Sunday, April 29, 2012

Catblogging

Catblogging is defined by Wikipedia as "The practice of posting pictures of cats, in typical cat postures and expressions, on a blog."  


Now that we've established that this is actually a thing, I shall commence filling the blogosphere with my catblogs!  I will not be stopped!


Sorcha, shamelessly begging for some milk that she will not actually drink, just sneeze into.

AND I give you (insert drumroll here) the unveiling of the wedding shawl!



One UFO down, SO many more to go!  But wait, is that a case of startitis I feel coming on?







Saturday, April 28, 2012

In Order of Importance

I try to finish my projects in order of importance.  When I have deadlines to meet, I try to get those projects done as soon as possible.  Ideally.  

In reality, my cousin's wedding is in one week and I still have LOTS of work to do on the wedding shawl.  What, you may ask, have I been up to that has prevented me from finishing this shawl?  Well there was some work, a couple of lace shawl designs, a pair of lovely mittens, Harry Potter hexipuffs, two awesome knitting group gatherings, and a Fiber Company hat pattern involved in my procrastination... It's actually a miracle that I even have done what I do...

So I'm off to do some mad sewing, embroidery, mending, blocking, and hair ripping out.  But before I go, I leave you with the image of wisdom:


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Confession

I have a confession to make,

I sometimes listen to Christmas music when it isn't anywhere near Christmas.  There I've said it.

You thought it'd be knitting related, didn't you?  Well I never made any such promises.

On the knitting front, the lace pursuit continues.  I searched through most of the lace patterns on Ravelry and didn't find one I loved.  So I wrote a pattern myself last night only to discover today that I don't have any yarn for it.  The only lace yarn I have right now is either orange, brown-orange, brown, and this weird-colored, stripey stuff I got on sale because it seemed like a good idea at the time (it wasn't).

In the meantime, here are the results of my felting adventures over the last couple of weeks,


Toodle pip!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Knitting IN Books

"No, I was merely reading the Muggle magazines," said Dumbledore, "I do love knitting patterns."
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

While I was in Ann Arbor, we went on a jaunt to Aunt Agatha's Mystery Bookstore.  While there, I decided to search for a book that combines mystery, knitting, and cats.  There were LOTS of books with some variation of these criteria!

There is just something about reading books about knitters while knitting that I find entertaining.  Lucky for me, we knitters are also prolific writers.  I am, currently, reading and thoroughly enjoying Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter.  Hilarious, inspiring, well-written, with just a touch of the ridiculousness about it.  I am already plotting how I will get ahold of her other books...

Here's a list of some more books that involve knitting:
Good Yarns: Knitting Fiction

This is some of my hand spun yarn that was also hand dyed by Kat!  

My fair isle among the flowers.  If I'm to be perfectly honest, there is a very slim chance that I will actually be giving this up...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Obsessed

I really, really want to knit something lace.  I cannot stop thinking about all the possibilities for patterns, yarns, needles, colors, fibers... the list goes on and on and around and around.  Now, I have told myself sternly that I already have a number of perfectly lovely projects going, even a number of perfectly lovely lace projects but will I listen?  No.  They are not the right kind of lace, is what I say.  This lace craving will only be satisfied with the sort of lace that comes from a dizzying pattern, knit in ridiculously expensive yarn.  It must take about a quarter of a lifetime to knit and another to block but be jaw dropping when worn.

So far I have not given in.  If I have my way, I shall not give in.  This knitting voice though, she is persistant...

I told you I have knit a lot of dish cloths.  This is the work of about a week.

I also foolishly decided to write down all the projects I have going right now.  Foolish because now I am feeling overwhelmed by them.  When they are an unknown mass of plastic bags in a bin, I have no problem casting on another neon dish cloth or a head wrap in hand spun.  When I have a list, I feel required to actually finish these poor UFOs.

My lovely yarn from Briar Rose Fibers along side the petoskey stones in our backyard.  I love this yarn too much to knit it.  So I photograph it instead.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

In The Fairy Garden

This, friends, is the fairy garden that lives next to a parking garage in Ann Arbor.  I say, if a parking garage can have a fairy garden, so can I.  Challenge accepted.


I rediscovered these knitting/purling rhymes that I once knew but had forgotten.  Excellent for knitting instruction, obnoxious singing, and general merriment and tomfoolery! 

Knitting
In through the front door
Up over the back
Peek through the window
And off jumps Jack!

Purl
Down through the bunny hole
Around the big tree
Up pops the bunny
And off goes she!

Finally, per request, I give you the Sorcha picture of the day...



Monday, April 16, 2012

Knitting + BBC Dramas = Magic!

If you did not already know this about me, I am quite good at math.  Thus I can tell you with absolute certainty that the above equation is correct.  Ask any BBC-Drama-loving knitter.

Currently, I have been swallowed by Downton Abbey.  So deliciously scandalous!  Plus everyone in my life seems to also be watching it or has watched it so I have lots of folks to discuss it with!

