Summer of Lace

Lace Stash
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter

I have been in a major lace mood lately, and will soon have a FO to show you. My Bird's Nest Shawl (supposed to be finished by Aug 4.,) has only 22 rows and a bindoff remaining, though each row takes exactly 15 minutes - so, about 5.5 hours of knitting time remaining, plus time to block the humongous thing. My mom wants a BIG shawl, so rather than knit it in laceweight, I'm knitting it out of Knitpicks Gloss in Cocoa on size 9 needles. I should've googled before going too far into it, because most people get a shawl around 100 inches long with laceweight. This thing is going to be a blanket!

The lace mood hasn't evaporated, so I joined the Mystery Stole 3 group over at Yahoo. I've never done a mystery shawl before, and I like her other designs, so this will give me a chance to try one. And, (you'll be so proud) I'm using stash yarn! That pale gray, over to the left? A cashmere/merino blend that I bought for $5 (about 3000 yards, I think!) at School Products in NYC. I hanked and washed about 1/3 of it, and boy, does it expand. Also, the water was filthy, so it had been sitting for a while. Oops.

So, what happens when I finish the Bird's Nest with some time to kill before June 29 (the day of the first clue release)? A lacy scarf is in order, either out of the Colinette Parisienne (middle bottom) which I have about 700 yards of, or out of the bright yellow merino cake (880 yards, next to the Basil Zephyr), or out of the Jade Sapphire Cashmere (400 yards, Lapis) on the right. I don't want anything super complex, so I'll be poring through my pile of lace books to find just the right thing...

Quittin' Time

Quittin' Time Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

My mom has smoked as long as I can remember. My dad smoked too, but not like her. It's constant; anything stressful, she smokes. I don't want anyone to feel judged, but whenever I'm around a smoker I just feel gross, like I have a layer of grit on me (much like a city near a lot of factories.) the smell stays on you forever, yellows your teeth, gives you wrinkles around the mouth, and most important to me, it endangers you and your family. Every time I inhale second hand smoke (far more toxic than the filtered that the smoker enjoys) my lungs are clogged and blackened with toxins and I increase my risk of lung cancer. Multiply that by 24 years of exposure, and you can see why I might be concerned. Add to that a family history of cancers of all kinds, even in people who take care of themselves (including the current smoker) and perhaps you'll understand why I just freaking hate it with all my being. This is not a habit that hurts only you, it hurts everyone around you, whether you can see it or not. If you have kids (who don't already smoke, another downside to being a smoking parent) you should know that my relationship with my mom has never been as good as it could be. Why? I really resent that cigarettes are more important to her than her and her family's health. I think it's insulting, and for a long time I wouldn't go around them. My feelings were so strong - "Why would you risk your future with us for something so stupid? Do you not care about us at all? How are you going to feel if I become sick later; will you always wonder if it was your fault?" It sounds melodramatic now, but kids and teenagers feel every emotion intensely, and over time it builds up. So don't think that your kids don't care, even if they say they don't. They are hurt; they worry; they're angry. It will affect your connection in subtle, and not-so-subtle, ways.

I've never pushed my mother to quit (as an adult, anyway) because I know it has to come from her own heart for it to stick. That's why I am SO, SO, SO PROUD OF HER! Today is her quit day, May 8 (the day before my birthday =) and she has been doing it all right. Seeing a smoking cessation counselor, taking a class, getting gum, mints, carrot sticks, etc., (starting a new knitting project to occupy her fingers...) I hope you all will keep her in your thoughts, and us as well because smoking is a very hard habit to drop. Ultimately, though, she will gain something in return that can't be bought at a gas station - the respect of her friends and family, the joy of those who love her, and the feeling that she is finally doing something to care for herself, because she matters.

I should be clear and say that I dearly love my mom, and always have. I also respect her as a business woman and scientist, mom, and wife. It has been very hard to watch a woman that I nearly lost to cancer continue to hurt her own body, as if we didn't need her here! I hope no one misunderstands, but I wanted to be honest about what a child (even a grown one) feels about their parent smoking (or really, doing anything else detrimental to their health!) Just in case there are any parents thinking of quitting... DO IT! =D

Whistle while you work...

