A Shift of Perspective
Generally, I'm anti-ad. Almost always. That's why it took me nearly 2 years to set up a mailing list and why I've sent only a tiny handful of messages to it. I figure if you want to find me, you'll come here. I shouldn't intrude. But the other day...I got what is now my very favorite ad ever. Ya know what makes an ad better? If it has yarn in it. Ya know what makes an ad even better than that? If it has your very own book in it. Which is exactly what I saw when I opened the [...]
The Limits of my Love
I love y'all, really I do. I confess my frequent knitting failures to you, I reveal the alarmingly bowl-like shape of my head to you, and I spend inordinate amounts of time taking pictures on my porch (baffling my neighbors in the process) so that you can know what I'm knitting. But today, I found my limit. Right now the thermometer on the side of my house says 24 F (that's -4 C for the rest of the world). That's not actually all that cold. It's not balmy, but it's manageable. But it is also windy. That, too, I might [...]
Coruscate
The pattern for the Coruscate hat and mitt set is (finally) out. This was my first slouchy hat, and you watched it grow and watched me figure out how to block it to achieve proper levels of pouf (it turns out that the secret to blocking success was a giant but short bowl). I finished these way back at the end of November, and have been using them ever since. But it was only yesterday that I had my lovely friend Lauren over to model them for me. They look much more stylish on her (on me, they look warm [...]
That’s Better
I have embraced the idea that blocking is not stretching. It is smoothing. Adjusting. Nudging into place. It does not need to be a hugely violent process. Once I got that notion through my head, the reblocking of the cowl went much better. See? Wee curly lettuce edges, just as I wanted. Order is restored to the universe.
Nemesis
So I'm just really bad at blocking. The grafting was fine...fiddly, slow, demanding of a certain amount of focus...but more or less fine. (Full confession, there's one stitch where I was weaving in my ends and was off by 1/2 a stitch, but it's really hard to find and will never show when it's worn.) The blocking, however, was my undoing. The whole point of this exercise was to preserve the frilly, curly, curvy, round edge that appeared as I knit this. In blocking, I somehow turned all those lovely curves into jagged points. Now it's still cute, but it's [...]
Knit Along Patterns
The official thread for the February knit along is up on Ravelry. The individual patterns for these two socks are also now available on Ravelry, in case you prefer to get the patterns one by one. Some time between now and the start of February, Shannon and I will come up with official rules and post them in the group. For now, the general idea is: cast on after it gets to be February, finish a pair by the end of March, be entered to win prizes. Use whatever yarn you like, use whatever color you like, make whichever sock [...]
Morning Routine
Collect camera and knitting and go downstairs. Make a note of the temperature. Wish fervently that there were two digits in the number instead of one. Put the water on for tea (this stuff, I'm addicted). Put on a pot of oatmeal. Put on a sweater and hat and shoes. Go out on the back porch. Think filthy things about the wind and its effect on exposed skin. Recall that the pot of oatmeal puts a built in time limit on this little bout of picture taking and get butt in gear. Whack knitting down on the porch railing. Waggle [...]
Alarmingly Frilly
This is not a hat, nor is it a sock. It's not even a mitt. It is, I'm happy to say, a cowl. It is also soft, warm, full of lacy goodness, and a delightful shade of green. On a less positive note, it also seems to be bedecked with a rather troubling number of cat hairs (from my cat of course, it didn't come that way from the dyer or anything). I debated spending yet more time trying to either pick them off or edit them out, but eventually came to the conclusion that this time could better be [...]
Super Secret Stealth Post
There might just possibly be a wee giveaway of the book over here. Ya know....just on the outside chance that one of you happened to want a free copy. Not that any of you knit socks or anything like that. Does it make me a crazy stalker if I've refreshed a time or two to read the comments? P.S. Oh, and if you're worried about that 'skill testing question' thing, I think it's the Canadian equivalent of the no purchase necessary fine print on contests in the U.S. (and it may only apply to Canadian winners, though I'm not sure). [...]
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