I Admire Your Fortitude!

Dear Laura:

That Fana cardigan is looking really great! I love the sleeve that is so beautifully finished. Do you think you'll get it finished tomorrow? I know that's when your ds is expecting it! Since I know the second sleeve is knitted, I'm thinking you'll finish on time.

The sock looks good too! I like how you managed to cast on something without breaking your "no-new-projects-until-the-WIPs-are-finished" policy.

I, however, continue to cast on without any regard to works-in-progress. I did announce that I wanted to finish that orange mitten last week so that I could cast on a baby blanket with a clear conscience. Ahem. Well, yes. That didn't happen. ^blush^

As I headed for Kenosha, I grabbed the orange mitten AND the baby blanket to work on. However, about 1/2 way to Chicago, I got a phone call informing me that my brother's new grandchild was in the process of being born. I had somehow gotten mixed up and thought this was not happening until May, but I was wrong. Mother in labor trumps all WIPs, so I stopped at my favorite yarn store in the Chicago area, Three Bags Full in Northbrook.

I didn't leave with three bags, but I did leave with this:

Two skeins of Cascade 220 in an aqua twist color, a Fiber Trends pattern for a cute sweater, a set of 24" #5 needles and a pair of #5 straights. (Of course I have these needles at home. But I wasn't at home, was I?? I need to carry ALL my needles when I travel! Oh well.)

I did not leave with a couple of skeins of Koigu, despite their wonderful selection and the fact that I had PLANNED to buy it. The budget just wouldn't extend that far.

I cast on the sweater yet Friday night, and finished the yoke and one sleeve before I left for home. One of the reasons that I chose this pattern (besides the cute factor) is that it is a raglan, and I enjoy the whole "hook it together and decrease the yoke in the round" method. It was not until I cast on that I read the pattern closely enough to realize that it is a top-down sweater, and so I was INCREASING the yoke instead of decreasing. (I'm not a fan of increasing, I'd rather decrease. No special reason; just because.)

Anyway, it has been a nice knit, and I still have the bonus of not having much finishing to do. I am knitting down the body of the sweater, and when I bind off, the only thing left to do is weave in the end. Sweet!

I also cast on the blanket and worked a few rows.

I'm not sure about it yet, tho. I caved in to pressure from my God-daughter who asked that the blanket have not just red, but also "rainbow" colors. I had the ball of Trekking XXL in "rainbow" colors along because someone at the Wool Barn had also advised carrying it on the border. I'm still not convinced. I have a vision of a red blanket, carrying baby mohair in solid red on both borders for softness. I've knitted this pattern several times and always striped it, but I have in my head to do a solid color this time.

Well, there's more to post, by my wrists are tired of typing and I don't want to spend too much wrist movement typing when I have so much knitting to do.

Oh! I should say that my great-nephew was born at 12:30 am Saturday and weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz. He's a healthy baby, but mom is having some complications. We pray that she will soon be well!

Keep knitting,

Cynthia (aka Designated Knitter)

One down, one to go

Dear Cynthia,

One sleeve completed installed, and by "completely installed", I mean that it has been sewn into place, and the inside facing has been sewn down over the cut edges. The only sleeves I've ever spent more time on are the ones I've had to re-knit because I didn't like the rates of decrease... This isn't as bad as re-knitting a sleeve, but it does take some time to make sure that it lies flat and doesn't show through on the right side.

There's also been a small (and by "small", I mean "eensy") amount of work on the second sock.... It seems that there is a trade-off between having a clean shower stall and making further progress on knitting a sock.

Well, laundry is waiting. (There's another trade-off...)

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

Sober and well-rested

Dear Cynthia,

First, this blog is now published to syndication. Just click on the orange square near the bottom of the right-hand sidebar, and you will be prompted to select your favorite "reader". It's easier than signing up for a newspaper, with content that is hopefully less depressing.

