Cardigan Progress

Progress shot of the Fair Isle cardigan. The second sleeve is in the home stretch.

A Day at the Park

Gone To Seed

This is a photo from earlier in the fall. I'm pretty sure it's the dill by the back step: it looks like dill to me. But there are some other things around that look similar in the seedy stage.

I spent the whole day in the basement lair wrestling many yards of moss colored fabric into the shape of a long hooded robe/cape kind of garment for Owen's Halloween costume. It really ought not to have taken so long, but my serger is giving me all kinds of grief, which really slowed things down. Bah. And it was a glorious day here. I did get out of the house, to the supermarket, but somehow, that didn't really count. I planned to get out and take pictures, but somehow, never got to that. Tomorrow, the knitting updates and the costume, for certain. And maybe some more scenes from a late autumn garden.

I'm in some kind of strange funk the last couple of days. When I was in college and tried to run with a cool crowd, there were times when I had a sense that everyone else was at the party without me. It's like that. That vaguely dissatisfied sense that my whole lot in life is not quite what I planned on, and not really in a good way. Which is a lot of hogwash. Yes, not what I planned on, but really, that's good. What I planned on was dying young from the fallout of my extreme lifestyle, not living to be fat, middle-aged, and a mom. So, I'm suffering from what my sane self thinks of as high-class problems. This is kind of a late autumn thing for me. My birthday approaches and I get that melancholy reflection on time and mortality and all that angsty stuff. It seems a little worse this year, maybe because 46 is the entry point to the Late 40s. Really, still the Mid 40s. and really, still pretty young in the scheme of things. But knowing 50 is just around the corner kind of freaks me out.

I'm becoming vaguely anxious about my parents as they get older. They're in great health, but they're starting to talk about the end times of their lives. I still think of my mom as about the age that I am now: how can she be 21 years older than that?

When you're 25 and have all those infinite years stretching out ahead of you, it's hard to imagine how quickly they start to pass, how soon they start to seem finite.

So, enough of all that. Good thing Thanksgiving comes soon and I can be prodded toward gratitude.

Autumn

It's been a busy time here lately. I've been doing a bit of knitting on the Fair Isle cardigan, making headway on that second sleeve, but mostly been doing other stuff that involves making blocks of text and pictures fit together in pleasing ways.

I spent Tuesday morning with my friend Cindy, taking pictures of a lot of her FOs, which was great fun. While we were out at the park doing that I got the picture of the sumac above. It's one of my favorite autumn trees.

There's going to be a new TGB newsletter coming out in mid-November, so make sure you sign up for it! Lots of stuff going on that you won't want to miss. We're all excited about what's to come

Morgan Cardigan Pattern Available

Autumn's in the air and you need a warm cardigan to chase away the chill. Morgan features an easy-to-wear zipper front, raglan sleeves, generous collar, and traditional fit. The color pattern was found on a sweater in the Shetland Museum's online photo archive. Made in a rustic, worsted wt. yarn, with a cut steek, Morgan is an excellent choice for the knitter who has done some stranded work and would like try something a bit more challenging. Click to enlarge pictures.

Difficulty: Experienced



Finished measurements:34, 38, 42[46, 50, 54] inches

Yardage: worsted wt. wool,
MC 800, 800, 1000[1000, 1200, 1200] yards
CC 400, 400, 600[600, 600, 600] yards

Gauge: 20 st and 24 rows = 4" or 10 cm in Fair Isle stockinette st.



Price $6

Fair Isle Progress, Again

Never one for patience, I had to sew in the one sleeve I have done and get a peek at how the shoulder/armscye shaping worked out.

Two front views:



and a back view:


I think it looks pretty good. I had to introduce the cardigan to my good friends June Tailor (she's such a ham!) and Mr. Steam. After a nice blast of Mr. Steam while June supported the shoulder area, it looks very professional, if I do say so myself.

I cast on for the next sleeve yesterday. Then bands and a collar. Maybe I'll be done by Halloween.

This Week's Knitting

Fair Isle Cardigan

I've been working on the sleeve cap area of my first sleeve. This is new for me, because I've always done Fair Isle sweaters in the traditional way, with a drop or modified drop sleeve and picking up stitches from the cut steek to work down to the cuff. I think I'll like the result, even though I'm not someone who ever minded the drop-sleeve look.

Here's a detail of how it's working out.

I plan to continue the sleeve cap decreases until the top of the next red band, then cast off straight across the remaining couple inches of stitches.