And don't ever knit, sadly. I think I got in maybe 10 rows all week. I did try Carole's suggestion of a glass of wine at night, but I ended up falling asleep at 8pm so perhaps that's out. ;) Thankfully this week I have the day off on Thursday, which means if I can get my tired butt out of bed I will be at Thursday morning knitting group at The Knaughty Knitter! I won't be able to stay a whole long time, so if you wanna see me, roll up at 10 or 10:30 as opposed to noon. *grin*

So, I get my first paycheck May 20. To celebrate, I'm having a blog contest! I love to knit socks, and with no time to do it these days, I figgered I might as well share the wealth with some readers. Leave a comment (any emailed entries will be deleted, sorry) before May 20th, and two random, lucky winners will win a new ball of sock yarn from my stash! It's my choice, but you can suggest colors if you win. And yes, it will be "the good stuff." (To keep from being overwhelmed, once I have 100 entries I will close the comments. Just FYI.) You don't have to be new to knitting socks, but I admit it would make my little heart flutter to see it cast on rather than squirreled away for the next 20 years.

That's it. I'm going to lay down for a few minutes before going out to teach lessons. I hope you're all well, and while I don't know when I'll have something to show, rest assured y'all will be the first to see pictures when I do!

sunrise, sunset

Apologies for the silence, but I started a new job! Yay! =D However, you may not see much of me, as almost every waking hour I am working. I am still running my side business on my own, and added another new student, so that means working sun up to sun down, every day of the week. Not much time for knitting!

I am making slow, but steady progress on the Shramrock sweater (one sleeve to go, then attaching it all and doing the neck left to do). If I get some daylight hours free (and I'll have 2 free hours Thursday A.M.) I'll try to get some pictures of that and the Panda Cotton socks I just finished!

Any suggestions you guys have for winding down before bed that DON'T involve television or the internet would be appreciated. This last week it seems I've come home, knit a few rows while watching Fairly Oddparents, and fallen asleep. I will say I cram in a chapter or two of A Horse and His Boy (C.S. Lewis) and I'm listening to Laurie R. King's "The Game" in the car, so reading is already on the list...

Vacation, or, why can't I do this once a month?

koigu
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

The two and a half days in Asheville was really wonderful. The drive up there wasn't too bad, being only about 5-6 hours (and we stopped a time or two.) We stayed at the Aberdeen Inn, which I won't link as they're changing hands right now and I don't know what their status is. The house was just gorgeous - nestled in a well cared for residential neighborhood, up on a hill with a sloping lawn and lots of flowers (the ones that hadn't been killed in the frost, anyway!) Bonnie, who reminds me a lot of Paula Deen, greeted us at the door, showed us around, and got us settled in our room. One of the things that I really liked about this place was that she was totally nonplussed by my "special diet," even if Asheville has a larger veg community than usual. It's so nice not to feel like you're imposing by just being yourself!

The house is full of antiques, photos, etc. Each room was totally different, with ours being a sort of lavender-and-cream room. The bedspreads were those gorgeous bobbledy white cotton stuff (metelasse?) that you mind find at your grandmother's. A large clawfoot tub, desk with tissues (the good kind, with the nose lotion!) and books galore, including an Agatha Christie I hadn't read! Bonnie (the old owner) and Tom (the transitioning new owner) really did a lot to make us feel at home. Since we got into town on Easter Sunday, there wasn't a lot to do except read in the hot tub (oh, darn!) lounge in the living room nook with a pile of squashy pillows and a fire roaring, explore the grounds, and surf the internet (kindlt provided by an anonymous neighbor.)

The next morning, we got up and ate breakfast (included in the tab, nice) of a spinach omelette with pepper sauce, two kinds of toast, three kinds of jam, a large, homemade fruit cup with starfruit, kiwi, melon, strawberry, and grape, yogurt, coffee, and orange juice. The 'rents also got some kind of specialty sausage, but I don't pretend to know if that was any good. We were served by the owner/chef Tom, who took time out to talk with us about his experience running a B&B in Chicago (which he just came from) between servings of coffee. I couldn't even remotely eat everything on the plate, which is a feeling I don't like. I will say the next day he altered the portion for me. Thanks, Tom!

We went on to Biltmore house. If you've never been there, you should definitely go. The huge size of it made for a creepy "compound" feel for me, but it was really cool looking into all the bedrooms, bathrooms, KITCHENS (happy sigh), and seeing so many Sargent paintings that I got a little lightheaded. I have always been a huge fan of his expressive oils, and seeing not just one, but five or sixe up close was something I'll never forget. (They're so smooth, the very opposite of what you'd expect!) You can't take photographs inside the house, which I understand. But I hope know I would have been posing in front of those in a heartbeat if I could have! Also, the library there, breathtaking. But not as large as I would have thought... We did pass right by a whole shelf of oversized, antique art books full of plates on obscure subjects. They should charge a nightly fee to let bibliophiles like me camp out, fire roaring in the massive fireplace, delicately fingering each tome like a precious necklace. What a dream that would be...

