575 Days

October 15, 2006 By

Or 1 year, 6 months, 26 days. Or 82 weeks. 13,800 hours. 828,000 minutes. 49,680,000 seconds. That’s how long it has taken me to finish Short Rows.

I bought the pattern for this sweater on a visit to Boston in February 2005. I met Wendy and Colleen for the first time – I got the knitter’s tour of Beantown! Then, I bought the yarn. And on March 21, 2005, I cast on.

The knit was not without problems. First I had to figure out a way to deal with the ends. Once I had that figured out, I knit the back, knit a sleeve, started knitting the front, and found out my gauge was WAY OFF. So off it spawned a friggin’ t-shirt.

I didn’t even bother ripping out the finished back. I just knit a new one. It only took me six months to finish both the new back and the front. Then I had the ends to deal with. I knit both sleeves at the same time, and miracle of miracles, almost exactly a year from when I started, all the parts were done!

Why then, you might ask, did it take me another seven months to finish the damn thing?

I have no idea.

Pattern: Short Row Striped Pullover by Fiona Ellis. Interweave Knits, Fall 2003
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in French Navy (909), Aloof (958), BIlberry (959), Laurel (960) and Antique (900)
Needles: Addi Turbo US #6 and #7

Huh. It’s finished. I think I would be much happier if I was about 15 lbs skinnier. When I started the sweater I was probably about 10 lbs skinnier. And then I wasn’t and then I was and now I’m definitely not. I mean, really, zig zagging stripes across the girls? Not the best fashion statement. And it’s too short. But I think if I lost a little weight in my chest it wouldn’t be too short. You know what I mean? And in one of those pictures (or maybe more) it looks like my boobs are around my waist – but I promise you they aren’t. I hefted up those ta-tas big time. The sleeves are PERFECT. They hit right in the middle of my hand – nice and long. And the yarn is one of my favorites of all time. Great to knit with – great to wear. It’s so freaking soft against the skin. We’ll see how it wears.

This is by far my most accomplished knit to date. It’s not a hard knit per se – the short rows are pretty easy once you get going with them. The neck decreases on the front get a little bit weird and wonky, but they work – I guess. There’s a mistake in the pattern as written, but Interweave has errata posted. I debated the collar quite a bit – after all those short rows and stripes the pattern called for intarsia on the neckline. I ended up going with a fabulous solution from my friend Flaire. Navy on the back, stripes on the front. You can see it in the pictures above. I think it worked out pretty well. The part of this sweater I’m most proud of, to be perfectly honest, is that I wove in all the ends. I didn’t take a short cut – no matter how awful it was. Every single one of them was woven in – Ann says I should wear it inside out if I’m so proud of it and maybe I will.

I gotta tell you – it feels really really weird and really really fantastic to have this sweater finished. Really really.

PS – Georgie took the pictures! Thanks, G-Love! And I swear to all that is holy – MY BOOBS ARE NOT THAT DROOPY!

Filed Under: Short Rows

To stripe or not to stripe….

March 21, 2006 By

It’s not the best, but I think it gives a good idea. What do you think?

Thanks to Urraca for the link to the picture!

Filed Under: Short Rows

Where Diamonds are STILL a Girl’s Best Friend

March 20, 2006 By

First, let’s get Short Rows news out of the way.

