Tejiendo en algodon....muy diferente

Hola compañeros de lana! Estoy tejiendo para mi viaje a España. Salimos en menos de un mes. Necesito mis cardigans de algodón completamente finito y ahora tengo menos de treinta por ciento en cada uno. Que lastima!
Pero, mira, soy un "joiner" porque esto tejiendo la February Lady y me encanta este patrón!
Hilo: Valley Yarns Noho in Teal Green
Aguja: Addi Turbo 36" size 7
Patron: February Lady Sweater by flintknits

Y mis zoknis son casi media completo:
Esto es mi merino hilo y tinto de mano.

Y ahora en ingles. So I've been thinking a lot about blogging, writing, sharing my work. This all began with an innocent conversation over, what else, knitting. A friend and I were discussing the pros and cons of knit-alongs. They can be quite useful, especially if you run into problems, are trying new mods or yarn substitutions, etc. but they also foster competition, envy, and a host of other very unknitterly behavior. So where do blogs fit into this? Are these an attempt to connect with a wider knitting community, to share our work in hopes that we increase awareness of handcrafts everywhere, that we return knitting to its rightful position in the handcraft pantheon; or are we vain creatures, measuring our worth by the number of site hits, comments left, links created? Are we trying to fan the flames of our own popularity? Am I really that shallow? And then I realized that while I do appreciate the visitors and friends who leave kind remarks, I'm really doing this to forge connections, to track my own progress as a crafter, and to try out new ideas in an admittedly tiny public forum. I am doing this for myself. But I sincerely hope that others may join me on this journey. Clearly I'm no yarnharlot, I know I don't have the wit of a franklin, but I don't want to be them. I may not be prolific, I may not have mad yarn skillz, but I love all things fiber and certainly enjoy discussing them ad nauseum. I want to make a little leafy home for myself in this electronic jungle. Please pull up a tree stump, open your knitting bag, grab a cuppa and settle in. I'd love to chat!

make with the wool already!

Hey all, so I finally finished something. And the superwash wool became even prettier....I give you first the unintentional rip-off of Wing o the moth:

This was previously, as you may remember, the rather unfortunate charcoal briquette version of an otherwise lovely stole called Lady Eleanor. I think the yarn is much happier this way.
And witness! My verdant zokni meet the giant frog of green:

After they were done playing with frog, the zokni decided to meet squirrel:
Don't they look like they want to take over the world, dwarfing mighty squirrel as they appear to do? I lurves these socks, I do. They are squishy, they are cozy, they are yummy, yes they are my precious. Can you tell I'm actually pretty happy with the spinning and the dyeing? Not too shabby I think. Enough now, just a taste to whet the appetite. I don't want you gorging yourselves, after all. Never fear, I'm slowly working on the purple sweater of much yumminess. Pix of that later.

A New Obsession...brace yourself

And now that I have your attention....It's not knitting. I am utterly captivated by a writer: Elizabeth Bear. Go here (which is her official page), explore, you won't be sorry. I just finished New Amsterdam and I still haven't recovered. I grabbed it completely by chance off the library shelves. Little did I know what awaited me behind that cover. I'm trying not to let this new interest interfere with my diss, just as knitting isn't interfering with it. Ah the pecadillo of conscience, how I wish to smite thee.

Bad Zoot, Naughty Zoot and some startitis is catching

So I'm a really naughty blogger. I've been so busy trying to get ready for the summer-cotton knits y'all, I'm just saying-that I haven't had time to blog. Really. Between trying to get ready for a class that didn't fill and had to be canceled, finishing my article re-writes, getting ready for Spain, and spinning a bit...well, you see how blogging kinda fell down and hurt itself. But here I am. By the way, Mom lurved her stole and apparently wore it everywhere when she went to visit my FABULOUS sister. So, here are some of the many many things I've been up to recently:

The Cap Shawl, in Victorian Lace Today, in laceweight merino, needles: Addi Turbo Lace #2:
My version of the Wing O' The Moth Stole. I was trying to make up my own lace pattern that looked like autumn leaves and ended up mimicking (entirely unintentionally) Anne's fine pattern. There are some differences, she uses fir cone, I used fern; she placed a double reverse stockinette between the rose leaves, I put a yo/k2tog there; and I will probably do a slightly different edging. But other than that they are really really similar. Eerily so. But I think I have achieved my desired look. Yarn: Zitron Trekking Handart in Feuerland 501, 2 skeins. It blew my mind all skeined up. I originally bought it for a Lady Eleanor, but didn't like it at all, so I frogged and did this instead:

I'm starting a cotton sweater for Spain, using yet again the Cosmicpluto top down raglan cardi. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this pattern, but I'm going to do a knitted-on button band for added strength on the collar. It tends to sag too much for my taste otherwise. Yarn: Valley Yarns Noho cotton flake in Iris. This is an interesting yarn to knit with, it's thick-and-thin mercerized cotton that's giving me both nubs and sheen. I really like it. Size 2 needles.


I finished a really quick 2 skein sock yarn shawlette in Plymouth Happy Feet that I love, but it's too small. I need to add a border, but I don't have any more yarn. Thoughts??

