Monoganomous Knitting

     I am a pretty big fan of monogamy.  I have been married for many, many years, and find it hard to imagine my life otherwise.  I have been married long enough to have a 29 year old daughter who is getting married on 9-10-11.  I almost always drive a Subaru (though not at the moment); Pink Ladies are my favorite apples, Newcastle my favorite beer, and I love Vermont Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese, though it no longer likes me very well. It is rare for me to deviate from my favorite things. But knitting monogamy has not really entered my life until recently.  I am knitting wedding shawls.  Six of them.  One for the bride out of cashmere/silk handspun which has been be spun by the bride's mother- who would be me; and five others for the bridesmaids.  There are only 4 actual bridesmaids at the moment, but I am making 5 shawls, in case of some unforeseen emergency.
     The way I usually handle my knitting projects is pretty simple .  I have stay-at-home projects and on-the-go projects.  Stay-at-home projects are those that are either too large and unwieldy or to complicated to knit when I am away from home.  Right now the stay-at-home project is  Girasole which is a lovely circular shawl designed by Jared Flood based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's Pi shawl.  It is knit in Green Mountain Spinnery Alpaca Elegance in the color Cappuccino.  It is a wonderful yarn and a great pattern.  But the damn thing is going to be about 70 inches in diameter and it is very heavy.  Not only that, one must count every stitch and every row. Currently there are about 600 stitches on each row and I am about half way done.  Not a traveling project.  In fact it is upstairs in my sewing room (where I rarely sew), resting.  Then I usually have a travel project.  This is something pretty small, preferably that fits in my purse, requiring no mental acrobatics and not on size 000 needles.  It is usually a sock, a plain vanilla sock, knit on size 2.25 needles, in some self patterning sock yarn.  Recently I knit 5 Koolhaas hats as holiday gifts, and after the first hat, they became travel items.   It is rare for me to have more than 2 projects on the needles at a time.  It happens, usually only after taking a class, when I start a couple of projects and am anxious to finish them before I forget what I learned.  I recently took 3 day classes from both Ann Hanson and Nancy Bush.  I started 3 projects with each teacher, and haven't touched any of them since I took the classes.  That is just how devoted I am to these wedding shawls.  My current on-the-go project is a 6th Koolhaas hat.

     The first problem , of course was choosing both the yarn and the patterns for the shawls.  After several false starts on both accounts I settled on the Icarus shawl in the Aracaunia Rialto solid yarn .  I bought 2 skeins of each of five colors at Webs in Northampton, MA and I was pretty sure that I would have enough yarn for each shawl.  But no, I ran out of yarn on the first shawl 14 rows from the end, so ordered another skein of  3 of the 5 colors.  Two colors where out of stock, so those shawls will be slightly smaller.  The first shawl is complete and blocked and I'll show you a picture of the colors as well:

     The bridesmaid's dresses are champagne, so I wanted to add a bit of color, but not too much.  Because theses colors are tonal as well as hand dyed they look fairly similar.  Though each color says that all 3 skeins come from the same dye lot, they do vary a bit.  We are calling that a design feature.  The lavender one has about 20 rows of each skein alternated, and that makes a nice transition.  I completed the first shawl in 10 days, but the second is taking longer because I went off to Burlington, Vermont to take a 3 day class from Nancy Bush on Estonian knitting.  And ski season is wrapping up as well, so I have to get in all the hours that I can on the slopes.  The yarn for the bride's shawl is complete.  It is Antique white, as is her dress, so the combination should be lovely.  Natalie's shawl is in the Swallowtail pattern by Evelyn Clark.  I had originally planned to make Nancy Bush's Summer shawl, but Nancy thought the silk/cashmere was too heavy for her pattern.  It is a heavier yarn than the Rialto, but Natalie's dress is strapless and she is always cold, so we are going with a more substantial shawl for her.  Knitting these shawls is not just a labor of Love, but a real lesson in perseverance.  At this point I am still enjoying the process.  I just hope the bride appreciates the results.