We also ate at the Winery restaurant, which did not offer many (if any) veg options. I ended up eating French Onion Soup, which was delicious, though I'm fairly sure it was made with beef broth (gross.) It was either that or sit there awkwardly, so I ate it and didn't think about it. They offer free wine tasting (21 and up, duh) in the winery shop, and that was really fun. Smart on their part as well, as I'm not a big wine person but I still came away with three bottles worth, and not just because the labels were pretty!

After that, my parents sacrificed themselves. Not by tearing out their own hearts, but by taking me yarn shopping (almost as bad in their eyes.) First up was Yarn Paradise, in an AWESOME house in Biltmore village (close to the All Souls Church.) They have Koigu mill ends there:

Prices ranged from $3-$11, depending on the yardage, dyeing, and number (or lack of knots). They also had a good variety of other yarns I haven't seen elsewhere, like Jitterbug, Claudia Handpainted Silk:


(Mine is in colorway "Midnight.")
, and everything Rowan you could ever hope for. Also, all the new Debbie Bliss yarns, including Soft Cotton, Stella, and whatever that 100% merino is. Very cool!

Next stop was Piece Gardens, which is sadly going out of business, so no linky. This cool shop made me ache for a quilt shop back home. Piles of Westminster (read: Rowan and Kaffe Fassett) and other "upper" fabrics, on sale 25%. There was a whole drawer FULL of westminster fat quarters. I think my total damage was about 16 bucks, and I got a bag full of gorgeous fabric squares. Too bad they're closing, it looks like it would've been a fun place to take a class or two.

After that was Earth Guild. I wasn't really impressed with this place, to be totally honest. They had a little bit of EVERYTHING, but didn't go at all indepth with any one medium. I did manage to buy a pack of silk hankies and a packet of Cushings dye to play around with, but I would be sad if this were my only LYS. If you're into weaving, they did have Dragon Tale yarns, which are cotton and rayon (smooth and slubbed) in very pretty hand dyed colors, on cones, for cheap.

The next day, Tom made the delicious fruit cups again, and a really yummy german pancake. The parental units got some kind of mozzarella and chicken sausage thing. They seemed to like it. =)

When we checked out of the B&B (as we had to get down to Florence, SC that day) I was sad. Asheville had so much to offer me still. I wasn't ready. I would LOVE to back there again. Especially to the Laughing Seed an ALL VEG restaurant that had COOKED FOOD and I could choose from ANYTHING on the menu. It was wonderful!

Two more yarn shops followed: Yarns Forever in Greer, SC (about 30 min out from the interstate) and Knitting Up A Storm in Myrtle Beach, SC. Yarns Forever was nice, and they had a good bit of local yarn, but it was all organized by color. It's one thing to do weight/fiber, THEN color, but no. All in together. I hated it, couldn't find what I wanted, and so bought a ball of very pretty pewtery sock yarn and beat a hasty retreat.

Knitting Up A Storm. It was great! The owner and her husband (a rep for Westminster) were so nice. They had a good selection of sock yarn (handdyed and otherwise), sweater yarn, and novelty. The best part? We got there during a 50% OFF SALE. My heart still gets fluttery! My mom very nearly bought a bag of Louisa Harding Kashmir for her first sweater (knit by me, I'm no fool) but sadly, they didn't take AMEX. I did end up buying 14 balls of Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran in Venetian, a deep plum brown.
Yes, it's wool. Yes, I am still ashamed over my poor self-control, but there were baskets of the stuff overflowing in the floor. (I also stopped and rewound all the balls that had gotten tangled. ALL OF THEM.) It was like putting my mother into a room with a dozen choices of coffee, all of them excellent. Anyway, I didn't do TOO badly. I didn't break out the credit card (which I don't have anyway), nor did I beg to use the owner's computer to do a transfer online. (This last one, I did think about it. Yes, I am embarassed.)

Anyway, it was a great time, even if it rained like hell the ONE day we drove out to the beach. I definitely see myself visited Asheville again, but the cost of living there is relatively high, and Portland has a higher Yarn Store Per Capita Ratio (YSPCR).

Chop chop!

