Life's a Stitch

You know how when things are just not right with your life, they’re just not right with your knitting? And you know how what you are thinking gets tangled up with what you’re knitting? How each piece of knitting is affected by what you were feeling at the time?

Or how the knitting decisions you make are determined by the circumstances of life?

Something’s bothering me. So, in an attempt to control what’s uncontrollable in my life, I frogged something that has provided me with ongoing frustration. Now I have the opportunity for a do-over. Too bad you can’t do that with kids.

Listening to the radio Saturday morning cost me $50 plus taxes. I have a feeling that’s just the beginning. CBC, our public radio station, hosted a special knitting edition of their North by Northwest program, something I listen to most Saturday early mornings. They interviewed knitters ranging from 13 yr old ski racing boy to a woman in her 91st year. If you want, you can participate in CBC’s scarf exchange. I thought it would be fun for them to receive some non-Vancouver scarves. Scarves that have actually witnessed sunshine.

One of the guests was from Birkeland Brothers, a 70 yr old wool processing business located here in Vancouver. Ten years ago they got into the knitting side of the business and next week they are hosting a class by New  Zealand author, Rowena Heart on the Ashford knitter’s loom. The good thing is that you can bring along yarn from your stash and supposedly have a woven scarf in two hours flat. Why is the promise of a beautiful FO in two hours so seductive? 

I’ll show you why. To balance projects like this. I have finally figured out where I am on Marina. That’s the first step in renewing our interrupted relationship:

Here’s another reason. I’ve finished the two main pieces of C’est LaVie and the next step is picking up 884 stitches for the ruffle. Whoa.

I am so excited. There are four of you readers who are test knitting my Herringbone Rib pattern. Michelle, from New York, has sent me these photos. Isn’t it beautiful? It’s hard to believe it is the same colourway of Manos del Uruguay #113 as mine. Their colours are so unpredictable. So, what do you think:

It is so beautiful, Michele, thanks for knitting it. Can you believe this is the same colourway:

Other volunteer knitters in progress include Beth and Shanti (see her Jan. 17th post).

Today is election day in Canada, which has a pretty good system for election campaigns. Once a government has fallen, the next election is scheduled in a timely manner. This means campaigns for Prime Minister are only weeks in length. Thank goodness. I’m ready for it to be over.

I have a personal popularity contest happening with my knitting patterns. In every pattern with a pattern repeat I find I develop a favourite line. In Charlotte’s web it was the identical 3rd and 4th lines of the pattern repeat. I also develop a dreaded line. In the C’est La Vie wrap it’s the one with the K3T. What do I have against knitting three together? I find it a painful stitch, requiring my hand to use more force than it’s used to, my needles feeling like they’re bending to the point of snapping. K3T is why I gave up on the Branching Out Scarf on Knitty.

I’m more likely to knit just one more row when it’s my favourite line, and ready to stop at the dreaded line. Is this my own personal quirk? Am I the only one who develops a personal relationship with lines of patterns? Want to warn me about a pattern that drove you crazy with more hated lines than loved ones? Am I losing it? Is it the lack of sunshine?

Came home from work today, our 32nd day of rain in a row (I live in a land of microclimates, and although Vancouver hasn’t broken any rain records, I live against a mountain in a rain forest type climate) to have my day brightened with a Purling Puppy RAOK from Becca. We heartily LOL’d looking at the patterns for doggiewear. Watch out, Gracee. Thanks, Becca.

Speaking of lack of sun, my DD’s BF is trying to remember the title of a book he read while in grade school. I figure there are enough knitting librarians who follow this blog that maybe you can help me out. It was about a place where the sun shone infrequently, maybe once per year. A little boy was locked in a closet by other kids, missing his chance to see the sun. It’s possible that the word penny or pennies appeared in the title. Any suggestions?

I once had a garage sale and advertised that I was selling every piece of exercise equipment known to woman. There was a thigh master (my second since I wore the first one out), a recumbent exercise bike (the second exercise bike I’ve gotten rid of at a garage sale), a rowing machine, and a variety of other weak moments from infomercials. You wouldn’t know it by looking at me, but if it starts with "Ab" I’ve owned it. Think: Abflex, Abdominizer, Abtastic; all sold in pristine, gently used condition. The only thing I kept was my imitation stair master, which hasn’t been exercised since this knee thing started kicking up.

