Stuff

How cool is that?? I found it here.

I've been listening to a lot of podcasts lately, as I knit, and it's been wonderful.

Now, I have a question to pose to the wonderfully smart people who might decide to answer me:

If you were going to sew a label into a handmade (in my case, handknit) item what would it say? I want to put the washing instructions on there, and maybe a small image, but I'm dealing with a 3/8" by 1.5" space. Handcrafted with love? From my needles to you? I'd like something with a little bit of a coolness factor, since if I'm going to print up the iron on transfer page, I'm going to go ahead and fill it. I'd like to like the labels 6 months from now when I'm still using them.

Coming tomorrow - the continued story of the baby sweater. It's got sleeves now people - I actually did something right!!

Just to prove I'm human . . .

I decided a while back, to knit a hat for the boy. See, I had this purple yarn that I'd bought thinking it was bluer than it turned out to be, and his favorite colors happen to be purple and yellow. So I scrounged up some yellow from my basket, and started a striped hat. I followed the directions from my copy of The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns which seemed pretty sensible to me. I knit a gauge swatch, counted my stitches, and cast on. Now, I decided pretty early to change the decreases for the crown of the hat, because I wanted to make one that lay flat on the head, no ripples or gathered sections. That's probably where my problems started. Not that the top of the hat wasn't gorgeous . . .


In fact I'm pretty proud of it. But the hat is a bit shallow, and a little bit slack, even on both the boy's head and mine (he's a 23" head, I'm 23 1/2"), and it developed a bit of a bucket-like habit after I blocked it.



Now, I've worn it, it works ok. He's worn it, and says he will wear it again, but I'm going to try this hat thing again. This time, I'll use a few less stitches, use smaller needles to knit the lining around the bottom, and knit a bit further before I decrease. That should do the trick. And from now on, I'll put a little more time and effort into the gauge swatch - I did kinda cheat it. Shame on me.

Free to a good home . . .

Here, stacked on top of a small pile of dishcloths is my first square for Warm Up America. A while back the nice lady who organizes our knitting group invited the group over to her house to hang out, watch a marathon of knitting shows on the DIY network and knit these squares (well, rectangles) for WUA. Sadly, I only recently finished the one I started that night; however, it was a pleasant and quick knit, so I think it will soon have some siblings. I have half a mind to make a whole afghan's worth and put it together myself, to give to a shelter. It's a great way to rid my living room of the balls of leftover yarn from past projects, and I can try different stitch patterns each time.

If anyone is interested, go check out the Warm Up America site - they're very encouraging to anyone who want's to knit for them.

I have half a mind to knit them as swatches of stitches I find in the Barbara Walker books - when I have another one, I'll share.

I'm sorry, what?

We have a new segment in the 5-6:30 news at the station now. They call it the "Interactive Newsroom," but since we're pandering to the general public for ratings, it's very quickly degraded into "Your NewsChannel Inside Edition."

Case in point: Today's hot topic was not some item of local or national news, nor was it even news. Sure, it was new, but it wasn't news. News has to matter. Now we cover lots of non-news, I'm kinda used to that. We do what are called kicker stories at the end of the newscast which are just kinda cute, or cool. They do serve a purpose however, as they lighten the mood a bit, since news is often so very serious. I digress . . . today's hot topic - Brittany Spears shaved her head. Seriously. And as usual, the people took the bait. It's sad.

Secret Pal 10 - Info Post

this just looked like such a good idea . . . I'm going to be a secret pal! I'm so excited!
For those of you who are my friends, and read this to see what I've been up to lately, feel free to skip this - it's for the benefit of my secret pal.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Soft is always good, but I'm not really that picky. Probably because I'm not that experienced. The only thing I don't like is acrylic - I'm a natural fiber girl.


2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

Mostly their original packaging. I've been slowly aquiring Knitpicks needles and I keep them in their sleeves in a pocket of my knitting bag. I have a varied collection of straights that I inherited from my grandmothers, they live in a tall can like case.


3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

My grandmother taught me when I was younger, maybe 12, but I've only begun to knit again in the last 8 months. I would say my skills are intermediate; I'm finishing a seamless sweater, socks come fairly easily, I've worked on some simpler lace projects, I'm good with any cable pattern, My fair isle is still a bit too tight. I learn skills as I need them for projects, so I'm slowly working my way through.


4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, and if you really want to see it, e-mail me for a link. I just don't want to post it up here.


5. What's your favorite scent?

Lavender, hands down.


6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Absolutely, and I love chocolate.


