tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-202321222024-03-12T21:20:35.964-04:00mostly, I knitkim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-22344728699001727482016-12-23T11:50:00.001-05:002016-12-23T13:04:05.759-05:00happinessMom asked for a scarf with a hood in "winter white". If my mom asks for something knitted, she gets it. I was nearly finished sewing the pompoms onto my fantastically gorgeous yet-to-be-blogged Advent Mystery KAL shawl and in need of a fresh project (I think Mom can sense these things), so I spent a happy half hour with Ravelry's supercharged pattern search and decided to knit <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hooded-scarves-and-cowls">this one</a> by Lisa Ellis. It calls for worsted weight wool. Since I have an embarrassingly large stash, you might expect that I have plenty of worsted weight yarn to choose from...but you would be wrong. I have very little worsted weight yarn and none in superwash, which is a requirement for my itch-sensitive family. However, I do have enough fingering weight yarn for several knitting lifetimes. Fingering weight held double nearly always makes a good substitute for worsted if at least one of the strands is Wollmeise, so--phew!--I didn't have to break my six-day streak of not buying yarn.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d0QxYkYzvj4/WF1PSlDCD8I/AAAAAAAAD8U/gtCJ_F5JbiY94PCLQhacYn808DbYDYU8QCLcB/s1600/Tough-Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d0QxYkYzvj4/WF1PSlDCD8I/AAAAAAAAD8U/gtCJ_F5JbiY94PCLQhacYn808DbYDYU8QCLcB/s320/Tough-Cookie.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;">This is where it gets fun.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> I thought I might get bored knitting the whole thing out of plain old white (the creamy white of undyed wool), but I didn't want to stray too far from </span><span style="text-align: center;">Mom's request, either. I decided to combine one strand of Wollmeise Twin in Natur with one strand of a fabulous new yarn in my collection, Peepaloo Fields Standard Sock in the splashy speckled colorway Tough Cookie. I love this colorway! I couldn't imagine how I would use it, never having used a yarn dyed quite this way, with the random non-repeated splashes of color on a mostly plain ground, but I bought it anyway. It was just too cool.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This is how it looks:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A9R7Ln2RXi0/WF1Qu7AATAI/AAAAAAAAD8s/1UGhZOlkkKoX8b5U5VJNLHkSDDDif1oxQCEw/s1600/wip-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A9R7Ln2RXi0/WF1Qu7AATAI/AAAAAAAAD8s/1UGhZOlkkKoX8b5U5VJNLHkSDDDif1oxQCEw/s400/wip-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love the subtle random specks and chunks of color, and I love this squishy half-cable stitch pattern. I haven't used it before. I'll probably use it again. I'm knitting with size US8 needles as recommended in the pattern, but expect it would make an equally lovely fabric on size US9...but believe it or not I don't have any 9s (I probably have 100 sets of needles, so I don't know how this has happened). I usually go down by one or two needle sizes, so perhaps this designer is a loose knitter like I am.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And a closeup:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vu00EmYkudA/WF1QuaCTlBI/AAAAAAAAD8s/DxAeg24bUncHdS-LnaiCNrN5zeBh_kG1ACEw/s1600/snippet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vu00EmYkudA/WF1QuaCTlBI/AAAAAAAAD8s/DxAeg24bUncHdS-LnaiCNrN5zeBh_kG1ACEw/s400/snippet.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Love, love, love. It's hard to stop knitting because I want to see what the yarn will do next! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been sitting by the Wintermas tree knitting this lovely thing (for my darling mom) while watching holiday movies. And there's snow outside. And my son will be home soon. Doesn't get much better.</div>
<br />
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-54062005552483661512016-12-14T00:17:00.001-05:002016-12-14T09:24:06.323-05:00Instagram is full of KNITTING!!<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ypt9S0Yjtbg/WFDP9QSumkI/AAAAAAAAD6k/lOBnEgPSpMUwNnSKIbbfYRPEBrbiQNb3gCLcB/s1600/knitstagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ypt9S0Yjtbg/WFDP9QSumkI/AAAAAAAAD6k/lOBnEgPSpMUwNnSKIbbfYRPEBrbiQNb3gCLcB/s320/knitstagram.jpg" width="168" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few years ago, a dear but distant friend of mine (we'll call her B) stopped using Facebook. This made me sad. I love Facebook because it keeps me in touch with friends like B. It keeps them an active part of my life, even when they're far away. With all its well-documented flaws, Facebook is great for that (it's great for other things, too, and I am strongly pro-Facebook, but that's another post). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When she stopped using Facebook, B told me she was using Instagram and loving it. That sounded interesting, so I created an account, uploaded a profile pic, and started looking around. But I just didn't understand. You couldn't upload from a computer! You had to upload from a phone! I love taking photos, but I use a camera, not a phone, and I use Photoshop to process my photos. The unprocessed images from my low-IQ pseudo-smartphone weren't anything I wanted to share. How were those IG people posting such gorgeous pictures? How was one supposed to get the photos from the good camera to the desktop to the phone? I found some apps that would do the job, but it all seemed so complicated. And I didn't get the whole Instagram <i>thing</i>. I'd been photosharing on Flickr for years, and Flickr was quietly dying (well, Yahoo was killing it, but the end result was the same). How was Instagram different?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, Instagram <i>is</i> different. Sometime last spring I got interested again. I finally got a real smartphone with a (sort of) decent camera and actual memory, so I could install a photo editor to edit my phone pics and Dropbox to move the pics around. Perfect! <i>(Full disclosure: I got the new phone </i>a<i> </i>year ago<i> last spring. It took me a whole year to feel comfortable with it, stop playing Bubble Witch, and start exploring the World of Things One Can Do With a Decent Smartphone. I've never seen myself as one to lag behind, but yeah, I lagged.)</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I still didn't get the IG thing, but I started posting occasionally. I followed people I knew, and then some people I didn't know, and then more and more of the people related to the people I was already following (and I hardly knew who any of them really were because most of them have different usernames on different platforms and the profile pics are tiny and I can't keep them straight, but I've started keeping a cheat sheet so that's getting better)...and all of a sudden I found myself immersed in Instagram World. Specifically, <i>Knitting</i> Instagram World. And what a world it is! I thought Ravelry was the only way to interact with Knitting World. <i>Now</i> I get it. Instagram and I are going to be very happy together. Thank you, B!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Except, of course, I'm about five years late to the party and no doubt the platform is about to fade into obscurity to be replaced by some hot new thing that I won't hear about for another three years. But that's okay. Knitting will endure.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kgt6n19cA3I/WFDQUCWFYII/AAAAAAAAD6o/q5fvLL1Mve8KxbbSqdUpJXgPIoo-dH0UQCLcB/s1600/Kaul-wip-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kgt6n19cA3I/WFDQUCWFYII/AAAAAAAAD6o/q5fvLL1Mve8KxbbSqdUpJXgPIoo-dH0UQCLcB/s320/Kaul-wip-1.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-58844950800973600632016-09-16T11:14:00.001-04:002016-12-20T17:57:16.372-05:00I didn't need it, but...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3RYKaJ3SfWE/V9vqIFgYo1I/AAAAAAAADuE/UxbsroCjEMM4kIB7A71fpyH1ERqFcNU_wCLcB/s1600/madagascan%2Bsunet%2Bmoth%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3RYKaJ3SfWE/V9vqIFgYo1I/AAAAAAAADuE/UxbsroCjEMM4kIB7A71fpyH1ERqFcNU_wCLcB/s320/madagascan%2Bsunet%2Bmoth%2B2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madagascan Sunset Moth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I broke my nearly four-month-long yarn fast for these beauties.<br />
<br />
The yarn is Mithril from the Verdant Gryphon. It's a lovely laceweight merino, plied tightly enough to have some body but not so tightly that it loses its softness. One of my favorite yarns.<br />
<br />
