Snowdrops, Shawl Pins, and Socks

Won't you be glad when I move on to a project that doesn't trigger my alliterative reflex?

Here's the gorgeous dragonfly shawl pin that I got on eBay. It's about 7" long and theoretically pewter, but it's pretty shiny (does pewter shine?), and I love it.

I finished the body of The Harlot's Snowdrop shawl. I'm embarrassed to say that I had never done an I-Cord bind-off before. What in the world was I thinking? It's super simple, and makes a fantastic edging. I'll be using that technique more often from now on.

I also picked up 438 (!!) sts around the outside edge of the shawl, and I started the lace edging. The repeat isn't difficult, but it's going to take awhile. The edging rows go from 9-18 sts, and it takes 2 rows to advance 1 stitch around the edge of the shawl. That's a bazillion stitches and not many fewer rows. I've worked my way through about half of one side. I am a little anxious about getting to the bottom point at the right place in the edging repeat, but I'll worry about that when I get there (which may not be for days). And if it's not exact, I'll do what I always do when it's not for publication: fake it.

And some sock progress- Christmas socks for an honorary Granddaughter: Twisted Playful (heavy fingering weight, superwash merino), Tulip colorway, with pink heel and toe yarn. I'm using up leftover yarn, which is why I am working on both at the same time-I have plenty of Tulip, but not a lot of the heel/toe coordinate. This sock has a very simple texture: Rnd 1: *K 1 P 1*, rep around, Rnd 2: *P 1, K 1*, rep around, Rnds 3-8: K. It's enough to keep the knitting from being boring, but not so complex that I need a chart.

Have a Safe and Hilarious Halloween!

Thursday Tab- Whitman Malibu Francie, Boxed Set, 1976

I collected mostly uncut paper doll books, but I do have a few boxed sets. As a kid, I thought boxed sets were nice- you had a handy carry-all for the cut (or punched) clothes, the dolls were heavy and much more sturdy than the ones you cut (or punched) from the book covers, and you always got that little pastel plastic circle dealie with the 4 bumps, that was the doll stand, though it usually ended up on the floor, stepped on and broken.

This Malibu Francie boxed set, from 1976, is fun- such awful clothes in such terrible colors and fabrics. You gotta laugh (or if you remember wearing stuff that looked exactly like that, maybe weep a bit too). Did we really sport so many jaunty neck things in the 70's? (on the other hand, I saw a green skirt, very much like that long flowered one, on the sale rack at Christopher & Banks on Tuesday, so the 00's can't laugh too much).

Hallow-Links

For your Halloweeny Pleasure (with thanks to Girl on the Rocks for the Haunted Mansion heads up):

Paper Crafts:

HP activities, including a Halloween scrapbook, doorbell decorations, and some super masks:

http://www.hp.com/hho/hp_create/themes_holidays_halloween.html?jumpid=ex_r11400_us/en/hho/IPG/ipg20_cpt_ps_Yahoo%7Challoween_craft_idea%7C&tafcjnef=fy08&ppc=DSp146093351

Printable Halloween Coloring Pages:
http://coloringpages.net/halloween2.html


Magnetic Pumpkin Faces:
http://thecraftypc.com/pummagpapdol.html

Printable Halloween House:
http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/3160/halloween_house/index.html

An amazing printable Haunted Mansion Game:
http://disneyexperience.com/halloween/

Crochet:

Halloween Treat Bag:
http://purplekittyyarns.com/craft-patternseg.html

Pumpkin Basket:
http://www.bfranklincrafts.com/CraftIdeas/CraftIdea-HalloweenBasket.html

Knitting:

Loom Knit Pumpkins:
http://www.bfranklincrafts.com/CraftIdeas/CraftIdea-KnifKnitterPumpkins.html

Pumpkin Towel Ring:
http://members.aol.com/lffunt/pumpkin.htm

Batty Dishcloth:
http://www.blackrayne.com/pages/batty.html

Knitted Eyeballs:
http://maryjanemidgemink.blogspot.com/2007/10/knitted-eyeballs-for-halloween.html

Hallowig:
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATThallowig.html

Felted Trick or Treat Bag:
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/klw-trickOrTreatBag.html

Lil' Devil Hat:
http://www.kittyville.com/knit/devil_hat.html

Halloween Ghosties:
http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/patterns.html

Skully Dishcloth:
http://www.blackrayne.com/pages/skully.html

Got My Motor Runnin'

Okay, so it's only a mile, with a half-mile warmup/cool down walk on either side, but I run 6 days a week now. For three seasons, I go the distance outside (unless it's rumbling- I don't tempt lightning. It wants me. I can tell). And I'll run outside in the winter if it's nice (nice does not mean warm, nice means no ice and no wind). But the majority of my winter exercising is done indoors, on the weight machine and treadmill. While the wind chill factor is pretty low in my basement, the scenery is sorely lacking, so in order not to die of boredom, I listen to music as I run.

