At casa Jersey Knitter there's been yet another difficult period of time spent traveling too much, being away too much, and generally being gone. I'm exhausted.
Although I'm still minimally crafting, just small projects. With all the to-ing and fro-ing I've been doing the key pouch I was using began crumbling. To prevent my keys from abrading the lining of my purse, I keep them in a pouch so they can abrade that instead. Apparently it was working.
So I crocheted a new one during a plane ride, I forget which one. It helped pass the time productively. Not to mention the old one was plastic (boo!) and the new one is cotton (yay!). There's no pattern, and I've not posted it to Ravelry, even though it's the first FO of 2016.
On another plane ride I was surprised to be served a free snack and even more surprised that it was a tasty stroopwafel.
I feel stupid posting this. So why voluntarily engage in stupid? Well, because I'm not so loftily principled that I would spurn something positive and fun just because it's also partly stupid. It's a matter of degree, and naming the beast is the first step towards embracing reluctance.
For February Sockdown I have to furnish proof of sock, so here it is. First up, my project in good light. It's Queen of Diamonds Sock by Kristi Schueler worked in Spunky Eclectic handspun Superwash Corriedale, colorway Tahiti.
The yarn was a 2010 Ravellenics project. The pattern is written toe-up but I'm knitting it top-down because I cast on when I was tired and cranky after shoveling snow. Here's a requisite photo showing my cast on and the number of projects (14) before I set up my Ravelry project page.
And here's a photo showing my project page and the number of projects (15) after I set up my Ravelry project page.
I also need to furnish proof of placement for my second giveaway for Free Art Friday Montclair (#fafmtclr), coming soon. ETA: Here it is in the wild, on the Northeast sled hill. Also, now we're supposed to use #fafmtc. OK, whatever, photographic proof.
Such tough-sounding talk has its appeal, I suppose, by derivation. Kittens enjoying pretending to be tigers. Rawr. (I am the only one troubled by the hint of animal cruelty in the video?) I've never much cared for the fad of knitters appropriating the language of racism and addiction or ultraviolent competition. Similarly, I'm increasingly troubled by my own use of the language hostage negotiators use when dealing with psychopaths who kidnap and brutally execute people. Such language doesn't seem strong or daring to me – while admittedly colorful, it also seems inauthentic and unreasoning. Gentle readers, YMMV, if it works for you that's dandy. All I know is I need a different vocabulary.
Speaking of the weather, according to the quite alarming forecasts, overnight was supposed to be the Great Blizzard of 2015. There was the usual rush to the supermarket, then the tri-state region hunkered down with travel bans, warnings of white out conditions, and expectations of setting snowfall records. But the storm formed 90 miles to the east, so the forecast 30+ inches (76+ cm) of snow never materialized roundabout Exit 151, although other locations were hard hit. In the end we got maybe 5 inches (12.7 cm). Oh well, I'm relieved and disinclined to grumble at the forecasters. Instead, I made a nosewarmer.
I modified the pattern, knitting and decreasing in the round instead of knitting flat and using short rows. I worked the decreases opposite from the way one would work a sock toe (ie, ssk, k2, k2tog instead of k2tog, k2, ssk). The nosewarmer is for the next Free Art Friday Montclair (#fafmtclr), February 6. My first offering disappeared satisfyingly quickly, but there was no finder's photo posted, which is a bit of a bummer. I'm hoping for a finder's photo this time.
Happy New Year! Roundabout casa Jersey Knitter it seems especially auspicious that 2015 is the Year of the Sheep. In Japan the New Year's postage stamp depicts a knitter sheep that has finished the scarf it was making 12 years ago. May that bode well for the many UFOs buzzing around Area 151!
Photo credit: AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama.
Indeed, encouraged by that example, I dug out an, er, vintage UFO, the wee beaded bag from ::cough:: September 2006 and finished it with an I-cord strap and a beaded edging around the flap. It felt wonderfully right, as if I'd never put it down. Behold, the first FO of the new year (with NJ quarter for scale)!
It seems to me one shouldn't hoard such good karma for oneself. Accordingly, I left the wee bag by BAB for Free Art Friday Montclair (#fafmtclr), a local version of a global scavenger hunt. A lot of FAF pieces involve graphic arts, but I thought an objet could add a touch of whimsy to the day. It does seem as if some FAF scavengers take things a bit too seriously, as if the goal is having rather than finding. That said, if you find the wee bag, take it if you wish – it's free. Or, leave it to brighten someone else's day.