The color is Madagascan Sunset Moth. I already had one skein of it in my stash, so when I saw these skeins pop up at a discount, I grabbed them. Well, no, that's not true. I didn't want to break my streak of not-buying yarn, so I thought about it for over a week before finally deciding to buy....at which point there were only two skeins remaining of the original three. So I guess I only needed two.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LhkRrxd7yyU/V9wEhxINVXI/AAAAAAAADuU/4Ij6Fp8zsEMXe1V_C9xOTluYfsrDrAQMQCLcB/s1600/madagascan-sunset-moth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LhkRrxd7yyU/V9wEhxINVXI/AAAAAAAADuU/4Ij6Fp8zsEMXe1V_C9xOTluYfsrDrAQMQCLcB/s320/madagascan-sunset-moth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Madagascan Sunset Moth</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is my existing skein of the same color in the same base. Looks a little different, doesn't it? It isn't unusual for hand-dyed yarns to vary from batch to batch, but this is a big difference. It probably reflects the change in ownership and management at the Verdant Gryphon.<br />
<br />
I don't mind, really; I'll just treat them as two different colors. They're all gorgeous.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g9fol4yTc3s/V9wHmZ8askI/AAAAAAAADuc/nUhTYTH-_9kkn1wTvPs7o-9xDJ_aWa9dQCLcB/s1600/Mag-Mell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g9fol4yTc3s/V9wHmZ8askI/AAAAAAAADuc/nUhTYTH-_9kkn1wTvPs7o-9xDJ_aWa9dQCLcB/s320/Mag-Mell.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Madagascan Sunset Moth</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I also have Madagascan Sunset Moth from VG on Traveller, a DK weight base. Looks like a cross between the the first two. I'd like to use this in a textured stitch pattern for the yoke on a solid color (maybe gray?) stockinette stitch cardigan. I just have to choose the solid color, buy it, design the sweater, and knit it. I'm sure I'll get to it one of these days.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Dhrt-z7HtM/V9wLShTnWjI/AAAAAAAADuk/7iRilpRQyeEHdSdLi__S7wrvbTDnKZdnACLcB/s1600/Madagascan%2Bsunset%2Bmoth%2Breal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Dhrt-z7HtM/V9wLShTnWjI/AAAAAAAADuk/7iRilpRQyeEHdSdLi__S7wrvbTDnKZdnACLcB/s320/Madagascan%2Bsunset%2Bmoth%2Breal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Madagascan Sunset Moth</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Here's a real Madagascan Sunset Moth, in case you were wondering.kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-44588508846871747862016-09-11T11:51:00.001-04:002016-12-14T00:32:21.455-05:00quick, cute, conflicted<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xf4AwrGsl20/V9VZEZkH0zI/AAAAAAAADs4/FZs-iKmJ4EUyveX7lEG0qS020JZfUFIMACEw/s1600/C%2Btee%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xf4AwrGsl20/V9VZEZkH0zI/AAAAAAAADs4/FZs-iKmJ4EUyveX7lEG0qS020JZfUFIMACEw/s320/C%2Btee%2B2.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C's Tee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is the last thing I finished before my Summer of Not Knitting: a sweet little top for my small friend Cecilia, who loves wearing handknits made especially for her.<br />
<br />
The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alice-tee">Alice Tee</a> by Helen Rose, and the yarn is (of course) Wollmeise Pure in the mindblowing Rittersporn (Delphinium) colorway. I'd heard people rave about this color but hadn't seen it in person until I got this skein. The camera does not do it justice. It seems to glow with its own purple-y inner light.<br />
<br />
It was a quick knit and a well-written pattern (although of course I made some modifications, because patterns are made to be <strike>ignored</strike> adapted).*<br />
<br />
Cute, isn't it? Except I hated it. I hated it and I was on a deadline: Cecilia's new sibling was due within days, and I needed to get a package posted off to England for them.<br />
<br />
But even after blocking, this piece curled and curled, at the hem and even at the sleeve cuffs. (Look at those tiny sleeves! There isn't enough cuff to curl! But they were curling.) Curliest damned stockinette stitch I have ever encountered.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z7MrCLm5O_U/V9VZcFMPTHI/AAAAAAAADtE/Q6X_LB0fymQ1t7f9QMTBmgLM9zg6Z7rkACEw/s1600/Rittersporn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z7MrCLm5O_U/V9VZcFMPTHI/AAAAAAAADtE/Q6X_LB0fymQ1t7f9QMTBmgLM9zg6Z7rkACEw/s200/Rittersporn.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rittersporn,<br />
glowing with its <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">own</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">purple-y inner light</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdCr2nzWZVk/V9VlU-uImcI/AAAAAAAADtg/aJjb7Ii1ONYTRXyH0IUqalQvGP-eTq-TACLcB/s1600/C%2Btee%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdCr2nzWZVk/V9VlU-uImcI/AAAAAAAADtg/aJjb7Ii1ONYTRXyH0IUqalQvGP-eTq-TACLcB/s320/C%2Btee%2B3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yep, <strike>the sleeves are still curling</strike> it's gorgeous!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I knew it needed a good steaming and possibly some bias tape sewn in, but my <i>itis</i>-y elbow precluded precision hand-sewing and it was HOT for ironing. Who wants to wield steam when it's 90+ degrees? (I've mentioned our record-breaking Long Hot Summer in a <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/09/reunited-and-it-feels-so-gooooood_38.html">previous post</a>, but I'll say it again: it was a scarily persistent hot, dry summer and I found it difficult to bear.)<br />
<br />
So I tossed it aside for more than a month...and I felt anxious every time I looked at it. Then I covered it up so I couldn't see it, which helped.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DtziHswsMMI/V9Vj1y1u3VI/AAAAAAAADtc/IyN6vt8xM_EEhNIxlc39oAqrWTUke0h1ACEw/s1600/C%2Btee%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DtziHswsMMI/V9Vj1y1u3VI/AAAAAAAADtc/IyN6vt8xM_EEhNIxlc39oAqrWTUke0h1ACEw/s320/C%2Btee%2B1.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't get to finish steaming </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, on one of the hotter days of this hot summer (did I mention it was hot?), I broke down and fired up the iron, then started steaming those damned curly edges. It was immensely satisfying to watch them submit. I went over the hem two or three times, then started on the sleeves...and suddenly noticed a distinct lack of steam. No steam, no pleasant whooshing noise, no evocative hot-iron smell, and very little heat. I touched the sole plate and did not get burned (please don't try this at home). The heat of the day must have been too much for it. My iron had expired.<br />
<br />
But it was enough. C's curly tee was redeemed! I loved it again and I loved the whole world with it (besides, I'd been wanting a new iron). I slapped it on a hanger and ventured out into the glaring sunshine of climate apocalypse to take a few photos.<br />
<br />
Cecilia loves it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></i><i style="font-family: "times new roman";">*For Knitters Only: I changed the increases to be more noticeable (more decorative) in the yoke section and less noticeable in the body (going down either side of the lace "placket"). I can't remember the actual increases I used, though, and sadly I did not make notes at the time.</i>kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-20954165441890797462016-09-10T21:31:00.009-04:002016-09-11T09:09:28.900-04:00Reunited and it feels so gooooood!My knitting and I are back together and everything is gonna be all right! It was a long hot summer here in Rochester, and without my sweet stitches to hold it all together, I felt every record-setting minute of it.<br />
<br />
My elbow is still not 100%, so I'm trying to limit the knitting to every other day...but <i>I am knitting </i>and life is good. I feel almost like myself again. I don't know if it was the not-knitting or the bizarre weather, but this summer flirted with the surreal and I am glad to see it gone. Funny how a couple of sticks and a 100-gram ball of wool can keep you grounded.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VztN2wJh_aU/V9SyoiVxHEI/AAAAAAAADso/4fHLPImiKgUTmHBKy9bnuL9YCdeBi2MegCLcB/s1600/big-wip-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VztN2wJh_aU/V9SyoiVxHEI/AAAAAAAADso/4fHLPImiKgUTmHBKy9bnuL9YCdeBi2MegCLcB/s400/big-wip-1-web.jpg" width="333" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ginormous laceweight cardigan = many teeny stitches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been grounded under considerably more than 100 grams of wool with my current project, though, which hasn't been entirely pleasant given the crazy temperatures. (90 degrees in September? In Rochester? Crazy.) Finally, I'm making some real progress on the Ginormous Cardigan on Teeny Needles.<br />