I start out the warmup slow, working up to 4mph by the end of the first half mile (about 8 minutes total), then I start jogging at 5mph and work my way to 6.5 by the end (about 11 minutes total jogging), and then slow back down (another 8). Real runners will laugh at my times and numbers, but dammit, I'm 56, and my default mode is sitting, so that's pretty good. I've worked out a playlist that helps me keep the proper pace. The timing doesn't always work out right, but it's close. There's a bit of dissonance in the styles, but it keeps me going.

Warmup:
Twist & Shout (The Isley Brothers)
There's Your Trouble (The Dixie Chicks)
Wild Thing (The Troggs)

Jog:
YMCA (The Village People)
Bad Moon Rising (CCR)
Marrakesh Express (CSN&Y)
Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf) (which may be the most perfect jogging song ever)


Cooldown:
Smooth (Rob Thomas and Santana)
It's Growing (James Taylor)

What music do you listen to as you exercise (or not?)

Snowdrops and Spideys

The French translation of the We Call Him Spidey Mittens is up here http://christhalinette.canalblog.com/ . It's pretty cool to see my pattern in another language! Thanks so much, Nathalie.

I'm in the thousand-stitches-per-row (not really, it just seems that way) part of The Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl, so even though I only have about 30 rows left on the main portion, it's taking forever for progress to show. I should not complain about this part because the knitted border is going to go even more slowly. I suppose no one starts triangle shawls at the *big end* because casting on hundreds of stitches is a royal pain, but it would sure be nicer to have 2 fewer stitches every other row than the other way around.

But, despite a big honkin' hole that I'll have to fix (doesn't show in that shot- I must have dropped a YO), and despite having come to hate this yarn (Pima cotton on a cone- it feels like knitting string), its coming along beautifully. That's a 40" circular, so this is going to be a nice size when it's finally done. I'm ready to work with wool for the next scarf- something with a little bounce and grab. And color.

The lace projects so far have been process knits- I'm feeling my way into lace knitting, and can see working on something long-term with lace in the future.

Spideys and Snowdrops...

... and whiskers on kittens.... (sorry)

I got a lovely e-mail this morning from a French knitter. She made my Freebie Friday We Call Them Spidey Mittens for her son, and sent me a pic. Aren't they adorable? And she asked if she could translate the pattern into French and post it on her blog (with a link back here). I am delighted by the notion of my pattern being available in multiple languages. When she gets the translation up, I'll let everyone know. Here's her blog: http://christhalinette.canalblog.com/

As always, if you knit something from a Freebie Friday pattern and send me a pic (under 500kb please), I'll post it here.

And here are the Spidey Mittens, if you missed the pattern the first time around: http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2007/12/freebie-friday-we-call-him-spidey.html

So, Karen, your Swallowtail definitely unleashed a monster. Here's the progress on The Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop shawl- I am almost to the solid-neck portion, and it's coming along pretty quickly, with a minimum of errors. I still can't keep track of the pattern without the chart (more than 2 rows and my brain boggles), but it's a pretty easy design. I suspect that the added border will take as long as the rest of the shawl, but it's going to be gorgeous.

My kids gave me an eBay gift cert for my birthday (do they know me or what?), and I used a portion yesterday to buy this pewter dragonfly shawl pin. Cool, no? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSAA:US:11&Item=250313133367

It IS a Wrap!

Up until I unpinned it this morning, and flung it around my shoulders, I still wasn't sure if this finished object would be a wrap or a table runner, or a whatever. But the decision has been made: it's a wrap.

And a lovely wrap it is. The Conshohocken Softball Cotton (Green/Natural Fox Fiber organic), sportweight yarn didn't seem to shrink at all in the pot, and it blocked out longer than I expected. Before boiling and blocking, it was 16" x 75". After pinning, it was 20" x 82", which is a healthy length for a shawl. It weighs just under 10 ozs, and used between 800-1,000 yds of yarn (I knitted directly from the cone, and forgot to weigh the cone before starting). I used size 5 needles, 90 sts, and worked from both ends. Note to self: no more Kitchenering across 90 sts. It took well over an hour to join the ends (and the join looks sloppy- which is the fault of the Kitchenerer, not the stitch itself). The 4 lace patterns are all original (though the lower one was inspired by one I saw somewhere online, but I can't remember where), and variably successful. I'd skip #2 from the end, and eliminate some of the holes in the dividing sections of the center length, and I can tell already that the edges are going to roll, but otherwise, I am pleased.