Second, I **almost** started a new pair of socks. I was even thinking about where the needles for them might be. It was a weak moment. I'm stronger now, so instead, I cast on for the last remaining sock I have which is languishing in "second sock syndrome" (s-cubed). It is so difficult to be monogomous to the Fana cardigan, since I really, really don't like finishing, and there is SO MUCH of it on the Fana. So far I have kept my vow that I wouldn't start any new projects until all of my current wip's were done. So far...

Speaking of the Fana, I have not abandoned it completely. I sewed the lines around the sleeve holes. I think I counted the stitches three times just to be sure they were going to be where the arms go, and not end up someplace in the middle part of the back or something. And then I actually CUT (big **gasp**) the thing, making sure that my scissors were, indeed, BETWEEN the stitching lines. I pictured what I would do if I had miscalculated someplace and had a nice slice in the wrong place. I wondered how long it would take me to stop weeping. It is something I wouldn't have done without being completely sober and well-rested. I still have yet to see if it will all fit together properly, so I'm not out of the woods, yet. In any case, onward to more finishing....sigh...

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

The Joy of Clean Countertops

Dear Cynthia,

By all means, blame your parents! They are probably prepared for that. And it is a modern thing now, to blame somebody else for whatever is not right with you, right?? I know that my dh and I have already disscussed that it is only a matter of time before our sons drag us into therapy with them so that we will be blamed for not having cable tv, or for making them wear unfashionable boots when there is a foot of snow, so we can't worry too much about every little decision we make, since some things are just not avoidable. In fact, I'm going to make them eat their spinach tonight during dinner, just to make sure I'm having an impact.

My counter and stove tops are all cleared of the dirty dishes, and the dirty dishes are clean. I've done two loads of laundry today, vacuumed a little bit, and there's a chance I might still clean a shower stall (though that's starting to look a little bit iffy). And so it is with a clean conscience that I continue working on the Fana Cardigan. My ds asked me when I thought it would be done, and I said in about a week, and what he "heard" and committed to **memory** is: "Mommy is going to have my sweater done on March 8th". He's already talking about wearing it to school when it is too warm for his winter jacket. This is extremely gratifying. I mean, it is one thing to wear hand-knit socks and a complicated hand-knit sweater myself on days when I have exams, just for a feeling of security, but it really warms my heart that my ds is counting the days until his new sweater will be done. You know what that means, right? It's not the Knitting Olympics, but it does mean the completion of this sweater now has a deadline. I'm working on the buttonhole band now, and have three buttonholes in, two more to go where the markers are placed. It's difficult to see, but I put a button through one of the holes just to prove there is a nice hole there. I think I'm going to get silver metal buttons, having a snowflake on the front of each one if I can find some like that...

Anyway, a question: If I knitted a pair of socks out of some yarn months ago, and I only used up half of the yarn, and I happen to love the socks but feel comfortable wearing them no more than two days in a row without washing them, and I want to make another pair with the same yarn, and I'd like to begin the knitting, say, next week, would that be considered a "new project", or is that a wip, since I would just be "finishing" using the yarn?

Have a great time in Kenosha!
**Warm** regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

I blame my parents...

That's the most important thing. Whatever happens, we should blame our parents!

When I was growing up, back in the "old days," the "energy crisis" days, my parents didn't heat the upstairs of our house. At all. The registers were sealed, and there hung a blanket over the doorway at the bottom of the stairs to ensure that no heat was "wasted."

So. Our bedrooms were cold. It was not unheard of to have a little drift of snow on the inside window sill. I once actually had a bottle of hand-lotion on my closet shelf freeze. But hey - they didn't have heated bedrooms as children, so they didn't see the big deal. Little snow will toughen you up! We didn't have friends over during the winter. But we had lots of layers of blankets! And one year, for Christmas? Since we'd kept our rooms clean? We each got an ELECTRIC BLANKET!! Oh, the joy!

My brothers grew up and got married and were forced by their wives to adjust to having heat in the bedroom. However, as I am still single, I've always kind of went with the cold bedroom. Now, don't get me wrong, I haven't frozen any hand lotion since I moved out on my own, but "cool" is still a good thing.