<br />
You may remember me <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/06/some-knitting-is-slow.html" target="_blank">enthusing</a> about this piece last June when I brought it out of hibernation. The poor thing had to be set aside for yet another couple of months because of my elbow, but now it's back in hand and taking shape. Since I took this pic, I've finished the back, joined the shoulders, and started the left sleeve. I may actually finish it one day!<br />
<br />
I have five skeins in this colorway and no two of them match, so I've been changing skeins at random intervals throughout. I like the distressed effect.<br />
<br />
Knitting optimist that I am, I'm already looking forward to wearing it this fall. Think good thoughts for my elbow so I can keep on knitting!<br />
<i><br />Edited to add: Gave myself an earworm with that title. Regretting it.</i>kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-62178165654147688732016-07-12T21:16:00.002-04:002016-09-11T09:08:03.546-04:00some knitting gives you tendinitis in your elbowIt isn't the <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/07/some-knitting-is-fast.html" target="_blank">fast knitting</a> or the <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/06/some-knitting-is-slow.html" target="_blank">slow knitting</a> that gives me tendinitis; I think it's the lace knitting. Or maybe it isn't knitting at all; maybe it's the computer mouse. Yeah, that's it. It's the mouse! If only it were the mouse. But now that my elbow is all <i>itis-</i>ed, the cause doesn't really matter. Everything aggravates it, including knitting.<br />
<br />
So I'm not knitting.<br />
<br />
Not-knitting is an uncomfortable state for a knitter. Knitting is my joy and my solace. Knitting is my meditation practice. Without knitting, I just don't feel like <i>me</i>. Besides, that <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/06/some-knitting-is-slow.html" target="_blank">Ginormous Sweater on Teeny Needles</a> isn't going to knit itself. And I have all these great project ideas clamoring for needle time. It's keeping me awake at night! or maybe that's the pain in my elbow.<br />
<br />
Not-knitting, like grief, comes in stages. I've passed through denial (there's no denying it hurts), and moved directly to bargaining. The current bargain goes like this: if I mouse left-handed all day, I can knit for a half hour or so in the evening. Which <i>might </i>be okay, if I didn't lose the ability to tell time whenever I pick up yarn and needles. My conservative bedtime has suddenly become less conservative...and my elbow isn't getting better.<br />
<br />
So tonight I'm blogging instead of knitting. I think it's working: I'm putting myself to sleep. Hey! my elbow feels better already.<br />
<br />
I'm sure it'll be fine tomorrow.kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-84561637796026035502016-07-04T23:12:00.000-04:002016-07-12T21:20:48.383-04:00some knitting is fast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nNCGRDjGWUE/V3sjUp6e7bI/AAAAAAAADig/e1SK7RM3sCgFOjX2nXA28ct5pLovKupeQCLcB/s1600/cables-2-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nNCGRDjGWUE/V3sjUp6e7bI/AAAAAAAADig/e1SK7RM3sCgFOjX2nXA28ct5pLovKupeQCLcB/s400/cables-2-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Some knitting is fast. After finishing a huge slooooow piece, and/or while working on the next one, I like to knit something speedy. (Or do I knit it speedily? Whatever. The thing gets made from the yarn, and it doesn't take a long time.)<br />
<br />
I usually say I'm a <i>process</i> knitter, because it's all about the yarn and the soothing trance state of making the stitches...but I'm really quite fond of the <i>product</i> too. I like to take pretty pictures of the pretty things and then look at them a lot.<br />
<br />
So this time I knitted a baby sweater. It was very fast. Less than a week of knitting days.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HdoIqGd510I/V3sjPrOHPSI/AAAAAAAADiY/agKrdKUY0Ks1E7t6YiOA5EEz02oXuBTGgCLcB/s1600/cables-3-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HdoIqGd510I/V3sjPrOHPSI/AAAAAAAADiY/agKrdKUY0Ks1E7t6YiOA5EEz02oXuBTGgCLcB/s320/cables-3-web.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/emmes-cable" target="_blank">Emme's Cables</a>. The yarn is Wollmeise Pure in the eye-searing color Dornröschen (a personal favorite). Such a fun knit! I can see more of these in my future. They're fast.<br />
<br />
The recipient hasn't joined us yet. I can't wait to meet her/him!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ugg4nY72ydE/V3sjRY_zooI/AAAAAAAADic/-7mTbF-wcM0vZNIvuITkpngBTmoukZ2hwCLcB/s1600/cables-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ugg4nY72ydE/V3sjRY_zooI/AAAAAAAADic/-7mTbF-wcM0vZNIvuITkpngBTmoukZ2hwCLcB/s320/cables-1-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Note to knitters: I changed the cable crossings for a more pleasing flow. Details on my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/KimDenise/emmes-cable" target="_blank">Ravelry project page</a>.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-19547074631050081022016-06-22T10:11:00.001-04:002016-06-22T10:11:07.251-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHVZnoUnQ0g/V2qcaCNNDSI/AAAAAAAADhs/oy3wkNx346YtWfH8R_XbDZhsvTgTb_EjQCLcB/s1600/Knitting%2BLove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hHVZnoUnQ0g/V2qcaCNNDSI/AAAAAAAADhs/oy3wkNx346YtWfH8R_XbDZhsvTgTb_EjQCLcB/s400/Knitting%2BLove.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-16697060342860731522016-06-21T12:39:00.002-04:002016-06-21T13:21:27.887-04:00some knitting is slowSome knitting is slow. Oversize cardigans for plus-size me in laceweight yarn on teeny needles, just for example, are SLOW.<br />
<br />
Like this one. Kate Davies' <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/firth-o-forth" target="_blank">Firth O' Forth</a> in Verdant Gryphon Mithril lace, in the coveted colorway Blowfly. (Blowfly used to be available only one day a year, in a special sale on New Year's Eve, and two years ago I was lucky enough to grab four precious skeins on laceweight.)<br />
<br />
It's going to be <i>amazing</i>. Someday.<br />
<br />
I have this much done:<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WLLMJT-ZlMA/V2lZHcJd_wI/AAAAAAAADgk/OQaEbkJSsH4Pjh5G73kni3aNm7SPMABdACLcB/s1600/wip-on-glass-table-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WLLMJT-ZlMA/V2lZHcJd_wI/AAAAAAAADgk/OQaEbkJSsH4Pjh5G73kni3aNm7SPMABdACLcB/s400/wip-on-glass-table-1-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">almost looks like it could be a sweater some day!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Actually, I've added a couple more inches since that photo, but ohmygoodness it grows<br />
s l o w l y. Still, it's lovely relaxing knitting and the play of color across my stitches is deeply satisfying.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gIGXnTT3-oM/V2laDuVYH2I/AAAAAAAADgw/LWwwFR3DEnEUOXnywQ0ZQb_YRq13FE9egCLcB/s1600/cast-on-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gIGXnTT3-oM/V2laDuVYH2I/AAAAAAAADgw/LWwwFR3DEnEUOXnywQ0ZQb_YRq13FE9egCLcB/s400/cast-on-web.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is what a soul-destroying cast on looks like</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This is what it looked like at the very beginning, after I cast on 462 stitches.<br />
(No, that's not a typo; I really did cast on <i>four hundred and sixty-two</i> stitches.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But after making three big swatches, the interminable cast on, the bottom band in garter stitch, and a couple of repeats of (finally!) the lace pattern, it was only this big:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NMUgBrcJ-48/V2lbuuX_xnI/AAAAAAAADg8/3FaaOlhHN4E00oDOgYojXbvVFKSRyb5xACLcB/s1600/wip-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NMUgBrcJ-48/V2lbuuX_xnI/AAAAAAAADg8/3FaaOlhHN4E00oDOgYojXbvVFKSRyb5xACLcB/s320/wip-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">only this and nothing more</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