It's Patriots' Day in Boston, which means it's Marathon Day. It's a beautiful day for it. And after the horror of last year, the city, indeed the entire international running community, went all out to make certain that haters don't win, fear doesn't win – love wins. As part of that effort, Old South Church in Boston sponsored the Boston Marathon Scarf Project. The plan was to give every runner who attended a Blessing of the Athletes service a scarf to symbolize being wrapped in love and courage.
Old South Church is located just beyond the finish line of the Boston Marathon. It's a big, historic city church, first gathered in 1669. Every year it hosts a Blessing of the Athletes services, which this year coincided with Easter Sunday; dozens of church members participate in the marathon as runners or volunteers and dozens more work as first responders and healthcare professionals; its Great Bell announces the first male and female finishers of the marathon. Last year the church building was inside the crime scene tape and so was closed, but the work of the church went on in the streets and homes and hospitals of Boston. So when the call for scarves went out, I knit my bit.
The organizers of the project are organized – they even specified the official Boston Athletic Association Pantone numbers (Yellow 109C and Blue 294C) for the scarf colors, but quickly relented and said any blue and yellow would do. I just used what several of the organizers used, Coeur Rouge Bright Yellow and Royal. Although in some photos it looks like BAA blue is closer to sky blue and BAA yellow is closer to lemon yellow.
No matter, word is the recipients loved them. Scarves were spotted worn around town at the Sports Illustratedcover shoot, adorning landmarks, on Doug Flutie, at carbo-loading dinners, even on the Mallard family in the Public Garden.
The Mallard family out for a stroll in the Public Garden, wearing their marathon scarves. They later received custom-made race bibs, as seen on Harvard Dangerfield. Photo credit: Old South Church in Boston.
Hundreds stood with heads held high to have our traditional words of blessing showered upon them, words drawn from the prophet Isaiah: may you run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. Aware of the fear that was engendered by last year's terrorist attacks at the Boston Marathon, yet unwilling to bow before the power of death on Easter, we added another prayer. It was a prayer uttered from the depths of our souls for the 118th Boston Marathon runners: God will command the angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
Call it a churchy way of saying what the crowd was chanting at Heartbreak Hill, Mile 20, when the runners first enter the city, "Boston Strong! Keep going!"
ETA1: Runner's World published an online article on the Blessing of the Athletes service. I hear that of the runners who started, 98% finished, which surely is a record. I also hear that some runners who didn't get scarves have been asking for them, and a plan is TBA.
ETA2: After prayerful consideration, the scarf organizers decided not to continue collecting and distributing scarves. They intended the scarves to be a blessing and felt that to continue would be to turn them into a souvenir. It's a difficult concept for some to grasp – the difference between being a pilgrim and being a tourist – but as I have my own hopes for pilgrimage, I deeply respect the decision.
Despite a dusting of snow the other day, I'd say Branch Brook Park is finally at 40 percent trees blooming. The early bloomers are at peak bloom, but the majority of trees are only just starting to flush. I'm guessing peak bloom will happen on Easter Sunday or Monday. If gentle readers can't be there in person, there's always Cherry Blossom Cam.
Meanwhile, I've started a project which is also at about 40 percent.
Oh, so many ends! No matter how charming, modular projects always have so many ends!
For five glorious hours on Saturday, NYC closed most of Park Avenue (yes, the Park Avenue) and a couple other streets to auto traffic as part of its Summer Streets program. One of my all-time favorite views is of Grand Central Terminal from South Park Avenue and the weather was as rare as the opportunity, so DH and I simply had to investigate.
We had a grand time. The south approach to Grand Central is normally restricted to cars only – it was beautiful to see people making their way up the incline on foot, on bikes, and even in wheelchairs, all grinning. Life in a great city is often tinged with the sublime; that is, the built environment can be as awesome, exhilarating, and terrifying as a Bierstadt landscape. Some flee it, but for others the chance to experience it car-free is not to be missed. Summer Streets continues on August 15 and 22, and we hope to be back for more.
Then again, this week it's turned hot, hazy, and humid all at once, like the very worst of summer crammed into a few days. It could be a good time to check out more on the esthetic of the sublime at an excellent exhibit at The Newark Museum.
Cycling back to bicycling, I've been knitting prezzies for some of my bike buddies. Here's a Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark, knit of Grand Rapids-dyed Yarn Hollow Elemental yarn for Kelly.
