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January 31, 2007
Tokhes afn tish!*
You know, theories are grand. Examples are wonderful. Practice makes perfect. But eventually you've got to shit or get off the pot. So last night, spurred on by all your accolades for my magic act, I settled down to fix the last cable on my swatch, then move onto my sweater.
Wouldn't you know it! I FUCKED UP THE SWATCH! I'm not sure what happened, but I did everything exactly like I'd done before and yet there were two pieces of yarn that crossed the bottom cable - I don't know what they were, I don't know why they were - but I cut them in an exploratory surgery kind of way and got the fix to sort of work (big holes because I ended up ripping out more than the three stitches across the top.) Great. Just great. My dress rehearsal was a frigging bust. Now what to do? Could I really perform on opening night? When you get no other chances?
Janice told me yes. CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! And to call her when it was over.
I swear to Bacchus I felt nauseous. But I kept telling myself if I messed it up it wouldn't be the end of the world. Sure I'd risk humiliation in front of all of you - you'd know me for the fraud I really am - but I could live with that. Sort of. I mean, really, I could just take the blog down and disappear. And the sweater, well, the sweater could be reknit. Which is what I thought I'd have to do from the beginning.
So I did it.
And the fucking thing actually worked. Honestly, unless I turn the sweater over and look for the tell tale ends, I don't know where I fixed it.
I believe in MAGIC!!!
Then:
And now:
On to the sleeves!
*It's National Use Your Yiddish Day! Just ask my favorite Jewish girls, Margene and Ann
Posted by Cara at 09:30 AM | Comments (115)
January 30, 2007
Janice and Marge
*** This is a VERY picture heavy post. Hopefully it's worth it! ***
Yesterday my partner in crime had to work (and when I say work I mean spend all day in a yarn shop knitting. And occasionally selling some yarn.) I was telling her about my blog post, the one where I swore up and down in Latin, and the cell phone connection was sketchy at best. She kept asking me "Who are Janice and Marge?" And I'm all, "I don't know. Who are Janice and Marge?" It was like that old(ish) cell phone commercial where the wife asks the husband to take a shower and comes home to find the kids covered in flour. You know which one I mean? I'm trying to freaking curse in Latin, telling her about Janus and Mars and she's asking about two ladies of a certain age who play Mah Jong twice a week. If you must know, Ann insists on being Janice, which I guess leaves me Marge. (Sometimes we talk about taking our show on the road - you know - like having our own podcast, because honestly we're so fucking funny together. But usually we come to our senses and realize that while in our own minds we're the next Lucy and Ethel, really we're more like Wilma and Betty. Just not that funny to anyone else.)
I'm in that whole Never Say Never Again mode because I'm about to rock your world with a tutorial that amazes even me - and I've done it (PERFECTLY) twice already. I'll be trying one more time before I move onto the REAL DEAL. This shit's like ALCHEMY. Okay - first the props: Thanks to my Janice - always telling me what an ass I am. Stephanie - for letting me know I had options; Margene, who first told me to CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! Then to Jenn, who reminded me that she fixed a cable in the issue of Yarnival I edited. Jenn led me to Vicki in Michigan who actually did CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! Then Margene told me to email Terry, who she thought had also CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! Terry told me to look in the Harmony Guides Knitting Techniques, Volume 1, p. 67 - which I happened to have on my shelf and which told me EXACTLY what to do - even using my cable as the example. Terry also pointed me here - another person who CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! And, of course, to all of you, who definitely have my back. THANK YOU!
Okay. Take a deep breath and prepare to be amazed. Not just from the results, but at how fucking EASY this is. (Click on any and all pictures for a bigger view.)
STEP ONE:
Prepare your instruments. I told G what I did when he got home last night and he told me I was like a surgeon. And it's true - so sterilize your tapestry needle before performing any cutting.
From left to right we've got: two lifelines (any extra yarn you've got lying around - preferably a bit smaller so you can get it in and out easy); double pointed needles (yesterday I went to the craft store to pick up some dpns because I have like 2 sets in all of my needles. I bought 9s, 8s and 5s - I'm using 9s for my project, but thought maybe I should use something smaller. I ended up going with the 5s and it was fine); tapestry needle; project yarn for grafting; SCISSORS. Yes, we're going to CUT IT, JUST CUT IT!
STEP TWO:
Okay. The first step is to isolate the stitches that need to be fixed. But first, let's show a picture of what the swatch looked like before the fix:
Nothing up my sleeves. ;-) We're going to be working on the middle cable today. This cable is a 6 stitch cable - I've pulled the first three stitches to the FRONT (for a left leaning twist) when I should've pulled them to the BACK (for a right leaning twist.) The thing about cables is that the stitches are almost suspended in the air where they twist. You could conceivably slip your finger through the hole that appears once the twist has been made. For instance:
I've slipped the dpn through the hole so that I can isolate the middle row on top of the cable. It's the only row that isn't really attached to any other knitting. There are three stitches there. I'm going to cut the MIDDLE stitch.
STEP THREE:
Now that I know which stitch I need to cut, I want to anchor the rows above and below the middle row - these are going to be the stitches I graft together, so I want to make sure they're safe. I do this by threading a life line through both rows.
I used a yarn that was smoother and thinner than the yarn I'm using for my project - it's also a contrasting color. Things you might want to consider when choosing your scrap yarn. I also like to use a lot of yarn in these instances - this minimizes the chance that the lifeline will slip out. Great! Now comes the FUN PART!
STEP FOUR:
CUT IT! JUST CUT IT! Yes, my friends, we're going to cut the stitch. Which, I've got to admit, wasn't that hard and was strangely exciting. Like you're doing something really really really wrong but it feels kind of good at the same time. TABOO. Alright. Calm down Janice. Before we cut the yarn, we want to double and triple and quadruple check that we've got the right stitch to cut. WE'RE ONLY CUTTING ONE STITCH! It's the MIDDLE one. Okay? THE MIDDLE ONE.
Good! We've identified the middle one. Identified it again. And again. And then lit a candle to Athena. Now we can cut.
SNIP!
STEP FIVE:
Breathe. Breathe. It's only yarn. We can reknit it. We can make it better than it was before. Knit it stronger. Now you'll need your DPNs. You can pull the cut stitch a little bit, but I prefer to put the newly live stitches on the dpns before I really separate the cut yarn.
Once the stitches are on the dpns, you can take your tapestry needle and unravel the cut yarn. It's all going to open up so nicely. And what you're going to see below the stitches you just unraveled are the stitches that were twisted BEHIND the cable stitches on the top. They look all nice and neat and completely untouched. Just the way we want them to be.
STEP SIX:
Here's where we re-twist the cable. What we're going to do is SLIP the DPN with the stitches on it BEHIND the untouched stitches.
This part is a little bit fiddly because you need to get the DPN completely behind the stitches that will now be on TOP of the cable twist. When you've gotten one DPN all the way through - so that you now have all three stitches UNDER the new cable twist and at the BACK of the swatch (project) - maneuver the second DPN the same way. Now you've got the six live stitches in the BACK.
STEP SEVEN:
Now we need to somehow attach those live stitches together. I'm going to say the word that people seem to hate: KITCHENER. I actually LOVE to kitchener stitch. Think it's so freaking cool (again with the knitting alchemy) and have it completely memorized. So I kitchenered the live stitches together using a fairly long strand of project yarn.
(Thanks G for the picture!) All I did here was kitchener the six stitches together leaving a pretty long string hanging down. Basically we're putting back the row of stitches we cut out. Here's what the back looks like after kitchenering.
Not bad huh. If you need to learn how to kitchener, there are about a million internet sites to teach you. Here's one I like. Okay, moving on.
STEP EIGHT:
Now you've got four strands hanging out in the back of your work:
All that's left to do is weave in those ends. Chances are your cable butts up against at least a couple of purl stitches on the front - which leaves you knit stitches on the back which are SO easy to weave into. For the shorter strands - the ones from the cut stitch - I like to weave the tapestry needle through the stitches first, then thread in the short yarn and pull it through. I really didn't have any problems weaving everything in. See?
And here's how it looks when you flip it over.
And here's how the swatch looks:
And here's how I look knowing I can fix my sweater and have it look absolutely perfect without having to rip back pretty much the whole thing:
Still scary but much, much happier! Can you believe how easy this is and how fucking fantastic it looks? I've done it exactly twice now and both times it's been so easy and comes out PERFECT. I will be trying it on the one last cable on the swatch - because it's in the same position as the cable on my sweater, but I'm pretty confident it won't be that big of a deal to cut the stitch on my sweater. I HIGHLY recommend making a swatch and practicing first before you attempt this on an actual project. I hope this tutorial helps you. When I called Janice last night to tell her that I had FUCKING DONE IT AND IT'S PERFECT, she said now aren't you glad you made that mistake? Don't you feel all empowered? And yes, I felt incredibly powerful. Which is kind of odd because all I did was snip a little stitch on something that I could easily have knit over again. But I guess it's that I took control and FIXED it. I BOSSED MY KNITTING AROUND. Here's to the power of knitting. And to an amazing community of knitters. Thank you!
PS - There's an excellent chance that someone who comments on this post will hit a BIG number for me. That person will win a prize. It might be this post, it might not be, but it's coming. Have fun!
PPS - THE NUMBER'S BEEN HIT! Loribird left the 18000th comment on the blog! I've been waiting for this for a while now - and it's totally appropriate that it came today because 18=LIFE and I just breathed new life into my knitting. Thanks for reading everyone! I really appreciate it!
Posted by Cara at 10:35 AM | Comments (185)
January 29, 2007
The First Cut Is The Deepest
I got it perfect on the first try baby! I haven't fixed the actual sweater - I want to try again on the other two cables to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Details sometime tomorrow, but rest assured - tonight I will sleep well.
