Why Housework Should be Avoided at All Costs

This is the outcome when your beautiful cashmere and silk shawl meets the power nozzle of the vacuum cleaner. Luckily only a small part of the yarn was sucked into the vacuum and I was able to extract it, but the needle is a goner. Which is a shame because I love these Lace Addi's and they ain't cheap.

I have been sewing a dress to wear to the upcoming Art Gala at our High School. I always remember why I love knitting so much and sewing not so much when I am in the middle of a sewing project. I love the portability of knitting, the wonderful fibers slipping through your fingers, the joy of watching the garment grow before your eyes.

Sewing is a much more solitary task (at least at my house where my sewing room is in the basement and all the action takes place upstairs) and wraught with landmines of mistakes that can't be just be pulled out and reknit. It you mess up your sewing it involves another trip to the very distant fabric store and the waste of all the time and effort you have already invested. It just seems so much more anxiety inducing.

And then there is the whole fit issue. Knitting is sooo much more forgiving of a curvy figure than the sewing. So I am sewing this lovely dress in a very un-forgiving fabric with the almost certain belief I will not be thin enough to show it to it's best advantage. So that's kind of looming over everything as well as next Thursday's deadline.The vision of what you will look like and the reality are often very jarring. Maybe this is why I have been sewing so many drapes, slipcovers and bags over the last few years and not so many garments for myself.

Oh and just to make sure the time crunch is absolute. I decided I would need a lace stole to wear with this new dress to this fancy Art Gala, and of course only the new yarn I just bought would look right with the dark brown fabric I choose, not one of the other 6 shawls I have already knit. So there is that little added weight on my shoulders.

I am counting my blessings that the vacuum only ate my needle and not the actual knitting, then I might have thrown in the towel and called "Uncle."

But who can resist the allure of a cashmere stole?  (This is one I finished for a good friend a while ago.) Mine will be in Jade Sapphire Silk Cashmere color Wasabi. It is about half done and I wish I could just work on it to the exclusion of all the other obligations in my life. Wish me luck.

Loverlies

Foggy Fall morning in western Pennsylvania.

And  cute little teddy bears in sweaters.

And now I am off to do some knitting homework. Just got a call from Stacey at Knit One where I teach. Can I teach Melissa Morgan-Oakes 2-at-a-Time sock technique? Well, I have never knit 2-at-a-Time socks but I am pretty comfortable with sock knitting. I bought her book recently but haven't had the spare time to give it a test drive. Melissa's at Rhinebeck so I hope I can reach her on Facebook if I get lost along the way. Her directions look very clear and I am thrilled to curl up with a great knitting book and learn a new skill. It's cold, rainy and so, the prefect day for baking (pumpkin bread) and knitting tiny socks.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Just a Quicky

Before they head off to Stitches East 2009, I thought I would show you the little darlings. I am reveling in their cutness and color. But I feel it was a momentary fling.

Look at the colors I pulled out of stash this afternoon. Browns and grays, but all good.

The brown is Shetland Jumper weight and the grey is Alpaca.

This is the view I enjoyed while knitting this afternoon. Tough job, but someone had to do it.











These dahlias are still blooming like it's August. Evidence that flowers don't watch the Weather Channel.

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Found this beauty hanging out on the leftovers from a previous post. These sunflowers have really earned their keep this summer.

And the is a little preview of a coming attraction. More on this later.

Knitting My Way Out of A Black Hole

Perhaps you remember this,


which I fondly refer to as the "Abysmal Black Hole of Despair". It has been converted to this.



Oh Happy Day!!!

Which means that I have successfully made 5 of these. (Shhh, these will be worn in a new movie being filmed as we speak, so that's a bit exciting, especially since they are finished.) Yes, I did in fact knit 5 sweaters in two and one half weeks. Remind me to tell you about my vacation at the FedEx offices on Nantucket. Does that make it a "Fedexation"?




And the antidote for 5 of those, is a little of this...

Jade Sapphire 2 ply Silk Cashmere(55% Silk, 45% Cashmere) in Wasabi
Lace Anyone???

and some of this...