When I took a quite break from Downton yesterday, I got addicted to another favorite, North and South.  Warning: You know how you CANNOT stop the 5-hour Pride and Prejudice part way through without thinking about it every moment of every day until you watch the rest?  Yeah, North and South is exactly the same.  Only an hour shorter.

Last night was the first time I've watched this and managed to stop after the 2nd episode.  I blame my mother and her ridiculously early bedtime.

That did not, however, prevent me from reading the last three chapters of the equally delicious novel North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell...


So now the question becomes, why do we knitters love these shows and miniseries so much?  Here are my guesses:

1. The long hours of glorious knitting time.

2. The intricate, character driven stories that you can watch again and again (or at least I can).

3. The accents.

Feel free to add your own ideas to the list.

My color inspiration of the week:


Thanks Kyla for taking this gorgeous photo for me!


Sunday, April 15, 2012

Posing

Instead of writing today, I shall put up pictures of people posing.  Well, Part One of people posing... I have a lot of pics so this will be at least a three part series...

Kyla, world famous pink sunglasses model.

Anna and I re-enacting Twilight.  Only with WAY more giggles.

My best sad face after Anna ran off with Kyla.  After 20 takes, I still couldn't stop laughing.

The artist at her thesis showcase opening!

I got to meet her!  

Laura, knitter extraordinaire, modeling her completed infinity scarf.  So fabulous!

Kyla, world renown dishcloth-hat model!

Anna, getting really into her knitting... We've all been there.  Especially when it comes to maize and blue yarn...

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Sorcha Amongst the Flowers

Still in Ann Arbor.  Sitting around, knitting, chatting, watching Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best, and bemoaning the fact that I left my camera to computer connector cord at home so I can't post the pictures we took yesterday :(  Instead I shall post the results of my photo shoot with Sorcha and my mom's birthday flowers.





Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Ann Arbor Knitters

After a week of hard work, I am off on a spontaneous trip to Ann Arbor!  Well, actually I have already left and arrived.  You are a bit behind, but that is where this post comes in.  I have once more returned to the house where I spent my final year and a half of college.  The house where, by the time I left, I had taught five people how to knit and reminded a few more that they could and should pull out their needles again.

Today I have done a lot of knitting and even more knitting appreciation!  I restarted my mother's felted purse for the third time, helped Laura through a confusing pattern, played show and tell with Anna, and heard tales of triumph and woe from the rest!

I am off to have lots of adventures with all of these lovelies:
















While I look for supplies to make my Aquaman costume (which should look something like this)...














And find someone to make me this cake for my birthday!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Upheavals and Epiphanies

Last week I had one job.  Then, for a day or so this week, I had two jobs.  Now I have a completely different job than the one I had last week!  Did that make sense to you?  It barely made sense to me.  The point is that this week has been a giant upheaval.  Thankfully, I had the dishcloths to help me through... I am just about half way through the 6th cloth, by the way.

I have found that I have a significant number of epiphanies during yoga class.  Something about the music and the movement and all that.  This past week's epiphany involves a brilliant knitting book that I will be writing.  I cannot say more about it here, too public.  Also it is still in the very preliminary stages and could change dramatically.  In order to become more dramatic, of course.


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

The Dishcloth Blues

Thanks to the Mason-Dixon Knitters, I have become obsessed with knitting dishcloths.  I may write a song about it.  Although it probably wouldn't be a blues song.  I LOVE knitting dishcloths!  So maybe a pop -rock song about being in a club, throwing back tequila shots and knitting?  I'm thinking instant Top 40 hit here.

So dishcloths.  They are fun, colorful, fast, easy, versatile, and I can try out all of my crazy design ideas!  I only have two done so far but I foresee a vast pile of dishcloths in my future!  A vast, squishy pile of bright spring and summer shades...

Yup, I'm off to the dishcloth wonderland.  In this wonderland, I have knitted Sorcha a large dishcloth that serves as a cape AND she doesn't bite me when I try to put it on her.  I actually may try that.  Then she can be SuperCat!  The pain will be worth it.
To remind us that spring is afoot!  Also, if nature says purple and yellow look good together, it must be true.  I'm off to knit some crocus colored and shaped dishcloths...

Monday, April 2, 2012

Good News Everyone!

One of my patterns was accepted into Tangled Magazine!  Here's the link to the online knitting magazine, if you want to check it out: http://www.tangledness.com/  I will be adding the project I have titled the "Play Around Cape" to the next issue!

I have also been going through another case of startitis.  Now that Mom's cardigan is finished and gifted (picture below), I thought I'd reevaluate the old stash and find some new things to knit.  That got me to thinking, what do I like to knit?  If I had one accessory, garment, etc. to knit for the rest of my life, what would it be?

The answer was pretty obvious after I looked through all my projects both on the needles and about to be cast on.  Mittens.  I love knitting mittens.  I have able 5 pairs going at the moment and I have my eye on another 6. I am even going to knit a pair for myself!  They are Big Bang Theory themed and say BAZINGA across the middle.  I couldn't resist.

What's your favorite thing to knit?



My mother, on her birthday, wearing her new cardigan and hold her lovely assortment of flowers from her friends and family!