Posted by Cara at 10:12 PM | Comments (47)
Perfection
How was your weekend? Mine started off pretty good. I worked hard on Friday and rewarded myself Friday night by finishing up the back of my CPH. Georgie brought home some EXCELLENT take-out and I slept pretty well. The next morning I headed off to a job - where I was greeted by another sappy song on the CD player left by my fantabulous husband ("God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys) and where I successfully drove to the job by MYSELF (this is an accomplishment in my phobia ridden life.) The baby was a cutie pie, the parents were nice and I came home and knit away the afternoon, finishing up one of the fronts on the CPH. We went out that night to see some old friends and it was okay, but there was lots of cancer talk because some people only knew about the hip surgery that never happened, not the cancer stuff, so I ended up drinking more than I should have and I came home drunk and went to bed. Woke up a bit hungover - nothing really bad, just blechy, but even though I was feeling like crap I STILL WENT OUT AND RAN!! (I think we can say this is a habit now. I may actually be starting to see some body changes as well.)
The rest of the afternoon was spent nursing a killer headache (I ALWAYS get a headache before it snows. Without fail. This was not a wine headache.) and packing up socks for virgins. (US Virgins - you should get your yarn this week. NON-US Virgins - maybe next week? And all virgins have been accounted for - but I appreciate the volunteers.) Then I settled into the couch to finish up the second front of my CPH.
It was going well - I was happy with the changes I had made to the pattern: doing the fronts and backs together up to the arm holes. Switching out the bound off shoulders for short row shoulders (directions here and here.) And I was thrilled that I could incorporate these changes without a lot of muss or fuss - really feeling like I've grown as a knitter.
I cruised along - would I start the hood next, or leave it and go to the sleeves? I dreamed of wearing this on the beaches at Big Sur, the hood up, the sea whipping around me. Still LOVING the yarn. Still loving the pattern. Still loving the knitting.
Even with the headache - the night was going to end well. Knitting had saved me once again. La la la la la....
ZZZZZZIIIIIIPPPPPP! (Insert the sound of someone scratching the fucking needle across the record.) WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?
I was comparing the two fronts - making sure I had put the first cable on the holder at the right row when something looked...how shall I say it...OFF.
JUPITER'S C*NT!!!! (Been watching too much Rome. Sorry - but we only take Roman Gods' names in vain now.)
I thought I was going to throw up. Georgie immediately knew something was very wrong. Was it the violent cursing? The hurling of the sweater across the room? He says I just should've taken a picture of my face when I realized what had happened. I didn't. But let's just say I looked something like this:
What happened though, really, was that I gasped as if I were dying, let out some stuff about Janus and Mars performing unspeakable acts, and called Ann. Boar answered the phone and asked me if I was okay - I sounded depressed. I mumbled something about headaches and snow and Ann got on the phone and said what's the matter honey? And I may have started crying, or talking about Hades' asshole or something, and I'm pretty sure she didn't laugh. She told me I had three (or four - but now I can't remember the fourth) options. 1) I could rip the fucker back to it's bare freaking bones; 2) I could try to fix the cable in one of two ways; or 3) I could ignore it and keep knitting.
All my previous choices for this sweater suddenly seemed very VERY wrong. You see, the cable that's twisted wrong is way down town. WAY down town.
I thought I was so fucking smart to do the back and fronts in one piece. SO FUCKING SMART. You know what, if I had just followed the pattern and done it all in pieces the whole ripping it out and fixing would have ABSOLUTELY been the answer. I could've ripped out the front and knit it back up in a day - two days - at the most. And I swear to you that's what I would've done had I knit the thing in pieces. But I didn't knit the thing in pieces. I knit it in ONE PIECE. Ripping it means this:
Ann and I both remembered a post from Stephanie a while ago that talked about fixing a mis-twisted cable. We both headed to the computer to look. Stephanie says the proper way is to drop down and reknit the stitches - of course she's talking about six rows. And honestly? If I had miscrossed a cable six rows back that sucker would've been ripped before you could twist Minerva's tit. I have no problems ripping and reknitting to get something right. And honestly, I tried to fix a cable earlier in the sweater - isolated it and ripped it back and tried to reknit it and it looked like shit. The second option that Stephanie talks about is fudging the cable - duplicate stitching OVER it to make it seem like it's twisted in the right direction. She says to use this (and I quote)
...for miss-crosses very far down. Too far down. Too far down with other cables stacked on top of them creating complications. It's for when you have knit a whole stinking back of an aran for a 7 foot tall 500 pound man and you find a miss-crossed cable on row 9.It is for when you know that you will not be able to live with the mistake, but you know that you can't live with ripping back either.
It is a last resort. It is voodoo.
Um. You think? Please, please! I need the voodoo that you do so well! Ann and I decided that I should at least try this before I ripped the whole thing back. So we found some websites talking about backstitch and duplicate stitch because at that point my head hurt so bad I don't think I could've knit a garter stitch scarf if I tried. In fact, I was so distraught over the whole thing I folded laundry instead of knitting. Later on, I did pick up a sock, but the yarn was so thin and the needles so small after the Beaverslide on 9s for days on end, I felt like I was all thumbs and just put it down. People. I FOLDED LAUNDRY. That should give you a clue as to how bad it is.
If you're looking for the happy ending in all of this, I haven't fixed it yet. I did try the backstitch part of the equation and it worked pretty well and then I ripped it out - but I'm going to have to practice duplicate stitch. I think in theory this should work - but if it doesn't - if I don't like how it looks - I'm going to rip it out and reknit. You may think I'm completely insane, and I don't blame you if you do, but there is NO WAY I could live with the mistake. It will absolutely RUIN the sweater for me. The fact that I KNEW I could fix it - KNEW I could just reknit the thing and make it right - well, that's all I need to know. I've been enjoying knitting the sweater - as I said before - I love the yarn and it will hold up perfectly to ripping (don't ask me how I know) so in my mind there is absolutely NO excuse for NOT reknitting. I'm going to try the fix, because as Ann tried to convince me, it will be new skills. And if it looks okay then fine. But I'll still always know it's there. Accepting that might actually be the greatest lesson learned in all of this. Wish me luck.
ETA: Margene just told me about a fourth option - cutting the three stitches that go over the wrong way and bringing the back stitches to the front. Then knitting a couple of rows and kitchenering the cut stitches in the back. I'm going to swatch and try this. Hopefully I'll have something to show you soon. I'm taking my time with this though - so don't hold your breath.
ETA2: LOOK WHAT I FOUND! Via Yarnival, via Jenn.
Posted by Cara at 10:41 AM | Comments (94)
January 26, 2007
Soft Rock
I worked my ass off today - processed more than 1/2 a job. That's damn good. And made some decisions about my business. But mostly I worked. I work from home when I'm not out on a job and there are LOTS of distractions. But one thing I always do is keep the TV off in the mornings until 1 PM when Days of Our Lives comes on. Cool fact: I have cable TV on my computer. Georgie bought this thing - don't ask me what it is - but it splits the cable coming into our cable modem and we have TV on the computer. Regular TV. So I can process pictures and have the soaps on in the background. I turned the TV off though around 2:30 and didn't turn it back on until closer to 5 and then I started flipping around the channels. I hit on a GOLDMINE and almost bought this: The Time Life Collection of Classic Soft Rock! OH MY GOD the memories! I'm old enough that I remember listening to Wizard 100 in Philly - THE AM station when FM was like all alternative and no one I knew listened to it. I go crazy, when I look in your eyes I still go crazy.... Georgie always makes fun of me that I LOVE those '70s Soft Rock Ballads. I wanna kiss you all over and over again.... I swear the commercial was on for like 20 minutes. I was thisclose to buying the whole damn thing. But luckily, after I sang her like 100 of the 168 songs in the 10 cd set, Ann talked me down and I didn't buy it. Fool if you think it's over 'Cos you said goodbye.... [PS - If you're like Georgie and can't stand the soft rock, check out Vicki's post today - and you can wash this post right out of your hair!]
Speaking of TV - can I tell you something completely AWFUL I keep seeing and throwing up a little bit in my mouth every time? A couple of weeks ago I was talking about favorite childhood books and one of the ones I had almost forgotten about was Bridge To Terabithia by Katharine Patterson. I LOVED this book. Read it many times. And while I don't remember my siblings reading other books, this one I KNOW we all read. In fact, my brother was known to disappear some afternoons and when my mother would ask where he went, he would tell her Terabithia. This book is ALL about imagination. That's why every time I see a commercial for the movie they've made of it, I cringe and close my eyes and cover my ears. It's so horribly awful, I can't bear it. Please please please! If you love your children, DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE! I know that sounds kind of harsh - maybe it's the best movie ever made (but I doubt it given the animated monsters in the previews.) Instead, PLEASE READ THE BOOK. Thank you very much. By the way, I've started The Westing Game again and I LOVE IT all over again. Rant over.
I decided what to do with CPH:
I'm doing the back and fronts separately. I'm planning on trying to do short row shoulders instead of the bind off called for by the pattern. Also, I'm thinking that once I'm done the fronts and back I'm going to seam the shoulders and do the hood and button bands before the sleeves. This way, if I don't finish it before I go away I can knit the sleeves on the plane. This is the plan. Although you know what they say about plans.
I'm just about done working for the day and then I'm taking to bed to watch my tivo'd General Hospitals and Another Worlds and knit my cozy hoodie. Have a great weekend!
Posted by Cara at 06:44 PM | Comments (52)
January 25, 2007
Blue Morning, Blue Day
Georgie woke up singing this song this morning. We've been on a Foreigner kick lately. We had been talking about them for awhile - did we have their greatest hits? Why didn't we have their greatest hits? And then one day last week or so I got in the car and noticed that the little snowflake was on next to the temperature gauge and all of a sudden "Cold As Ice" came on the radio! I thought what a funny coincidence! We were just talking about Foreigner and now it's cold and here's the song! DUH. Silly me! Georgie had bought the CD and set up the radio so when I turned the car on it would fill with those beginning piano chords. He's so goofy!
Today didn't start out so good. I was feeling physcially better, but kind of anxious. Can I confess something? December was beyond awful. I spent every day terrified about Georgie's illness and anxiety doesn't even begin to slice it. But, and this is a really big but, it was also something of a relief to have something REAL to be anxious about. And it wasn't about me. A lot of the time I spend in my head making up stuff to be freaked out about and feel out of control about and when there is something tangible to ACTUALLY FREAK OUT about with GOOD REASON, well, in all honesty, that's kind of a relief for me. Does that make sense? Because I'd rather panic every day for the rest of my life than have Georgie be sick. I hope I'm making sense.
