AAAAAHH! It’s…it’s…a GIANT ORANGE LACE FUNGUS!
…but it doesn’t feel like an attack. Quite cozy, actually.
Hmm. Maybe I can do a matching hat?
(One skein Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, poppy orange, size G crochet hook, Queen Anne’s Lace crochet pattern)
If you’d like to see a truly All Hallow’s Eve-worthy garment, check out the venerable Lady Linoleum’s Swamp Crone Shawl (what’s a girl to do with all those leftover severed fingers and eyeballs?).
Jen organized a Chemo Cap drive for Aloha Knitters (hats will be donated to the Straub Oncology Clinic), and we had a small get-together on Saturday. The Teen dropped me off, and when she came back to pick me up two hours later, I dragged her and her boyfriend in and forced them to eat summer rolls and chocolate-chip muffins so I could crochet a few rounds and pretend I’d gotten some work done. I had a cup of coffee at the beginning of the meeting (it smelled so good, couldn’t help it), so naturally I yapped my head off and didn’t get any work on the hat done. I finished the beanie last night and washed it in mild castile soap (and then realized I was supposed to send it unwashed, whoops). Hopefully it will be dry by tomorrow so I can send it to Jen. Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton in pumpkin, shrimp, and shell. Double crochet and half-double crochet stitches, using my basic beanie formula.
On the left is a sample for a pocket tissue cozy – needs more tweaking.
The Cloud Bolero turned into a re-do. I’d gotten the gauge bang on with size 11 needles in stockinette stitch, but it looks like I loosen up when knitting the lace pattern, so I started over with size 10 needles. I didn’t take my knitting bag with me to work on Friday, and wound up having to wait for my ride home longer than I thought I’d have to, so I needed two emergency stitch markers. I rummaged around in my bag and came up with a paper clip, and then took the charm off my mobile phone. They worked quite well with the beaded ring stitch markers (knittydirtygirl) and sushi stitch markers (amyville).
I am still liking the bolero a lot, but it’s going to be too warm here to wear it much. I might do another one in a plant fiber, or I may just move on to a new project. I’ve been eyeing the Butterfly Wrap pattern at Stitch Diva Studios – looks like a crochet sweater that’s perfect for Hawai’i weather, especially if done in soy or bamboo (since I’d get more use out of it, the investment would be so worth it). It looks comfy and flattering. I might change the lace pattern used on the sleeves, since I’d probably manage to snag the sleeves on everything I get near.
This is the first time in a long time that I’ve been focused on making things for myself. The new work space is helping a lot! Having a dedicated place to block and dry projects means that I no longer sleep in a room that smells like wet wool. I happen to like the smell of wet sheep wool, even if it’s not as delicate as the smell of wet nanny goat, but it’s still a bit much to have to share a tiny bedroom with the aroma of wet sheep.
If you are looking for knitting and/or crocheting classes on O’ahu, please read my post on yarn shops in Honolulu – Isle Knit, Aloha Yarn and Ursula Fischer Needle Arts offer one-on-one instruction for a fee, and you may want to call yarn shops in your area to see if they offer classes (note that Aloha Yarn also has lei-making classes!).
Ben Franklin Crafts has locations on O’ahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. Some locations will offer classes – call the one nearest you to find out about classes, class schedules, and fees.
And, of course, you are welcome to come to an Aloha Knitters meeting. Please join the Yahoo! group and let us know that you would like to learn to knit, crochet, or learn some new techniques, so that we can try to arrange to have at least one member available to teach at the next meeting. We are always delighted to greet new members; please let us know ahead of time if you want lessons as not all members feel comfortable teaching. Bringing an instruction book is very helpful; for crocheting I recommend Teach Yourself Visually: Crocheting and Get Hooked; for knitting, Teach Yourself VISUALLY Knitting and Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick and Knitgrrl: Learn to Knit With 15 Fun And Funky Projects by Shannon Okey are all good books to start with – in general, any instruction book aimed at children will be a good bet for clear, simple instructions and a low retail price.
The last time I had a dedicated work space: 3 years ago, in a 2 bedroom house. I didn’t use the second bedroom -I did try to create a work space in there but I kept winding up in the living room, so I set up a section of the living room with two kitchen cabinets I salvaged from a remodel up the street, the wooden packing crate I used for my yarn and fabric, a small ironing board I’d picked up from a free pile, and a coffee table the previous tenants had left behind. The cat had the couch, and I sat on the floor. Many an evening was spent with my laptop playing a DVD and me establishing personal rules like “don’t bother knitting during a Hitchcock film.”
Did I say work space? I meant play space.
I’m wondering if having a dedicated space was a big part of why I produced more stuff during that time period than I have since moving back here I have a bigger stash, a sewing machine, and a full-sized ironing board. I’ve been blaming things like hot weather, other responsibilities, and feeling tired all the time for my lower productivity. But I haven’t even finished organizing the spare room (have I mentioned that my brother likes using it for his dirty laundry overflow?) yet my production has already increased.