The wet shawl was a lovely khaki green, but it dried lighter- it's now a nice pastel green (much greener than the unboiled yarn, but not as dark as I'd like). I boiled it for almost an hour, but we have untreated artesian well water that is very alkaline, so perhaps in spring water, it would have come out a different color.

I think I'm going to have to find a nice shawl pin to wear with this, and I imagine this will show up as a Freebie Friday pattern eventually. The Lace Fever has not abated- I cast on The Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl (pattern available on her blog- link on the right side of this page), in Pima Cotton. I'm glad I finally found a use for all those cones of cotton yarn I bought for no reason that I can remember. This cotton yarn is tighter and finer than the Conshohocken- but it should loosen up after washing.

Thursday Tab- Monster Paper Dolls Part 3

And here are the last pages from the Monster Paper Doll book.

Gotta say again how much I love the art work.

Part 1 is here: http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/thursday-tab-monster-paper-dolls-st.html

Part 2 is here:

http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/thursday-tab-monster-paper-dolls-part-2.html

Revision- November 28 Scarf

A very kind reader pointed out that there is an error in the November 28 Scarf Freebie Friday pattern. All even rows are PURLED, not knit. I've revised the pattern page. Please download the corrected page for your records (the chart on page 2 is correct, the error was in the written instructions).

So sorry for the error.

Find page 2 and the original post here:

http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/freebie-friday-november-28-lace-scarf.html

Do you want to see Snow White enacted by dominoes?

Yes, you do.

Trust me.

http://teenymanolo.com/2008/10/21/metaphor-to-the-max-snow-white-in-dominoes/

Didja miss me?

If there is anything sweeter in this whole entire world than having your grandchildren sing Happy Birthday, and then excitedly blowing out your candles for you, I don't know what it is. But I spent the last 4 days trying to find out.

Amazingly enough, , in addition to walks to the park, movies watched (Iron Man and The Spiderwick Chronicles), books read (the 2nd Beyond the Spiderwick book), pictures drawn, games played, and smooches given and received, I did get a bunch of knitting done (of course, a fair amount of knitting happened during the 6 hours we were in the car).

I finished a pair of socks (destined for an honorary Granddaughter)- these were knit from Twisted Fiber Arts Kabam (bamboo/wool) yarn, in the Agnes Colorway (wonderful muted green and purple stripes- and it is a testament to Meg's amazing dyeing abilities that the green and purple mute into each other without even a speck of brown blending). This is just my generic sock pattern, with an easy texture thrown in: Rnds 1-5: K, Rnd 6: *K 2 tog, YO*, rep around.

And I finished 2 handspun ribbed hats- from charcoal romney with a bit of glitz (which actually shows in the pic), and some leftover lighter yarn for stripes. I'm happily reducing the stash of bulky handspun yarns (I have 2 child size hats left to knit, and up to 4 adult, if I get the ambition).

I started another pair of socks (for another Honorary Granddaughter), and ripped the first effort out (a disastrous notion of contrasting bobbles which sounded good in theory, but was hideous in practice). I like this version much better- 2 Rnds of Seed Stitch with 6 Rnds of K in between- just enough texture to look good, but not too much for car knitting. This yarn is also Twisted, the Playful blend (heavy fingering weight, Superwash Merino) in the Tulip colorway.

After we got home, late yesterday, I worked on the cotton wrap (I know better than to try to knit something complex around grandkids)- it totals 65" now, and I need it to be at least 72" (though since it's coming along so quickly, I may work a few more, just for shrinkage insurance). I haven't gotten bored with this project yet, which is a minor miracle. I can't wait to see what it's going to look like finished.

But today, I have a copy edited chapter to go over. So, back to work.

Freebie Friday- November 28 Lace Scarf

Please Note: Page 1 of the pattern has been revised. All even rows are Purled, not Knit. Please download the revised page. I am so sorry for the error!

Whaddaya know? Another Freebie Friday pattern!

This scarf was inspired by the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year perpetual calendar, that my friend Melanie (Hands to Soul blog, link on the right side of this page) gave me several years ago. The November 28 pattern is called Staggered Fern, though it looks more like wheat stalks to me. This scarf is super simple- one repeat of the lace pattern with a garter/eyelet border on either edge, worked in halves and joined in the middle. It takes just 1 skein of Malabrigo Worsted (Mariposa colorway), and size 10 needles. If you're new to lace knitting (as I am), it's a good way to get your feet wet. It's also a good way to get used to reading lace charts, which I heartily recommend- so much easier than trying to follow the written instructions row by row (especially if you're short-term memory impaired, like I am. I can barely remember a phone number from the time I look it up to when I punch it in. A 12 row pattern repeat is beyond my RAM).

click on the 2 pattern pages to enlarge, right click to save as jpgs, print from any graphics program

An Excerpt of The Given Day

Once upon a time, Dennis Lehane and I shared an editor (he was just on the cusp of real fame, and I started low and was already sliding down the fiction food chain). I don't know if Harper Collins still keeps track of my stuff, or if Dennis's in-house publicist is just doing a great job, but either way, they asked if I would post a link to an excerpt of Dennis's latest book, The Given Day.

