Life's a Stitch

I heard something on a news report that cracked me up. Even the males in my family understood. It's in the spirit of "boys will be boys." I know it's stereotyping, and it's politically incorrect to do so, but please indulge me this once. I am the mother of a boy. I am sure there are other mothers of males reading this, who may think their little angels are incapable of certain boy antics. I might have been there once. Believe me, no matter how perfect your child's behaviour now, put this one in your pocket, someday you'll be able to use it. In high school, college perhaps, sometime when collective male hormones take over for the brain. 

So here's the story. Recently, in a nearby town, two young men were arrested for shooting at the window of passing cars with an air gun. A car window broke, thankfully nobody was hurt, the two were arrested, the cop was interviewed. It was radio, but I swear I could hear him shaking his head when he uttered the quote. He didn't say "Stupid kids, what were they thinking," he said "One boy, one brain. Two boys, half a brain." 

There was silence in the newsroom. A pregnant pause, followed by the soft chuckles of two staff people in the background. One woman broke the silence "I get it," she said, "I have boys."

The finished products – one skein of Katia Ondas produced two scarves from different patterns, each about 64" in length:

Scarf #1 with four stitches cast on:

Scarf #2, done lengthwise:

Worked lengthwise for a slightly less flouncy look. Cast on 86 stitches, worked three rows, bound off on the fourth row using the larger needle. The bound off seam does show a bit, but not enough to be bothersome. IMPORTANT: rewind this yarn prior to using. There was an ugly midskein join to work around. 

Notice the difference in the looks of the two? Each one took 16.5 yards (1/2 skein) of Ondas, which is a tape yarn that you knit along the edge, unfurling the pre-made ruffling fabric as you go. Knitting magic for $12.95 (Cdn) for two.

Believe it or not, there is still time to knit a gift. You could be reading this on Christmas Eve and if you had the yarn, there would still be time. Let me introduce you to a little knitting miracle:

Technically one stitch per inch, four stitches per row, but knits up into a wider warmer scarf of ruffly goodness and looks like it's made out of laceweight yarn. You still have time.

There are a few versions of this yarn, including one from Lion Brand, called Ruffles, of course. My skein of Ondas should produce two scarves… by Christmas!

This year I'm not going to post a picture of our Christmas tree as it is the same as the one in last year's post about gift giving – our beloved little ceramic tree. We've decided, yet again, to maintain our new tradition of a simplified holiday with the teensy tree and our nativity. Hmmm, come to think of it, maybe that's why I have time. Works for me.

To all of you, if you celebrate the event or not, wishing you a Very Merry Christmastime.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we say, we don't tan, we rust. My retort: At least we don't have to shovel it. And that's why we moved here. I've probably mentioned before, that when we moved to Canada from Omaha some 26 years ago, we were asked why we were moving to such a cold place. The answer included a meteorological explanation of the Japanese currents and the mild weather.

It took me years to get used to the rain, but now I can't complain. If it snows, we park close to the end of the driveway, wait a day or two, and poof! The melting snow creeps backward and runs down the street. There has only been one exception that I can remember to this rule.

This past weekend we went to Harrison Hot Springs for C's company Christmas party. It's a celebration par excellence, located an hour and a half from home.  In old school style, but in the modern day interest of keeping employees safe, they provide a seafood and prime rib buffet, all you can drink for what feels like the length of an average work day, a brekkie buffet, and to keep us off the streets, the hotel room in between. 

Heavy rainfall warnings were in effect for the entire weekend. We arrived at nightfall on Friday. The next morning's sunrise produced an eerie blue cast to the lake:

The rain held off long enough for us to explore the nearby Agassiz pioneer cemetery:

The clouds lifted revealing the snowline:

It brought back memories of when C & I first saw such a defined snow line one October. We went up the mountain to explore, only to discover that dusting was actually two feet of snow.

The next day the lake was socked in and soggy:

Driving home, past one of BC's wintering grounds for Bald Eagles, even the birds were soaked:

But like I said, it might be grey, it may be wet, but we don't have to shovel it. And it's a perfect climate for knitting.

That's my excuse for lack of blogging. Limited internet and no camera cable for the last five days at a Washington weekend with wonderful women. Those would be my good friend, Lynn, her daughter whom I've known since she was three, but all grown up now, and of course, Blogless Marsha. Can't say enough about this group or the weekend, so I'll limit it to the best and worst, just like I used to ask my kids when they came home from camp. 

What was the worst part?

Fruitless knitting. Frogged projects x 2. That darned Jojoland yarn. 

What was the best part? Three of us at a flea market:

That's nine Mikasa place settings, plus three serving pieces, to replace some twenty year old Corelle. Don't let anyone tell you Corelle doesn't break. On ceramic tile floors, in particular, it breaks. Into a million swordlike shards of Corning glass. 

They were looking out for me, my friends, knowing I was in the market for dishes.

"Li, Li there are Mikasa dishes over there," they herd me away from my hunt for Scottie dog items. 

"How much are they?" one asks the vendor.

"Five dollars," says the lady.

"She'll take them!" 

That's what friends are for. 

 

Completing the Cresent (sic) Moon Shawl, from the Japanese pattern book, Easy Crochet, Complete in Three Days, I realized a cultural difference. The workday in Japan is longer than the US workday, which is longer than the Canadian workday. Three days? Hmmmm. It reminded me of the time I sewed, for my then five-year-old, a two hour pattern. It took twelve hours and I never did get the button holes in. That being said, this one really took about a week of part time work.

