Trying to Catch Finishitis

I have been travelling - TNNA, which has been more than adequately described elsewhere, then a wedding in Northern Virginia, which no one but my family cares to hear about. It’s nice to have a finally have a weekend at home, especially in the garden.

And just outside the garden:

I recently finished a few new baby sweaters, which I’ll be adding to the shop and Ravelry soon. That inspired me to examine my knitting baskets and finish up or rip out some bits and pieces of projects. I don’t have many UFOs that started life as a real project. I have many more that are either samples for a class, or a prototype for a pattern that I finish as far as I need to, then use the real yarn and make the sweater, or scarf, or whathaveyou. I figured with traveling and some all-day trainings for work, I’d get a few of them finished up. Some, however, didn’t make the cut, and I decided to just unravel and set the yarn aside for another project. For example:

This was a sample for a class I did this winter using Knitting Lace Triangles. I started a few of the patterns so folks could see how they looked, and I could see if there were pitfalls or problems. (It is a well done book, BTW.) I had two partly-knit lace triangles, and was really tempted to finish them. I know, however, that they will go more slowly with each row and if I am not thrilled with the yarn pattern combination early on, it will not grow on me. So, ripped and rewound, the yarn gets put away for some other idea — two shawls no longer.

The psychological down side of this is that I now want to start more new projects. One project I finished up was a little moebius basket. I took a class from Cat Bordhi at TNNA and if you are ever lucky enough to have the opportunity to take a class from her, run and sign up right away. I wasn’t all that excited about the topic, but heard she was a good teacher so I signed up. She is not only a good teacher, but a spatial/knitting genius with a good sense of humor. Once I finished the moebius basket, did I say to myself, oh good, that’s done, sometime I’ll felt it and use it for something? No, I started planning more of them as I worked the final decrease rounds. Won’t they make great little gifts? I can needle felt creative and interesting designs on them for people! What did I do with that needle felting kit I bought? Do I remember how to do it? Does it matter? I better start another basket before I forget how. Truly, my little brain needs to chill and go back to the original concept. Finish the project at hand, or rip it out and put the yarn away. Repeat.

MLE

Not About Knitting - Last Night in St. Paul

I don’t think it matters who you plan to vote for in November, what happened last night in St. Paul, Minnesota will be in the history books forever. Yesterday, I took a stroll to return some library books mid-aftertoon, and decided to walk the next block to the Excel center and check out the crowd waiting for the Obama rally. I chatted with a young woman on the way over. She appeared to be originally Southeast Asian, perhaps Cambodian or Lao. She told me she had been an Americorps volunteer, that her brother and sister- in -law rushed to get their citizenship in time to vote in this election. She talked about reading Caroline Kennedy’s op-ed piece in the NYT, and that it gave her goose bumps. I thought how interesting it was, that Kennedy was dead many years before this woman was born, or her family came to the US, but his legacy mattered to her.

At the X, the diversity of the crowd that was forming was inspiring. It was evident to me that this was much more than a political rally. It was still a workday, so there were lots of students and retirees, but the number and variety of families surprised me. There were many African American moms and dads with kids in tow to witness this moment, to carry with them proof that while racism is not dead, it is not the end, either. There were many white, Asian and Latino families, too. There were young white men in St. Paul Wild hockey sweaters. I saw an older white couple, and heard the woman say to the man “I don’t care. This is the coolest thing I have ever done!” I thought she was right. It didn’t matter if I had to stand on line for a while, how could I miss this moment?

I live very close, so I went home, ate some supper, and my husband and I went back. By now, the length of the line was staggering, nearly two miles long, but we figured at least we would be in the company of thousands of like-minded persons. We walked and walked to find the end of the line, and then saw one of my closest friends. Her husband didn’t want to stand around for that long, so dropped her off and she was on her own, chatting with a young man who turned out to be from her home state of Indiana. (We ditched, but we were almost at the end, really.)

It was a regular party, I tell you. We had no idea if we would even get in. It didn’t feel like 2 hours on the cement. (But my legs know that this morning.) The waitress from a restaurant we frequent was in line in front of us, so we got to know her a bit. There was a young man in a Bob Marley t-shirt I started talking to because he was by himself. He was an immigrant from Somalia via Kenya. He can’t vote in this election, but wanted to be there, just the same. We talked about the history of racism in the US. He told me he was too young to know of it first hand, but has heard the stories, of course. He looked at me with a bit of grin – “So, do you now believe that miracles can happen?” I do, I surely do. That in this crazy world, in spite of the racism and fear that surrounds us, a black American is now the nominee of the Democratic party surely seems like a miracle. I felt so proud to be there last night. It’s been a while since I felt proud to be American. I have been ashamed of late of what some have done in the name of this country. Last night, I cried tears of joy and hope for my country. I thought of my parents and my immigrant grandparents and the great stretch of history that brought us to that historic moment I was witness to. Yes, we can.