Knitting Podcasts

    I think that over the past two years I have listened to almost every knitting podcast out there.  And I really like very few of them.  Not sure why.  Maybe I was lucky to discover Brenda Dayne's  Cast On early in the game, and that set the bar really high, so consequently much that followed has been disappointing.  Maybe I just don't really like the genre, and I keep trying to find the perfect podcast, but in actuality I just don't like listening to short dis-jointed productions about other folks knitting frustrations.
    There are several things I do know about the podcasts that I enjoy.  I like single person podcasts.  I have tried some that have two  participants and I never like them, even though according to iTunes they are extremely popular.  I like good music.  Not all podcasts have music, but many have music that really sucks.   Sticks and Strings, about a bloke who knits from Australia,  has great music, as does Cast On, and it has good variety as well.
      If I am listening to a knitting podcast I want it to be about knitting. Both Cast on and Sticks and Strings have a lot of knitting content and just enough personal content to make the podcaster human without divulging every deep dark secret about their personal life.  I know that David Reidy teaches at a secondary school and has two cats named Tigger and Tiger and I know Brenda Dayne lives in Wales with her partner Tania.  Do I need to know more?  No, not really.  Coincidentally both podcasts often have book recommendations along with knitting content, and I am usually not a fan of their book choices.
     I like a podcast that is easy to listen to.  It needs good quality sound and a podcaster who can pronounce all the words they are saying.  I once, and only once, listened to a podcast by a youngish woman somewhere in the mid-west.  It was obvious she never even attempted to find the proper pronunciation of anything.  Not only that, she didn't really have a good grasp of the English language.  It might have been funny if it had not been so very sad.  Though it was excruciatingly awful to listen to, I got as far as the fifth time she used the word "tutoral" for the word "tutorial".  This particular episode was about on-line tutorials of knitting processes.  It had the potential to be pretty interesting as there are many on-line tutorials and youtube videos, and their quality varies considerably. But I just could not listen to all of it, and I would not have trusted her judgement. 
    Perhaps my current favorite podcast is Fiber Beat.  It is by a guy from California called WonderMike.    This guy has it all.  Great sound quality, fiber smarts, good connections and knitting videos.  He usually interviews some knitting/fiber rockstar and, though the interviews are obviously a bit staged, they are always interesting and fun.  And the music is to die for.  I do not know how this guy digs up the sound bites that he has on the show, but they are always great.
    I need to mention two other podcasts that I listen to regularly;  Spin Doctor and The Electric Sheep.  Spin Doctor has improved over the past year.  The first time I listened I almost said never again... but I persevered and the show quality, sound quality and content has improved.  I even joined the Ravelry group and plan to participate in a spinning exploration of rare breeds over the next year.  The Electric Sheep is pretty silly.  It has some knitting content that is interesting, but it is the voice that I like.  This woman was in one of my classes at Knit Camp in Scotland and she just has the voice of an angel; a very refined British accent, crisp and clear and you can bet she never mispronounces anything.
     I am not here to tell you about the podcasts that I do not like.  Quite honestly one of the things that I dislike about some podcasts is the "reviews" of fiber related items.  I think the knitting world is just too small to do that.   The person whose fiber or equipment you are reviewing is apt to be listening, and to be really offended if you give it a bad review.  I'm not here to "review" podcast, just to tell you about the ones I like. Some of the most popular knitting podcasts are among the ones I like the least.  After all "one man's trash is another man's treasure".

