For the love of Yarn!

This is some handpainted cotton yarn from ebay seller overtherainbow yarns. I buy a lot of stuff from her. This will eventually make itself into a sweater. Right, with no intervention from me?

Comment from Julia upon having to do rows of boring stockinette: Where are the knitting monkeys?

When you're working with a really interesting yarn, it generally doesn't make sense to try and get much stitch detail in there. So, it seems to be a choice between fondling really pretty and complicated yarn, or using a more simple yarn and workin' that patterning... 

Trust in the Process

Once I took this writing course that had me writing about gardening. Specifically about the kind of faith that one had to have as one plants bulbs in the autumn, hoping they will bloom in the spring. All that ice and snow on top makes it pretty hard for me to believe.
I'm no gardener, at least not more than any other human being.

Such a huge analogy for life and our hopes for the future.
Everybody out there is making resolutions for the new year and I'm thinking how much of a suprise most everything was for me this past year. It seems true for most people I know, in fact.

I'm knitting small things right now because I'm having a hard time commiting to a large project. I have a couple of large things in the WIP (work in progress) stage. My faith in being able to complete something that will take longer than a couple of days is weak. I suppose the point for me is to keep creating, regardless of how small.

When in Doubt...

...knit a mock cable sock out of Koigu.

I had this therapist who once said that when she just didn't have any confidence in herself and didn't know what to do, she would bake a cake.
She knew how to bake a cake.
It inspired some kind of self confidence.

So, this is my cake for the day. (Less calories) 

Sock Detail

 

More Design Details in Nature

If you're been reading my blog for a while, you can see how influenced I am by patterns in nature. I studied printed textile design and learned at that time that something like 90% of all fabrics printed are floral patterns. The abstraction of nature in design is the core of design.

My favorite color these days is green, and Portland is SO green. 

Happy New Year

 

Another Happy Accident Project

Okay, so tonight I'm taking pictures because I've been knitting all day and my wrist hurts...

YEARS ago, I started a pink Manos cardigan. Then, when I decided to finish it this year, I realized that I had no idea what pattern I had been using. At the time I started it I was just a beginning knitter. Boring.

I was sitting there, looking at it's blaring pink-ness, knowing I had another pink cardigan in the closet that I hardly ever wear and I realized that I just didn't have the heart to knit sleeves. I stopped just below the armhole decreases, so I could have done anything. I decided to find a way to use some vintage mother of pearl buttons and paillettes at the top and make it a lacey yolk.

Now, the funny thing is that I wear it underneath the other big mohair pink cardigan and...well...I get a lot of attention for my rosy look. I now think seriously before purchasing pink yarn. 

Vintage details on Pink Manos Vest

 

Sweater-Tunic

This is a sweater that I designed to use these two yarns that I thought went well together. I ended up doing the main body in double seed stitch and added to contrasting yarn in tweed stitch. It's huge and slouchy and I love it! 

Sweater-Tunic Detail of Tweed Stitch

 

Simple Things

A little view of my walk to work. Sometimes the best place to focus is on the smallest thing. The rain stopped just long enough for me to get this shot. 

Liking Lichen

Old Shale Cotton Scarf

Really Soft Hand-Painted Bulky Cotton Yarn

 

Original Top, Transformation to Follow

 

Re-Fashioned Top

Bottom Ruffle Detail of Top

 

Top of Pillbox Shaped Hat

This is knit from Giangasso Top Print, Jo sharp design. I added elastic thread to the band for added elasticity. 

Embossed Leaves Socks

This is the first one of a pair of socks that I've been working on. For a change, my lace pattern is working. Perhaps because there is one pattern repeat on each of the 4 needles. Interweave Knits, Winter 2006. 

Clumsy Christmas

It's just been a weird couple of days.
I got this new dinning table, big enough to cut out fabric and do other fun projects. I put it together without much fuss. Then came the moving it into the kitchen.

The kitchen is where my holiday tree lives, festooned with the most delicate glass ornaments. In doing the change out, I knocked the darn thing over, and bits of silver lined glass ornaments shattered everywhere on the hard wood floors.

I took a little nap before cleaning up.

Then, yesterday with my friend Elizabeth I found the loveliest set of dining chairs at the thrift shop two blocks away. One chair and, Elizabeth by my side, I bit the dust, right there on the sidewalk. I found myself on the wet concrete, stunned as people gathered around me. Foolish, clumsy me. For those of you who know me well, you know that I do fall. It's not that unusual. But with a chair occupying my two hands, with nothing to brace me? Needless to say, I'm in some physical pain. Gonna take it easy for the rest of my days off.