New Haircut
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

Did you see the hair in yesterday's entry? Long, shiny, but kinda bedraggled looking? Well, it's all gone! (Actually I saved the ponytail, to try and spin with. I know, I've crossed the threshold in crazy!) I had an appointment for a trim today, and on a whim told her to chop it all off (about 12" of hair came off in one fell swoop.) I think she did a great job and it's really swingy and fun! Perfect for going on vacation...

which reminds me, I'll be gone 4/8-4/15. See you after the break!

swallowtail no. 2

swallowtail no. 2
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

Here's the finished picture! It turned out REALLY large, especially for a swallowtail. I love it! I've also finished a pair of socks, with another nearly finished. I guess it's true - I have finishing fever. Now to decide what to take on vacation... since we'll be visiting both Yarn Paradise and Earth Guild, I don't want to take TONS of yarn, but a whole week? What if something happens and I run out of knitting? Perhaps the Shamrock sweater will go along, since she's pretty far from finishing but isn't so involved that I can't enjoy a day at the beach. (And, more importantly, not get completely and utterly carsick. So sick that I have to lay down on the cool floor of the gas station, wheezing while an attendant gives me a bottle of water to hold to my face, to keep from being sick. Yes, I get carsick easily. ;)

Swallowtail No. 2

Swallowtail No.2 detail of nupps
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

It should say something that this is my second swallowtail shawl (from Interweave Knits) in less than 30 days. Mostly, it says that I love how easy this shawl is; the first time, it was easy, if a little fiddly, but the second time? It was practically stupid knitting, I could totally tune out the shawl itself and just knit, knit, knit.

Here're the specs, with an unpinned photo shoot either this afternoon (if dry before sun goes down) or tomorrow morning before work:

Pattern: Swallowtail from Interweave Knits, with mod of 5 extra repeats in center panel, making 19 repeats total.
Yarn: Claudia Handpainted in Lemon Ice from The Loopy Ewe. (This particular color is sold out at the mo', but I believe she's expecting more in soon.) I used one skein (and very nearly a whole one, at that) for the edging; it's Koigu KPM in a very pale yellow/peach color. You can just see a bit of it to the left edge in this picture. If you decided to knit this enlarged shawl yourself, you'd need 4 skeins of fingering weight yarn, 185 yards each.

Needles: Size 10 Addi Natura (Normally I have to scale down, but I wanted it very open and airy, not to mention large!)

I really, really like this pattern. Is it sick that I'm considering another one, this time in the Purple Earth colorway. Gorgeous, huh? I bought enough to knit some socks for my mom, since she loves these jeweltones, but she's also been "subtley" (in her world ;) hinting that she wants a shawl. I think I could manage... (BTW, when will stores in my area start carrying silk laceweight that is not $1000 per hank?? Claudia makes a 1,100 skein for about $40. Blue Moon's is about the same. Trying to sell me 300 yards for $50 is only going to make me irritable. I may get stupid around yarn, but not THAT stupid...!)

Around and around and around....

cardipic
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

The Rowan Calmer sweater was coming out totally unstretchy, so out it came. In its place, a flattering little cardigan jacket in a dark forest green color. I do have a funny story about "forest green."

We all know kids have strong opinions about things that are often sort of... well... unimportant, really. They don't have causes to get up at arms over at 5 years old, but they want to have an opinion on something, and it usually ends up being totally weird. One of my students was choosing colors for a project (a rainbow polar bear, if you're curious) and kept pulling out green after green. Each time she'd pull out a green, whether it was leaf, lime, chartreuse, moss, olive, etc, she would say "Is this forest green?" And I'd say not really, and start looking for a forest green, thinking that's what she was wanting. Finally, after getting out ALL the greens, she said in a very firm voice, "I can't use forest green. I HATE forest green!" Never mind that she had at least two or three greens that could fall under the "forest" label. I don't think she really knew what it meant, but she sure felt strongly about it. I admit, I laughed about it later.

Anyway, a simple, in-the-round cardigan with seed stitch edgings and bands and a nice, nipped in waist to keep the dumpy look at bay. And may I just say, that with all this gym time lately, I actually am developing some muscles?! Soon I will be a smokin' cardi-wearin' hot mama, with bandaids on every finger because I still cannot let go of the wool. It is bad for me. It gives me a rash, and the medicine thins my heart muscle (slowly, but still) and "helps" me gain weight. If only cotton sweaters provided the same hugging effect... I'd never need rash-causing wool again!

I have been real bad with the blogging, I know.

swallowtail shawl
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

But I have a few reasons:

1. I am working on a lot of gift projects. For people who know how to use the internet.

2. My life is more of the same right now - just imagine me talking about job-hunting and knitting. (You can also imagine me watching Cartoon Network all evening, which I've never told you that I do that. But I do. Especially Camp Lazlo, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and Danny Phantom [though he's on Nickelodeon.])

