Mohair Monday: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For Edition

With the secret lace back on track, it has become safe to allow my mind to wander. That can end poorly. However, I sometimes remember important things, solve problems, or have good ideas. Doing this while knitting lace is especially inspiring without allowing my brain to run too far. Today it found its way to a general list of to-knit items.


I have been planning to knit some lace scarves, but have not gotten any further than that. I decided to get on with process, and happened upon a theme. All of the yarns I selected have mohair as the main fiber content. Still unsure of what to knit, I reached for A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns and Knitted Lace of Estonia from the bookshelf. Now all that remains is selecting patterns. Oh, and the knitting of course, but that is the easy part, right?

One Step Forward

I am not even bothering to calculate how many steps back I am. We have coffee once more, so whether I keep sliding back, or if I make forward progress, I will do so a bit more quickly. Or, as it has been written elsewhere, "Drink coffee, do stupid things faster with more energy."

Speaking of making mistakes with speed that take hours to fix, I have been tinking lace. Instead of being fifteen rows ahead, I am behind by about ten. Also, I do not think I like The Manchurian Candidate, but cannot be objective because the rip and repair occurred while watching that particular movie, and most things were to my dislike at that time.

Still, there are things that I like very much. For example, this silk cap that my grandma sent me. Mmmm...worm spit.

UM...I SleepySarah

This house has no coffee.

Hairbrush :: Purple

Sneak :: Attack

Hole :: -In-One

Horror :: Movie

Standard :: Definition

Mailbox :: Fraud

Attachment :: Photo

Type :: Writer

Nails :: Files

Storage :: Unit

Simply Red

It is Red Scarf time again, and my needles are busy. I am knitting the second, and just getting around to showing the first. The discussion about the need for quality scarves stirred my heart. I am pleased with this scarf, and glad to have a contribution to offer for this important project.

Pattern: Palindrome
Yarn: ONline Linie 21 Marly

Stick a Sock Blocker In It

When I was younger, someone could say something horrible to me and I would say nothing because I was scared. That is no longer the case. Still, I usually do not say anything because I do not want to expend the energy. However, there are times when it feels right to put a stop to someone trying to steamroll over me and be hateful.

Picture it, the booth of a woodworker at a fiber festival. Nevermind, I had my camera.


I am looking at wooden sock blockers on a table. I am about to begin to speak with the vendor when another festivalgoer approaches.

Me: These are nice.
BK (BitterKnitter): It won't matter. You have to learn to knit nice, first.
Me: Ah. I actually do knit quite well.
Vendor: Well, if you are knitting socks, I can tell you're no beginner.
BK: (pulling open jacket and puffing out chest) Well can you tell that I am not a beginner with this sweater I have knit?
Me: Hmmm. It is very nice.
BK: I have been knitting since I was ten. It was doll mittens then.
Me: (begins walking away) Ah. Well it sounds like you have probably been knitting longer than I have.

It was more comical than anything. Still, it made me wonder. It also made me want to take a walk to fondle fiber before returning to buy my set of sock blockers. Now I just need to find sock mojo. I thought for sure this gift would have brought it around. Perhaps it is just being considerate and waiting until the new year.

Wednesdays are for the Random, Right?

I am working on a super-secret-deadline-lace project. If my calculations are correct, I must complete 27 rows, which totals around 2500 stitches (give or take, what with changing stitch counts) each day to finish in time. I have remembered to include time for blocking and drying. I am currently choosing to believe that my biggest challenge will be the sharing of the one magnetic board for my two current chart projects. Yes, they are both deadline knitting.

On a local Freecycle group, I saw a curious posting. Offer: Bachelorette Accessories

Yesterday's Ten on Tuesday topic has been detrimental to my productivity. I have been playing games and having fun.

I have lost part of a fancy hat I began knitting in September. I had the opportunity to check fit on the intended recipient, and it is nowhere to be seen. It is in none of the cleverly organized places it should be, and asking me where I last saw it is not helpful.