In my current apartment however, I don't have any windows in the bedroom, and it's very well insulated. It is ALWAYS the warmest room in the house, not the coolest. So I keep the other rooms cooler than I would prefer.

All of this lengthy discourse is by way of an explanation for why it took me until 10:00 last night for me to discover that we'd run out of propane. I came home from teaching my class and put laundry in the dryer, changed to my pajamas and sat down to knit. I noticed that is was cold, but kept thinking, "Woo-hoo, gonna be good sleeping tonight! That down comforter is gonna feel good!" I did at one point think that I was going to have to go to bed early to warm up, but it wasn't until I went to fold the clothes and discovered that they were still cold and wet that it occurred to me that there might be a problem!

So, I blame my parents. If they hadn't ruined me for sleeping in a warm room, I might have noticed the problem and alerted my brother BEFORE he went to bed. Both of our mornings would have gone better if I had, since he had to come over and fill the tank before I could have such things as a hot shower, stove, dry clothes.....

I'm off to visit friends in Kenosha, where I understand they have heat!

Keep knitting!

Cynthia (aka Designated Knitter)

Priorities

Dear Cynthia,

Today I decided that my priorities must be adjusted, even if just for today. There is a "situation" in my kitchen. Even though on Thursdays I usually don't have to cook dinner (because I have class, and the boys spend the early evening with some friends), there is not even a place to put another dirty dish on the counter top (and no matter what, I KNOW there will be more dirty dishes today, even if I don't have to cook dinner).... And there is not a burner on top of the stove which doesn't already have a dirty pan on it..













And normally by this time of the year we already have our tax refund, but this year I have to get some organizing done so that I may even *begin* the process of filing our return...I have to tell you that the "lady who cleans my house" has **really** let things go, but, at least she is somewhat bothered by this. And so, as an immediate step toward rectifying this issue, progress on the Fana Cardigan has been halted until my cleaning lady can get things under control...though she is quite motivated by thoughts of knitting soon, so I think she'll find her inner strength and just DO SOME DISHES so that knitting may resume tonight!!

On a much happier note, one of my friends from my moms' group, whom I'll call "Catherine", is showing initial signs of a possible knitting addiction. I know this for a fact, because yesterday she mentioned to me that she understands why people might have more than one project going at a time... There are certain projects which just cannot be used as background material during a conversation, and so she was thinking she might need an easier project than the one she currently is working on so that she does not have to put down her knitting when she talks with her husband. Yup.

I think "world peace" might be within our reach... Let me know how things go with your class!

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

I'm not tired of Fana at all!

Dear Laura:

The question is, "Are YOU tired of Fana yet?" I think it's lovely - and you are doing a wonderful job with all the details. It's so smart to sew the bands on as you knit them - then you know just how long to make them. You do beautiful work!

I've spent my bits of knitting time this week on the orange child's mitten for my godson. I hope to finish those off tonight, then I can cast on a baby blanket with a clear conscience. Well, relatively clear! There are always other partially finished projects calling my name.

I've made this baby blanket pattern before. I made it in yellow and white and then again in peach and white. This time I'm using red! I was going to use Cascade 220, but what I got is Parfait Solids by Knit One Crochet Too Yarns. It's supposed to be a rather close substitute and this seemed like a good time to try it. I'm thinking of adding a little Doucuer Et Soie, a baby mohair, on the ends to give it a fuzzy border. Stay tuned for further developments...

The other thing I'm going to work on tonight is notes for the class I'm giving on Thursday. It's called "Basic Techniques" and we'll work on The Importance Of Gauge, reading a pattern, reading your knitting, picking up dropped stitches, yarn substitution, things like that.

I usually take a variety of books and different needles and notions. While I talk, I have them start a swatch, and we practice picking up stitches and reading what they've knit. I also like to have them knit the same yarn with several sizes of needle so that they can see the difference it makes.

