Dilemmas Abound

Dilemmas abound at present--so many, actually too, too many UFOs and not just knitting, but I digress. Rather than focus on recent woes, I'll share some photos of recent completed projects. I had my friend CJ help me block my Hemlock Ring. I shamelessly knit it in the same color Jared Flood used. Can I help it if chocolate is the best color to use on my king size bed?

The other big project I am just about to complete is the Mirror Image reversible blanket that was knit for the den.


These were fairly large projects, the Hemlock Ring went pretty fast only because I was so excited to see what it would look like. I had never knit any large item in the round, only small facecloths. I think it was immense fun but there was a snafu with the cable breaking under the weight of the yarn. But it gave way on a "good" row.

The reversible blanket involved a lot of knitting and purling, so it defintely has taken longer, but very pretty and worth the energy.

But I did feel a bit cramped with the two large projects and that still did not keep me from taking on new projects which is why I have the dilemma of too many things going at present. I gravitate to small projects, and I have knit facecloths during these big projects but also have a lace shawl going.

I have to stop now or I will start thinking of all the other things I have going in my head pr on my project table--needlefelting, braiding, etc. I'm sure that I'm not alone in having a "stash" of projects, not just yarn. I must remain calm, and carry on.

Combining Work and Fiber Fun

Here we are again dear readers. It is Memorial Day Weekend and I hope everyone takes precautions to make it a safe holiday.

I play with yarn any chance I get, and I even manage to do that at work. There were just a couple of us that started meeting last year at lunch time and we enjoyed seeing the things we were making and the techniques we were learning and sharing. People would stop by and ask about what we were doing and interest grew so that now we have over 60 members on our list. We have reached out to our community and knit lap afghans for seniors in nursing homes and our latest project is knitting washcloths which we are putting in small bags with other toiletries that more fellow employees have donated. The bags will go to our local battered women's shelter. Those ladies are in for a treat--they are going to have luxury shampoos, lotions, handmade soaps and other goodies. All of us who have been making these washcloths have been so inspired by each others work.





If you would like to knit or crochet more often, you might just try this. It's been an enriching experience--truly virtue is its own reward!

A Roving We Will Go

I bought this beautiful roving home from my very favorite LYS Yarnorama the other day and my intent is not to spin it, but rather knit it. I will draft it as I go along. I'm anxious to see how it will turn out, so I just wanted to share this. Aren't these such rich colors? I'm always amazed at the color combinations dyers come up with. Pics will be posted later so stay tuned.

Distant Memories, A digression

For those of you thinking that the term "distant memories" is a bit on the redundant side, one can only remind you that we have memories from yesterday and we have memories from what we did last year but we also have memories from years and decades past. I raise the notion of memories only because I have been thinking lately of attempting to write a biography. James Thurber quoted Benvenuto Cellini in his own short biography, My Life an Hard Times, saying that Cellini believed that a person had no right to write a biography who had not achieved something of excellence. I firmly disagree with that notion. I do not think achievements are what make a person. I would think, rather, that it is those things that we do not achieve that perhaps are more interesting and form our lives more than excellence. As for me, and most of us I suspect, my life has been a series of pitfalls, with a highlight every now and then. It would be so easy for me to belabor my love of knitting as a fine example--I taught myself how to crochet, I have flirted with embroidery all of my adult life, I have taken up weaving, am attempting to spin, but it is knitting that has my heart and where I have achieved the most proficiency, however, I will refrain from delving further into this brief summary of my creative life with fiber.

Writing a biography or memoir invites a multitude of techniques at remembering distant memories in objective ways and that in turn forces the writer to examine beliefs associated with the memory. Did my age have an affect on my memory? Did my feelings for another individual blind my rememberances? I can definitely say "Yes" to that last one when I think of my mother. But I also know that I am capable of objectivity, particularly now that I am approaching advancing age. I've learned that much.

I think perhaps I will begin with one of my earliest memories which is one of me in the front yard of my grandfather's house. We were sitting in the shade of the house and the brightness of the sun shone onto the immense lawn that lay in front of the house. Grandfather wore a hat and it shaded his face and I just remember trying to focus on his face. I have been doing that ever since. Focus. I tend to analyze, evaluate, re-evaluate, and fret even about things I am particularly intent upon. So that is one snippet of this life. I strongly believe the personalities we had as children stay with us, and so this one brief memory of so, so long ago reveals to me that I was born this way, have remained that way through both bright and tempestuous times and undoubtedly will remain afflicted with the need for analyzing everything.

Today I have nothing to offer in the way of fiber arts, no photos to share although I have so many projects going at present that I am just short of being overwhelmed. A few photos are likely to appear in the near future.