And there's spinning:
Merino superwash 2 ply sockweight, approx. 160 yards. This was my second attempt at a sockweight yarn (who could forget the yarn of much fugliness?) I'm much happier with this. I plan to spin up a second skein and then dye them together....for, wait for it, a pair of socks!!!! maybe these: Vinnland by Becca Compton at the AntiCraft. I've had this pattern queued for months. Some of their work frankly scares me and some of it is so fantastic I want to squee.
So there's my update and I'm sticking to it. We're headed to Connecticut to visit friends for part of Memorial Day, so I won't get nearly as much work done as I want to, but on the other hand I get beer, burgers and spinning. It's a trade-off with which I can live. Have a fantastic Memorial Day--don't forget that it was instituted as a day of remembrance for Civil War veterans. I highly recommend David Blight's fantastic 2001 book from Harvard University Press, Race and Reunion if you're interested. Stop a minute, remember, give thanks.

Besos a todos y toma una cerveza para mi este fin de semana!

My ode to turquoise

Completo! Finalmente tengo una manton encajada. Pero no es mio, es para mi mama. Creo que ella es una chica suerte, pero tengo demasiado humilidad a decirlo.

So, as I'm sure you gathered from the above, the large leaf and trellis is done. And not a day too soon, as Mother's Day is fast approaching. I must admit that, despite my comment above, I'm immoderately pleased with myself on this one. It's freaking gorgeous and I want to keep it. But Mom deserves a special treat, so it will wing its way to her soon, along with care instructions and a lifetime blocking guarantee. LOL. I've been a very busy chica for the past couple of weeks, which is why you haven't heard a peep from me. Between finishing this, getting ready for class, attending conferences, working on papers, writing....and, oh yes, the daily life of shopping, cooking, laundry and even *gasp* a bit of cleaning I haven't had time to blog. But since I think only about 1 person reads this (she knows who she is and I adore her for it), I'm sure there hasn't been a planet-wide groan of misery due to my blogging delinquency. So, without further ado, enjoy pics of the completed shawl, taken at my favorite place. I will return to my normal, irregularly scheduled blogging whenever I can.
Besos

Estoy tejiendo, le prometo

Yep, knitting away. And practicing mi espanol. One is going better than the other, I'll let you be the judge of which....
This is a gift, but I don't think the recipient reads this often. I only hope I can get this done in time. Now that I'm used to the pattern it's going much faster. And I love love love this yarn, so soft and easy to knit. It just slides in my fingers. perfection. The hard part is going to be giving it away. I don't have a single piece of lace I've knitted. Not one. I may have to make another one of these in my handspun and actually keep it for myself. The one problem with this stole is I'm afraid I will run out of yarn. It may not get the knitted border it's supposed to. Espero que pueda hacerlo.
Otras noticias:
I've finished the red mystery tank top. I'm not sure about it yet. It's red, which is good. It's cotton, also good. It requires a t-back bra. bad. It is not the best fit in the world. I had to "fix" it with sewn darts. really bad. But it was cheap to make (lion brand cotton, 2.5 skeins), I will wear it all summer and (with a stole/shawl) it will definitely work for Spain. Provided I can lose my batwing arms by then. Otherwise it's never leaving the house. I also can't figure out how to photograph it well. So you don't get to see it yet. I know, the disappointment will force you onto your fainting couch, laudnum in hand. Forgive me. I just need to get the gf to take a pic of it for me. I'm knitting away on the Plimoth stockings, albeit slooooooowly (they've put a hole in my left index finger. Not fun. They are spending time out in the basket) and the embers stole. I'm pretty darn sure I'm going to run out of yarn on that one too. Pics on those were too boring to share. So I'm giving you a gratuitous kitty shot. This is Bodie, enjoying the bed that my Cosmicpluto raglan has provided for her. Such a good helper.
I'm off to get some actual work done now.

geek squad activate: fighting migraine but still posting

As I martyr myself on a giant bamboo needle for the great goddess of knitting, I give thanks that the top I'm working on is red...the blood won't show. I'm fighting the migraine from Hades...two days and counting. What, you may ask, are you doing blogging then, you silly girl? I wonder the same thing. But I finally got a chance to take some pics of knitting in progress. Not all of it mind you, I don't have an image of the red top yet, but several things in progress, two which are new! First: I finally cast on for the Plimoth Plantation stockings! My first piece of "charity" knitting....interpreters need new stockings? Enter Ravelry and within about a week they had more knitters working on this than they could shake a stick at. I've been a bit remiss, as I just cast on for these and I got the yarn back in November. But I had holiday knitting, then deadlines hit, then I had to skein and wash the damn yarn, so here we finally are: the end of March and I've got 4" done. Of one stocking. Each one is 22" long plus an 11" foot. I'll get these done in time for fall. I hope.
Next: The project I'm calling "Embers for a lady." It's loosely based on the Lady Eleanor entrelac stole...but I didn't like the yarn or the final results all that much. But I did want an entrelac scarf/stole....starf??? so I cast on for this with the amazing Trekking Handpaint yarn in colorway "Feuderland" Yum. or maybe charcoal briquettes...you decide.
Finally, I'm making slooooooooow progress on the Cosmic handspun raglan cardie. Sloooooow. But I'm planning on spinning for most of the weekend, so that may help the yarn situation some.




So there you are: 4 projects hot on the needles, several more in slumber, and another pair of socks (I'm thinking Queen of Cups in Plymouth Happy Feet Burgundy) to come....now wish me luck on finding an apartment in Seville! (Yep, I'm agoing to Spain kittens!)