The yarn is hard to photograph – most of the time it looks cedar green, but sometimes it has a purple cast, rather like an artichoke. Silver strands add a glimmer too subtle for my poor digicam to capture.
And here's a pair of Bike Helmet Ear Warmers by Amy O'Neill Houck, knit of Araucania Ranco Solid for Michael, who abandonedforgot left his bike lock in our car. Let's hope the earwarmers, which fit over the straps of a bike helmet, prompt him to set a good example and wear his helmet. (Gentle readers will understand that when it comes to bike helmets, nagging = caring.)
Finally, for stbyra, who left a question on the previous post but no contact info for a response, my clear clogs are a special version of Sloggers clogs. I bought 'em at Loopy Yarns in Chicago and have seen them on occasion at fiber festivals and online.
An experiment: soft knit bangles inspired by Mimsie's. One was knit flat using Sirdar Harlequin, a discontinued variegated rayon tape and mohair yarn. The short edges were grafted and the long edges allowed to curl under.
The other was knit in the round using gray Rowan 4-ply, which is a fair stand-in for the original cashmere. The long edges were grafted and the resulting torus lightly stuffed with fiberfill. The fiberfill tends to clump in the knit areas and not in the purl areas, which initially made the top down view of the bangle look a bit like a gel teething bracelet.
Pictured with the bangles are a couple felted balls made from roving, which are easy to make, but tedious to make well – they form in under a minute, but require 7-10 minutes of steady rolling to look their best. Speaking of which, the light tent still needs tweaking, although I'm happy with the way the cables show up.
Overall, I'm undecided about the bangles. What do you think?
With the addition of a simple border on the swatch, a bit of handstitching, and some [cough] calligraphy, the wedding card for my pastor was finished. The inspiration for the project was Ann Budd's Knit Your Own Greeting Cards but the intertwined trees motif was taken from the Enchanted Forest Aran Sweater (VK Fall 1992, also P701). ETA: I just noticed the pattern is called Twin Trees II in Barbara G. Walker's A Third Treasury.
The wedding service was on an auspicious date (7/7/07) and beautiful. Or perhaps I should say complete, in both the earthly and the spiritual senses. Church of the Improv was full of family, friends, and church members of all ages, races, cultures, genders. The guest preacher crafted a liturgy that allowed for laughter, tears, joy, and solemnity and that was inclusive of wedding guests unfamiliar with Christian traditions. The happy couple was radiant. In the wedding party, the women wore satin, the girls innumerable crinolines, the men and boys barongs. The soloist and string quartet were superb and the organist played the Widor Toccata "a little faster than the metronome marking." There were bubbles (more fun than rice or birdseed) and a reception in a big tent on the parsonage lawn and thoughtful favors, fans (it was hot) and flipflops (for those who wore heels).
Afterward, there were fireworks. It was the annual township display, postponed from July 4 because of the rain, but it seemed like a fitting end to a very happy day.
Our Fourth of July holiday was cool and variously included overcast skies, thick fog, tempestuous wind and rain, and great peals of low-frequency thunder so powerful they shook the house (I've been in smaller earthquakes). Puny human fireworks were no match for the elements!
The bad weather kept me indoors, re-reading Order of the Phoenix and knitting swatches. For the Tour de France KAL I swatched Uptown Toffee, another Norah Gaughan pattern, published in Knitter's K61 Winter 2000 and also anthologized in Jackets for Work and Play.
I like the Nantucket Jacket swatch better, but prefer the Uptown Toffee silhouette. What I really really want is Nan with long sleeves and no hip-enhancing gores. Hm. [Ponders posting limericks, thinks better of it] More swatches to come.
One of my pastors is getting married at Church of the Improv. It's not every day one has a pastor get married, so I knit up the intertwined trees motif from the Enchanted Aran Forest cardigan to decorate her wedding card. After a bit of fiddling, I settled on No. 30 crochet cotton and U.S. 4/0 (1.25 mm) needles (pictured with Jersey quarter for scale, click to view larger).
My prediction that my first tomato would be ripe this week would seem to be another casualty of the unseasonable weather – the patio tomato is not merely not ripe, it's also got greenback (= patchy color, particularly noticeable on the shoulders, indicative of woody spots).
Greenback sometimes can be corrected in the garden by heavy mulching and by burying banana peels and Epsom salts in the tomato patch. A bucket or two of clean wood ash would be great too (but I don't have any handy). I'm not sure what to do for a container plant – erm, mebbe foliar feeding? Suggestions welcome. Heheheh, mad tomato science ahead.