So, why, after getting rid of two in my life, is this hated item in my bedroom?The answer: doctor’s orders. Pay no attention to the ancient "how to get a sexy tummy using your exercise ball" articles taped to the wall, I don’t know why they’re there, they’ve never been used. I first tried to borrow a bike from someone at work, but one person who thought she had one buried in her basement, discovered her husband had already taken it to the dump. That’s how much this item is missed when not in use. Another one left hers out in the carport as a free offering to anyone who would haul it off. I’m not the only one who has these feelings towards exercise bikes.

My son listed my "desire" on freecycle (no pun intended), and the only reply was from a person who offered to be my walking partner as an alternative to the dreaded cycle. The dear boy, obviously a product of his mother’s genes, searched the sale ads and found me this baby for $99. An offer I couldn’t refuse. We’ll see about that. Most people want a book rack hooked up to their bike, I have to figure out a way to maintain my speed while knitting.

Here is my progress on C’est La Vie. I discovered some tension issues along the way. I’ve been working on it while at physical therapy and I think I adjust my tension according to what I’m feeling at the time. I was able to frog back and fix the most obvious problem, but have elected to tighten up the other two rows after the fact by tightening up the yarn and cutting it, but first I’ll wait to see if it resolves itself in blocking. The drape on this wrap is wonderful.

Give me a Fiddlesticks pattern and some Classic Elite Miracle yarn and I’ll show you a perfect match. Some of it will have to be left to your imagination, though, since black doesn’t photograph well. The pattern: Fiddlesticks C’est La Vie wrap. I’ve said it before, but I can’t emphasize how well written Fiddlesticks patterns are. I’m hoping for more of them in my knitting future. They are on the pricey side, but it’s a case of you get what you pay for.

The yarn: Classic Elite Miracle, a blend of alpaca and tencel (made from wood fibre). Although the pattern called for aran weight and the Miracle is technically a light worsted, since I’m a loose knitter I got gauge with a bit more of a lacey look than in the pattern. Miracle has a pretty sheen and a soft hand, perfect for a dressier look. I’d especially recommend it for knitters who fear the dreaded dropped stitch as it marries slightly when knitted, and a dropped stitch doesn’t run wee, wee, wee all the way home. It’s what one of my knitting instructors calls "a stand at attention yarn, that waits for you to pick up the stitches."

Don’t you love it when a pattern and a yarn are perfect for each other?

I’m now at six weeks since my surgery. I’m graduating to one crutch while at home and to a new rehab brace. The weight of the post surgical brace has felt like lugging around a dead pig. Believe me, the next time someone suggests that a part of my body be harvested and grafted into another, there will be a heck of a lot more questions on this end. Not that it would have made any difference, I just feel so naive at times throughout this process.

It’s all about expectations. At six weeks I feel what I was expecting to feel at two weeks. I based that expectation on my experience with a previous knee surgery. Oh, did I mention that was 30 years ago? You mean there is a difference between being 21 and 51? Silly me. Six weeks down, twenty more before I can resume normal activity. It feels like I’ve passed a significant milestone.

So much of life is out of our control, but I think I’m a believer that in some cases, suffering is optional. To some extent misery can be a choice. As I look back over my almost year and a half of blogging I’ve found a recurring theme of the quest for comfort (comfort food, comfort yarn, comfort knitting…) which to me, is the opposite of suffering. So instead of dreading the coming work week on those blasted crutches, I spent the day cooking comfort food. Here we have it: meatballs, cabbage rolls and rice pudding. I could be a daily cabbage eater. Must be the Polish part of my Poli-Rican genes. I’m intending on trying out our new food saver thingy so cabbage rolls can become more a part of my life, as I am really the only one in the family who appreciates them.

Also got in some knitting time – presenting a baby-sized Marsan watch cap that I saw at Knittervention  (Dec 5th post):

What’s this?

Right before we left Bellingham I was at a yarn shop, not intending to buy a thing. The nice lady asked me if I had seen their ad. What ad? The one that says from 8:00-10:00 a.m. the next morning everything in the store would be 40% off. She said that a number of people had been in the store that day scoping out their planned purchases. Oh yes! That red poker chip was my ticket to a knitter’s dream. There were 40 of us lined up outside that store, each collecting the coveted red chip entitling us to our 40% discount. I felt like I had Willy Wonka’s golden ticket.