3. I am still working on losing weight, but to keep myself from becoming obsessed with numbers and pouring my frustration into counting every.single.calorie, I only weight every Saturday. Therefore, poundage news only once a week!

But this little number, this shawl, is a gift for someone who never reads this blog, mostly because if she is online, she is running her Ebay business and playing Bejeweled. She has no time for silly pointless pursuits like nosily reading her daughter's blog! ;)

You recognize the pattern, I'm sure, but if not, it's the Swallowtail shawl. Very, very easy and good tv knitting. It's in Karabella Vintage Cotton, which is one of the most beautiful cottons I have ever seen, EVER. It has a real sheen, and the coffee bean color is just perfect for her java-loving self. It took exactly 3 balls, 140 yards each, and I'm planning on making another one just because they're so darned easy. =)

edited to add (because I am a dumbass and forgot): I got my second secret pal package!!! Generally when I get yarn-related mail, I don't open it til I finish the project at hand, to ensure fidelity to my knitted partnership. So, I finished off the shawl and opened it up. Three skeins of Cascade Sierra (and 80/20 cotton/wool blend) in a lovely cornflower blue color nestled in the box, along with a shamrock pin (prolly shouldn't have waited to open it, heh, but I'll wear it next year) and a really cute card with a bunny on it. YAY! I took some pictures, but the yarn kept coming out a gray/brown/eggplant color (NO idea why..!) so I gave up. THANK YOU, PAL! It will soon be transformed into a little baby thing. ;)

WIPs for March

WIPs for March
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

There has been a little bit of knitting around these parts, lately. Largely I knit in the morning, to help wake up, and while I'm catching up with folks in the knittychat. I am really trying to be gentle with myself, as my mood has improved greatly (no doubt due to the sunshine and occasional email from an English man friend) and I don't want to do anything to sabotage that. I'm still job-hunting, and as sick as it sounds, it makes me happy to hear that others out there are having the same issues. I was starting to wonder if I smelled funny or something! Now I know it's just the market and the field I'm in. All the same, I'm staying positive about my prospects. After all, I'm in a field I love, that's good, right?

Anyway, you're here for the knitting. On the left is the Swallowtail shawl from Interweave Knits' Fall 2006. The yarn is something I picked up on sale at Angel Hair; Karabella Vintage Cotton. It's a rich coffee color with a lot of depth. Would I describe it as "fun to knit with?" Not really. The end product is going to be so pretty (for my mom) that it's worth it. I'm through 8 repeats of the second chart, so 6 more to go and then I start the nupp bits.

On the right, we have some Rowan Calmer. I am really in love with this yarn. I actually CRIED a little I was so happy with how wonderfully it knits! Here is something with the spring and softness of wool... but no wool! Now if only I could afford it for every project, and also, they need an Aran weight. Just sayin'. I am knitting Blaze from Knitty. I like the long, scoop neck as I have lovely shoulders and a long neck. I am worried how it will traverse my bust, but I'm not going through what some other bloggers have and put short-rows and all that and it STILL not fit "perfectly." I just want it to fit, look nice, and be comfortable. It does not need to become my daily uniform. =)

I also have a pair of socks on the needles, as usual, in Lisa Souza Sock! which has wool. Sock yarn is really the only thing I'm having a hard time giving up. I have been eyeing that Panda Cotton, but I really don't want to spend any money right now, so it will have to wait. I'll just knit up the other 30 pairs' worth between now and full-time-job-land!

(Remember, you don't have to make the right decision every time, for the rest of your life. It is normal to screw up and oversleep, not reply to an email quickly, or eat too many calories. You just make each decision as it comes...)

Lorna's Laces Envy (pickle)

Lorna's Laces Envy (pickle)
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

Whee, I finished two pairs' worth this past week. I'm nearly done with the first sock of another pair for my grandma - I finally decided to just knit a child's pattern and hope that fits her itty little frame!

I returned the rental car yesterday and my own car should be ready today. I haven't been feeling well physically so I haven't been doing much, including knitting. For some reason my back muscles are very tight all the time, so all I want to do is take painkillers and sleep. I have the first massage soon so I am hoping that will alleviate the tension. I have been going to the gym & park, I'm able to run further now, but still not the full mile. But rather than quit after 1 mile of run/walk, I've been doing 2 or 3. It's easy to get myself to do one... then I just tell myself it is a waste of time to drive all the way over there and then just leave again. I'm happy to see that my local gym is now offering classes. I haven't been using my membership much, but now I definitely will! ('free' yoga class, here I come!)

little bit of weaving, in my life

silk scarf
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

Yesterday I picked up my loom from Pam. It's a Schacht 45" floor loom, and it is beeyootiful. Many of its necessary dressin's are still off though, so you get no picutre for the time being!

