Me? . . . Sewing?

Saints preserve us! I can seam a sweater. Well half a sweater at least. I worked on my endless burgundy Knit for Kids project yesterday and felt it was time to begin the arms of the second side. I wanted to be sure my seams of the body would match, so i seamed up the two sides bottom to top to the arm pit. Why was I so terrified? I went from bottom up on each side, bundling the rest of the yarn in the armpit. I'll be able to continue to the cuffs when I'm finished. I gotta tink out four rows of the sweater's second side (damn, I wish it was knit four more) but I'm a pro at that.

On to the arms.

Let It Snow!

I know, I know. But I love this stuff. Yesterday when it started to come down, I had to call Bobby and my sister in California. It didn't amount to much, but Bobby still has the lights on the blue spruce he gave me. I sat here last night looking right outside my window at Christmas. Finally.
Finished a quick fingerless gauntlet. My own design. None of the patterns I saw did what I needed. I only wanted one for my right hand at the computer. Damn paralysis. I may dash off the other one now that I see how warm it is. I'll make a real pair for other use, but this fuzzy one works for my tracball. I started up by the elbow and decreased a few stitches nearer to the wrist. A hole for the thumb and knit a fairly long palm binding off tightly. My index finger goes out there and I poked my other three out along the side. I widened the holes a bit (I know, sacrilege) and it works fine.

I had been in a knitting and writing slump for a few days. I seem to get that way when I finish something. The decision of what to start next I guess. I have so many things on my list I can't decide which I'd rather start. Or rather, which is the perfect pattern. I bet I spend more time on the computer reading about knitting than I do actually working the sticks sometimes. Luckily I have no shame, guilt or humility. But there is hope. I won two sets of needles on ebay last night. 15 (count 'em fifteen) pair of 9" bamboo straight needles for $11.25 and 14 (yeesss fourteen) sets of 8" bamboo DPN for $31.54. I missed the 5" dpn, but there's another set today. I've been watching and bidding for a few days. Dad gave me money for Christmas and this is a perfect gift I will use all the time. He will be so pleased. I decided on a vendor and price range and took the plunge.

Two out of three ain't bad.

Today I'm watching my birds chowing down on some popcorn and the pineapple Bobby put out for them last night. Pineapple! The bug eaters love it. He slid a slice of rind into the suet block holder and the female woodpecker was going to TOWN on it. The wrens enjoyed it too, but not with as much gusto. They did thank me with a song afterward. It's quiet now, but I'm sure they'll be back. I got my camera out and caught a few shots but the durn pineapple is turned away from the window. Maybe I'll get Bobby to turn it around a bit for me so it really shows in a picture. The day is grey and still. Snow. Yeah.



It's cold.


I feel like knittin'.

I am the Empress (of Yarn?)

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus the feminine planet, representing:

beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?

Take the Test to Find Out.

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Oh yeah, that's me holding a ball of yarn up there. Rebecca at GiantsKnitter had her results on her blog and I was forced to try it.

::turn on Twilight Zone music here::

When I read the last part about Demeter and her daughter I nearly choked on my popcorn. On a topic so very un-knitting, "Demeter's Daughter" was one of my biggest hits. A song I sang and recorded with The Bawdy Balladeers around 10 years ago, it was my personal best.


To know the daylight, you must know dark
To know the flowers, you must know weeds
You can not meet again unless you part
Or eat a pomegranate without seeds

Oh yes, it's true then that life is good
And I've learned the lesson it can teach
That you can never have all you want
And you never want what's within reach

from Demeter's Daughter by Anne Lister

How very odd and profound that I should be remembered to this piece of my past just now. I've been trying to ignore the seeds in my pomegranate for far too long.

Chicks dig metaphors.

I know, shut up and knit.

First FO of 2007

I made the cutest spiral top hat with the Peaches and Cream yarn.

I JUST LOVE HOW THIS TURNED OUT !

I used the free pattern from Carol at The Celtic Knot for Colleen's Cap. I'll have to take it to her soon. I believe she sends caps off to University of Maryland Medical Center's Oncology Center. I added a few rows of purling for ridges on the body. It gives it less of a point and adds grip without the usual ski-cap ribbing.

The decreases turned out this lovely nine point spiral that reminds me of peppermints and those big lollipops from Ocean City. I gotta keep this pattern. It is easy to follow and the decreases can be used for other hats if I don't like theirs. I can use fewer decreases for smaller hats by starting with multiples of 8 or 7 instead of 9. I kept track of my gauge (good knitter, have a cookie) in my little red book so I can even compare various yarns. I think I’m getting the hand of this knitting thing.

I wasn’t quite satisfied with my closure and tinked it back. That was tough. It was worth it though, ‘cause one more row of straight knitting before pulling the nine stitches together made the top perfect. I was looking at it and thinking . . . State Fair . . . yeah! I really intend on entering something this year. It is good to have a goal. Some of the prize winners I saw weren’t fancy or especially pretty, just well done.

When I washed it to take care of the pet hair issues, I blocked it on a bowl on top of the dryer. Bobby and I started looking into buying a head for me to block with and use as a model for my pictures as well. Hmmmm. If I use it for charity work is it tax deductible expense I wonder? He really gets into helping me with my knitting. We were watching something on TV the other night while I was working on this hat. I *had* to be excused and didn’t want to loose my place. I said out loud,” Knit two together on a seven row” and off I went. When I came dashing back and scooped up my needles, Bobby leaned over said,” Knit two together on a seven row”.

I love him.

You know, when I look back to my first hat about a year ago, I wince. I had no pattern and believe I just K2,K2tog and sewed some sort of monster spiderweb on the top. I hadn't a clue about dpn and was stretching the yarn on flexible needles (inventing the double loop I might add). I tied big knots to change colors and did a rotten job of weaving in my ends. It was awful but I was so proud. It was what I wanted to do. It felt good. It feels good now. Scary. Personal. Good.

For you, John.