Scott's Tweedy Pullover
This is one of my longest-standing WIPs. It's been in progress about 2 years. It's not a UFO because I still plan to finish it and I do work on it from time to time.

There's nothing especially difficult or even time-consuming about the pattern. Just a simple slip stitch pattern using 3 fine-gauge yarns and #3 needles. I think it's the purling back that gets to me. I don't mind purling, but my left hand does. I feel like all my knitting progress has been a bit slow lately because my hand is hovering on the edge of mutiny.
Here's a detail of the stitch:


I'm coming to the conclusion that spinning really seem to aggravate the CTS. I hate to think about that. I'll try playing with my posture and holding my fiber differently, but I wonder if my body's telling me I'm not meant to spin.

Update

The spinning of the last few days

This is 3 ply from the Brown Sheep mill ends; wool and mohair. I didn't ply the earlier yarn I made from this as tightly as I did this, so not sure how well it will all work together in one project. You can see some of the earlier effort in the upper left of this picture. I'm considering running the older skeins back through the wheel for a bit more twist, as I've come to realize that I'd been under-plying my yarn up until about 3 weeks ago. Of course, there's so much fiber waiting to be spun, maybe I should just move forward from here and not try to go back and fix earlier efforts.

Last night I went to the knit night party at The Sow's Ear. They had a big turnout and I saw a couple of my favorite local blogger/knitters, Molly B (whom I'll never manage to call by her correct name), and Dale-Harriet. I met Dale's delightful daughter, Mary, and chatted a bit with Heather B. Also bought the Interweave Gifts issue (LOVE the cover hat!), the new Spin Off, and a couple big balls of locally made roving in wonderful subtle shades of grey, black, blues, and purples.

Today, I'm happy to report, The Little Emperor seems well! Hallelujah! His voice is almost normal, fever is gone, and appetite and energy levels are returning to normal. I hope we don't get any more bugs like that one this school year.

Also today, I went to the supermarket and stocked up on everything. Spent $175! That ought to hold us a little while.

While I was out getting pictures of the handspun yarn, I noticed a monarch working the butterfly bush flowers:



I got about 6 good images before she flew away.

Friday 5 October 2007

Sick Kid
Wow, where did that week go? Little Emperor has been out of school all week, running a fever, croaking like a frog and occasionally, barking like a seal. We went to see our buddy Dr. Claire yesterday, who confirmed that it's just a nasty virus. Lungs, ear, and throat are all ok. So, whatever great ambitions I may have had for the week are gone. I can't even remember what they might have been.

His teacher phoned Wednesday afternoon to find out what was up. She asked, "What did they think it was?" implying a trip to the doctor had already taken place. I thought she might write me up to Child Protection when I told her I hadn't taken him yet. And you know, with the first child, I would have been to the doctor on Tuesday, probably. But having been around the block a few times on this stuff, I know when I'm going to hear, "Just a virus; wait it out," and when I'm going to be leaving with a prescription for antibiotics. And Claire confirmed that they sometimes have a better idea of what's going on when it's been going on several days.

So, we're living mostly on shelf-stable stuff, like pasta, that's around, augmented by a take-out meal or two. I miss the supermarket.

Fiber News
I did a little spinning this week. More of the Brown Sheep mill ends 3 ply: two dark plies and one light one. I'll try to get pictures later today, but I have another skein's worth of singles to ply up, so will probably do that first.

Now, off to do a little laundry and see where the LE's at in his video. Those old Garfield DVDs run forever.

A Random String of Sentences Posing as a Post

a random photo apropos nothing in particular

This is a special kind of milkweed that is not winter hardy in our zone. It's growing in a big pot near the front door. We were talking about finding a winter home for it, but Mr. SABLE's workplace now forbids plants not provided by the official plant service. It's that German top-down management style in action again. Bah. And we don't really have a good bright window in our house where it can winter over.

So, this seems to be the week of the plans that come to naught. Yesterday morning, the LE awoke with a cough like a barking seal: not a lot, but a bit worrisome. Being the overly-conscientious mom that I am, I kept him home. By 9:30 a.m. I was regretting the decision, because he seemed quite well and perky. No cough unless I happened to ask how he was doing. Then, he produced a feeble and somewhat theatrical little cough for me.

