a simple yarn

Every cloud has a silver lining so they say…

Thursday’s proverbial cloud occurred while sitting in the coffee shop on the night of our knitting group, but this night I was alone. Frankly I didn’t really expect anyone, as the weather was dreadful. Rain. Wind. Ick. Right, enough of the cloud, on to the silver lining…

It all worked out fine as I was thankful for a bit of concentrated knitting time to attempt the double magic loop. As if doing away with double pointed needles wasn’t enough, now the goal was to do two items on one loop!

Please note, I have to say right at the start that I have Tea-and-Cakes-Isobel to thank for her initial incentive to attempt it and the link in her blog for cast-on instructions that actually made sense to me! Thanks Isobel!

While sitting in the coffee shop I reach into my bag. Want to start the final pair of Fetchings for the school teacher Christmas pressie. I begin to cast on and then……rats…..I forgot to bring with me a print out of the cast on for doing two-thingys-in-one method on the magic loop. Crikey. What am I going to do? Don’t have any other project with me. Sigh. Okay, well I had taken a quick look at the pictures and kind of had the gist of it, so what the heck.

Cast on half of project one……cast on all of project two……cast on rest of project one…..not sure I’m doing this right. Don’t twist stitches when joining circle…..hmmmm…..is it twisted?……can’t tell……plod on….two ball of yarn…..don’t get it twisted…..a bit of slight of hand magic….would be handy to have 2 more hands……got nothing to lose…..start knitting…..what in the world is going on?

After knitting by faith not by sight for the first few rounds, can you believe that it’s working out? Amazing. I’m not sure I could repeat this feat, but at least for this moment in time, I’m doing two projects on one magic loop! I have to say, though, that doing a pattern that I know quite well (Fetchings) was a definite benefit because I knew where I should be heading. If I were beginning a sock, not having done socks before, I think I would have bailed out right from the start.

So, I’m a happy knitter right now! Gonna celebrate with a cappuccino and make that a double!

I know I run the risk of being one of those people who say ‘Voila, look what I just learned!’ to an audience you has known that fact for decades. But you’ll please bear with me, won’t you?

I have been looking at Kate’s legwarmers with fear and trepidation. They need to be sewn up. I, like most knitters perhaps, don’t particularly fancy the sewing bit. And generally I take the construction stage as being a necessary evil between me and a finished project. Generally no big deal. But this one, with its itty bitty stitches created on teeny tiny 2.5mm needles, was throwing me. How to make a nice seam? Ick. Usually, I just sluff my way through…

Enter video-watch-how-I-do-it-assistance via KnittingHelp.com and presto change-o, I’m doing the mattress stitch!

Pick up the little ladder in the midde of the V of each stitch

Do the same on the other side and repeat back and forth

After a few repetitions of this, pull the yarn to close up the gap.
See the stitches being squeezed into place?

Pull taut until the stitches disappear like magic

Invisible seam! Yippee!

And while this may be old news for you, I have to say I’m rather chuffed at the result!

I realise it’s still only 2006, but I have a feeling that 2007 is going to be all about Aran…

…not traditional Aran jumpers, mind you, but Aran weight yarn….
…the kind made in Donegal….
…the tweed stuff….
…Kilcarra.

I’ve always liked the Kilcarra-Donegal-tweed-aran-weight yarn. A bit scratchy, but a lovely, colourful, oh-so-very-Irish yarn.

Sure, other yarns are softer.
Other yarns felt better.
But I’ve constantly come back to Kilcarra…even before Debbie Bliss popularised it as a signature yarn. (there’s my YS impersonation, Holly)

Recently it’s been dedicated to Fetchings. Nice, sturdy, very warm! Currently on the needles, two pair for Christmas intended for the kids’ teachers. Young, hip women whom I hope will like ‘em. (Camera batteries went dead…you know what Fetchings look like by now….imagine ‘em in ruby red tweed….will make up with more photos below….)