I am more than happy to do so- I am savoring the book, reading it in small bursts. It is wonderful. Read this bit and see if you don't agree:

http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780688163181&wt.mc_id=pub_wm_av

Thursday Tab- Monster Paper Dolls, Part 2

And here are pages 5-10 of the clothes for last week's Monster Paper Doll set. Next week, I'll upload the final 4 clothing pages, and a couple pages of artwork from the book.

Part 1 uploaded here:

http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/thursday-tab-monster-paper-dolls-st.html

Have a Booful Day!

Part 3 is here: http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/thursday-tab-monster-paper-dolls-part-3.html

The Wrap That Ate South Dakota

I know that cotton yarn has a propensity to *grow*, that sweaters knit with all-cotton yarn tend get bigger and longer with each wearing, until they're popped in the wash to tighten back up again. Knitted cotton fabric stretches because, unlike wool, cotton yarn has no natural elasticity.

But usually, you have to wear the thing, or at least let Gravity do her dirty work, for the effect to take place.

However, the first end of my cotton lace wrap (table runner/whatever), which measured 22 1/2" long when I put it on a stitch holder, was plopped unceremoniously on the plastic kiddie chair that doubles as a knitting book storage/project shelf/footstool. It wasn't hanging over the edge, stretched out, or in any way subject to the pull of the Earth's surface, except in that it didn't float away. And yet, when I finished the second end of the wrap (tr/w), and measured them against each other, the first end clocked in at 25". It sat there, mostly ignored, certainly not worn, or even artfully draped, and grew. Who knows how long it'll be when it finally reaches maturity?

So, I'm done with the 2 ends of the w (tr/w) and am working on the long center lace section. Given that this yarn shrinks in the wash (and I'll have to boil it to bring out the organic, natural green color), but grows when no one is looking at it, I am going to call it a wash and just make sure that the 2 pieces, when joined, measure 72". That way, after shrinkage, and growage, and blockage, it'll still be somewhere near 72" long, which is what I want it to be.

Unexpected sizing issues aside, I love how this is coming out.

I also finished another handspun, ribbed Christmas hat for the pile. And did I show you all the finished November 28 Lace Scarf (made with 1 skein of Malabrigo Worsted?). It'll be this week's Freebie Friday pattern.

I was going to knit today, but I have some sock book editing work to do, and my copy of Dennis Lehane's (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island, and many more wonderful books) The Given Day arrived. I've been waiting for this book for a long time (he talked about it in '02, when he was the Guest of Honor and I was Toastmaster of Honor at the annual Mayhem in the Midlands Mystery Conference, held in Omaha, NE). I think, when I finish book work, I'll read instead.

Healthy Recipe- Two-Skillet Spicy Chicken and Veggies

You can serve this plain, or wrapped in low-carb tortillas (I love La Tortilla Factory Garlic Herb tortillas- 3 gr carb and 50 calories apiece), topped with a bit of cheese. Or you could serve it with 2/3 cup of rice (lots of carb- I don't eat rice much any more) or whole wheat pasta (210 calories, 33gr carb). It's wonderful no matter how you serve it. We use a Thai hot sauce, but any hot/soy/stir fry sauce will work.

And yeah- there's a lot of sodium in this dish. Sub low-sodium spices and soy sauce if you want.

This whole pan is two servings, but you could divide it three ways and no one would go away hungry.

Two-Skillet Spicy Chicken and Veggies



2 boiled Chicken Breasts, cut into small chunks


2 tbsp olive oil


1 medium summer squash, sliced (the widest pieces quartered)


1 cup broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)


1/2 cup sliced baby carrots


1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved


Assorted spices (we use Garlic salt, Johnny Salt, Freshly Ground Pepper and Lemon Pepper)


Hot Sauce to taste


2 tbsp Soy sauce


In one skillet, heat 1 tbsp Olive Oil. Add the boiled/cubed chicken, spices to taste and Hot Sauce. Heat through.


As the chicken heats, in another skillet, heat 1 tbsp Olive Oil on high. Add the carrots and stir for 1 minute. Add the Broccoli, and stir for 1 minute. Add the summer squash, and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stir. Stir the spiced chicken into the veggies, and heat for 1 minute. Add Soy Sauce to taste.





Serve plain, in low-carb tortillas as wraps, or with pasta or rice (don't forget to count the calories/carbs of those extras).