7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I like to draw, paint/refinish furniture, sew, hand dye yarn, and cook/bake. I don't spin, yet, but I want to learn. Someday we hope to raise alpaca and sheep for fiber, so I've been reading up on fiber processing.


8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I've got fairly eclectic tastes in music, but my favorites are either folky, celtic, or celtic rock. My computer plays MP3's just fine. And for the record, I love listening to any music that is new to me, especially lesser known bands/artists.


9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

Almost any shade of blue will make me smile, but pink makes me ill.


10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

It's just me and the boy right now (married last summer), no pets yet.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Scarves, hats, mittens yes. Ponchos and I never really got along.


12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I love socks, but since I have largish feet (I'm a US 10-11) I have to bend the rules a bit. I've been knitting up basic patterns using worsted weight wool very successfully. I love quick/short projects, since I'm still a bit slow, but any pattern that changes periodically will keep me interested.


13. What are you knitting right now?

Finishing a top-down-seamless-hooded-baby-sweater, a clapotis scarf, a reversible cabled shawl for my mom, and I'm trying Eunny Jang's bayerische socks, but thus far they've been more trial and error and starting over (because of my big feet).


14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Absolutely - they're so special!


15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I have mostly aluminum needles, and I working my way up to a largish set of Knitpicks options circs, and their dpn's. I haven't tried bamboo or any other wooden needle yet. I don't know that I have a preference between straits or circulars, I'm a bit more utilitarian - I use what I have that is the right size.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

The boy is working on making me a swift, and I was born with a ball winder (my left thumb) which works quite well for me, though I may carve a wooden one someday.


17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Um, maybe 5 months. I started trying to make-it-up-as-I-go knit a pumpkin with some scrap yarn. I'm somewhere in the middle.


18. What is your favorite holiday?

Probably Christmas, though Thanksgiving ranks a close second.


19. Is there anything that you collect?

Aside from yarn? hee hee. Not really. I have a few shot glasses from a couple places. I bought a bunch in Bermuda when my little sister encouraged me to get those as mementos because they packed well. Now I have one from Nashville too.


20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I subscribe to Interweave Knits, but that's all right now. As for the rest, I'm not really dying for anything in particular.


21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I'm dying to learn to knit continental, and how to knit cables horizontally. I want to learn more about the basics of sweater design. I really want to learn to spin. I also want to learn to crochet.


22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Yes. My feet are 10 in. around and 9.5 in. long. My ankles are a bit thicker than normal, so extra increasing/stretchy cast ons, are often a must.


23. When is your birthday?

Dec 1, 1981

Utilitarian Knitting

At some point recently, the boy confessed to me that our dishwashing setup did not meet his needs and expectations. He needed a dishrag. So, being me, I decided to knit him one.



And I discovered, as I was making it, that dishcloths are a) fun to knit, b) really quick to knit, and c) getting me out of doing all the dishes. So I made more. And when I made a trip to Michael's to use a gift card, I discovered that they had a decent selection of cotton, but that their wool was substandard. So I got more dishcloth yarn.




Now I always have a quick satisfying project on hand when I need something to "finish-dammit!"

The Ballad of the Baby Sweater

I've been knitting since around June, and although my grandmother taught me some basics back when I was around twelve, I am still quite a novice. Now, back in June I dove in head first trying socks which were closely followed by scarves, which I actually finished for once. There have been dishcloths, an afghan square, cup sleeves, a Nalgene cozie, more socks, a hat, a few mittens, and the beginnings of a few shawls . . . but as of yet, there had been no sweaters.

I was afraid: afraid that I wouldn't be able to get the gauge right, and over the course of so very many stitches, it would ruin the garment, afraid that the techiniques would be too much for me, afraid that in putting together the pieces that I had slaved over for much longer than your average pair of socks I would discover they were horribly mismatched; afraid my inexperience would come to bite me in the butt.

But a very sweet lady at church is having her first little girl. And this is her second child so there's less need for toys or blankets. She really needs clothes. Needless to say, I took the bait. I suppose I was feeling my inner grandmother . . . I'm ok with that.

I hunted the internet for a pattern that started at the neck, or as luck would have it the hood, and continued down in one relatively solid piece. If I didn't have to sew seams, I would have to conquer one less fear, and since it was a baby sweater, it wouldn't take so very long. Babies are small, right?

So when I couldn't find anything decent, for a price I was willing to pay, at the yarn store that was having the big Super Bowl sale, I headed back to my favorite haunt, and bought this:

And, man alive, is it ever soft! I just want to unravel it all, toss it on the bed, and curl up in it for a nap. It's wool, but I bought machine washable on purpose, babies being babies. I'd heard bad things about "superwash" wool being scratchy or stiff, but this stuff is divine! It is merino, a very soft wool to begin with, so that probably helps. I also managed to suck up my non-girly colored pride and buy it in the following shades - here read the labels, and feel free to laugh at me.