I joined three of the four raglan shoulder areas, as the pattern instructed, and now I’m at an impasse. The pattern says when knitting the collar to continue the stripe sequence for the front and back and the main color for the area over the sleeves. You know, because knitting a million short rows isn’t enough. When you’re so close to the end you need to add intarsia to the mix. Striped intarsia. Where the colors change every freaking row. Margene has told me a few times that I’m crazy and I should just knit the collar in the main color as a nice contrast but I was all like I’ve come this far I’m going to do the insane intarsia collar and guess what? I’m completely confused. The pattern says continue in the stripe sequence. Well, the stripe sequence for the back and the front is different. The back comes up higher than the front, duh, and while the teeny tiny tips at the raglan shaping on the front may match up with the back, the mini scoop doesn’t. So if I follow in the stripe sequence it’s all going to be off anyway. I’m thinking a solid collar is the way to go and then I don’t have to really think about it. (Ann had a brilliant suggestion – that I photoshop a solid collar onto the picture from the magazine. I was going to post it but the picture I have on my site is somehow corrupted and I can’t find another picture on the web and I can’t find the magazine either. Maybe tomorrow.) And the pattern also has you knitting in stockinette then switching to garter stitch then folding down the collar for a hem and the ends of the sleeves and bottom of the body are all in seed stitch. Should I knit the end of the collar in seed stitch to match? Since I’m doing it all in one color? It’s all kind of mute at this point because I don’t have a circular needle to work. I have to look because I should have one – I mean I have 5 different size 7 addi circulars in like 3 different lengths, it seems kind of ridiculous that I only have one 6. Oh and I pseudo tried it on. I think it will be fine – if anything it will be a bit short, but hopefully not. I’m not thinking about it anymore so as not to torture myself. That’s that – MOVING ON!

Black Diamond

I am so freaking EXCITED about this project!!! It’s going to be really, really hard to photograph, but I hope you can get a sense of it. You may remember that last summer I made the Diamond Fantasy Shawl from Sivia Harding. Possibly the most beautiful item I’ve ever knit, it sits on my couch, all laid out, in a place of honor. I just like to look at the perfect diamonds and crisp border points and well, I love it. I really do. Anyway, as soon as I finished it I was thinking about the NEXT one I would knit because it’s such an amazing pattern NOT to knit it again would be a sin and the idea I had was for a very elegant black shawl with beads at the center of each diamond! Completely and utterly impractical but oh my god it would be gorgeous! It was in the back of my mind all the time, and finally! An excuse to make it!

G and I were invited to a wedding at the end of April – it’s an old friend and one of those situations where even if I looked like Halle Berry I’d still feel a little bit ugly and self-conscious and fat. You know what I mean? So I’m thinking if I’m wrapped in handknit luxury I will feel a little bit better. And c’mon – who else there will have a fabulous handknit shawl? I’m thinking I’ll wear it with a simple little black dress – or even if I decide to go with a color – it will look fabulous.

The yarn is from Sundara and man is she a pleasure to work with! I sent her an email telling her about my project and what I wanted it to be and she gave me suggestions on color and yarn. This is her sport weight superwash merino dyed in an ULTRA black. Like blackblackblack. For that superfantastic black feel. I give Sundara three thumbs up for service and product and expecially her enthusiasm for MY project. She’s a great cheerleader. Kay helped me pick out my beads last week. All together they seem like a nice gunmetal color that would compliment the black, without being too bright against it. Perfect! Ends up the beads are actually transluscent and when I stopped into another bead store looking to see if I could find anything else, the guy there told me that my beads are actually glass – not seed beads like I thought. In retrospect, it may be the shape that makes them not seed beads, not the glass.) I think they are the bomb!

I’m putting a bead at the second stitch in from the end on the row before you bind off for the points on the border, and I’m putting one on the stitch you slip in the s1-k2tog-psso sequence that lands you square in the middle of the diamond. The beads end up being a bit off the right of center, but they’re all in the same place and when it’s all blocked out and gorgeous all you’ll see is beauty, not wonkiness. I’m already three repeats in – I absolutely ADORE this pattern. I would encourage everyone and anyone to make it – it’s not that difficult at all – and use stitch markers! They make things a lot easier!

Oh yeah and I got a package from the girls at Blue Moon. Click on the extended entry if you want a peak. 😉

[Read more…]

Filed Under: BDFS, Short Rows

I’m looking over a Four Leaf Clover….