Anyway. I was feeling kind of bad this morning. Anxiety bad. And still a little physcially bad but mostly anxiety bad so I finished up some work then I decided to run again. Tomorrow is supposed to be BRUTALLY cold around here (maybe not as cold at Zeneedle Land, but still, high of 16, windchills in the negative numbers - that's pretty freaking cold) so I thought if I want to run again this week I better do it today. So I did. And I felt SO much better after. I came in the house and wrote my run down on the calendar and realized that I have run three days a week since the first week of January. Four weeks down! YAY!
I also got a great email from a very happy client. Also YAY!
And early this morning I split up the fronts and back on CPH:
Still loving the project - mainly because I'm loving the Beaverslide! (Worsted Weight, Huckleberry Heather.) I'm thinking I might still knit the fronts and back at the same time. I'll have to keep track of some things a bit more, but it might be nice to turn those cables all at the same time. We'll see. We're going away week after next (Palo Alto peeps! I'm coming out there!) and G keeps saying it's going to be cold and I'd love to have the sweater done by then, but I don't think that's going to happen. I can be fast, but not that fast. Maybe I'll finish it out there. I haven't tackled the math yet, but I think I've got a handle on what needs to be done. Thanks for all the offers of help. And for all the cheering up. I really appreciate it. This day is definitely looking better.
Posted by Cara at 01:46 PM | Comments (44)
January 24, 2007
Heinous
Awful. Horrible. Wicked Bad. All of these adjectives pretty much sum up my day. Yesterday I mentioned how I went to the doctor - well, what I didn't tell you was that I had an unexpected procedure performed that wasn't supposed to be a big deal but ended up being borderline traumatic. Maybe I'm being a bit hyperbolic, but I was incredibly uncomfortable for the entire day and night. Even now, I'm a bit better, but not all better.
When I woke up this morning, still in pain, I decided that I really didn't feel like going to the doctor again today - to be poked and prodded and needled up - so I went on to the doctor's office's website and rescheduled the appointment. Isn't technology great? I can go onto my doctor's office's website and make appointments, cancel appointments, reschedule appointments, refill prescriptions - GREAT! Except they forget to tell you on the appointment page that you'll be charged $200 if you cancel/change the appointment within 24 hours of the scheduled time. Yup. They were nice enough to call me about 45 minutes BEFORE the appoinment to tell me that - when I had no time to get there. I would've gone if I had known. At 7AM I had rescheduled with them for next week - so I'll fight with them when I get there.
Then I went out to run, which was good while I was out there, but now I'm in pain again. And I still have tons of work to do.
To top it all off, I'm about to the part of my CPH where I have to split and then I'm going to have to start on some Knitty Math. I hate Knitty Math.
Suck suck suck suck suck! My day SUCKS! I'm going to go take a nice hot bath and crawl under the covers and close my eyes. Hopefully it will be tomorrow when I open them again.....
How's your day going?
Posted by Cara at 02:10 PM | Comments (53)
January 23, 2007
Say AHHHH!
It's visit your physician week at JO. Today I went to the GYN and tomorrow I go for my annual physical with my GP. Fun times. I'm fat, first of all. If I wanted to be the skinniest I think I could get to - I need to lose about 25 lbs. That's a bummer, no? I told you I've been running, and I have, but I need to incorporate the weights into the program and eventually I have to start eating better. Which actually means I should eat MORE not less. I'm one of those people who can't be bothered with food. That doesn't mean I don't like food, I love lots of things and enjoy eating. It's just a pain in the ass that you have to do it at least three times a day. I hate figuring out what I'm going to eat, I hate preparing it. I've often said if I could take a time release capsule that would give me all the nutrients and stuff I need, I'd be first in line. Now, if you want to cook for me.... Anyway, what I usually end up doing is NOT eating until I'm starving then reaching for the closest frozen food dinner which I scarf down in record time. I rarely snack. Not a big snacker - I eat when I'm starving and I eat bad stuff. And for the last couple of years I've sat on my ass and done nothing. (Well, I've knit a lot, but as much as it pains me, knitting cannot be considered an aerobic activity.) That's why I only have to lose 25 lbs - not a hundred. Bright side, you know?
The doctor today actually didn't say anything about my weight, but my GP tomorrow will. Getting old(er) has many many advantages, but the physical part of it kind of sucks. Oh and I learned today that some of the most valuable people in your life are the ones you can tell ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING too. Nothing is too gross, too gruesome, too shameful, too embarrassing. These are the people to keep close to you. I'm lucky. I've got at least two, possibly three or four people like this in my life. Thank you for listening to me and laughing along with me instead of hanging up the phone. At least I didn't offer to SHOW you what I was talking about. Right?
Lots of work to do, surprisingly. Lots of work. Not sure I'll be blogging tomorrow as I'm off to the Dr. again and I'm swamped. Besides, I've got nothing to show you except the same sweater I showed you the other day. No progress has been made unless you count backwards progress.
I AM LOOKING FOR THE FOLLOWING THREE STR VIRGINS:
Sandy who wrote:
I need STR (socks that rock) because my closet is full of STPACM (socks that prefer adult contemporary music).
Karen who wrote:
I need this yarn because I'm a STR virgin and I've read the Socks That Rock story on your blog and several others. I feel for the ladies but I don't want to commit to a sock club membership before I have a chance to test out their lovely yarn. What better chance than through you? Besides, I'm an avid hiker and it would be great to have some super cozy hiking socks that I knit myself!
Amy O'Dell who wrote:
Because this is how I feel without STR in my life:
Shirts in the closet, shoes in the hall
Mama's in the kitchen, baby and all
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
But you're missing
Coffee cups on the counter, jackets on the chair
Papers on the doorstep, but you're not there
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
But you're missing
O.K., perhaps that song is just too tragic and beautiful for this situation but I bet I got on your good side, didn't I?!?
YOU'VE WON YARN, BUT YOU HAVEN'T RESPONDED TO MY EMAIL ASKING FOR YOUR MAILING ADDRESS. I will send another one, but if you don't email me back by Friday, I will pick three new winners out of the hat. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDERS. THANK YOU!
Have a great day!
Posted by Cara at 01:52 PM | Comments (32)
January 22, 2007
Photobooth
Nephew #3 and Me
I was in Philly this weekend for nephew #1's super fantastic bowling birthday party. I was in charge of two lanes - the two lanes with the babies, i.e. the kids under 6. Fun times, but I ran those lanes like a dictator. More than one parent thanked me.
The best part of the party (besides my two spares) was the photobooth. If I ever win the lottery I'm totally getting one of these for my gigantic custom-built mansion (that incidentally is a sprawling ranch - isn't it funny how dreams change? I always thought I was a Colonial kind of girl, but not so much anymore.) I think it would be great fun to just step in at random times of the day and see what pops out. It could almost be like a mood ring of sorts. What's my mood right now? But honestly it's probably a good idea that I haven't won the lottery. I'd get even less done than I do now. I have to stop procrastinating.
I didn't knit much this weekend, and when I did it was on CPH. I think I'm getting pretty close to splitting things up. I guess I forgot how fast knits go on size 9 needles. I still love the yarn and the pattern's still good - except my handy dandy row counter tip somehow got pulled out of the row it was tracking and I turned the next cable too early. So I have to rip. It's only like six rows - not a big deal.
What else is going on? It's finally cold where I am - and I'm enjoying it. Especially since superhusband sealed the windows this weekend while I was away and it's now very warm in my house. Even though I never officially joined Runagogo - I'm still running. If I want to I can move up to Week 4 of my program today. I haven't decided yet. I'm not seeing too many results yet - but I feel better. And I love being outside. I LOVE running in the cold. I love getting all bundled up and hitting the pavement and feeling just a little bit chilly and then ten minutes in I'm positively WARM inside and 15-20 minutes in I'm ripping off the gloves and pushing the hat back for a little air-conditioning. LOVE IT! So much better than running in the Summer when you're hot before you even leave the house. The only problem I have is that sometimes my glasses get all fogged up and I can't see. This week I think I'm going to incorporate some weight training. Fun times! (But I'd really like to start seeing some payoff in the near future....)
Thanks for all your comments on the Legacies post - look for a continuation hopefully some time this week. Hey Vicki! Guess what I picked up when I was home?! BUTTONS!
Have a good Monday!
Nephew #3, Sister #2 and Me
Posted by Cara at 09:42 AM | Comments (32)
January 19, 2007
You Wouldn't Understand
Hey all! Happy Friday! I finished my big project so hopefully things will get back on schedule next week. I'm sure you don't want to see another picture of my CPH - at least not until I get to the point where I split for the fronts and the back, so I thought I'd put up some random links for you all!
First off - did you see this trailer? Watch it. Now. I'm not a fan of horror movies, but I am a fan of sheep and this looks too good to be true! Fingers crossed it goes international! Via JenLa - Thanks Jen!
The Bookish Girl herself sent me this link: A sequel to The Westing Game?!?! As reported in Publisher's Weekly, Ellen Raskin's estate has made a deal to release five of her books - and one of them is The Westing Quest, a sequel to The Westing Game. I have to admit, this makes me very nervous. It could be fantastic, but why mess with perfection?
Did you see what Colleen did? She invented the perfecT mitten - for riding the T in Boston - the Charlie Card Mitten. And now? She's FAMOUS! She's also raising money for a great cause, Rosie's Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston. You can donate through the paypal button in her blog sidebar, and you can win a pair of your own Charlie Card Mittens. Dude. She takes the subway knitting seriously! Go Colleen!
Jan blogged yesterday about the Lovely Hearts show being presented by the Artstream Gallery. From the Artstream website:
This exhibit is open to all artists within all media from anywhere in the world.The theme is lovely hearts - love in all its forms
The charity we will donate artstream’s proceeds to is near and dear to our hearts: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
The theme may be interpreted any way around the theme of love.
