a simple yarn

Well, I suppose if I have no pics of what I’m knitting…the next best thing is to show what I’d like to knit.

Began the week by having coffee with Helen. ‘Let’s meet at Borders,’ she said. ‘Yippee!’ I replied. You see, Borders is a rather new option for Dublin book-buyers. Yes, we have bookshops. Yes, they’re nice. But they don’t always have the same variety of US published books for sale…at least, not the knitting kind. And thus, I hope you can appreciate my enthusiasm.

So as a reward for finishing Daughter-Kate’s cardigan (or fill in appropriate accomplishment here), I decided to treat myself to a little pressie.

I’ve been looking at this book for awhile now.
Yep, it wants to live at my house and inspire me…And among the lovely patterns are those for which I have been searching….patterns already on my project list for the year-or so I’m telling myself and whoever will listen.

Look! The mitten with the pull back flap. All that’s needed is an extra pocket
for my Click-The-Disk-Instant-Heat-Handwarmers!

Right, I really want to do socks. This will inspire me to get on with it.

Always in need of cute gift ideas…felted wine bag. Very cool indeed.

Sometimes simple is not so simple.

Saturday last. Annual General Meeting of the Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers. Business mostly.

But afterwards Lovely-Mary-Whom-I-Hope-To-Be-Like-When-I’m-Retired gave a little talk on her recent textile trip to Peru. Among the textilian treasures was this…

Handknit shrug, Peruvian-style. Pure handspun alpaca. Exquisitely soft. Overly simple in style. But how do they do it? On needles…yes, I know but…no seams. Just grafting. One big circle.

Looks dreadful until you put it on and then…the one end rolls into a simple soft shawl collar. The open stitches lay like simple lace. Then sides are tied with a simple plaited yarn with an equally simple tassle on the end. Simple. Simple. Simple.

I stood looking at it for ages along with Diane trying to figure out the pattern. What to do first…sleeves? How to do the decreases? What size needles? How many stitches? Not so simple.

Sigh.

I guess it’s a good thing I’m not built for wearing shrugs and that there are too many other projects on the list that already come with patterned instructions. Otherwise….I’d simply have to figure it out!

The Moral of the Story-The most obvious from this tale is that I should listen to my own advice…practice what I preach, you know.

Why it was just this past Thursday that I heard myself say to a beginner knitter, ‘Sometimes you have to knit by faith, not by sight.’ Okay, a bit of distortion to the Bible’s encouragement to ‘live by faith, not by sight,’ but still, I think it can be applied to knitting nonetheless.

There are those moments-and mostly on Debbie Bliss patterns-when I just cannot see where I am going. Can’t picture it in my head. Just have to follow the step-by-step-directions in a literal step-by-step-fashion to then look in hindsight seeing where I’ve been. Then comes the ‘Aha-I-get-it!’ realisation. Well….not always, but mostly.

So this week I’ve had a crisis of ‘knitting by faith.’ Working on Kate’s cardigan (still). Slowly moving up the sleeves in tandem. Realise that I’m at the final metres of the final balls of yarn. Hey wait! I thought the pattern called for 14 balls? I bought 14 balls. Gauge was right. What is going on? I don’t think I’m going to have enough to finish the sleeves and seam it up and knit the collar.

Blast.

And so, in a panic, I email Lisa and hurriedly request another 2 balls of yarn…just to be safe. I’m anxious to get this project done and off the needles. Daughter-Kate waits patiently, but I’m sure she’d love to wear it before summer comes. Arg.

Lisa says the yarn will be in presently. In the meantime I decide to go as far as I can with what I’ve got. And so I finish shaping the sleeves…
…seam up the shoulders…
…begin the collar…
…finish the collar…
…set in the sleeves…
…sew up the sides…

…and like biblical accounts of old, I miraculously still have yarn. Not much, mind you, but remnants to be sure. Duh.

Is there another point to this story?
Well the less-obvious-but-more-celebratory-reason for the post is that after countless months of work and obstacles, Kate’s cardigan is finally done.

