Frayed Edge

I can't find them.

2006-09-25T09:22:00.000-05:00

Me: Excuse me driver, have you seen a pair of size 8 wooden needles lying around?
Driver: Why yes, they are in a box, near the front of the trailer on the left, near the bottom. I believe they are lying on top of a skein of handspun lace weight alpaca.
Me: Thank heavens. Now I can start swatching for that sweater.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Or something like that.
As of 8:00am this morning, we began the process of moving to Atlanta. The actual process began months ago, but this week we are actually packing up and heading out. Bryan has been a pillar of strength these past few months and has been very supportive. He has pretty much orchestrated the entire process thanks to the top notch moving package he was given. But today he really came through. Without no coffee to be found and with no means to get any, Bryan went to St. Louis Bread Co. and brought back coffee.

A couple of months ago I could have listed numerous things that I will miss about St. Louis without missing a beat. But today only one thing comes to mind. (however, I will list other things I miss in another post) What I will miss most, and already do, are my friends. I have been blessed to meet many wonderful people and build some very close relationships during the past 6 years. When I think of St. Louis I will not think of landmarks or places of interest. I will see the faces of the people who have made my life here special.

My favorite stitch.

2006-09-06T20:16:00.000-05:00

I haven't been around for months, and will give updates later, but this is a matter of utmost importance.

Okay, so I have knitted and tried many different stitches and have yet to find a favorite. Until now that is. Today I found the winner. And of course the description is just perfect. Don't you agree??

Enjoy.

Where's the glue?

2006-03-23T11:14:00.000-06:00

Found this. Go here.

One of the many benefits of knitting is the instant (well, almost) gratification. I mean just knit for bit and you can begin to see results and patterns. Provided you don't have to frog it, it is there to stay. But even if you do screw it up and rip it out, you can still use the same strand of yarn again until you get it right. Not the case with pottery. Once its gone, its gone forever. Saving a piece isn't like frogging. There is a sign posted prominently in the studio "DON'T GET ATTACHED". I now know why. I allowed my favorite piece to dry too fast and it cracked. Good news is that I had some success with vases in class last night.

I'm already looking forward to the weekend so I can throw clay and knit. (not at the same time, that might get a bit nasty). Last Saturday night Bryan and I spent the evening alone in the studio throwing clay. It was very calming and fun. Umm, and no, it didn't turn out like the scene in Ghost. Of course, pottery and knitting must come after housework and yard work. Not sure why. Might be a law.

Clay pots and yes, a finished project!

2006-03-21T21:13:00.000-06:00

The lace scarf is finally finished. I used 1 skein Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, color (olive) #008. I knit this on size #10 wooden needles. If you use this yarn (which I highly recommend) used wooden needles. It is quite "slippery" on metal needles.

I made a couple of mistakes in the beginning as I familiarized myself with the pattern, but now I can't even find them. I am very proud of my first attempt at lace. I was going to give it away but I enjoy it so much I have decided to use it as a table runner instead. Ironically, it already matches one of my napkin and placemat settings.--Martha would be proud. I have already started another "lacey" project on even smaller needles. No pics yet, I only have about 2 inches finished thus far so the pattern isn't even showing yet.

My attempts at pottery are getting better. I threw clay Saturday and Sunday and managed to get a couple of decent pieces. My goal is to get enough pieces (good or bad) ready for our final class next Wednesday. The last class will concentrate only on glazing so we need plenty of pieces to glaze. I was given a nice complement and was told I am a "natural" at throwing clay. I do seem to be catching on quickly and absolutely love doing it. As soon as I stop throwing, I find myself thinking about my next session. (I can throw for about 3 hours, after that I get tired and sloppy). The only negative side effect is sore dry hands. The upside is that it really gets my creative juices flowing. I tend to get interested in something, get excited about it, get bored, then find something else new and more exciting. But this seems to be working out differently. I think this flow of creativity must have an outlet, so I turn to knitting. For this I am grateful b/c my stash is too large to turn my back on right now.

Some of us have it so easy. Actually, my babies are very well behaved most of the time. They rarely bother my yarn or WIP's. They are content with snuggling with me while I knit. If only they knew I want to knit them into a sweater.