Scarves are often stubborn, tricksy, and false. I have been knitting on what is attempting to be the Red Corrugator of Doom often, and sometimes for extended stretches. It is not yet 36" long. I wanted to have at least three good scarves for the Red Scarf Project, but this second scarf is out to get me.

Not that I do not enjoy having you here, but I thought I would send you away in hopes that you will win prizes. The deadline is today to enter for Hillary's contest. You have a week to make it over to where Phyllis is giving away some beautiful fiber.

Ten on Time Suck Tuesday

Finally, a Ten on Tuesday topic that speaks to me.

Ten Ways to Waste Time on the Internet

1. Ravelry--whether you lose a day to the forums or the patterns, it can be quite the time suck
   
2. YouTube--because I could need to see that mini sirloin burger commercial or Duran Duran at a moment's notice, and the suggested similar videos are equally important
   
3. Wikipedia--everything is true on this uneditable collection of topics, right?
   
4. Hulu--at least I give those hours away watching what I want to watch
   
5. Games--until the eyes burn from not blinking for so long
   
6. eBay--what don't they have for sale? Also, if I have to pay, I did not win /rant
   
7. etsy--pretty, shiny, fluffy
   
8. Blogs--wait, they aren't time wasters, but valuable resources
   
9. Stalking Research
10. Quizzes--how else would I know that the innerwebs judge me to be: 67% knitting addicted, the delete key, angora fiber, bubblegum flavored gum, Shropshire Sheep, 72% pure, interchangeable needles, mohair yarn, a Knitting Goddess, and that if I were a felony I would be stalking?

The First of...

I finally finished my first pair of gloves. They are toasty warm, and the fit is good. The pattern is Annemor #8 from Selbuvotter. The yarn is Knit Picks Palette in Clematis Heather and Rainforest Heather. I like the way the colors work together, but sometimes wish I had chosen ones with greater contrast.

They had sort of had their public debut at the fiber festival, but they were hidden most of the day because I wore a pair of mittens over them for greater warmth. I did show them off once, but that had more to do with a weather discussion than one about my knitting.

I cast on for them on New Year's Day. I finished towards the end of October. It does not bode well for my career in glove production. Perhaps I ought to keep this as just a hobby, eh? With the extended break between the first glove and the second, I did inadvertently make a change. The undersides of each thumb are different, but if I do not point it out, no one else is likely to notice. Anyway, I am glad to have knit a pair of gloves, and will probably knit more some day, but that day is unlikely to come soon.

My New November

Maybe it is just the joy of getting back that hour with the return of standard time, but I have decided to do NaBloPoMo again this year. However, I have not decided to do NaKniSweMo. I enjoyed participating last time, and was excited to be making something for my sister. However, the list of things I want to knit right now is very long, and there are not any sweaters trying to jump to the head of the line, so I will let that challenge be for another year.

This looks to be a busy month. The full moon is tomorrow, and later there will be a Friday the 13th. My sister is buying a house, and moving day is toward the end of the month. That is exciting.

Before we jump to far into the new month, I will share three tidbits from the last day of October--two good, and one unfortunate.

1. I stood in line for one of the games with my sister and nephew at a Fall festival. Two teenagers approach to replenish a candy bowl. They declared what I am doing to me neat, and that I am smart to have brought something to pass the time.

2. At the same Fall Festival, I walked and knit, and a boy of about eight dressed as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi approaches me. He states, "You're knitting. How do you do that?" I stretched out my arms to show what I was doing. "Oh, I thought you went like this," he said while wildly moving his hands up and down. "I want to knit," he states. I tell him that he is certainly old enough and if he wants to learn, he certainly can. His mother, worried that I am being bothered, pulls him aside and begins listing the people in the family she thinks might know and be able to help.

3. At the mall for trick-or-treating at stores, we pass a group of costumed and decorated people. One individual catches our eye. She is wearing jeans and a half-shirt, is possibly with child (but possibly not), and has some animal painted on her abdomen. There are no pictures because it would have been too terrible.

UM, Not Impressed, and Impressed

This guy looks like he has been to his share of fiber festivals. He took the crowds and cameras in stride. He did not mind our presence, or having to attend the gathering, but he was clearly not impressed by any of us.