A New Year

     2011 looks to be a good year.  Last year was just fine, as years go, and I am hoping that all goes well this year.  I have some exciting knitting and spinning plans for 2011; classes to take, projects to complete and events to attend.  Maybe I will even keep my blog updated so whoever reads this can come back at me in December and remind me what I had planned!
    Classes to take...  At this time the only ones I have on my schedule are a three day Nancy Bush class at Northeast Fiber Arts in Williston VT which is happening in March and Squam Art Workshops in June.  I have long been a fan of Nancy Bush.  Because I love history, particularly textile history, she is my superstar.  I own all her books and have knit many of her patterns.  I particularly love her articles in Piecework Magazine. When I was at Knit Camp last summer I got to have breakfast with Nancy a few mornings, and we reminisced about our long phone calls when I was in Alaska and I called her for yarn and patterns, and well... conversation.  It was in the days before knitting was popular, and not too many people on the island where I lived actually knit. So I am pretty excited about those classes.  And in June I am going to Squam Art Workshops for the first time.  I have read about it in the past , but it is a kind of pricey event so I never really investigated too too seriously. This year I decided to just do it.  I actually visited the Rockywold/Deephaven Camps where Squam Art Camps is held last Fall when I was investigating locations for my daughter's wedding.  Although it was a perfect venue, our date was not available. I am taking three classes, and surprisingly, they are not all knitting classes.  I am taking Block Printing, The Perfect Sweater with Ysolda Teague and Botanical Printing.  I actually have a college degree in Printmaking, but haven't done anything with it in the past 40 years, so I guess it is time to plunge back into it!  In addition to these fun events I am looking into a class with Cookie A and Anne Hanson that will be held in Albany in February.  Since we are in the middle of a big blizzard I have not heard whether there is space available in that class.
     Projects to complete... I'm kinda screwed on this one.  My daughter is getting married in September (9-10-11) so I am knitting shawls, one for the bride, for which I am spinning 2000 yards of white silk/cashmere roving which is to become Nancy Bush's lily of the valley triangle shawl.  Then I am knitting 4 different rectangular lace-weight champagne colored shawls for the bridesmaids.  Screwed?  Yep, for certain.  No other knitting or spinning projects for me this year, at least until September 11!  If I do knit anything else it will be from my own handspun.  Progress so far:  I have spun about half of the silk/cashmere, plied none of it and I have chosen and received approval for all four bridesmaid's shawls, though I have only acquired yarn for one shawl so far.  For anyone who has ever knit for a bride, you know that is one serious obstacle overcome.
   Events... Well, I will undoubtedly attend fewer fiber events than last year. Or maybe not.  New Hampshire Sheep and Wool is a for sure even though the weather is apt to be miserable, and several of my favorite vendors no longer attend, I'll be there.  Maryland Sheep and Wool; that's a thought because my son now attends college in Maryland, but no, I don't think so. Massachusetts Sheep and Wool...for sure. Vermont Sheep and Wool, oh yea...  Last year was great, it's on my birthday, and the new location in Tunbridge, Vermont is wonderful.  Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival; yep, on the List.  Rhinebeck;  nope, not again.  New England Fiber Festival at the Big E in Springfield Mass.  I'll be there.
    2011.. looks like a very good year.  Now I better get back to that damn white roving.  At least it is a dream to spin.

More 2010

Koolhaas hat by Brooklyn Tweed, knit in Green Mountain Spinnery 

mystery yarn

Cedar Leaf Shawlette Mountain Colors Bearfoot

Detail; Cedar Leaves

Clapotis for the Clap-o-Tea

Citron in Ball and Skein Lace

Tea Leaves Cardigan  in Madelinetosh Worsted

Upstairs... in Poems Sock Yarn

End of May Hat; Merino/Cashmere , lined in merino/cotton

Wee Shetland Shawl in Smith and Jamieson Spindrift

Handspun/ Navajo Plyed Three Water farm BFL

 Handspun yarn for a sweater 1 lb. mystery roving

Handspun Merino/tencel Spun on Ashford Traditional

Favorite knits, 2010

Damson by Isolda Teague in Malabrigo sock

Squirrel Sampler mittens by Hello Yarn in Harrisville Shetland

Swirl shawl, Jojoland Melody

Edith the Hat in Louet Gems Merino

In the Land of Oz Shawl by Adrienne Fong knit in grey/blue Ball and Skein Supersock.

                                                                           

Naughty or Nice

    No knitting content here.  If that's what you are looking for, try tomorrow.  If you did not read yesterday's blog this will make very little sense, but read away.  Nonsense makes good reading.