. . . and I lost the will to live and put it into hibernation for 14 months.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But now it's out again and I love it and have forgiven it everything. I may not finish this baby before I'm 70, but right now it's my favorite project! Perfect for knitting outdoors while enjoying the summer air in my lovely leafy garden.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XVZ-1sUGFfk/V2llpuZ-a3I/AAAAAAAADhM/RKzbcSnIzisMN0XjpB4qkut8ZnnRypgMwCLcB/s1600/wip%2Boutdoors%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XVZ-1sUGFfk/V2llpuZ-a3I/AAAAAAAADhM/RKzbcSnIzisMN0XjpB4qkut8ZnnRypgMwCLcB/s320/wip%2Boutdoors%2B1.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-40981093811215205812016-06-11T11:09:00.001-04:002016-06-11T11:12:54.798-04:00even I can't believe I finished itThe big blue lacy thing with beads (and beads, and beads) is done!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZgN2r6FeHg/V1woR88eJEI/AAAAAAAADeo/O76WOH6UXpIGOIvZUFyH-2Ewe4yPQhs1wCLcB/s1600/clothesline-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BZgN2r6FeHg/V1woR88eJEI/AAAAAAAADeo/O76WOH6UXpIGOIvZUFyH-2Ewe4yPQhs1wCLcB/s400/clothesline-1-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I probably shouldn't write about how I hate the white edging (should have made the edging one or two rows wider for the white to work) or how it's so freaking enormous that I'll never wear it (I'm barely 5' 1" and really should have known better), but now that I've typed it out, I'm gonna leave it here.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's a beautiful piece and I thoroughly enjoyed the knitting. Now I need to find it a good home.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VLdOksMo43g/V1woRRQ0jBI/AAAAAAAADeg/DIZ_9sPp0fc5okwknilV3PlPkA3s68Y_ACLcB/s1600/detail-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VLdOksMo43g/V1woRRQ0jBI/AAAAAAAADeg/DIZ_9sPp0fc5okwknilV3PlPkA3s68Y_ACLcB/s320/detail-web.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-leeecAxqx60/V1woRsjJcfI/AAAAAAAADek/XGIuIeq6doojq9d38S9keNp45rSLFzpXgCLcB/s1600/clothesline-2-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-leeecAxqx60/V1woRsjJcfI/AAAAAAAADek/XGIuIeq6doojq9d38S9keNp45rSLFzpXgCLcB/s320/clothesline-2-web.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FPeskCO19SY/V1woTagNXCI/AAAAAAAADe0/LqmxQQ2lFyAacaGknTc1bN8CG-H_F6BYQCLcB/s1600/tree-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FPeskCO19SY/V1woTagNXCI/AAAAAAAADe0/LqmxQQ2lFyAacaGknTc1bN8CG-H_F6BYQCLcB/s400/tree-web.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-3746366866105491152016-06-11T09:55:00.000-04:002016-06-11T13:16:41.779-04:00May is for BirdingYes I know, I disappeared for the entire month of May. And here I was doing so well with this blog! But May is the height of spring migration around here, which means birds, birds, birds. There is nothing I like better than slogging through muddy woods in early spring, looking at birds. I was out there every day, in all sorts of weather, watching springtime creep slowly over the landscape and looking at birds. I live along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, which is a great spot to see birds during spring migration. They stop right here to rest and refuel before heading out over the lake, so we get to see a lot of them!<br />
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em !important; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had a slow, cold start to the season and never did get the southerly winds that usually bring the migrants in; just lots of north winds off the lake. They came anyway, out of order and in odd combinations, but they came. I'm a new birder, and I’ve seen 123 species so far this year, including 24 species of warbler, all within a 30-minute drive from my house! I was also fortunate to be out at the hawk watch on a 10,000-bird day. That was pretty spectacular (although they usually have a couple of 30,000-bird days per season, which I find unimaginable).</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em !important; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Actually, I don't have to go far at all to see a lot of birds. For a few weeks every May, the trees in my yard are filled with warblers. This year I’ve had black-throated blue, black-throated green, black-and-white, Blackburnian, northern parula, chestnut-sided, bay-breasted, yellow-rumped, palm, pine, Nashville and Tennessee warblers in my trees, feasting on insects and singing their distinctive songs. I had a Blackburnian warbler drinking from my birdbath!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em !important; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
Now it's June. Summer is upon us and migration is over. The trees are in full leaf and it's harder to see the birds. But they're still there. You can hear them; if you pay attention, you can see them. Birds are everywhere, busily gathering food to feed their young; busily preparing the next generation for the long flight south. I'm planning to make my list a whole lot longer before the month is out.</div>
kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-84929174680391544622016-04-21T16:44:00.001-04:002016-04-21T17:14:42.421-04:00the perfect pink<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dCQF81XBUhY/Vxk7L5oRt5I/AAAAAAAADbw/-9rjpP48RSkAB4MKpsP7Sn5B1_qCrr9AQCLcB/s1600/Rosenquarz%2Bselfie%2Bravatar%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dCQF81XBUhY/Vxk7L5oRt5I/AAAAAAAADbw/-9rjpP48RSkAB4MKpsP7Sn5B1_qCrr9AQCLcB/s320/Rosenquarz%2Bselfie%2Bravatar%2B3.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvoseQqdU-w/Vxk7GrVwapI/AAAAAAAADbs/sX74xqZE5Vg5SmB1Pzz0mU0wnq41uUWrwCLcB/s1600/Rosenquarz-NiP-2-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nvoseQqdU-w/Vxk7GrVwapI/AAAAAAAADbs/sX74xqZE5Vg5SmB1Pzz0mU0wnq41uUWrwCLcB/s320/Rosenquarz-NiP-2-web.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A friend sent me a surprise package with a skein of the most perfect pink yarn EVER. It's the coveted limited-edition Rosenquarz colorway from Wollmeise. I never thought I'd get my hands on it! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Thanks Åsa!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I had to wear it right away--sometimes knitting takes too long :)</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MTRyijDT2fQ/Vxk7Up_NEYI/AAAAAAAADb0/cujPtdcUidEqv7U_RkdJHkcaH4wjGZdrwCLcB/s1600/Rosenquarz%2Bmodeled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MTRyijDT2fQ/Vxk7Up_NEYI/AAAAAAAADb0/cujPtdcUidEqv7U_RkdJHkcaH4wjGZdrwCLcB/s320/Rosenquarz%2Bmodeled.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0RvnFqk5q58/Vxk7Gm789DI/AAAAAAAADbo/2P7IuZzhINEWakXlDjbGfg2qJUD_Q-YQwCLcB/s1600/Rosenquarz-NiP-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0RvnFqk5q58/Vxk7Gm789DI/AAAAAAAADbo/2P7IuZzhINEWakXlDjbGfg2qJUD_Q-YQwCLcB/s320/Rosenquarz-NiP-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
and while we're on the subject of pink:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whQoy8Pupiw/VxlCgTqQSNI/AAAAAAAADcQ/bz2QHy0kuowFeATPFtyDVxuqjZAER_Z7gCLcB/s1600/pink%2Btulip%2B1%2B2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whQoy8Pupiw/VxlCgTqQSNI/AAAAAAAADcQ/bz2QHy0kuowFeATPFtyDVxuqjZAER_Z7gCLcB/s320/pink%2Btulip%2B1%2B2009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fl8SY_P75uA/VxlCBbw7bBI/AAAAAAAADcI/05_3O9HMbxomcaDD35IRq9BevA29hc9oACLcB/s1600/pink%2Bhyacinths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fl8SY_P75uA/VxlCBbw7bBI/AAAAAAAADcI/05_3O9HMbxomcaDD35IRq9BevA29hc9oACLcB/s320/pink%2Bhyacinths.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZP2QhDBM7E/VxlCavSw14I/AAAAAAAADcM/BAcWDiVK1FE6owPiqfwjUZz_CHGjsxS9QCLcB/s1600/hyacinths%2Bin%2Bthe%2Brain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZP2QhDBM7E/VxlCavSw14I/AAAAAAAADcM/BAcWDiVK1FE6owPiqfwjUZz_CHGjsxS9QCLcB/s320/hyacinths%2Bin%2Bthe%2Brain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-66854869535884039652016-04-20T16:39:00.002-04:002016-12-13T21:08:06.201-05:00getting started: birth of a Big Lacy Thing with BeadsI started with the enchanted and enchanting belly button cast on. Well, no, I started with the dreaded disappearing loop cast on, but after working it seven or eight times with unsatisfactory results and before heaving yarn, needles, pattern, and laptop out the window, I decided to stop tormenting myself and switched to the belly button. It worked on the first try. <br /><br />I think I've learned my lesson. I'll do the belly button <i>first</i> from now on.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAW88XFxKiM/VxfexKgcMDI/AAAAAAAADac/IyMdbp2JSRwPdfaNJxBMqXAnfqqzDhK_QCLcB/s1600/cast%2Bon%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAW88XFxKiM/VxfexKgcMDI/AAAAAAAADac/IyMdbp2JSRwPdfaNJxBMqXAnfqqzDhK_QCLcB/s400/cast%2Bon%2B2.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the perfect purple belly button</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For the uninitiated, this piece is started from the middle and worked outward. "Casting on" is what you do to get those first stitches onto the needles. When you start from the center, you start with a very few stitches arranged around four double-pointed needles, and use a fifth needle to work them. All of this is managed with two hands. And now I feel some math coming on....<br />
