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.

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:

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

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.

Home #3

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

Because I Find this Amusing

And have nothing else to show:

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.

Warped with Wire

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

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.

Home #2

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!)

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.

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.

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.

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.

A New Series

Back in March and April of last year I did a couple of series, one on spam e-mails (which quickly ran out of steam, since they are so repetitive) and one tracking the blooming of an amaryllis, which would have been much more attractive had my camera been, well, not crappy (it was crappy in a bad way, not in a good, artistic way).

I've been thinking for awhile about doing another series, but a more deliberate and ongoing one. I love where I live and while I can be a bit of a complainer, often cranky, and depressed, the colors and textures of the country rarely fail to bring me joy. As I've thought about how to convey this place, the way I am seeing it has been changing, I'm seeing more detail and more color. I think the first days of Spring is an appropriate time to begin, so here is the first in an occasional, as-yet-to-be-titled series:

I live 35 miles from where I work. There a couple of ways to get there, one is the highway which has the advantage of speed but the disadvantage of Traffic. The other is The Back Way. It's slower and has about 3 miles of dirt road which, before it is graded in the spring threatens to take out my tiny little Escort. But it is so pretty and there is much less traffic than the highway. When we moved out there, I thought I would hate the commute. I don't, I love the drive.

Letting Go

My aunt Ann is dying. This has been true for a couple of years -- she has a particularly virulent form of Parkinson's and is being systematically robbed of the use of her body. I don't know what to say about it, really. I didn't know her well; she is my mother's sister and because I grew up with my father and stepmother, I saw her side of the family mostly at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My mother left yesterday to spend a month in Florida with aunt Ann, my uncle Con and cousin Barb. She will travel back to Michigan with them at the end of April, where, hopefully, home health will be set up and waiting. I am very sad. Sad for my mom, and my uncle and cousin. But sad, especially, for my aunt.

I sent Icarus with my mom. I thought that, at the very least, Ann's shoulders could be warmed by something beautiful. I told my mother to remember, when she sees the shawl to hold Ann's hand and to give her some comfort.

Spring!

This morning it was 30 degrees and we had rain, snow, and sleet in various combinations. But yesterday:

There is something about stuff that I planted months ago coming out of the ground that makes me feel. Optimistic. You know?

Yarn Love

But first things first. I had intended to send my sister an e-mail, but I think it should be a more public announcement (no, not that. Not that either): despite the lack of blogging about it, and the lack of pictures, I have started the Bath Mat. I know, you're dying of excitement. But I have to say, I am pretty pleased with how it is coming out. I decided early on that I wanted to do a striped mat, and since one of the yarns Sarah picked is variegated, the stripes needed to be wide. I remembered a discussion about a number sequence (Fibonacci) from an old listserv I was on (Aranknit) and did some calculating (unusual for me) and am now several inches in. It's oddly compelling, for garter stitch. So, Sarah, you will be getting a mathematically and aesthetically pleasing bath mat in the not-to-distant future.

And now for the yarn love:

I dyed these two skeins this weekend. I'm head-over-heels in love with the colors.

They have shades of the grayish color in common, so my plan (for now) is to measure out a long enough warp for two scarves and paint it with that color. Then (someday) I will weave these up into scarves, which I may or may not be able to part with. As much of that 10/2 cotton I have, I think everyone in my life will be getting some hand dyed, hand woven something or other.

Icarus!

I finished the knitting more than a week ago (here it is in it's unblocked state), and finally got to the blocking this weekend:

Isn't it lovely? I say that not to pat my own back, but as a tribute to such an elegant design.

My camera, as usual, failed to capture the blood red color and the perfection of the yarn (for that we would need Feel-o-Vision): it is Alpaca with a Twist Fino (70% alpaca, 30% silk, yum!)

Simon has no appreciation for my hard work.

In celebration, I finally made it up to Threadbear this weekend and bought (most of) the yarn for Meg Swanson's Fair Isle Cardigan (the sweater doesn't have a name but it needs one). The shop didn't have enough of one of the main colors (Rye), luckily they had already placed an order for the yarn, so I may not have to wait for a very long time.

Knitting News

Len's hat is finished:

Luckily, I wrote down the decreases: the first time Len tried on the hat, it was too short. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he wasn't going for it. Len's head is 22" around and this hat fits him pretty tightly, and is meant to have two folds and it sits just above his ears. Here are the particulars:

Yarn: Fortissima 100 Socka, one 100 gm. ball should be enough for 2 hats.
Needles: Size 2, 16" circular and/or double points
Cast on 168 stitches. Join and knit in K3, P3 rib for 7.5 inches. I started the stripe at 3", but it would have worked better had I started at 3.5". The decreases were worked as follows:

Round 1: *Knit 10 in pattern, p2tog
Round 2: *K3, P3, K3, P2
Round 3: *K3, P1, P2tog, K3, P2
Round 4: *K3, P2
Round 5: *K3, P2, K3, P2tog
Round 6: *K3, P2, K3, P1
Round 7: *K3, P2tog, K3, P1
Round 8: *K3, P1, K3, P1
Round 9: *K3, P1, K2, P2tog
Round 10: *K2, P2tog, K2, P1
Round 11: *K2, P1, K1, P2tog
Round 12: *K1, P2tog, K1, P1
Round 13: *K1, P1, K2tog
Round 14: *K2tog, K1
Round 15: *K2tog
Round 16: *K2tog
repeat from *
Thread stitches through remaining stitches and pull tight. Weave in all ends.

