Zeneedle...needleart as life

Knitting Catch Up (Delusions Again?)

While patiently waiting for the sweater of my desire to be published in the Twist Collective, and for Knotions technical issue to end (poor Jody  has been working so hard towards the launch of Winter Knotions), the yarn for Maelstrom arrived! At least part of the waiting game has ended. This is the pattern that kept Sock Mojo on the hook. Now, Sock Mojo is an impatient guy and the fact that he stayed around to wait is a testament to how much he wants a playdate with that pattern. The yarn was rather photogenic when paired with the fancy cabled mug and that whet is desire all over again. We, Sock Mojo and I, cast on last night, but it was rather late, so we took no pictures. Surely you can imagine a short ribbed cuff in the lovely Coral yarn. So far everyone is playing well together.

This little shawl had its beginning a week ago Sunday.  It came to life as a result of the finishing flurry from the week before. With only 20 minutes to spare, the realization hit that I had nothing to knit while at Sunday SnB.  All my lovely fingering yarn was strewn around the room, as I'd been taking pictures for the ABC post. With all that yarn in front of me, I felt more overwhelmed than inspiration. 

As often happens, thank goddess, one yarn stood out and said it was her time and I knew immediately what she wanted to be when she grew up. I wound the yarn, grabbed the right needle and pattern, and headed out the door.  So far, with fits and starts of time together, she's been  growing slowly, yet surely.  The yarn is a Louet Gems fingering that Susan dye a couple of years ago. The pattern is the simple and beautiful Shetland Triangle Shawl from Wrap Style.

During the tea party last Sunday I made an error on the shawl that needed extra attention. Rather than fix an error while chatting with grrlfriends, I turned to a new, easier project. Susan has a new pattern almost ready to publish and I had an advanced copy. (It pays to have friends in high places.)  I cast on, knit a few rows and, later that night, knit a few rows after everyone was gone.  It's going to be a fun, quick project and the only thing I'll say is how much I love Manos Silk Blend. Watch Susan's blog for details.

But wait, there's more! As soon as Winter Knotions is published, I'll be starting the Magic Mirror Mittens (look in the Entwined section). The yarn is ready to go when the pattern is available.  I'm also excited for the Salt Lake Knitters Guild meeting tomorrow night, where the guest speaker will tell us about her Bohus sweaters. I've put off starting Gray Mist because of NaKniSweMo (a Bohus sweater is not a one month sweater, at least not for me) and I'm feeling rather anxious to get started. The projects are starting to dance in my head like sugar plums!

Plan B has had quite a bit of time dedicated to her growth this week, but that sweater deserves its own post.  As Nora  says, What's on your needles today?

BOO!! It's Hallowe'en!

Earlier this week I ran into one of my dear Witch friends who was about to leave for Salem, MA.  She offered to take me along and I was very tempted because that would put me in Sandy's neck of the woods. However, I was afraid for my life (and that of my Weird Sister's) when I saw the power lines right above her head.  Green Witches are notoriously bad fliers. 

Today is the last day of Socktoberfest and I actually finished the Mystery Socks last night before the witching hour.  They will have a proper photo shoot this weekend.  Knitting a mystery was fun and knitting with Kim's fabulous yarn made it all the better.  How she dyes this yarn in so many fabulous colors is a mystery to me and I must confess to spending quite a bit of time drooling my way through  The Woolen Rabbit website yesterday.  Kim has so many fabulous colorways and I want to knit them all right up! 

Speaking of fabulous yarn....the Foxfire yarn for my NaKniSweMo has been ordered and while it won't arrive for a few more days (hopefully it won't take much longer than that) I remain undaunted and unruffled. The pattern hasn’t been published either, but I know everything will come together…I just know it will. Last year I knit a sweater in 22 days.  I do hope to do the same this year and, yes, I am feeling a bit delusional (a state I know well). Why do you ask? 

In an act of sisterhood, I plan to blog every day for the next two months with Vicki and in solidarity with my three dear friends who will make it all the way through 365!  I can certainly join in for the next 61 days. 

WIPs State

Even though there were only four small-ish projects on my needles, I felt truly overwhelmed before heading off to the Land of Green Witches. The Mystery socks were quite complicated, which slowed progress, and I felt they'd been neglected because of my trip East. The T-day mitts were getting small amounts of attention (only what I could give them during a 15 minute work break) and it didn't seem like they were growing very much.  The Lace Ribbons Scarf was only half finished and, well, I couldn't even consider Kusha Kusha. 

As it turned out, I really needed to keep faith in my Green Grrlfriends as progress seemed to fly as fast as witches throw spells. Between Sunday (the day of my visit) and today, the needles have flown faster than I've ever seen.  At times my hands were just a blur. Their efficiency was spellbinding!

