Debbie Bliss Pullover

Here's where I am on the pullover. Shamefully started in 2001. There are many reasons why a project gets neglected. For this one I'll name just a few: 1) it's fairisle, not that that alone would do it, but 2) some patterns call for 3 colors in a single row-- I only have 2 hands and carry one color in each hand, therefore I can only knit with at most 2 colors at a time, 3) it's cotton in fairisle, and furthermore 4) its done flat (as opposed to circular -- ever try weaving in purl?), and finally 5) all those damned ends! (neatly tucked away for the picture posterity). I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them, but I'll deal with that when the time comes. For now I'm held up on the sleeve length. I mean it's already been 4 years and daughter no 1. whom it was originally intended has far outgrown it. IF I finish it this summer it just might fit daughter no. 2. Thankfully it's a long weekend and a very good friend has reminded me that I need to work on this -- thanks Cris.

A Good Yarn

I just finished the book A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber. It is her second book about yarn store owner Lydia and her shop of the same name. In her first book The Shop on Blossom Street she opens the yarn store and starts a beginning knitting class. The project was a baby blanket. You learn about the lives of the women in the class, their trials and tribulations. As you read you'll see how knitting and the company of knitters help get each character through challenging times in their lives. In the second book there's a new class -- a sock class this time and 3 new women. Debbie Macomber has a way with getting the reader to sympathize with her characters almost immediately. It's a light and enjoyable read and just like the first book, I couldn't put it down. Each book also contains the pattern that the classes are knitting, a baby blanket by Ann Norling and socks by Nancy Bush and some of the chapters have quotes from various fiber artists. Leisure Arts is coming out with companion knitting books for each of the novels, Knit along: The Shop on Blossom Street and Knit Along: A Good Yarn, both due out soon.

I buy yarn

Let's face it this whole knitting thing is just a ruse. I just like to buy yarn. I like to walk into yarn shops, look over the books and patterns and yes, fondle the yarn. I like to dream about all the endless possibilities. I like to hold the skein in my hand and think -- what could you be? These are a couple skeins I bought from knitting_chocolate on eBay (when unable to go to a yarn shop, virtual shopping will do in a pinch). They are rayon metallic and beaded rayon both hand dyed from Blue Heron. They are luscious and I hope I don't ruin them by knitting them. I won't get to them soon, but that's a subject of another post. At one skein each they can at most be scarves. I think a long textured one for the rayon seed, which has a nice "cush" to it, but the metallic is begging to be a glimmery, drapey, shawlette.

I have 2 daughters and every year on Mother's Day I get a poem. It's one of those fill-in-the-blanks that they give to grade school children. Here's this year's from my youngest, age 7 (her answers are in italics)

My Mother
by Lindsey

My Mother's name is Jocelyn
She is 40 years old.
She is 50 feet tall and weighs 6.59 pounds.
Her favorite thing to do is
To kint
One thing she does not like to do is
yell at me
My favorite thing to do with my mom is
Go Shopping and go to the moveies
One thing my mom always says to me is
I love you more then 10000000030000 Harts
If I had a magic wand, and could make one wish
come true for my mom, it would be
Own 1000000000000000000000000000000000 yarn stores

Opal Socks

These are the socks I'm working on. As you can see I'm just about done with the second sock. I only have to kitchener the toe. These are done with Opal the original self-striping yarn. I've had it in my stash for ages. This is the first time I've tried this type of yarn. I liked how the stripes emerged from my needles, and was amazed at how they resumed perfectly after turning the heel. I tried to start each sock at the same point in the sequence and they match each other very nicely. Pattern: Simply Splendid from Cool Socks Warm Feet. Needles: US #1

Magical Mobius

I knit. I chose this project as my first entry in my blog because it exemplifies all the reasons I knit. 1) It is magical -- this particular piece is cast on in the round and when knit increases on both sides -- well, it's a mobius and it truly has only one side. 2) I like to play with yarn -- all kinds, shiny, stretchy, silky, soft,... 3) I enjoy the process, but the results can be extremely beneficial. Yarn used: Trendsetter Antico, Berroco Cotton Twist, Jaeger Cadiz, & Mondial Sharm. Book: Treasury of Magical Knitting.