MLE

The Rewards of Green Errands or The Prodigal Returns

I wanted to go to the post office and run some other errands today, so I put air in my bike tires and got going for my first ride of the year. I have two panniers for the bike, and generally only need to take one. So what to my wondering eyes should appear when I took down both panniers from their winter storage - could it be?

Yes, it is!

The fleece artist sock and pouch, missing since last August! I must have been biking somewhere and left them in one of the panniers, then never used that one again until now. Although it was a bit disappointing to see that the little bike pannier elves did not finish the sock for me, I was pleased to see how beautiful the yarn is.

In addition to packages to mail, I took a few balls of leftover Koigu to get weighed so I’d know how much I really used in the newest baby sweater. My local PO has some of the loopiest — in the best possible way– workers around. The gentleman this morning said he would weigh my yarn if I promised to pop a wheelie in the parking lot on the way out. I agreed, on the condition that there be an ambulance available in the parking lot at the same time. No wheelie, not even a skid, just a wave to the guys as they got ready to close up.

Signs of Spring

There are certain signs of spring in my yard:

The beautiful and fragrant Prairiefire Crabapples

The Virgiania Bluebell(Mertensia) that has spread wildly this year. I love love love real blue flowers, not what they call blue in garden catalogues, but turns out to be purple. Johnson’s Blue Geranium?
Purple. So disappointing.

The second of many batches of handwashed sweaters, drying outdoors to put away in the cedar chest until the fall. Except for a few, because it is 44 degrees F. this morning. Welcome to May in Minnesota. My condolences to all those folks in Hugo, MN who lost their homes in the tornado Sunday evening. I drive through there several times a week on my way to Holley’s barn. I am not looking forward to seeing the aftermath in person.

The Law

Are you having one of those days where you are uncertain of just what is right and what is wrong? Do you need some guidance, friend? Well I have some for you. I was recently honored to attend Grandparents/Special Person Day at my adoptive grandson’s school. (He adopted us to be his grandparents, never mind that I am younger than his mother!)

We sat through the musical assembly. Let me tell you. If you have not heard the first movement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony played by the beginner 5^th grade band, you are, uh, well, lucky. I could not even look at my husband. I had to bite my thumb to keep from laughing out loud. Oh my goodness. The piece I had been really dreading was “When the Saints Go Marching In” by the 4^th grade recorder band. When what should have actually called “When the Saints Go Strolling Very Slowly In” finally came on, I must say, it paled in comparison. I didn’t even snicker.

Then on to the classrooms. Civics was the lesson of the month in the second grade, and my little guy and his buddies had to write something about Law. Your guidance for the day.

Peace Out.

Slog Cabin

My nephew and his wife just had their second child, who was born early. (Baby and mom are fine.) What’s wrong with these people? Don’t they understand that an early birth is very inconsiderate of those making knitted gifts? In my case, this gift is a log cabin baby blanket. I have made of number of these, and start with good intentions. They go so fast, oh this is great, I’ll have this done in no time. I mean, they won’t be taking the baby out very much in the first month anyway, will they?

Then, after the first few rounds, progress slows. OK, maybe I shouldn’t be making this in lightweight yarn at 7 sts to the inch. What a fool. I must have some nice washable worsted in my stash. When I bought the yarn, Rowan Cashsoft 4 ply, it was so soft, so lovely to look at, such a bargain. (Clearanced at 40% off.) Now I am not sure I really like the color combination, especially the Koigu in the center, which doesn’t look quite so blue in real life. No matter, I am not going back. I am slogging on.

It feels as though no matter how long I knit it never looks much bigger. So I started playing mind games with myself. What if, instead of seven ridges each color, I make them bigger. I’ll move up to nine ridges, then in the final set eleven. Yeah, that will go much faster because it will reduce the amount of binding off and picking up stitches. That makes sense, doesn’t it? Except now, it seems like each color is taking longer because there are more rows and more stitches. Right, more rows and more stitches do take longer. There appear to be some properties related to mathematical progression that I have not grasped. Will it ever end? Will I loose my love of garter stitch? Will I loose my mind? Will this baby get a gift from Target very soon? Stay tuned.

MLE

First of May Petticoat Day

Was this a strange New Jersey custom? Or an old-country custom that founds its way to the East Coast? When I was a kid in the 60’s (just before love peace and brown rice) there were several customs tied to May Day. The boys mostly, but also girls would shout “First of May, Petticoat Day” and flip up the edge of a girl’s uniform skirt to show her slip. Some years I would wear shorts under my uniform so that I didn’t have on a petticoat. (a doofus even then) Then there was crowning Mary (as in the Blessed Virgin Mary) Queen of the May. I imagine this came from some attempt to christianize a pagan ritual. I was always jealous of the girl that was chosen to crown Mary. She got to wear a pretty dress and a wreath of flowers. I was never chosen for such things, because I was not small and cute, but tall and awkward. The term my grandmother would use was ‘hoyden’ — not who you want traipsing down the aisle with wreaths and flowers

Second of May was Shoelace Day, you shouted that and grabbed someone’s shoelace to untie it. These days the little un’s all seem to have velcro. (Third of May, Velcro Day?