It's a fun class, I did it once before, so I may still have my notes on the computer. So here's a golden opportunity. I'll check the comments section tomorrow before I leave for class and pass along any knitting tips or suggestions. What does every budding knitter NEED to know?!

Keep knitting,

Cynthia (aka The Designated Knitter)

Are you tired of the Fana Cardigan yet?

Dear Cynthia,

I have been knitting the right front ribbing, and sewing it on as I go. If you look closely, you can see the "facing", which is reverse stockinette and which is knitted adjacent to, and with, the ribbing.

Eventually (which right now seems like it will take a while, until everybody is just rather tired of hearing about the "Fana Cardigan"), the facing will be sewn down on the inside to cover over the cut edges of the center front. Here is how the inside looks.

I have a little bit to go on it yet :-) Two fronts, the neckband, then the sleeves...
Ah, finishing. Yuck, but still more enjoyable than trying to find tonsils on a dead cat. That reminds me....I'd better go back to studying.

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

Walking with Scissors

Dear Cynthia,

I'm glad to hear that your Fair Isle hat class was a great success, and that you are spreading the knitting bug toward our ultimate pursuit of world peace. Also, congrats on a great finishing in the short program for your Olympic Knitting. (I'm still anxiously awaiting a full report from the president of the knitting olympics committee. I think she would have won gold, if not for that problem with needle size on the sleeve. B-u-m-m-e-r ! ) In any case, your hat looks so fun, and well done!...and, let's not forget, finished!!

Speaking of "finishing", progress on the Fana Cardigan has been hanpered by real-life events that required more immediate attention (such as illness, dh being out of town for a couple of days, and oh yes, laundry and cooking), though it has not been stalled completely. I blocked the pieces:
Then I stitched four lines of machine stitching along the center front ribbing edges:

Then I cut (**gasp**) the knitting, being extremely careful to not accidently slice through both front and back, which would have been a nightmare only slightly less frightening than one about teaching a class full of 30 people how to do corrugated ribbing complicated by the fact that only seven of them have materials:

I'm currently working on the ribbing and facing for the right side (and since I have a test tomorrow evening, this is prime keep-myself-from-studying-by-knitting time). I'll show you progress on the front edges tomorrow. It's no secret that I don't like the finishing work on knitting projects, and this particular project has a significant amount of it. My son is kind of excited about it, though, so I'm staying motivated to get it completed. Plus, I have my eyes on a couple of my "next" projects which I (repeat after me) "can't begin until my other wip's are finished."

Well, I should go "study" for my test...
Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

Reporting in...

But first, I think that the scarf your sil made is beautiful! I'm with you...now I want to try Entrelac, but my WIP list is already out of control.

So, Saturday's class on the Fair Isle-type hat. First, as a demonstration of how nervous I was about this, I should tell you about the nightmare that got me out of bed an hour early! I dreamt that after I got all of the students assembled and settled down a bit, the room seemed really full, and there were a lot of faces I didn't recognize. I did a quick head count...30. That can't be right, try again....30. Third try...30.

Now, we had 7 people signed up for this class. And it makes a difference because we were supplying the yarn in a kit, included in the price of the class as a materials fee. If an individual had bought skeins of yarn for this hat, it would have cost over $120. Sure, you can get four hats from that yarn, but who wants to sink that much money into yarn for a class? So the owners wound the skeins into smaller balls and made kits, so that students got the yarn for one hat for $30. However, splitting 18 skeins into 72 balls took them most of a whole day. So, in my dream, having 23 extra people show up was a true nightmare!!

Fortunately, when I got to the store, that did not happen. I taught the second session of a mitten class, and then gathered my SEVEN students and began. I "gently shoved them off a cliff!" I read them excerpts from your post & comments so that they knew their lives were about to change! I had to laugh tho that you had to tell me to have them purl with their right hand. I'm so used to doing it with my left that it hadn't occurred to me. What I told them was to carry the blue yarn in the hand you usually use and purl the way you normally do.