Redskins :: Cowboys

Show :: Stopper

Smoker :: Turkey

Bad movie :: Horror

Play :: House

Jaguar :: Wreck

Click :: Through

Production :: Piece

Sand :: Evil

Foreign :: Film

Just to show it is not just about fiber acquisition around here, this is my latest finished spinning. I like the new yarn. For me, it seems like I keep spinning, and suddenly one skein shows my improvement all at once. This is one of those skeins. I keep petting it, and thinking of what I want it to become.

Fiber: Alpaca, KA Solar-dyed by me

Plies: Two
WPI: 19-20
Weight: 5.12 ozs (145.3g)
Yardage: 608 yds (555.9552m)

Loved

I feel so very loved today. It is my birthday. Bruce was sneaky and got me this set of Hiya-Hiya Interchangeables. They are awesome. This set goes from US2 to US8. Those are my sizes. Also, no tool is necessary to attach needles to fabulously flexible cables. The gorgeous bag that holds them is a great size, has little zippered pockets, and is too precious. A new set of needles always makes me want to immediately cast on for something new. It must be lace, I am sure.
I was already flying high about my new needle set when I went to the mailbox. There was a package for me. Inside, I find this t-shirt.
About an hour earlier, I had just been talking about it to friends, and how perfect it was for me. Guess who had sent me the shirt? Yes, my Lizzie is the best. She said it was good that I did not look too closely at her as I described the shirt, as she was about to burst. My heart is still bursting with love, joy, and gratitude.

Wool Weather

After skipping a year, I returned to the Harvest Days and Fiber Festival at Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Since other non-fiber folks accompanied me, it was an abbreviated visit. However, the festival is tiny, so I was able to see everything. It seemed to me that there were a few more and different vendors than in years past.

By the time we left, the sun broke through the clouds, brightening and warming the afternoon. However, when we arrived, it was overcast and chilly with intermittent mist. The homemade ice cream vendor looked more than a little glum. Most fiber folks had watched a weather report, understood the situation, sucked it up, and carried on with business. They began their day with a positive attitude, smiled brightly, and proclaimed it perfect wool weather. Then there were the few who allowed the damp, chill, and grey affect them. They remained hunkered down under their blankets in folding chairs, apparently uninterested in making a sale, and sometimes flatly ignoring me when I attempted to engage them in conversation. It was no matter to me, as I just moved on to the next booth.

Oh, and I certainly did find many other booths to enjoy. There were many piles of fluff calling out to me like so many baa-ing sheep. I had formulated potential purchase plans before arriving, and of course, harbored fantasies. I secretly hoped to find a bargain on used books, magazines, and weaving equipment. Yeah, the weaving bug has been trying to infect me lately. Anyway, I wanted to purchase some bamboo fiber, as well as some wool/tencel blend top.

On my first pass through, one bright and beautiful braid caught my eye. My hands were still gloved and mittened, but the fiber felt wonderful against my neck. When I saw that it was a six-ounce bump, I knew for sure that it should come home with me. Chrysalis Fibers superwash merino in Grinchy was my first purchase, as well as one of their dyed silk hankies. Even though I have yet to do anything with it, I find myself wishing I had picked up more. Silk hankies look like they could be addictive.

I was unsuccessful in my tencel acquisition attempts, but found some lovely bamboo. I picked up a little bit of some silky black, and then sifted through the pile of vibrantly dyed bamboo. At first, the vendor thought I was displeased with the similar range of colors, but I assured her that I found them all to be absolutely gorgeous. Choosing amongst the brilliant hues presented a happy dilemma. With an overall fiber gain of less than three-quarters of a pound, I am very happy with my choices for the day.

One Down

No, I am not talking about me, but instead, about a Christmas gift. I am not even looking at the rest of the list, with its chattering stream of to-dos waiting for the needles and hooks. Actually, I am not stressing over it, but I am trying to keep at it. The list merely contains ideas and suggestions, and is a nice place to start. What excites me more than this completed knit is something I picked up at the store while someone else was being a sleepyhead. Shhhh...he cannot stand surprises, or the idea that there is a present here in the house waiting. For the health and sanity of both of us, I hope it remains below his radar.