Postscript and Pictures:

‘Pea Coat’ by Debbie Bliss from Junior Knits
Knit in Debbie Bliss Merino Aran on size 4.5 and 5mm needles

The photographed colour is nothing like the original, which is darker. Couldn’t find the right navy buttons, so black will suffice for now. Couldn’t have Kate wait any longer. Even though I knit up the Size 9-10 and Kate is small by nature, it still resulted in a very narrow cardigan, pulling apart a bit at the bottom, but she doesn’t mind. I may take out some of the side seaming at the bottom for a slit on either side making a better fit.

And no sooner was it off the needles that it took up residence on her. And I say Amen to that…

‘Did You Know?’ Factoid Ahead: Close physical proximity in friendship does not automatically increase the knowledge of what makes a good gift.

Received a package in the post today. From across the Atlantic. Post-Christmas-holiday-cheer-in-a-box. Took all of the family’s collective willpower to wait until after school for the opening thereof. Simple and thoughtful gifts flowed out. Simple, in that they weren’t obscenely extravagant. Thoughtful, in that they showed our friends know each of us in spite of long distances and infrequent visits.

Warning, potential cultural diversion ahead…
In Ireland, this is a common tool to sharpen a pencil. It’s called a parer. It does a perfectly adequate job. However, the prospect of paring more than one pencil at a time is indeed a daunting one!

Friends-Pat-And-Cindy remembered a small remark I had made in times past about wanting a ‘proper’ pencil sharpener and so this handy-dandy tool popped out of the Christmas box! Yippee! And look, orange…one of my newer favourite colours!

How kind and thoughtful and simple! A gift that certainly will not be shifted to a back cupboard, but regularly used quite thankfully.

Next up…gloves. Ones that reflect who we are. Camo for the Seven-Year-Old-Rough-And-Tumble-Boy. Fluffy red ones sporting bows for the Ten-Year-Old-High-Class-Act-In-Miniature-Girl. Practical ones for Cyclist-Husband-Will into which you can blow warm air for instant hand warmth. And for me, extra long cuffs with rubbery palms cuz being able to grip the steering wheel for school runs is a good thing and who likes having an updraft around the wrist?

Also nestled amongst the goodies…books. Couldn’t be bothered to see what the others got because this caught my eye…

What can I say? They know me.

I live with technology and I like it. Mobile phone. PDA. iBook. Don’t know if they’re time savers or time wasters, but I enjoy them all the same. However…

There are those times when nothing other than pen and ink will do. I love the feel of a good pen in hand-with the obligatory good cappuccino in the other, mind you! Using pen and ink is a great way to slow the pace of life. Oh sure, there are those times when I want to crank out information….data, you know……and so email is the obvious choice. And yet, there are those times when the slower pace of putting ink on paper is necessary, so that the ruminating ideas can emerge rather than dash hurriedly across the page. Perhaps a consequence of reading too many Jane Austen novels!

A recent excursion took Daughter-Kate and myself to the National Gallery of Ireland. Frankly, I’m not too adept at the art-of-art-appreciation. After a brief walkabout to view the touring Turner Watercolour exhibition-which I’m sure I neither understood nor appreciated-we stopped in the gallery shop. Yum! What a lovely selection of notecards and stationery. I’m not a paper snob, but I surely do appreciate pleasing-to-the-eye-paper!

oragami-to-go note cards

Lovely notepaper with instructions on making an origami object d’art. How cool! Will probably give as a gift as I won’t be able to bring myself to write on it!

Eye candy of the paper kind!

And a bargain book purchase. Yummy botanical prints!Daughter-Kate wants to go back and look at the other exhibitions.
Perhaps she will grow up with an appreciation for art.
Perhaps because I have taken her to the art gallery.
Perhaps because she understands art.
Perhaps she can explain it to me some day!

I confess…I like Sting…I like Elizabethan music. Who knew they’d go together?