Pretty in Pink

and in Praise of Periwinkle
Nashua Handknits "Julia"

Teddy Bear sweaters making their debut at Stitches East. Just a little more finishing and pretty buttons from SouptoKnits , some pattern writing and they will be headed to Connecticut.

Can you see what a joy it has been to design and knit these little guys after the bleakness. I designed and knit both of these in 1 day. The excitement of color was overwhelming. I could not stop. Oh, the joy.

Just a Peek...

These crazy sunflowers came from one plant in my garden. I'm not sure about the shaggy nature of these flowers but they sure are prolific.

See this huge box of black yarn?


This is what I will be working on until my hands fall off. I have a secret project that involves me knitting all this black yarn as quickly as possible. Did I mention it is black.

I have been counteracting all the darkness by surfing over to Mary Jane Mucklestone's blog. It is the brightest, cheeriest blog. She is a Fair Isle queen so of course I find everything she does inspirational, but especially when all I am working with is black. Did I mention it is black?

Also, did I mention it is Bulky weight wool. My last secret project was worked on size 1's and 2's in fingering weight. The button band had 430 stitches. You can see where I am going with this right? I am now main-lining Aleeve and sleeping with ice packs on my hands. I have my physical therapist on speed dial. (I actually do... but because she is one of my best friends. The physical therapist part is just a nice bonus.) But in the end this will all be worth it.

This is all a sneaky way to get you over to Mary Jane's blog, you won't regret it. The fact that she lives in my favorite place in the whole world makes for great eye candy. My dad and I traveled to Maine every fall from Nantucket, spending two weeks driving up the coast checking out boatyards and boat builders all along the coast. One of his best friends lived in a beautiful little Cape on the water in Owl's Head and I fell head over heels in love with the whole area. I am planning to spend my last years in a garret above Camden Harbor, rocking and knitting. I have had this dream since I was eight years old and I still hope to find that garret.

Thanks Mary Jane, you have made a very bleak and dark knitting day so much brighter.

Ah, Paris!

"Lipstick on my belly, ah Paris!!" Without a doubt the best line I have read all summer. It was written by Paul Child in a letter to his brother while he and Julia were posted in Paris after WWII. Gives you a whole new perspective on Julia. My Life in France by Julia Child is a must read for anyone who loves great writing and amazing food.

Will be back soon with pretty pictures and knitting to share. Too many secret projects right now.

Close only counts in horseshoes, Right?

Just a quicky to share some knitting and prove that knitting is happening.


A sweet David Austin Rose. (I know I should have the name but that requires more organization than I am able to muster at the end of a long gardening day.)
Crazy, self-seeded columbine in the veggie garden. I love the hand of god in my gardening.



So, new baby in the neighborhood, means new sweater on the needles. A wonderful friend of ours just had their second grandchild, a little girl, Allison. I almost always design little one's sweaters out of Cotton Classic. I am running low on all my baby colors so this will be a bright odd ball sweater with a hat and socks to match.



I can start the baby sweater because I am stalled on this little gem. This is Mace's Aran sweater from a few posts ago. I don't know if you can see it, but the whole garment is finished...except for about 1 1/2" on the last cuff. This is a discontinued yarn and normally I would be pulling out my hair, telling my daughter a 3/4 sleeve will be so hip, and an other lame excuses I can manage to cover up the lack of yarn. But inspiration struck at midnight last night.

The second shot is closer to the actual color but it was a bugger to photograph this color. I love the chunky cables down the front. They remind me of all the big heavy rope coiled on the wharves in Nantucket.
Back in March I submitted a few designs with swatches to Vogue Knitting. I haven't heard a word from them so I am really hoping they received all my work. Anyway, one of the swatches was made out of exactly the same yarn. Now if they will just mail it back to me I can unravel it and Mace will have a new sweater. It's all good.

Pretty isn't it? It is a shame Devon from Classic Elite was discontinued. It is a very nice silk, wool blend that offers amazing stitch definition. I like this yarn but obviously have used up every last yard of this baby. Stash busting don't ya know.

Will have a proper photo shoot when she returns from her gadding about the country. I think making her wear heavy wool in July will be just the thing to remind her to take her momma on her next road trip.

Back to the dirty dishes. Happy knitting and Go Pens!!!!!