And then last week as I visited Craftspun Yarn, I was drawn like moth to flame, to a new-to-me shade of Kilcarra. A deep aubergine (that’s eggplant in North America). Deep purple with flecks of turquoise and hints of lime. Not too loud. Very subtle. Very alluring. Very tempting. Bought 400 grams without an idea of what to do with them.

But not for long…Project No. 1 for 2007 will be a Cabled Vest for me. Yippee! Cannot wait until I can cast this on with the aubergine yarn!

But, I have to temper my thrill with the discipline to finish the legwarmers for Kate, the knitted monkey for Alex, the cardy for Kate, and the wonky square intarsia pillow cover all stuffed into various and sundry bags, jammed into a cupboard somewhere. They, like Poe’s Telltale Heart, are speaking to the atrocities of being left lying around whilst other projects take precedence. It’s horrifying.

A literary inspired language diversion ahead…
I love the word ‘whilst’. Typically in North America, we don’t use it in everyday conversation, settling instead for the more modern-sounding ‘while’. But here it is used….fairly regularly….sounding quite Edwardian or Victorian or Dickensian or perhaps Poe-ian. Very cool I must say.

Right, back to Aran….

And then what to my wondering eyes did appear just prior to the Dublin Knitting and Stitching Show?

More ideas for my beloved Kilcarra. And whilst (!) browsing that book, I came across THIS jumper.

I’ve been looking for something like that….because I have a lot of this….

I’m not sure how it’ll all work out, but it’s destined to be Project No. 2 for 2007…for me! So, yep, it looks like 2007 is going to be all about Aran!

Warning: Shameless commercial to follow…
So, would you like to purchase Kilcarra Donegal tweed aran weight yarn? Two yarnshop-owner-friends carry it. Have a look at Friends-Warren-And-Jenny-Who-Own-Craftspun website for their range of Irish yarns. Or you can also go to Friend-Lisa-Of-ThisIsKnit.ie as she also carries this lovely yarn!

Yes, I have been to France and back.
Yes, I have planned and orchestrated my son’s 7th birthday party.
Yes, I have cleaned the house inside and out.
Yes, I am ready for the next round of visiting guests.
Yes, I have finished what I hope to be the last manly Christmas scarf.

No, I haven’t had time to blog.
No, I haven’t forgotten.
No, there isn’t any more right now.
No, it won’t always be this way.
No, don’t give up.

In order to get the full impact of this post, I might suggest that you first read this…

Yep, the TV police came to our door……again.

It’s only been a few months since the last visit.

I do feel a bit sorry for the poor schmuck who has this job…hunting down law abiding people….surprising them at night to see if they’re watching RTE……

And he kindly told us he’d be back in a couple of months because of course we might get a TV in the meantime.

I’m sure my gaping-dropped-open-mouth-glassy-eyed-stare spoke volumes.

I think the words ‘police state’ escaped my lips.

Could we send in a letter that, upon punishment by death, we promise not to get a TV in the next year?

Husband-Will took a more relational approach and told him that next time round we’d invite him in for tea.

Sigh.

I find that there is usually a blip of good behaviour from the children in that brief time period between my return from a trip and resumption of ‘normal’ life. And so, we are in that a blip of time…

So it happened that today, we as a family, began to reminisce about the kids when they were small. ‘Remember when…’ started most of our sentences. And being on a roll, we then pulled out old digital tapes and had an impromptu home movie hour, watching our little ones when they were littler still. Pudgy cheeks, unsteady feet, first words.

It is difficult to remember these events as they happened in real life, the memories more often being formed by the images captured on tape, or so said Daughter-Kate. As for Son-Alex, he couldn’t believe that the events were true at all, but rather fictitious, not having any memory of them.

The most interesting memory to be revealed was the excitement and care of Older-Sibling-Kate toward Younger-Sibling-Alex when he came into our family. And so the impression of familial harmony was made on now Barely-Tolerant-Sister-Kate and Bothersome-Pesky-Brother-Alex.

Later in the day, I awoke from afternoon napping to find Kate and Alex in a most extraordinary activity, playing a board game peacefully and contentedly…..together.