A Knitting Accident

As luck would have it, or rather, the lack of luck, I was knitting on my Hemlock Ring today (the last section, actually) and the 60" cable on my Harmony needles broke. I was on the knitted row just above the lace row, so you guessed it--I will have to tink back over 500 stitches once I can get another cable from KnitPicks. I normally don't have a problem with their needles and cables other than a little crimp in the cable join every now and then, but today was a whole different story. I understand that I am knitting with chunky yarn, and having to move it in a circular fashion just to keep it even and knittable, but I was still disappointed. I'm wondering if anyone else has ever had problems with Knitpicks cables?

I plan to call them tomorrow, but despite the fact that I never used this 60" cable, it is over a year old which is their guaranteed allowance on time. What's a body to do? Suggestions--anyone? Would I be happier with Addi Clicks?

An Invitation to a New Year

We are all at the same place--the end of an old year, the beginning of a new one. It's not like it hasn't happened before. Sure, we say we have new resolutions, that we intend to follow through in the new year on our plans, but in the past they may not have come to fruition. I am proposing something a bit different. Just try changing one or two small things rather than having a mile-long list with goals that are almost insurmountable. For me, I plan on trying to blog a bit more than the every 3-6 months. I plan to record my projects, whether they have photos or not, because sometimes, it's not the project that is important, but the lesson learned that is the most interesting.

Having said that, I will show you what I have been working on and my environment (which is very pleasant to me). I think it's important to have an area set aside for your fiber artistry. This way, you know that it is something special and not just another room with a table. Place inspirational photos or print quotes in large fonts so that you will always have something egging you on.

Take a look at my studio or at least part of it.





I like to save tidbits of yarn that I have tried, or some that I want to use again and this little vintage Coca-Cola case in just perfect. I actually look at it and am inspired sometimes. It doesn't even have my main color choices, but it works for me.

This year I will try to show more of my projects, no matter how simple some of them may be and I will relish in sharing my unique projects that are first time trials and designs of my own. My year is so full already and I am brimming with ideas, some I've had for quite awhile and some are rather new.

I started on Jared Flood's, OK, BrooklynTweed's, Hemlock Ring and I am knitting it in a color not too different than the color chosen by Jared--a deep chocolate which happens to go rather nicely with my King Size bed coverlet in a rather light coffee color. So far, it's been real fun knitting the Ring. I was intimidated at first, but once you read through the pattern and get the errata off the site noted in the above link, you're in business! Simply stated, the center of the round blanket is a vintage doily pattern and Jared added feather and fan in the round to create such an exquisite, and classic design quick to knit with chunky yarn. Or for those of you who like to be different, you can always knit it in laceweight for a beautiful dresser scarf or centerpiece for your dining room table.

Mine looked like this only a few days ago

Having almost finished the Ring, I am inspired to knit yet another piece in the round--feel free to give me suggestions for patterns.

Stay tuned for more of my projects, the latest of which is a nice little hat knit with one of my favorite colors, purple , but with a strand of mohair died with the rich colors of green, purple and lavender.

And just for fun, I'm cooking tomorrow. It will be a nice round casserole dish of au gratin potatoes. Prepared quite simply by cutting however many potatoes you want *very* thin and place in layers with Cream of Mushroom soup, onions cut in the style of onion rings and lots of cheese, the latter the preference of my other half. Place it in the oven on aout 350 degrees for a couple of hours or until it is one. It will melt in your mouth--promise. So easy! If you try it and like it, please let me know.

Out with the Old, In with the New

I've once again been busy with my loom. My most recent finished project is a shawl that I call my Purple Rose Shawl. It has rayon on the warp and the finest merino on the weft. The colors produced by this combination range from Blue to Rose and everything in between-mostly purple which of course, is my favorite color. It's also exquistely long. Every time I wear it, people stop to admire it. Oh My! Isn't that lovely. I think so.



My next project is going to be a bag with sherbert colored cotton, but it may take me awhile to get there as I promised myself to finish some of my projects before beginning new ones. Presently on the needles is a marketing bag for buying produce at the Farmer's Market. It's a big lacey string bag knit with cotton. It is hardly bearable to knit with wool these days as temperatures have been so incredibly hot! However, I did finish my landscape wall hanging which was knit with yarn spun just for me my Moonrover on etsy--check out her shop--she knows how to spin!

I am putting the finishing touches on the landscape right now and this was before it was felted, so stay tuned to see the finished project.



If all the finishing of projects and planning new ones were not enough, I have just ordered myself a spinning wheel. I can't wait to take up my new "habit." And I can't wait to spin with new and old friends at Yarnorama.