I’m giving lace a shot — and I quite like it. I’m relying entirely on the notion that it will look a lot better when blocked (because it’s surely not looking like much now!), but I’m enjoying the knit. It’s also a case of semi-stealth knitting — I don’t work on it while Mom’s around, but I don’t hide it either.
The pattern is “Blue Jeans Lace Leaf” shawl, and if all goes well it will be for my mom for her birthday (July 21st). I’m on the tenth of twenty one repeats, though the actual number of repeats will be largely dependent on how far the skein goes.
The fibre is “Suri Blue” by Fleece Artist. It’s rather nice to work with, though very fine and a bit taxing on the eyes. It also has a faintly chemical smell which bothers me a little — anyone have any suggestions for taking care of that before blocking?
My husband has two favourite bands, Def Leppard and Rush. It took me a while to come around to both, but I’d have to classify myself as a fan now too. For Rush in particular, I was a hold out until seeing them in concert a few years ago — that was, and probably still is, the best concert I’ve ever attended. On Thursday night we got to see them again in Vancouver - and it was pretty damned good too.
The largest single thing that turned me into a Rush fan was Neal Peart. Now, I’m long over the 20 minute drum solo…I was over the 20 minute drum solo when I was in my teens. I think those were the parts of the concerts in the 70’s you endured because your boyfriend seemed to be so into it. It was also a good opportunity to hit the washroom.
But Neal Peart’s solo? That’s something entirely different. Brilliant would be a word too overused and yet too lacking to fully describe Peart’s solo. The Youtube clip gives some idea of it, but even that pales to seeing and hearing it live.
I woke up to rolling thunder this morning. Severe weather, of any sort, is fairly uncommon where I live. We do get endless rain (and by gosh it’s raining right now) and some snow in the winter, but for the most part the weather is…well..even and steady whatever it has chosen to do. That’s not to say we don’t get some storms - and there have been some notable ones since I’ve been here, but in comparison to other places I’ve lived in Canada? It’s very tame here.
So when it thundered this morning, I woke up thinking “Is this what an earthquake sounds like? But if it’s an earthquake, why isn’t the house shaking?” That’s right…I can no longer immediately identify thunder. And, I’ve never been in an earthquake, but that was my first assumption. I’m hoping this means I’m now a true BC’er (or at least, Lower Mainlander) and not in the first stages of senility.
I have been married for a little over 25 years. That I’ve done anything for twenty five years (!) makes me shake my head in disbelief, but this has definitely been worth it. My husband is simply a decent and fine person and I consider myself blessed to have him as my best friend and my companion.
In those accumulated 25 years (plus dating time), I’ve never knit anything for him. Never even considered it seriously. He’s not a sweater wearer and I didn’t start knitting socks until a year or so ago. But, not long ago, I was doing something knitterlyish (how’s that for a word?), and he asked “When are you going to knit me something?”
So, I’m starting small with a pair of socks and then plan to work up to a cardigan (maybe for Christmas).
The socks are plain and dark and are working up quite nicely. The picture has brightened up the tones a lot - but they’re really fairly dark. I’m disappointed that the stripes don’t match better, but I’m not obsessing. Really. I’m not. I even talked him into trying on the sock already - though I have to admit he looked quite brutish trying to manouever around the needles.
So I started a cardigan for myself - “Sandy Cardigan” from Big Girl Knits (because, you know, I’m a big girl now). Anyway…I’m using my accidental purchase from eBay - Noro Kureyon, which I’m loving working with. However….I’m having a problem with gauge, or I think I am. The cardigan works up with four panels made of the Kureyon, knit diagonally. I’m dead on gauge both row and stitch wise and the panel is dead on in width. Length? Well that’s another story. I’m not through yet, but I figure it will finish up about 25″ at best — the pattern says it should be 27″.
After knitting the panel, you pick up along the long edges (with a different yarn - Lamb’s Pride is what’s in the pattern) and knit 2″. Now, if I do the math - the 105 picked up stitches worked to the gauge will be exactly 27″. The Kureyon panel is kinda stretchy….but 2″?
Don’t even ask about the math I’ve done with triangles and the Pythagorean theorem trying to figure where the length should end! Who said you’d never use this stuff after high school….
Anyway, my plan is to forge on, finish the panel and knit the 2″ along the side…and then see where I am.
I’m playing hooky today (at my mother’s urging no less!) and heading to the US for a day of yarn store finding and gambling. She tells me there’s a new shop in Lynden….I think she’s just saying that to get me to the casino.
I’ll report my findings (and losses…and purchases?) later.
Can you imagine the let down one would feel after going to Tim’s in the middle of the day to get a tall black coffee only to find upon returning to one’s office that it is a tall coffee with cream and sugar?
I drove over to Chilliwack today to the first meeting of the Upper Fraser Valley Knitting Club (that name is subject to change). Marlene has done a lot of work organizing the group and it was fun to be in a room with a lot of other knitters. I may have been the only one from out of town — I’m pretty sure I was the only one who got lost on the way. I’m looking forward to seeing how this develops.
In other knitting news (oh look! I finished something!), I finished off a pair of socks for my Mom. She picked the yarn out a year ago while we were in Las Vegas — I’m pretty sure she said something about wanting a pair of socks that were a little less “vibrant”. Uhm….oops?
I used a pattern from Charlotte Schurch’s “Sensational Knitted Socks”. It’s a basketweave rib - but the yarn itself drowns that out to a great deal, I think. Overall though, I love the book and and very pleased with the results. And most importantly, Mom likes them.
I have cast on another pair of socks - this time for my husband. I’ll either do a 3X1 rib or just a ribbed cuff and plain leg/foot. I’ll follow one of Charlotte’s patterns generally, but for the most part I think I’ll wing it on these.
I keep meaning to write a post. I remind myself daily, “Don’t forget today!”. And then another week passes. It’s not even that things are that busy. It is active, but not so much that I don’t have lots of time at the end of the day to play WoW or even to pluck away at some knitting. But I never seem to get to the actual writing of a post.
What I am finding is that, despite the completely manageable schedule I’m keeping, I’m feeling more stressed than I have in several years. Back in 2001/2002, I started to have anxiety attacks (or at least that’s what I call them). It was a combination of a number of things - my father passing, then my mother-in-law a few months later, a work place that was developing into somewhere I just didn’t want to be, and kids who were testing every last nerve I had. I made some changes, including a move to another province and a new job, and for the longest time things were much better.
But recently, the anxiety has started to return. I know that 95% of it is work related. I’m not inclined to change jobs, so perhaps I need to start finding a better method to deal with that (the hold it in and press it down until it turns into a bitter hard ball in the pit of my stomach method I favour doesn’t seem to be doing the trick any longer).