The miracle of walking down memory lane.

I have just spent 6 days in the land of food…..wine…..cheese…… And I admit that the French have every right to be a bit snooty about their food. It’s good. Very good. Magnifique!

I have just spent 6 days without cappuccino. I gotta confess, I’m a bit shaky at the moment! Thought of buying some ground espresso at a French supermarket, tossing a spoonful in my mouth with some hot water and milk….

But now I’m back in Dublin. It’s cold. It’s rainy. Piles of laundry. No food in the house. But in my hand is a blessedly hot, steaming cup of bliss. It’s good to be home.

Remember the tale of the tortoise and the hare? While I don’t wish the hare any ill will, I have to be comforted that ’slow and steady wins the race’…

I’ve never thought about how fast I knit. I’m not a ‘knit-for-hire’ production worker, so speed, for the most part, is irrelevant. But as I’m sitting in meetings knitting away, I’m struck by the fact that I am a slow knitter.

I have finished the other kiddie-sized Fetching for Kate. Yippee! I am working on matching legwarmers…slow and steady…

In the meantime, Holly, on the other hand, has begun and completed:

2 full length scarves

2 sets of Fetchings (mastering the previously unknown ‘magic loop’ method)

1 drop-stitch fingerless gloves

and will soon begin a pair of socks

Good grief! I can’t help but feel that I’m stuck in a time-warped-knitting-black-hole…

Hard to capture the speed of light
But if you think that’s fast. Down the row from me is Susie, an American expat who’s lived in France for over 25 years. I gotta tell you, she makes Holly look like she’s knitting in slow motion. What does that mean for me?I am still life.

Speaking of still life, during a break we went for a quick drive up the hillside and found a quaint spot overlooking the vineyards. Nearby, was an old church building, making for a lovely view.

Postcript: French phrase for the day….boucle magique……magic loop!

I’m sitting in a meeting about communication. And I can’t think of anything to blog about. How ironic…

Made it to France. Staying in a chateau. What a lovely word…..chateau (which I know should have that nice little cap over the ‘a’ but can’t figure out how to do it on my computer and don’t think Blogger will accept anyway). How would it be said in English? Big large country house. But here in France it’s summed up in a wonderfully-sounding-how-easily-it-rolls-off-the-tongue-and-impresses-your-friends. Chateau.

I’ve never been to France before…unless you count the couple of hours transferring planes at the CDG airport in Paris. I’m in awe, though, of my Irish friends who so effortlessly holiday in France. Me? I’ve had a mental barrier about coming to this country, to be honest. And it’s all about communication….

You see, I don’t speak French. Perhaps most of my Irish-holidaying-in-France-friends don’t either, but it doesn’t stop them. Me, it has stopped. There’s something about not knowing a language that creates a vulnerability that I can do without right now, thank you very much. More than that, it’s an unreasonable fear of being in a situation, not being able to communicate a need, and being ridiculed by some haughty French person who is able to speak English but won’t just to cause an American some well-deserved angst for not learning French in secondary school. What was I thinking taking Spanish?

And even though I studied Spanish, it hasn’t served me too well. The family and I were in Barcelona on holiday a few years ago. We go to get some take away food. I step up to the counter armed with my four years of secondary school Spanish and what comes out of my mouth? Russian, the only other foreign language I’ve studied but am not conversant in. By the blank stare from the lady behind the counter, I’m thinking that she wasn’t an Eastern European and so I smile sheepishly, point to what I want and was very grateful that counting out money didn’t require any vocabulary. How stupidly embarrassing.

But I’ve been to Russia. Learned enough to read the Metro signs and order borscht. Felt it a great personal achievement. I guess there’s just something about France. So, while I’m here I’ll try to set aside my stigma, pick up some simple phrases and, pushing the boundaries of my geographical comfort zone, may have to choose France for my next birthday-fibre-field-trip. Or better yet, maybe one of our Five will know French!

Au revoir!