Serves 2



Plain (without tortillas or side dishes): 245 calories, 13 gr carb

It's a Wrap

Or it will be, anyway. I finished one end of the cotton lace stole (wrap/table runner/whatever). Unstretched, it's about 16 1/2" wide and 22" long, and it'll block out a good 4-5" wider. Fabric knitted from this soft cotton yarn shrinks lengthwise by about 20% with washing (and I'll have to boil it to bring out the natural green color), so I won't count on much added length with blocking. I put this hunk on a stitch holder, and cast on for the other end. When I finish the 3 lace sections, I'll knit a fairly simple, loooong lace section in the middle (a repeat that I can sort of memorize. I hope) and then graft the finished end to it. I'm going to want at least 72" in length, but it's going to be a bit of a guessing game as to how long to knit it before boiling. But Adventure is my middle name. You can look it up.

These lace motifs were my own design, by the way- I just noodled in the Counted Cross Stitch program that I use for Fair Isle designs, using symbols rather than colors. Simple lace is easy to design- just make sure that you have the same numbers of YO's as K2 togs (or SSKs), and 2 YO's for each SK2P or K3 tog (if you want to maintain the same number of stitches, that is. Which, for a rectangular wrap, is sort of the point). Now whether the new designs are pleasing to the eye is another thing altogether, but that's also why Adventure is my middle name. YCLIU.

And it's still all Karen's fault.

Knittar

Check out the other cartoons, buy a t-shirt or knitting bag, keep Dave Lowe in pencils:

http://www.paraabnormalthecomic.com/

But that doesn't look like a sweater...

Funny you should say that.

I fully intended to cast on for my handspun stranded sweater. I have the chart, and I know that I want to knit a v-neck, button front cardigan, and the yarn is all spun (I may need a couple of hanks of dark background yarn toward the end, but I have lots of that roving on hand). I decided to forgo swatching because each skein is unique (and totally not-replaceable) and none are large, so I can't afford to lose any to swatches. I decided instead to begin with the sleeves. I have a fair idea of what size needles will work with this weight handspun (size 4 or 5), so there wouldn't be a lot of *ugly* if I had to change up or down a size. However, I was shocked to discover that I don't have the right length needles- lots of 4's and 5's (US), but no 16" circulars, which I need for sleeves. I can start at the cuff with dpns- this yarn is too heavy for tandem sleeves- and move up, but I had nothing to move up with. And until I get a good gauge from the sleeves, I won't feel comfortable calculating and casting on the body (I don't worry about the chart- I've been working from my original charts long enough to know that if it looks okay on paper, it'll be okay in fiber). So I set that notion aside, until I get myself some 16" circs.

Instead, I went with more lace. I rooted around the wool room and located some cones of cotton yarn- lordy, I bought a lot of it. I have 1 1/2- 2lb cones of Conshohocken Softball Cotton, Fox Fiber, light natural green (the kind where the color doesn't come out until you boil the yarn) that is about a worsted weight (a little lighter, but it'll bloom). I generally dislike knitting with cotton (no elasticity, and the ends don't stay put) but this stuff is wonderfully soft (I knitted a sweater for my grandson with some of it). I started with Evelyn Clark's Heartland Lace Shawl but it became apparent almost immediately, that I was not going to be able to keep track of the increases properly. After a couple of hours of wrestling, I tore it out and decided to go with a rectangle wrap/shawl/table runner.

I worked out a couple of simple original lace repeats, and went to town. This piece (whether I wear it, or it goes on a table) is going to be gorgeous. I'll do 3 different lace sections at either end, with a long, fairly simple lace repeat down the center length. I'm 3/5 done with the 2nd lace section, and I am loving it. Since this yarn shrinks about 20% in length, I'll have to make the shawl extra long to compensate. I'm using size 5 needles, and 90 sts. It'll be a good 16" wide after blocking and since I'm knitting directly from the cone, I should only have 4 ends to weave in (either end, and at the graft).

My knitting group meets today, but I'm not taking this along with me. I have to concentrate when I knit lace (and even then, my stitch counts go wonky once in awhile), and hauling a cone in my knitting bag does not appeal. So I'm taking a sock to work on instead.

And on the way, I'll listen to JT's Cover's album again. Every time I hear it, I like it more, though I still don't love Suzanne. I'm as big a fan of Hippy Trippy music as anyone who graduated from high school in 1970, but the mental eyeroll when anyone touches anyone's perfect body with their mind pulls me right out of the song. The cello accompaniment (Yo Yo Ma?) is achingly beautiful though.