More like a scarf than a shawl, this is an amazing pattern. Although the book is written in Japanese, the charting is perfectly clear. And if you need help translating the chart, this website is the best. Here is it with that ubiquitous shawl pin:

Pattern: Cresent Moon Shawl from Easy Crochet, Complete in Three Days

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn, colourway 258, 185 grams (just under two skeins). 

Hooks: Scarf – 4.0mm Edging: 3.0mm

Modifications: Due to Noro's thick and thin qualities, I adjusted the puff stitches according to yarn thickness, anywhere from three to five pull-throughs of the yarn. 

Thoughts: Using two skeins of yarn, why are there so many ends to weave in? Ah yes, Noro-knots with abrupt colour changes. Really, there was only one in this project but, despite swearing I wouldn't give in, I was picky about some of the colour placement. 

This is one of those projects that would have made me cross over to the world of crochet. If you are thinking about it – do it. 

It is as beautiful in a solid colour as in a self striping yarn and there will be more in my future. My Rainbow Moon is complete, how about a Cashmere Moon or a Harmony Moon?

I remember my father watching that on TV when I was a kid. I can still sing the jingle. This past week that was, wasn't as eventful as a year ago when C had his emergency open heart surgery. All I can say is, don't travel without health insurance. Without it, it would have been $116,000 of mortgage. 

This past week was far less eventful.

The rainforest lived up to its name:

That's one of the "Lions,'" two mountains that stand guard over Vancouver, peeking through the clouds.

This is Gracee looking like she's suffering from a serious case of Seasonal Affective Disorder:

The cowls made it to Calgary in time for winter:

The yarn diet was broken:

For good reason, half price Noro plus this pattern book:

Japanese patterns are so clearly charted, you don't need to know the language.

That was the week that was.  

 

 

 

Well, maybe not just knitting, but anything to do with yarn. I've been concentrating on finishing up started knitting projects before I start another one. I'll still sneak in a woven scarf and crocheted in-the-purse projects now and then. Here's the first FO:

The Story:

There's always a story. When I met my husband, some thirty years ago, I was working in a methadone and public health clinic. To de-stress I knit my first sweater, blogged about here. I loved that sweater, created from Wintuk acrylic and probably, to this day, moldering away in a landfill somewhere. The other thing I did to de-stress was take a stained glass class. I married the teacher, but that's another story. 

I always wanted to knit that sweater again, but could never find the pattern, which I think was published in ??? Oh I can't remember the magazine's name, the one that was like Women's Day. I'm dating myself with with the memory lapse and the name of the magazine. Well one day, Blogless Marsha and I were in Apple Yarns and voila! There on display was an updated version of my shawl collared sweater. A free Knitty pattern, YES.  And it required super bulky yarn that I had in my stash. Double YES. 

The details

Pattern: Emerald by Amy Swensen

Yarn: Marks and Kattens Iceland (also manufactured as Iceland but in another brand I also can't remember. The yarn appears to have snow sprinkled all over. (Oh! I just remembered the magazine with the original pattern – Family Circle). I used 14.5 skeins for a size medium. That would be 942.5 yards of yarn. It made an incredibly light in weight, lofty sweater.

Needles: 7.5 mm, which would equal 10.75 US

Modifications: Omitted the y/o's on either side of the cabled on sleeve detail:

The Y/O's really looked silly with bulky yarn. Other mods included making it a little longer, the button bands a little wider and adding two more buttons (using the one-row buttonhole technique) as I didn't like the peek-a-boo belly look in some of the Ravelry photos. In my photo, I used one of C's shawl pins as he hasn't yet gotten around to making the buttons. 

Thoughts: This is a really well written, deceptively easy pattern. The construction is brilliant – it's done bottom up in one piece, with the exception of the shawl collar which is picked up at the end. The only sewing/grafting required is for seven stitches under the armpits. I love everything about this project, it gets full marks for technical merit and execution. It is a more fitted version than my first version and doesn't require a belt. 

OK, I know you won't let me get by without the modeling shot, so here it is, with my brand new fashion statement glasses:

I just forfeited all those "where's the modeling shot" comments.

Oh! I remembered the other yarn label for Iceland. It's Online Linie 97 Iceland. I lied. Didn't really remember it. That's what Ravelry is for.

Never do I remember a November like this in BC. Sunny and warm and leaves coloured like those from back east. 

But on the yarn front, it's springtime:

Project: Woven scarf (Kromski Harp rigid heddle loom, 7.5 epi, 72 ends)

Yarn, warp and weft: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend colourway 113 (Wildflowers) and Classic Elite Premiere, pima cotton and tencel, colour #5212 (yellow)

Thoughts: Not quite as soft and drapey as the Malabrigo silk blend I've woven with, but not bad. What a difference 30% more silk makes.

It will brighten my winter. 

 

After many weeks of limited knitting, my brown Free and Easy Pie Wedge Shawl #3, to go with my brown every day Goretex rain jacket, is finished. Remember my first one?

Goretex is a requirement here. After all, I live in a rainforest.

Where the trees drip with moss:

And the fungi flourish:

A rainforest. It sounds more romantic than it is. 

What is it about this pattern that make me want to start another one right away? 

Details:

Pattern: Free and Easy Pie Wedge Shawl (Lorna's Laces)

Yarn: Beyond Basic Knits hand dyed lace weight silk and merino (Zephyr type yarn), about 800 yards. Colourway: Coffee Bean

Needles: US#6

Thoughts: Light as a feather, can be scrunched into a scarf or worn as a shawl. Easy and relaxing with a satisfying finish. Can't wait to start another. Maybe in blue to match my Goretex trail runners.