So just how much has been accomplished?

Mystery sock?  The toes, the toes….only the toes to go! In fact, only one toe is left to complete as I finished one last night. This project has been fun but sadly, while it looks like Sock Mojo will not stick around once the mystery is over, it was nice to visit with him again.

T-Day Mitts? Well, the first mitt is nearly finished and the second one will work up quickly.  I predict a this project could be wrapped up tonight. SittingonasswatchingbadTV should help. The weather peoples have said cold weather will return by next week and the mitts will be ready.
Handspun Lace Ribbon?  With the other two projects nearly off the needles, this one might just be finished by the time the NaKniSweMo sweater yarn arrives from Foxfire Fiber. It would be wonderful to spend the weekend knitting luscious angora/alpaca handspun. Even Kusha Kusha could be running towards the finish line shortly.

All this finishing could precipitate a case of Empty Needle Syndrome (ENS), but I think Mitten and Glove Mojo are hovering nearby and if they get their way the DPNs will not be empty for long.

October is a magical month and that's all there is to it. The fall days have been beautiful, warm, and even luxurious. I've been indulging in my favorite fall treats of crunchy apples and warm teas while knitting on the patio.  The election season is nearing its end and winter is holding off as is Holiday angst. It maybe the calm before the storm, but I'm basking in it, enjoying the moment and delighting in all things good.

Magical Mystery Socks

Every October you'll find me making a pilgrimage to commune with the Weird Sisters in the Land of Green Witches so that I can receive their spells of good knitting. They are lovely, benign and silly Grrls who always send me away refreshed, refocused (a spell that usually doesn't stay with me for long), and rejuvenated. I look forward to my visit every year, but this year, as the Socktoberfest deadline looms large, I need as much of their magic as they're willing to give.

The Land of Green Witches can  be a little dangerous because the Witches fly about with abandon. On occasion one will have an accident, but as you may know, Witches are rarely hurt by such incidents.

Witches love pretty houses and the Witch who lives in this little yellow house is one of the prettiest Weird Sisters in all the land.  My favorite house, however, is the Pumpkin House.

Many of the Weird Sisters have pet bats, bugs or cats.  Miss LaFey has a friendly purple spider that always has a smile for me.

This year Miss Bugaboo had the scariest pet and it wasn't the bug eyes that got to me...it was the way it tried to run off with  my sock!  I'm not sure Miss Bugaboo knew the best way to control her pets as she had a pet net at the ready at all times. She isn't the best dressed either, as her hat clashed horribly with her skin.  I really question her taste in clothes, pets and spells, too as the sock was so afraid it nearly lost its stitches!  Off I went in search of a true friend, a Witch who had my best interest at heart.

It wasn't long before I ran into a Witch who loved what I love,...very GOOD CHOCOLATE.  I knew to come armed with the best of the best, something deep, dark, rich, interesting and flavorful.  Miss Kookako was so impressed she cast a very strong spell and knit a few extra rows to insure a good outcome. Leaving the  Land of Green Witches is always bittersweet, but I felt very good about my chances of finishing the Mystery Sock after visiting with dear true green friends.

To Delude or Not to Delude...That is the Question

Daniel was finished just days before I left town and flew East for Rhinebeck.  There was little time to contemplate, or get started on, the next big knit. I also considered that NaKniSweMo was coming up rather quickly after my return home.  Since my Delusions had caused me to cast on a few more projects than is usual, I decided to spend the rest of October in finishing mode. Easy projects for airplane/airport knitting were a must, too. 

A couple of easy cowls made good airplane/airport knitting while flying East. The midnight flight was a killer and knitting while waiting in airports kept my eyes open. Terry will tell you it took considerable effort for me to make it to 9:00pm that night.  While at Rhinebeck little knitting was accomplished but on the flight home I knit like a fiend on Lace Ribbon.  Five hours stuck in my seat, five long killer hours of obsessive knitting, took the scarf from a mere 8" to over 30".  She is beautiful and I'm enjoying knitting with my own alpaca/angora handspun. However, this project is far from the finish line.

After returning home, I did start a pair of Thanksgiving Day Mitts to match the Darkside Cowl. The Shelridge yarn is so soft and lovely and the mitts are a good project for lunch time knitting.

