tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22999712580162983092024-03-13T05:04:30.537-07:00spinningleavesIn which I chronicle my life as a rabid knitter and spinnerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-33112297989680987902010-09-03T12:04:00.001-07:002010-09-03T12:08:41.244-07:00I'm not deadJust moving. Trying to wrap up LOTS of things in the next few weeks, so posting...and, for that matter knitting, have really slowed down. I promise lots of goodies when we are in our new digs. Until then, here's a little fun thing I discovered.<br /><br /><img src="http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=t&chs=440x220&chtm=usa&chf=bg,s,336699&chco=d0d0d0,cc0000&chd=s:9999999999999999999999999999999999999999&chld=AZARCACOCTDEFLGAILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMSMOMTNHNJNMNYNCOHOKORPARISCTNTXUTVTVAWVALWYNV" height="220" width="440" /><br />visited 40 states (80%)<br /><a href="http://douweosinga.com/projects/visited?region=usa">Create your own visited map of The United States</a><br /><br />Very cool project! I may be wrong about the Dakotas and the upper Midwest, as we might have gone there as kids, but I don't remember them. Clearly I have some travellin' to do...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-25411430047206928492010-06-16T13:22:00.000-07:002010-06-16T13:24:37.271-07:00Makin' with da pretties<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApRH8EwIsRHrzKtePssW-b3PeF7gNaLXomAFfy330JGRJLXLucqyUNtreESexNGUP9Jj5KbDgqKpZ38bfAYl77GxBhYEhTPUu6AkW0Ma66gtLjl6i64QzjylJuDnslJZMWv0Rca1eIcc/s1600/black+shell+closeup1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApRH8EwIsRHrzKtePssW-b3PeF7gNaLXomAFfy330JGRJLXLucqyUNtreESexNGUP9Jj5KbDgqKpZ38bfAYl77GxBhYEhTPUu6AkW0Ma66gtLjl6i64QzjylJuDnslJZMWv0Rca1eIcc/s320/black+shell+closeup1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483469915236317154" border="0" /></a><br />I'm happy. Yarn 100% bamboo, size 8 circs, Roko's mods on Fathom Harvill's fabulous Coachella pattern. I may never take this off.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-65014550142387125432010-05-28T09:34:00.001-07:002010-05-28T10:10:45.213-07:00better now<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3R2BB9nt-ZEr3jPqVuod6B54Kgh9LPMIJI-JDQsV0PYmRy3JJhk_l_v2WuO3nEoH_LoqO90eqzfX6pyHAANSapwghmrdvKAR7BxQI04qeQl8yUNk2I7EftZONdSAkj4Z9WE0myTiK70/s1600/cap+shawl+glamour+shot+cropped+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3R2BB9nt-ZEr3jPqVuod6B54Kgh9LPMIJI-JDQsV0PYmRy3JJhk_l_v2WuO3nEoH_LoqO90eqzfX6pyHAANSapwghmrdvKAR7BxQI04qeQl8yUNk2I7EftZONdSAkj4Z9WE0myTiK70/s320/cap+shawl+glamour+shot+cropped+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476360791306209410" border="0" /></a><br />Just tell me it doesn't look like a giant doily/doilie and I'll be ok. I promise.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HFsucTEei-kVg_s5DowOeKoRnPgVIDYOoKt3v5EQAOsZUZXWJ2a-zjN7DnR8R6GI_LQAbEKeCZjm7mCirzNUVJTarqKV_vEm3tThyphenhyphen273_vGP_F0ReACFkxqm_T-anjZmLAyvSRqgOnI/s1600/cap+shawl+glamour+shot+cropped1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HFsucTEei-kVg_s5DowOeKoRnPgVIDYOoKt3v5EQAOsZUZXWJ2a-zjN7DnR8R6GI_LQAbEKeCZjm7mCirzNUVJTarqKV_vEm3tThyphenhyphen273_vGP_F0ReACFkxqm_T-anjZmLAyvSRqgOnI/s320/cap+shawl+glamour+shot+cropped1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476360506371220562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpwdMIAx4g8hN3otdhWgN_ZP9Uz_kvtgz7uyaRwssqQbBAhTbIkDdrZpV97-clqwBlIzdsWYxVRK7WLb9rxjxPkyHmRlDkVgnYwKUJxHCKm2GWxAuCZ2JVBTXmai4nDQApYvIw1HfCD8/s1600/cap+shawl+glamour+shot+cropped+2.jpg"><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-11565350220145872972010-05-27T08:03:00.000-07:002010-05-27T08:11:32.286-07:0013 days and a birthday surprise preview<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XQTJxUMb4JwEvMzOjVDT5BJEOEvNQC7WhaQ9HVBn-TtYkEOMc2q5CxOQByaaslXmNFqm-7NcjGn4mWRyk9MA2xwJ9msPNarvRZs0v2wPEUSxqvn-4sVvHtvXTWJyZalhMtq3FtYkPMY/s1600/cap+shawl3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 383px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XQTJxUMb4JwEvMzOjVDT5BJEOEvNQC7WhaQ9HVBn-TtYkEOMc2q5CxOQByaaslXmNFqm-7NcjGn4mWRyk9MA2xwJ9msPNarvRZs0v2wPEUSxqvn-4sVvHtvXTWJyZalhMtq3FtYkPMY/s400/cap+shawl3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475966466036993186" border="0" /></a><br />HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINK!<br /><br />stats: 1000 (or so) yards of filitura oro merino in red+#2 addi turbo lace needles+13 days, lots of love=The cap shawl from <span style="font-style: italic;">Victorian Lace Today</span>, 45" diameter<br />Better pics later, but it's blocking now. Of the many errors in this shawl we will not speak, for it is filled with love...and holes...but mostly love.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0igYSmx5KNK_cBFzOApCMwOlzHIgYSn9s__ogzZ7pu4VGP8ickOHDmVP218YHF3MAwl1dJkZDgwEv45XJKGONjiEInssAbrfyFRNMYhDziaa0T0uzE2CfkfpaFkxaRmI59xT_2U_V77k/s1600/cap+shawl3.jpg"><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-61390087261601650002010-04-01T17:35:00.000-07:002010-04-02T06:37:20.134-07:00Shiny!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHT_SJEiPo-7_ZDhCI5BVqEoyDfM69ZY2SR7t6J42jg8TAoJQwERI5rKDTeCgWqtwXDiFqorSEximOofDgcmhIN50DH95OyMrACmHrEGuWC62VF5bAjlyEsiJs9ULnNUr7dqw8OXoZGXw/s1600/bird+button+ravatar.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHT_SJEiPo-7_ZDhCI5BVqEoyDfM69ZY2SR7t6J42jg8TAoJQwERI5rKDTeCgWqtwXDiFqorSEximOofDgcmhIN50DH95OyMrACmHrEGuWC62VF5bAjlyEsiJs9ULnNUr7dqw8OXoZGXw/s200/bird+button+ravatar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455332707431804562" border="0" /></a><br />Waaay back when we went to Maine, my dear friend talked me into trying lost-wax casting. I thought I would give it a try since I had studied it but never done it and she produced such great results. Buttons seemed like the best idea, given my yarny obsession. Since I'm also currently infatuated with birds, silhouettes, and elegant graphics, this came out. I wish I had a photo of the wax version, since the contrasts in form and material were quite striking. While there are lots of little imperfections (due to my being overly prissy with design in some areas and lack of expertise in others...note to self: clean up edges better), I don't think it totally sucks. When I learned how much it would cost to have them cast in silver, however, I had to abandon fond hopes of my little birds gracing a sweater any time soon. My sweet gf, however, had the mold made just in case. As an early graduation present (read: incentive to finish the diss), my friend cast six of them for me in silver and surprised me with them a couple of weekends ago. I cannot express how much my little magpie heart adores them. I have to stop myself from holding the entire set in my hands just to feel their smooth weight and to see their matte surfaces winking gently back at me. Thanks again to my sweetheart and my lovely amiga. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptpb2vfYAQ9Zgl6RmydA8JV-tcCD0ai03tnifXge6gbroxWMwIGqKGPdaWRpRz-AINfaKylV8NmND0y96-yMyV_hJiHB7SDaDEAm5bCbjReSKGgm9MTOC-GwNWKX7VVvlYlRQev0pyTc/s1600/bird+buttons+and+scarf+004.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptpb2vfYAQ9Zgl6RmydA8JV-tcCD0ai03tnifXge6gbroxWMwIGqKGPdaWRpRz-AINfaKylV8NmND0y96-yMyV_hJiHB7SDaDEAm5bCbjReSKGgm9MTOC-GwNWKX7VVvlYlRQev0pyTc/s200/bird+buttons+and+scarf+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455333152703062994" border="0" /></a>Now I just have to design an appropriate sweater. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptpb2vfYAQ9Zgl6RmydA8JV-tcCD0ai03tnifXge6gbroxWMwIGqKGPdaWRpRz-AINfaKylV8NmND0y96-yMyV_hJiHB7SDaDEAm5bCbjReSKGgm9MTOC-GwNWKX7VVvlYlRQev0pyTc/s1600/bird+buttons+and+scarf+004.jpg"><br /></a><br />In other news, I've finished a few things but have been quite lax about posting. So in no apparent order, here are: <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCn5X2YelcTJ4V9By1CpGPs_lWKwwHoyKqyLDY2ucIKTRgJWpgFnKE9nAONxAdmZN454w8YishL_7iPiQbOAO0CfRj1758IRlOQqwEmKZv2X7d9jS8kIO2PLn3BDjwSNZ9u3yu7DIs-Y/s1600/bird+buttons+and+scarf+006.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCn5X2YelcTJ4V9By1CpGPs_lWKwwHoyKqyLDY2ucIKTRgJWpgFnKE9nAONxAdmZN454w8YishL_7iPiQbOAO0CfRj1758IRlOQqwEmKZv2X7d9jS8kIO2PLn3BDjwSNZ9u3yu7DIs-Y/s200/bird+buttons+and+scarf+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455333795962151138" border="0" /></a>Glitterati, a scarf based on Crazy Aunt Purl's design. It helped me use up all sorts of odds and ends with what I think is a quite fun result. Fringe is awesome!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesn72mk67xmO2k7aZsnD8HqWl_pjF55E79d7zA_nJpQX-_tA9fEZBP13CG-IG6sAlvL6vhUCnPzqKIeWCe6uIy0V8MiNV9zg0kF83ykHaiv6wKRxayqk0dm08KGeth9qEk1oH6EonXwA/s1600/wrought+closeup1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesn72mk67xmO2k7aZsnD8HqWl_pjF55E79d7zA_nJpQX-_tA9fEZBP13CG-IG6sAlvL6vhUCnPzqKIeWCe6uIy0V8MiNV9zg0kF83ykHaiv6wKRxayqk0dm08KGeth9qEk1oH6EonXwA/s200/wrought+closeup1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455334186634846354" border="0" /></a>Wrought, a cowl-necked sweater with leafy detailing at cuffs and collar that I came up with on the fly. Cascade Eco-wool on size 8 needles. The yarn was a gift from my mum. It makes me think of fresh wrought iron, hence the name.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgIfGnSNqdZRxkVHgtL_pYeC0GjF1Zhn3LflTkm7gdCHlPqJqaOr8fNtboCQvVHtBGbNEe8a3ovIfBEejGskG9Rk-7d007-PcuL-N7gx1zies7JBuzqkoMqzGtapJRAU8HkQeqi0FZKc/s1600/Hazy3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzgIfGnSNqdZRxkVHgtL_pYeC0GjF1Zhn3LflTkm7gdCHlPqJqaOr8fNtboCQvVHtBGbNEe8a3ovIfBEejGskG9Rk-7d007-PcuL-N7gx1zies7JBuzqkoMqzGtapJRAU8HkQeqi0FZKc/s200/Hazy3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455334772214378002" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, meet Hazy, a small shoulder shawl I designed as a costume piece based on Kiri and Icarus, two shawls I adore. Knit from Rowan Kidsilk Haze (name derived from said yarn and the lovely halo it produces in the finished object that always makes me think of soft-focus 1960s home movies) that I bought in Chester this past summer. I wore this all winter as a neck warmer.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPq91k743cs7pe_wac5zqkBfHMrgmweq8X0cpAtG2b2xfohRi_wgr_WH40mu6VJx-bWKgu7ElqLYGX2Ai8t9Wl1kX_mYgs62D9PFfUiUxKchowJFfjv_oIpV03mInhfAvX4iZRdUjx3I/s1600/Hazy2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPq91k743cs7pe_wac5zqkBfHMrgmweq8X0cpAtG2b2xfohRi_wgr_WH40mu6VJx-bWKgu7ElqLYGX2Ai8t9Wl1kX_mYgs62D9PFfUiUxKchowJFfjv_oIpV03mInhfAvX4iZRdUjx3I/s200/Hazy2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455335307045331890" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-74934693554655772422010-03-06T13:26:00.000-08:002010-03-06T13:40:01.479-08:00Push itButtons can make a sweater, or can kill it deader than road pancakes. Case in point: My surface sweater from last year. Faboo pattern, great yarn, I worked like hell on it for more than a month and then promptly destroyed it with the wrong buttons. I haven't fixed it yet, but I need to. soon. Second case in point, my newest sweater Juno:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvg09QcCrfmk6wvVIYBcizUXzhRQ811RYgpfYzJFSH0bqt9zQ6WsN5uPLpo1ExC4Xxs0CPWc5oF1q5JqnSlKxxCiSvbRQw76L8Rux5ggMpzYuf8OqH8_Jf5YKuG2O8T8X7hNK_VRR3Urc/s1600-h/juno+done6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvg09QcCrfmk6wvVIYBcizUXzhRQ811RYgpfYzJFSH0bqt9zQ6WsN5uPLpo1ExC4Xxs0CPWc5oF1q5JqnSlKxxCiSvbRQw76L8Rux5ggMpzYuf8OqH8_Jf5YKuG2O8T8X7hNK_VRR3Urc/s400/juno+done6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445637276341046210" border="0" /></a>I had been waiting to post about this sweater because I just could not find the right buttons. They couldn't be too shiny, too bright, too anything that would distract from the fabulousness of the collar and the yarn...mmmmmmm debbie bliss silk alpaca...mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Ahem. Right, so I waited for nearly a month, looking, looking, and finally found the PERFECT buttons while shopping for buttons for the Olympic sweater. It took trips to three stores before I gave up and went to JoAnns. I'm so glad I did. They were having a 50% off sale and I got these for a song. And they are Goldilocks buttons: juuuuust right.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvONdZBWnizmIZOwTXfM618LTuu5Hwi4h3vARhhQcUGdix0-gjXYzP7-JsL4303YFDxo3Z0HyQTcq0eHyhXvQN5pY44gsa1L_qfvInB0SMVjgxIXGLTk9JZ8pV3_gurYEtMXH55kmx08/s1600-h/juno+button.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvONdZBWnizmIZOwTXfM618LTuu5Hwi4h3vARhhQcUGdix0-gjXYzP7-JsL4303YFDxo3Z0HyQTcq0eHyhXvQN5pY44gsa1L_qfvInB0SMVjgxIXGLTk9JZ8pV3_gurYEtMXH55kmx08/s200/juno+button.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445637455507033058" border="0" /></a>See what I mean? Matte copper, simple, craftsman-like pseudo handmade detailing (i.e. fake hammering marks and scribing), not perfectly round. I think they match the aesthetic of this pattern. It is my urban fairytale sweater. I wear it constantly, usually with jeans and boots, and feel really quite stupendous in it. All thanks to my sister, who gave me this delicious yarn for the holidays. Thanks Sis, you made this possible!!!!!<br />This is my third sweater of the year and I'm half-way through my fourth...pics to follow, right now it's deadly boring stockinette...in black. I may be doing a sweater a month this year, whether I planned it or not.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-23224755299201056652010-03-01T06:29:00.000-08:002010-03-01T06:56:26.746-08:00So close!Deathmarch fail!<br />Olympic sweater fail! I came so very, very close. They extinguished the torch as I was crocheting on the button band of my unblocked but completed sweater last night. I had two buttonholes to go. Granted, I hadn't woven in the ends or blocked it or even tried the thing on yet, but I got SO *&^%$#$%^& close!!! My dear, sweet, adorable GF made me this button for the blog:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5e_k7zBXQ2Gh0P7HHR9xAKS71IQ3dN0PC1JngiojRGopNLBiJBoAWuqhqhzs6qsrZoDbMkLBpdPk0FdvqOHwfW3fEKCd0AWDXtnqdmjnarFQxQ7Ne5ZeATGuBkq3SbPU21NDnhwDXfk/s1600-h/knitolympics2010+silver.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5e_k7zBXQ2Gh0P7HHR9xAKS71IQ3dN0PC1JngiojRGopNLBiJBoAWuqhqhzs6qsrZoDbMkLBpdPk0FdvqOHwfW3fEKCd0AWDXtnqdmjnarFQxQ7Ne5ZeATGuBkq3SbPU21NDnhwDXfk/s400/knitolympics2010+silver.