I’m out of the loop and fogey-ish when it comes to music. I enjoy classical and jazz but am a connoisseur of neither. Don’t follow new releases much. Fogey, remember? It may be old news, but here’s the newest download for me from iTunes and I’m likin’ it…

Contrary to the post title, this really has nothing to do with the 1986-1993 US television series about southern women nominally working in a interior design firm.

The house is slowly being put back to rights. Guests staying in our front-room-which-doubles-as-the-guestroom have gone. The rest of the visiting in-laws leave on Wednesday. In the midst of a quick tidy, I found this lovely gift from Isobel which I had put away in anticipation of the visitors. Super-duper-keep-the-winter-frost-from-the-fingertips-REUSABLE-handwarmers. Snap the metal clicky-thing and za-zing! The chemical reaction speeds through the liquid imitating time-lapsed-frost-photography. How very cool! Well, more than cool….cold actually….and my hands need these little dandies!

So what a great treat to rediscover these little gems now that winter is in full swing!

But one setback. To keep the little warmers doing their job on my hands-bringing all important warmth and feeling back to the extreme regions of the extremities-I have to hold onto the warmers in their cute little socks. But, I can’t do anything else…knit, type, hold a book to read, drive…..nothing.

But here’s my ‘designing woman’ idea. I want to find the ultimate pattern for a pair of fingerless gloves with the little mitten cap you can pull back and then add an extra little velcro-closured pocket on the palm side to slip in the handwarmer. Presto! Instant warmth-holder! And, I may just have to felt them to make them even more toasty. As the previous stash picture shows, I think I’ve got some wool to make ‘em with! So, there we have another project to add to the list.

Swoon-verb; faint from extreme emotion; be emotionally affected by someone or something that one admires; become ecstatic.

People don’t often swoon anymore. It seems that in, say, Jane Austen’s time, swooning was a regular feature which came in quite handy, but now….it’s not often done. Or at least I haven’t heard of it happening, until recently…

My sister-in-law, visiting us in Dublin, loves literature. During their tour of the Book of Kells at Trinity College she approached the Long Room, which stores volumes of ancient books. Upon seeing these texts, she….yep, swooned. Became overwrought. Highly emotional. Teary. Had to sit down lest she fall. At the sight of those things that she admires, she was overwhelmed by it all.

And so I wonder if there are fibre enthusiasts who would do likewise? You know, swoon at the sight of particularly pleasing yarn or yummy roving or fluffy sheep walking by. I wonder if they’d faint from the overwhelming emotion caused by such ecstasy?

Well, I don’t know….but you know what makes me weak at the knees by just looking at it?

The amount of yarn sitting in the cupboard waiting to be knit up. Swooning, not from I’m-so-overwhelmed-from-the-ecstasy-of-it but rather, how-could-I-have-collected-all-this-in-such-a-short-time? It’s a bit obscene, really. And it doesn’t include the 2 huge cones of Kilcarra yarn intended for the cable jumper, or the aubergine Kilcarra slated to become a cabled vest, OR the myriad of weaving fibre cones. Eee gads!

And so, like the many other knitters who are in the midst of new-year-stock-taking-and-resolutions-to-knit-from-the-stash, I’m with ya! If perchance you see me entering a yarn shop, please yank me out bodily…..and I mean that…..I guess….uh oh…..the room’s starting to spin……my vision is blurry….I think I’m going to fain…….

The images we capture-digital or otherwise-can reveal much about us…what we like…what we value. Hmm…..

So, the last download of pictures to iPhoto contained the following-

Thursday’s cup at the Chester Beatty Library with siblings-in-law.
Exhibits were breathtaking. Cappuccino was okay. Café atrium ambience was stunning.

Friday’s cup at Barnie’s. An afternoon of solitary knitting.
Nice break from hosting visitors.Saturday’s cup was at Barnie’s as well. No photo, though, as I was distracted by all the enthusiastic fibre chat at the knitting group.