March 17, 2006 By

Can I just tell you? I’m so NOT a fan of St. Patrick’s Day. There isn’t an ounce of irish blood in me or my husband, I’m not a drinker, and I’m not so into green. Add to that I used to live on the same block as McSorley’s, where people would literally line up around the block to get in on St. Pat’s Day. The street would be lined with Porta-Potties and still there was a river of puke and piss. I also worked a few blocks from Fifth Avenue in the 50s (around the corner from St. Patrick’s Cathedral) for many years and basically you couldn’t leave the office on March 17th. BUT today. Well today I am as Irish as they come. All for my friend Vicki! She sent out the bat signal yesterday and I’m here to respond. It’s been a tough month over at Vick’s and I want you all to go on over and wish her brother Michael a happy birthday and send a big ol’ pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for him. He’s got some surgery going on today and all my wishes and hopes and prayers are with the Knitorious family! I LOVE YOU VICKI! (And don’t forget – tell Vicki and Ann congrats on their YEAR QUIT DATE!!!! I’m so PROUD of both of them! YAY!)

What’s that you ask? Why I’d be happy to tell you!

You know, I thought I was the proudest ever when I completed the first back of Short Rows. Then I thought I was the TOTAL SHIT when I finished REKNITTING the back because of gauge issues and FINISHED the front. When I finished the sleeves, well, let me tell you baby it was going to be all ends all the time at Chez January One. Yeah. Right.

NOTHING. None of my other knitting accomplishments, with this project, or any other project, prepared me for the elation I felt when I did this:

I DID IT!!!! I WOVE IN EVERY SINGLE FREAKING END! Now, in case you’re not suitably impressed, we’re talking 1,472,039 ends. Literally. That is no exaggeration. Want a reminder?


Click to see it bigger so you can actually count the ends.

Yeah. I thought so. I’m SO HAPPY I didn’t take any shortcuts! I’m so freaking happy. Who cares if I never sew it up and give it a collar and ever wear it. I WOVE IN THE ENDS! Sigh. It’s the little things in life, right?

Don’t worry all you short row freaks out there. I will sew it up and I will knit the collar and I will wear it. Although I have to say I’m really really really nervous about it. I mean, what if I put it on and it doesn’t fit? Or I put it on and someone splashes spaghetti sauce on me? Or I just eat normally and get crap all over it? What if I sweat in it (I’m a bad perspirer) and I get all kinds of deodorant stains on it and then it’s ruined forever? What if it doesn’t ohmygod fit? So see, if I procrastinate a little bit it’s only because I’m afraid that if I actually finish it I might have to wear it and then I might ruin it and it’s been a year since I started this and it will be my greatest knitting accomplishment and is that pathetic because maybe this project isn’t as great I thought it once was and it’s like a pullover with some stripes easy peasy and who will care? And what if it doesn’t FUCKING FIT?

Filed Under: Life, Short Rows

Closer…closer….

March 16, 2006 By

If all goes as planned, the blocking rug will be out tonight. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. Jinx buy me a beer.

Want to see what we had for dinner last night?

Yeah. Delicious! We order from this place once a week and without fail, if the owner guy answers, the order gets screwed up somehow. WITHOUT FAIL. It’s very strange. Anyone else and the order is delivered fast, hot and yummy. This guy? Not so much. So we were prepared for the slop that greeted us at the door. No worries – they delivered a new one ASAP and wanted the old one back. Good thing I snapped a picture before hand.

Pizza is my transition home meal. When I told G I wanted pizza for dinner he was like of course you do – in a very nice way. Apparently I always have pizza my first dinner home from being away. Maybe because it’s easy and I usually have leftovers for lunch the next day? Maybe because pizza outside of the NYC metro area sucks ass? Hmmm. Not sure, but he’s right. You can never go wrong with pizza. Ever never.