However, the delusions of desire are eating their way into my brain just as I try to keep focus on finishing. While checking a preview of Knotions November issue, I saw the perfect mittens for my recently acquired Briar Rose yarn.  To make matters worse, while walking around Rhinebeck, I saw a few preview sweaters for the November issue of the Twist Collective. The sweater I fell for, and I fell hard for, is knit in Foxfire Fiber's gorgeously soft and textured Cormo yarn.  Oh my, the desire for that sweater is strong and I can't even show a picture!  To make matters even worse, I'd like that sweater to be my NaKniSweMo project AND my delusions deepens as I consider knitting the yoke of the Bohus Sweater – Gray Mist at the same time!

There is more!! As you know...Kusha Kusha Scarf has been set aside and is waiting for attention and there is the Socktober Mystery sock. My greatest desire is to have this sock finished by October 31st.  It has received the bulk of my knitting time, but because the pattern is complicated, and it missed a full week of knitting time. Finishing by my self imposed deadline is going to take a bit of magic.

 

Mystery Stays Home

Sadly, the Mystery Sock was left at home and to its own devises.   A cowl, or two, seemed to be easier to handle travel companions, but leaving the sock has been an exercise in patience.  Clue #3 was posted just as my plane left the gate. Rather than worry about how, when and where I could get the clue, plus find time to knit on a complicated sock, I thought it best to keep my Zen and let it be.  It shouldn't take too long before I can catch up and start clue #4 when I return.  Mystery Sock will be there ready to pick up where we left off.

The pattern is fun, but Kim's yarn makes this knitting experience all the more wonderful.  How does she get the many colors to blend so beautifully into one rich, deep color?  It's a miracle.

Oh Sweet Mystery of Life

While going through cowl yarn quandary it entered my mind that a sock might be an appropriate travel companion. After digging through many collected patterns, thumbing through a book or two (rather half-heartedly), I came up empty…nothing reached out.  No other sock would do, I only want the next clue to the Mystery.  It's the mystery of the Mystery Sock that has my attention, not the sock itself.  As soon as I got out of bed Wednesday morning I went to Kirsten's blog and printed off Clue 2. I even considered calling in sick just so I could sit and knit, but since I'll be on vacation for 5 days, starting next week, work won out…sadly.

Wednesday evening I had a date with Daniel. It was time to sew things up and take the next step in our relationship. BUT, how could I leave the Mystery hanging?  I just HAD to know what the next clue held...just had to know! As soon as I got home from work I picked up the sock. Oh sweet mystery, you've got me in your grip!  The lace pattern, entwined with a cable, was so pretty and I was sorely tempted to stay with it until the end, but I really did need to keep that date with Daniel. Oh dear, in the end I stood up Daniel...just blew him off and stayed with Mystery.  Even in the face of retreat and frogging I pushed on with Mystery and for all my effort only made half in inch progress, sans regret.  (See the piddle 1/2" or maybe if I stretch it, 3/4"?)

WIPs stack up around me and their collective weight is more than I can deal with at the moment.  The goal (oh dear, not that) this weekend is to finish Daniel, finish Elysian and at least one cowl (if not both) AND start packing for Rhinebeck. (Laundry and all the other things that go with packing need to be in process.Yes, the brain is facing overwhelm.)

However, the mystery of Mystery Sock stokes the fire of my desire. Mystery is like the tall, dark stranger who catches your eye, the one you want to get to know, the one you want in your life.  It's going to be very hard to let the Mystery be.

When Nothing Else Will Do

It seems I have become very good at making excuses for not knitting what's on my needles and Tuesday afternoon it became clear nothing could fill the bill.  I wandering around, trying in vain to find the desire to knit what was in front of me. KushaKusha is fiddly and one must be in the mood to knit so deliberately. Lace Ribbon is in waiting because she's going to Rhinebeck with me and the yarn for Elysian, Misti International's Suri Silk , is kind of a pain to knit . The Good Luck Cowl doesn't play well in a group (in fact it may not play well at all as it's been through several frogging episodes). The Mystery Sock was on hold until the next section posted, but it would have been my choice had it been available. My desire for something easy (maybe I should say something different) was growing and couldn't be assuaged.

Lately I've become obsessed with the idea of cowls and mitts. After last winters bone chilling cold, the desire to get warm and remain warm has grown.  I'm determined to find as many ways as I can to keep the chill away and cowls, scarves, hats, mitts, gloves, leg warmers, and the like are enticing to me.   Ravelry has helped feed this desire as new patterns pop up every minute or so.

One day, while innocently looking around, I stumbled upon the Darkside Cowl. (Seems to be available only on Ravelry.)  The desire to knit it was instantaneous and I tried to push the thought away because there are too many WIPs already gracing my needles.  But, before I knew it, I was searching through my stash (also on Ravelry) and coming up with nothing suitable.  Oh good, I thought, that means I can hold off and finish up one or two other things, but the Darkside was drawing me in and wouldn't let up.

