stitch marker

crayon shawl ii

Of many, I'm sure, because it's so freakin' fun. And so fast. The 100-yard dash of shawls. This one became so big so fast, I had to block it on a camping pad and a yoga mat held together with giant paper clips.

Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl
Yarns:
Kureyon, 4 skeins, 2 different colorways
Araucania Aysen, 2 skeins in a purple/gray/white mix
Needles: US 9

It's far more bright than the original, which is by far...um...better. So I think next time I'll go more subdued, maybe in dark blues. I love how each one is a work of art. And this one is gorgeous and I'm sure someone with brighter taste in clothing will super love it. I just like the blackness of the other one (which reminded me of that thing we used to do where we colored really hard with black crayon over other colors, then used a pointy object to carve a picture out of the black. I can still smell the wax.)

I'm going to go hang this one on the wall at the shop. I'm finishing so many handknits, I can't wear them and they're piling up all over the house - stuck in obscure windowsills, under the kitchen booth, in a box under the bed, I am not kidding. These are but a few of the places.

I plan to teach a 2-session class in choosing yarn, getting started, and using the bind-off method I've come up with. At Abundant Yarn in May. Maybe if I make a blue/black one I'll keep it for trips to the beach or camping.

these are they

Colors are the place to start a big new 2-year project.

brown sepia, from dark to light
aqua
dark hunter/emerald green
hot coral rose
dusty pink
cream

p.s. 4th row there? That's my beautiful Mom.

little sister

Photo by my sister-in-law Golden Silhouette.

This is my little sister Lynette, and her fiance Kevin. They're getting married in November and we're all planning dresses and flowers and reading pretty wedding blogs. They met at church, a sweet love story that no one expected - the loveliest kind.

She's a photographer, as is my sister-in-law. In fact, they do jobs together which is just amazing. I suppose I take nice photos in my own way, so we're all carrying on my dad's legacy.

She did the same meme as me on her blog, the inspired nest. I think hers is cuter. Her blog is fairly new, and you probably know what that means - no comments! Go on over and say hi. :-)

martin, and my knitting

Photo by Sebastian.

I wasn't intending to write about how Martin thinks I knit too much. No, I was just going to give a nudge for everyone to go visit his Tabletop Shrimp Support Module, which is now available as a free tutorial from MAKE magazine. (I'm so proud.)

But then I realized, Martin has been asking lots of questions. About whether I think knitting is really fun, or if it's just making me anxious. Whether there's anything wrong? I knit so much there must be something wrong.

There isn't anything wrong. It's just that I'm on a roll. I finished my Double Chocolate Waist Cincher Top, and am not happy enough with it to take finished photos yet. I think it needs a hard, wet blocking. It's tight, and, as I told Rodger the other day, my titties don't fit in the titty slots.

Not to worry. I moved on quickly. Rodger sold me on Eco+ Wool being a good choice for the Spicy Fitted V-Neck Tee, and so finally, finally, after about a year of mulling, I cast on for that sweater. It's dark blue. And after a good bit of reading and re-reading I got the idea of how the pattern works after the armholes and now I'm flying, making those pretty corset-y things down the back. I hope to get a decent picture soon.

I've also been knitting a secret project to submit to knitty for the Summer issue (due Saturday.)

So much knitting!

And more yarn arrived today. Several luscious dark blue bulky skeins from handpaintedyarn.com. I think that was supposed to be for a Cherie Amour? I don't know. I was in a trance when I ordered it.

Now I think it will be a Nella. Check out those sleeves! They are for me!

As long as I can keep up the knitting, and convince everyone that, really, there is nothing wrong.

the photos were as dark and creepy

As the night itself. I'm not sure what went haywire with my settings. I know just enough about my camera to get in trouble, and so I did.

Sebastian was a sick little working guy, but he valiantly tried and did trick or treat enough for a small haul that he thought was huge (so cute). His papa's costume? Totally my idea. He went as a green roof.

squares

A couple things have happened. Don't they always?

1. I knitted my own square finally.

And learned something. (You know, I've written before about how I hate when that happens).

I told y'all that Socks That Rock mediumweight would make a good 7" square. But I knitted mine in the above gorgeous Mudslide colorway, and knitters, it is Yooge. Great. It's got its own weather system. It's 8" if it's a centimeter. So, don't listen to me. Use your STR lightweight if you want to knit a 7" square with our knitalong pattern and size 2 needles.

2. People continue to be generous and kind and enthusiastic.

And it makes me happy to be alive and reminds me to always treasure things that people make. I see Sebastian learning to paint and being so small and vulnerable and new to creativity. Giving me things he makes with pride, even before he knows that there is a world where you can create things and have them rejected. He puts out such pure expressions. And I see that in each of us grown ups when we put ourselves out there and make something for someone else.

But I digress. What I was going to write about was how we have several prizes pledged for people who are knitting squares in the knitalong (still open for signups here until 1/20). Each square that lands in our mailbox by February 1st will be good for one chance in a big drawing.

• Knitwit momma has donated a set of her stitch markers!
• Celaine has donated a skein of Cascade 220 and a skein of Knitpicks Shimmer in Grape Hyacinth!
• Girl on the Rocks has donated a set of knitting buttons and a set of knitting magnets!
• And a non-random, volume prize!  Shelley--the designer of the pattern, who also owns a yarn shop--is going to donate two 100 gram balls of sock yarn from her online shop to the person who gets the most squares to me by February 1.

3. I heard today about another different square along.

And as I sat in my big green chair thinking about squares and generosity, and feeling my ususal generalized weepy sentimentality about my son growing up so fast and how I love him so fiercely, I thought I should really pay back the universe for all the goodness. So I'm knitting a square for a knitalong being run ironically by The Lone Knitter. Here is her call for squares.

And here is my effort (on top of my gigantic mudslide square).

I'm making my favorite kind of square (corner to corner dishcloth style with stripes of gorgeous yarn). I just feel like even though I'm busy, if I can't do this today then I have no business writing about the community of knitters. So thanks Lone Knitter for the opportunity to partake in this industrious indulgence.

kids in the kitchen

That's Sarah's picture of Everett helping to bake Truman's birthday cupcakes.

I signed up for a fun swap on swap-bot, about kids & cooking. You send your partner several kid-friendly recipes as well as items a child can use to help cook. I'm picturing a sweet little handwritten cookbook, a handmade apron like those that were made for Tie One On, fun colorful utensils, a few bulk ingredients, and maybe even a few little vintage finds or sewn trinkets for play cooking.

What else?  There's plenty of inspiration on blogs like angry chicken, such small hands, wee wonderfuls, hello my name is heather, all buttoned up, soulemama.... (I hope some of you ladies sign up for the swap).

Do come join! The deadline is July 1.