There were some tense moments (every so often I would have them put down their needles and take a deep breath!!) but in the end, everyone had at least 1/2 of the ribbing done and several people were starting the pattern rows. Even those who were doubtful after the first half a round had settled in to a sense of "Ok, I can do this." Nancy, our most creative knitter (that's who you should talk to about color - she is amazing!) was pretty uncomfortable being boxed in doing a pattern. We all encouraged her that if she makes this hat, following the directions, she will have a new skill that she can use to do amazing things. I can't wait to see what she'll do!!

So, all in all, I think it was a successful class! Thanks for your advice and encouragement....I really appreciate it.

Keep knitting,

Cynthia (aka Designated Knitter)

Guest Artist

Dear Cynthia,

My sil sent me a picture of a scarf she made. It is Danica from Knitty. (Now I really want to try entrelec, too. Of course, there still is the list of works-in-progress I've published here, and so have witnesses, and then stupidly vowed in front of those same witnesses to finish all wip's before I can start anything new...) In any case, I thought you might enjoy having a look at the pic, too. She claims that it's not difficult, that you "just follow the directions", or something like that. It is knit from some handspun from the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool festival, having some variation in color from one end to the other, contrasted with a solid color Blackberry Ridge yarn. Isn't it lovely?! Perhaps someday you or my sil could give me a tutorial on (successfully) picking out exotic fun yarns for new projects. I tend to gravitate toward the "standards"...

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

Priorities

Dear Cynthia,

My priority this week should have been the test I took last night, and it sort of was, but I've always found that study breaks are very important...so I don't hesitate to take them...which gave me some opportunity to make more progress on my second sleeve for the Fana Cardigan. I've started the star pattern at the top, then will block the pieces, sew some lines on the body, cut it (gasp), and assemble it. Stay tuned...

I'm interested in seeing any results you might have from the students in your class this weekend!! My vote would be to teach them the corrugated ribbing right off the bat (that's how I learned knitting with two hands -- a gentle shove off the edge of a cliff). There will be struggles, there will be very little progress during the first week, but your students will be changed forever. And, on the corrugated ribbing, I'd have them do the purl stitches with their right hand yarn, knitted stitches with the left, unless they've lost their minds and are brave enough to take on purling continental style at the same time, but as I've mentioned before, that would put me into traction.

I'm also dreaming of my next project, thinking possibly something like this in the near future, leaning toward the light blue colorway. How do you think that would look with a crew neckline? Or, possibly hemmed? I know that the turtleneck as shown would really bother my sensitive skin, and I would definitely have to wear a cotton turtleneck underneath it... Of course, that Hardangervidda sweater is also tempting me, though perhaps in more of a medium blue colorway? Any thoughts?

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

Always a change of plans....

I got a call on Tuesday that the materials for my Olympic short program wouldn't be ready until today. I picked it up afer work and I was able to cast on. I'm gonna give it a shot, but it's gonna be iffy. Here's a picture of the first three rows of corrugated ribbing.

This is the Stained-Glass Hat from Green Mountain Spinnery. I'm anxious to see the progress.






I'd like your advice about class that I'm teaching this Saturday. All but one of the students will be knitting continental for the first time. The hat pattern has several variations to start out with. You can do a single color "rolled brim" before you start the color work OR you can start with a two-color corrugated rib. I'm concerned that joining and knitting the first row in two colors may be just a little nerve-wracking. Plus if we do the rolled brim, I don't have to teach Continental purling!! And I could have them knit the first rows of stockinette Continental, which would give them some practice. You were in their shoes at one point...which do you advise??

I do have a serious need to have a completed project done soon, so I dedicated my last two lunch hours to finishing my red/white striped scarf. (Oh, I have to interject this - I thought of it when I type "striping." I recently saw a calendar of classes that included both socks & mittens using "self-stripping" yarn!!) Anyway, it is off the needles and only needs to be blocked and fringe added.




Well, off to bed - wish I could figure out how to knit AND sleep....

