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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

what knitting does not do

Knitting does not make you skinny. That is the understatement of the day, week, month or year. Why do I say this? Well, for starters, a body does sit, a lot, when engrossed in the fiber arts. Is this not correct? Though I wouldn't say I am a couch potato. I couldn't say I am lazy when the housework grows ever more out of control as I bend over my latest stick and string technique fascination. I might venture to say I am an addict who can't seem to listen when I whisper to myself, "cut it out already. There are no clean clothes, no meals happening. What is wrong with you." It is a helpless feeling but what can ya do? Juggle. And so, we sit and focus and sit and let the time fly by. The Flow. But here is the contradiction. All this sitting can be not so good for the waist line. The pounds creep on and, at least for me, to tear away from knitting or crochet, to exercise? Years can go by before I ever get to that point, what with the feel of fiber slipping through my fingers? I tell a work buddy of mine why my fingers are black.
"It's from the yarn I've been working with."
He quips back, "you ever heard tell of gloves?"
"Dude, are you nuts?!" No. I like this black dye under my nails. It'll go.

I know I must get back on the wagon of work outs. Any kind, doesn't matter what. Just do it, already. I, the lady who was personal trainer to the Family, has gotten to the point, light years later, where I've actually developed a (minor) blood clot in my ankle. That is how my pop's side of the family has been taken out. Blood clots. "My" clot was like 3 months ago and I know, time to do so some tearing from the addiction. A serious wake up call. Stop the insanity. Already. Haven't I read of a few fiber superstars who died of a heart attack? Me own pap had a heart attack and, years later, a stroke. I know. I will.
Lucky for me there is another fellow worker at the bakery (I must be mad to work in a bakery) who lost 80 lbs and has kept it off for 9 years. I am so impressed that it has filled me with new hope. I can reclaim my waistline or at least snatch my health bakery, oh, I mean health back, before I keel over tomorrow. This dude is my new hero. I am inspired.

Now, to find the weights before the glow fades.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

knitting sooths the soul

and so does crochet. They calm the the mind. If a person's day is filled with harshness, any sort of disharmony, these repetitious motions take the mind somewhere else. Can't quite explain it but some how when I knit, even when in abject misery, the brain slows and must focus on the movements. If there is a question for which there seems no answer or just simply can't find any peace in all the chaos, if I sit and knit, an idea floats up. From somewhere. From nowhere. Spooky. I ain't asking nothing, not even trying, just bent over the needles and concentrating on the stitches. A startling answer to the mysteries of my life surfaces. And life is full of all sorts of strange, sneaking mysteries and that's the truth. To have to stand by and witness a person's pain, in which I cannot help, is a mean ass place to be and hard to understand or even believe when in that place. So, I will sit and knit, stitch by stitch, right hand of left, forwards or backwards. And slowly the sorrow melts away and some crazzzy idea makes itself known. To be honest I like to think that any problem can be solved by talking it out, but you know what? Sometimes not. A very hard thing to face up too. I can't always soothe the the pain in my loved ones and that is hard for me. I guess a quiet mind is the best place to find a needed truth and not the usual brainstorming I like using. That is from my perspective and not really from theirs.

Just some random thoughts.

Monday, October 19, 2009

SDS project 3 is finished...

...and goes into the mail tomorrow morning. One is in lovely cashmere, so soft and cosy and the other's in silk/cashmere with beads. Very lux. We were trying to keep the amount of yarn for these beauties within a certain parameter. It was intense. More when pattern goes live.



We've been having crazy weather. This week is supposed to hit the 70's. What's up with that? Not that I mind. I like warm weather but get a bit nervous when the weather goes all soft and warm this time of year what with global warming looming on the horizon. What if the whole world gets hit with a superstorm or gets swept away with a world wide flood? Could happen. Has anyone seen the movie "The Day After?" Mother Earth may decide to have a hissy fit and this would not bode well for us wee peeps. I keep my husband in stitches on this.



I wanted to share a neat link with those of you who like new ways of doing stuff. Knit stuff. This is a brand new way to bind off dreamed up by Jeny Staimen. Jeny's Surpisingly Stretchy BO. This was published on Knitty AND Cat Bordi demonstrates how it's done. Pretty cool, eh, but for real, this is awesome. Very stretchy with excellent shape retention. Used for k1, p1 or k2, p2. I have never seen any thing like this anywhere. She has also has dug up an old Norwegian(I think) cast on which uses, of all the crazy things, a bunch of slip knots! Now, you might think this has got to be tight. Slip knots are always tight, right?. Wrong. It's one of those things which defies logic. I love that. It's a bit tough to get down because it actually is two knots twisted together. Somehow. At the bottom of the page she has a link to another lady's video whose technique I actually like better for this slip knot cast on. More my style.

http://sockselkie.blogspot.com/2009/09/jenys-stretchy-slipknot-cast-on.html Jeny's version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKwYH-vqJLO the other



Thank You Jeny. Oh yes, Thank You the Other.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

little beasties



I have yet to figure out the proper method of picture upload. They always go straight to the top of the page instead of where I leave off at when posting. Why? But are not these children beauties? The two above are siblin's. She with the blue eyes is a cuz. I made that dress shown in the skinny pic below and I reeally hate sewing. Buuttt how could I resist them cute brown saucers.
I'm not sure how my darlin' daughter made the picture this way. Maybe with my sewing shears?
I have 5 sewing machines. You'd think a person with that many would like to sew but you would be wrong. Very. There's a serger, a denim machine, a regular Janome, a old black Singer, and an old White. The White don't work and I can't part with it. Can't part with any of 'em. They all have their uses, well, maybe not all, but you may begin to see the perversity emerging. I guess I should explain such excess. I was the oldest of 7 and did a lot of hand repair work on my brothers jeans and such. 4 brothers. A lot of stitchin', folks. To this day it sets my teeth on edge to sew anything but there is great comfort in having my machines there awaiting should I get the crazy notion, ha ha, to construct with teeny tiny stitches. And here is the perversity. I love teeny tiny knit and crochet stitches. Go figure.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

StitchDiva project 3 begins

The other day I went to the local thrift shop and found a big ol' sweater coat and these matching gloves, attached. Bought them. The coat has not left my frame since but the gloves needed a redo. Here I begin to remove the fingers to make for a pair of mittens. Much warmer, don't cha know. Now, of course, one mitt is bigger than the other. Always. I was a bit miffed to also discover that all the lovely colors were duplicate stitched. But got over that quickly. I like the colors enough as is.




StitchDivaStudios' "must haves" for the new season is on the drawing board. I've already begun working her amazing crazy stitches for practice. Didn't even get the dern yarn yet. I say, why wait. Lets get the show on the road! There shall be a knit and a crochet version and, which am I doing you may ask. I shall weave the magic of crochet. Always a trip when the Diva pulls out all the stops.


And now for the mundane and lowly. Not every creature that walks can be a mathemagician. I'm okay with that, at least, sometimes. Here are some pics...


riddin' myself of fun fur. the large black ponchawl has a crocheted off hem. a fun technique


knit on the Bond of America


handknit version of the Bond of America pattern

dimple stitch detail. prettiness which is hard to see here, but...

do not like.



some more prettiness. these are a few of the grandbeasties. ain't they cute. guess i need to fix the date on my camera. you think?
enjoy your evening.