This morning, when I went to get him up for school he again had the seal-barking cough. And he felt hot. And was running a small fever, about 100.7 F, or 38.7 C. So he stayed home again today. Today he seems like a sick kid: lying around, not eating much, not demanding as much, kind of losing his voice. I keep sneaking off to get other stuff done, but my windows of opportunity are about 15 minutes each, max. The good thing about keeping him home yesterday is that I probably avoided exposing more children to whatever he has, at a time when he probably would have been more contagious. Small consolation. I have to remind myself that part of the reason I don't want to work outside the home now that both kids are in school, is so that I can be available on a moment's notice when one or both of them are not at school, for whatever reason. But it's boring for me, being On Duty for a sick kid.

I finished some socks a couple days ago. They were supposed to be for Mr. SABLE, but when I finished the first one, even though I made it really really big, it was clear that it wasn't big enough. It did fit Owen, though, so I made the matching one for him and he's got a new pair of handknit socks. Mr. SABLE will get the next pair.

I've been working on various UFOs and WIPs, too. The Fair Isle cardigan and Mr. SABLE's Tweedy Sweater (LONG overdue!) being the two main ones.

Off to serve more soup to the sick kid.

The Little Emperor's First Lost Tooth

The Little Emperor has had two very loose teeth in front on the bottom for several weeks. Today, when I picked him up at school, he told me he had lost one of them. My little boy is not so little anymore!

Fibery Updates

These all get bigger if you click 'em.

Dormant Fair Isle

I hadn't worked on this for a while, and finally put in some serious time on the first sleeve over the last two days. I'm anxious about running out of one color, which I bought from a yarn shop in Ithaca NY around 1990, and it was discontinued even then. But I think it'll work out. I hope.

The Merino/Yak Down Spinning

Just made a small 2 ply skein of this, about 135 yards, about fingering weight. It's fun to spin and I've learned a bit about making better batts by spinning what I've carded. I have more of this to blend and spin, but I'm not in a hurry on this now that I've experienced a bit of it. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it. I did. But now I've had a taste, I can work on other stuff that's calling to me. Do you like my Brooklyn Tweed style artsy shot?

A Bit More of the Shetland/Alpaca

I did another three ply skein of this, 165 more yards, and think it will be great to knit with. It has a pleasing hand, nice texture, and will not scream "Home Made!" in the finished object. Still a bunch more in the bag to spin up as time allows.

And now, I must run a few errands while the kids are still at school. How can a seven hour day fly by so fast?

(A Blog Post in Search of a Title)

What have I got that I can show you this week?

The overview...

Some stuff from Wisconsin Sheep and Wool: Merino from Rainbow Fleece Farms in teal and moss.

Owen chose the teal. I bought the moss with the intention of carding it with some yak down I bought in NH last summer.

I made a small sample of the teal and moss carded together and spun up nice and fine.

I'm eager to get into this for real.


Here's a bit of the batt with mossy merino and yak down. I'm eager to spin that, too.

What I've been doing meanwhile:

I bought a pound of this 80% natural black Shetland/20% dark brown alpaca. I've been spinning the singles a little on the thin side, but not microscopic and making three-ply out of them. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turning out.


So far, two hanks totaling just over 300 yards.


Here's the close up.

This fiber has some of the lanolin left in, which I've been appreciating. However, when I washed the yarn to set the twist, the water turned a dingy brown color. I wonder if the alpaca was kind of dusty? Because though there is some grease still in the fiber, certainly a lot has been removed. It took two washes to clean up nicely.

Additionally, I've been trying to slowly restore our household to something closer to normal from the brink of chaos. We had a yard sale Friday and yesterday and managed to move out a bunch of toys. I'm planning to set up again next weekend, weather permitting, and add some clothes and other stuff to the selection. It's more about cleaning out stuff than making money at this point. I gave the kids the money from the toy sales, figuring it would motivate them to pick out more stuff to sell.

Sue Made Me Do It

Your Score: Sad Cookie Cat

57% Affectionate, 50% Excitable, 95% Hungry

You are the classic Shakespearian tragedy of the lolcat universe. The sad story of a baking a cookie, succumbing to gluttony, and in turn consuming the very cookie that was to be offered. Bad grammar ensues.

Link: The Which Lolcat Are You? Test written by GumOtaku on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Waspy Visitor

If you are seriously squeamish about buggy close-ups, don't scroll down. Just click away from this page.



Today our neighbor found this critter on her tote bag. She got home from a jaunt to the mall and opened her mini-van sliding back door. And it was sitting on her tote bag. It's some kind of wasp, with a 4" long appendage off the back that they use to drill into trees, says Dr Science, aka Mr. SABLE. The neighbor was afraid to deal with it, and so I went with my camera, a container, a lid, and two assistants who are home from school for an in-service day (already! not even one month into the year!), to photograph and catch the specimen. It's now resting in the container on the porch.