     We celebrated Christmas yesterday.  As a non-Christian I am perfectly comfortable celebrating Christmas any old day.  July 4th would be fine with me.  But it was December 29.  Close enough.  My daughter and her boyfriend met my son and I half-way for each of us, in a smallish city in central New Hampshire.  We had a lovely lunch then decided to go somewhere to exchange gifts and chat.  Starbucks sounded nice.  We drove up there.  It wasn't particularly crowded, but....there were no free tables.  If you have ever been to a Starbucks you know what I mean.  Every double table was occupied by a single person with a computer, maybe a cup of coffee.  There were 2 tables for 4.  Each was occupied by a single person.  Well, one of those single people, quite honestly was large.  The nice me says he was large, the old Susan would say he was freakin' huge; as big as the 4 of us put together.  No s**t.  This guy was super-sized.  He needed a table for 4.  He also had a super-sized triple, caramel, mocha, grande macciato with about 3" of whipped cream.  The thing must have been 1200 calories.  The second table for 4 was occupied by a kid.  A college age boy who undoubtedly had been sitting there the entire winter break.  He was there because: a) he didn't want to be home with his family.  b) he thinks he might run into some friends from high school or c) he got stood up by someone he met on match.com.  He didn't even have a cup of coffee.  In fact he had a deck of cards, but he wasn't playing solitaire.  His only saving grace.
   The new Susan glowered at both of them with fiercely Mother/Librarian eyes.  I can think of a number of un-nice things I might have said, but my daughter, who is NOT a shrinking Violet said, quite loudly, " lets go somewhere else".  We went to the food court at the Mall.  Kinda like having Christmas dinner in the Junior High Cafeteria.  It smelled like food, and not in a good way.  There was no lovely coffee.  But we had a wonderful time, great gifts, and lots of free tables.
     My conundrum is this.  Nice people leave Starbucks, say nothing, and feel like crap because they had their family celebration in the Food Court at Steeplegate Mall.  Naughty people tell fat guys they should ditch the 1200 calorie Mocha, get a water bottle and go for a walk, maybe with the lonely kid.  And the naughty person feels like crap as well. Rightly so because she has caused the poor chubby guy to drop dead of a heart attack.   Who wins?  Just askin'

10 Intentions for the New Year

     Many bloggers do a "10 on Tuesday"... following a script of 10 things; beach reads, favorite movies, best knits, etc.  I have never bothered with this because I couldn't imagine having 10 of anything; favorite books, about 90, favorite movies, 1 or two and they change pretty often.  I am just not too good at lists.  New Year's resolutions... I don't bother.  Last year I believe I said I would read more books from the library, and I did, too.  Had way more overdue fines as a consequence, but I really need to support my local library, so it all worked out.  This week's 10 on Tuesday is "10 intentions for the New Year"  Well, offhand I can't think of 10, but I may just come up with a few.

1.  Hang my laundry on the line.  I hang clothes outside all summer, but not usually in the winter.  I have a great clothesline in the cellar, left from my mother's days in this house, and I'm gonna use it, by golly.
2. Read from my shelves.  I could read from my shelves 'til the day I die and never read all the books in this house, so I better get started.
3. Knit my handspun.  I have started collecting patterns that I think are suitable for handspun, and it is time to get hoppin' on this project.  I have a handspun sweater half knit.  I'm going to frog it and make a different sweater.  I found a pattern that I think will be more flattering to the yarn and to me.
4. Be nicer.  I have developed a tendency to just not be bothered with being nice to people who really annoy me.  I find it hard to be phony.  In fact I think it is particularly unbecoming to humans to  fake niceness, but I am going to give it a try.  Might be really hard.
5. Make a bucket list.  I am over 60, on the downhill slide of life.  My sister died last year; many of my friends are sick or have passed away in recent years.  There are a few things that I would really like to do before I die.  Better get crackin'.  Last year I reconnected with my 3 freshman college roommates.  3 of us, but not the 4th, have had some really good times in the past year.  We arrived at college 43 years ago as fairly unlike 17 year olds, but as we have aged we are not so very different after all, though our lives have certainly followed diverse paths.  That sounds snarky.  Number 4 got married last year.  She was just not interested in the rest of us, but that's okay.  We wish her the best!
6. Eat locally.  In 2010 we made a concerted effort to eat as much as possible from the local area.  We are lucky to live where it is possible to shop at co-ops and farmer's markets.  Agriculture is important in Vermont.  We have great dairy products, produce much of the year, local meat and poultry and grains are now being grown in Vermont, and of course we have great beer.  As a consequence of local,  especially local organic food, being more expensive, we eat less, but we eat better.
7. Enough.  This is giving me a headache.