Sunday, while at the LYSs, I looked around (not really wanting to spend money before Rhinebeck) and didn't find anything that grabbed my imagination.  But, when Tuesday rolled around, and my desire to knit something else easy while hanging at SnB grew stronger, I went to my real stash and dug through the worsted bin.  (Yes, my stash yarn is divided by weight.)  There are a few yarns that have never made it to the Rav Stash and it was curiosity that made me look...just in case.  You know how it goes, there could be a hidden treasure that had completely slipped my mind. 

As it turned out THERE WAS!  Imagine my delight at finding two skeins of Shelridge Soft Touch W4 a long ago gift from  Laurie.  One skein was already wound for some long forgotten project that never made it to the needles.  (Everything in its time, eh?)  I couldn't cast on fast enough. The second skein will be perfect for a nice warm pair of mitts, perhaps?  This pattern is in consideration.

Now that I'm feeling very good about a new beginning, maybe now I should go back and tie up some loose ends.

Still Stuck on the Weekend

The weekend weather was wet and cold enough to wear socks all day long.  Hand knit socks feel like heaven the first time you wear them on after a summer of unclothed footsies. Sock wearing may continue on until the spring, with intermittent days of bare feet here and there. (The shoes are Naturalizer's purchased a couple of years ago and the socks are from Carole -a long ago Toasty Toes exchange...I know someone will ask.)

Saturday evening several grrlfriends and I had the good fortune to see Ann Patchett at the Salt Lake City Library. She was amazing, perhaps more amazing than her books, and the audience was enthralled from the first word. It was a very memorable event and if you ever have the chance to see her, don't miss it! Patron Saint of Liars is one of my favorite books.

The sun came out to play Sunday afternoon only after the storm dumped an inch of rain in the valley and 12" of snow on the mountains.  If you click this picture you can see the aspens glowing in the sun and the snow atop the peaks.

Sunday afternoon I also made my way to Black Sheep as they were having a big end of summer sale.  No yarn was purchased, but I did find a new Noro book with a sweater or two I liked very much. Fifteen skeins of beautiful Silk Garden have been marinating in the stash and after looking for a couple of years, this book was a happy find.

I also made my way to Blazing Needles and spent some time hanging out and knitting.  One of the women who sat nearby was teaching her friend to knit and she had the KushaKusha Scarf draped around her neck.  I wish I had asked to take her picture, as the scarf was elegant, organic and it gave me renewed desire to pick up mine.  There could be a few projects coming off the needles over the next few days so it will be given more time. It would be beautiful worn with Daniel.

Anticipation is a dangerous thing, but I do think a few things will be coming off the needles over the next week.  As they say, YAY!

Happy Days Continued

Not to sound like a Pollyanna, but the happy, good "stuff continued right on though the weekend.  Last Thursday LizK blogged about her Aunt Cookie's Kugel and I just knew Smith would be reminded of his grandmother's if I made it. I printed of the recipe and left it on the counter when I went to work on Friday. When I came home there was  a warm pan of kugel cooling in its place(almost as if by magic).  Smith actually followed Liz's recipe (something he rarely does) and it was such a treat!  We had it for breakfast and dinner over the next three days.   

Saturday we woke to rain, something that is desperately needed around here.  Sadly it was the weekend of the Great Baisn Fiber Faire and it was cold and miserable for the vendors and attendees.  Susan and I braved the wet to show support and found some lovely things to buy. Hopefully a few more Ewe-tah grrls made it by as it was surely a slow and wet day for everyone.  The bright spot of the festival was a booth of felted items from Kyrgyzstan that were brought by Big Yellow House.  I bought a thick, warm felted hat that protected me from the wet and chill.  It's funky and fun to wear.

The knitting happiness continued as Sock Mojo, inconjuction with Kim's fabulous yarn, smiled on me as I knit the cuffs for Kirsten's  Mystery Socks. Kim's yarn is a rich, warm, spicy brown created by a mix of colors like beige, tan, green and every shade of red brown. It's makes for very interesting knitting and combined with the pattern, very entertaining, too. 

You may remember the Georgia O'Keefe flower in Friday's post and my wish for a yarn in that colorway. Well, as fate would have it, awhile ago I was enticed to by a beautiful pink yarn (I know you're surprised) from Ruth.  The colors are a perfect match to the picture, a perfect match!  How lucky is that?  I think I have an idea what it will grow up to be and I know we'll live happily ever after, too. Ruth has a new online shop where you can by all her available yarns, jewelry and notecards.  Congratulations, Ruth...it's a great spot!

Happy Monday!