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443674722532209746" border="0" /></a>So I AM the luckiest girl in the world. She even let me get away with mac & cheese with left-over pot roast for dinner last night to let me try and finish the sweater. The reason I got so close and didn't get the gold was the damn steek. It was my first steek ever and I may never do this again. Ok, I'm lying. It's pretty damn cool as a process. But you have to get the crochet stitches much, much tighter than I did to make it work. I crocheted, I took several deep breaths, I put the sweater down for an hour, and then I cut. Everything looked great (no pictures b/c I was working too fast at this point to stop and find the camera), and then I tried to pick up stitches for the I-cord button band. All went well until we got to the yoke. Then stitches started popping out of the steek. My heart almost stopped. Seriously, all that work and this is how it was going to go down?!!? After much crying and several failed attempts to stop the yarn bleeding I gave up. I put the sweater down and went to bed (it was 3 am on Saturday night). The next morning, filled with bright enthusiasm and four cups of coffee, I had a plan and some dpns. I would knit a separate binding that I would then sew over the steek to seal it, stabilize it and act as a button band, all in one. Garment construction 101, right? More than 50 inches of stockinette later I was ready to start sewing. I made two attempts to knit the neck band on to the active stitches still on a holder but experienced massive fail. The problem with knitted-on Icord on size 8 needles: it's freaking ugly. I mean frankenknit ugly. So I ripped, and knit, and ripped and knit and finally realized I would have to do the entire band separately. I did. I was ready to sew it on at 6:45 last night. Yeah. Which was why I was only two button-holes away from finishing when Neil Young finished his "song." Do you feel my pain, knitters of the world? 17 days of constant knitting (ok, a few hours each night in front of Bob Costas, but still!) and I'm two buttonholes away from glory. Is this how Plushenko felt? This colorwork felt like my quad, I tell you what. So the band is on, I will probably rip out the crocheted button-holes and re-do them since they are slightly off.<br />On the whole, this sweater in 17 days is nothing to be ashamed of:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjRouzCf36qZ2vSiXvFNBC_TGPSIItFfOaESiHxxAfEpsnphUiMi4b2hz_EjAdtHUEXelywgb9xEDZ4TtAf7uzNEOTAeiZFHO8_d5ybIZX5UVFJzd1HS6RivuYdd-LwalDXiTh9DRYDM/s1600-h/olympic+sweater+done+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjRouzCf36qZ2vSiXvFNBC_TGPSIItFfOaESiHxxAfEpsnphUiMi4b2hz_EjAdtHUEXelywgb9xEDZ4TtAf7uzNEOTAeiZFHO8_d5ybIZX5UVFJzd1HS6RivuYdd-LwalDXiTh9DRYDM/s400/olympic+sweater+done+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443677649962862018" border="0" /></a><br />Pay no attention to the gaping albeit perfectly-chosen button. The blocking and a new button-hole band will fix that. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZv7Qm5R37VlVa0NDdiJaYr0oPkGKlWvRhGzsHJLxQl_qsRoPEhltIcU-Vb9ehWwuHfwDKmk7Xg5_k-3ZtWiEmPQjoOP6IfSDkpn2xmiEkk5piBsXMtGBg2XaxDyNw3l93d_MlJfuz5Ac/s1600-h/olympic+sweater+done+unblocked.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZv7Qm5R37VlVa0NDdiJaYr0oPkGKlWvRhGzsHJLxQl_qsRoPEhltIcU-Vb9ehWwuHfwDKmk7Xg5_k-3ZtWiEmPQjoOP6IfSDkpn2xmiEkk5piBsXMtGBg2XaxDyNw3l93d_MlJfuz5Ac/s400/olympic+sweater+done+unblocked.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443678399728133538" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-27836765561797288082010-02-25T10:58:00.000-08:002010-02-25T11:06:45.429-08:004th imp of the snowpocalypse yet to ride, cites bottleneck at La GuardiaDeathmarch Day: %$$$&**@#!!!<br />yep, I'm that fried. Still doing the freakin' notecards but had a bit of a brainstorm yesterday. I think that was a good thing. I think. I haven't re-read it yet.<br />Olympic knitting: much more tangible progress, to wit:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFGICEL3zdTileGfZnu4GAYf4Orm_-J2z2be_j7F-awMxoBFVLWc3i9uVYp0qKE7U3_iPNo5_iDXCcPsUlYvoKsua5MA-0c_ugvHBROUFutlkiU84JUbKJk1qtZvHwxp9cjfSThzZ9Hk/s1600-h/olympic+sweater+yoke+in+prog+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFGICEL3zdTileGfZnu4GAYf4Orm_-J2z2be_j7F-awMxoBFVLWc3i9uVYp0qKE7U3_iPNo5_iDXCcPsUlYvoKsua5MA-0c_ugvHBROUFutlkiU84JUbKJk1qtZvHwxp9cjfSThzZ9Hk/s400/olympic+sweater+yoke+in+prog+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442258205836734898" border="0" /></a>overall glamour shot, with supersized at no extra charge steek:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8OoLsaLXEjWLlWPtXpVumFhBZT31BYcPAMyDUWWSy1qL82V08tHdVUaoxfQENrop-ybt5lBx1EGfyYl3puufhsf0D_PjymkYJp4eeE9TO42ZmYil-gCDSck_fOlo7RnYtZvdhUQKaTI/s1600-h/olympic+sweater+yoke+in+prog+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8OoLsaLXEjWLlWPtXpVumFhBZT31BYcPAMyDUWWSy1qL82V08tHdVUaoxfQENrop-ybt5lBx1EGfyYl3puufhsf0D_PjymkYJp4eeE9TO42ZmYil-gCDSck_fOlo7RnYtZvdhUQKaTI/s400/olympic+sweater+yoke+in+prog+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442258512449678738" border="0" /></a><br />I'm about 2/3 of the way through the yoke. I may actually medal in this darn thing after all. Of course I haven't *shudder* cut the steek yet or done the i-cord or picked out buttons, but I'm optimistic. Wish us luck in the fourth storm of the season...predicted to hit late this evening. I'll be watching women's freeskating, which is altogether much more enjoyable. Provided we don't lose power. Colorwork by candlelight holds zero appeal for me, frankly, so that damn imp had better behave.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-59220060871021385172010-02-22T06:54:00.000-08:002010-02-22T07:00:45.844-08:00pulling back the reinsDeathmarch Day 10: stayed up til 3 am again. My biorhythms are so mucked up right now. Day 9 of the march saw zero accomplishment, mainly because I hadn't been out of the house in 8 days at that point and...we needed food almost as much as I needed yarn and sunshine. And the GF hurt herself sledding, which required major nursing duties. I take those very seriously. They involve baking (chocolate cake with rum buttercream icing), and shepherd's pie making (pork and mushroom) and other house-wifely things. The olympics sweater saw more progress, not surprisingly. I finished both arms, attached them to the body and started the colorwork portion. The fireworks have begun! I'm pretty happy with my color choices, but I'm not posting pics until tomorrow so you can see some of the design.<br />Today: finish large portion of note cards, begin organizing, make mushroom soup, and maybe write something. And get through at least row 30 of the design section. Oh and perhaps exercise. We'll see.....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-30272460094992234282010-02-18T18:39:00.000-08:002010-02-18T22:04:00.474-08:00bone-deep bruises<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZ7wopKnLO2vV2kOn3KEp9NJhM0yhDu6ZdEd-Te_powNJ2u8iTJV8q4w6gqTt4LfyZp38cIErnNaJXoE_R1w6Uwaa_BO-7WaGZDijJmBeCMGxhkf6jW1yGbD3L916OCe2UGE5Z5kVzBc/s1600-h/bodie+helps+me+knit+my+olympic+sweater+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZ7wopKnLO2vV2kOn3KEp9NJhM0yhDu6ZdEd-Te_powNJ2u8iTJV8q4w6gqTt4LfyZp38cIErnNaJXoE_R1w6Uwaa_BO-7WaGZDijJmBeCMGxhkf6jW1yGbD3L916OCe2UGE5Z5kVzBc/s400/bodie+helps+me+knit+my+olympic+sweater+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439830370814563538" border="0" /></a>"Yes, mother, I approve."<br />Day two of flash cards, Day 6 of deathmarch and counting.<br />Good news: I have a new appreciation for my sources and I think this will work. Eventually.<br />Bad news: it's taking waaaaay too long. I'm in day 2.5 actually, since I started on Tuesday night filling these little suckers out and I'm still at under 100. Trying to stay focused and positive.<br />Olympic sweater: done with body and half-way through first sleeve.