Yes, the last one says "Ballerina," and yes, it's pink. When I sat down to start knitting the sweater, it hit me. I wasn't too sure I could stand all the pink for the duration of the project. Thankfully, I had another ball of yarn in my backpack. I used that yarn to make a crochet chain through which to cast on for the hood - this allowed me, when it came time to fold the rectangle of fabric that made up the hood in half vertically and join it's top (cast on) edge, to make the apex of the hood virtually seamless. The kicker is, that yarn was black - thus saving my sanity.





By the end of work that night, I'd finished the hood section and begun adding stitches to make the yoke around the shoulders. Yesterday's photoshoot shows that progress. I made it to the dividing for the sleeves yesterday and today I'm nearly to the bottom hem. This puppy is going really quickly. You can kinda see from the progress picture how the hood goes together. That was about the time it started to look more like a sweater to me. It's encouraging.

I love day's like today . . .

Have you had a day lately, where you finally realize that you haven't eaten anything since you got up, and that the cup of coffee you drank a couple hours ago might need some company? That's today. Now, I didn't get up until a bit after noon, but once I got up, I hit the ground running. I did about half the laundry, a little knitting, had a mini photo shoot (the fruit of which you'll be seeing for a few days), fired up the dueling crock pots and started down the long road to four loaves of sourdough bread. So, I ate my breakfast, which consisted of a bowl of yogurt with honey and cinnamon and a bit of ceral, at 4:55.

Speaking of sourdough - I don't think I've introduced you to the new starter. Meet Fredda:

Isn't she cute? I've decided to try a liquid starter this time, because as much as I liked the solidity of the stiff starter, I've decided that I prefer being able to stir the flour and water I'm feeding the starter into it, instead of having to knead it in.

I love the earthiness of sourdough. It amazes me that all I put into this loaf is some flour, water and salt. The starter was made from flour and water, and to that I just add more flour and water and a bit of salt. Then all I have to do is wait, and by some miracle, it rises into a loaf of bread that once baked is light, lofty, chewy, tangy and wonderful.

But it takes forever to get from start to finish. And with my schedule (remember, I got up at noon) it usually means finally baking the bread around midnight. I'm working on how to time this out so it fits life a little better, because I love the bread, but I don't get too many chance to make it. 12-16 hours of starter development, 2 hours of initial rising, 4-5 hours for the first real rise, 4-5 hours for the second rise, and close to an hour to bake. 23-29 hours, yipe!

I have a new project in the works, and despite my trepidations, it's flying off my needles.

This is the hood of the baby sweater, and the beginnings of the shoulder shaping. That's a day's worth of progress. I haven't done much to it today, besides take it's picture, because I've been doing all that stuff I listed at the beginning of the post. I think I can finish the shoulder shaping tonight and move on to the body of the sweater.

I have a question to pose with this sweater. The pattern I'm loosely following has two sets of ties near the neck of the sweater, and I don't like them. So, if anyone wishes to answer me: What is the best closure for a toddler's cardigan sweater? Buttons? Snaps? A zipper?

Now, about those dueling crockpots:

This is a crockpot recipe for steel cut oats, that makes either delicious creamy oameal, or if you let it cool, a polenta like semi-congealed oaty loveliness that can be cut into bars. I'm hoping it will make it easier for me to remember to eat breakfast on these "hit the floor running days." It might pack well to take for dinner at work too. This particular rendition contains steel cut oats, milk, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and some partly cooked cranberries.


This is a hybrid recipe. I combined parts of two chili recipes. This is a sweet potato chili with ground pork and some of our home made chipotle chilis. It smells good, I'll report back on how it tastes.

Rainy Day

The weather's not much today - here anyway. Apparently, the weather still has it out for New Orleans, but here in VA it's just raining.

In other news, the yarn came today for my first sweater. I have now finished the hood and started the shoulder shaping. Beside the fact that there's *shudder* pink in this sweater, it's going well. I'll explain in detail, and with pictures, tomorrow. I'm knitting a sweater; I'm really knitting a sweater!

Monday - Blah

Not much insight today, but I do have some projects in the works.


Isn't it pretty?? I'm really liking how it's turning out. This is the third project I've tried with this yarn, and I finally like how it's turning out. When it's done, I'll have a scarf.