We are looking for diversity, both student and professional work in traditional media such aspainting, printing, paper arts, and sculpture (we have some space for a few pieces for our pedestals)
as well as work in less traditional fine art media such as:textiles of any sort, quilting, needlework, etc.
felting, knitting, crochet
mixed media
jewelry
recycled art
photographic work
digital media
book arts
The pieces are small - no bigger than 8"x10"x4" and you can enter up to three pieces per artist. The pieces will be sold at the gallery and at least 50% of the profits from each piece will go to fight Breast Cancer. I've already submitted a piece and it's been accepted! 100% of the profits from the sale of my photograph will be given to charity. The piece I'll be sending in is called Bleeding Heart:
The deadline for submissions has been extended to January 31st, so get creative and have a heart!
Have a great weekend!
L, C
Posted by Cara at 03:32 PM | Comments (22)
January 18, 2007
Legacies
Rissie Zeenberg, my maternal grandmother, taught me to knit one fine rainy afternoon. I'm going to guess it was the fall of 2002, although I'm not a hundred percent sure. She gave me some pink plastic needles and some Day-Glo Orange Red Heart and set me on my way. My grandmother is definitely more of a seamstress than a knitter, although she's knit lots of great stuff, and she's always amazed at what I can do with two needles, some yarn and one very quick lesson. I guess it was the right place at the right time because I'm not the only grandchild to ask her to teach them how to knit, but I'm definitely the only one that's really stuck with it (read: become obsessed.) What she says, though, is that I remind her of my other grandmother, my paternal grandmother, Harriet Davis. My nana stopped knitting after suffering an aneurysm and a massive stroke when I was nine. She was the real knitter in the family, as my grandmom likes to say, churning out Arans of every size for the whole family. I remember those sweaters very well - but I have no idea what happened to them. The really sad part is that I have no memory of my nana knitting. As I said, she had the stroke when I was nine, and while she recovered enough to live on her own for another ten years, she was never the same afterward. She had to relearn to walk and talk and her left side was always very weak. Sometimes, though, when I knit night after night, I like to think that I'm like her, this grandmother I barely knew - I've got her knitting gene. And that makes me so very happy.
Rosie's Yarn Cellar, one of my favorite Philly knitting shops, has decided on a new book policy for the store (via Go Knit In Your Hat.) They've decided that they've had it with books insulting their grandmothers. You know the ones - they claim a million hip trendy knits - the "not your grandmother's knitting" knits. On the store's blog, they talk about beginning knitting books that dumb everything down, with lots of big needles and lots of scarves. And how, at their store, they challenge their beginning knitters with fair isle and dpns. I've knit exactly ONE scarf in my life, and I hated just about every minute of it. I've knit three hats - okay four - if you count the fun fur extravaganza. I don't wear hats and I don't wear scarves and I pretty much knit for myself so that's that. My first real project, after a million and half swatches, was a 5'x6' four color slip stitch blanket that I knit with acrylic. It was also my foray into circular needles (for knitting flat.) We use it all the time. The only lesson I had had was my grandmother teaching me to knit and purl. That's it. Whenever people email me with questions - they can't do this, it's too hard - what's too hard? Everything is either knitting or purling with some variety thrown in! That's it! And the best part about knitting is if you try it and it doesn't work, you can rip and try again. And again and again and again. Eventually you'll figure it out.
Anyway, back to the books and grandmothers. For the most part I agree with Rosie's policy. Part of the problem is that I don't think there's enough variety out there in knitting books. It all sort of seems the same to me. That's what I thought was so fantastic about Mason Dixon Knitting - if you were something of a beginner - there were plenty of projects to knit and feel comfortable with. If you were a more advanced knitter, it was the perfect jumping off point for boundless creativity. (Visions of log cabins are ALWAYS dancing in my head....) And the best part of the book was WHATEVER your skill level, it NEVER SPOKE DOWN to you! Never assumed you couldn't knit anything you put your mind to. Maybe that's the problem with all these "not your grandmother's knitting" books. It's not that their' knitting scarves on big needles, it's that they're actually assuming that my grandmother's knitting was too complicated and intricate and time-consuming for my whirlwind fantastic super fast super terrific life. Why would I want to slow things down, with small(er) needles and charts and new skills? We are, after all, an instant gratification society. I also think that books like these - Knit it fast! Knit it fun! - and their publishers buy into the whole "knitting as trend" philosophy rather than the knitting as art or knitting as craft (or knitting is FOREVER) attitude. Popular or not popular, I have no plans to stop knitting anytime soon. Just some thoughts. Talk amongst yourselves.
Speaking of knitting, things are finally going well with my Central Park Hoodie. I'm a couple rows away from my fourth cable turn and all is well. I'm loving the yarn. The pattern is easy. I'm doing the back and fronts all in one piece up the armholes, and once I figured out how to read a chart, it was smooth sailing. I basically have taken out one stitch at each back end and one stitch at each front end (where the fronts meet the back) so that the ribbing all matched out. These are the stitches that would've been used for seaming - and since I won't have any seams in the body - I won't need them. I'm planning on doing the sleeves at the same time as well.
The yarn, as you know, is Beaverslide's 90% Merino/10% Kid Mohair in the Huckleberry Heather color. I'm really enjoying knitting with it - even with the 10% Mohair. I don't notice it all and the yarn is soft enough and it's about as hairy as the Cascade 220 Heather I used for Ariann. So no problems. I will mention that every now and again I come across a knot in one of the plys of this two-ply yarn. It's not that big of a deal - I just snip the knot out and spit splice it all back together. No biggie. It might bother some people though, so I thought I should mention. Other than that, I'm enjoying the yarn so much I bought enough for two more sweaters! Excellent value too. Each skein holds at least 200 yds.
I'm having fun with the cables - it seems like a long time since I've done cables. And, yes, I use a cable needle. I LIKE my cable needle. I can see if you were doing a really complicated piece where you had to cable every five seconds you might want to master cabling without the needle, and maybe I will someday coughAmKamincough, but for now I like my needle. I also came up with a handy dandy method of keeping track of my rows. I don't like all those row counter thingamabobs and I like my stitch markers very plain, so every row that I turn the cable I loop a long piece of thread through the first stitch and that's how I keep count. Want to see?
I like it nice and long because that way it doesn't fall out. Not brain science in the least, but it works for me and since you all seem to like the tips and things.... Thanks for all the nice comments about my brief tutorial yesterday. You're very kind, but don't expect to see that kind of stuff around here very often. I'll leave the lessons to the experts. I'm just fuddling along like everyone else!
One last thing - I'm THRILLED to tell you all that G-ROCKS and January One are now for sale over at Blue Moon. Their website's working just fine and you can all go buy buy buy! THANK YOU!
Posted by Cara at 04:23 PM | Comments (64)
January 16, 2007
Mistake Rib
No, no - not a fancy new pattern to make a scarf out of - an actual MISTAKE with the ribbing in my Central Park Hoodie. I should just start calling this sweater Mistake Park since I already messed up the swatches. Not a good sign when you're starting out.
I was so happy to show you how I'd done all the ribbing on my hoodie - the one wear I put together the fronts and the back so I could do it all in one piece up to the armholes. I was so happy to be done with the ribbing because I hate ribbing - that back and forth and back and forth. I love to purl - but only when it's in one long stretch. Hate the back and forth.
And I DID finish the ribbing - all 28 rows of it! (Because when you get a swatch to work and you need four inches of ribbing you know EXACTLY how many rows to knit - isn't that cool?) I was all set to start my cable charts when I realized that I had done something very very wrong. Apparently, I can't read a pattern. When I was trying to figure out how to put the whole thing together somehow I neglected to read consult the charts and ended up starting my fronts with knit stitches. As the lovely Margaux confirmed, I needed purl stitches. Yup. I'm an idiot. (And it makes total sense now because I couldn't understand how the pattern wanted you to seam this baby up without giving you any stitches for seam allowance. Turns out it does. Duh.)
So I ripped the freaking thing and started all over. Which I hope is good news for you because I'm going to do a little tutorial about how I cast on for ribbing. Bear with me because I'm not the tutorial type - go see Eunny for that because she ROCKS the tutorial. Or Grumperina. Anybody but me. I get all frustrated and just want to grab the knitting out of your hand and do it myself. So much easier. But Ann asked about my ribbing cast on technique the other day and seemed excited when I said I might write this up and my entire goal in life these days is to excite My Ann.
Okay. This tutorial presupposes that you know how to do a long-tail cast on. Which I shouldn't really suppose because for years I did a knitted cast on for everything and had no idea there were a million other ways to do it. Then I took a class with the knit god Shirley Paden called 101 Ways to Cast On (not really, it was more like fourteen) and she taught me this trick. If you don't know the Long-Tail Cast On, there are like 4,561,923 sites out there to show you. Or you could look here (first cast on mentioned.)
When I cast on for ribbing (2x2, 1x1) or any stitch that alternates knit and purl, I use two variations on the long tail cast on to create a first row of knit purl stitches (or whatever combination I need for my pattern.) For the Central Park Hoodie, I'm using a 2x2 cast on. Those of you familiar with the long tail cast on will recognize this next picture:
Click for bigger.
This is ostensibly the KNIT STITCH CAST ON. It's also the regular long tail cast on which I use for pretty much everything unless the pattern specifies something else. Or I'm doing ribbing. What happens, though, when you turn the work around to start knitting, is that it can give you a PURL STITCH. This cast on has you sweep under the loop around your thumb first. Again, I refer you to the video in the link above.
Now, there's another way to do this. It has you sweep under the loop around your FOREFINGER. See picture below:
Click for bigger.
This is called a PURL CAST ON which will give you a KNIT STITCH. I don't have pictures to show you how to do this and I tried to explain it to Ann last night, who did get it, I think (we were on the phone) and I couldn't explain to you how to do it if I tried - but here are a few links that might help.
Here's where things might get a bit confusing - although it might just be that I'm confusing - but I have a picture to illustrate.
Click for bigger.