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyGzs85VotV29QqhvmVzpP5GX5Sx13cWbD-JVYj7Fj4DfuI5d4Sk5l6iQWtMMDXvHpPbD4hCn90VUV3BF8zPx702emNwZIENAlLZO4r68nuXG7WGAvC45u8t-v_nqGmhOeyrgn0KcB04/s1600-h/bodie+helps+me+knit+my+olympic+sweater+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTyGzs85VotV29QqhvmVzpP5GX5Sx13cWbD-JVYj7Fj4DfuI5d4Sk5l6iQWtMMDXvHpPbD4hCn90VUV3BF8zPx702emNwZIENAlLZO4r68nuXG7WGAvC45u8t-v_nqGmhOeyrgn0KcB04/s400/bodie+helps+me+knit+my+olympic+sweater+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439831048837470418" border="0" /></a>Clearly we have motivational issues.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-33960240399571083612010-02-16T14:25:00.000-08:002010-02-16T14:41:30.496-08:00in cold dark places she dreams of springDeathmarch Day 4: new day, new plan. After lots of introspection (read cursing and knitting) I realized that I need to go old school on this f*cker...that's right. 3x5 cards. I have NEVER written this way but I've always been able to master all my source material in my head or map it out in other ways before now. This project is just too big for that. I was using my high tech, and really wonderful add-in bibliographic program for this, but I can't lay those notes out next to one another and visualize the project, which is key for me. So dear, dear GF is out at Target right now buying me all the 3x5 cards they have in stock. I'm picturing a big delay in olympic knitting in order to complete this. It's worth it. Wish me luck.<br />no exercise as yet, and lots of chocolate. Probably fried fish, sweet potato fries and mushy peas for dinner tonight. GF is going to wish she had a cider left. *chuckle*<br />The one good thing about this, aside from maybe helping me to finish, is that I can do it while watching the Olympics tonightUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-51622849406724172752010-02-15T18:12:00.000-08:002010-02-15T18:34:26.273-08:00she's got her blue dress on and she's curled her hairDeathmarch Day 3: or, wait, what am I doing again?<br />After staring at the same passage in Chapter 4 for about an hour I began to question what the heck my organizing premise really was...especially this late in the game, and after one major re-organization already, this is NOT GOOD. My argument is clear, but how to get there is the hard part, which is not exactly news, I know. I'm beginning to think that the organizing principle is not untangling the brocade but just presenting it in all its palimpsest-y glory...<br />Sweater progress: 11 inches and in body increases. I will finish the body section tonight and perhaps cast on for a sleeve. Maybe I'll have the entire thing done except for the colorwork before the pattern even arrives! At least something good came out of today. That, and I ran for half a mile straight today. 2.3 miles total, which helped my mood immensely. The home-made sugar cookies didn't hurt either. As my dear friends would proclaim, "Just say'n."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-17739612694900880342010-02-14T16:00:00.000-08:002010-02-14T16:40:53.799-08:00coyote oh coyote won't you tell me whyDeathmarch Day 2<br />page count: 137...excruciating editing of chapter 2 and I'm not there yet.<br />exercise: 2.5 miles on treadmill<br />sweater: through decreases on waist shaping, working on body, hopefully my pattern will arrive soon so I can plan for colorwork. Right now I'm thinking brown, cream and light green, but I still need to find the yarn.<br />on deck for tonight: women's longtrack speed skating, yum! (wow, that was over quickly, I barely finished posting this and they're done) My first Olympic love was Bonnie Blair...and the men are doing things on skis, but I'm not really paying attention. But there's short program pairs figure skating, which I adore. The GF has a love/hate relationship with figure skating because she's always on edge during the technical elements.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-27712453205841843012010-02-13T08:30:00.001-08:002010-02-13T08:37:38.606-08:00Deathmarch and Olympic Sweater: Day 1Deathmarch stats: reading, thinking, no words on page as yet....trying not to panic...16 days to go.<br />Sweatermarch: Cast on as torch was lit (poor Vancouver, the ceremonies were AMAZING...k.d.lang is so fabulous...I felt really sorry for poor Nelly Furtado, great dress, terrible terrible song...but it went off flawlessly until the torch and then. FAIL. Leave it to Gretsky to carry on regardless) and am now through ribbing and starting body of sweater. I'm trying the no-sew steek, marked with the red yarn as seen. I'm still not sure if the tweedy yarn will work for colorwork, but I do adore this yarn/color combo!<br />maybe Blogger will let me post a pic:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBifrVqK_3KjSS2UVE9Svs7agnmQ6dW3baPBC2xjaNiDnAvSEro8sP0JGLn3BkMHgaH7Q7zmvIR3Z8cs2imzYLa_lF2ycfYNna1jyt5iao4K-8AB8VatTC4sqjZ3ECg5EiUzFs8bNWL3M/s1600-h/olympic+sweater+2010+day+1+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBifrVqK_3KjSS2UVE9Svs7agnmQ6dW3baPBC2xjaNiDnAvSEro8sP0JGLn3BkMHgaH7Q7zmvIR3Z8cs2imzYLa_lF2ycfYNna1jyt5iao4K-8AB8VatTC4sqjZ3ECg5EiUzFs8bNWL3M/s400/olympic+sweater+2010+day+1+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437767692417719170" border="0" /></a>Food consumed: migas, coffee (not enough!), pink lady apple<br />and now for some actual writing...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-63250049037859825822010-02-12T08:39:00.000-08:002010-02-12T08:59:05.562-08:00Deathmarch 2010 begins!So clearly I'm insane. Not only have I decided that I will follow <a href="http://matociquala.livejournal.com/">Elizabeth Bear's excellent example</a> and complete a draft of the diss by Mar. 1st, but I have also signed up for the Knitting Olympics run by this <a href="http://yarnharlot.com/">knitting icon/fellow insane knitter</a>. My project, you ask? Well it's this one: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lloies-cardigan---yoke-sweater-wg79">Lloie's Cardigan</a>. Because I had such a great time with my last bout of color work that I decided to do another one...this time with steeks. In 17 days. And I haven't even ordered the pattern yet. While writing. Yeah. I'm nuts. In other, long-overdue news, there's been some snow, and some sweaters, and other things. Blogger is being rather annoying and not letting me upload photos of said snow and sweaters, so stay tuned and wish me luck!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-84038718810283028552009-09-06T13:51:00.000-07:002009-09-06T14:13:08.361-07:00Feathering the nest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMRoJJpyMFZZ-AqHV3zZ4xFj3VMEy3FWjojCiM8Xc9dr9P1m7Uz0bm8xoLUVKjc7IxfTLVJzkMd7xGlXkrpwEEJa2pqErScCWfp2r5N8TP5fWXxablQTdGE-adFRuWxPbEBuo_82fIHo/s1600-h/aquila+complete1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMRoJJpyMFZZ-AqHV3zZ4xFj3VMEy3FWjojCiM8Xc9dr9P1m7Uz0bm8xoLUVKjc7IxfTLVJzkMd7xGlXkrpwEEJa2pqErScCWfp2r5N8TP5fWXxablQTdGE-adFRuWxPbEBuo_82fIHo/s320/aquila+complete1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378461545337284050" border="0" /></a><br />Aquila, she is done, re-blocked, and ready for her photo-op. While the locale is a little less grand than she deserves, I think she is lovely enough to dress up any occasion. I am infatuated with this shawl. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DZv7u8NWTbXBUjsIjWcw8nuk4uE-od9R9D1Ecba5ibjLQ2-BZUObczLDFz_49yqMFxB-1ec5WH5LTeJiK1OV5fv1GA-qobSnZOqTSU1Q-yhpgnrLA-86Z3VNxt0-zT-CBv0HkGThbQE/s1600-h/aquila+complete2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DZv7u8NWTbXBUjsIjWcw8nuk4uE-od9R9D1Ecba5ibjLQ2-BZUObczLDFz_49yqMFxB-1ec5WH5LTeJiK1OV5fv1GA-qobSnZOqTSU1Q-yhpgnrLA-86Z3VNxt0-zT-CBv0HkGThbQE/s400/aquila+complete2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378461763537786482" border="0" /></a>I have worn it on dozens of occasions since I finished it in England and blocked it on the ugly carpet of my dorm room. She is the perfect size (except for blocking, which was difficult in our little hardwood cottage), weight and color. I humbly believe she is the best thing I have ever produced. In order to keep the needles clicking I have begun (and nearly finished) a pair of Pomatomus...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraUJGaTo0ZzPczxntDy9-rsR2v8Cg8NT1piy7_5Fkzl5O8X9BQTKlucvUbpbFy27TLmNJ_RgnRU3eOeUO2fgchpi-gLpPd1pJa_rVOLMRgowLfGQdodpycHfABl94TtDaRZahsvmVNGY/s1600-h/Sept+09+projects+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraUJGaTo0ZzPczxntDy9-rsR2v8Cg8NT1piy7_5Fkzl5O8X9BQTKlucvUbpbFy27TLmNJ_RgnRU3eOeUO2fgchpi-gLpPd1pJa_rVOLMRgowLfGQdodpycHfABl94TtDaRZahsvmVNGY/s400/Sept+09+projects+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378461925255278226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/spinningleaves/pomatomus"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 16px; height: 15px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCY8Y6iwCOyQoHVGkPubNNBuKDj_hUUlc_JtHMuIP8TC9HPCdQaRu2ITN-qtTuDFkHkpxbzuua_OtRirJ13D-8L8q_frmpQkLAP8lUGec_1p-whEd-dajuEvn72Abwz9v_Y0WsXvQsEOM/s400/rav_link.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378465097886777570" border="0" /></a>see my Rav page for comments on these. I LOVE them, mostly because they fit my calves without mods; which is a pretty rare thing for all sock patterns and especially for Cookie A's.<br />Yarn: Plymouth Happy Feet<br />Needles: US 2 circs<br />Knit using magic loop method<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I also fell pretty hard for some incredible yarn at the Arden Fair yesterday. Gorgeous colors dyed by "Ewe Started It", who has a fantastic eye. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfRUUQjSyGxhinuF_x5oZRB0NMmkDr21vnSm2qngvG7Bg3jQdNahBNmjotUaUkXWj5ikZFiGV4d7MadklKTtqfhaXuw32n3cfJlFgaSUuJm8QaIysoc1v_6wD-pstGE29r3DiXLKR9tw/s1600-h/preening1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 373px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfRUUQjSyGxhinuF_x5oZRB0NMmkDr21vnSm2qngvG7Bg3jQdNahBNmjotUaUkXWj5ikZFiGV4d7MadklKTtqfhaXuw32n3cfJlFgaSUuJm8QaIysoc1v_6wD-pstGE29r3DiXLKR9tw/s400/preening1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378462040034814386" border="0" /></a>I will show you the bounty that is the full haul later, but for now...feast your eyes on a very simple seafoam pattern scarf that (IMHO) shows off the yarn to its best advantage. It's peacocky goodness! Yarn: DK weight 50/50 silk/Rayon. Needles: US 7 circs.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-56479377239286226712009-08-29T14:49:00.000-07:002009-08-29T15:33:29.280-07:00home again home again jiggety jig<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVwIZU0NtsPJHPZnAHW4Nbeyx4caOCRiExeMPFEep9a6HF-p-kBjXkeYP1Kz9NwW7Bj07Ji6Km4c7-CJTh9hKWkO4xFUWYxzimelE26CZqVUuM0gxwZ_XGhLheq5u8iBBneklof8JCgw/s1600-h/Gladstone+Pottery+Museum+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVwIZU0NtsPJHPZnAHW4Nbeyx4caOCRiExeMPFEep9a6HF-p-kBjXkeYP1Kz9NwW7Bj07Ji6Km4c7-CJTh9hKWkO4xFUWYxzimelE26CZqVUuM0gxwZ_XGhLheq5u8iBBneklof8JCgw/s320/Gladstone+Pottery+Museum+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375512188128121506" border="0" /></a><br />Back in the states and hard at work again, but that doesn't mean that I can't show you some more photographs. The last days of our trip were spent at the Gladstone Pottery Museum and at Chatsworth (the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire) in the Peak District. The first is a preserved and restored historic pottery manufactory in the city of Stoke-on-Trent. Bottle ovens, so named for their distinctive shape, filled the 19th-century Staffordshire skies with belches of black smoke while, ironically, producing sparkling white bone china and decorated earthenware. You can see several in the photograph at left. Most of the manufacturers that remained in Stoke pulled down their bottle ovens in the first half of the twentieth century. While the skies are now much cleaner, I must admit to a small desire to see Staffordshire as it once was. Historic films can get you close....and a walk through Gladstone can put you right inside an oven or a startlingly noisy slip-making room, which may be as good as it gets. I loved this place with abandon and shot a ridiculous number of photographs. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6VtT_fHZUgYO8yvbtbmts2OrpeLC_A7ua26qsqk60CEUweSdtYDr34v3Zz0DgoWerMm_zMWQaVL3NJOkvYn7awZj-zis1Px5cjHUXgaPEx25C3KY6t-Av0_KfkgcyYqvnRgVees7TBc/s1600-h/Gladstone+Pottery+Museum+069.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6VtT_fHZUgYO8yvbtbmts2OrpeLC_A7ua26qsqk60CEUweSdtYDr34v3Zz0DgoWerMm_zMWQaVL3NJOkvYn7awZj-zis1Px5cjHUXgaPEx25C3KY6t-Av0_KfkgcyYqvnRgVees7TBc/s320/Gladstone+Pottery+Museum+069.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375512640826461874" border="0" /></a>Above is the color mixing room in the decorating shop, with the bottle ovens in the courtyard just visible through the window.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFxajUc1iq747ers7jsDY7ecM3v19tXrB5uBRL1mJzUa4zq3P5LTOaUA1x8Z4zZIu9eooh3mtTjU6QQztn897STNOSGzVgrohmGIGcriGw03GSrXSIfjRNf_rQ7o4ohSz-u7LWvn8mGI/s1600-h/Gladstone+Pottery+Museum+102.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFxajUc1iq747ers7jsDY7ecM3v19tXrB5uBRL1mJzUa4zq3P5LTOaUA1x8Z4zZIu9eooh3mtTjU6QQztn897STNOSGzVgrohmGIGcriGw03GSrXSIfjRNf_rQ7o4ohSz-u7LWvn8mGI/s320/Gladstone+Pottery+Museum+102.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375513191456851698" border="0" /></a> Below is a slip-casting mold for jug handles. It beguiled me.<br />Such images were for research and future teaching, of course! I also threw a pot..on a modern wheel, but in the same room where pots had been thrown for more than 100 years. It actually made it home with me, the poor ugly little thing. I can't fire it because I haven't a kiln, but it squats on my desk and murmurs to me of all thinks kaolin. A hollow imp. An inclaybus....ok, I'll stop now.<br />Saturday, which dawned rainy and cool but quickly became gloriously sunny, found us taking a series of buses and trains from Stoke up to the Peak District. We began at Buxton, where we were so early I actually managed to take photographs of architecture without mobs of people in the way. Witness: The Buxton Opera House.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsyYPDDOpeFSeaXf8Fr0tFZ4No85JByoSjH_TbnarJJmQ90nepjP6Xz4elw59fAtAxnErEhbCzx8emhsJAirAleN_0mea-2CtEh3nvKUjg-KTgKEOYO6Zik1Fxe8CbefQSjeuvsZW0ZI/s1600-h/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsyYPDDOpeFSeaXf8Fr0tFZ4No85JByoSjH_TbnarJJmQ90nepjP6Xz4elw59fAtAxnErEhbCzx8emhsJAirAleN_0mea-2CtEh3nvKUjg-KTgKEOYO6Zik1Fxe8CbefQSjeuvsZW0ZI/s320/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375513655616653362" border="0" /></a> I have never seen anything to approximate the brilliant emerald of English fields. American grass and sunlight just can't achieve the same glory as a jewel-bright meadow encrusted with pearly sheep set in a granite bezel and nestled into the hill's bosom. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOpRy-ijCWOn60-WT4PtE-6DtSHwuz1WizoonJ8PZ4Me4_oRP7RXfIgN1zxYWOsQ0cT8CJjGNk7miFYOmxRWe3FQst9d4vbi7wOVy4sxO3zivReP5ZD0y1UKaYwrr0lpWSEkE1l1Kz9s/s1600-h/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOpRy-ijCWOn60-WT4PtE-6DtSHwuz1WizoonJ8PZ4Me4_oRP7RXfIgN1zxYWOsQ0cT8CJjGNk7miFYOmxRWe3FQst9d4vbi7wOVy4sxO3zivReP5ZD0y1UKaYwrr0lpWSEkE1l1Kz9s/s320/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375514591274584114" border="0" /></a>There I have waxed poetic and it has removed the worst of my writerly stubble. What a lovely image. Moving right along....Once we arrived in yet another impossibly perfect small town, Chatsworth was only about a 20 minute walk from the bus stop. In some ways the journey proved more satisfying than the destination, as this stately matron of an English home was aswarm with rather shockingly rude tourists who threw themselves down staircases, into sacred spaces and across historic architecture in search of the perfect vacation snap. It infuriated me. This was someone's home! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5zurpQdNvW5SVlMpIo9VXiVpHXyPaz_FBSjg4ChW0mTqBW-V2Yfycmu1trXaHK8ln8jUg-evSUMceR2gvgOXe-xUK5uNVKNi4vEJQ_GIvqz-PwieFarTEn5IxtidP1WbyqNSCLnN9bo/s1600-h/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+104.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5zurpQdNvW5SVlMpIo9VXiVpHXyPaz_FBSjg4ChW0mTqBW-V2Yfycmu1trXaHK8ln8jUg-evSUMceR2gvgOXe-xUK5uNVKNi4vEJQ_GIvqz-PwieFarTEn5IxtidP1WbyqNSCLnN9bo/s320/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+104.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375514956903105810" border="0" /></a>But once we moved outside into the soothing grounds I relaxed a bit. And managed to get the second sunburn of my trip. Quite a feat in England, or so I am told. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6IanOScQ8cGnoUCT5NxpSGTr-YiALzrhzCTHUWpYBdKNgmzxBIcLKwsPRXG1Ef3OGmL7FmTTqnWbTomS4NHxVr9r7nzy4niPt-ob5nvdjWXiTE4DVYKP_DBI8AigYGw_IAqIUzN_hF0/s1600-h/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+108.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6IanOScQ8cGnoUCT5NxpSGTr-YiALzrhzCTHUWpYBdKNgmzxBIcLKwsPRXG1Ef3OGmL7FmTTqnWbTomS4NHxVr9r7nzy4niPt-ob5nvdjWXiTE4DVYKP_DBI8AigYGw_IAqIUzN_hF0/s320/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+108.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375515359816991618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwlFFQz_lassDU8WRWnhivf2Y9UFkmFFsUTfkKVLAfbj_chF_fn81y4ohVOrDBgWK0PflkvC4HFgQtQ5lWjNsIua_ZOZY-vhyphenhyphen46VPilKpt2h9IrGjOcDBMhaDMuJUPaTuzkx5S_wgSe0/s1600-h/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+131.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwlFFQz_lassDU8WRWnhivf2Y9UFkmFFsUTfkKVLAfbj_chF_fn81y4ohVOrDBgWK0PflkvC4HFgQtQ5lWjNsIua_ZOZY-vhyphenhyphen46VPilKpt2h9IrGjOcDBMhaDMuJUPaTuzkx5S_wgSe0/s320/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375516502450469474" border="0" /></a>The pond below was in the rock garden up the hill and to the right of the famous waterfall gravity-fed fountain. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrSYvVkI1Ngm88KYL9Dq-wmjLnPB8nlEsYWPhJjhB0VR2aneedgfLlDI9XYLy1Z3Bx9BcuBcJKC55jNEMHCw_25cSn95eZgUUB4wYHdicoA_lZkmYXkplV72SX6_TqI3T0i6GtMvSgtI/s1600-h/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+109.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrSYvVkI1Ngm88KYL9Dq-wmjLnPB8nlEsYWPhJjhB0VR2aneedgfLlDI9XYLy1Z3Bx9BcuBcJKC55jNEMHCw_25cSn95eZgUUB4wYHdicoA_lZkmYXkplV72SX6_TqI3T0i6GtMvSgtI/s320/Peak+District+and+Chatsworth+109.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375515687757610706" border="0" /></a><br />The GF and I could not decide if we liked the modern silver balls that made up an installation sculpture floating in the pond. We thought the ducks weren't sure either. We shall not speak of our "last" day in the country, as it entailed much drama, tears, a bit of hair-pulling and unexpectedly large quantities of cash in order to make it on a plane home. But I'm here, I have Rowan yarn purchased in England, and I'm knitting something from Jane Sowerby...just for the symmetry of the thing. Next week my life changes as I begin the new fellowship and my dissertation becomes my job for the next nine months. While I'm sure I will be knitting on the train to and from Philly, that will be the extent of it for awhile, so my production will probably decrease rather sharply. But stay tuned, as I have the finished Aquila shawl to unveil (I finished her in England but need to block properly for her photoshoot);I'm hard at work on a pair of Pomatomus, and the aforementioned Sowerby in kidsilk haze. Tasty.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-81950284152874366062009-08-20T10:09:00.000-07:002009-08-20T10:27:00.869-07:00Cheers from the West Midlands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNXeqG0eMX3baiaTwpte3rcy0Ur8Oqvozm6gWeMrWZYMtwWhyphenhyphenY3Udgyf5KpQnE-W0ankzdQZy4T0n4yA7FlDHrjCMppfk7NyR2iaJzoblZLP1I5LckC-xt2XK0W22-vl1XALcbYY4KmU/s1600-h/Chester+views+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNXeqG0eMX3baiaTwpte3rcy0Ur8Oqvozm6gWeMrWZYMtwWhyphenhyphenY3Udgyf5KpQnE-W0ankzdQZy4T0n4yA7FlDHrjCMppfk7NyR2iaJzoblZLP1I5LckC-xt2XK0W22-vl1XALcbYY4KmU/s320/Chester+views+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372095744391293442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3V7lbQQOnkr9dFOgRIjSoOSX319ssa1bZEqGHAL95bzNDmB5hCVKayd11h0_Q1_WWB7XpMejQuMNotYAE_NX30fnQ4D5UkVUqNS_q8jSojQ4xbn9Yjh2BrK_Bhl9thDys5K7v1tvl0c/s1600-h/Chester+views+047.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3V7lbQQOnkr9dFOgRIjSoOSX319ssa1bZEqGHAL95bzNDmB5hCVKayd11h0_Q1_WWB7XpMejQuMNotYAE_NX30fnQ4D5UkVUqNS_q8jSojQ4xbn9Yjh2BrK_Bhl9thDys5K7v1tvl0c/s320/Chester+views+047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372094987002676210" border="0" /></a><br />Hiya all! I thought you might enjoy seeing some shots of where I (and later we) have been for the past two weeks....so enjoy!<br /><br />This is the center of Chester...lovely on the surface but it's a bit Disneyfied..the black and whites are all 19th century and there actually is a Disney store in Chester Center. But the Roman walls were a blast to walk...<br />Yes, I know, that's a later addition and the entire wall was created in the 18th century, but there are some nifty Roman ruins about town....the garden, the amphitheater...<br />After Chester (where I was for a week-long marvelous course on Staffordshire Pots and Potters) I headed to Stoke-on-Trent for some research. The GF is with me this week, so while I'm working, she's off having fun...Tamworth Castle.....The Trentham Gardens.... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjQaI807OpZYaKCoOW9_86inQo-erHT4xBRfWSPoWKA1mNFBt81wnkpHr_bLM58DNG0m2VZ2IwmZTPlPNU1-5l8qWMdCgG6JUKY9vipTVidQc9HZkDHdushCJ0-7RQ8Nwp0czBNBUOG8/s1600-h/Tamworth+Castle+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjQaI807OpZYaKCoOW9_86inQo-erHT4xBRfWSPoWKA1mNFBt81wnkpHr_bLM58DNG0m2VZ2IwmZTPlPNU1-5l8qWMdCgG6JUKY9vipTVidQc9HZkDHdushCJ0-7RQ8Nwp0czBNBUOG8/s320/Tamworth+Castle+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372097261705655890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNGVbC_iol_uTYbnFyh8YzHwCh68zwgcyO_DjWXW-vktzl_Be6Ig7y7qInxeFzUz4_Az-M4ycY9RysDa_1yg0MYM0AlptxOdOTPV1Y6fF2Fj9odKL9Gzp_zYLSq5XMAe-RUEj5b3ocYs/s1600-h/lavender+lodge+and+trentham+gardens+065.