I hope my stash is now complete. Ha!, chuckles the husband. Really it’s more yarn than I could ever have dreamed of or that my budget could normally take.

What did I get?

1. Their last copy of Knitting On the Edge, one of my pre-planned purchases. I was disappointed to see multiple copies of Over the Edge on the shelves, and no On the Edge. A little while later I found one in their display. Score!

2. 10 Skeins of Noro Silk garden for the Lady Eleanor wrap from Scarf Style. Had to settle for a mix of two colourways, not a problem in this entrelac pattern.

3. 2 Skeins of Noro Kochoran, one of their softer yarns, for a ruffles scarf from Scarf Style.

4. 8 Skeins of Nashua Handknits Creative Focus single ply alpaca blend. I can whiff out alpaca from a mile away. This will be for a second Fiddlesticks C’est La Vie wrap in red with a black ruffle. Creative focus is beautiful yarn in lovely colours at a reasonable price to begin with – 220 yds for $7.95.

5. My one unplanned purchase, a yarn that I once regretted not buying at a 20% off sale, Artful Yarns Heavenly. Seven skeins of glittery gold for a fancy dress shawl.

6. Three skeins of Elizabeth Lavold Angora in a wine colour. Hope I bought enough for a decent sized scarf.

7. Two sweater patterns.

A special thank you to Daughter #2 for getting up at 7:30a.m. to drive me to the highlight of my recovery. Especially since she was in the last few hours with her BF before she leaves to Toronto for an eight month co-op placement. We weren’t playing Leaving on a Jetplane that day. I remember those days very well.

The return to work was far less overwhelming than anticipated. It’s a great place to work with wonderful people. Thanks for your good wishes. And thanks to Becca for a cute penguin e-card RAOK.

About 25 years ago we saw an amazing comedy act, but I can’t remember her name, only that she was a young black woman who was tremendously funny. She did a routine about the odd things that pop into our minds and she closed each thought with the phrase "someone’s got to think about these things." She talked about a study that showed that the first thing women noticed when they saw a man was their eyes. After a pause she noted "Not me, I’ve GOT eyes."

Someone’s got to think about these things.

Ok, so I was thinking about the person who has the job naming colours for different companies, Crayola for example. Or Mountain Colors yarn. They have Bitterroot Rainbow, Crazy Woman and Lost Trail as names for their colourways.There is an English paint company and their colours have names like "Dead salmon." Just who names these colours and how did they get the job?

Someone’s got to think about these things.

The thing I’m obsessing thinking about is my return to work scheduled for later this week. I really thought I’d be farther along in my recovery. Still on crutches, still can’t drive, but I’m finally getting over five hours of sleep in total per night. I know it will be fine, but I’m still obsessing.

Here’s some comfort, a completed angora feather and fan scarf in plain old black.

Thanks to all for your compliments on my Manos scarf. I hope to get the pattern written up within the next week or two.

Finally, a finished Manos del Uruguay scarf with my own made up pattern; a variation of a Herringbone Rib stitch. My thoughts:

1. Manos is generally a pleasure to work with although this skein had a fair amount of thin bits compared to its usual thick and thin style.

2. There are huge variations within the same colourway, making it difficult to order online. I ordered colourway #113 – wild flowers – and it was markedly darker than the #113 I’ve seen in others’ projects.

3. Manos can be a dirty yarn that benefits from a soak before blocking.

4. It grows and softens during blocking.

5. The Herringbone Rib stitch shows off the variegation nicely, and although different on each side, each side is nice looking. I would call it an acceptable reversible scarf stitch. I’ve had many requests for the pattern, so I’ll try and write it up in the New Year.

6. I found it an easier, faster knit than the Herringbone stitch of "My So-Called Scarf," often seen online (link on my sidebar).

Oh no, my stash is now Manos-less! Have to work on that one.

Some of us are going to attempt a New Year’s trip to B’Ham, our family tradition. As the kids have gotten older not everyone comes along, but I’m not ready to give it up as it’s usually a wonderful time celebrating with Seattle friends and fellow knitters. It does seem a bit overwhelming given my becrutched state. My motivation is a visit to Bellingham’s newest yarn shop, Marilyn’s. Too bad they don’t carry Manos.

Happy New Year!