Exhibit A:
Socks! You’ve seen these socks before – but now they are FINISHED and CLEAN and ready to put in the mail. I would like to redo the bindoff on the child-sized pair but I am not going to run the risk of the child outgrowing the socks while I redo a bindoff; I can do a nicer bindoff on the next pair.
Exhibit B:
Cloud Bolero, a pattern by Ysolda Teague, available for free from Yarn Forward, a new print magazine edited and published by Kerrie Allman, who also publishes MagKnits.
It’s a top-down bolero with raglan shaping, using the traditional Shetland Feather and Fan lace pattern. The version of Feather and Fan used in this pattern has raised garter stitch rows, which gives this great texture. This is a fantastic pattern – the setup is simple (even simpler when I thought to label rows with notes like “raglan shaping” and “raglan shaping + lace” and you knit it to fit. The raglan increases are decorative eyelets that work really nicely with the lace pattern. The lace pattern has great texture, gives the top and bottom a nice waved edge, and is really, really simple to do, just yarn overs and k2togs. The sample shown with the pattern was done with an aran-weight yarn instead of the chunky yarn the pattern is written for, which is a nice example of how you can change the look of this bolero without having to muck with the pattern. I imagine this would be lovely done in a worsted or even sportweight yarn on big needles (might need to increase the number of stitches cast on, depending on the size). The pattern is written using stitch markers, so making adjustments for size or different weights of yarn is easy.
The pattern was written using Rowan Polar yarn, which has been discontinued.* With great timing, I had just purchased a bag of cream-colored Rowan r2 Fuzzi Felt from Elann.com, another discontinued yarn (r2 yarns are limited time only) at a great price. I’ve learned my lesson with Elann and with other discounted yarns – if I think I really like it, buy a bag. It’s a lot easier to use/swap/gift/resell yarn in quantities larger than 1. I had planned to use the Fuzzi Felt to make scarves with, but it turned out to be hard to work with in the way I’d planned. I’m not thrilled by knitting with it (not very stretchy, has dry synthetic feel, annoying to rip back, and I find large needles require more effort to manipulate), but I like the way the bolero is working up, and I’m eyeing the bags of r2 Rag on sale at Elann.com. The light blue is still available, and it’s 100% cotton.
Exhibit C:
Queen Anne’s Lace crocheted scarf, finished, washed, blocked, and now dry. I used one skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton in Poppy 601. As my hair gets shorter and quieter (I haven’t dyed it in almost a year!), my clothing gets louder, and less likely to be stolen by a certain teenager (she thinks it looks like a big fungus crawling up to eat my brain).
*Rowan Polar: a review still available on Knitter’s
Review and you might be able to find it on eBay. Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky Naturals is similar in weight, feel, and color range (and kpixie has it in stock). I’d love to try this in Hemp For Knitting Hempton Chunky, which has a similar weight but with a very crisp, sharp look that would be great for summer.
Today’s mail delivery included Amyville zipper charms! These make great removable stitch markers (especially for crochet) and I think they’re cuter than coilless safety pins.
I have them tucked safely away for now, as the spare room is currently in the “it gets worse before it gets better” phase – I cleaned the closet out completely and moved my fabric and yarn storage bins into it, and now I need to sort out two more bins worth of stuff and get my WIPs organized in baskets. I have my needles, hooks, and notions in clear plastic drawers, and a small work table with swift, ball winder, notepad, and pencils. I’ve spent the past 3 years behaving as if I would be moving out in a few months (because I thought I really would), so it’s really about time I just settle in and carve out a small work space for myself. Even though I know I’ll be moving in the next year or so.
Pattern: Daisy Cardigan by Marie Grace Smith, available from The Garter Belt. I’m using Cascade Sierra Quatro in colorway 86 on US 6 needles, at a slightly larger gauge than the pattern (.25 sts per inch more, I’m knitting it to be too big for the intended wearer anyway). I skipped a couple rounds of increases and will probably have to fudge a few things when I get to the sleeves. Not going to do the embroidery (it would just get lost in the noise of this colorway), but I’m thinking about doing heart-shaped patch pockets in a solid color. Also thinking of doing an i-cord edging instead of a picot edging, and maybe a single button and button loop at the neck instead of a knitted tie. Need I point out that I rarely use a pattern and when I do, I make changes? I had originally intended to use this skein for a different, vaguely thought out project because I’d bought a few skeins of Cascade Sierra for a crocheted baby jacket (Cecily Baby Jacket, Alicia Paulson/Posie), which I still want to do but in a different yarn, and was wondering what to do with the Sierra. I told Chrissy that it was a good yarn purchase because it would make the yarn that I had usable (perhaps for the Mardi crocheted cardigan, again by Alicia Paulson, again me making changes to what is really a perfectly lovely pattern that does not need changing). Instead, I wound up ordering one more skein of the Quatro so that I finish the Daisy Cardigan. I am thinking that I could make a matching hat in the Sierra Quatro with appliques crocheted from the Sierra yarn, or vice versa. Let’s see what really happens.
