Zeneedle...needleart as life

Progress!

Quill is a big blob of chocolate, as I just picked up all 380+ stitches around the outside edges.  You may remember, before the Knitter's Retreat, I started this shawl with provisional cast on using the cord of a circular needle instead of waste yarn. I was pleased with it then, but now I'm over the moon about it. Using the cord meant knitting stitches off a needle, instead of picking out the waste yarn and fussing to get a bunch of tiny live stitches on a needle. 

I'm far from finished, with 50 rows of lace ahead and the edging after that. The process is slow, but I'm very happy about the journey. (Maybe I should change to a longer needle.) The yarn is Kim's (The Woolen Rabbit) Lark fingering (discontinued) and it's a lovely blend of alpaca/silk called Godiva. 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend! I'll be here, posting everyday (why do I do this?).

Leftie

It took several tries to gt the hang of knitting the leafy edge of Autumn Leftie.  I learned quite quickly great attention must be paid to how the leaf is formed, to not do too many wrap & turn rows, and to not over think. Several leaves were knit multiple times, as I tried to etch the pattern into my brain.  My first mistake was trying to learn a new pattern while visiting with friends and somehow, an extra short row would throw the whole leaf off. After knitting half a dozen, or so, leaves I think I'm into a rhythm and moving forward.

Leaves of many colors and shapes fly past my window on this warm and blustery fall day. Change is in the air, as a winter storm is on our doorstep. The promise is for snow and I pray the snow gods will fill the mountains with large deposits of their white fluffiness. With last years dry winter, and a summer of little rain, we are in sore need.

Focus, Focus

As always, I am fighting the urge to change my focus and dive into new projects. Focus can be tough while reading blogs and hanging around Ravelry.  Recently, I've been distracted by the beautiful sweaters and shawls knit by the Rainey sisters. Sally's wedding shawl looks ethereal (now I want to knit all of Boo's shawls) and Susan's sweater, Burr by Veronik Avery, with Susan's addition of contiguous sleeves, is simply inspiring. 

Even though I only watch a few forums on Ravelry my queue fills up quite quickly. Recently a Biscuit KAL was started on the Woolen Rabbit forum and it's all I can do not to cast on and join.  Also, the Woolen Rabbit Club yarn arrived and with a gorgeous skein of red worsted that Kim dubbed Clara Bow. The name fits perfectly with the charming pattern by Amy Herzog, the Fellowes Cloche.  To make matters worse, Susan posted on the Knitting as Fast as I Can forum her new cowl pattern, The City Creek Cowl (and it's free!). I'm dying to start knitting so, stash diving or yarn shopping could ensue.

While on a recent trip to a LYS I picked up a skein of Noro Silk Garden to make a tea cozy for my small, and daily used, 2 cup teapot. Knitting a cozy could be a nice diversionary tactic.

But, focus must remain on my Chocolate Quill and Autumn Leftie, as well as my sweater swatch.  I do not want my projects to become UFOs, a no-no around here.  When it comes to knitting I do as Yoda advised, "Do, or do not, there is no try".

I Got Lured

I got lured. Carole started it, then Kym got in on the act. Peer pressure got to me and the idea of knitting along with friends took hold, lassoed me in. That's my story. I'm sticking to it. I was lured.

There was no set off date for our autumnal Leftie KAL, but as often happens with like minds, we started knitting within days of each other. I have no doubt Carole and Kym are moving along at a much faster rate, because I have been lured by other things (perhaps that sweater I mentioned).

I also been lured by the idea of warm hands. I like Ragtops.

I do, I do, I do, I DO! Maybe I'm silly, but this new pair of mitts has put a smile on my face.  This past week the weather was warm and delicious, but today it should take a turn toward the chilly. I am well prepared.

Shepherd's Wool Worsted is as soft as cashmere, warm and cozy, as well as nice to knit. Susan was really onto something when she designed this winter necessity. Pulling the ribbing up over the fingers protects them from the cold, but it's easy to fold down if the fingers are needed. 

Something New

A trip to a Retreat requires new knitting, a simple, easy, enjoyable project, as talking with friends is of the utmost importance even (or especially) at a knitting retreat.

Elizabeth Zimmermann's large square Stonington Shawl has been on my radar for many years, but the yardage requirements were daunting and the overall size of the project was too large for my taste.  Jared Flood's Quill, a beautiful, and smaller, square shawl inspired by EZ, made the project feel more manageable. The inside square of Quill, knit in garter stitch, fit my needs perfectly.  I even felt inclined to learn a new provisional cast on.

Since the provisional crocheted chain has never been a comfortable method for me to use, I turned to a book I knew could teach me something new, Cast on, Bind Off.   The first provisional cast on the book showed was exactly what I wanted. When the author suggested using the cord of a circular needle instead of waste yarn, I knew I'd found the answer. (I also found an on-line tutorial of the method here.)

After working on the rhythm of twisting the working yarn around the needle just so, and getting the feel of using a cord instead of waste yarn, I was able to cast a bunch of stitches. When I decided to knit back through the loops on the cord, to make sure I liked the way the provisional edge looked, I was thrilled to see it worked perfectly! Quill was an excellent project for Retreat and learning the cast on feels like a feather in my knitting cap! Yay for me!