Just days before Christmas

 

Finishing up

I'm pretty much done with the holiday knitting. Just took a quick knitting break here at work to try and finish the last of it...
Now I'm dreaming of new projects for the new year.

There shall be more cables, more color, ribbon yarn experiments, more felting and continued plodding along with my attempt to master lace. There will also be an attempt to listen to recorded books while I'm knitting to keep myself from being illiterate!

Right now I'm working on the lace socks in the Winter Interweave Knits 05/06. There's only two holes where there shouldn't be any! For me, this is a big improvement. These are the socks I never keep, as I'm not the lace sock type, but I send them along to my dear friend, Gillian, back in Boston.

I feel like I'm finally creating the life I've wanted for the past few years. Thank you, Universe for bringing good things my way. Thank you knitting Goddess for giving me the patience to try new things. Thank you friends for you love and thoughts.

It's Snowing in Portlandia

The windowledge in my livingroom has snow covered moss on it. Lovely.

Xmas Knitting Party

On the most lovely, snowy evening, we all gathered at Paula's (right front) and are her most wonderful cookies. Yes, there's someone hiding behind that book---oh, she's so shy. Top left is Nana and top right is Josie.

Mystery woman gave us all the most wonderful neck massages and Nana gave her first try at a pair of socks.

I love my Portland knitting babes.

Little Tree

My wee tree that has followed me in my travels in the past few years...

Wall of Pictures on a Sunday Morning

My apartment is sunny on winter afternoons. This wall is my family memory wall. It's the anniversary of my mother's passing tomorrow. This picture of her is her high school picture, caught in the bright light.

Blue Homespun Poncho

For everyone who knocks Lion Homespun, I have to differ. I love to knit up quick and cozy things for myself. This is one of their patterns that was supposed to have a split color and I turned it into a turtleneck. The shoulders are seamed and it fits REALLY well.

Passing Planets

So, maybe the undecided phase is passing with the planets.
I have a huge amount of yarn right now and so many projects I want to start.
My holiday presents are almost done now. (Thank goodness I'm a fast knitter, so I don't have to start in August...)

I love my knitting group more than ever. They have become a real core presence in my life. I'm getting more used to teaching and am considering teaching socks some time soon.

It's cold now here in Portland and the wool is out to stay. The mornings are in the 20's or 30's and I feel more at home than I ever did in California. I still miss Boston now that the holidays are upon us, but my tree is up and in the window and I'm making a decent attempt at celebrating this year.

Undecided

I am undecided so often these days as to what project to work on. That includes cleaning the house. I don't think I've ever been so lax. What with two cats, I find it hard to keep up with.

But knitting. Yesterday I worked on a fluffy scrarf just because I wanted to touch that yarn all day. Now what's next? I think I still have to choose according to caressability today.

It's cold and rainy today and I've got the heater pumping because I've waited to have the gas turned on and now it's damn cold. It'll be turned on middle of next week. I can wait. The cats? Unhappy.

I am undecided about a lot of things right now, but mercury retrograde is finally over. Perhaps I should consider some plans...

November bits and pieces

Me and my knit people got together for a turkey-less feast for the holiday, complete with knitting. I want to say thanks to Elizabeth for hosting us all and making it a memorable holiday.

Not getting enough knitting in lately. Nothing is thrilling me and I'm just working on small holiday projects. I have a garter stitch shawl in the works in the most lovely yarn, but I guess the pattern is so simple, it's not really holding my attention. The yarn is from a favorite source, www.handpaintedyarn.com. Not the handspun, although that's nice too, but the bulky 6 ply. So soft, it's like fluffy cotton. I'm using all earthy colors.

Earthtones, Not Ringtones

Another lovely day off, walking in the park. No interruption from my reverie.

I love not having a cell phone these days. After 10 or so years feeling tethered to one, it's a quiet relief. I watch people on the trains or buses in the morning playing with their phones instead of reading, resting, or of course, knitting.
We are what we do.
We are what we believe.
We are what we love.
I refuse to believe that we are what we eat! (but then again, do I really want to be broccoli?)

Earthtones and Pinecones

It's finally getting cold here.
There's frost in the morning. I can see my breath as I'm walking to work in the morning.
Yesterday, walking in a park, inhaling damp earth and the scent of balsam...blissful.