So I’m back home but my home is driving me crazy. It’s actually kind of depressing. We’ve been living in squalor (as we like to say affectionately) and it has to end. Last night G came home to find me crawling around on the floor picking up all the trash. Do you do this? Whenever I’m switching bags or the crap in my current bag gets to be too much I dump it on the carpet and start over. I’m usually running out of the house at the time and can’t sit and go through everything so on the floor it goes. And I can’t just dump it over the trash because there are receipts I need to keep in there. Or at least that’s what I tell myself. So I was crawling around trolling for trash making neat little piles everywhere of things that don’t get thrown out. And finding stitchmarkers. And yarn. Everywhere. I was also procrastinating because I have work to do. I’m out of the work loop so I don’t feel like doing it and yet it needs to be done because another job is coming this weekend. I’m grateful for work – don’t get me wrong – but there are so many things to help me procrastinate! I’m trying to look at it in a glass half full kind of way. At least I picked up the trash on the floor, right?

Today I’m going to get shrunk and then meet the FAMOUS AUTHOR Kay to buy some stuff I need for a new project. I’m SO excited about this project! So excited! But you’ll have to wait. Hopefully not too long as I’m waiting with you, but soon my pretties. Very, very soon.

Have a great day!

Filed Under: Life, Short Rows

Knit. Eat. Sleep.

January 31, 2006 By

Rinse. Repeat.

It was a wonderful vacation. We slept great. We ate even better. And, well, I surpassed my knitting goals. There was lots of cuddling and togetherness. A pedicure. A spin out. A suite. All in all, it couldn’t have been better – even though the weather wasn’t as warm as we’d have liked and the wind was a bit too strong. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though.

Here’s what I knit:

I finished the Short Row sleeves. YAY! All that’s left is to weave in the 3,418 ends from the back and the front and seam, do the collar and seam some more. I can taste the end. Hopefully it won’t take another six months to finish.

I finished my Rare Gems sock AND my first Red Hot Sizzling Sock. The RHSS is knit using Ruby Slippers STR with the picot edge modification – I started it Wednesday when I should’ve been packing – managed the picot edge and a couple repeats before it was time for bed. So most of the sock was knit in Florida – including the last couple of repeats and the toe while waiting on the runway for the plane to take off. The flight took about two hours longer than scheduled so I was also able to cast on and start the second Petroglyph sock. I got past the ribbing and a few repeats – but we were watching The Wedding Crashers on the plane and until I got smart and put it down, I screwed up some of the repeats. I’ll rip that today and start the second RHSS as well.

The food was unbelievable. I had what can honestly be described as the best meal of my life. I was dizzy it was so good. We ate at Mark’s in South Beach. For an appetizer I had Jumbo diver scallops, puree of calabaza, guava butter and plantain chip. Georgie had Tartare of yellowfin tuna, avocado, cucumber noodles, lemongrass oil. For dinner I had pistacio crusted lamb chops with brussel sprouts and cauliflower with bacon and pomegranates and potatos au gratin. G had Maine lobster tossed with saffron linguine, roma tomatoes, basil, white beans, English peas and prosciutto, served with roasted garlic crostini. Neither one of could speak the food was so good. (All of the dishes above are on the menu at the website except my lambchops.) I don’t even remember dessert, but it paled compared to the meal.

The next night we ate at Azul in Miami. I started with the butternut squash soup with hazelnuts and G had fried oysters wrapped in salmon, tuna, beef and crab carpaccios. For dinner, Georgie had the halibut and I had the Salmon duo – one side of the plate had poached salmon and the other side had salmon wrapped in mushrooms in a kind of spring roll type wrapping. Yummmm! Dessert here was really a treat though – vanilla souffle with three different sauces – chocolate, rasberry and creme anglaise. So divine.

Every meal we ate was delicious – but these two meals stand out.

What else? We had our first stuck on the runway experience – you know – when they taxi out and it looks like you’re going to take off then they stop the plane and tell you we’ll be sitting here for the next two hours – make yourself comfortable? Yeah. Not too much panic from the anxious claustrophobic girl. The good thing was I had already taken my pre-board Xanax so I was nicely juiced when they made the announcement. I knit along happily on my RHSS and finished it – I was about to kitchener the toe when I couldn’t find my cuticle scissors – I always travel with them. The round tips have been allowed by the TSA for years and years. Anyway, since the plane was a free for all I went up and asked the flight attendants if they had a scissors. Not allowed. But one of them told me she saw a woman knitting a blanket back in coach – let’s go ask her. So I walked to the back of the plane with the flight attendant – but she didn’t have scissors. We talked for a bit about my sock and then I made my way back to the front. Fun times on an airplane.