Have a little conference to go to in France for a week. Sounds exotic to some. Sounds more like work to me. Taking knitting (for relaxation) and computer (for staying connected). At least Holly will be at same conference so we can set up a knitting group during the week. Only problem is….haven’t figured out how to take notes and knit stitches at the same time. Sigh. This certainly cuts into my Christmas knitting!

Disclaimer: I think it’s safe to say that we, all of us, have unique and personal eccentricities. And so, let us take the time to celebrate the quirks that make us unique…

As a knitter I can easily sympathise with those who pursue stash enhancement. Who can resist a yummy skein of yarn even though there are dozens, nay hundreds, more sitting in the cupboard at home?

And so, I hope that there will be similar understanding as I share my own particular new acquisition quirkiness…coffee tools enhancement, as it were…

I really love my Bialetti coffee pot. Have I said that before? Yes, well….anyway. No electricity. Hot coffee. Ergonomic handle. Mmmmm…..But the only drawback to my lovely friend is that it just doesn’t do a single cup of cappuccino. In the 9-cupper (translation = 4 cappuccino cups), a single serving just doesn’t have enough water to splurt through the coffee into the upper chamber. And so either I resort to the Krups (which has, of late, included an odd aftertaste to the coffee) or continue to do double cappuccinos. However, it’s not about quantity, my friends, but quality.

Solution: Take a day in the city, have lunch with Holly and welcome a new little addition to the family.

Introducing the Baby Bialetti, a ‘3-cupper’ equaling a single cappuccino cup of pure bliss

Well, I’d like to think this is my own antithesis of the ’supersize’ generation…..an alternative to the electric appliance…..great foresight and preparation as the Krups belongs to the landlord…..that……aw heck, who am I kidding? It’s just cute, inexpensive and makes a lovely single coffee!

What’s that I hear? Aaaaahhh, it’s the sound of silence….

When I had marked these Knitting & Stitching Show days on my calendar, I thought I’d be flying about, chasing my tail, nose to the grindstone…(insert any trite phraseology here). But guess what? After all the weeks of prep, doing my volunteering for the Guild stand, making ‘necessary’ purchases, meeting up with the knitters, I find myself here at home on Saturday. But guess what? (I ask for a second time….)

I am alone.

No kids.
No husband.
No Long-Time-Family-Friend-Dan-Who-Is-Visiting.

Just me. All day. By myself.

Kids had unexpected sleepover thanks to Lucy-Of-The-Lodge.
Husband-Will and Friend-Dan are on previously-planned-all-day-outing to Glendalough.

And here I am. Aaaaaahhhh…..

What shall I do? Well firstly, resist all temptation to do obligatory domestic housey things that probably should be done. Nope, today I am going to take a well-earned (at least in my estimation) guilt-free day and do some pleasure knitting. You’d think I’d do something different as knitting is a regular feature of my life, but frankly, of late it’s been in fits and starts, snippets and grabs.

And with such pleasurable pursuits, of course a lovely cappuccino with newly acquired birthday Bialetti Italian coffee pot.

Warning: Cappuccino Diversion Ahead
I love the new coffee pot! In actuality, it’s a modern Italian version of the long-standing perculator. Oh, how lovely to hear the glug-glug as the water is pushed up through the Lavazza espresso! I have to say that I think I like this method better than the electric Krups espresso maker, because although I’d like to think I’m being eco-friendly by not using an electric appliance, truth be told it makes a hotter cup of coffee. And I’m all for that on these chilly days!

The only downside to using the Bialetti is that it’s a 9 cup (which make 4 cups of cappuccino), creating a challenge in making just a single portion. Problem solved though as I decide to do a hefty double dose of elixir today…

Fortified by a healthy dose of caffeine, I light a fire and have a peaceful afternoon of Christmas knitting, taking advantage of Kate’s absence to make progress on her gift of handwarmers and legwarmers.

Fetchings pattern from knitty.com with styling inspired by Debbie Bliss Junior Knits. Colours are quite washed out in photo. Actual yarns are soft and dusty hues of berry, lilac, teal and soft mint.