Enough about that, let's get to the fo. I made a Misbehaving Moose hat. I really enjoyed knitting it. As a matter of fact, I do have supporting evidence for that claim. I have already begun another. It will be a partner to the first. I think these are fun hats, and I am glad to be able to send them to their recipients, soon. I want to be sure that the presents arrive in a timely manner. You know how I can be with the post office.

Since I gave away mine, I need to get a new fake head for my model. I have learned some things. I should have gone straight back to the store to replace the head after I gave away the first one. I should not have spent all of that time on eBay looking at other possibilities for displaying my knitwear. I do not need a mannequin. I do not need mannequin parts. I would have to knit many more socks to justify buying those legs. Fake hands to model gloves and mittens would be great, but finding a good matching pair is more of a challenge than I would have thought, and also, refer to sock/leg statement above. My neighbors already think I am weird enough when I take pictures of my knits outside without seeing me with fake people and body parts as models to assist me. Spending hour after hour online looking at mannequins, messes with my head. Still, that silver inflatable one is relatively inexpensive, although it is headless, handless, and footless.

UM Puppies?

The fo for the post I had ready to go for Friday was temporarily kidnapped before its photo session, so it will have to wait. Then Blogger ate my UM. So, I give you puppy photos of Poppy and Violet (more of my mom's babies) and redo the Unconscious Mutterings.

My treat :: My Pleasure

Bell :: Jar

Five :: Spot

You’re crazy! :: Yep.

Disgust :: Fat

Tempest :: Teacup

Bummer :: expletive deleted

Brim :: Hat

Hose :: Beast

Lollipop :: sucker

Happy Saturday, and I hope your weekend is great!

He's Not to Blame

However, just in case, I got this brain-munching maniac out of my home. After hearing how much my brother enjoyed Zombieland, making this birthday gift seemed like a--wait for it--no-brainer. I gave him his present Saturday evening at the party. We were hoping for a marshmallow fire, but our abundance of rain put that off for another time.

I am pleased with the finished Corporate Zombie. I took my time and worked a little bit each day. I thought that I had red felt for the dripping blood, but think it turned out for the best that I had to embroider it instead. The assembly and embellishing details took the most time. They are also what made it something I feel good about giving as a gift. It is a painstaking undertaking, but worth it.

Throughout the creation of this creature, I more closely studied the book containing the pattern, Creepy Cute Crochet. It is a good little book, filled with interesting characters to crochet, as well as some helpful information for making them. I also saw that the perhaps the editing process took more from the book than it ought to have. For example, it states on the back cover, "...more than 20 unique patterns for totally loveable zombies, ninjas, Vikings, vampires, aliens, robots, and even Death himself." Well, amongst the 21 patterns, there are no Vikings.

If the author had been allowed perhaps a dozen more pages, this volume would have been outstanding. Still, there are ways to access information that I think should have been in the book. Over on the website, she offers expansion pack patterns that can be made if you already have the book. I think I want to make The Valkyrie. There are also great tutorials, including this one to help with hair. I definitely needed that help. The book could have really used this additional information. I am just glad that I did a little search and ended up at the author's site. It made all the difference, and I finally put that old hairpin lace tool to use.

UMmmm, yeah

I only have UM for today, but I promise an FO for Columbus Day (yeah, I know).

Yacht :: Club

Paula :: Deen

Delete :: Key

Auto :: Harp

Obsolete :: -ly Fabulous

Dedicated :: Determined

Old :: Spice

Convince :: Annoy

Poster :: Child

Erase :: Mistake

She's Not Available Right Now, May I Take a Message?

Am I treading water? No, that involves more movement, coordinated effort, and concentration. It is more like a combination of brain in a dense fog and body suspended in Jell-O. It is difficult to get anything done or know determine which way to go, it is exhausting and confusing, but the Jell-O keeps me from sinking. Overall, I guess that last part makes it a net positive.