Thursday Tab- Monster Paper Dolls, St. Martin's Press, 1983, part 1

This is a huge, and hilarious, and very well drawn, paper doll book. It has 14 pages of clothes and lots of other illustrations, so I'm going to spread it out over the next couple of weeks for your Halloween enjoyment. This was published by St. Martin's Press (not exactly known for their paper doll output) in 1983.

Part 2 of this set can be found here: http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/thursday-tab-monster-paper-dolls-part-2.html

Part 3 is here: http://kathleen-dakotadreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/thursday-tab-monster-paper-dolls-part-3.html

Genevieve Already Graduated

And next weekend, she'll get her present.

A year in the making (I cast on Aug '07, was distracted by a number of other extracurricular projects, and then a big honkin' sock book that took up my every knitting moment for 10 months), but it's done. I thought you'd like to see my prototype illustration- I did the chart in a Counted Cross Stitch Chart program, and then played with it in Paint for a mockup. It came out pretty close, I think.

I was so glad to get the sleeves off the needles, that I didn't even take a deep breath before cutting them apart. Knitting stranded sleeves tandem is handy in a number of ways- no ends to weave in, both sleeves are done at the same time, and it's easy to keep track of, and make sure that the increases (or decreases if you're working the other way) match. But it's unhandy in another way- knitting them tandem means that you have a seam running down the underside of the sleeve, and not just an ordinary seam, but a seam with a seam allowance. The resulting bulk is not a problem in fingering weight projects, but in a stranded sweater from worsted weight yarn, the bulk might be unwieldy. I think knitting them separately is the way to go for heavier sweaters.

The assembly went the way all sweater assemblies go: one stitch at a time (read: boring as hell). But I finished, and I got the clasps sewn on (I may want to reposition them after Gen tries the sweater on- they might need to be moved back to the inside edge of the front band, to close the front a bit more- this was my first experience with clasps and I wasn't quite sure how to proceed).

Stats: 8 balls @ Rowan Scottish Tweed 4 ply, 25 gr, 120 yds, SH 017 (red), SH 028 (gold), Sh 022 (green-Celtic Mix) and 3 balls SH 025 (off white), Size 2 (2.75 and 3.0 mm) needles. This sweater is 40" (does that count as Medium?)

Oh, and I block sweaters by smooshing them flat on the top of my washer and dryer, and then turning them occasionally, until they're dry. Not exactly high tech.

And for those who are wondering: the mistake is in the top gold band on the sleeves. I worked from the wrong end of the chart and the motifs don't line up properly with the lower borders. I didn't see it until I was into the final green band, and I absolutely was not going to tear it out. Call me Lazy.

So, what's up next? I think the handspun stranded sweater for me.

Breaking the Wall

The last few days of knitwork on Genevieve's Graduation had been pure torture- endless stitches, and nearly endless bitching, with no visible progress. And then last night, I looked up during Heroes (domesticated Sylar with a son named after HRG? creepily cute) and discovered that I only have 8 rounds to go (and 3 of them are solid color)! I would have pushed on last night but my cramped fingers and crossed eyes decided otherwise.

So, today, barring unforseen disasters (not tempting fate, nosiree), I will get the knitting done. The rest of the finish work is time consuming (cutting the sleeves apart, dragging the sewing machine downstairs to stitch the cut edges, sewing the sleeve seam, sewing the sleeves in place, sewing the clasps in place, washing, blocking) but not difficult. I'll take pics.

Do you see the mistake? I do, but I'm absofreakinglutely not tearing it out.

On a geographical note- I defy The Pacific Ocean to produce a sunset as glorious as we see every day on the Prairie (okay, it doesn't look like this every single day, but often enough to feel smug about it)

And on a musical note (heh)- every time I listen to the Covers cd, I like it more.

Music- James Taylor, Covers

I may not have mentioned it here, but I'm a bit of a James Taylor fan (I'm understating for those who know me outside of the computer. It'll give them a chuckle). I've only seen him in concert twice (once in Salem, OR, while on vacation, and once in Sioux Falls- both truly magical evenings), but I've been there, with him, since the beginning. And more importantly, he's been there, with me- JT's sweet voice has carried me through rough and gentle times over the decades. I bought his first Greatest Hits album in vinyl, then upgraded to 8-track, then to cassette, then to CD, and finally downloaded to my Zune. I think I have every version of every CD (except the deluxe Rio one that cost a bundle but had the same songs as the regular release), and outside of October Road (which I never did warm to, for some reason), I've loved them all.

So it's not surprising that I hustled out and got JT's (that snot-nose Justin Timberlake calls himself JT? please) Covers CD as soon as I could. I listened to it today, on the way home from an emergency phone-replacement trip (damn dying phones anyway, and a life that does not allow for not having a functioning cell on one at all times), and was charmed and entertained and delighted. Besides knowing most of the songs by their original versions, I also recognized a few from concert performances. This is the kind of laid-back, music for the joy of music, that I envision him playing with his friends, when they're alone and jamming, without fools (who may or may not sound like me), shouting Fire and Rain.