Pottery and waffles

2006-03-13T20:09:00.000-06:00

The Branching Out Scarf is still in progress. I haven't had much of a chance to work on it for long periods of time. I have been keeping myself busy.

Here is a pic of my latest adventure. Pottery. I enrolled in a pottery class last week and I love it. Doing anything creative such as cooking, knitting, painting or working with clay is such a release. Yet at the same time, it helps me develop new ideas and want to create even more. The studio, Krueger Pottery, is great. Pottery is their only focus and they have great artisans and instructors to boot. So far, I have managed to create crap. But its my crap. This pic is from my first try. Last Saturday I was able to throw a couple of nice bowls. I don't have pictures of them just yet. I even impressed myself.

To continue with the relaxing themed weekend, we went to a brunch, hosted by my friend Ramsey. Not only was the weather great for running (which I also took advantage of), but it was perfect for just lounging around with friends after brunch, drinking coffee and enjoying the breeze for a few hours. We had waffles.

Hotlanta and Old Lace

2006-03-07T20:52:00.000-06:00

As you can see, I am well on my way to finishing the ‘Branching Out’ scarf. The picture of the finished scarf is from the creator’s web site. I have a way to go yet before I am finished. Although I can clearly see all of the mistakes, I am still proud of it. I never thought I would ever enjoy knitting on any needles smaller than a 13 with jumbo chunky yarn, but I really enjoy this lace. I wanted to start another project, but realized I don’t have any lace weight yarn. I knew it wouldn’t be a problem for long.

I bought this in Atlanta last weekend during our mini vacation. I must be gentle with my yarn budget right now. Bryan has seen my stash and just doesn't understand. And I didn't really have anyway to hide any purchases at this point, so I resisted the temptation to buy Alpaca silk and when for the linen cotton blend for a future lace table scarf at 50% off- I love a bargain. We spent a great deal of time driving around the city looking at homes and neighborhoods and trying to find an area that we would like to move to when the time comes later this year. However, after all of the house hunting (I took pics, but I didn’t want to bore you to tears with pictures of newly painted homes, manicured lawns and open house signs decorated with helium balloons) I decided to take a trip alone to Why Knot Knit. I took out my map and was off. Off to an area where old money is comfortably nestled to the nouveau riche. I didn’t have high expectations.

I assumed that I would have an experience similar to the one I had in Chicago last year.-The day after the Chicago marathon I walked, I mean waddled, from 3 different ‘L’ stations to 3 different yarn shops. They were all closed (I know. I should have called). I finally found one on the “Gold Coast” near the high end boutiques. The women in the shop were very rude. Never visit "We'll Keep You In Stitches". When I asked for an additional skein of Nordic yarn, she asked me to look for it myself in the storage area. Bitch. If I knew how and were to cross stitch a small plaque for them to hang in their pretentious shop, what would it say?

In the end, everything was just peachy in Peach Hills, Atlanta, Georgia. The shop was just overflowing with an absolutely beautiful variety of yarns. The staff was very pleasant and sad to find out that I could not stay to meet Sally Melville before my plane left. (She was scheduled to speak that afternoon long after my departure). If you’re ever in the Atlanta area you must check it out.

I'd like an order of lace, without the circulars please.

2006-03-01T18:45:00.000-06:00

So I did it again. Once again I have tried and enjoyed doing something I said I would never ever want to do. Making lace, or at least something similar. I can't really say that I have really made any yet because after about 2 inches into making my lace scarf I thought it was curling just a bit much. So I did what any normal knitter would do, right? I tugged and pulled and stretched..... just a bit more and it will be perfe..... damn. Double damn. How did that happen? It broke. Lace weight yarn breaks easy. The cast on edge broke. So I ripped. I am starting over.

HERE you can link to the pattern and a photo of the finished product. I would like to put a picture of it here but I have been frightened into thinking that anything I do will steel someone's bandwidth or break copyright laws. Well, I am pretty sure bandwidth wouldn't be stolen because I have figured out how to prevent that. My concern would be copyright laws. Can I put copyright pic on my blog it is only to show the result. I know it is okay to have a link to the sight that contains the picture, so why not just the picture then?