I'm leaving lots of space so those who don't want to see won't have to.
You can still click away...




click to make it bigger!

A very quick post...

to say that I finished knitting the submission AND the deadline was moved for everyone until the 17th AND I got permission to send my entry a wee bit late if needed. So, I just this evening finished up knitting and washed the item and now it's drying. I hope tomorrow I'll be able to get a couple pics and send it all off. Otherwise, the 18th for sure.

And now I can resume my regularly scheduled life.

LOLsquirrel?

I was knitting knitting knitting on the couch yesterday and I heard a ruckus coming from the front yard. Went out and saw this squirrel scolding my cat at length. He posed for about 10 photos, some better than others.

ETA for Emily:

Busy as a Bee!

So, the picture doesn't have anything to do with today's post. I think. Maybe that'll change as I type. It's just a spare picture I haven't used yet and it's ready to go, already up on Photobucket, and I don't have anything knitterly to photograph for you right now. (Yeah, yeah, the new loot from Wisconsin Sheep and Wool, but I'm busy.)

Busy as a bee! the title and the tie-in, in one AHA! moment.

The kids are back at school and I'm finding my creative self. And got a fun idea for something that might work for Winter Knitty. Only, I really only started knitting yesterday and the deadline is Sept. 15. So, yeah, I'm busy.

The weather is delightful: crisp, bright, sunny. Hard to believe that last week was AC weather and this week feels like heating season.

The kids are settling into their school years just fine. Owen will be transferring to a magnet school soon, so perhaps more adjustments ahead. It's wonderful news that he can go there. A much smaller school and I doubt they have anywhere near the discipline issues that his current one has.

Now, I'm must go knit knit knit like a crazed woman. I've started the pattern writing and done most of the schematic. (I wonder if I can get an extension?) Back to the lair.

All The News That Fits in One Post?

The kids went back to their respective schools this week. The Little Emperor went on Tuesday and Owen on Wednesday. While I enjoyed the time that this gave me, I am definitely looking forward to the coming week, which will be a full week of normal length school days.

Yesterday I spent a little time planning my fall projects. I definitely want to finish up some patterns I started last year (including the Kelebek Vest and Morgan Cardigan) and make them available. To that end, I really need to follow through on this website stuff. Then I have knitting ideas to work on and of course, WIPs to finish.

Oh yeah, and I need to spend some time purging our house of stuff we no longer need so that we can live like quasi-normal folks again. I think I can even get the kids in on the plan, because they like the idea of making money at a yard sale and they are both tired of the stress that living in chaos brings to our lives.

Last night I plied some more of the singles from the merino-romney cross.

I'd been noticing that my plied yarns didn't look as nice as others I see on the internet, and decided to ply a bit more aggressively. I'm pleased with the difference this makes and I got a nice balanced skein out of it.


I'm planning to turn most of what's left from that batch (a very large bag full) into three ply yarn, but I have enough done as two-ply to use in a smaller project or two.

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool
I took Owen along and we met up with Kathy and Sue.

I think I'm trying to express some maternal admonition through a gritted-teeth smile here. What do you think?

Kathy and Sue presented me with a wooden swift as a thank you from my fellow campers for organizing the Alternative Knitting Camp last month. What sweeties! My other swift is a metal and plastic one I've had since about 1992. It doesn't hold the larger skeins I'd like to wind on my niddy noddy, and it's a little temperamental. This was so kind of them! Going camping with adults is such a treat for me in and of itself! (But I'll keep the swift and use it with great joy.)
(edited to include Kathy's correction.)


Sue, sorry this one isn't great. But I think it's pretty good.


Kathy, I had a choice between this one or the Dueling Cameras shot. Even though your eyes are closed, you have such a serene smile on your face. Like you're meditating on the perfect piece of pie.

I haven't photographed my loot yet, but I did not come away empty-handed. Owen is a great enabler, even with fiber stuff, and I did buy several items I would not have, had he not been in tow.
I bought:

two bobbins for my wheel, an important purchase.

1 pound bag of 80% natural black Shetland and 20% dark brown alpaca roving. MMMM. I dove right into that once I got home.

Some merino roving to blend with some yak down I bought in NH last summer.

Some other merino roving because Owen liked the color.

Four other balls of generic wool roving, because Owen liked the colors.

That's all folks!

End of Summer

click it for a bigger view






click for a bigger view


Mr SABLE building a model sailboat. He's putting itty-bitty planking on the deck.