By the way – in case you’re flying any time soon – customs has completely RELAXED the requirements for knitting needles and such. I used to have a whole system for getting my needles and such through customs – but this time they barely batted and eye and even told me I didn’t have to take my scissors out (I used to put them in the cell phone bin because otherwise they’d rip apart my stuff.) I traveled with addi turbo circulars – from US 1s to US 6s exclusively and had no problems what so ever.

I’ll be making the official announcement tomorrow, but I’m closing down the jaywalker knit along after the giveaway on the 14th. I decided yesterday and as hard as this decision is for me, oh my god what a weight off my shoulders. This thing has taken over my life and that’s not fun. Basically I’ll be shutting down sign-ups tomorrow, because, well, if you haven’t had an update by then, you’re not eligible to win anyway. It’s been an amazing ride, but I kind of want my blog back.

I wanted to add a word cloud which I saw over at Karma’s but I’m having server issues all over the place. When things get back up I’ll add it.
Here it is!

Have a great day!

Filed Under: Jaywalkers, Short Rows, Socks, Vacations

Ends

September 6, 2005 By

I set myself some big-ass goals this weekend and guess what? I MET THEM! Yahoo! First up on the list: DON’T BE CRAZY! And I wasn’t too crazy. Really. There were a few moments here and there of bad thoughts but successful thought-stopping ensued which may or may not have included jumping on a trampoline screaming “I LOVE YOU!” at the top of my lungs. Actually, just thinking about doing it made me smile which stopped a bad thought. Did you know it’s scientifically impossible to have bad thoughts while jumping on a trampoline? It’s true. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.

Second goal: EXERCISE! Which I did! I actually got off my ass and went out this weekend to run, not once but TWICE! Granted, I started my beginner running program from the freaking beginning AGAIN, but it felt so good to be out there and the weather was glorious. I was a little sad though because my running route is basically the same as my flower route – the path along the development behind my building is the source of most of my flower pictures. I basically missed the whole season. Literally. And what’s out there dying is pretty much TOO dead for my tastes. I do like to take pictures of flowers on their last stem, but these babies are already gone. A trip to the botanical gardens may be in order very, very soon. My little sister will be coming to stay with me next week for a little bit while G is away (AGAIN!) and hopefully we’ll make a trip up to the Bronx.

Third goal: EAT! Yeah. Too much of that. I’m already putting back on the gloriously lost crazy pounds. You knew it was going to happen. But for two days I looked thin again. Hopefully the running will keep things in check. I was back in pants I couldn’t wear since LAST summer. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I always look my best and mentally I feel my worst. It’s a sad truth.

Fourth goal: KNIT!

DIAMOND FANTASY SHAWL

I’m really enjoying this lace project. I’ve put markers at all of the 12 stitch repeats and it’s been fast going that way. I’ve barely had to tink back – I think maybe once so far. I’ve got one purl row to go on the fourth repeat. I’m planning on doing all ten – for the shawl. Those girls that can do the scarf and call it a shawl are much more petite than I. I may actually go even farther – depends on the yarn situation. I’m liking the yarn too – at least the color. The variegation seems to be working really well with the pattern. Each diamond has some blue, some green, some darker blue. It’s looking lovely. As I knit it I’m thinking it will be beautiful to wear to synagogue this year, should I go for the High Holy Days. With a nice navy skirt and a crisp white blouse. I always loved High Holy Days clothes. Almost as much as I love the prayers said this time of year. They’re mournful and melodic and I often catch myself singing them year round. Anyway, I’ve been enjoying the DFS and I highly recommend it!