<br />
Five needles > two hands, and when you factor in fine yarn, tiny stitches, and skinny little needles that slide out of the tiny stitches, the end result = language I wouldn't share with my mother.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tafOIQXcnbk/VxfkpyXQFrI/AAAAAAAADaw/X_uBgPl3id4fWgZOGHwzn3ZxGXuD4IOZQCLcB/s1600/cast-on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tafOIQXcnbk/VxfkpyXQFrI/AAAAAAAADaw/X_uBgPl3id4fWgZOGHwzn3ZxGXuD4IOZQCLcB/s200/cast-on.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sad, sad disappearing loop cast on heard all the bad words</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The belly button solves all this. You use a nice heavy yarn, get it started on just two needles, then work in the round for a few rows 'til you have a nice firm tube as a foundation. Then change to your project yarn, leaving the end hanging, and just keep going. You remove the belly button later and tighten up the central stitches with that dangling free end. <i>Voilà!</i> A perfect in-the-round cast on. I love the belly button.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kL1s4zX4BrY/VxfeuslnD-I/AAAAAAAADaU/v7J5JmNqZTUux7Y8AJP8wz6fgvmaNSxAwCLcB/s1600/wip-1.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kL1s4zX4BrY/VxfeuslnD-I/AAAAAAAADaU/v7J5JmNqZTUux7Y8AJP8wz6fgvmaNSxAwCLcB/s320/wip-1.1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">deceptively fast at first</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Progress seemed fast at first. I zoomed around that central star, placing my <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/04/decisions-decisions.html" target="_blank">oh-so-carefully chosen beads </a>as I went. Then I put stitches on hold on three sides of the central star while I worked double leaf motifs back and forth going out to the side, until I had a total of fifteen (including the central ones). For the sake of symmetry, I repeated the process on the opposite side. At about the fourth repeat on the second side, I realized it would have looked just as symmetrical with three or four fewer repeats, but there was no turning back. Besides, fewer repeats would make a shorter stole, and I want to be able to wrap it around my ampleness a couple of times.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JJiGE9e04nc/VxfeuvJHygI/AAAAAAAADaQ/XJcunYjaUmcDt92ak5gHvVppANXpnRhpwCLcB/s1600/wip-1.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JJiGE9e04nc/VxfeuvJHygI/AAAAAAAADaQ/XJcunYjaUmcDt92ak5gHvVppANXpnRhpwCLcB/s400/wip-1.2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a zoomed-out view. 15 sets of leaves on each side may be excessive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But now it's a few days later. I've finished <i>all</i> the pesky leaf motifs and moved on with my life. I picked up nearly 500 stitches (yes, that's a five followed by two zeros) along the long, long, 15-motifs-long side pieces, scooped up the live stitches waiting on the sides of the central star, and now I'm knitting this whole long skinny rectangle in the round! Of course, a long skinny rectangle is a far cry from a circle, so this presents its own set of challenges (no bad language was required), but now that I'm 10 rows in, it's getting easier...and I have a beautiful blue baguette to show you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wR2eF4MxeTc/VxfevZKTwvI/AAAAAAAADaY/zgrcz0KjWi4tF6PlnNysVv1yQElZxDjBACLcB/s1600/wip-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wR2eF4MxeTc/VxfevZKTwvI/AAAAAAAADaY/zgrcz0KjWi4tF6PlnNysVv1yQElZxDjBACLcB/s400/wip-2.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blue baguette</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Yeah, I know, it doesn't look like much. The thing with lace is that it requires <i>blocking</i> to be at its best. Blocking is done to almost all knitting after it's finished. It involves soaking the item in water, then stretching it gently to the desired shape and size. With lace knitting, the stretching is not gentle. You pull on it in every direction until it can't possibly be pulled any more, then pin it down and let it dry. It's a near-miraculous transformation. But for now, we're going to be deliriously happy with the beaded blue baguette.kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-27904139406159259552016-04-16T15:56:00.002-04:002016-12-13T21:14:07.046-05:00decisions decisionsI decided to make another Big Lacy Thing with Beads. <br />
<br />
I dunno why; I am not a lacy kind of girl. But I love knitting big lacy things with beads. And they're having a Round & Holey KAL on one of my Ravelry groups. KAL = Knit-A-Long (and yes, I do need to get to work on that glossary of Knitting Terms for the Uninitiated). <i>Round</i> means it's knitted in the round (although it doesn't have to end up round--it might be square, or a rectangle, or any other shape on the spectrum between circle and not-a-circle). <i>Holey</i> means it has holes in it; in other words, <i>lace</i>. I do love to knit lace. Too bad I hate wearing it. Oh well. Big lacy things with beads make awfully pretty gifts.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FCNo5jgz7RI/VxKZ-gplyPI/AAAAAAAADZo/HtuR9dyAgFE7dXe9CSfDrorKG4bClqPxQCLcB/s1600/Himmelblau-WD-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FCNo5jgz7RI/VxKZ-gplyPI/AAAAAAAADZo/HtuR9dyAgFE7dXe9CSfDrorKG4bClqPxQCLcB/s320/Himmelblau-WD-2.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Himmelblau</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I chose the yarn easily enough. I've had it for a while, waiting for the perfect project. It's blue. Specifically, <i>Himmelblau</i>. Possibly the prettiest blue on the planet. Certainly the perfect blue for early spring when we are starved for true-blue skies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amille" target="_blank">Amillë</a>, by Emily Ross. It's a looooong rectangle, knitted mostly in the round. I may actually wear this one--it looks nicely scarf-shaped. Wrapping it around a couple times tends to neutralize the laciness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Then I had to pick the beads. This part took a little longer. Teeny beads or bigger beads? Sparkly or matte? Clear or blue or light green or dark green or purple or dark purple with a rainbow-y coating or pearl or bronze or gold? I have a significant stash of beads, so I restricted myself to beads already in my possession...which meant I couldn't use the tiny bright silver ones I was already picturing. *<i>Sigh</i>* But when you have stash, you must work from stash. And man, do I have stash. (Bead stash, that is. <i>Bead stash</i>. Well, and yarn stash too. I have, um, epic yarn stash. And fabric, but there's no need to get all confessional in here.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LjMf9fRSvBk/VxKSS-z3VjI/AAAAAAAADZA/c19V5mFc_nYV58Vx-WYoXXpQ9pftGhdKACLcB/s1600/Bead%2BPorn%2B1%2B%2B800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LjMf9fRSvBk/VxKSS-z3VjI/AAAAAAAADZA/c19V5mFc_nYV58Vx-WYoXXpQ9pftGhdKACLcB/s400/Bead%2BPorn%2B1%2B%2B800px.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty picture of a few of the beads</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e4HTuW5TRN4/VxKSmQTQyoI/AAAAAAAADZE/nhdwvuaR_DoJ1xSZTDSqXQWRtUJs8NewwCLcB/s1600/beads-for-Wollmeise-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e4HTuW5TRN4/VxKSmQTQyoI/AAAAAAAADZE/nhdwvuaR_DoJ1xSZTDSqXQWRtUJs8NewwCLcB/s200/beads-for-Wollmeise-web.jpg" width="146" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty picture of a few more </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6gsyRBXHWw/VxKUpCB5sOI/AAAAAAAADZU/rmuXavUmrYUhqn8vwFpyt3aMwApZo1iBgCLcB/s1600/bead-drawer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6gsyRBXHWw/VxKUpCB5sOI/AAAAAAAADZU/rmuXavUmrYUhqn8vwFpyt3aMwApZo1iBgCLcB/s320/bead-drawer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the bead drawer isn't that pretty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wtzRRte8uPk/VxKR3zVrzzI/AAAAAAAADY8/d6gy0r2T5xE03b8dv65MtuQDRtyURTOzgCLcB/s1600/fish-button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wtzRRte8uPk/VxKR3zVrzzI/AAAAAAAADY8/d6gy0r2T5xE03b8dv65MtuQDRtyURTOzgCLcB/s200/fish-button.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">particularly enjoyable fish button</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I couldn't just go through my bead drawer, because my bead drawer had been overwhelmed by buttons (somewhere along the line I thought it was a good idea to start a button stash, too). So before I could get on with the beads, I had to pick all 7965963 buttons out of the bead drawer, sort them by size and color, put them in ziploc bags, and find them their own little storage bin.<br />
