two knits of ivory

It's been a pity party for one over at Chez Yarn this week. Last Friday night I came down with a whopper of a cold and I am still fighting it six days later. My biggest complaint, once the sore throat faded on Tuesday, has been the lack of energy I have had in mastering the fabulous combo Christmas/birthday gift I received recently: The older I get, the more sympathy I have for the people who couldn't program the second generation of VCR's in the 1980's. I've decided that the human brain's capacity to absorb unwanted information is inversely related to their age. I reached my peak interest in technology in 2000. Since that date I have gone from being able to put a computer together to a wife who hands her husband any electronic device and asks him to "make it work." Faced with the idea of learning a whole new trade is daunting, but the source of much reward. I did not expect the range of color I found in these skeins of Wollmeise which I receive...

When I take pictures of my knitting, and my yarn, I really take it seriously. I really love looking at pictures of knitted items and yarn. I love seeing the colors and textures and the overall object. The more detailed the picture, the more natural the lighting, the more joy I get in looking at it. Pictures of the tiny little stitches of socks represent my most favorite type of knitting p0rn. I kinda feel weird about this fascination. Among knitters, I surmise, I may be in a minority, but probably not alone. Yet, it is not a topic I have ever seen discussed in the knitosphere. I'm sure, now that I am reflecting on it, there is a group on Ravelry for people like me. If I was more of a social creature, I would have flushed them out by now. In the meanwhile, though, my latest attempt to capture my own piece of pictorial heaven was done in poor light yesterday afternoon. These are a Christmas gift for my niece, Meaghan. Even though these are not my colors, I was still impell...

Back in September I went up north to spend the weekend with my Dad's wife, Chris. The reason was the Vermont Sheep and Wool festival. VT Sheep and Wool is a small festival that held several delights. One of these delights was a sheep shearing demonstration. The demonstration sought to illustrate how old "skool" tools work, rather than the art of shearing. The docents used a hand cranked shearing tool. It was extremely labor intensive. While the demonstration was fun, Chris's being able to walk away with the fleece, free of charge, was priceless. That they gave it away surprised us so much, I realized later I never got a decent picture of the completely shorn (shorn is so a word, blogger!) fleece. I was further surprised, and deeply impressed, that Chris was over the moon with the prospect of transforming that greasy, feces encrusted pile of mess into spinning fiber. My sensory idiosyncrasies bar the thought of such a thing, never mind the the deed. Througho...

This blog hasn't had an FO in a good long while, so I thought I'd turn back the clock and recap what is my last lace shawl of 2008, my Peacock Seraphim. Although I am extremely proud of what this project represents, this is overshadowed by a longstanding frustration with my photographic skills. (A point which no matter how much time passes, I cannot seem to withhold harping on. Ack! What a whiner I am!) My pictures do not capture the vibrant color and hue of this fabulous yarn. Yarn ShibuiKnits Sock 100% Superwash Merino fingering weight About 907 yards (or nearly twice as much yarn as my prior two shawls ). The ease at which I've been tackling larger projects makes me feel like a "real" knitter. Not that it should, but you know, I'm as insecure as the next knitter, so it does. Needles Knitpicks Harmony Wood Options, US6 / 4.0mm Pattern Seraphim Shawl by Miriam Felton, AKA Mimknits . (More than one item fell into the cart when I purchased this pattern, s...

Color and texture inspire me. If only my photography skills could keep up. This lovely Cocoa Scarf has been a long time coming. But alas, it is because it has to be perfect; it is a gift for a long lost friend who tracked me down via a mutual friend on Facebook . (If you're stalking Claudia, go away! And I say that lovingly.) Together we've chosen and abandoned several yarns and patterns. After ogling my flickr account for a half an hour or so she saw my Apple Lace Scarf and proclaimed it her heart's desire. Choosing the yarn was far more difficult, as most of her favorites had already become FO's. Kim, of Butterfly Yarns in Wakefield, Massachusetts needs most of the credit in my final yarn choice: As a rule, I am loath to accept help when shopping. I am an extremely picky and indecisive buyer. I can never explain what I want, but can guarantee I will say something rude because, as an aspy, I am not skilled in the fine art of no, among a fair many other soci...