mayflower

After running into some construction issues on the Silk Garden Fair Isle, I decided that a short break from the continual, frustrating cycle of frogging and re-knitting was in order. But have no fear! It will not suffer the same fate of countless other knits, relegated for months (some years!) in my wooden UFO chest. I am quite determined to finish it, and am in fact quite close.

And what has the uncanny ability to recharge knitting mojo? Great yarn! I seem to be going through a brown/ pink phase. Here are a few recent additions to the stash. For more info such as yardage/ weight/ composition, check the "yarny love" album on the left.

Oh, and also the "7 things" that I didn't get around to doing sooner...

 

Lamb' s Pride Bulky- Victorian pink

1. I live in the second most conservative city in the US. In the past year, Chippendale's dancers were hand cuffed and jailed for "simulating sexual acts in public", and a lingerie store clerk arrested because the store sold "obscene devices" (translation: sex toys). I'm not joking!! Oh, and to top it off, we were one of the top finalists for Dubya's presidential library. Makes sense.

2. I am not a conservative.

Knitpicks Gloss- Cocoa

3. I'm ridiculously sad that destash has been shut down. :(

4. I'm a fan of good, dark beer. ZiegenBock on tap is my current favorite.

Knit Picks Shine Sport- Orchid

5. I'm a vegetarian with vegan tendencies.

6. I've gotten pierced a total of 14 times (some re-piercings of course) After voluntary and involuntary closings, I now just have 5.

Berocco Denim Silk- voodoo

7. I'm addicted to spinning. There's just something about being packed into a room with a bunch of sweaty bodies, biking nowhere, following commands barked out by ridiculously fit instructors, feeling the almost palpable, collective dread... "no! not another sprint!". Love it!

The SG Fair Isle will return next time!

 

Help! I can't seem to emerge from the boring-black-blahness that is Wool Ease. After spending so much time in Noro-land, completely mesmerized with the subtle shifts of colors and organic textures, knitting with such an average, humdrum yarn is such a chore. Am I forever spoiled?

I would have gone with a more comparable yarn, but I knew this thing would be HOT...hello, fair-isleing in worsted weight?  Something cooler with a higher synthetic content seemed fitting. Plus, I have an abundance of Wool-Ease from my earlier knitting days.

I picked up stitches along the neckline and back...

...then knitted about a 1 inch neckband in a 1x1 rib.

Oh, and my thoughts on the Clover mini-circs? It does feel a little awkward at first to knit with a circular that short, and my fingers, hands, and even forearms started to tense up. I found the angle at which you hold the two ends really matters. Since it is so short, holding them at more of an angle really eases things up a lot. Ribbing, or just purling for that matter, was quite awkward even with the slight change in angle/ technique. I would never consider using these for anything beyond a simple rib. But with the occasional reminder to relax your hands, it's great for a plain stockinette!

While the sleeves sat abandoned for over almost two weeks, I cooked!

When I was in early elementary school, it became apparent that two of my primary interests in life were art (and craft) and food. As a third or fourth grader I remember drawing in my journal, crocheting neon pink and black granny squares, and cycling to the specialty baking store in my neighborhood to spend my allowance money on cool ingredients, like a tin of Lyle's golden syrup.  Fifteen years later I have an art degree, I knit, and spend a ridiculous amount of time thinking about/ reading about/ making food. The  spices above were used in a red lentil dhal I made last night. They were toasted, sent for a quick spin through the food processor, then blended into a fine powder the old fashioned way using a mortar and pestle. It was a long and tedious process, but the result was an aromatic, sensitively spiced dhal with an amazing depth of flavor. Mmm....

Until next time, happy knitting (and eating!)