Keep knitting!

Cynthia (aka Designated Knitter)

The Key to Knitting Fast

Dear Cynthia,

You're correct, that when I'm knitting with two colors, I hold one strand of yarn in each hand. I've tried knitting with both colors in my left hand, using the trick in which the middle finger separates them on the inside, and they both then slide over the top of the first finger. If it had been for more than a couple of rows, I would have required traction, because I still very much favor "throwing" my yarn to "picking" it....so, in fact, I carry whichever color has the fewest stitches (in the row) in my left hand. I also take extreme care to make sure that my carries on the back of the work are quite loose. In fact, often I think they might be too loose, because I really work hard to make sure they allow for a little stretch in the knitted piece. It all seems to come out in the wash, literally..... Anyway, thank you for your very kind comments!

I was glad to hear that you have found a way to switch directions and yet maintain respectibility in the Knitting Olympics! I still commend your extreme efforts and your incredible progress in such a short time, and note that you are in good company with many of your fellow knit-thletes. I'm anxious to see how the Yarn Harlot's sweater looks, and whether or not she will finish on time. I love the pattern she chose, and I actually own that pattern (Dale book 126), so perhaps once my backlog is out of the way..... In the meantime, all I have is this to show you: The start of the second sleeve for the Fana Cardigan. (This sweater marks the beginning of what I think might be a love affair with Dale of Norway patterns.) And, regarding the speed of working on this project, I have three words for you: Child's size 8.

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

Be careful with that snow shovel!

Ouch! Yes, you are right, shoveling snow can certainly bring on a back injury faster than knitting. I remember my last place had a very LONG sidewalk that was uphill all the way. My original back injury happened after a big snow storm. Normally I would counsel that snow shoveling is a job for your husband, since you do have your knitting to consider, but since I know he has already blown a disc.....you may have to go tech and get a snow blower!

While I don't believe the point of this is shoveling snow, remember this motto to live by: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Maybe a riding snow blower.....

Anyway, I hope your back is healing. Mine hasn't given me much problem for awhile, as long as I don't spend too much time just standing or bending. And since knitting requires neither of those positions, I'm doing just fine!

I think that your sweater looks amazing, and it's going really fast. You do fair-isle carrying the yarn in both hands, don't you? Do you enjoy that? You must, you do such great colorwork. I did the corrugated ribbing on the vest that way, but then switched to carrying both yarns in my left hand once I started the stockinette stitch. I'm thinking about doing more with both hands tho. I think it slows me down a bit, but it evens out the motion a bit and I think might cause less fatigue.

Oh, and my vote for the title of the book is "Don't Make Me Get My Knitting!" If it works for 2 squabbling boys, it should work for the rest of the world, which is, in the end, squabbling kids on a larger scale!! World Peace Through Knitting - Each One Reach One." We need a counter to track our "knitters reached!"

Knit carefully,

Cynthia (aka Designated Knitter)

Weather Woes

Dear Cynthia,

Perhaps we are zeroing in on the subject matter for our book. I loved your suggestions about having knitting stops along the sides of the roads. It would get us one step closer to our mutual goal of converting the whole world to knitters and thereby achieving world peace. Some working titles for said book might be, "Taking Knitting Beyond Garments and Accessories", or, "How I Achieved Sanity One Stitch at a Time", or, "Don't Make Me Get My Knitting!", or, "Knitting for Peace"... There's still time for us to figure this out...

Thank you for your responses to my query about which yarn was a different dye lot. The prize for accurateness goes to Lauren, because she figured it out, though you're all winners for trying, especially since the prize isn't very tangible. Also, Lauren has my deepest appreciation for being the first person to leave a comment on any one of my posts. It's sort of like the dollar which is framed and hung by the check-out register as the first buck ever earned by a new business...