I'm also finishing a hat for the boy, which I'll try to take some pictures of soon. And thanks to the kindness of one sweet lady at my monthly Saturday morning knitting group, I've wound up some more of the yarn from my day of dyeing, so I'll get to start new exciting things soon.

Meanwhile, I left my lunchbox at work. I'm feeling a bit like a second grader.

An Eye Candy Friday

I haven't been too sure of what I've been thinking lately . . . but as you may have noticed, I'm challenging myself to post more often. It's looking like posting Monday through Friday is working for me. So, in light of the fact that I hadn't come up with anything much to say today, I thought I'd share what's been tugging at the corners of my mind, for a lot of reasons.

We've heard of a couple of possibilities for us to move out of the city, to a place with some wide open space, and green things, and quiet. We've talked about living in the country, and raising animals, for food and for fiber. The thought of being a stay at home mom, as it has for most of my life, dances in front of me, with a brighter hope of possibility than it once had. The boy is musing over barn and pen layouts. I'm drooling over baby chicks, dairy goats, and fluffy white alpaca fiber boys. That's why the picture is not just eye candy - that's where my head is these days.

I'm waiting on a yarn order, for my first sweater! I'm attempting a baby's hooded sweater knit continually from the top down, which is supposed to be a bit simpler than knitting it in pieces - plus no bulky seams for the baby. If it goes well (and be asured, there will be pictures, you'll have to pardon the pinkness, but it's for a mother's first daughter, so it needed to be girly) I might try some more.

I'm starting to consider ways to fund my knitting - like selling some items, perhaps baby items, and using the profits to buy yarn for my own projects. Not sure how I feel about that yet.

Plus, my boss mentioned today that she'd like to start training me to direct . . . and immediately my mind began to wonder if, perhaps, there might be a full time position in my future. Then I started realizing the complications, but we're working on those. I have no idea if this actually means I might get closer to being full time, but even the hint of it sends me reeling into thoughts of mortgages and real estate, and other getting out of the city goodness.

You know, for not having much to say, I've sure typed alot. I'm done now.

Pedestrians

no - Pea-head-destrians.

Let me clarify - your average pedestrian walks to their destination along sidewalks, utilizing traffic signals and crosswalks when necessary. This is their goal, to get where they are going. The average Pea-head-destrian, while seemingly similar at first glance, has an entirely different goal. The Pea-head-destrian does not necessarily have a destination, but exists in the outside world along sidewalks and streets solely to exacerbate the travel of drivers.

I have a theory that there are greater concentrations of Pea-head-destrians in urban areas and especially resort-type areas.

Pea-head-destrian spotting, or how to distinguish the ped from the Pea-head:

1. The pedestrian walks along the side of the road. The Pea-head-destrian seeking to cross the path of a motor vehicle as often as possible, will seemingly on a whim, walk down the center of the road from time to time.

2. The pedestrian will walk to the nearest crosswalk in order to cross the street, and occasionally stride out into traffic confident in the ability of traffic to recognize that they have the right of way. The Pea-head-destrian will cross when they deem it necessary to achieve their goal (see above), avoiding crosswalks at all costs. They will however demand the driver relinquish the right of way.
-I had a Pea-head-destrian recently walk 6 feet past a crosswalk and then begin to cross the street, and when I didn't indicate any intention to stop, they began waving at me, and signalling that I should, so that they could cross.

3. Pedestrians, especially in areas of high traffic, are highly aware of traffic, and obviously so. Pea-head-destrians, on the other hand, while aware, feign ignorance of the way traffic is moving.

The Pea-head-destrian is a wiley creature, and should be avoided when one is running late for work, or an appointment. However, if you seek momentary amusement, keep an eye out for them; their escapades, especially when they do not involve personal inconvenience, can provide giggles or even guffaws.

Goodness gracious me!

Well now, let's see. A point was raised about Monday's post by Curly, who sat and thought about what I'd said, and noticed an important bit lacking in my writing.

You have created Five Principles of Knitting, but NONE of these points demonstrate the prior existence of God to someone who doesn't already believe in Him, and in a general idea of His goodness and creativity.

She's quite right. I guess what I was trying to explain was how the existence of knitting proves to me that God must exist. Logical arguement not being my strong suit, I'm not even sure I did that, but when I try this writing thing, what you see is what you get. So there's that, and thanks to Curly for keeping me on track.

Now, on to what's on my mind today - Things that bring me joy.

The heel of a loaf of sourdough spread with butter and honey, warmed on the stove top

The fact that I made that sourdough, all by myself! (yes, my inner 5 year old is alive and well)

Being able to go hang out with my (nearly?) 90 year old grandmother, show her the socks she "gave" me for my birthday, and bring her a loaf of bread.