I will give you a picture of my very first weaving. Isn't it pretty? I wove (weaved?) it on one of those Ashford knitter looms while at work a previous Saturday. The warp is Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock in Gray's Corner, the weft (the bit that goes back and forth) is a combination of Tilli Tomas silk in Atmosphere, Posh Yarns' silk boucle in Berrylicious, and Alchemy Haiku in Hush. It is so pretty, so unabashedly girly, and it has a luscious, silky smell. Plus, just imagine the feel. Like water over smooth river stones.

Out with the old, in with the new

Regia Silk (Morokko)
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

I finished these yesterday during downtime between lessons. They are so soft, comfy (no itchy red rash here, a good sign) and the stripes are so cheery I could feel people smiling at me as they peaked out from under my pant legs as I strolled through the park! If only Regia's other colors weren't so unbearably dull (except Tansania, that one's pretty good.) Where are the aquas, the limes, the pinks, the golden yellows, the violets? If only they were all this bright. *sigh*

I have to admit something. I have been very good with the stashing-along; I've been happily choosing yarn out of my stash, and while I looked at new colors online, nothing really screamed at me (yay!). That all changed on Valentine's, when my mom gifted me with a e-bay certificate. (I love these things, and get them every holiday. Thanks mom!) It started with a little Interlacements... some Sea silk... and my gc was used up, and I was happy with what it bought me. But now I had the new yarn bug again!

I found myself poking around, looking at new colors. I discovered SweetGeorgia was taking a possibly-permanent hiatus, and while her yarns are all wool, all the time, I love her colors. Like, love in a not-friendly way. It's a little weird. Since they're so woolly, I had none in the stash. But this news spurred me to action! So now I am expecting a (smallish) box from Pickup Sticks in Canada. I may have also really liked that YP Merino Tencel I bought earlier, and surfed on over to the Loopy Ewe and seen new colorways. Specifically, a silvery gray called Quicksilver. I have no gray in my stash. None! So into the cart it went, along with new needles I legitimately needed (Crystal Palace size 0 6", you are the only ones for me. So why do your brethren keep leaving me, so that I have 2-3 useless needles?) and heck, I was somewhat close to the $50/free shipping. I had staring at Claudia Handpaints Begonia (also woolly, are you sensing my heartbreak here?). It has pink speckles! Like sprinkles! Speckles on sock yarn is like, my favorite kind of speckles! Anyway, it came with me, but I justified by thinking that a) I now save $4.05 by not paying shipping, and b) I am that much closer to a $25 credit at The Loopy Ewe.

I forgot to tell you that last time. When you spend $250, you get $25 back. $250 seems like a lot, I know, but when you think of the fact that she sells SOAK, Crystal Palace bamboo DPNS, and enough sock yarn to smother a grown man, with more companies and colors added almost daily, it doesn't seem so criminal, now does it?

ANYWAY, I'm not telling you what new things she's expecting soon, out of fear that you will beat me to it. But I know exactly what I want, and it will not be a willy-nilly stuffing-as-much-yarn-as-I-can free for all like I've been dreaming of afraid of. It will be controlled spending.

By the way, isn't a windfall evil? You know you should put it into savings or pay off bills (I did both) but then you have the leftover. And it just freakin' burns a hole in your pocket!

Come back tomorrow for a finished sweater. I hope. (P.S. - I don't work the loopy ewe. I'm just drunk from their good service and all the pretty colors. And the cookie recipes...)

Knitty Secret Pal package (#1)

Knitty Secret Pal package (#1)
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

Okay, this is going to be quick. For various reasons, this week has been overloaded completely. So I apologize in advance to my pal for the lack of length in this entry. =)

On Valentine's Day, I got a mysterious package in the mail. I checked the label - "Secret Pal"! YAY! I tore it open (leaving the bills and cards :P) and this is what was carefully packed inside! A box of white raspberry tea (already drunk some, and I like the white tea!); a bar of Green & Black's organic dark 70%, which went into the chocolate cake I baked that day; a box of pink chocolate-covered sunflower seeds (also delicious!); a bag of soft, gray alpaca roving to try; a sunny-colored soap sack that she handknit with a wonderful-smelling bar of soap (I use this everyday. TMI?); and not one, but TWO lightweight spindles! Thank you SO much, pal. I can tell you put a lot of thought into what I would like. I can only hope I do so well by my downstream!