As for circular needles. I have decided that I don't like knitting on them. They don't feel good like straights do. For some reason I find them uncomfy and they make my hands hurt. I hate to admit it. I mean, afterall I do have a few pair of them. But they are necessary, aren't they? Sure they are. Just like the multiple pairs of size 6 doubles that I have lying next to them.

I wanted to knit lace. Well, not really. Not at first anyway. I just got tired of knitting scarves, hats, purses and socks. I want to tackle gloves, but I am not ready yet. I'm scared. I'm afraid I will get to the fingers and the thumb and get lost. Lace was just as scary. But so much prettier than a glove, don't you think?

Pictures at Last and Olympic Knitting

2006-02-22T18:46:00.000-06:00

It seems like it has been a month of Sundays since my last entry. My Olympic scarf is coming along slowly. I tried some new cables in addition to the pattern that didn't work out, so I had to rip out a bit. Yet I hope to be finished by Monday. Here's a picture of it.
Believe it or not, it is the best pic I could get that remotely revealed the pattern. It is the 'Besotted Scarf'.

Below is a picture of the blanket of many colors and some close ups.

Here is a picture of my recent birthday gifts. Bryan did some research and went to our local yarn shop for advice before buying my gifts. He had no idea I had been lusting over this yarn for sometime now. A great coincidence. I was pleasantly surprised.

I went to the yarn farm and had a great time. I can't begin to describe how much roving and handspun and hand dyed yarn she had. Located in rural Missouri, the countryside was beautiful. (I forgot to grab my camera, I'll grab it on my next trip) When I arrived she had fresh baked cookies and coffee waiting for me. For the next 4 hours the owner and I toured her studio, several looms and spinning wheels. She then spent a considerable amount of time teaching me how to spin yarn. Being her only student of the day, I got lots of advice and attention. I plan on getting a wheel in the next month. My fingers are itching to spin some more.

Wish me luck on the far behind "Olympic Scarf".

Oh, and here is a picture of me and our good friend Ramsey taken about a week after the Chicago Marathon. I am on the left wearing blue and a big cheesy grin.

Lonely Mock Sock

2006-01-25T08:54:00.000-06:00

Finally! I completed my first sock last night. Well, it resembles a sock. It is very large and full of little holes. I decided that this first sock is like my first scarf-a learning experience not meant to be worn. So, as proud as I am of said sock, I am not going to add insult to injury and make a twin. I found a pattern that is perfect for the needles and yarn I have been using and should help provide a better result and size. I am knitting on size 4 double pointed needles (a big step for a knitter who loves much larger needles) with a worsted weight yarn. I guess the lonely 'mock sock' will be placed in sock purgatory with the other abandoned socks that have lost their twin as a result of the sock hungry clothes dryer.

I hope to have pictures to share someday. The new camera I received for Christmas is still sitting in its box. When I decide to put down the needles, download the software and take some pics, I will have post them for your viewing pleasure.

Knitting with Crack

2006-01-23T10:49:00.000-06:00

Okay, I must admit that am a knitting addict. Like countless others I have a problem. My friend Cathy and I decided to get together this weekend and do some shopping. Not for clothes, not to the mall but we went out to purchase yarn. (I would link you to her blog, but I have yet to convince her to start one-she's too busy knitting). The day was great. We hit a couple of shops, got our fix and went home. When we decided to make a date of it, it was like a crack addict asking another addict, 'Hey wanna go smoke some crack?'. Of course she did. I couldn't help but laugh as we loaded the many skeins onto the checkout counter that would soon be added to our ever growing stash.

Either I am surfing knitting blogs, updating my blog, shopping for yarn, looking for patterns or of course knitting.

I may take up spinning in the hopes it will help save a little $ in the long run (not to mention how fun I think it would be). But knowing me, I will somehow find a way to turn it into another budget breaking hobby that fills up corners in my home. I have contemplated growing cotton in my garden and spinning it in the fall. I have semi-spun my cats fur into chunky yarn after a long brushing. I thought of taking on a part-time job to supplement my knitting budget, but that would take away too much of my knitting time. I'm running out of options, but I will find a way. Maybe I will start selling my body on a corner, or better yet, I could start selling crack. However, if I were in the right location, I could peddle alpaca, mohair or angora. That would satisfy my knitting obsession, allow me to enjoy the outdoors and give me some extra cash.