Having a job, and cool people to work with, and hang out after work at a bar playing pool with, who don't mind when I suck mightily.

Flying grasshoppers - very yummy

Orchids - apparently I may have found a houseplant that I won't inevitably kill.

A little house in a nearby small town, that might be for rent.

Libraries - free books are AWESOME!

Librivox.org - go check them out - way cool!

Yarn for Breakfast - cool chicks, coffee, and communal knitting. I know other knitters now!!

Joy - it's just cool.

The goal

I spent 5.5 years in college. I have a degree in Media Communications. I work in production at a television station. And I regret not a bit of it; in fact, I love it. But it is not going to be the way life works forever.

For starters, I'd like a full time job. This, I hope will happen sometime soon. Secondly, I'd like to have a few kids, three maybe four. Now, as much of a multi tasker as I am, I like my multiple tasks to be pointed towards a more unified outcome. For now I am a worker bee, of a sort, but when it's time to be a mom, I want to be, for the most part, a mom. But alas, we may never reach a comfortable point to become a single income household. This complicates things a bit.

I have an idea. A way to be a stay at home mom, provide some household income, and something to occupy the parts of my mind that are used for work now, not to mention a veritable mountain of yarn - the mental image of which makes me a bit giddy.

Since I have begun my sentence in the middle of my mental paragraph yet again, let me explain where I'm coming from. The boy and I have intended from the get go, to work towards owning a home with a few acres attached to it, somewhere out in the sticks. Yup, critters and quiet and neighbors who are a long walk away. We want to have laying hens, from time to time a pig, a calf or two, and I have been lobbying for a few dairy goats and some sheep. I am beginning to have an effect. He's still not too keen on the sheep, but he's warming up. I think I'll get my goats. And now, there's a distict possibility of a small flock of alpaca. The boy discovered today the monetary value of alpaca fleece (with just a little help from yours truly), simply sheared off the animal no other work done. It's quite impressive. The cogs started turning in our minds.

This is not a new thought, even to us. The reason I wanted sheep was for wool, ultimately for cheaper yarn. I had thought about looking into cashmere producing goats as well. I have not yet gone so far as to consider angora rabbits, but who knows. The point is, I think if I worked up to it, I could provide a reasonable amount of household income selling wool and alpaca fleece, roving, yarn, and hand dyed yarn, not to mention, keep myself supplied in yarn to knit with. The boy is actually excited about this prospect. I'm floored.

So the goal has perhaps shifted slightly - smallish house, parcel of land, chickens, cows, goats, sheep, and alpacas, a relationship with a fiber cooperative to process the wool and alpaca fiber, kids, us, hopefully nice neighbors, a meaningful job for the boy, a church family that we love, and ultimately, a life that means something to us and makes us happy.

Does it sound too much like utopia? Am I crazy??

Proof

There are those who cite creation, or some of it's multitude of fascinating aspects as proof that God exists. I wholeheartedly agree with them - there's just no way I can believe that all that surrounds us was arrived upon by chance.

I'm starting to feel the same way about knitting - it is proof that God exists.

1. Knitting is so simple - there are only two components, you either knit or you purl. You either pass the loop to the front or the back. That's really all there is. Even the most complicated of lace projects is made up of knits and purls.

"Hold on a sec, what about all those holes???" I knew somebody was going to ask. For the holes, all you do is wrap the yarn once around the needle, effectively making a space in the row - it's the same basic action as forming a new stitch, but you don't pull it through anything. And to keep it from growing out of proportion, you can knit or purl stitches together, pulling one loop through two. Still, two basic building blocks, very simple. Knitting stitch patterns are just series of knits and purls.







2. Knitting creates. I am personally of the opinion that anything act that makes something of value, that contains an element of truth, is of God and proof that He exists. YMMV

3. Knitted objects, when finished fit into one or more of the following categories: something warm, something soft, something comforting, something aesthetically pleasing, or something useful. To that end, knitting, more often than not, either does good, or shows love, or both. In my mind, any act of love is definitely God stuff.

4. Knitting is relaxing, meditative even. If a sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spritual grace, then knitting might very well be a sacramental form of the peace of God, for those who enjoy it.

5. Knitting is challenging. There are an infinite number of new skills and tricks in knitting, such that no one can know everything that there is to know about all of the craft. Just two stiches, but thousands upon thousands of possibilities - this, to me, always speaks of God's involvement.