Gotta run to work (no new job yet, but I've gotten a fire under me lately and have been applying a lot!), hopefully I'll have a chance to DO something crafty soon.

Violets are blue (and purple).

Yarn for February
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

Lisa from the comments is so right. It takes a while to get back to feeling safe again. For a day or two, whenever I rode in a car, I felt as though every second I was going to see those headlights coming right at my car. I have to admit, when I drove to work yesterday (my mom has the exact same car, in a different color. We like Toyota in this family.) It did freak me out. A lot. As long as I kept the radio on, I was all right on the interstate. But once I got into town, every single turn I had to make was stressful. Was this person going to hit me? What about this one? You know, logically, it's unlikely. But now that it's happened onced, and you're feeling especially unlucky, what's stop it from happening again? So the fear comes, and then subsides, and you feel like you ran a marathon when you get out of the car, finally. It doesn't help that I've lost two brothers in vehicular accidents. I can't tell you the feeling I got today when a police car pulled up in front of my house (though it ended up he just needed to turn around.) Several times we've had the police show up, and let's face it, they don't come to sing you happy birthday. I actually remember my mom, sitting in the kitchen of my granddad's house (we lived there while our house was being built) and I had been woken up by the noise and talking in the very early hours. I stood in the doorway (it had one of those half-doors, where you could just open the top and serve food out to the dining room without leaving. Funny the things you remember!) and she just said "It's Robbie (my brother)." She couldn't say anything else, but even as a kid I knew what that meant. It ended up that he had flipped his jeep into a ditch, and the "oh shit" bar (not the real name, obviously) had failed to perform it's function and he was killed. Thus, never drive a Jeep. They are extremely unsafe.

Wow, I didn't mean to go into all that with you guys. I guess it's just been on my mind. Now you're in a real cheery mood, right? Let's talk about something good, shall we? How about some yarn?

Obviously I am not feeling the Valentine's love over here, hehe. This is all yarn I picked up in the last two weeks; normally I'm not a purple girl but one of my art students LOVES all things purple, so I guess she got me to give it a second chance. And she's right! Is there anything more decadent than a rich purple velvet, or a tart-sweet smear of blackberry jam? What about those fragile little violets you see, cowering under the grass at the start of spring? My mom's bearded irises in full bloom, with purple specks all over their creamy petals (and of course, that fluffy golden beard peeking from inside.) No, I had been giving purple a bad rep, and I apologize!

Clockwise from the far left: two skeins of Silk Garden in 247 for my mom (Little Knits), Five skeins of Patagonia Nature Cotton in 206, a blend of coffee and purple with dark rose blips (Knaughty Knitter), Fleece Artist Merino sock in Mermaid (even prettier in person, also from little knits), Yarn Pirate merino/tencel in aqua/coffee (my only non-purple yarn!) and Apple Laine Apple Pie sock yarn in "Pretty in Purple" (both from The Loopy Ewe.) They make a nice little purple family, don't they? Some of this MAY be for my secret pal. I won't say which, lest I further incriminate myself. ;)

Oh, and The Loopy Ewe? Completely, utterly awesome. While I've gotten some great service from yarn stores before, Sheri has topped them all. We held a whole conversation over email (and notice I did not spend tons of money. So that wasn't it!), she emails you if you comment on her blog, even! Which is also fun and interesting. I like reading about her family business, and how everyone chips in! (I'm especially fond of Starbucks-barista-knitting-daughter, because she reminds me of me a few years ago. My mom had/has an booming ebay business, so I'd work and then come home and pack dolls for a while. Yarn is SO much more interesting though...!) Anyway, pop over to her site. In the interest of full disclosure, apparently she has a thing where she tracks how many people click over and sign up for accounts with her (not buy, just get an account.). I'm really just recommending her and the store because they're fun and really friendly, but I'm also curious how many "clicks" show up. So click over, and maybe if I reach a good number I'll give something away. Something good. (Just sayin'.)

Also, I still do not have a rental, and my car hasn't even moved to the dealership to be fixed. Ugh.

public service announcement

Hey all, I just wanted to let you know I was in a car accident a few days ago and will probably continue to be offline til I get my mind back into balance. Something about being broadsided at 40 mph (no injuries, except to my poor car) freaks me out. Not to mention it hasn't been a great week to begin with. I'll be hiding under the covers, knitting, sniffling, and feeling sorry for myself for a bit. ;) You know how that is, right?