My favorite on the disc is the opener, It's Growing- a pure, vintage, JT style ballad.

Wichita Lineman is infused with a melancholy that Glenn Campbell could never manage with his Gentle on my Rhinestone delivery. Some Days You Gotta Dance and Fade Away had me bopping in my seat. Seminole Wind, the only song on the disc that I didn't know, is haunting and beautiful, and Hound Dog is as un-Elvis as an Elvis song could be (and yeah, I know it was a cover when Elvis sang it as well, but this version is different from all others I've heard).

Only his nearly monotone version of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne didn't resonate, though it did remind me of a story my dear departed writer friend Carole Epstein once told me about a romantic adventure she had with Mr. Cohen, which I will not repeat here, though I will say that she spoke very highly of him. Very.

Is Covers up there with Hourglass (an underappreciated work of genius), or Gorilla (my personal favorite JT CD), or even Greatest Hits (which I believe is his all time best seller- in part because I keep buying different versions)? No. But it's good.

If it wasn't too late in the season, and raining to boot, I'd plug my earphones in and listen to it again while I mow. Instead, I'm going downstairs, to knit and sing along.

Madeira Cascading

I not only finished the Madeira Cascade Lace scarf (pattern here: http://www.straw.com/cpy/cpy9612.html ), I got it washed and blocked (you'll note that my sense of straight is deeply impaired). The scarf came out beautifully! It's not mindless lace, but I think that's because there is no such thing for me. I got mixed up here and there, and there are errors, but overall, it looks good. This is one of those *begin at the ends, graft in the middle* designs, and since I have no further use for any of this leftover yarn, I decided to knit as much of it up as I could. Therefore, it's not exactly grafted in the center. There are 10 repeats on one side and 11 on the other- but no one will notice or care, and more importantly, I only have 3 yds of yarn left.

This scarf started life as roving from Twisted Fiber Arts (okay, it started on the hoof, and whatever Tencel is before it becomes fiber, but we don't need to go back quite that far)- Sleek blend (Merino and Tencel- less fun to spin than other blends- gorgeous yarn but I'd rather spin roving with more grab and less fiber up the nose), Sherwood Colorway (greens with hints of rose and blue). The 4 ozs were spun into 335 yds of 3-ply yarn with a fantastic sheen and no bounce at all. It was destined to be lace. The unblocked scarf was 56"x 8", and after blocking, it clocked in at 69" x 9". I used Size 5 needles and 45 sts (most of the time... heh).

My current lace project (yeah, it's still your fault, Karen) is a much faster, easier knit- an original (though pretty basic) adaptation of the Staggered Fern motif from the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year Calendar (Nov 28 to be specific). I'm using Malabrigo worsted (the softest yarn in the universe), size 10 needles, 24 sts, and I have enough of this yarn to knit a nice long scarf and a matching hat (which needs to be designed). Depending on how quickly I get them done, maybe they'll show up as a Freebie pattern soon.

I think that the Staggered Fern motif looks more like wheat stalks, and I've been considering designing a wheat lace shawl, so that design is going into the *save for later consideration* file on my mental hard drive. But since I didn't knit sleeves yesterday, that's what I'm doing today- not designing shawls. Nope. nosiree.

Not Giving Up My Day Job Any Time Soon

I don't question The Muse. When she tells me to knit mittens, I knit mittens. When she tells me to write books about a weary, overweight waitress, I snap a salute and get to work (well, maybe not quite so cheerfully, and certainly not quickly, but I do it). And when she tells me to write a Country Western song, I say, "Huh. Seriously?"

Seriously.

I honestly don't remember when I wrote this song (the lyrics reference being forty-something, and I've been fifty-something for going on six years now- though like the mysteries, this song is not autobiographical, and I've been married for 37 years and... well, I don't need to explain further)- my guess is '99 or thereabouts.

I have not a clue in the world why I needed to write it, but the Mason-Dixon gals' hilarious song reminded me that the file was gathering dust on my hard drive.

So here it is. I'm not a musician and I could not carry a tune if one was handed to me in a bucket. I don't have an inkling of a melody (though I'm thinking a blend of Jimmy Buffet and Judy Tenuta), so if anyone out there wants to write a tune for this ditty, I'd love to hear it. My agent doesn't handle music, but she probably knows someone who does- maybe we'll hit The Charts with this.

(note: as I read this over, the first time I'd seen it in years, I not only still liked it, I only changed 1 line, hence the new copyright date)

Herewith, on its public debut:

Leave the Lights Off, Darlin'

lyrics by Kathleen Taylor copyright 2008



It took awhile and I'm so glad
You’re here, in bed, with me.
We're old enough
To know the signs.
Yes, this was meant to be.

