bohus-inspired), which has a very similar neckline to the Equinox. Now I can picture it. And since I have already decided to knit this in the round, that means steeking. Yep. Taking scissors to the knitting. What the hell.

But then yesterday late afternoon, I was asked to donate something to a silent auction. This is for a fund which helps staff with educational expenses. The University I work for is fairly crummy about staff education, so I'm all for this fund. Which means that all of the above is about to be put on hold while I whip out something by May 1. I'm going to make a small shawl out of this yarn.

(I just want you all to know about my mad multi-tasking skills -- I've been doing my job the whole time I've been writing this. That explains the bad grammar!)

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Knitting Something

I was going to call this post Knitting News but that is cliche and I've used it already.

The bathmat is done and on it's way to my sister.
Bathmat2
Here is a small picture 'cos it sucks (the picture, not the bathmat).

To make this very mat yourself you will need Sugar 'N Cream worsted weight cotton yarn, 2-3 oz. balls of Color 1 (the solid blue) and 3-3 oz. balls of color 2 (the variegated). I used size 10 (U.S.) needles.

Cast on 70 stitches using Color 1. Knit 2 rows. Add Color 2 and knit 2 rows. Continue knitting using the Fibonacci sequence (count the ridges, rather than rows): 0+1=1, 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, etc. The largest stripe is 21 ridges and then reverse the sequence. Does that make sense?

In celebration, I started a sock and a sweater. I don't have pictures of either object. And I have just spent way too much time trying to find references for them (the sweater has an exceptionally complicated story), to no avail. I will write a post about both of these tomorrow.

Monday, April 02, 2007

A Knitted Cuff

I had promised myself I wouldn't start anything new until my sister's bathmat is done. 'Cos long stretches of garter stitch, knitted with string at a slightly too-tight gauge? That's my idea of a good time! But then I ran out of yarn, on a Friday. With no access to more yarn until Monday. What's a knitter to do?

As luck would have it, before making the above promise, I had casted on the cuff for the MS Cardigan (it is possible that I casted on just before making the promise). I decided to start with a sleeve for several reasons, most of which had to do with the inevitable ripping out which I was sure would be necessary. I was switching out some colors, and rather than knit another swatch, I thought the sleeve at this point would be a nice stand in. As it turns out, I did hate one of the colors and it has been ripped out and reknit (the other color makes it's first appearance in a later chart, so far I'm ok with it). Starting with a sleeve also gives me a chance to check and double-check my math and then measure it against reality. Always a good thing for the mathematically challenged among us.

Cuff

The lightest colors should have a greenish hue, and the black is actually very dark purple. I am through the first chart (which you can just see at the bottom of the picture). I love this knitting. I love the colors, the yarn, the charts, I love that it is kind of hard and looks even harder. I do not love, however, doing this on double-points and will be grateful when I have enough stitches to switch to a 16" circular.

In the meantime, I procured more yarn for the bath mat and finished it, I do keep some promises.