Still, I've not turned the heat on and the kitties are not thrilled with me on that one. I figure they can always get under the comforter or lie in the sun when I'm out during the day.

I have all this new hand dyed fingering weight wool and as always I am pondering if it will go the way of socks (as it generally does) or if I will somehow have the patience to fashion it into a vest or sweater. Earthy varigated tones. Yum.

Listening to requiem masses again. Feeling more myself as I remember the joy of singing in a choir. Wondering, will I do that again?

Dueling Crafts...

...but not really.
For the first time that I can recall, I did not get heart palpitations walking into a bead expo. Sure, I bought a couple of things, but all the while, I knew that my loyalty of passion remains with yarn. It was no big thrill!

In the past, it was dueling crafts. I couldn't decided where to put my energy. Now it's just a matter of what knitting project of which day. Far less complex.

Fiber addiction. (Even the beads I bought are mostly to go on sweaters that I'll knit.)

Autumn Sunday

I'm just loving Fall in Portland. The leaves were glowing like a wild fire and now they're nearly gone. On the ground, wet and bright and slick.

Sunday is knitting group day, and it was a great one. Had someone new who was learning to knit for the first time and a returning beginner who is just delightful. I love the predictability and routine meeting of our group. I'm glad I stuck with it. As, the one who started it, I was a little concerned I'd be sitting by myself week after week.

I started my first poncho today out of some cheap stuff, just to test out the pattern. Seems like a simple thing that I should have made already, but I've only made capelets, knitted in the round.

Earlier this week I knocked out a pair of socks in two evenings for my friend, E. That was a marathon. All the while, not knowing if I would finish them before I next saw him. Ah, deadlines are good sometimes.

I bought a skein of lace weight merino wool and tried to work out some lace pattern with it, to see if it would be suitable for a scarf. Lord have mercy. Even with bamboo needles, it all just kept slipping off over and over again. I gave up after knitting rows 1-4 about 3 times. Maybe my hands just aren't steady enough! Give me cables or fairisle anyday. Okay, so I have been frustrated with lace knitting for several years now. I guess I just have more growing to do!

Like most Sundays, I'm over caffienated!

Plowing through the Stash

Last night I took hold of a cardigan that I started 4 years ago and had at it. It was sitting in one of my bins. I couldn't even remember what pattern I was using to knit it. Pink/salmon Manos yarn. I took the easy way out. I decided to fake the neck decreases and make it into a vest.

A very lovely vest it turned out to be. I wore it today, of course.
I had these sort of Paillettes made out of mother of pearl, small, that I sewed up near the lacy neck. Finished it with matching buttons down the front.

My camera has bit the dust, so the pictures may be a while in coming. What is this, mercury retrograde? Taking care of old business? Yeah, there's plenty more pressing old business than a pink vest in waiting...

Me and Brahms

This is an older picture of us, but one of my favorite. Still haven't bought those camera batteries.
Me and Brahms

Maniac, she's a maniac

Compulsive knitting day. From morning 'til night I've been hacking away. Elastic thread is proving to be a miracle material.

I'm finishing the front of a sweater I'm designing as I go. Back is done, and then I just have to figure out the sleeve. Normally this is not such a big deal, but I'm making it a set-in sleeve instead of an off the shoulder/squared off kind. I've got some measuring to do...tomorrow

Finishing and Beginning

So, the hat did get finished. It now has two rows of embroidered motifs. I'll take a new picture when I get around to buying batteries for my camera! Sad. I do like the hat now though, especially since I put some elastic on the inside for better fit.

I had a yarn shop day off today. I went someplace today (I won't say where...) but it was really frustrating that there seemed to be little logical organization to the place. It's got a huge stock in three rooms but I couldn't seem to remember what was where.

I seem to be in a hat mood. I made my work-mate Elizabeth a chullo out of a variegated chenille type yarn. It looked so cute on her, earflaps and all! Now, because of talking about Tams with knitting pal, Paula I'm giving one a try myself. I think I've chosen a yarn that probably will be too floppy, but who knows. I think they should probably be made out of a firm yarn, knit tightly. Although the cloche look could work too. Happy accident waiting to happen, I think.

It's my first autumn in the Pacific Northwest and so far it's lovely. Been 4 years now since I've experienced a proper fall. So far the rain doesn't bother me at all. I like damp as opposed to dry. As you can imagine, San Diego was challenging in this way.

Let me end on this note: Sometimes the depth of my passion for textiles amazes me.