This is really the beginning of thoughts along this line, and as most folks who read/comment on my random thoughts don't knit (to my knowledge) I'm not expecting to be told I forgot something crucial, but any thoughts on the subject are always appreciated. And if anyone feels up to answering a question - what, to you, proves that there is a God?

I'm so grateful!

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

- Maya Angelou

Most day's I dread satellite interviews at work - we do them after the noon news with some regularity. Usually it's some star, or the most recently ousted "Survivor," but today was an absolute blessing.

Today Barbara, one of our anchors, interviewed Maya Angelou. I ran audio for Maya Angelou!!!! She is sponsoring an essay contest for students at, or perhaps entering, historically black universities. She was brilliant, so very thoughtful, poignant, and wise. I sat in a state of awe. This is one of those days when I'm so very glad to be where I am, and doing what I'm doing.

Barbara's last question to Dr. Angelou was regarding the legacy she thought she'd be leaving behind when she was gone, to which she said:

"When I finally decide to go to Mars, I want those who love me to . . . roast a chicken, make a simple salad with olive oil and lemon juice, get a loaf of good bread and a glass of good white wine, and say 'She tried.'"
-Maya Angelou (about 5 minutes ago)

Scrap Yarn and operating systems

What? Huh? Has she lost her ever-living mind? Probably.

So, to continue the plot from the last post . . . what does one do when the project for which they dyed 100 g of yarn only requires 52 g? Play with the extra yarn, of course!!


It of course follows that if said experimentation turns into something of value, I should lay it on the scanner and share my excitement. I don't think I've knit much from scratch yet, this might actually be the first time.

What is it, you ask? It's not obvious?? Ok, well, if it was in it's natural habitat, it would be, but it didn't photograph well that way, hence the scanning. It's a cozy sleeve for my Nalgene bottle. A smart chick who has great ideas showed me one once that she'd made by felting an old sweater, and using her great talent with sewing. She doesn't knit. I'm not so good with the sewing. She inspires me nonetheless.

It still needs a bottom, I think. But I'm not sure what I'm going to do there, so for now it's a tube. Here's to iced tea that stays cold, and coffee that stays hot for more than the first 1/2 litre!

yes, it's a cheesey mac reference
yes, its a bad pun too
yes, I have more yarn left . . . what greatness shall I work next?

I've been dyeing to tell you . . .

. . . literally

I used some of my Christmas money to buy some undyed yarn and some real dye (read: not Kool-aid) to try dyeing some yarn myself. It arrived whilst we were house and cat sitting for mom, so all the pictures are from her kitchen. It has nothing to do with the size or equipment difference between the two - for those of you who might feel inspired to try this sometime - I just needed to be there for the cat who'd recently had surgery. So fear not, it's easy and fun, and if you're not me, not messy at all. I'm a little messy.

So here's how it went. My first attempt was "handpainted" merino doubleknit weight. I bought my yarn from Knitpicks, and the dye as well, for that matter.
So, I gathered my tools:






Some acid dyes, plastic wrap, empty pint jars, and a stainless steel pot with a steamer basket. I filled the pot with water and started heating it on the stove. Then I plunked the yarn into a sink full of water.



Once I had worked all of the air out of the yarn, I squeezed enough water out of it to keep it from dripping, and layed it out on some plastic wrap on the counter.



Then I mixed up my dyes: blue, teal, and brown. A tsp of blue and teal, in hot water and 3 tbsp. vinegar. 1/2 tsp of brown, in hot water and vinegar, for a lighter color.



And squirted them onto the yarn in sections, using a small squirt bottle, one color at a time. I left space between the brown and the teal because I didn't think the color they'd produce together would be one I wanted - the dyes spread during the setting process.



It was in the midst of this process that I began to think that gloves might be smart - acid dyes like these dye protein fibers, skin has protein, ergo they also dye skin. I decided I didn't really want smurf fingers, so I went and found some gloves, right after this happened:



Then I wrapped the yarn up in the plastic wrap and laid it in the steamer basket over boiling water to set the dye. I lined the basket with a couple paper towels, to spare the plastic wrap some of the heat, I'm not sure I needed to, but it didn't hurt anything.



Once it cooled a bit, I rinsed it until the water ran clear, and hung it up to dry in the shower. See how the colors spread and deepened?



Once it was dry, I wound it into a ball . . .



. . . so I could knit these - a pair of Knucks, and now I can type at work and not have cold hands.



Now that was a 100 g skein, only 52 g of which I used to make the mitts, so I'm trying to figure out what to do with the rest, not sure yet.