Happy Flash Your Stash Day! In honor of the day, here's some flash from my bead stash.
When I saw Rosemary Hill'sBauble (ooh, shiny!), I couldn't resist. Her Designs by Romi shawl pins (featured in VK Spring/Summer 2007) are so much fun that it was a no-brainer to join the Baubles and Beads group she started. I strung some a lot of beads and started baubling.
It took about 4 hours spread over a few sessions to string the approximately 1,800 beads required. Have I mentioned how much I loathe stringing beads? In between sessions, I kept the beaded strand wrapped around the usual storage system to prevent tangling. The jelly coil needle keepers that I didn't like as needle keepers worked well as bead stops.
It took about half an hour to knit, graft, and finish Bauble. The beaded strand (ditto the finished cuff) was surprisingly heavy – it was helpful to keep both yarn and fabric supported on a table. Knitting was similar to working with a novelty yarn, except heavier. It's important to leave the shortest tail possible when casting on because the beaded strand is grafted to itself at the end. I used the knotted finish rather than a crimp bead because crimp beads contain lead, which is not healthy for children and other living things.
I'm pleased with the results and now am thinking happy beady thoughts. This Bauble is an SP gift; a pearly version or a tortie and ivory (faux, of course) version would be nice. While I love its vintage style, for me the best thing about Bauble is its sheer newness. I've knit with beads before, but never quite like this. In traditional knit beadwork, the yarn and the beads are separate design elements; here, the beads are the yarn, the yarn is the beads. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty," form and function. Wow. Thanks, Rosemary, for a fun, innovative design!
Incidentally, to get the infinity background in the first photo, I just draped a piece of tracing paper over a bare lightbulb to diffuse the light. The method needs a little tweaking, but seems to be a reasonable and inexpensive alternative to a lightbox. Teehee.
Smitten by Wendy's wee amulet bag, I had to make myself one. I usually covet everything mighty Wendy makes, but know better than to emulate her. The effort would be completely unsustainable – I'm pretty sure her output in a couple weeks exceeds my output for the last five years. But a tiny bag? That I can do (shown with New Jersey quarter for scale). Well, almost.
My not-quite-finished thrifty treasure bag was knit on 1.5 mm (U.S. 000) needles using just one 25-meter (27-yard) hank of DMC Coton Perlé 5 in color 798 and one ¾-ounce packet of Bead It 10/0 seed beads in Sapphire. I used stuff from stash; at a chain craft store, the tab would be under $3. It took the equivalent of one evening to make the bag.
Currently I'm stalled because I can't find a fastener bead I like. I started well enough with Wendy's photos and Shala Kerrigan's Knitted Quarter-Sized Bead Bag pattern and modified away. First, I strung a lot of beads.
I dislike stringing. Even using a dental floss threader, an excellent method suggested by Lanie (who's expecting!), stringing took as much time as the entire rest of the project. Four feet (1.2 m) of beads was sufficient for the bag, at least with all the mods.
Next, I cast on a few stitches and knit flat in garter stitch for the bag flap, increasing at the edges and adding beads on every row in a pinstripe pattern. (Garter stitch must be used with this method of beaded knitting to maintain the alignment of the beads.) I wanted the flap to be heavy, so it would hang nicely when folded down. I left the turning row unbeaded, then used the cable cast-on to double the number of stitches and began knitting in the round. (We all know that garter stitch in the round is knit 1 round, purl 1 round, right?) The stitch count remains the same on every round; the shaping – both the gradual widening and the scalloping – is caused by the beads themselves.
This beaded knitting technique usually places beads on both sides of the work, mainly to give stability to the fabric and secondarily for reversibility. As the bag is tiny, unlikely to receive hard use, and doesn't need to be reversible (and I got tired of stringing beads), my treasure bag is beaded on one side only, on the purl rounds. The resulting fabric is not as firm as one beaded on both sides, but still has that desirable beady slinkiness.
Now I'm stumped. I've been to a couple beady stores roundabout Exit 151 and can't find the right bead for the fastener. Not to mention it occurs to me that perhaps wee beaded necklace bags belong on the same shelf with macramé projects have limited appeal, but a full-sized vintage-inspired beaded bag – with an ornate purse frame and a heavy satin lining – might be cool. Hm... beady ambition strikes yet again.