WALKING ON SUNSHINE SOCKS

Yes, I completed a sock. I very much like it – it’s bright and cheery and it fits well. The heel isn’t perfect – I need to tighten up some almost holes, but in the end I think I like the gusset/flap heel best. I tried two different kinds of short rows and didn’t like either. I still have to try an afterthought heel – next pair of socks – but for now this works well for me. Nice to know that, you know? I haven’t cast on for the second – but I will today. And I want these clogs. Especially for Rhinebeck.

And last but not least….

SHORT ROWS


Yes, my friends, it’s a FINISHED back AND FRONT of the now infamous Short Row Sweater. This was the MAJOR goal of the weekend – I want this sucker done! Of course, in succeeding at said goal, I kind of made pretend that there weren’t 3,681,207 ends.


Just for kicks, you know, to see if this thing will actually, one day, miracle of miracles, BE a sweater, I pinned the back and front together.


WHAHOOO! This might actually WORK! I’m very happy with it so far. Here are some close-ups on the zigzags:


So all I’ve got left are the sleeves – which should be a breeze since they’re all one color. I’m planning on doing both at the same time – and I still haven’t decided yet if I’m going to even cast on for them BEFORE I attend to those ENDS. Ugh. I see myself wearing this sweater for the High Holy Days too. With the same navy skirt. It’s nice to have goals. 😉

~+~+~+~

Lest you think it was all fun and games and knits here this weekend, there were still tears and sadness. Some of it personal, some of it global. The more I read and see of the tragedy on the Gulf Coast the more disillusioned I am with the human race as a whole. People are just SO MEAN. I’m sick to death of the finger pointing and name calling and who did or did not do what. I’ve never had any love (or even like) for the current administration, but now I’m even disgusted with the people I supposedly AGREE
with. Now is the time TO SHUT THE FUCK UP and ACT! It’s not the time for who’s right and who’s wrong. It seems to me that the political atmosphere in this country is directly to blame – which means BOTH SIDES. BOTH SIDES. NO POLITICIAN OR PUNDIT IS INNOCENT.

[ETA: If I hear one more “person” say how everything would’ve been handled so wonderfully if Ghouliani had been mayor – I’m going to start screaming and not stop. There is NO WAY that the disaster in NOLA can be compared to 9/11. After the towers fell, the event was pretty much over, except for the clean-up. The whole tragedy affected (physically) a very small part of the city. There was no recovery. By the end of the day, things were back to “normal” in terms of people getting food, shelter, communicating with each other. Sure, some people were homeless – but those people had the means (by virtue of where they lived) to find other shelter. Ghouliani didn’t have to hold the physical well-being of the city together. This may seem harsh – but it’s the truth as I see it.]

I watched the Sunday news programs this weekend – it’s something G usually does and occasionally I tune in. When I saw Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard on Meet the Press, I was beyond horrified. Then I read about shoe shopping and slack jaws and I wonder, where is our collective conscience? And even if you don’t really care about what’s happened here, where is your INTELLIGENCE to keep your mouth shut? We can’t even make it LOOK like we care. (And isn’t it so much worse that these WOMEN can’t seem to gather up any real sympathy?)

All weekend long I’d pop on over to Margene and Susan’s site and gain a little bit of hope back.

Knit on through all crises. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Filed Under: Diamond Fantasy Shawl, politics and other crap, Short Rows, Socks, Sunshine Socks

World Peace

August 23, 2005 By

I’ve decided that if I spent half of the time and energy I spend on my anxiety, worrying about whether or not I’ll be anxious, thinking about NOT thinking – well, frankly, I’d have found the solution to world peace by now. Either that or I’d be building the Google Elevator.

Something, anything more productive than driving yourself crazy and then having to pull yourself out of the hole.

Margene, zen master, has an interesting post on Motivation today. I’m thinking in a similar, yet opposite direction. What kind of LACK of motivation allows you to slip down that slope – fully conscious of what’s going to happen THROUGH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE – and yet you can’t get off your ass to stop it? Do I need to feel like shit for some reason? Am I going to come out the other side with some great revelation? I KNOW how to stop it – even before it really starts, yet I let it happen. Granted, there were lots of things this summer working against me (Hello? People who control the Weather?) but still.