<br />
I particularly liked the fish buttons. I left one out so I could enjoy its little fishy face.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
And then, at long last, I started stringing beads on my yarn to see how I liked them. Funny thing happened...<i>I liked all of them</i>. I strung increasingly unlikely colors...and I liked them too! Clearly, this was developing into a situation. Indecision does not suit me. I decided to wait until daylight.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AAKlreNwb_w/VxKP1_LEF3I/AAAAAAAADYw/zBqmGGHhJBEiVXZa7pWp4OjNtgDPf37gwCLcB/s1600/yarn-with-beads-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AAKlreNwb_w/VxKP1_LEF3I/AAAAAAAADYw/zBqmGGHhJBEiVXZa7pWp4OjNtgDPf37gwCLcB/s640/yarn-with-beads-web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">daylight photo of all the pretty beads on the heavenly blue yarn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It would be fun to draw this out longer, but that would be deceptive. I <i>never</i> exaggerate. In the cold light of day, it was easy enough to make my choice. Fifth from the right, tiny silvery gray beads. (Of course, I don't actually have enough of them and they are no longer available, but whatever. When I have to choose a complement, I'll blog about it again.)<br />
<br />
Watch this space for updates on the Big Blue Lacy Thing With Beads.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-10252370054864006892016-04-05T13:47:00.001-04:002016-04-05T13:57:03.052-04:00swatching the sunset<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7XBFdmCPKH4/VwP5v1bjnOI/AAAAAAAADX8/JNLziD-lDvQF6pXGr6vEQ2mf0pl8s-gIg/s1600/sunset-April-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7XBFdmCPKH4/VwP5v1bjnOI/AAAAAAAADX8/JNLziD-lDvQF6pXGr6vEQ2mf0pl8s-gIg/s400/sunset-April-1-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KWCnjwcELWA/VwP5_5LZepI/AAAAAAAADYA/vaaczqBMct0cYPrQLPsRgiU9d2w23R8Lg/s1600/swatch-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KWCnjwcELWA/VwP5_5LZepI/AAAAAAAADYA/vaaczqBMct0cYPrQLPsRgiU9d2w23R8Lg/s400/swatch-web.jpg" width="325" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IG6sxCDlUH8/VwP5v-TSvaI/AAAAAAAADX4/ZfodLFLzJd41V3wtEYN_aCn-1D2EXtBbw/s1600/sunset-April-1---2-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IG6sxCDlUH8/VwP5v-TSvaI/AAAAAAAADX4/ZfodLFLzJd41V3wtEYN_aCn-1D2EXtBbw/s400/sunset-April-1---2-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-41271995149813553902016-03-22T19:33:00.002-04:002016-03-22T19:34:17.454-04:00yarn porn for the first week of Spring<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1i_a1wBGNno/VvHWOx_nnxI/AAAAAAAADXU/Dq9qjM9bp_EE5SxFMY7_nUQfCkJsbQH8w/s1600/carnival%2Bof%2Byarn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1i_a1wBGNno/VvHWOx_nnxI/AAAAAAAADXU/Dq9qjM9bp_EE5SxFMY7_nUQfCkJsbQH8w/s400/carnival%2Bof%2Byarn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-91296883990532798692016-03-18T13:13:00.002-04:002016-03-18T20:56:45.813-04:00I'm sorry, Spellcheck, but 'pompom' really IS all one wordThe pompoms from my <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/03/bluebird-on-my-head.html" target="_blank">latest hat</a> are so cute and such a source of maker's pride that I decided they deserved their own post . While writing it, I nearly yielded to my spellchecker's insistence that <i>pompom </i>should be written as two separate <i>pom</i>s. But social media has taught me skepticism, so I hopped over to Dictionary.com before I made any changes. Hah! <i>Pompom</i> it is and shall remain! (Unless I feel fancy and go with the equally correct <i>pompon</i>.)<br />
<br />
Now that I'm done arguing with my computer, I bring you the happy little yarn puffs:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-on7eYLqVBhs/VuwytAlhwlI/AAAAAAAADWs/jGdPMOulwkUO3VAhC8mYDjmdMJUwBX8KA/s1600/pompoms-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-on7eYLqVBhs/VuwytAlhwlI/AAAAAAAADWs/jGdPMOulwkUO3VAhC8mYDjmdMJUwBX8KA/s400/pompoms-web.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">happy little yarn puffs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I planned to blog about the poms <i>before</i> I blogged about the hat, but life intervened, and now the whole process post idea seems a bit drab. Suffice it to say I learned three things:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1. Pompoms use a LOT of yarn.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
2. Pompoms do not grow back, so one must take care with the scissors when trimming them to shape. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Corollary: Sometimes a flat spot is best ignored.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
3. Pompoms can make a heckuva mess. Trim them in an easily swept-up spot. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Corollary: Do not not trim over your computer keyboard, your contrasting-color wool sweater, or your lunch. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Note: The pompoms, while delightfully plump and plush, are now measurably smaller than they were in the photo above.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--pqoY4hRBjc/Vuw2COoPo2I/AAAAAAAADW4/D2d1afsFfS8ZDEBSwILvmQ3T78Z2eWCnw/s1600/pompom--fuzz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--pqoY4hRBjc/Vuw2COoPo2I/AAAAAAAADW4/D2d1afsFfS8ZDEBSwILvmQ3T78Z2eWCnw/s400/pompom--fuzz.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you don't want this in your lunch<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I really can't wait to make pompoms again!</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-31876897116079031062016-03-18T09:30:00.002-04:002016-07-12T20:59:25.248-04:00bluebird on my headI wanted another hat. This desire fell well outside my recent hat obsession (no really, it did!), because this was a specific hat-want. I wanted a lightweight-but-not-too-light hat, for springtime birding and dog-walking.<br />
<br />
I have several much-loved hats in my collection, but all of them are designed for cold weather. This hat would be for chilly weather, transitional weather, the kind of weather where you can go without a coat if you wear the right sort of hat.<br />
<br />
I wanted it to sit lightly on my head--no squeezing--to minimize sweating and to avoid smooshing my hair, because this hat is likely to be taken off as the day warms up. An earflap hat seemed the perfect solution. Earflaps warm the ears without having to pull the hat way way down on the forehead, and the hat can fit loosely because the flaps and strings act as counterweight, employing gravity (rather than squeezing) to hold it on the head. Yes! Light but not too light--probably sport weight. (Fingering weight would be too light.) And cute! It had to be cute as well as functional. Cables seemed the obvious choice, since colorwork with its double layers would be too warm, and lace has holes, which I've always thought a poor choice for a hat.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_gXV20aBoY/Vuv_2AD2vfI/AAAAAAAADWE/kO2lPnl5dBMtqgBdz-LHKpzLV1YtgXtKw/s1600/glass-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_gXV20aBoY/Vuv_2AD2vfI/AAAAAAAADWE/kO2lPnl5dBMtqgBdz-LHKpzLV1YtgXtKw/s400/glass-web.jpg" width="278" /></a><br />
So:<br />
Sport weight (which I achieved by holding heavy lace weight double).<br />
Earflaps (with nice long strings ending in pompoms, for even more counterweight).<br />
Cables (really cool organic-looking cables, with even more mini-cables worked into the ribbing).<br />
Turquoise (this wasn't an official criterion, but I only ever seem to wear the turquoise hats).<br />
<br />