When you use the regular long-tail cast on, it gives you a stitch that it is very similar to a knit stitch - so that when you start your knitting, and say, you are doing stockinette stitch, you'd want to begin with a PURL row. This means that your cast on can act as the first row. I, personally, hate having to keep track of things like that and I want to start my first row on the RIGHT SIDE, so when I'm doing ribbing, if the pattern calls for k2 p2, I will cast on PURL WISE PURLWISE KNIT WISE KNIT WISE so that when I turn my knitting around I can just start with my k2 p2 and it will look perfect. See that picture above? (Click on it and it will open in a new window so you can read and look at the same time.) These are stitches JUST CAST ON - they've never been knit. See how the PURL CAST ON/KNIT STITCHES look like they have a purl bump? They do! So when I start knitting on the other side they will be KNIT STITCHES! How cool is that?
Here is a picture of ribbing from a sock I just finished:
Click for bigger.
In this picture, I tried to illustrate how the ribbing will look once it's been knit for a bit - see how there knit stitches start out with a little bump but then flow into Vs? And see how the purl stitches ALWAYS look like purl stitches, from the second you cast on? Isn't that nice? All neat and pretty?
I love to use this for seed stitch borders - the back and forth, knit and purl of the cast on adds a whole new row to the piece.
To reiterate, I cast on my sweater with a p2, k2 cast on so that when I started knitting I could do a k2, p2 rib. I hope this makes some sense to you. As I said, I'm not so good with the tutorials and stuff, but I thought I'd pass along my time tested technique. And a huge thank you to my darling husband who took the pictures of my hands - it must be really really really hard to take pictures for a photographer. I'm sorry I yelled at you. ;-)
Maybe, bar any other mistakes, I'll be able to show you finished ribbing on my CPH. Don't hold your breath though!
Posted by Cara at 10:02 AM | Comments (58)
January 15, 2007
Apocalypse Now
Forget Global Warming. Forget Banks closing down sock clubs. Forget 801 Virgins. This, my friends, is TRULY the END OF THE WORLD!
Regular readers (hi Newbies!) will know that I NEVER EVER NEVER knit for charity. Actually, I RARELY knit for anyone other than myself. I am selfish selfish knitter. That's not to say I'm not generous. My mantra is I can't spare a square, but I can write you a check. So no orphans for me or cold kids or people needing blankets in far off places - it's not that I don't care, it's just that my knitting time is precious and I'm not willing to share it.
Regular readers will also note that I'm VERY particular about yarn. I learned long ago (see Ribby Cardi archives) that if I don't like the yarn, I'll hate the project. AND I have an aversion to anything even remotely hairy - i.e. angora, mohair, alpaca - HATE THEM. Oh and it's got to be soft. Not scratchy. I'm a cashmere girl living on a merino budget. HAHAHAHA! I like that. Anyway. The point of all this is that I broke out of my comfort zone in a big BIG way.
Dudes. Hold onto yourselves as the earth spins off it axis. I knit for charity. I knit with fun fur. Okay okay. Not really fun fur - it's Bernat Disco. And I bought a lot of it. Like 8 balls of it.
It's almost pretty isn't it?
This is the deal. The other day I was reading blogs and I came to Susan's post about knitting chemo caps for kids and how they love the fun fur (although I think it would cause my skin to bleed but who's going to doubt the kids?) Some of you might remember that late last year my husband had a nasty bout of Melanoma where we got to spend some awful time in a Cancer Hospital.
I blame PTSD. Whenever Cancer gets mentioned these days I'm a BLITHERING IDIOT. I just start crying. And one of my strongest memories of that horrific month is the first time Georgie went into the Cancer Hospital. He was dropping off some slides and I was waiting in the car so we didn't have to park and when he came out he looked stricken (not that we didn't both look stricken all the time those days.) G shaves his head and he had been thinking about letting his hair grow back but when he came out of the Cancer Hospital he told me that he would shave his head forever in solidarity with all the bald kids he had just seen in the hospital and how he thought that everyone who worked there should be made to shave their heads to be just like the kids. Broke my fucking heart. Shattered it really.
So when I saw Susan's post, and then went over and read what Kate was doing, well, I couldn't stop myself.
Fuchsia Fever
It's actually a contest! Here are the particulars:
1. You email Kate with your name, email, snail mail and blog ( if you have one)
kskaare (At) gmail (Dot) com
2. She emails you with a word document with several hat types.
3. You knit a few. I knit a few. You tell your friends to knit a few. If they arrive in a box from you, you get in the prize drawing-- more hats, more chances.
4. You must have the hats TO KATE in Boston by February 28, 2007.
5. Kate puts your name in the contest...
I have donated a skein of G-Rocks and a skein of January One and a box of my palette notecards to the cause. There are many other great prizes. Check out Kate's blog for ALL of the details!
I used this pattern to make my hat, on size 9 needles. I cast on while we were at the hospital for G's follow up appointment (everything is fine, by the way. They don't want to see him for six months.) It took me way longer than an hour, but basically because this stuff is HEINOUS to knit with. (I even picked up a dropped stitch. Have you ever tried picking up a dropped stitch with FUN FUR? It's only fun if by fun you mean NOT FUN.) But I keep thinking about those kids and the really horrible lot they've been dealt and I may be as proud of this damn hat as I've been with anything else I've knit. What are you waiting for? Get knitting! (But seriously, if it's more your speed to write a check or knit a scarf or a small sweater, then do that. We all need to do what's right for us.)
Disco Queen!
Posted by Cara at 10:02 AM | Comments (41)
January 14, 2007
Feels Like the First Time
As Tracey said, every time you knit with Socks That Rock feels like the first time! This morning I finished my "pair" of socks - the G-Rocks and January One socks which I knit at the same time on two circulars. Of course, I love them! They are soft and stripey and perfect for my feet and G wants his own pair. I told him I'm gonna have to get some heavyweight for his socks - he wears size 13 shoes. Lucky 13 for me! (Um... That didn't come out right. Insert sarcastic face here.)
I immediately cast on for the mates - two at a time - once again. Even though I really didn't like the whole two at a time thing. I guess, technically, it probably takes just as long to knit two at a time as it takes to knit one at a time, but it FEELS like it takes forfreakingever and sometimes perception is enough. I was going to just knit one of the socks and then I was going to start with a completely different yarn, but in the end I decided that knitting these socks is like marriage. I was super excited when I started knitting them - TOGETHER - and I'm thrilled to be wearing them, but starting the next "pair" was a little bit hard and I'm sure it will be even harder to knit them but when I'm done I'll have TWO new pairs of socks and I will love them all the more for the effort that went into knitting them. Sometimes we need to do things we don't really want to do - but in the end it's all worth it. Just like marriage. ;-)
January One loves G-Rocks!
I know you don't really care about my socks, you want to know about YOUR socks, or more specifically, did you WIN! Well, I've already sent out an email to all of the winners - did you get one? Check the list to see:
Denise
Jan
KathyH
Mary
Linda
Marlana
Brenda
Stephanie
Sandy
Karen
Carol
Vitpil
Michelle
Rob's Wife
Amy
Chelle
Stéphanie
Carina
Gayle
Frog Princess
Lazuli
Subha
Annette
Irene
Sanne
Barbara A.M.
Stacy Wittmann
Lies
Zita
CONGRATULATIONS! I hope you love your yarn as much as I do! As I mentioned, I sent an email to all the winners - so if you see your name up there and think it's you but didn't get an email, please check your spam filter before you email me.
All I have to say about this contest is thank god I didn't ask for Haikus and damn people! Go out and get yourselves some! What are you waiting for?
Thanks for playing!!
Posted by Cara at 09:00 PM | Comments (38)
January 12, 2007
Calling All Virgins!
I've been astonished to learn that there are actually people out there in the world that have never tried Socks That Rock! It has occured to me that the best way I can help Blue Moon, and the greater world at large, is to do my best to rectify this situation.
CALLING ALL STR VIRGINS!!! LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME WHY YOU NEED THIS YARN! ON SUNDAY JANUARY 14, I WILL CHOOSE, AT RANDOM, TEN LUCKY WINNERS AND THEY WILL RECEIVE A SKEIN OF SOCKS THAT ROCK. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. AND I'M GOING ON FAITH HERE THAT YOU'VE NEVER KNIT WITH STR!! But I have ways of finding out...mwahahahaha!
Go at it. Remember, you only pop that cherry once. Make it a good one!
ATTENTION VIRGINS!!!! BREAKING NEWS!!!! I JUST HEARD FROM BLUE MOON AND YOU HAVE MADE THEM LAUGH SO HARD THAT THEY ARE MATCHING MY GIVEAWAY - WHICH MEANS TEN SKEINS FROM ME AND TEN SKEINS FROM BLUE MOON!!!! THAT'S TWENTY LUCKY VIRGINS! KEEP IT COMING!
MORE BREAKING NEWS!!!! BLUE MOON AND I HAVE DISCUSSED THE FACT THAT YOU'RE ALL ABSOLUTELY INSANE AND WE'VE UPPED THE PRIZES TO THIRTY SKEINS - 15 FROM ME, 15 FROM BLUE MOON. I'LL BE CLOSING THE COMMENTS AT AROUND 11AM EST - TODAY. AND LATER ON I'LL BE BACK TO ANNOUCE THE WINNERS! SERIOUSLY. YOU ALL NEED TO GET OUT MORE.
Posted by Cara at 07:50 AM | Comments (801)
The Call for Calm
In reading through blogland, I'm thrilled to see so much support for the wonderful folks at Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I want to reiterate that we shouldn't worry about Blue Moon - they are strong, independent, FIERCE women who are perfectly able to defend themselves. There are lots of excellent, important reasons NOT to release the name of the bank. Trust them on this. They are not taking this lying down. Does this mean they don't need your support? Of course they do. We can support them best by having faith in them, in their yarn, and most of all in our knitting and ourselves.