You know what? What’s done is done. This is who I am. I just hope it doesn’t take me too long to get through it. I am SO OVER me.

On to knitting.

Look! Is it a bird? A plane? A superhero? No. It’s just a Short Row back – T2 style.


Take Two

It’s seems a little bit wonkier than the first version, but I’ve decided that because of the short rows, this will never be a flat knit. Blocking may help, but there are so many ends and so many starts and stops with the yarn. The size looks good – I’ve compared it to my prototype (the pullover in my closet that fits nice) and it’s right on. I’ve woven in half the ends and I feel good about the other half. The front is next, as soon as possible, and I’ll deal with the sleeves last. I have company coming tomorrow for a couple of days, so we’ll see how I do with it.

Socks are stalled. The Sunshine sock is stockinette and I need that like I need another hole in the head. Mindless knitting equates to idle hands. Which means the devils are hard at work. I’ve got (maybe) one more repeat on the long lost never ending Retro Rib sock and then I can turn the heel. Don’t hold your breath.

Since socks aren’t doing the trick, I started something new. After finishing the Flower Basket Shawl and the Acorn Socks, I wanted some more lace. But I couldn’t find a yarn or pattern that I was happy with. I didn’t want to do the Leaf Lace – too similar to FBS. I actually bought two Robert Powell shawl patterns – #103 (pattern) and #106 (kit). The kit came with 4 oz. of Jamieson & Smith 2-ply jumper-weight in Cream which I will probably never knit (look for a contest soon!) but I still like the patterns. Couldn’t decide on a yarn.

And then I saw this. And this. And this. And I bought some of this. And here we go!


Sivia Harding’s Diamond Fantasy Shawl
Twinkletoes Sock Yarn – Foggy Dew

I also bought some Twinkletoes Denim Multi – hard to photograph though.

So far I’m liking the pattern – although I have yet to finish the first repeat section. But it’s easy to understand and I feel like I will have the charts figured out – you know what I mean – when you GET the lace pattern – pretty soon.

The yarn. I don’t know. I definitely like the colors and the weight and the texture. I don’t know if I’d ever use this for socks though – it’s kind of scratchy – but for the shawl I think it will be good. It seems like it will block well. One thing though – when I was winding up the Denim Multi – the yarn broke once at the beginning and once at the end of the wind. May be I was too tough with it? But it also has a few knots here and there, which annoy me. Juries still out on this – but like I said – I can’t imagine I’d use it for socks. Maybe there are lots of shawls in my future. I do have like 1500 yds of the denim. Not sure what I was thinking there. Or NOT thinking. Hahahahahaha.

I started this post on a dark note and I’m going to finish it on a good one. A couple of weeks ago I received an email to my blog address asking if I was the same person who wrote a story entitled “The BBC” which appeared in Fourteen Hills, the literary journal out of San Franciso State University. I replied that indeed I was. Welp, it turns out that FH is putting out an anthology of fiction from the first ten years of the journal and they’ve decided to include my story. I also found out my story will appear along side some of my favorite writers! Lydia Davis! Lynne Tillman! Peter Orner! Pam Houston! Next to little ol’ me! What an ego boost! As you know, my writing has suffered the last couple of years – but this has spurred me on! I actually took out a story yesterday – one I’ve been wanting to revise – and read it and took notes! This could be it the opening I’ve needed….

Open up the windows and sing out loud! It’s a beautiful day today!

Filed Under: Diamond Fantasy Shawl, Life, Short Rows, Stash

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

August 9, 2005 By

Cockiness will get you every time.

This post was supposed to lead off with a stunning portrait of a completed Short-Rows back. With all the ends lovingly woven in. And I was supposed to brag about how I didn’t rip once on this version of the back, it just flew off the needles without a thought, totally Zen like, and that I was all excited about the project, having already cast on for the front in my mind – sewn up the side seams – knit both sleeves together and voila! It was FINITO in all it’s glory.