The Red Scarf Project

2006-01-19T08:11:00.000-06:00

I recently discovered the existence of the Red Scarf Project. A very worthy cause. I plan to participate in this worthwhile endeavor.

I encourage anyone who has the time to participate as well. The deadline is at the end of this month, I believe. However, this allows time for a simple scarf pattern, almost 2 weeks. (Maybe 2 or 3 even. Now I have the pleasure of choosing a yarn that will make a warm attractive scarf for a college bound student.
Einstein Bros. Bagels is the official drop off location for your scarf. To add to the joy of donating a scarf, EBB is offering a coupon for a free bagel to those who participate.

A Symphony

2006-01-18T09:59:00.000-06:00

Last Friday I had the wonderful pleasure of seeing (and hearing) the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. The concert featured Elgar's Voilin Concerto and Schumann's Symphony No. 2.

The Powell Symphony Hall is just magnificent and grand. Our good friends Joe and Dan were kind enough to invite us along and give us box seat tickets. Not only is being in their company enjoyable and warming (not to mention full of laughs and good conversation), but to attend this event with them was just fantastic.

But of course, as most knitters know, sitting still while listening to relaxing music can have its challenges. I somewhat jokingly asked Bryan if I could take my knitting along, but he said it might be a bit tacky and annoying to others, so I digressed. Yet, the entire time my mind kept drifting back to my irish hiking scarf (a highly recommended pattern from femiknit mafia. I kept thinking how my knitting resembles a symphony. This may seem very elementry and odd to those more knowledgable about the art of music than myself, but what can I say, my mind wonders endlessly at times.

It just made sense to me that each stitch, loop, knot, knit and purl were all instruments that join together in harmony to complete one piece. The pattern is determined by the frequency of each stitch. For example, a single garter stitch being played continuously will result in a very simple and sometimes monotonous pattern. Yet a simple combination of knit and purl, in conjuction with vibrant colors, can result in a joyous and energetic piece that must be played (or worn) many times over. However, all this is determined by the conductor of course. Which in this case, is me. The patterns, colors and tempo of the project at hand are determined by the knitter with his (dare I say baton) needles. As is the case with my scarf. With mutiple shades of blue knitted into 3 cables is calming yet mildly complex.

I hope to make it to the symphony again soon. Maybe booties knitted on plastic needles would be appropriate and less irritating to others? I'll let you know.

Freed Photos

2006-01-16T19:29:00.000-06:00

The photos that I promised months ago have finally been freed from digital hell. Here are the photos from the Sea of Scarves (not all of them made it to the photo shoot).

I hope you enjoy them!

I haven't found the one of my blanket. I may post that someday when I find it.

Felting

2005-11-22T15:27:00.000-06:00

I will post pictures of my newly felted bag and scarves very soon. I will also have a picture of my blanket of many colors.

My felted purse didn't turn out as expected, but felting is an experiment everytime from what I understand. Besides, this was my first time felting so I can't complain. It certainly turned out nice enough to give as a gift in my opinion. I plan on making more for other friends. I have looked for patterns online, but so many knitters want to charge for them. I find it just a bit ridiculous if you ask me. I am sure there are many advocates for charging for patterns, but I find it to be a bit on the greedy side. If I am at home and I am cooking, I may develop a new recipe. If my friends, neighbors, or even a stranger likes this dish and wants the recipe, I just give it to them. When I log on to the food network or allrecipes, they do not charge for their recipes either. It seems that we expect recipes to be for free. Why? I mean someone took the time to create it, right? Sure, but in my opinion, recipes and patterns, like many other great gifts (music, great works of art etc) should be free. Obviously I am not disagreeing with the right to sell music, art, cookbooks or patterns, but I am definitely an advocate of sharing knowledge.