Posted by Cara at 07:19 AM | Comments (14)
January 11, 2007
Rock Your Socks
I feel like I've just seen an episode of the Twilight Zone. No doubt, many of you have received an email from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, the creators of Socks That Rock and my dear friends, outlining the recent troubles they've had. If you haven't heard, or you aren't part of the sock club, I'll lay it out for you. The first incarnation of the Rockin' Sock Club was so successful, Blue Moon decided to do another year. And this time it was PHENOMENALLY successful. So much so, that when payments began to come in for the club these last few weeks, the bank decided that it could not be a legitimate venture - there was no way that so many people would sign up for a "sock club" and that the only explanation was that it was a SCAM! The bank was so convinced about this "SCAM" they SHUT BLUE MOON DOWN. And decided that they would REFUND ALL THE MONIES COLLECTED. They did this without investigation, without listening to Blue Moon's pleas for mercy - they did it unceremoniously and with possible grave consequences for a fledgling yarn company started by one woman with a love of fiber and an obsession with color.
You don't need to worry about Blue Moon. I don't need to worry about Blue Moon. Tina and Kaci and the whole crew out there on the Left Coast are resilient and strong and have a fucking fantastic sense of humor so they will survive. The sock club is back on track - no one will lose their spot - and the website, when it's fully functional again, will be better than ever with new colors being unveiled soon. A tremendous set back, no doubt, but the yarn is too good to ever let die.
In the past week I've had many conversations with Tina, who has become a dear, dear friend of mine. I've known Tina for over a year now, and since our first conversation many moons ago, Blue Moon has grown in leaps and bounds. The company has gone from a one woman dyeing machine in a room the size of a closet to a full blown (albeit still small) production facility with multiple dyers. As with all growing companies offering a fantastic product, there have, of course, been bumps in the road. That's what comes with success - especially fast success. But Tina and company have faced these bumps head on - and not once, from what I've seen, has the product, or customer service, suffered.
My love for Socks That Rock is long documented. One year ago last October I bought some yarn at a fiber festival and knit a pair of socks. It wasn't the first pair of socks I knit, and it wasn't the first sock yarn I'd used, but something clicked for me and quickly it became THE ONLY sock yarn for me. Sure, I've knit with others, but I've never enjoyed socks as much as I've enjoyed Socks That Rock. I don't work for Blue Moon - I have no affiliation with them whatsoever besides the fact that I'm a good customer. And if for some reason Tina and I stopped being friends tomorrow, I'd still love Socks That Rock. In thinking about it, I've decided that my relationship with STR and socks is not unlike my relationship with Georgie and Bruce Springsteen. No! Seriously! Stay with me - you'll see what I'm getting at. I've often told the story of how when I was falling in love with G, I also fell (a little bit) in love with Springsteen and how I can't listen to Springsteen without thinking about G. I think the same thing kind of happened with socks and Socks That Rock. When I fell in love with knitting socks, it was really because of Socks That Rock. To me they are intertwined in a very fundamental way. Do I knit with other sock yarns? Sure, I'm not silly. But more and more when I go back to my beloved STR, I wonder why I ever left.
You may think I'm crazy. That's okay. There are so many sock yarns out there - I'm sure you'll find your one true love. I'm just so lucky to have found mine.
There's another HUGE issue to talk about here. THE POWER OF KNITTERS. Dudes! We brought a BANK TO ITS KNEES. They didn't BELIEVE that so many people would join up. They didn't BELIEVE that YARN could move so many people. They didn't BELIEVE such a large community could exist. We know better. We've seen it a million times. Raising money. Knitting hats. Knitting scarves. Gathering together in huge numbers. People joke that knitters can change the world, but WE ARE CHANGING THE WORLD! It's about time we were taken seriously - by the blog world for sure (what do our numbers look like these days - I mean a new knitting blog is born like every ten seconds!) but the greater world most importantly. WE ARE A FORCE! Unfortunately, Blue Moon has had to suffer because of our powers, but we knitters are at heart a kind bunch, and our love will buoy Blue Moon and grow it even stronger. There is nothing we can't do.
Thank you.
Cara
Posted by Cara at 12:00 AM | Comments (75)
January 09, 2007
A Tale of Two Swatches
My whole blogging schedule is so off it's ridiculous. Usually I blog pretty early in the morning - depending on how big the post is and if I need to wait for some light to hit the apartment for pictures - and then it's done and I do whatever else I'm doing for the day. But I'm in the middle of a big work project with an ever impending deadline and I'm trying to work in the morning BEFORE I blog. Today I worked in the morning (lots of tedious reading) and then I ran (WHOO HOO! I'm still intending my intentions) and then stuff happened and then I worked some more and NOW I'm blogging. I have so much to talk about and like no time at all. I'm not sure if there will be a post at all tomorrow - I'm lunching with the ladies in the big city and then, if I can stand it, I've got to squeeze in some work. I will try my best for Thursday.
Okay - on with things.
DUDES. Everyone and their 8 yr old brother knows: YOU SMELT IT, YOU DEALT IT. All I have to say is that I was out and about in my lovely little swampland town yesterday and I didn't smell a freaking thing. (Besides, when we do smell stuff, we usually blame it on Lyndhurst.) Ahem.
So I've been swatching. Lots and lots of swatching. And I love my Beaverslide yarn so much after all this swatching I bought two more sweaters worth. No kidding. I am LOVING this yarn. Did you all get your colorcards? DO IT. Now. Anyway, I started swatching on Friday on US 8 needles, which is what the Central Park Hoodie calls for - by the way, there's a KAL if anyone's interested in joining. I made a beautiful swatch and measured it carefully, then SOAKed it, and laid it out to dry. This yarn is really really interesting. If you're going to knit with it, make sure you swatch and wash your swatch the way you intend to wash your knitted item. First off, it blooms really nicely. My unblocked swatch was 19.5 stitches per 4" and after drying it was 18 stitches to the 4". BUT, it shrinks up in row gauge! My unblocked swatch was 26 rows per 4" and that squished down to 29 rows per 4". Huh. Interesting right? The pattern calls for 17 stitches and 24 rows per 4", so I thought, let me swatch on 9s, see what I get. I got my US9 Addis out of their package sleeve in my needle drawer and swatched again. For my swatches, I cast on 36 stitches, knit four rows of garter stitch, switch to stockinette with 3 stitch garter borders until it seems about square then finish off with four rows garter. I don't pin out my swatches when they're blocking, just let them dry.
I enjoyed swatching with the 9s just as much as I liked the 8s and I'm thoroughly LOVING the yarn. I cast off and started measuring out the swatch. WHAT? It's almost EXACTLY the same as the gauge on the 8s and worse yet - the row gauge is even SHORTER. This time I measured the dimensions of the swatch before I washed it. 71/4" x 71/4". After blocking the dimensions became 71/2" x 63/4". Shrinkage. I was totally perplexed by this yarn and actually called Margene to ask her about it - since she's the one that turned me onto the yarn in the first place. She said she knew about the blooming, but not the shrinkage. (I love that this yarn expands and contracts at the same time!)
Here's where the story becomes either extremely funny, or awfully embarrassing. Depends on if you're Ann or Me. The next night, Sunday night, I went back to the needle drawer and took out my OTHER size 9 needle. I had a quick project I wanted to knit up (I'll talk about it later this week) and I needed two circulars for it. I went back to the couch, where I knit the swatch the night before, and looked for my other size 9 needle. I couldn't find it anywhere. I found a few needles that seemed like they could be 9s, but I check with my needle gauge and they're 8s. Where the hell is the other 9?!? I ripped the couch apart. Blamed G (who threw up his hands and said he knew better than to EVER touch my knitting stuff) and got thisclose to throwing stuff because I couldn't find this freaking needle.
THEN I figured it out. You know where I'm going don't you? A few months (weeks? who knows the last time I tried to clean my disgusting house) ago I put away all my needles laying around. At Rhinebeck, I had picked up a handy new needle gauge to go along with the other two I have. The new one was special though!
It was made SPECIFICALLY by Skacel - the people who make Addi needles and since I pretty much knit exclusively with Addis - I figured it would be THE needle gauge to have. (It's the one on the top right in the picture.) One problem - this needle gauge STICKS even when the needle is the RIGHT size. I figured out that all those weeks? months? ago when I was trying to put my needles away I must have mistaken an 8 for a 9 because I had a bit of trouble getting it through the 8 hole. Which makes perfect sense because I was short a size 9 Addi package and I keep all my packages.
Am I making ANY SENSE? I'll spell it out for you. I KNIT TWO SWATCHES ON THE SAME DAMN NEEDLE SIZE! Laugh your asses off. I deserve it.
We won't talk about the fact that I have no less than 5 size 8 circulars because the real problem is that I only have ONE size 9 circular. I couldn't do my little project. But I could swatch again.
The good news out of all of this? Besides the irony of the fact that I never swatch and now I've made three - swatch #3 on size 9 needles got me stitch gauge. Which is much more important to me than row gauge because I can crunch the numbers pretty easily for that. Also, I can probably block out at least one more row. I think I still ended up with 29 rows per 4". I have to count again. Furthermore, look how pretty the swatches are:
The fact that I can't wait to cast on for the actual sweater after three swatches is a testament to this yarn. I'm planning on doing the back and fronts together, so I have to read over the pattern a bit before I actually do cast on, but look for it soon.
(See! I managed to write an entry that lives up to it's title - long and boring. Just like Dickens. Although it'd be nice to get paid by the post. )
Posted by Cara at 07:43 PM | Comments (39)
January 08, 2007
The Promised Land
Hey all - crazy busy here. Didn't spin this weekend, didn't work this weekend - all I did was knit swatches and get mail together. I've got lots to talk about, but no time today. I'm leaving you with some new You Tubes (which by the way is the greatest thing since the old illegal Napster - remember that? I'd sit there downloading songs from the minute I woke until I went to sleep.) Anyway - it's some fantastic Bruce. Really, though, for the more adventurous among you. It's all good, I swear, but they're a bit long. Worth every second truthfully, but I'll understand if you don't want to take the time. They're a little bit of what I'm all about!
Promised Land
She's The One
Thundercrack
Enjoy! See you tomorrow!
L, C
Posted by Cara at 09:35 AM | Comments (13)
January 07, 2007
SALE! SALE! SALE!