Now, there is another way to dye yarn. Which I tried another day. It involves a glass bowl, dye, water, vinegar and a microwave - or if I was doing this at the apartment (sans microwave) a pot on the stove, water, vinegar and dye. But the glass bowl made pretty pictures.



I put the dye powder in the water and vinegar. And thought perhaps that I should stir it, as I didn't want a more tie-dyed look for this yarn.



Then I added the wet yarn, and popped the bowl in the microwave, nuking it until the dye was "exhausted," in other words, the water bath was clear, or mostly clear. Then I had to let it rest a long time, because this was also merino, and not superwash. On top of that, it was fingering weight, which is thinner, and more likely to tangle and felt while it was wet. I dyed two skeins, one sort of a peach/salmon color, the second a green/teal mix. These are for lace projects for later. They are dry and sitting on top of the freezer, I haven't gotten a chance to wind them yet.

I dyed a third skein as well - this one superwash - a deep burgundy, for a pair of socks that I've been waiting to make. Aren't they pretty?

So that's what I was dyeing to tell you . . . there will be more - I have 4 more skeins of the merino double knit that I want to handpaint (probably socks, maybe a scarf) and two more skeins of the fingering weight to "pot dye" when I decide on colors.

Socks Rock!

As they were started after the Christmas knitting was finished, I'm going to start counting 2007's knitting completions with my green Monkey socks.


Yarn: Wool of the Andes, Forest Heather (Knitpicks)
Needles: #2's that may have belonged to my great grandmother
Modifications: only 4 pattern repeats up the leg, instead of 6, because I like shorter socks

And they keep the feets warm and toasty. I am through the first sock in two other patterns, they shouldn't take much longer.

In other news . . . I recently recieved an e-mail from a company that sells sock yarn. It began as follows:

SUCCESS IS SWEET . . . SO THEY SAY?!
Please read this for IMPORTANT credit card information.
The sign-up for the Rockin' Sock Club 2007 has been a resounding success. So much so that our bank thinks we are running some type of elaborate yarn scam and is refusing to accept our members' money! So, you know what they are doing? You are not going to believe this. They are sending all of that money back! Unbelievable and astounding!

You read that right - the bank though the incoming credit card payments must be fishy, and refunded all the payments, because there was no way this was actually about yarn. Now, I know most folks who come here and peruse my ramblings don't understand how addictive sock knitting can be. I'm not sure I quite understand myself, but having signed myself up for said Sock Club, I now have to resend my payment once their website is back up and running again, which is just a bit frustrating. Everything should be ok after that, thankfully.

I think this may become the year of the sock, for me. So there will likely be more sock pictures as I go. There should also be some lacey stuff, and who knows what else. I crave a little variety, but there's nothing, for me, like a small, portable, fairly quick to finish, decently challenging, and interesting project that becomes a useful object when I'm finished. And I love warm feet!

The Virginia Gray's Year End in Review

T'were the weeks before Christmas and all through th'apartment,
Two creatures kept stirring, to see time was well spent . . .

There was the Christmas knitting, of which I had not spoke,
Scarves and hand warmers for some beloved folk.

Striped scarf and fetching for the basketball star,
stylish yet practical, at least I hope that they are.



For the artist's chills, two pair-o-mitts and a scarf,
for when she's away from her home and her hearth.



For the mother who bore me, green mits for her hands,
though here in ol' Ginny there's less snow and more sands.



And when those were finished another project began,
with fabric and sewing machine, and needle in hand.

For the boy's mother, a window you see,
in the form of a lap quilt for her library.



For the sake of my sanity, I indulged just a bit,
a new pair of wool socks, that most likely would fit.



Christmas in Virginia was full with warmth and good cheer,
then we were bound for Indiana, to welcome the New Year.

There were basketball games, and much hollerin and hootin',
and while the refs weren't too "insightful," the girls had some good shootin'.



And with the sibs altogether for the first in a long while,
we spectated some wrestling that brought a big smile.



And now we are home, weary from long travels,
looking forward to this next year with all of it's revels.

No doubt these rhymes would make a certain uncle quite proud,
I hear the dryer's buzzer and it is quite loud.

All of this rhymin' leaves my head achin',
perhaps I should leave verse to him, and just stick to bakin'.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Q

News . . .

Ok, the good news is, as of last night, laying down my knitting and rolling over to go to sleep, I had finished the gray part of the boy sock . . . so today, I'll knock out the toe (for those who knit much, I'm rejoicing to be done with the k2p2 ribbing, and may not rib for a while, it's sooooooo slow!). The toe won't take me long, and then they'll be done.