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNGVbC_iol_uTYbnFyh8YzHwCh68zwgcyO_DjWXW-vktzl_Be6Ig7y7qInxeFzUz4_Az-M4ycY9RysDa_1yg0MYM0AlptxOdOTPV1Y6fF2Fj9odKL9Gzp_zYLSq5XMAe-RUEj5b3ocYs/s320/lavender+lodge+and+trentham+gardens+065.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372096411054870898" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />and (of course)....Monkeys (The Trentham Monkey Garden...who knew?) We're headed to the Gladstone Pottery Museum and the Potteries Museum tomorrow and the Peak District (hello Chatsworth!!!) on Saturday...since, you know, the archives are closed then.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4OEVm4vmasM7dJb_zQjFcaIQYPJa30D0csZtavk1EVIwgTVHciqXZ_V6lJvInyN76A8DERRKE_6X-k3ymXNAYzunGiEQSC8W5nn12sAWcm4Zs4b4N2QCp8hScHICzjK2Nop4p9GfzEA/s1600-h/Trentham+Monkey+Forest+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4OEVm4vmasM7dJb_zQjFcaIQYPJa30D0csZtavk1EVIwgTVHciqXZ_V6lJvInyN76A8DERRKE_6X-k3ymXNAYzunGiEQSC8W5nn12sAWcm4Zs4b4N2QCp8hScHICzjK2Nop4p9GfzEA/s320/Trentham+Monkey+Forest+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372097956005494354" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-43271783650084072662009-08-01T09:47:00.000-07:002009-08-01T09:52:04.941-07:00Rustle cardigan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmly3WtHIhhjGGVGR73rdgpKCXZlT2FmSio0bC8b4Qbk4FYVFpnkn6xgNIuprdNrJlQytK0zHc3xRCjbzfHsTVxIc8glVl0rsY-GsNVf1ALRXL0nz1jDYVq4EOEwGapLRJ6vOV6y6_C8/s1600-h/rustle+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmly3WtHIhhjGGVGR73rdgpKCXZlT2FmSio0bC8b4Qbk4FYVFpnkn6xgNIuprdNrJlQytK0zHc3xRCjbzfHsTVxIc8glVl0rsY-GsNVf1ALRXL0nz1jDYVq4EOEwGapLRJ6vOV6y6_C8/s320/rustle+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365038539702202322" border="0" /></a>This cardigan has been rustling through my mind like autumn leaves for a long time. I wear it constantly, as the mostly cotton yarn makes this a three season sweater. This is a personal pattern I designed after seeing the leaf pattern on the Muscari socks (which I adore and will knit soon) and a couple of Norah Gaughan's fabulous patterns with similar collar reveals. The sweater is knit from the top down in the round, beginning at the collar. The collar stitches are knit on the reverse so they will appear right side out when worn. The same stitch appears in a single repeat row at the cuffs. Moss stitch button band. The waist is slightly fitted. I have been debating with myself about the number of buttons ever since I finished the sweater. I LOVE these buttons but they almost overwhelm the neutral tones of the sweater... but they also emphasize the leaf theme. Thoughts?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwkBgAcj6RG4IplgvafbdqZrt_k13jYX7CikxnMEenTg2v7QKIDjyQ-spwPMPHZLyCKPR8I0QBHmS_Oq8_RGg67xvwdfal-dTVV-21F-SC7FC1olQozJ9F4soXWToENscFu3waeV0PEY/s1600-h/rustle+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwkBgAcj6RG4IplgvafbdqZrt_k13jYX7CikxnMEenTg2v7QKIDjyQ-spwPMPHZLyCKPR8I0QBHmS_Oq8_RGg67xvwdfal-dTVV-21F-SC7FC1olQozJ9F4soXWToENscFu3waeV0PEY/s320/rustle+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365038686904912466" border="0" /></a>If there's enough interest (please comment if you are interested!!!), I'll publish the pattern. Those of you who have knit a top down cardi and done basic lace can complete this sweater with no problem. It's quite easy and quick. Big needles are good for that!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOOsAttOjjTcdVBe4v7Ylijr8FOd047gBNHFZjq0rcz0wgLd3e-C-oi_7AMDZT6zWS2f8HoDCiWGJnK3yRULUdnIyHqWRpV2KfyORH5KQgp4VajRAwjYbPp0Z91Jz39X5nzhS7o_TPWY/s1600-h/rustle+wrist+detail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOOsAttOjjTcdVBe4v7Ylijr8FOd047gBNHFZjq0rcz0wgLd3e-C-oi_7AMDZT6zWS2f8HoDCiWGJnK3yRULUdnIyHqWRpV2KfyORH5KQgp4VajRAwjYbPp0Z91Jz39X5nzhS7o_TPWY/s320/rustle+wrist+detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365038886960741442" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-31011556790973731372009-07-31T06:37:00.000-07:002009-07-31T06:44:04.452-07:00Walking with elves43.05 miles down on the journey to Rivendell and I'm at the mark where Frodo and company meet up with the elves!!! I'm more than half-way to Buckleberry now. The gf thinks I should commission a "Buckleberry or Bust" bumpersticker. I'm liking this, but "Walking with Elves" is pretty tempting too. It's probably completely my imagination, but I think the shirt I wore yesterday actually fit a bit better. Wishful thinking is the best kind in my book!<br />Oh, 4 rows away from end of chart 2 on Aquila. With any luck it will be done next week. The same cannot be said for either of the two talks I'm working on, nor the chapter I'm writing. But....BSG 4.5 in mail soon!!!! Priorities, after all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-74292068749093930992009-07-26T11:11:00.001-07:002009-08-01T10:42:36.904-07:00Aquila in progress<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubhcDvPW8_ePAO9WQyKgPaP-iAwtDkRV_9Ujsrlt4cTT65U7xOVdgvxZlJqcDLYWw9yYo6RxYxqBRgeielBOlhJ9NjlbryI8On8vCT8L9yusjN5f2kxfefMaVFG4L35HN8pORc8VOXL0/s1600-h/aquila2+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubhcDvPW8_ePAO9WQyKgPaP-iAwtDkRV_9Ujsrlt4cTT65U7xOVdgvxZlJqcDLYWw9yYo6RxYxqBRgeielBOlhJ9NjlbryI8On8vCT8L9yusjN5f2kxfefMaVFG4L35HN8pORc8VOXL0/s320/aquila2+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365051189447545042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaknoxLUC4BBgGOePhaLOqCMxk8fVlU6b857egluNnkjx9f6WT9WidupxUP1vAqxa2pPqORWn1UNydTHijrCoGnWwwuaqL-WnETIBiiySl0yZVrLazoL31v26EdtW4752M28zdh5Ielo/s1600-h/aquila2+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqaknoxLUC4BBgGOePhaLOqCMxk8fVlU6b857egluNnkjx9f6WT9WidupxUP1vAqxa2pPqORWn1UNydTHijrCoGnWwwuaqL-WnETIBiiySl0yZVrLazoL31v26EdtW4752M28zdh5Ielo/s320/aquila2+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365050503070916994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1fuK3jC8_XEDKeMwn6eVMFZFYNTF-2hjVVv98Hg5Iiati9QN89rPJwLL0pTad7bPeKjgXrRd41kmY8TWp94oA1SbjixgLqWprqkDQBUk4jamXLOYyF9Fdm5bVEtTiHUT4vDO479Pe8M/s1600-h/aquila2+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk1fuK3jC8_XEDKeMwn6eVMFZFYNTF-2hjVVv98Hg5Iiati9QN89rPJwLL0pTad7bPeKjgXrRd41kmY8TWp94oA1SbjixgLqWprqkDQBUk4jamXLOYyF9Fdm5bVEtTiHUT4vDO479Pe8M/s320/aquila2+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365050322053767842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I thought you might like to see some quick pics of the shawl in progress...<br /><div class="notes markdown"> <p>The pattern is <a href="http://www.ullaneule.net/0108/ohjeet_aquila.html">here</a>, but it's not translated.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The designer does provide charts, however, and they are really easy to follow if you’ve ever done a lace triangle from charts before. I cast on three stitches and built from there rather than the garter stitch tab method. The symbols follow the standardized system, so / is k2tog (or however you do a right-leaning decrease..I’m a combo knitter so mine are different from most folks) and \ is ssk (or left-leaning decrease) /\ is s1 k2tog bring slipped stitch over the k2tog. I like the look of that better than k3 tog, it has more of a pyramid appearance. I interpreted the * at the beginning as knit every row so it has a 2 stitch garter border. Purl on even numbered rows. I did 15 repeats of chart 1, since my needle size is probably smaller than the pattern calls for; then single repeats of the other charts.