ALL GONE! THANK YOU!
ALL YARN HAS BEEN STORED IN PLASTIC BAGS IN PLASTIC CONTAINERS IN A SMOKE FREE, PET FREE, LOVING ENVIRONMENT.
PAYMENT THROUGH PAYPAL ONLY.
ITEMS SHIPPED USPS PRIORITY MAIL. SHIPPING INCLUDED IN PRICE TO ADDRESSES IN THE CONTINENTAL US. ALL ITEMS SHIPPED OUTSIDE THIS AREA WILL BE CHARGED AN EXTRA $5.00.
I've tried to be as explicit in my descriptions of the yarn as I can be. What you see is what you get. THANK YOU!
Felted Flower Basket Bag Kit
I bought all of these materials to make the Felted Flower Basket Bag, which appeared in the Winter 2004/2005 issue of Vogue Knitting. The pattern is by Nicky Epstein. I'm putting everything together as a kit:
Cascade Magnum
100% Pure Wool
Each skein is approximately 123 yds, 8.82 oz
Color: 0050 Black / Dyelot 6682 THREE SKEINS
Color: 9431 Red / Dyelot 7011 TWO SKEINS
Color: 9430 Green / Dyelot 7014 TWO SKEINS
Color: 9415 Dark Green / Dyelot 6773 ONE SKEIN
TOTAL: EIGHT SKEINS
Very Fine Copy of Winter 2004/2005 Vogue Knitting with Felted Flower Bag Pattern
COMPLETE KIT: $110.00 BARGAIN BASEMENT PRICE: $80.00
SOLD
ARTYARNS SUPERMERINO - PURPLES AND PINKS
Artyarns Supermerino
100% Merino Wool
Each ball is approximately 104 yds, 50g
Color: 108 Purples and Pinks
THIS YARN IS HANDPAINTED; EVERY SKEIN IS UNIQUE.
All skeins were purchased at the same time for better color matching.
10 SKEINS FOR SALE: $70.00
SOLD
ARTYARNS SUPERMERINO - APRICOT
100% Merino Wool
Each ball is approximately 104 yds, 50g
Color: 116 Nearly Solid Apricot
THIS YARN IS HANDPAINTED; EVERY SKEIN IS UNIQUE.
All skeins were purchased at the same time for better color matching.
9 SKEINS FOR SALE: $65.00
SOLD
JO SHARP SILKROAD DK TWEED - BOHEME
Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed
85% Wool, 10% Silk & 5% Cashmere
Each ball is approximately 135m (147 yds), 50g ball (1 3/4 oz)
Color: 404 Boheme (blue tweed) / Dyelot 198
13 BALLS FOR SALE: $65.00
SOLD
JO SHARP SILKROAD DK TWEED - PAPER ROSE
85% Wool, 10% Silk & 5% Cashmere
Each ball is approximately 135m (147 yds), 50g ball (1 3/4 oz)
Color: 406 Paper Rose (pink tweed) / Dyelot 01
15 BALLS FOR SALE: $75.00
SOLD
JO SHARP SILKROAD DK TWEED - CEDAR
Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed
85% Wool, 10% Silk & 5% Cashmere
Each ball is approximately 135m (147 yds), 50g ball (1 3/4 oz)
Color: 408 Cedar (dark green tweed) / Dyelot 777
14 BALLS FOR SALE: $70.00
SOLD
JO SHARP SILKROAD ULTRA
Jo Sharp Silkroad Ultra
85% Wool, 10% Silk & 5% Cashmere
Each ball is approximately Length: 55m (60 yds), 50g ball (1 3/4 oz)
Color: 712 Truffle (chocolate brown) / Dyelot 108
17 BALLS FOR SALE: $75.00
SOLD
FILATURA DI CROSA ZARA
100% Merino
Each ball is approximately 137yds, 50g
Color: 1481 Dark Denim / Dyelot 0160
8 BALLS FOR SALE: $65.00
SOLD
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASES!
Posted by Cara at 12:00 PM | Comments (16)
January 06, 2007
Need one of these?
I know everyone and their mother joined that whole knit from your stash thing, but I've got to get this stuff out of my house. It's making me crazy. Stash sale tomorrow, January 7, 12:00 NOON EST. Yarn only. Lots of Jo Sharp (at less than elann prices) and Artyarns.
OF TOMORROW'S SALE YARN
AFTER THE JUMP!!!
Yarns on sale tomorrow include: Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed, Jo Sharp Silkroad Ultra, Artyarns Supermerino and Filatura Di Crosa Zara.
Thanks Susan!
Posted by Cara at 10:09 AM | Comments (35)
January 05, 2007
Potpourri
I'm all over the place today, so let's go random.
-- Yesterday, while working on the sofa (seriously - I was really working!) I went to put one of my feet up on the ledge and notice what I thought was a pill on the back of my sock. I wish.
You know how sometimes you think things and then you write them down or say them out loud and you wonder if you just tempted the fates and brought on EXACTLY what you didn't want? Well, that's how I felt yesterday when I noticed the hole. The first hole I've ever found in one of my handknits. The first hole in one of my precious socks. The first hole in one of my jaywalkers. The first hole in my beautiful Socks That Rock.
I was devastated. I may have cried a little bit. For a good five minutes I wondered why we ever knit at all - especially socks - if they're only going to get holes in them. Seriously. I was ready to quit on the spot. But then I looked at the hole - which, by the way, is on the LEG of the sock in a place that has never rubbed against any shoe - and I realized that it is only one stitch. It must have gotten caught on something and snapped. I have no idea. And I do think it is completely fixable. I mean, it is only ONE STITCH. I have looked at some options - namely at Grumperina's recent post and the Knitty article she linked to and I will fix it, but for now, I'm not in the mood to be reminded that things don't last forever. Hits a little too close to home. So I picked up the socks I've been knitting - the G-Rocks and January One socks and I got back on the horse. Hopefully I'll have a perfectly mismatched finished pairs of socks to show you Monday.
-- Reason No. 4,391,628 why I love The INTERNETTTTT. (See? No S!) The vast majority of blogs I read are knitting blogs - but I don't just love them for the knitting. Lately I've been running down memory lane because of a couple of blog posts. First, Jane mentioned When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit in a post. This was one of my absolute FAVORITE books as a girl. I thought I had my dog-eared copy - the one with the gray cover and ink line drawing on the cover, but I couldn't find it. So I went out and bought it and read it and loved it all over again. I was a little bit afraid that it wouldn't hold up to my memories, but it did. And honestly, because of a part in that book, I can't be sick without thinking of it. And then, just yesterday, one of the Two Black Sheep sisters (fess up! Which one of you was it?) mentioned my OTHER MOST FAVORITE book: The Westing Game. I've read this book more times than I can count. And as soon as I'm done the book I'm reading now, you can bet I'll read it again. What I love about these posts is that these are books that are mine - that I never really talk about or ever really talked about growing up - I don't remember my siblings ever reading either of these books or friends or anyone for that matter. Yet here are two people, who are really strangers to me, sharing something about them that is just like me. Thank you for that. It's really a nice feeling.
So I'm going to throw out another title - a book that came along way before that Harry guy - Half Magic, by Edward Eager. I loved this book and I hope it sparks in someone else the same feelings the other bloggers sparked in me. Happy reading!
-- I'm not sure how many ways I can say this, but I found someone else using a photograph of mine without my permission. In theory, I didn't object to the way the photo was being used, and there was a link back to my site and credit for the picture, but YOU HAVE TO ASK ME FIRST! I'm not sure how much clearer I can be. I OWN the picture, I OWN the words. THEY ARE MINE. ASK ME FIRST. I hope this is the last to be said on this matter. (And, again, it's not you. Unless you and I exchanged emails about this - where I was very friendly, I thought, and told you you could use the picture, just ask next time - then it's NOT YOU.)
-- I've been really missing my spinning lately. I waited forever for my WooLee Winder (over six weeks!) and then I got it and it was a disaster. I've been seeing all this great yarn being spun all over the place and it makes me sad because I've still got my wheel in time out. It's not the wheel's fault and after reading Judy's post today, I'm going to spin on Sunday. Distaff Day. It's as good a day as any and if the WW doesn't work out - I'm taking that sucker off and I'm spinning without it.
-- There will also be some swatching this weekend. Look what came in the mail today:
Margene has been singing the praises of Beaverslide Yarn (grow up Annie!) for forever. The Friday night before my birthday, after serious consultation with Margene, I placed my first order. Huckleberry Heather is the color and I love it. Get yourself some color cards. Totally worth it.
This yarn is a departure for me, what with it's 10% Kid Mohair. I've gone on the record many times about how much I HATE mohair, angora, alpaca - any of those hairy yarns. But Margene assured me that I wouldn't even know it's there and then she sent me a snippet that I stuffed in my bra and wore around for the day and I barely noticed it at all - and when I did it was to remark at it's softeness. I can't wait to knit it up. What's it going to be? A Central Park Hoodie. Because all the cool kids are making them.
The coolest part of my package from Beaverslide - the stamps!
This is so totally going to be a superhero sweater! Have a great weekend!
L, C
Posted by Cara at 03:29 PM | Comments (77)
January 03, 2007
A Plethora of PPPPPPPPPPPPPP!
The Pretty Plucky Julie has plopped the letter P in my path! Thank you Julie! The way this meme works is that you get a letter from someone and then you have to list ten things, themes, theories, etc. in your life that begin with that letter.
PRESTO! IT'S P!
Photography If you had told me a few years ago that my main source of income would be from photography - let alone that I'd have my own business where naive parents have me come to their home and photograph their kids for all posterity - I'd have peeshawed right in your face. No way. 
Yet, this is my life. And I love it. I love developing my pictures after a shoot and finding that perfect shot. The one I know will bring tears to a parent's eyes because THIS IS THEIR KID! Not the fancy dress goofy background shot they get at Sears or JC Penney (not that those studios don't have a place in the world of kid photography - I mean where would we be without those awful pictures to look back on?) This is the picture that captures the essence of a child - who they really are. It's a moment in time. And I'm thrilled that I can do that for a family. Thrilled.