In other good news, my other birthday present arrived today - sock blockers! I'll take pictures later, but they are currently re-stretching my beloved green wool ankle socks back into a shape that can contain my foot. For the record - accidently putting your 100% wool socks in the dryer is not good, but not insurmountable, but the process of bouncing back does cramp the toes a bit.

In yet more news, still good, the boy has begun trying to roast coffee - and his first attempt, in the little cast iron skillet on the grill, with a small bag of Columbian Supremo was a raging success in my opinion. He says there are things he can improve on, so I guess it will get even better from here! Mmmmm Java!

Bad Planning . . .

So that last post was supposed to lead to a new post a few days later . . . but as I said, the boy has size 15 feet.

And why, may you ask, is that important?

Because it's taking freakin' forever to finish his socks!!!!



This is the first boy sock, finished early in the fall. Right now the second boy sock has about three white bars to go before I reach the point where I can start the red toe. Count back from where the red joins the grey at the toe, one, two, three . . . that's about where I am.

Never again will I knit boy socks on size 2 needles!! I swear to goodness!

It hasn't been cold enough for him to need them but maybe once, but honestly, I just want to be done. And I like knitting socks!

Ahem . . .

The boy has size 15 feet . . . the importance of this will be revealed soon. There will not be a quiz.

Happy Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It's also Nov. 23. Dad would be 59 tomorrow. In honor of the fact that Thanksgiving is also Dad's Birthday, the ENTIRE family and assorted friends are gathering with us for Thanksgiving dinner - and since it's been a family tradition since long before I was born, we're having chocolate cake with chocolate icing for dessert. It's different, definitely not your typical pumpkin related pastry, but it's us. And with a crowd of 30ish, I'm making two of them.

Sadly, and perhaps ironically, I really don't like chocolate cake, but this is for dad's Birthday, and we didn't grow any collards this year, so we had to do something.

Happy Birthday Daddy. We love you.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I'm thankful for you, and all my other blessings.

Q

Yeah So . . .

I haven't posted much of great interest lately, or much lately at all.

To tell the truth I've hit a bit of a wall when it comes to ideas/concepts to discuss . . .

I do have lots I'd love to post about in the knitting/general craftiness category, but as all of them are Christmas presents, I'm left to document them now, and I'll post them after the first of the year.

I started doing this, way back when, because it would keep me writing, which I don't really like to do, and don't feel very good at. It certainly has helped, except for the great improvement part - just need to find something to talk about.

Inspiration is bound to strike soon.

Big Ball of Yarn

A few weeks ago the boy's parents came to visit us for a few days. I took them on a tour of the station, and we went down and had Rally's with the boy at the shop. They had fun checking out where we worked, and all in all it was a great visit. Thankfully for us, they didn't want to be kept entertained every minute of every day, so we could just relax and enjoy each other's company. It was really good to see them.

Now, about my title. The mother in law decided one afternoon that the fact that she'd been here three times now, and hadn't been to a thrift store was a crying shame. So I took her down to my favorite thrift store. We had a great time. She found 20 some odd Records (you know, that vinyl disc that our parents played music on??) straight out of the 80's for the sister in law to use for the upcoming spirit week at school. There was some great stuff in there. I on the other hand, knowing that I had $10 in my wallet, and that I could spend it, but not much more, decided to look for wool sweaters. I got three - none of which were big enough for me to wear, but that's not the point. We were going to unravel them.

Well, I came to find out, that two of them were made from such a fine gauge of yarn that trying to get them unraveled was a losing battle. Bless her heart, the mother in law worked to unravel one body section, but it came out in so many pieces, I'd be felting them back together forever. So I decided that that sweater and it's twin were a lost cause. Since we haven't touched the twin, I'll take it back as a donation, so someone can at least wear it.

But the larger of the three had a thicker yarn, and came apart beautifully. When I left for work Saturday night we'd undone the front and the back and one sleeve, and had three quite sizable balls of yarn. When I got home, the boy had finished unraveling the last sleeve, and had decided to take his new found knowledge of felting yarn together and make a GIANT BALL O'YARN!!!!



Isn't it cute? I'm thinking of knitting a pair of slippers for myself, and felting them so they're sturdy and warm. Whatever's leftover I'm going to save for a sweater project, when I find some more yarn for the illusive hooded sweater.

It's much thinner than the yarn I use alot right now see:



So it will knit up into a thinner, drapier fabric, and that means that the comparitive size of the ball makes for way, way, way more yardage. I'm excited. I will have to play this game again. The small green ball is about $3 of peruvian wool, nearly 200 yards. The big ball is about $3 of blue merino, unknown yardage.