Zeneedle...needleart as life

We Went Up

The valley has been filled with a mid-tone color of gray as days of inversion, smog and fog are the rule.  Nearly everyone you meet is negatively affect by the day after day of gray and gunk.  If the sun deems to show itself it last only an hour or two and so, we decided to head up in search of an all day sun.

Friday afternoon we headed out of the muck and into the true blue sky.  We stopped at Silver Fork to see if the deck was available and, even though it had been awhile, they gave us a warm and friendly greeting.  Not only did we have the deck to ourselves, but a new firepit was started in case we needed the warmth.

At first we were unsure of the bright object in the sky, but it wasn't long before it caused us to shed our coats and happily while away the afternoon with orb of life warming our faces.

No matter the direction, the views are spectacular, with dark green forests, bones of aspens, and pure white snow covered mountains contrasting against the stunning blue sky. We felt very fortunate to have this wonderland in our backyard and even more fortunate to spend a workday afternoon doing nothing.

Milestones loom...post number 1800 is next, comment number 60,000 could happen within days (with your help), and my 7th Bloggiversary is March 1st, only a month away. There could be prizes involved, if I can get my act together. Thank you for being here with me.

Obsession du Jour

Last Friday, just before the end of the work day, Kirsten published her new mitten and I immediately emailed Suzy.

Me: Kirsten Kapur has a mitten I love, Clepsydra*.

Suzy: OMG - LOVE - let's knit them together.... want to?

The short of it is we decided we were being too impulsive, buying (yet more) yarn, starting new projects and, seemingly, showing little control. 

It was Suzy's Mom who set us straight.  What was the harm, the cost was little, and if we enjoyed knitting mittens together, why not go for it? 

We had to acknowledge our love, and slight craziness, for this simple obsession, so the next morning, as soon as we could pull ourselves together, we headed to the LYS for Berroco Ultra Alpaca for our NEW mittens.

Here is Suzy's Clepsydra, color Steel Cut Oats, laying next to her super duper, rock star kitty, Hootie. Hootie doesn't give a hoot.

And here's mine, in Candied Yam, which is the same color as the feathers on chickengrrl Millie's neck. Millie doesn't give a hoot, either.

But, Suzy and I do! We're having fun knitting our way through a great design with great yarn and, when finished, our hands will be warm.  You can call us happy and maybe a little giggly, too.  (We shared a skein of black for the cuff.)

*Clepsydra: klep-si-druh

Out of Hand

The mighty, mini, mitts and mittens have help me recapture the fun in knitting.  Pushing to do larger project, pushing to knit for the blog had become a chore and, while there is love for what's on my needles, there is also a sense of obligation.  Getting caught up in Mitt(en) Madness has been good for my knitting psyche.

Knitting the mitt for our SnB Swap gave me a sense of accomplishment and replenished my desire to knit.  The feeling of instant gratification, of creating something so useful, beautiful, and delightful in the short term, has been the ticket. I'm ready to ride, as finishing a small, doable within days project, is addicting.

Suzy turned me onto the Woodruff mittens and we had a blast picking the yarn, knitting the mittens, and being generally silly and giggly. Usually, we're not prone to the giggles, but knitting mittens has brought out the little grrl in each of us.  Through our silliness, we complained about the complicated nature of the twist and cables but, we knew they'd be worth the effort, and they were!  Tahki Donegal Tweed, is sturdy, warm, cozy and deliciously tweedy. 

While knitting the complicated mittens I had an easier project to turn to, if needed. Cheryl was unable to attend our SnB Swap and, to make matters worse, while she was away her Barbies made trouble.  I felt she needed something to sooth the sadness and ache of missing the grrlfriend fun.

Thanksgiving Day Mitts had just the right amount of cabling to be interesting.  The yarn is the same as she used for her Brioche Hood Hat and it was so soft, silky and squishy.  I shortened the hand by 10 rows and added rows around the thumb opening. Cheryl was very happy and knitting them for her filled a place in my heart.

The mitten madness must continue, as it's brought me so much joy. Suzy and I have found a new object of our obsession, so stay tuned.

Mitten Crazed

See no evil, no wait, hear no evil, no wait, speak no evil, no wait...

Since we couldn't quite figure that out, let's do the clapping song.... 