And this is the hat!----------------><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/into-trees" target="_blank">Into Trees</a> by <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">Hanna Maciejewska. I had to make some modifications, of course, because I <strike>can't leave a pattern alone</strike> loved the look of the hat but not the intended tight fit. The pattern is written with 3 1/2 inches of negative ease, and I just didn't want a hat that squeezy </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">(but I must call down many, many blessings on this designer for including that information in her pattern description!). I simply knitted one size larger than I needed, opened up the gauge just slightly, and I had the perfect hat! I also made it shorter than the pattern, because I didn't want a slouchy top to pull it backwards off my head.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">The yarn is Posh Yarn Lucia Heavy Lace, held double to approximate sport weight. </span><a href="http://www.poshyarn.co.uk/" style="font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Posh Yarn</a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">is fabulous luxury yarn from indie dyers Dee and Tony Bamford. Every color is one of a kind, the bases are superb, and it's hard not to buy them all. This color is called Bluebird.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px;">If you would like to know more about the pompoms (c'mon, you know you do!), you may read about them in <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/03/im-sorry-spellcheck-but-pompom-really.html" target="_blank">their very own post</a>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lFrcn-o7aMI/VuwCRuNtQaI/AAAAAAAADWU/jrSSUITBBGoZK0gZs9elDECAFiJEtVDcw/s1600/model%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lFrcn-o7aMI/VuwCRuNtQaI/AAAAAAAADWU/jrSSUITBBGoZK0gZs9elDECAFiJEtVDcw/s400/model%2B1.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>I love this hat!!!</i> I've already worn it three times.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hz-mXpsowkE/VuwCRga6ePI/AAAAAAAADWQ/iXB1ANSGHzw23ec3aVcBxiHYc-e-eD6CA/s1600/model%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hz-mXpsowkE/VuwCRga6ePI/AAAAAAAADWQ/iXB1ANSGHzw23ec3aVcBxiHYc-e-eD6CA/s400/model%2B2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-60625486321568145762016-03-12T16:09:00.000-05:002016-03-12T19:35:19.411-05:00drumroll, please<h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><b>aaaand.....glamour shots!</b></span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--_CEPomrcU8/VuSE_HWB00I/AAAAAAAADUY/DhsYz-8JzIMb5HV2j9uIi_MXGx5t2OTmA/s1600/glamour-3-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--_CEPomrcU8/VuSE_HWB00I/AAAAAAAADUY/DhsYz-8JzIMb5HV2j9uIi_MXGx5t2OTmA/s640/glamour-3-web.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBUWM9la6MY/VuSE_RdZiDI/AAAAAAAADUg/NZCbotTcSG8mh9K2dRbkoHgP3AOa1JtsQ/s1600/glamour-2-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBUWM9la6MY/VuSE_RdZiDI/AAAAAAAADUg/NZCbotTcSG8mh9K2dRbkoHgP3AOa1JtsQ/s400/glamour-2-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j5XwEawmYts/VuSE_fPGSgI/AAAAAAAADUc/HYob-4V60RII7-7VjEZHEBjwZFRaaizHA/s1600/glamour-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j5XwEawmYts/VuSE_fPGSgI/AAAAAAAADUc/HYob-4V60RII7-7VjEZHEBjwZFRaaizHA/s640/glamour-1-web.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The pattern is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/non-troppo" target="_blank">non troppo</a> wrap by Åsa Tricosa. The darker yarn is Wollemeise Lace-garn in Petit Posion Dark WD--the second half of my very first skein of Wollmeise! The lighter yarn is Posh Yarn Chloe. Chloe has lovely silver sparkles, but they don't show up in photos.</div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-19553231150630135802016-03-09T12:04:00.000-05:002016-03-12T19:36:27.899-05:00so very doneSitting here feeling bereft. Last night I finished the big troublesome stripey <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/03/reading-and-counting.html" target="_blank">mindless knitting project</a>. I blocked it this morning. ("Blocked," you ask? "Blocked," I repeat. Perhaps it's time for me to get started on our Glossary of Knitting Terms for the Uninitiated.)<br />
<br />
So it's done. All 1,607 yards of it. All .9 miles of it. All 154 stripes of it. All 99 knitted inches of it. Done.<br />
<br />
<i>I don't have anything else on the needles.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Here's the leftover yarn, looking slightly angst-ridden on the windowsill. Coffee cup for scale.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSPEL_Pfv_8/VuBXD7OneDI/AAAAAAAADT8/4UFM5ZyJi0Q/s1600/little-balls-of-yarn-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSPEL_Pfv_8/VuBXD7OneDI/AAAAAAAADT8/4UFM5ZyJi0Q/s640/little-balls-of-yarn-web.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'll share some glamour shots when it's dry.</div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-36965864318824199972016-03-08T16:11:00.002-05:002016-03-08T16:11:44.571-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EcPIDIUjWCk/Vt8_x3yX4UI/AAAAAAAADTk/ONPxwvvFjbg/s1600/cool%2Bcats%2BBernie%2BSanders.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EcPIDIUjWCk/Vt8_x3yX4UI/AAAAAAAADTk/ONPxwvvFjbg/s400/cool%2Bcats%2BBernie%2BSanders.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-69531347845257682322016-03-07T13:46:00.000-05:002016-03-11T10:31:05.330-05:00reading and countingReading and counting: I've been doing both for years. I have an undergraduate degree in English, which demonstrates a modicum of reading ability, and as for counting, well, I have a full complement of fingers and toes. And yet.<br />
<br />
<br />
I've been working on this knitting project. Of course I'm always working on a knitting project, but this is a particular one, the one that is currently my mindless knitting project. A mindless knitting project, dear uninitiated reader, is one that goes on forever, is easily memorized, and can be knitted while having a conversation or even while reading. Most knitters have at least one of these on the go at all times. (It's the<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/non-troppo" target="_blank"> non troppo wrap</a> by Åsa Tricosa in case you want to knit one of your own.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M04aqPZ4ibM/Vt24qFte4gI/AAAAAAAADSI/S81KsvCJajQ/s1600/wip-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M04aqPZ4ibM/Vt24qFte4gI/AAAAAAAADSI/S81KsvCJajQ/s320/wip-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">decent approximation </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It feels like I started this a year or two ago, but it was actually December 2015. I wasn't knitting on it regularly, but every few days I'd pick it up and knit some stripes. It appeared to be growing at a respectable rate, and it was oh so glowingly pretty! I had to keep stopping to stretch out the knitting and gaze at the play of color across the two gently variegated yarns. (I waste a lot of knitting time gazing at my work. It's one of the hazards of knitting.)<br />
<br />
<i>My camera has a hard time with colors in the red-violet range, but this pic isn't bad. You'll have to invite me over if you want to see it in person.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
I was happy with my progress until I recalled how long the finished object was supposed to be. 122 stripes. Yes, 122. A lot of stripes. The stripe pattern is written out in an eight-row sequence, with four rows of each color making up a full pattern repeat, so when I started counting stripes, I counted two for one. It takes about an hour to knit one eight-row sequence. You can probably do the math here. I'm a fairly quick knitter, but this was starting to look like a multi-year project. (I tend not to enjoy multi-year projects.) But I kept knitting. And knitting. And knitting. And I kept seeing other people posting photos of their finished non troppo wraps on Ravelry, while mine hardly seemed to grow at all. Well, the wrap was growing. The stripe count was stubbornly resistant.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YPPbzc0KJ98/Vt3JyeX_FMI/AAAAAAAADSc/caTAN0YLph0/s1600/wip-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YPPbzc0KJ98/Vt3JyeX_FMI/AAAAAAAADSc/caTAN0YLph0/s320/wip-2.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stubbornly resistant stripes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One night, after hours of knitting added just a tiny increment to my stripe count, I posted a <i>cris de couer</i> on my Ravelry project page. <i>This is ridiculous, </i>I wailed<i>. When will I ever finish? How are other people knitting one, two and even three of these monsters while I languish here, fingers cramped and shoulders knotted, my stripes barely into the double digits?!!!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
The thing is, I have trouble with numbers. Words are my friends, but numbers...not so much. I'm not even all that good at counting, despite my full complement of fingers and toes. Ever tried to count a flock of birds in flight? That's what numbers are like to me, even when they're sitting still. They just can't be trusted. So when I count my knitting, I count it two or three times and then I go and look at someone else's photos of the same project and count theirs, just to be sure.<br />
<br />
<br />
So that's what I did. And that's when I realized: I was counting just fine.<i> </i>The <i>words </i>had betrayed me.<i> </i>Yes, the pattern is written in an eight-row sequence...but the stripes are counted as they appear, four rows of one color, then four rows of the other. Eight rows=TWO stripes. TWO. I had twice as many stripes as I thought I had. Glory Hallelujah, I was going to finish this wrap!<br />
<br />
<br />