And there you are. A little beanie. The really stupid thing is that I can't remember my own phone number, but I could remember these decreases. When I knit the blue version of this, I had to futz around a lot with the decreases and it still ended up a little pointy at the top, so this time I stopped the non-decrease rounds as soon as the original purl stitches were eaten up (at round 9). The crown is a bit too gathered looking for me when it is off of Len's head, but fits him well enough.

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Comment: Thanks for you comment, Valerie. The long the skein hangs in my bathroom the happier with it I am. I think there is some sort of Psych 101 process going on there. I think the yarn will be for weaving -- probably a weft in a twill variation. That's what it's saying to me right now, anyway!

Bad Dye Job

On Sunday, I did my first hand painting with the Procion dyes. Hand squirting is more like it, since I used squeeze bottles.

It's been hanging in my bathroom ever since. By the way, the silver sponged on gray walls? I did not do that, I just haven't gotten around to repainting. The yarn colors are two purples, a blue of some shade or other, and something that came out much more orange than I had intended. I was really hating the colors (which are more intense in the above picture than in reality) until a co-worker sent me a web page of Hundertwasser posters. Suddenly purple, blue and orange makes sense.

However, all is not well. I didn't let the yarn sit long enough before rinsing the dye out, so the color isn't as saturated as I would like, and the orange doesn't play well with others so the colors mixed in a less than attractive way.

I think a way to fix the problem of colors not playing well together is to make sure they share at least one color component. In this case, the purples and blue share navy blue, and the purples have fuchsia and a splash of black. The orange, on the other hand, has carmine red and golden yellow. I might have been happier had I used fuchsia instead of red. Oh well. Dye and learn.

Ugh. That was very bad. Sorry.

Adventures in Dyeing

Bad title rip-off and kind of bad dyeing, too.

Here are the jars of dye as they appeared on Sunday. The difference in color saturation was significant, especially between the dye using distilled water and the dye using unsoftened water.

On Sunday, I used the distilled water dye. I took the plastic wrap off of the gallon jar I was using and shoved just over 2 ounces of Paton's Classic Merino (cream) in and let it sit for about 40 minutes or so. When I did this a year ago, I had too much yarn for the amount of dye and the color was sucked up immediately. That was not the case here, the ammonia/water never went entirely clear. The color you see above (depending on your monitor) is fairly close to the color of the yarn and there are some other views in Flickr. The yarn came out quite mottled -- the jar was too small to allow for even distribution -- but over the last few days the color has been evening out.

On Monday I worked on the dye using my parent's (softened, but very sulphuric) water. This time I pour the stuff into a larger bucket (appropriately, a cat litter bucket, if you must know) and the color is more evenly distributed. It's maybe a little lighter, but essentially the same color.

The other dye, using our own unsoftened well water, has seemed too light to use. Tuesday night I poured some of it off and added more ammonia. That seems to have brought out more blue from the pennies. I dye with it this weekend. If you are thinking about doing this, let me offer one piece of advice: do it outside. The smell. My god.

While playing with the penny dye, I've also been fooling around Procion dyes. After talking to Stef the other night, it turns out I've been using an unorthodox method (read, my own Dumbass-Instruction-Melding Method). In any case, I've managed to get a nice saturation, and the colors, while somewhat unexpected, are pretty enough. I don't really intend to get serious about dyeing, so I will probably make a couple of alterations to my dumbass method (to cut down on dye waste) and continue. To what end, you ask? I don't know. Knitting avoidance?

One Eye Down

I finished the first Tiger Eye sock sometime last week. This was my first experience with a toe-up construction. It has been a learning experience. The second sock will benefit greatly.

This is not even close to the correct color. Think very dark purple, almost black.

The heel called for a standard heel flap and gusset, which I really disliked, both in execution and looks. So I ripped it out and knit a short row heel (based on Priscella's Dreams Socks in an old Interweave Knits and now in IK's Favorite Socks). I pretty much had to hope they would fit because once I turned the heel, I couldn't get the sock on, though I suppose I could have threaded it onto some waste yarn. Once I had knit the specified 5.5" of the leg I cast off using the chrocheted picot cast off. It took several attempts, most of an afternoon and a great deal of foul language, but it was very pretty. Except it was so tight, I couldn't get it over my toes. So I ripped the crochet out. Len suggested I put it away for a few days. He was maybe a little afraid.

That evening, I decided to use the ribbing that goes up the back of the sock all the way around and cast off normally. That was fine, but I decided the leg was too short. So I ripped out the cast off, once again, and added another repeat. While I was knitting the extra repeat, it occurred to me that I may have seen a knitted picot cast off. So I dragged out my trusty Vogue Knitting and there it was. A knitted picot cast off. It took a couple of attempts, but I am very pleased with the results.

Queer Joe once wrote that knitting doesn't take patience, it takes tenacity. This sock is proof.

Oscar Night

I have an unnatural love for the Academy Awards. It would a more natural love if I actually saw most of the nominated movies. But rare are the years that I see even one of them. Len sometimes imagines that I had a Life before him, that I went to movies and he has made me very boring. It is so very untrue. I never went to movies before him, I rarely even rented them. For good or ill, we are well suited.

But, I do love the Oscars, the dresses, the pomp, the pompous. The ceremony is annoying, funny, stupid and it really hasn't been the same since Cher quit showing up in her Bob Mackie finery. This year I had decided that I wouldn't watch, but I got sucked in anyway. This morning it dawned on me: I don't watch for the glamour, the awards, the movies, or even the really bad dresses. I watch because the show reminds me of someone who used to be my best friend. The last vestige of an old friendship. I imagine that he is watching, too, and wishes he could call me and say, "Can you believe that costume Cher is wearing? What is she thinking!?"