Um, that didn't go very well either...

Are you sure we're not crazy? Nope, I'm good.

Suzy's Mittens Raveled Here
Mine Raveled Here

Mitten Madness to be continued....

A Postcard

Hello from sunny, beautiful Utah! (Yes, it is "my mountain" yet again.) Sunday was the most incredible day.

 

Millie and I decided to pop in and say "Hello! Wish you were here!" (cluck!)

The other chickengrrls were busy having a feeding frenzy over a baguette. 

"How silly of them", thought Millie, (but then she had all the lettuce to herself).

Quite Suddenly...

...I have no desire to knit with blue.

Because you'll ask:

The Woolen Rabbit Pearl, New England Red
The Woolen Rabbit Lark, Godiva
A wound ball of Shibui Knits Silk Cloud
And, Bugga!, Grouchy Lady Bug (from The Village Knitter)

And, because I'm SO THRILLED the inversion has lifted...another mountain view! sigh

Hardy

Whether rain or snow, sun, fog or inversion, the chickengrrls must be fed. We've wondered over the same path to the coop all winter long, but Sunday we detoured by our garden patch. Smith had planted a few root vegetables last fall in the hopes they'd be ready for early winter harvest.

Since the winters are usually temperate in SLC (throw in a a few bitter cold days, a foot or two of snow, and perhaps an inversion) the root veggies not only survive in the ground, they grow sweeter and more tasty by the day. (We also pulled beets!)    I wish I felt their hardiness and their love of the cold.

 

We've had our share of bitter cold snowy days and days of inversion, but a wintry beauty, created of clouds, white mountains, and stunning blue sky, has made a showing, too. Days this beautiful shouldn't be wished away and, in any case, January will be over soon enough (or so I keep telling myself).

The SnB Swap

As you may have heard, the SLC SnBers are a tightly knit group and, while we have fun every week, the best thing about having a swap is seeing people who can't visit that often.  Sadly, my camera never came out of the bag and when it did, the pictures were crappy. Such is the life, and light, inside a coffee shop. We love our Jitterbug, nonetheless.  

Eliza was the recipient of the lovely Tree of Life mitts and she not only loves them, they fit her perfectly.  Beaverslide, vintage buttons, and a nice pattern, made knitting a pleasure, and seeing them on Eliza hands was icing on the cake.

The very cool gift I received was knit by Kathryn, one of our newest members. She knit a long piece, covered with a two color design that created the number seven, folded it in half, and crocheted around the edge to create a thick mat. It is the perfect trivet for my teapot.

The festivities were fun and raucous.  All the gifts were not only beautifully knit, they were well received. We’re quite a group, and that's a fact.

Good Morning!

If the inversion doesn't have the valley in too tight a grip, the sunrise it creates can be quite spectacular, as shades of blue and pinkish salmon fill the sky. Whether the gray is from snow, rain, or the dreaded inversion, it's still January and a person must find the bright side of any January day ("how to survive" part 4).

A blue teapot, filled with very good hot tea, along with a charming sheepy cup, create a lovely morning ritual and a positive start to my day.  Today, as the drear and rain continue, I am especially pleased to have a ritual of warmth.  The pot may stay full of different delicious teas throughout the day, as I have the day off and knitting to my hearts content wouldn't be a bad thing. In fact, it sounds like a heavenly thing to do. 

Breaking Out

When the decision was made to break out of the fog, and take back my knitting fortitude, it was easy to see I was in overwhelm. Too many projects do not help with fog, they just weight me down. Creating a sense of accomplishment seemed a must and, I confess, a little envy helped, too.

Suzy finished her glorious red Woodruff mittens long before I had finished one cuff, and while I'm not competitive, I am desirous. I want my mittens, too! (She granted permission for use of her photo.) Are they not gorgeous!? 

My needles have been working and, thankfully, there has been no back and forthing.  The mitten grows. The pattern is complicated and there are many techniques happening at once. With bobbles, twisted stitches, and even more twisted stitches turning into cables, it's a lot to think about, a lot to do. BUT, I'm doing it!

 
Add in the moss stitch for the palm and, well, this pattern demands you stay awake.  Maybe that's exactly what was needed to break the ennui, the fog, the la te dah, of knitting.  From the looks of it, I'm on the right track.  Knock wood.