I Got to Spin!

I finally unpacked ALL OF THE BOXES and decided to let myself spin for a bit! 

I have a different work schedule now, which means more time for myself and family at night - but it also means re-working when I will work on knit designs and spinning. Before, I always did all of that stuff in the morning before I went to work. 

The good news: even after a month off, it went pretty well. My little ladybug still rocks! 

Negative and Positive

This is the floor of a little bar close to work, where some co-workers and I went to lunch recently. (I don't remember which one, sorry!)

I love the use of negative and positive space. I have a tendency to think about filling spaces, but this is a geometric shape that I really love. It may make it's way into my notebook, somehow...

A Big Part of Moving

A big part of moving, for me, is having to regain some of the things you can't take with you (like good friends and knitting groups) and replacing things you didn't bring for reasons of space and expense (like dish detergent and that couch we both hated, anyway). 

When I was packing some things for storage and some things to bring, I knew we would have less space in the apartment than in the house. We ended up with a little more than 1/4 of the square footage we had, so it's good that I was stingy about what I brought. I was a little crazy at the end of the move, so we ended up with fewer plates than we actually need (and tons of silverware, for some reason) in the apartment.

But, there are some things I simply can't do without. For a little while, when most of our stuff was still in boxes, I was worried that I had thrown out my precious bottles of Soak. Certainly, not irreplaceable. Not even all that expensive. I even found out with LYS here carries it, so I could go get it when I had a few minutes. 

This is a long-winded way of saying that I was entirely too excited when I finally found my little bottle, in the last box I unpacked. That's one less errand I have to do, because goodness knows I couldn't have lived without it!

Round-Yoke Sweater from 2004

I knit this sweater when I didn't really know what I was doing. The variegated cream yarn was my big vacation-yarn splurge when I was in Scotland in 2001. It sat in my stash until I complained about it to a knitter/spinner friend in my knitting group in Traverse City, Michigan. I knew there wasn't enough for an entire sweater. 

My new friend said, "Well, I have some handspun that came out too thick for me. It will go with this. You should have it."

Armed with her handspun, in various natural colors, I knit this sweater, based on Elizabeth Zimmermann's Seamless Yoke Sweater. The shape isn't perfect for my body type (my large shoulders make the yoke stand up in a strange way). But, I love it. I'm very proud of it. And, I'm happy to have truly cold winters to wear it in, again!

The Colors Are Way Better In Real Life

I'm trying to keep up with new designs for 2014. This one is for Dream in Color and should come out this fall. (I don't have anything to show you except my little ball of yarn ends! Such is the way. Secret knitting isn't just for Christmas!)

Winter Sunlight

It always takes my breath away. Clear, cold light and a brilliant blue sky. What more could you want?

Back

We made the move to the Twin Cities right at the change of the year. So far, despite the usual frustrations of moving, it's been a series of magical (if cold) experiences, including a snowy walk across Lake Harriet. 

There were a lot of wonderful opportunities in Fort Wayne. I made great friends, knit a lot, and grew a lot. But, I was always watching the horizon for the next sailing ship. Here, we're planning on putting down deep roots. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of 2014 brings us!

Boomer Says It's His Sock Now

I know it's hard to deal with moving sometimes. Your whole life is turned upside down and about 80% of your stuff will be in storage for a while. So, who can blame the kitty for wanting to cling to something, even if it is a lovely hand knit sock you want to keep your foot warm? (It's a secret pattern, for now...)

The Real Value of Knitting

 I don't own many pieces of clothing from over a dozen years ago, but this is one of them.

It's a dickey from an Elizabeth Zimmermann pattern, and I knit it long before The Big Bang Theory made dickeys a part of the public imagination, again.

I made it when I was a grad student and couldn't afford fancy yarn. I bought the skein for it at a farmers market in Athens, Ohio, from the same man who convinced me to try eggplant for the first time.

It isn't the softest yarn to ever grace my needles and may have been from a meat breed of sheep. But, by Jove, it is still as warm as the day I made it and nary a pill has appeared on it even though I wore it at least once a week for half of the year when I lived in Ohio, Michigan and South Dakota. It even bolstered my resolve against a wet Scottish spring. (Don't believe people who say that May is summer in Scotland. It is still the spring, in my book, if you wear wool socks and are happy about it.)

If you find yourself shorter of funds than you like, remember: the right yarn used in a good project lasts, and lasts and lasts - much longer than the shirt or whatever I could have bought with the same amount of money.

Salem, Mass. - Super Awesome

I'm in Salem for a non-knitting work thing. It's a time of year when a lot of things are closed. (No Pirate Museum for me, darn!)

But, I found a way to waste a little time. There's a rather nutty little bookstore on Essex St. Watch for avalanches, though!

...and I think this is the Friendship, which is pretty darn cool!

Weather for Knitters

But, seriously, stay inside if you can!

Design Inspiration: Almost Spring Hat

A friend of mine contacted me some time ago. She wanted a hat that would be easy to knit and look good on both adults and kids. I came up with the Almost Spring hat, complete with a "tendril growing up and looking for the sun."

I made mine in Encore Worsted, but I also love the version a test knitter made in Plymouth Yarn's Worsted Merino Superwash Kettle Dyed. I guess we both like Plymouth yarns!

Safety First

Always buckle in your wheel on the road! :)