Socks That Rock knee socks in Saratoga

Socks That Rock knee socks in Saratoga
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

I knit these socks for my aunt, who requested knee socks in "fun colors." While I wouldn't consider brown "fun," it does have buttery yellow toes & heels, as well as shots of aqua and lavender. I really prefer the mediumweight... I can feel immediately that it will hold up better, even though it's still 100% wool. I used all but 1.2 ounces of the STR for a size 9 foot and they go over the widest part of my calves. So even if you do regular heels and toes, you should have enough in one skein unless you have really big feet or want patterning or have extra-long legs.

Not that my preference in STR matters, because I'm freakin' allergic to wool. After a visit to Vanderbilt yesterday, I sat in the car, sort of depressed and a little bit excited. No more animal fiber (alpaca, etc. included) because it aggravates the pee-hoss out of my skin. Not just itchy... but causes rashes. Gross, huh? Anyways, the excitement came from the fact that I've generally steered away from cotton, linen, etc. Now I have the chance to explore all of them! And of course, silk. I think I would REALLY cry if I were allergic to silk, but I don't even know if that's possible.

As one last hurrah, I'll finish my Charm jacket (not that it's close, or anything.) and one more pair of Lorna's socks for my mom. ANd that will be it, for at least 3 months, at which point I go back in to see if it helped.

Utterly Charmed

CHARMSLEEVE
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

I've been trying to wear down the stash, you know, so when I saw a design perfect for a yarn I already had (Suri Merino in a heathered blue-green-violet color) I just jumped in. This is one sleeve of Charm, from Rowan's book, "Classic Style." At first I was afraid the design wouldn't pop much in the soft alpaca (and man, is it soft.) but check it out! It does! I also love the trim pattern used on the cuffs, hem, and front bands. Doesn't this pattern make you think of a creekbed, choked with leafy growth? Anyway, I'll be at this one a while as it's knit on small needles (2 & 5) has cabling and shaping-ish, and will have to be seamed (UGH!)

I've also been at my spinning a little bit. It's so tempting to buy up lots of fiber now that my wheel is fixed (didn't know it was broken, didja? Well, the wheel was on backwards and now it spins much better, heh.)! But, rather than stuffing more and more fluff under the bed, I've got an in/out deal with myself. Spin 8 oz? Buy 8 more, if you want or need it at the time. I've got 4 more oz. of this to spin and then I'm all over the sock roving I got from Crown Mountain Farms in a colorway that is totally perfect for me! (I'll show it to you then. If I can't look at it yet, neither can you. ;)

My first 2007 FO

klaralund
Originally uploaded by The Prolific Knitter.

The title above isn't strictly true. I also finished an Argosy scarf for the grandma. But the Silk Garden Lite didn't soften nearly as much as the regular, used in Klaralund, so I'm debating what to do with it. Certainly not send it to my sensitive gran! ANYWAY.

This little number is really comfy, and unlike most sweaters, I can wear it right against the skin. It isn't itchy on me, but then, it's only 10% wool and all the sticks and stuff fell out in my sink (apparently. You should have seen that water... nasty and full of crap. Like a farm pond!) I knit the body in the round (I like the thinner stripes.) and the sleeves up to the extended garter portion. I actually got out my finishing book(s), looked through them, hemmed and hawed because no one really explains sewing garter/stst rib to garter sideways and then just tossed them all on the shelf and sewed the damn thing my own way. It looks neat, you can't see it, so who cares if it isn't "right." ;)
I did also finish some socks, but as I'm planning on submitting them, no pictures for you. Sorry!

Next up: We got Favorite Socks from Interweave in at the shop. I'd been wanting to knit some socks out of the Regia Bamboo I got at Angel Hair (hi gals!) but not too boring (stst) but obviously the variegated nature wouldn't work with a lot of patterning. So, I'm doing the Retro Rib socks, which have cool little blocks within the ribs. I'll show you later. I did go down to an 0 for the ankle and foot, since they look baggy in the photos and I really hate baggy socks. I really, really love this yarn. It's soft, and incredibly squooshy (like Pure Merino, or Aurora 8, etc.) and has all that yummy bamboo fiber in it. And you can put it in the tumble dryer! It says it right there on the label! (Tho I do like seeing a rainbow of socks lined up on my towel bar... and over the shower... and over the bedpost... you know.)