I really ought to end this tale with a stunning photo series of the finished project. It's just that I haven't finished it quite yet. Once I got the stripe count under control, I decided to <i>make it longer</i>. Yes, you heard me correctly. I traded my despair for madness and I'm still knitting. But it'll be finished soon enough, and it. will. be. glorious.<br />
<br />
Knitter's honor.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-py4AzjLJ_k0/Vt3K92VpQKI/AAAAAAAADSg/SUnn_6zs2Qs/s1600/is%2Bit%2Blong%2Benough%2Byet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-py4AzjLJ_k0/Vt3K92VpQKI/AAAAAAAADSg/SUnn_6zs2Qs/s400/is%2Bit%2Blong%2Benough%2Byet.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">is it long enough yet?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-61672633484960529722016-03-02T11:09:00.003-05:002016-07-12T21:28:29.290-04:00I hate to call myself a sewer, but 'sewist' sounds stupidWastewater removal system or precious momblogger moniker aside, sewing is my new thing. I acquired a sewing machine a couple years ago, via a swap for a mulching lawnmower (it was a Craftsman, but I still got the better of the deal. Thanks, Sara!). It took me about a year to get over my fear of it (an incident with a bobbin in 8th grade Home Ec class that I won't go into now), but then one day I really needed to use it, so I did. I found the manual for my 1960s-era machine online, and then a YouTube video where a sweet-voiced Canadian lady walked me through every step of winding the scary bobbin and threading the seemingly unthreadable machine. And it worked! By golly, it worked!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zvAlERKywJc/VtcKNz_8M0I/AAAAAAAADPU/DScegi0-JTA/s1600/cut-bright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zvAlERKywJc/VtcKNz_8M0I/AAAAAAAADPU/DScegi0-JTA/s200/cut-bright.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">freshly-cut knitting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The inaugural run for my newly threaded machine was to machine-reinforce the knitting before I cut a steek...which, for the uninitiated, means I knit a sweater as a tube, then cut it open.. Yes, I used scissors to <i>cut the knitting. </i>But because I had first reinforced on either side of the cut with my marvelous machine,<i> nothing bad happened</i>. A pullover quietly became a cardigan.<br />
<br />
But that's a story for another post. This post is about Kim the Sewer. (Yeah, see, that just doesn't look right.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G2P6S9Ok3Uw/VtcKm7QH_bI/AAAAAAAADPc/ByYVi8FGjgs/s1600/Thanksgiving-2015-web-bright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G2P6S9Ok3Uw/VtcKm7QH_bI/AAAAAAAADPc/ByYVi8FGjgs/s200/Thanksgiving-2015-web-bright.jpg" width="150" /></a>Once I conquered the dreaded winding-of-the-bobbin and threading-of-the-machine, there was no stopping me. When I decided I needed matching tablecloths and cloth napkins for the two tables at which I would seat 14 people for a Friendsgiving dinner in my 875 square foot house, <i>I</i> <i>made them</i>.<br />
<br />
(See? You <i>can </i>seat 14 people for dinner in an 875 sq ft house! We'll focus on the success of the social occasion and ignore the fact that I don't have a dishwasher nor count the hours it took me to finish washing<i> all those wineglasses</i>.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
When I wanted a cute little project bag in very specific colors for a non-holiday holiday swap on Ravelry, <i>I</i> <i>made one.</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--PmY3aY6uA8/VtcIBak4Q7I/AAAAAAAADPA/MIHJ3-PNq0A/s1600/seafriend-bag-2-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--PmY3aY6uA8/VtcIBak4Q7I/AAAAAAAADPA/MIHJ3-PNq0A/s320/seafriend-bag-2-web.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Then I made another one, as a prize for a Ravelry KAL (knit-along, for the uninitiated. Just how many uninitiated folks are reading this thing anyhow?) I liked this one so much I hopped online and ordered another yard of the bird fabric. Birds make me happy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5XVY66oqXvI/VtcIizt6P-I/AAAAAAAADPE/PgNnnPCZCdA/s1600/CDH-prize-2-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5XVY66oqXvI/VtcIizt6P-I/AAAAAAAADPE/PgNnnPCZCdA/s320/CDH-prize-2-web.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I went on to make some zip bags. These look like cute little purses, but I'll be using them as poopy bags. Well, I'll be using them to <i>carry</i> poopy bags when walking the dogs, because it's always nice to pretty up the poopy bags.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'll admit, it was a thrill to install a working zipper. I couldn't quite believe I had done it.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aOlYyJhZ__w/VtcLplSblCI/AAAAAAAADPo/1aNwblPiLFo/s1600/flowered-poopy-bag-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aOlYyJhZ__w/VtcLplSblCI/AAAAAAAADPo/1aNwblPiLFo/s320/flowered-poopy-bag-1.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty poopy bag 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NpkZYuSGOUA/VtcLprSwQJI/AAAAAAAADPk/XSNaVi07dE8/s1600/Sally%2527s-bag-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NpkZYuSGOUA/VtcLprSwQJI/AAAAAAAADPk/XSNaVi07dE8/s320/Sally%2527s-bag-web.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty poopy bag 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Then I made <a href="http://kimdenise.blogspot.com/2016/02/today-i-made-bunny.html" target="_blank">the bunny</a>. I'm in the process of making several more bunnies for my knitting-group pals, because they <i>lurved</i> the bunny. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So I guess that makes me a sewer now. I've been reading about sewing, watching videos about sewing, and sewing sewing sewing. And, of course, <i>buying fabric,</i> because every good maker has her stash.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sewing is a GREAT complement to knitting. It's fast. You can turn out a finished object in an afternoon, which is quite a thrill for someone accustomed to taking a week or a month or even a year to finish certain knitted projects. I love creating things that have utility (which is mostly why I stopped painting), and sewing adds a huge new dimension to the making of useful things. Plus, you can sew the knitting before you cut it, and the knitting stays knitted. That's pretty miraculous just by itself.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I want to sew all the things.</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(By the way, I replaced that mulching mower with a rechargeable electric one. The lawn still gets mowed.)</span>kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-86363037464378206842016-02-19T21:01:00.001-05:002016-02-19T21:01:41.280-05:00today I made a bunny<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PkEoVtT-Ozo/VsfIO1tE0eI/AAAAAAAADKU/LD0kJv73N_o/s1600/first-bunny-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PkEoVtT-Ozo/VsfIO1tE0eI/AAAAAAAADKU/LD0kJv73N_o/s1600/first-bunny-1-web.jpg" /></a>I'm a novice at the sewing machine, so despite the<a href="http://www.sewmamasew.com/2014/03/spring-bunny-tutorial/" target="_blank"> outstanding tutorial </a>this bunny was a challenge. <br />
<br />
There was a certain amount of presser-foot-wrestling, a couple of miscut pieces, some tense seam ripping, and I may have shouted my favorite foul phrase (the one that makes my mother blanch) more than once.<br />
<br />
In the end, I found myself with a cute new friend and a bunch of new skills.<br />
<br />
I'll need to make a few more.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D96mYrJXIts/VsfIO2nt84I/AAAAAAAADKc/6xo4tvueiB8/s1600/first-bunny-4-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D96mYrJXIts/VsfIO2nt84I/AAAAAAAADKc/6xo4tvueiB8/s1600/first-bunny-4-web.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BVPijaKpDuU/VsfIO3ZyktI/AAAAAAAADKY/18mUaj9uzWs/s1600/first-bunny-5-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BVPijaKpDuU/VsfIO3ZyktI/AAAAAAAADKY/18mUaj9uzWs/s1600/first-bunny-5-web.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20232122.post-82866538263984031742016-02-02T15:00:00.003-05:002016-02-02T15:10:15.198-05:00the joy of yarnThis came today. Welsh yarn via Germany from my Ravelry friend Sabine.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EA9XJR-Pi3o/VrEKp8c3jKI/AAAAAAAADHw/XrQaz4XohMQ/s1600/pile-of-lace-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EA9XJR-Pi3o/VrEKp8c3jKI/AAAAAAAADHw/XrQaz4XohMQ/s400/pile-of-lace-2.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
All laceweight, all pure silk or silk/cashmere/merino blend. Cheered me right up!kim denisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13755145581029549089noreply@blogger.com