</p> <p>Can’t remember name of yarn but it’s soooo gorgeous and a cross between mulberry and amethyst in color. 50/50 merino/silk…lustrous with just a little halo. perfect.<br />Thanks for the fantastic pattern Sari!!!</p> </div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrEBYse2FcBnlmWFg1ABAnHTJolp80Ioq1qz6ntPUZcjHx9UeZXHY7sIX0QJMQx_ie5EhT2lvlU7Siq9FK11VJZ5-_bZByyehc3vbCsUBc6VDeWQwCm80DrT4o-9A950CXX94yOFyTn0/s1600-h/aquila2+004.jpg"><br /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-14836515915818362242009-07-22T06:35:00.000-07:002009-07-22T06:38:33.067-07:00Woody End to the River--1st shield!I'm wending my merry way along. As of today, the "road zig-zigs to top of a steep bank and goes down for the last time. Can see across Woody End to the River" 29.9 miles walked. And I did two more rows on Aquila. I've finished the repeats for chart 1 and have moved to the chevrons of chart 2...the end, she is far distant. But celebrate my mileage with me...you know you want to...just a little happy dance, or maybe knit another row, but as the hobbits began to sing at this point, I think raising our voices is warranted.<br /><br />'ta!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-18041805953843212832009-07-15T14:18:00.000-07:002009-07-15T14:24:13.088-07:00Not as close as you might thinkWhen I originally checked the mileage charts for the journey from Bag End to Rivendell, I saw "Buckleberry Ferry" and thought that...for no reason I can now fathom...that it was 18 miles from Bag End to the Ferry. I chuckle at my poor map reading and distance calculation skills. Chuckle with despair. 18 miles was what Frodo and Sam covered in their first DAY. It has taken me a week to walk what they did before they had even warmed up. I am humbled. And daunted. Just a bit though mind you. I have now made it a grand total of 21.25 miles...the road is dipping up and down and I'm still 48.75 miles out from the ferry. Just the ferry. I still have 437 miles to go to see Eldrond. But that's motivation enough.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-61340782792087053172009-07-10T19:02:00.000-07:002009-07-10T19:28:13.560-07:00Walking to RivendellMy welcome back from Chicago present from the gf was a treadmill. My dream workout in a foldable little package. perfection. I am such a joiner. I have decided to follow my <a href="http://matociquala.livejournal.com/">favorite author</a> in her <a href="http://home.insightbb.com/%7Eeowynchallenge/index.html">walk to Rivendell </a>and beyond. So far I am three miles out from Buckleberry Ferry. My geektastic knows no bounds. But it's fantastic incentive. You can log on daily to record your mileage, and there are support groups, etc. if you need them. I'm just in it for the mileage calculator...Right now I have reached Stock road and am about to break into song. I LOVE this. and my new toy. I'm averaging 3 miles per day in under an hour per day, which, given that I haven't worked out regularly in nearly a year, is a pretty good thing. I've been walking daily since I got back and I'm already noticing differences in my general happiness. *love*<br /><br />oh, I have actually been knitting. really. Since I've last checked in with you, I have completed my brown cotton sweater (my own design...images soon), half a pair of socks, and am a good 2/3 of the way through the <a href="http://www.ullaneule.net/0108/ohjeet_aquila.html">aquila shawl </a>in my reward yarn...gorgeous 50/50 wool/silk laceweight purchased at Loopy Yarns in Chicago. Greatest yarn store (outside of my wonderful LYS Stitches with Style in Newark, DE) I have ever visited. Truth be told I have not yet been to Mecca (ie WEBS) as yet, so I may be lacking in perspective, but they were lovely people and their stock is every bit as good as <a href="http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/">Franklin </a>says it is. This pattern is available only in Finnish, but there are charts, so it's totally possible. And gorgeous. The photos I took in my rental apt. in Chicago last week do not do it justice. Right now I'm 2 repeats away from chart #2. I can't wait to see this shawl blocked. I won't jinx it by saying any more.<br />And I got great material in Chicago....chapter 1 is golden now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2299971258016298309.post-4619546411160827552009-03-17T15:56:00.000-07:002009-03-17T16:11:01.420-07:00blogclog now cleared, back to regularly scheduled natteringSo the article is about to come out. I gave the second paper. We are going to move soon, I still have research trips to complete, continue to insert fun yet time consuming projects here.... oh, and I've finished a couple of things. One of which I'm very proud of. I don't have much time to blog anymore, but I still love it and wanted to share...so here goes, in no particular order:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBkfmPqqEZ-ZIwRhhz68fEY8tkqLYerGdhdReh7I6HvGW7Tu7-0QrdM1bkurftsrrKk9bZkNk1ZlPPFhikSHyY3poVho1OJCqrUunXFg06bPOFfJIsN6XBjAICRKk9M2xnBOx0kNHcL8/s1600-h/surface+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBkfmPqqEZ-ZIwRhhz68fEY8tkqLYerGdhdReh7I6HvGW7Tu7-0QrdM1bkurftsrrKk9bZkNk1ZlPPFhikSHyY3poVho1OJCqrUunXFg06bPOFfJIsN6XBjAICRKk9M2xnBOx0kNHcL8/s320/surface+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314294780549083570" border="0" /></a>Surface by the fabulous Norah Gaughan, knitty winter 2008. Yarn: berroco ultra alpaca lite. Needles: 5<br /><br />love x 1,000,000,000. I have received so many compliments on this sweater already it's ridonkulous. and I adore it. I can't stop petting it. I find myself preening when I walk by mirrors. Which is exactly what clothing should do for us. Make us proud, happy, confident beings. Thanks Norah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoP7lKN9S6PhIQQvZZdo5p2RGHWEikdkfMXrmZ7f6Y5rzAwzfqHa_zI8CPrdrQkRjEazIV3pVib5HEPFBjJCPKP8gVjHQliGRm3D0BSTagjnlopMbxzKY2RTR170iwbVeBDdZR8UBczM/s1600-h/socks+and+more+socks+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoP7lKN9S6PhIQQvZZdo5p2RGHWEikdkfMXrmZ7f6Y5rzAwzfqHa_zI8CPrdrQkRjEazIV3pVib5HEPFBjJCPKP8gVjHQliGRm3D0BSTagjnlopMbxzKY2RTR170iwbVeBDdZR8UBczM/s320/socks+and+more+socks+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314296071824644866" border="0" /></a><br />Next up: another pair of Monkeys, but rehabbed yarn from the forest canopy shoulderette I finished last year and never wore. This is much better. Yarn: Plymouth Happy Feet. Needles: 0<br /><br />I'm also working on several projects, most of which are so boring to photograph you might cry. But here's a taste of a pair of plain socks I'm working on for the gf, who has demanded them. She should get them sometime in June....perfect weather for wool...I call them "Urban Camo"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEKNh8EPp0Ajdc1dO5CIKIlFsquwWS2xYIcKwFsREFOyU7sox0wxmU-udq3gU9yOW39RbWy533TGT8M3eT8P-xfVW739TUtXrCIZjR_LHFUAxbD7DHHx5GOUffYKvF8X0WC91n3Tn_tw/s1600-h/socks+and+more+socks+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEKNh8EPp0Ajdc1dO5CIKIlFsquwWS2xYIcKwFsREFOyU7sox0wxmU-udq3gU9yOW39RbWy533TGT8M3eT8P-xfVW739TUtXrCIZjR_LHFUAxbD7DHHx5GOUffYKvF8X0WC91n3Tn_tw/s320/socks+and+more+socks+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314297133848602834" border="0" /></a>Yarn: Auracania. Needles: 0<br />Doesn't it look like the stitch marker is a little tongue? I love this photo.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0