Prose Just like I try to take photographs that are a moment in time, that's what I used to like to write. Short Stories. Unlike novels which can span a lifetime, a short story, in my opinion, needs to begin with a single moment - and the story must grow out of that moment. I miss writing stories. I miss telling stories. I do write everyday - or almost everyday - right here on this blog and you know what? That writing DOES COUNT. It does. And I need it in my life. But in my soul I need to be writing fiction. I hope that one day I'll get back to it. I really really really do. It tortures me that I don't do it. Writers Block is a particularly pernicious poison in a writer's soul.
Pickles Right now we have no less than four jars of pickles in our house - five if you count the sweet relish I like to put on my hot dogs - but only boiled or microwave hot dogs - not on bbqed hot dogs. Anyway, back to the pickles. I love pickles - sweet pickles, gherkins, kosher pickles - there really isn't a pickle I've had that I didn't like. Growing up (and by growing up I mean, like, last week) pickles were the main attraction at any holiday meal. My grandmother - god bless her - is not the greatest cook in the world - so all of the kids - my sisters and brother, my cousins and I - would devour the pickles set out in the pickle dish before the meal. I swear they'd be gone in like five seconds. I've never had the pickles we eat at my grandmom's anywhere BUT at my grandmom's. I'm not sure why - it's not like they're special or anything. Some kind of peculiar kosher blend I guess.
Panic Unfortunately, panic is an everyday part of my life. I've learned to live with it, to be sure, but it's always there, playing possum, waiting to pounce. Sigh. I've accepted it as a way of life and every day it gets a little bit better. 
Pimple The other day I made Georgie inspect my face for wrinkles. It's not that I'm particularly vain or anything like that - it's just that I don't really have any wrinkles. A fact which amazed G. He had me scrunch up my face then relax it and proclaimed that No! I don't have wrinkles! You know why? Because I have pimples instead. A dermatologist once told me that because of my large pores and my oily skin I won't wrinkle badly at all. At that time, this wasn't that much of a panacea because c'mon - who wants some humongous PIMPLE on their face? But now that I'm aging gracefully, I don't mind that pimple as much. Makes me look young(er) don't you know! The only really bad thing about pimples is that I'm a picker. Pimples and Picking go together but when you pick, it can often lead to pockmarks.
Perihelion Today is the day that the Earth is closest to the sun during it's orbit. I think. At least that's what perihelion means. But this passage isn't really about perihelion, it's about the fact that Georgie reads the paper every morning while I'm on the computer and oftentimes - sometimes daily - he'll shout out a word to me and ask me what it means. Oftentimes - sometimes daily - I have no idea what it means and I reach for my favorite dictionary: Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary - the red one I bought to take to college. I love when G asks me what a word means. I love looking it up in the dictionary and I love giving him the meaning and I love asking him if that makes sense. It's just a little thing that we do, but those little things add up to plenty. 
Partridge Or more specifically, the Eye of Partridge heel. I decided to use this heel on my new pair of socks. So far I like it! Usually I'm a slip 1 knit 1 kind of girl, but it's nice to mix things up a bit. The Eye of Patridge heel is simple and the directions can be found here. You have to pay a little bit more attention, but that's okay. I've had a couple of questions about doing socks on two circulars and I wanted to give you a couple of links. I first learned how to do socks on two circulars here. The whole site is actually a great resource and I especially like this page. There are no hard and fast rules with knitting. I do my socks on two circulars, yes, but when I get to the gusset I move things around on double points and shift the knitting so that half the gusset and half the instep are on one circular and the rest on the other. When I'm done with the gusset decreases, I shift the stitches back to the way I started. That's what works for me. You do what works for you, of course. And two socks on two circulars? I cast on each sock separately and join them in the round - THEN I move both pairs together. There's a way to cast them on at the same time - or on the same set of circulars, but I couldn't figure it out. You can find all of this information by doing a simple google search. 
Philadelphia Born and Raised. I've actually lived outside of Philadelphia about three years longer than I ever lived there, but I still feel the connection. I'm a Philly Girl no doubt about it. Ask me something about the city, though, and I probably don't know the answer. I grew up about 45 minutes from Center City (still in Philly) and pretty much all my family is still there but I never really explore the city - save for the trips we took as kids. (I'll never forget the itty bitty stairs in the Besty Ross House.) Most of the time when I go, I'm visiting the family and sometimes we venture out with the kids, but mostly it's close to home stuff. I know all the good yarn stores though. For sure.
Perfectionism Ahhh. The double edged sword of perfectionism. Knitting helps me - sometimes. One of the things I love about knitting is that I can go back and fix my mistakes and it can almost be perfect. I love too that I can have a vision and many times translate that vision into a knit. I can make the yarn do what I want. I can't say that about my other creative endeavors. Perfectionism is a sickness, no doubt, but like the panic I list above (of which pefectionism is a contributing factor - it's all about CONTROL baby!) I've grown to live with it and love it for what it is in my life. I try not to let it get me too crazy.
Passion Did you see these awards? Did you see the one I got? Most Enthusiastic! Thanks girls! I take that as a high compliment. Everyone should have passion in their life. And not just the romantic kind, but every kind. I thoroughly believe in loving something - hard and deep and with verve! Why not? I find it very hard to believe that when I'm on my deathbed I'll regret being head over heels about something - geez. I wish I loved that knitting a little less. I'm passionate about being passionate, sure, but who can blame me? There is so much to be sad about in this life - so much pain and life is very difficult. I feel it all the time. So why not balance it out with as much passion as possible? One of the best things I heard this end of the year was on The McLaughlin Group. Georgie likes to watch the Sunday morning news shows, and I like to sit by him, so I've taken to watching them as well (even though they have me frothing at the mouth half the time.) The year-end awards on TMG are always fun and the last weekend of the year Mr. McLaughlin asked for everyone's resolution then he gave his own:
MR. MCLAUGHLIN: More mirth in my new year. That's my New Year resolution. Mirth is underrated and so is unadulterated exuberance. Laughter is healthy and needed, so I'm going to seek more.
Unadulterated Exuberance. I couldn't agree more, Mr. M. Couldn't agree more.
So there are my Ps. Would you like your own letter? Ask me in the comments and I'll try to get one to you asap. This was kind of fun. Thanks Julie!
Posted by Cara at 03:45 PM | Comments (56)
January 02, 2007
If I could walk 500 miles
dudes, I would be in GREAT shape. As it were, I'm not in any kind of shape these days. Did you see what Rachael's doing? The 100 Miles by April 1st thing? Yeah, I'm not signing on per se, but let's just say I strapped the girls down into my new sports bra and headed out on the trail today. I'm not making any resolutions here - I'm more in the MamaCate camp in that regard. The older I get the nicer I try to be to myself - if I make a resolution it's kind of like setting yourself up for failure. So I'm making an INTENTION. My goal is to be running at least 20 minutes straight by April 1. I'm doing a ten week beginning runners program and I've given myself about a three week cushion. I should be able to do it. But all I can do is my best.
Along with running comes trying to live healthier. Baby steps though - once the running gets back into habit mode the rest may just fall into place (eating better, sleeping better, all of that.) At the least I'm going to try to be more conscious about my health. I want to feel good - I don't really care what I look like to be honest. Would I like to lose fifteen pounds? Sure I would but more than that I'd like to be comfortable in the clothes I already own and feel better - have more energy - get rid of some aches and pains that have been creeping in along with the years. Blah blah blah. Same as everyone else, I suppose.
The birthday was grand in that it was a total nonevent. It may seem oxymoronic but having such a big birthday (I mean, who are we kidding? The whole WORLD celebrates it!), which I love, don't get me wrong, puts just a tad bit of pressure on you. Because of that I like my birthday to be sort of normal. Which it was. In totally normal fashion, I ran some errands, got a headache from the rain, knit on my socks, watched some decent movies and cuddled with my honey and really that's all I can ask. And of course I was treated to wonderful birthday greetings from all of you every time I sat down at the computer! Thank you for making the day so special, but not overwhelming in any way. ;-)
Speaking of socks, here's how the G-Rocks January One socks are progressing:
I continue to love the stripey goodness and I can totally see the advantage to doing two socks at the same time. Because when you're done - you'll have a PAIR of socks. It does seem to be going quite slow and I'm a little bit daunted by the fact that when I'm done I will have one of each pair, but I love this yarn so much that it doesn't really matter. It always surprises me when I haven't knit with Socks That Rock for awhile and then go back to it how soft and wonderful this yarn is - FOR ME. Others might not have the same opinion but I do love this yarn and often times wonder why I knit with anything else.
Now I need your help with a problem. I bought these new fantastic shoes - Dansko Camilla in Black Oiled Leather - and they're super cute, feel good and show off my socks spectacularly. BUT when I wore them the other day I noticed that the edge of the lip rubbed against my socks in a very bad way. Here are some pictures to illustrate:
You see, I had a lot of fuzziness/pilling/whatever at the edge of my heel - right where you start to turn the heel on the sock. When I got home, I shaved it down a little bit and it looks fine now, but I'm afraid this will wear my socks out really fast. I could leave the pilling, but it doesn't look so pretty - or I could not wear handknit socks with these shoes (not really an option since these are the only socks I have now) or I could hope that with wear the shoes will stretch and relax and the back won't cause pilling. The shoes are absolutely the right size. And there's nothing really sticking out or anything on the lip - nothing that I could sand down or some solution like that. Anybody have these shoes, or shoes like them and have any suggestions? I have enough socks to alternate a lot so that I'm not wearing down the same socks over and over, but still - I don't want to unnecessarily makes them wear out faster. Thanks for the ideas.
Thank you again for all of your good wishes - birthday, holiday, health-wise - over the past few weeks. They have meant more than you can know and as always I thank you so much for spending some of your valuable time here with me. I wish all good things for all of us in the new year!
Posted by Cara at 02:02 PM | Comments (46)
January 01, 2007
January 1, 1976
Posted by Cara at 03:52 AM | Comments (245)