In honor of May, I have finished my first Christmas present. Socks in Kaffe Fasset sock yarn, color Fog. I love this yarn. The colors are beautiful and I wanted to keep going to see what the next stripe would be. I don’t worry about the stripes matching for each sock, as you can see. Whichever sister or niece is the lucky recipient won’t care either. I didn’t make socks last year except for my god daughter and there was much whining. One down, another 10 to go.

MLE

Playing Catch Up

I’ve been spending lots of time at the computer, mostly related to my job, which makes me less interested in writing a blog entry when I get home, or get up. Last week, Franklin’s 1,0000 Knitters Project came to town for Yarnover, sponsored by the Yarnery, and I was, as described in the guidelines for scheduling a shoot

“One dedicated, assisting staff member. Public shoots can become crowded at times. A numbering system helps to keep things running smoothly. I’ll need at least one person to distribute model releases, give and call numbers, and explain the basics of the project to those who might inquire.”

What this doesn’t say was what a blast it would be. Franklin is charming and kind. I really enjoyed watching him put each knitter at ease as he photographed them. If you get the chance to participate, don’t be shy. It was easy.

The best part was that Franklin’s great sense of humor is not limited to his writing and drawing. We were in a high school classroom, which necessitated rearranging things. This reminded us both of Catholic School Days, when the CCD students who went to gasp, public school, would spend time in our classrooms learning the ropes of Holy Mother Church. It also meant that they, as children do, moved things, took things, and generally interfered with the classroom set up. Imagine the prissy whine on Monday mornings – “Sister, the public schoolers messed up my desk, the public schoolers broke my ruler, the public schoolers took one of my crayons. ” The infractions, real or imagined, seemed egregious. So this was our chance to wreak revenge, and we gleefully took things off the wall and moved desks. Heh-heh, I wish I had heard those Spanish I and II kids on Monday. “Senor, the knitters moved my desk, the knitters took my stuff and put it over here, the knitters didn’t get the flag back properly.” Take that you public schoolers. (We put everything back, really. And I didn’t break a single crayon.)

Franklin got the chance to photograph Lucy Neatby (I was going to say shoot, but that didn’t sound right) who invited us to come paw through her trunk of knitted wonders – and what wonders. I don’t generally care for intarsia but man this stuff was amazing. Fingering weight cotton knitted at about a zillion sts to the inch with extra quadruple zero needles. Only the rigid moral code instilled in us by Catholic school kept us from stealing something. Plus, Lucy was right there with her students. I wanted to go home, throw away all my needles and take up macrame. One of these days I will sign up early enough at something, somewhere, to get into one of Lucy’s classes.

MLE

Happy Earth Day

I’ve been whirling like a dervish lately. Trying to finish up projects both knitting and work. The office is launching a reusable bag campaign, and I’ve recently finished a felted market tote bag out of Malabrigo Chunky. The colors are random, but I love them. And it’s interesting that the stockinette stitch fabric when felted gives vertical ridges. Almost as if I’d planned something neat, but it’s just a happy accident.

It was 76 degrees here in Minnesota. The ice is finally melting from the lakes. Happy Earth Day! Bring your own bag next time when you go shopping.

Theresa

A Good Time Had By All

I am so late the party, as always. Others have covered this event in great detail, but here’s a brief take. Last Thursday evening at about this time, I was zooming along Summit Avenue in the snow, with the Yarn Harlot as my passenger. (The photo in her post was thru my windshield.) I was her designated driver, and acting as emcee for the Yarnery event, because I have been tagged the token extrovert. But no longer. Check out the video if you haven’t seen it already, of the serious Yarnery staff extroverts. The Yarnery family singers– Angie, Jess, Eric and Scott — all classically trained, opera-singing wild folk, were rocking the house. Last year, I had to entertain the masses waiting for Stephanie. And I do mean masses. (Photo by Incaknits.)

This year, all I had to do was introduce the warm up act. Very very funny. Do watch the video. Also, Angie has lots of footage and photos.

Stephanie’s speech/presentation was even better than last year. Her delivery is so dry and so funny. She rarely cracks a smile, while the audience is falling on the floor laughing. She touched on questions of neural plasticity, research being done on repetitive movements as a benefit to the brain, and theta waves. At one point she questioned her material, hoping she had got the science right. This was an audience of knitters, doncha know, so of course there was a neurologist there who confirmed that she was on the right track. There is something about knitters, is there not? Although I am not of a scientific bent, and dwell in , as my husband puts it, ‘math hell’, I am a regular reader of the NYTimes Science and Health sections on Tuesday. The brain fascinates me, and there is a lot of research going on these days, mercifully reported for the layperson. I have had Sandra Aamodt’s book Welcome to your Brain on hold at the library for while, and I’m next on the list. So what a treat to hear an erudite, hysterically funny discussion on the intersection of current brain research and knitting. Then, I got to give out door prizes those waiting for a signed book. Quite like Christmas, but better because I didn’t have to purchase the presents.