In the meantime, I guess I will just have to create my own patterns. If you want a copy, please have your credit card handy:).

Blanket of many colors

2005-11-17T13:11:00.000-06:00

What knitting means to me can be summarized in a short story about my grandmother and a blanket. I told a very short version of this story in a reply to one of my favorite bloggers and it got me thinking.

My grandmother was a knitter. And a cross word puzzle junkie I might add.( Her vocabulary was endless). When I was 15 my family moved to Missouri to be closer to her. At that age, I didn't really grasp how special it was to have such a great grandmother just down the street. I didn't take advantage of her wisdom. However, the few memories I have of her make me warm and bring pleasant feelings. I remember going to church with her out in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road, mowing her lawn and drinkning instant Lipton iced tea afterwards, the small cute glasses with images of boys and girls dancing on them. I remember her rose bushes, the cotton field just across the street and her tool shed filled with all kinds of treasures. I remember her hydrangea bushes but I also remember her knitting blankets for my cousins. Unfortunately, she didn't get around to making a blanket for me. She passed away on Thanksgiving night in 1997.

I wish I could tell her I now know how to knit and often wish I could ask her questions when I get stuck during a project. Or just to pick up the phone to talk about life in general when I get stuck during a rough time.

Shortly after her death my father gave me a blanket. It was a blanket my grandmother had knitted years ago to put on the back of her sofa. I remembered seeing the blanket many many times lying on the back of her sofa in her living room. (Although as a child I didn't look at it closely nor did I care whether is was handmade or store bought.) But when it was given to me, I began to relize its value. I cherished that blanket, I put it away for safe keeping and only looked at it occasionally. Then last year I began knitting (which is another story I'll get to later).

I took it out of storage and began using it occasionally. No one had ever knitted anything for me before, (or since). I realized it must have taken a lot of time to make such a blanket. It was nice to cuddle with to keep warm. I began looking at the stitches closely. They are wonderful, just beautiful. Everything is so perfect on that blanket; spacing, tention, patterns, sizing. Each square is a different pattern. Cables, bobbles, diamonds, ribbing, basket weave and numerous others. Maybe there is a different stitch and pattern to represent each new pattern or step in my life. Maybe this is a way she can be with me as grow.

I feel like a piece of her, or her soul, is in that blanket. I wonder what she was thinking while she made each stitch. Although I can't hug her or knit with her now that she is gone, somehow I feel closer to her when I look at that blanket. I can hold or knit with my blanket when I long for family or need to feel a sense of belonging. I find it ironic that a craft I had no interest in 18 months ago has helped me to grow closer to someone I lost years ago.

If one lesson can be learned from all of this, it is to cherish my friends and loved ones each day. as I swim in my Sea of Scarves I hope that the gifts that I present my family with this Christmas will bring a fraction of the warmth and comfort my blanket has brought me.

Sea of Scarves

2005-11-07T14:05:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my blog!

I am glad that you are here. As you can see, this is my first post so there isn't much to see at the moment. I will add pictures, additional links and other goodies as time goes by. To get an idea of what I am doing currently, read on and enjoy!

Currently, I am swimming in a sea of scarves. Well, at least it feels that way. I decided to give hand knitted scarves to everyone on my Christmas list this year. Although this is a feasible task since I have only 6 more to knit before the big day, I am consumed with knitting scarves. Unfortunately this prevents me from being able to explore other projects and keep my favorite past time exciting. I like a challenge and want to move on to more complex projects (at least projects that are more difficult than what I am used to knitting). But I guess the challenge now lies in being able to finish 6 more before Christmas.

I've had the entire year to knit, but didn't pick up my needles from February through September. With moving, graduating and numerous summer activities I just didn't make the time. With the onset of what I call the knitting season, I have jumped into knitting at full speed. Knitting, reading about knitting, teaching friends how to knit, starting a guild and frequenting knitting shops have become a normal part of my life. But even though I tire of knitting one scarf after the other, the work is still very relaxing and rewarding. I won't know what to think when I begin working on other items that are fun and challenging.

Within the next couple of days I hope to have pictures of said scarves available for your viewing pleasure.

2005-10-28T14:12:00.000-05:00