I have been reading blogs, but just not been able to coherently comment. That does not usually stop me, but lately, it has. I have been marking everything unread in the feed reader with the idea that I will go back and comment, but I may need to let go of that idea.

While I may not be able to tell you the day of the week, I do know what week it is. It is National Spinning and Weaving Week. I made it out to a kickoff party the other day at Little Barn. Even with my odd state, it was an interesting time.

I Might Take That Bet

I won this gorgeous skein of yarn from Becky. She included a cute card with a nice note. In it, she wrote that she has a skein of this yarn, but bets that I will knit mine first. I have been lovingly petting the new yarn and thinking of what I would like to knit with it, but I believe it will have to wait. I think I am preparing to move into serious gift-knitting mode, with a side of UFO-finishing.

I am excited about some of the presents I want to make. Thinking about them sometimes makes me wonder about the possibility of family members who may have found the blog, but are keeping quiet about it. If that is happening, (beyond the one who was told about this space) people might find their gift-y surprises rather unsurprising. Of course, I could always keep the projects secret until after I give the gifts, but that is decidedly unappealing.

Another option would be doubling up the knitting and spinning so that I have more content for the blog. Yeah, that is not going to happen. I could have enough of a challenge finishing gifts in time. I am still considering the significance of a piece of information we received this week. The son was filling us in on the happenings of his life, (not a normal occurrence) and within this conversation, Bruce asked him whether things are getting serious with the girlfriend. For the first time ever about any relationship, the son replied in the affirmative. It makes me wonder whether she could be making her way onto the knit-gift-list sometime soon.

It also makes me want to stick my head in the fiber bin and breathe in the soothing wool fumes. Then I could calmly make a list of gifts I want to make, along with a schedule for completing them. Either that or I could sift through books, patterns, and Ravelry for the perfect pattern to use with my new yarn.

Always Learning

I could have cast on for something new, but I have been spinning, instead. I have not been making time for it lately, so I decided to change that. Rather than trying to find a lot of time, or the perfect time, I just grabbed fiber and wheel and enjoyed. While the pile of fluff meant for the first ply is still significant, the bobbin is not empty, either. I was trying to do long-draw, and every once in a while I was doing it. Then I would get excited, and it would be gone. I still have so much to learn. Somewhere I hear Margene's voice echoing, "It's the process."

I spent some time with my book, Spin Control. It has me quite interested in spinning singles for yarn. I think the beautiful pictures are part of the inspiration. The skein and swatch in laceweight catch my attention every time I go through the book.

While it is true that there is so much further for me to explore in the spinning world, I am not a complete beginner. I was able to help my grandma over the phone. She called last week with plying problems. It felt great to come home a few days later to a message on the answering machine letting me know that my thoughts on the matter worked for her.
I am making my way through the alpaca fiber I solar-dyed with Kool-Aid a few months ago. I was not in love with how it looked after dyeing, but like it better as I spin the singles. This only makes me more interested in seeing what I end up with after the yarn is finished.

The Calendar Told Me

I did not realize I have been presenting myself as powerful and in control of things both great and small. I was merely acknowledging that according to the calendar, it is a different season. Lest anyone feel jealous by thinking that I have been enjoying crisp, clear, Autumn-like weather, let me assure you that has not been the case. We have been in the eighties and rainy. The fungi are exploding. In between the sprinkles, showers, and downpours, it is a grey, suffocatingly humid existence. I was looking at the numbers for current conditions the other night, and they had us listed at eighty-one (I think) degrees, and ninety percent humidity. Blech. The weather people tell us there will be a cool-down next week. They have been offering this same hope most of the month.

I have been mixing my looking forward with digging in the past. Some of this has been unpleasant and difficult, but I feel like I am making progress. Still, some of it has been good. I dug a hibernating project out of the stash and resumed knitting on it. That first glove has sat alone for far too long, so I cast on for its partner. It is already time to start the digits. I will definitely need a photography assistant after that, or at least the tripod.
One glove knit and its partner ready for fingers is almost fo territory. I think that entitles me to cast on for something new. I am thinking lace. Of course, that is usually the case.