This has been a great commute project. The increases are easy to remember, thanks to the markers, and then it’s a stretch of straight stockinette. Plain stockinette is good for commuting when a certain driver is behind the wheel (let’s just say that as a teenager he had a job driving a delivery truck in a certain city well-known for aggressive drivers). It’s also good for when I’m watching a DVD, as I can knit stockinette by touch, although the Quatro splits easily. I’m hoping this will be finished quickly. The Teen is learning to drive standard shift, which means that she will soon have a car and I won’t have to drive as often as I do now. Yay for both of us!
My day at the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival was mostly to look at stuff, not to buy it. I did, however, wind up purchasing more than I had intended to.
That’s two skeins of Socks That Rock, lightweight Dutch Canyon and mediumweight Lucy (Chrissy made sure I’d check out the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth…not sure if I want to thank her for that, more on that later), one skein of Interlacements Tiny Toes (I think it’s colorway 213 “Southwest” but I don’t want to hunt down the yarn label right now), a vintage Spinnerin pamphlet of hat patterns, and the bottom of the elephant grass basket that practically shouted “look at me!” from the Kruger’s Farm Market booth. The baskets are from Ghana, handmade and colored with plant extracts – available through the Kruger’s Baskets website.
I bought these as well for the owner of the superhero poncho, but can’t remember the name of the booth where I bought them.
The Interlacements quickly became The Very Loud Socks, also for the superhero kidlet. Some people complain that boys clothing is boring. Well, whose fault is that?
The Very Loud Socks hiking in Forest Park
and on the train to Seattle
Not only did I manage to complete the pair, I had enough time and yarn to knit a third sock, because I wound up with one sock smaller than the other. I bashfully admit that because I have not woven in the ends, I still have the socks.
I had never encountered Socks That Rock yarn up close and personal before. It took me a while to find the booth (it was in the 4-H building, and I had been under the impression that all the yarn booths were outside), and I was waiting in line to buy the hat pattern pamphlet when I noticed where Blue Moon Fiber Arts was. The women in front of me were dithering over which soap samples they wanted while I waited, dollar bill in hand, Blue Moon Fiber Arts Booth mere yards away. I forced myself to be patient and polite, rather than fling my dollar at the seller and run. Blue Moon was crowded and there were some rather aggressive yarn freaks shopping there – I opted to crouch down and dodge all the elbows. It took me about 45 minutes to peruse the selection and pick out two skeins, telling myself that one skein would make nice fingerless gloves for a friend. That same friend was at the Festival with me, and when I showed her the yarn, she asked me what it was and I babbled on about it for a bit and then she said “but what is it made of?” Wool. “Oh.”
I swapped the Dutch Canyon I was going to knit the mitts out of for a copy of Sew U instead. Don’t worry, the muggle friend is still getting handknits, and I noted that she was more attracted to the Lucy colorway (okay, she prodded the Lucy colorway instead of Dutch Canyon. Good enough for me).
I’m going to get a little political for a moment. Skip it if you like.
The minor earthquake on Sunday received national and international news coverage (some of it blown out of proportion). There were some road closures, power outages, and other inconveniences. Had an earthquake of the same scale occurred in San Francisco or Los Angeles, I doubt there would have been nearly as much media coverage.
On Sunday, the Honolulu Advertiser (largest newspaper statewide), kicked off a 5-part series on the homeless with front page coverage. Online, it got kicked for earthquake coverage. Today, the front page is all about the earthquake: we’re fine, nobody was killed, power has been restored to most areas, and there are 10 pages of stories about the earthquake, mostly about how some things looked a little sketchy for a few hours but now things are okay, and there’s been some damage but overall things are okay.
For those of you outside the state and outside the US: do you recall hearing or reading news coverage about the 40 days of torrential rain that led to the overflow of our crumbling sewage system and the diversion of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the ocean earlier this year? How about the signs that went up on beaches, warning people to stay out of the water due to high bacteria counts (but didn’t say anything about the bacteria levels in the sand)? Probably not.
The homeless situation in my hometown has been going on for decades and is steadily growing worse as the cost of living rises and wages don’t, in addition to other factors. I don’t think that increased media coverage is going to do much about the situation – even with more awareness, housing costs, for example, are not going to go down, especially when even my predominantly working class hometown is seeing a rise in luxury vacation homes. The median home price this year is close to $700,000. And that’s only part of the problem. But you probably won’t be seeing it in the news, although the reasons for and the consequences of the growing homeless population and the outdated and collapsing sewage system are more damaging and long-lasting than the earthquake.
I was already awake when the earthquakes hit and it was really minor on this side of the island. I got the dogs settled down and instead of going to work, I took a very long nap.
It will be interesting to see if I can keep up with this.
and 
by Melanie Falick and 
by Shannon Okey are all good books to start with – in general, any instruction book aimed at children will be a good bet for clear, simple instructions and a low retail price. 