Daydreaming

At Rhinebeck I got wind of an event coming up in August that sounded really intriguing. I filed it away in my little brain and a few days ago I got an email telling me there were updates to the plans.

I tried to ignore it, thinking it doesn't fit my overall plans for world domination. Today I succumbed to the temptation and peeked in on the updates: http://www.socksummit.com/

The list of instructors for the 2009 SOCK SUMMIT is beyond unbelieveable. It is mind-blowing. Let's just say, so many of my knitting idols are going to be there, I actually got dizzy right here at my desk.

The idea of attending this event is completely frivolous, totally wacky, and just so much FUN!!!
Now I am plotting ways to get the time off, scrape up the money and make plans. I'm still not sure I can pull it off, because the other thing I really really really want to do is this:

http://www.the-mannings.com/mannings_catalog.cgi?dwew=on&ad=4680&tt=739

A visit to Gettysburg, a week of weaving instruction...I know, I can see your eyes rolling. But I do. really. want....sigh.

That's What I'm Sayin'

Hey New York Times, what took you so long?!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/opinion/23mon1.html

Toy Knitting

One of my colleagues decided to leave the company and I wanted to send her off with a gift for her young son. There are tons of cute little toy patterns available on Ravelry, and this one, Sheldon the Turtle stole my heart when I first saw him.

The body is super easy to knit up. The top of the shell is pretty simple too. The construction around the shell edging gets a bit tricky. It combines crochet and i-cords and I found myself having to start over several times before I was completely satisfied. I love that the shell comes off. That should make it fun for little Joey when he plays with it.

While I was making this project, I thought about how much I enjoy making toys and added several to my Ravelry queue for future projects. Good thing, too because when my other colleagues saw this one, they all placed orders for their own kids. Looks like there will be many more toys in my knitting future.

Specs:
Pattern: Sheldon, by Ruth Homrighaus
Yarn: diVe Zenith; 1 ball olive green; small amount Yellow
Needles: US 5
Started: February 7, 2009
Finished: February 18, 2009

Completely Immersed

Today on my way to work I missed my subway stop. Listening to Cast-On, a knitting podcast and working on a sock...I was so involved...

That's actually the first time it happened. I felt...sheepish ! :)

A Long Way to Go

Well I finally got the guts up to show you my newer obsession. Yes, I've been sucked into the Spinning Vortex but until this past weekend, I felt like I could keep myself from being completely consumed. Mostly because up till now all my attempts at making yarn were pretty lame-o.

Even this little peek reveals how much I still need to learn. Let's just say, I know what I don't know; even scarier is that I also don't know what I don't know. When it comes to spinning fiber into yarn, there is so much nuance, and so many decisions and choices, it is a bit overwhelming. For now I am working on the basics. Like controlling the spin so I don't over twist. Just trying to get it even. And to get the spindle to spin a long enough time so I can draft the fiber on.

As this unfolds, I am becoming aware that I WILL come to a point when I can make conscious choices about how I want it to look when it's done. There are no rules, but there are rules. There are ways to do things, all of them valid. It all depends on what I want it to be.

So. Much. FUN. I am blowing my mind here, folks. The possibilities are endless.

Specs:
Fiber: 4 oz. of 100% hand dyed Cormo
Source: Fox Hill Farm in Lee, MA
Purchased at Rhinebeck, Oct. 2008
Started: Feb 2.
Goal: finish entire batch this month, using the Bossie; make it 2-ply
Equipment: Bosworth Midi

Ever since I picked the yarn at Lion Brand's Studio pre-opening, it's been my obsession. Not because it's particularly soft, because it's not. Not because it's easy to work with, because it's not. Really there is no obvious reason to be obsessed, except the color. Which just grabbed me and would not let go.

This is a very intense yellow. It borders on bright curry. It looks sorta sickly in a creepy good way (know what I mean?). The little stripes of greens and browns break up the brightness just enough to keep this color from being completely obnoxious. I love looking at this color and I became obsessed with the idea that I needed a pair of yellow socks for the middle of winter to make me feel bright and cheery.

And I clung to that idea through what turned out to be a very long, cultural tour of New York / New Jersey streets. Let me explain. My sock knitting is usually relegated to the daily commute (grind). And so back in November I embarked on a simple 2x2 rib sock which presumably would be the easiest of projects for crowded subways. Being completely OCD, I also use the subway to listen to books. And in the past, one book usually meant one pair of socks. It's a neat little package: one pair of socks and some literary cultchah'.

This pair really confounded me. I started on size 1 dpns and could not get gauge. Had to rip three times, and consumed "The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz in the process. (destined for Hollywood, this one).

While the book was superb, (rope-a-dope ghetto nerd narrative and heartbreaking loneliness) the socks were not. Too tight, TWICE! On the third attempt, too big! And in the process I broke one of my bamboo needles, I was desiccating the yarn with all the knitting and ripping. Whew. The book ended but the socks were still in their presock state (on the skein!).

After putting a little distance on the project, I resumed and this time downloaded "Lush Life" by Richard Price. A very entertaining diversion, one of those urban cop stories, the narration was particularly in synch with the characters. Some progress on the sock, but still not done when the book ended.

After two books I needed some music. Enter Little Jackie and her new release, "The Stoop" - check that one out if you like your hip-hop combined with Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound"!
Pefect for 2x2 ribbing with attitude. Two more weeks with Little Jackie, some Slumdog Millionaire sountrack and Beethoven's 4th and 5th Piano Concertos and I finally finished.

Man, talk about a journey! The cultural tour was a real delight. The socks, not so much. Now that they are finished, they are a bit large. The heel flap is too long, the toes should have started sooner. In the end, I might gift these over. Besides, he's been eyeing them, asking questions. Seems yellow is high on his list, too.

I Knitted a Feedbag*. *Or a Lightbulb Cozy. Take Your Pick.

Some projects just don't end up they way you envision! This was supposed to be a hat for my Mom at Christmas. Instead, it's a horse feed bag turned upside down. Hey, it's warm, it's soft. It covers the head.

The problem is, I chose the wrong yarn to pull this one off. The original pattern called for pure Angora. Not my favorite to knit with, since the little hairs fly off and get into everything. But that would have made this hat airy and light. Instead I ended up with a giant sodden mushroom. Not chic. Very frumpy.

So, it's headed to the frog pond. Unless someone tells me they need a giant lightbulb cozy.