Instead this post will tell you that I was thisclose to having it done, chugging along, having WOVEN IN ALL THE ENDS AS I FINISHED EACH SHORT ROW SECTION!!!! Yesterday, when I started knitting, I was about to start the second short row section, which also coincides with the raglan decreasing, so you know, it would go super fast. And, again, I repeat (yelling at the top of my lungs) when I started to knit yesterday ALL THE PREVIOUS ENDS WERE WOVEN IN! But I got to the end of the first part of the second short row section and something wasn’t right. I don’t know – it just didn’t look right. But I shouldered on, then ripped. Then shouldered on making the same damn mistake, then ripped. Finally, I said fuck it and compared my old back to the new back and found the mistake. You were supposed to leave off the last two rows of the repeat, not the last row and first row like you were earlier. DUH!

So I need to rip out the short rows I did. The back will not be done for a few more days, and so there are no fabulous pictures of stellar progress.

Today I will be taking a break from short rows and going back to the sock – any sock – I don’t care. I’ll be knitting with Jen today and then tonight G and I and his bro are going to the Yankee game. I’ll be knitting on the sock there tonight too. Thank god it’s not a red sock, though, because I think that might be too much for the Bronx.

Filed Under: Short Rows

Where I Learn From My Mistakes

August 5, 2005 By

I would take pictures, but really, it’s so not necessary.

I started up Short Rows again last night and can I tell you? I really am learning from my mistakes. I’m almost excited about it! So far I’ve got like three or four ends and they’re already woven in (I’m trying to weave in as I go on the straight rows. It won’t work on the short rows, but still, that’s 529 LESS ends to weave, right?) Some of those might have to be tweaked a little bit, but I’m also carrying the yarn up the sides even though the pattern continually says CUT THE YARN. By way of NOT CUTTING THE YARN I can also incorporate that other really neat stripe trick of knitting from which ever side the yarn might be on. Note: you can only do this if you’re using circs, which of course I am. For instance, say you knit a row with the blue but the next row you have to change to green. And the green is on the opposite side. So what! Just knit another row with the green! Of course, it may also happen that you have to purl a few rows and maybe you hate to purl. But can I make a confession here? Sometimes I like to purl more than I like to knit. Really. And I’m a thrower. But somehow sometimes it feels like I get more in a rhythm with the purl rows and I can go faster. Yeah, I’m weird like that.

So anyway, I completed one pattern repeat. In this case, I’m calling a pattern repeat the fourteen rows that make up the stripe sequence. My goal is to do repeat a day – two or more on the weekends. And when the short rows come into play – well – all bets are off. Those suckers can go really fast. And I’m going to try and make sure that the ends are in after each repeat. Stop laughing. I said I’m going to TRY. That’s all I can do, right?

I’m SO OVER Summer. How about you? Yesterday I had one of those killer headaches – you know the ones? Where the clouds are bursting – but nothing’s happening? It’s like the weather’s freaking constipated or something. Just RAIN already. They said it rained for like five seconds or something but I didn’t feel it. And this morning I woke up with a headache – just a little one – and it seems to have dissipated, but ugh. Enough. E-NOUGH! (That’s a nod to my sister, if she’s reading…hey Jol!)

I know I can’t really complain because I’m in my ice-box of a house with plenty of air conditioning and comforts but yet the heat is still sapping my energy. I just KNOW that if I go outside I will DIE and it’s making me sad. I miss the flowers. Add to that the fact that the next few weeks are going to be super busy and in between I’m back at my sister’s for a week. G’s going to California (without me – work stuff) and I’m alone so much as it is I can’t stand to be alone at nights so I’m going to Philly. But as much as I love the kiddies and my sis and hanging out, I’m ready to be home for a while. Without heat. In some kind of a schedule. You know?

All right already! E-NOUGH bitching! Bring on the FALL!

Filed Under: Short Rows
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