But now we’re warm and snuggled down
All ready to make woo,
There’s just one thing
Before we start
I need to ask of you.


Chorus:

Leave the lights off, darlin’
Who needs reality?
Leave the lights off, darlin’
Some things you
Should not see.
I’ve lived a life both long and full.
The mileage shows, I fear.
Leave the lights off, darlin’.
You’ll be glad you did, my dear.


Believe me, Hon, if I was young
And weighed, say, one-oh-three
I’d tiptoe
Through your chest hair
Damning modesty.

But since I’m forty-something
There’ll be no skinny dips.
Be so kind,
Pretend you’re blind.
See with your fingertips.


Chorus:

Leave the lights off, darlin’
Continue in the dark.
Leave the lights off, darlin’
I’ll help you
Hit the mark.
I know how I look naked,
I’m sparin’ you the sight
Leave the lights off ,darlin’
And we’ll fool around all night.



I'm way too old to hesitate,
You know I’m not a prude,
So pretty please
Just close your eyes
And ease this interlude.

I thought it out from every side,
I knew on our first kiss
No matter when
We made this move,
That I would still insist…


Chorus:

Leave the lights off, darlin’
Shun the light of day.
Leave the lights off, darlin’
My thighs
Look best that way.
I've been rode hard and put up wet,
And what I say is true.
Leave the lights off, darlin’
And I’ll do the same for you.

Endless Sleeves

Damn, sleeves are a slog. At least I'm knitting the Genevieve's Graduation sleeves together, so I only have to do this once. 5 1/2" to go- 4" of red/gold patterning, and 1 1/2" green/white scroll border left to knit. I have all of the bands and other finish work done (except for sewing the clasps on and blocking), so I really am heading toward the finish line. But damn... it's taking forever. However, I WILL be done by next Friday so I can show it off at my knitting group (and then I can actually give it to Genevieve, who got her shiny new doctorate in July and might just be wanting that sweater soon) (and write up the pattern, since I sort of plan to sell this one myself, if anyone is interested).

I'm a little over halfway done with the second half of the Madeira Cascade lace scarf. Knitting with handspun yarn is always an adventure- this 3-ply yarn is pretty consistent in size, but the colors are wonky, what with that huge, nearly solid green hunk there in the middle of the softly mottled variegation. Oh well, it's unique. I am wondering if I divided the yarn wrongly, and will have a bunch left over after I finish the 10 repeats on this 2nd half. If so, I'll divide it further and knit a couple more repeats on both sides. I have no use for this leftover yarn, so I might as well use it up on the scarf. Do please ignore the bird poop on the table- I didn't see that until after I posted the pic (though I will go out on the deck and wash it off soon).

I finished the neon gloves, and they surely are neon. I then cast on a glove from the rainbow handspun shetland, but have ripped it out twice. Once because the yarn is heavier than I realized and the glove was coming out far too big, and once because the yarn is way too scratchy to be knit as tightly as I was knitting it for gloves. I'm back to square one- maybe it'll work as a hat (and maybe it'll work as balls of pretty yarn in a basket, just to look at).

But today, I may skip knitting altogether, and go outside. It's gorgeously fall here (no pretty leaves yet, but cool and brisk and far too lovely to stay inside).

Thursday Tab- The Adventures of Gilda Gackle

This is an original paper doll that I designed in the late 90's, for a group of mystery readers. She started out as an in-joke, and some of the accessories in the outfits are also in-jokes (which I am not going to try to explain, because, like most in-jokes, they don't make sense outside the moment)(oh... okay, I'll explain one: the upside down teacup came from an interesting picture of David Duchovny that I found on the net, and accidentally forwarded to many unsuspecting people who were not, perhaps, quite so fascinated with young Mr D as I was). Gilda's existence sprang from a mispronunciation, but she became her own character in a series of books, movies, and TV shows, and she even made an appearance at the '99 World Mystery Convention (Bouchercon).

I had a lot of fun drawing these paper dolls (all digitally- no pencils were sharpened in the creation of this set), and the cultural references were a hoot.

Click to enlarge, right click to save as jpgs, print from any graphics program, clothes on plain paper, doll on card stock.

My New Theme Song

If you haven't seen this yet, go and watch immediately: http://www.masondixonknitting.com/ (I couldn't get the link for the exact post, but it's the one uploaded Oct 1.)



This reminds me that I wrote a Country Western song once (one of two songs I've written-I'm more of a music listener I guess)- about a middle aged woman about to commence physical relations with a middle aged cowboy. It's called "Leave The Lights Off, Darlin". I'll have to post the lyrics some day.