Sunday’s cup brought to me by Husband-Will.
He made points by bringing it to me in bed and extra points with the heart motif.
Intentional or not, lotsa points were made.So, I wonder what this says about me?

No photos of museum exhibits, but then again, cameras are usually prohibited.

No pics of family members, but then again, Husband-Will is the official photographer of the family and has loads of ‘em.

No evidence of knitting projects, but then again, I’m still on the same ones and how many times and ways can I photograph Daughter-Kate’s never-ending-ribbed cardy?

Well I guess, after seeing what was stored in my camera, I have to admit that I enjoy a good cup of coffee…will tolerate a mediocre one….and value simple pleasures.

I suppose that since the calendar still reads January, I can still do ‘new year’ types of things. And so with a new year come new perspectives…

New Year = New Blog Subscriptions on Bloglines

I’ve added 5 new blogs to my regular reading. More or less some of the ‘heavy hitters’ in the knitting blog subculture. I gotta be careful here because not so long ago I had to disconnect from the sheer volume of creativity that bombards my easily overwhelmed senses. But, slowly….carefully….I want to plug into some perspectives that are more innovative, more imaginative and more inspired than my own myopic view. And the alphabetical listing of this year’s winners are…(oh wait, isn’t the proper way to say it…’and the award goes to’…?)

b r o o k l y n t w e e d
cuz I think it’s good to get a guy’s perspective and frankly, I like tweed. So even though he didn’t show at our Dublin knitting group while on holiday in Ireland, I’ll give him a go. I’m not one to hold grudges…

Coloursknits
cuz Holly reminded me of what a great knitter she is and I need some stimulation to improve myself.

Fig and Plum
cuz I was drawn to ‘the look’ of the blog and I think it will be a good source for things other than knitting.

My Fashionable Life
cuz even in a simple life, fashionable is good.

See Eunny Knit!
cuz I love to see variations on a theme.

Right, so I’m all subscribed and, with arms opened wide, am awaiting the great wave of stimulus to wash over me. Think my expectations are a wee bit high?

Right, so this is a test to see if I can post from my mobile. Thanks to Isobel for the inspiration.

Postscript from the iBook….forgive the blurry, fuzzy, dreadful picture. Was the personification of ‘lazy’ and couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed to turn the light on…love technology…really love it…

Blog Postscript: No one likes having their name misspelled and so I need to correct Clare’s name…no ‘i’…just like the Irish county.

Politically Correct Preface: This is not to make light of anyone who lives with disorders of any kind. Just a bit of fun to be taken in the spirit in which it is written…

Learning
Yep, I’ve learned that I have Knitting ADD…however, that diagnosis is not original with me. Nice-Anne-From-Utah-Who-Has-The-Cool-Blog-Title was kind enough to see the symptoms and confront me with the truth of my malady.

What shall I cast on next? No idea, really. Too many nice things out there to be done. Once again….blinders….I need blinders.

So, while I shilly-shally about casting on the next project, in the meantime, I have to say that I’m quite encouraged about those who were taught to knit in the Irish national school system and after many years have returned to the craft with jazzy new enthusiasm…

Teaching
Very-Nice-Clare-Who-Is-The-Best-Kind-Of-Teacher-In-The-Kiddies’-School came to me asking me to teach her and her mother to knit. ‘Right,’ say I, ‘happy to do so. Do you know how to knit?’ And so they reply, ‘Only a little…what we learned in primary school.’

Clare getting reacquainted with knitting
We begin by me saying to Clare and Clare’s-Mum-Ann, ‘Show me how you cast on.’
And they do.Then we continue as I say, ‘Show me what you remember about the knit (or plain) stitch.’
And they do.

Then I add, ‘Do you remember anything about purling?’
And they do.

Fancying myself a knitting guru to be so adept at this teaching stuff, I finally say, ‘Can you cast off?’
And they do.

A tribute to the Irish National School curriculum of years gone by.

And so off they went to lay in a supply of yarn and needles. No Knitting ADD in that family…..yet. But as Blogger-Anne says, I think it may be contagious…