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!)