More Decision Making

I'm a big fan of audio books as I can listen while doing other things, but there are many books to read and, anyway, I love holding the "real thing" in my hands from time to time.  Lately, the act of reading has taken over my knitting time and getting into a good mystery completely takes over any spare time.

The project on the needles is Susan's Beach Glass (Susan has returned to blogland!), in a very interesting yarn, Anzula Breeze, a silk/linen blend. It's going to be lovely (if it ever has a chance to be finished).

Yarn Alonging with Small Things.

The Way Things Go

My usual MO is to stay focused on one or two projects, and I was doing well until Marin and Occitan came along. Their draw was strong, a draw that has been unusual as late, so I decided to jump in and see where this case of startitis would go.

The beginning of Marin seemed to go quiet well and I was excited to be knitting with Kim's yarn (Kashmir Sock). But then, (cue ominous music) the pattern got a little confusing, the chart more so, and even starting again (and again) has had me in a befuddlement. I vented to Cheryl, who had also found the pattern confusing, but she was further along than I. Talking to her helped me get things straight (I hope), but without her advise and support I may have remained befuddled and, in the end, given up.  May the third fourth time be the charm. (I will keep you posted.)

Because of my befuddlement with one project, I decided it was time to start another. Perhaps, thought I, I am a glutton for punishment, but with high hopes, I started Occitan. Right from the beginning everything went smoothly and I was able to understand the instructions and line up the increases properly. I am so relieved, and quiet delighted, with the results of yarn and pattern. The color, Cumulonimbus, has happy written all over it.

Always a Doosy

Well, I'm here to confess (again) that I made a major screw up with my knitting. Did you wonder why Color Affection was taking so long, why she had not made an appearance on the blog for a lo-ong time? Well, generally, that means a screw up. Maybe it's a flaw in my character, or maybe it's just a lackadaisical attitude, but if I can screw up my knitting, usually by not paying attention, I will. It's the just way I roll.

I've had a great time knitting Color Affection. It's been grand knitting the stripes, watching the colors change, and feeling Vicki's gorgeous yarn slip through my fingers. Why would I take the time to read the pattern when I'm having such a great time?  I know, it's silly, and I thought I knew where I was going but, apparently, I didn't.

A week ago, I took the shawl to SnB, as I was very close to finishing the stripes. I wanted my friends to see how far I'd come but, while showing the shawl to Cheryl she looked at me and said, "You don't knit stripes until you run out of stitches, you only knit 16 sets." We decided to look through the pattern and sure enough... I sat there stunned.

Right then and there I took the shawl off the needles, counted the rows, and found I had only knit three sets of 3 stripes too many (which is a lot of knitting). However, it IS only knitting, nothing bad happened and ripping back didn't take long. Putting everything back on the needles, and getting back on track didn't take all that long, either. By the time we left SnB that night I had knit three rows of the border completed.  I know there will be more mess ups in my future and that's okay. It is the process. 

Enjoy your 4th of July Holiday!!

Of Yarn and Books

Snow Drops & Snap Peas was finished a couple of months ago, but I'd knit the medium size and, when blocked, it proved to be a bad decision. I had to face the music, rip back and continued on to make the larger size. The shawl will be better for it (and so will I!).  The yarn is the exceptional MadelineTosh Pashmina, in the glorious "Tart", my favorite color of all MadTosh colors.

My skill set does not include the ability to read and knit, which means when I'm reading I'm reading and whilst, I knit I listen. Foreign Bodies was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and I'm a big fan of Orange prize nominees. This book is hilarious, with tragic-comic characters living faux lives. The writing is superb and the story really must read tongue in cheek.  I've read all but two of the books on this years shortlist (which I plan to read) and they all have been excellent (save one).

My listening pleasure has been The Healing a mystical story set on an 1860s Mississippi plantation. The narration has made this book even more enjoyable and I've craved more knitting time just to listen. 

Books and knitting, two of my favoite things as I Yarn Along with Ginny.

It Goes Something Like This

What I'm doing now....(which I am blatantly stealing from Kym).

Watching . . .what else? The sky!  It's been blue-tifully blue this week after a couple of weeks of cold and unsettled conditions.

Reading . . .The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. Apparently I did not get enough of gods and myths from The Song of Achilless, which turned out to be one of my favorite books this year.

Knitting . . .a shawl (what else!) It appears I am stuck in my usual ruts and knitting another easy shawl, but I love the lace on the edging of Live Oak. This shawl has been perfect for public knitting (and fun, too).

Listening to . . . .(don't faint) the Hawaii 5-0 Soundtrack.  There's some great reggae on this album including a previously unreleased tune (recorded in 1981) by Bob Dylan!

Thinking about . . .the garden and fresh veggie season.

Planning . . . (perhaps) to knit a sweater, but not ready to jump.

Excited about . . .dinner with grrlfriends Wednesday night and dinner with friends on Saturday night.

Humming . . .see previous post on reggae...can't help it, I love the stuff.

Drinking . . . tea, green or black, white or flavored...it's "my" drink (although I can be talked into wine or whiskey, but only after 5:00pm).

Organizing . . . I reorganized a cupboard last weekend. That's enough of that for awhile.