My back was feeling better, so I was knitting for a while yesterday. It was a perfect day for it, because it was snowing, a lot. It snowed so much, in fact, that schools were closed, and at about 4:00pm they closed the university, something that rarely happens since most students here do not commute. In any case, I shovelled four inches of snow. Then, later in the day, I shovelled nine inches of snow. Then, even later in the day, I realized that shovelling snow can cause a back injury much, much faster than knitting can. And so, my upper back just really, really hurts, no matter how I sit or stand or lie down. Since I can clearly blame the shovelling this time around, I decided to keep knitting through the pain. (Possibly I was inspired by the woman skier who injured herself in her downhill run, and participated in the slalom runs in great pain. Never mind that she fell and disqualified herself on her second run. It was the spirit of the thing, right? In any case, my pain is probably no match for hers, but it gives me a great appreciation for people who have pain like this chronically.)

Where was I.... Oh yes, knitting through the pain. And so, I have the body portion of the Fana Cardigan off of the needles. It doesn't look like a cardigan yet, but with a little sewing machine action and with some front ribbing, it will. There was one glaring mistake in the pattern, which I found one row after I knit it, so not too bad to correct it, and all is better now.

The snow has been cleared from the streets and driveways, and is so pretty to look at, and there is soooooo much! I'd take a picture of it to show you, but the temperatures have dropped remarkably today, and even though we keep our house at 66F, the difference in temperature between inside and outside exceeds 75 degrees, even more if you include wind chill, and perhaps I'll wait until a day when I'm feeling more adventurous and less like a middle-aged woman who has gone soft.

I'm off to take some more ibuprofen. In the meantime, knit on!
Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

The Knitter's Disabled List..

Dear Laura:

Wow! I really enjoyed the tour of your knitting spots! You did an excellent job of establishing a focal point for your room…and I love how you use knitting in your parenting.

Not just parenting – it’s a safe driving skill! More people should pull over and knit when they’re upset, someone cuts them off in traffic, or they just can’t handle the stress of “bumper-to-bumper” any more. Perhaps we should lobby to have “Rest Areas” upgraded to “Knitting Zones.” A place to not only take a potty break, but also browse some yarns, replace a lost cable needle, sip a cup of coffee and knit for 1/2 hour. The vending machines have Koigu, Cascade 220, Blackberry Ridge… Add a play area for the kids. (Maybe with one of those “nannies” on duty! J) Make the world a better place…..



Sorry…drifted off into a utopian daydream there.

I’m sorry to hear about your injury. I know it’s difficult to not knit. I remember that one summer I struggled with tendonitis in my right arm, but I resisted the idea of not knitting. At about that time, one of my favorite pitchers went on the “DL” because of tendonitis. I decided that if he could do it, I could do it. So now when I need to, I’m able to “go on the DL” and rest.

Oh, and my guess for which of the four wound balls is not like the other?? I'm going to have to guess the front one, but that could just be the angle of the photo....otherwise I'm not sure....

Take care of your back!

Cynthia (aka Designated Knitter)

One of these things is not like the other...

Dear Cynthia,

I can't spend too many more days "not knitting", or I'll go crazy. My back is improving, so I'll start knitting (with frequent breaks) again tomorrow. In the meantime, I am making some preparations for more knitting by winding some yarn today.

Which one of these things just doesn't belong?





<--These are all the same dye lot -- If you guessed that the center-pull ball is different, then you're right!!!! (You may have noticed that being a stay-at-home mom to two small boys has influenced my thought processes....)

This one's a little tougher. Which one of these things just doesn't belong?

Three of these hanks are one dye lot; the fourth is a different dye lot. When I was buying the additional yarn, there were two different dye lots at the shop to choose from, and the other was decidedly much more "yellow". In the light of day, the one I bought seemed to be pretty close. I'm hoping the difference is beyond detection by the naked eye for the sweater I blogged about yesterday. Anybody?? Answer to be revealed in my next post.

Have a great Wednesday!
Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

Places I knit

Dear Cynthia,

Your fuzzy feet look so fun (and by "fuzzy feet", I am totally referring to your knitting, and nothing else)! And, the progress for your vest for the Knitters Olympics looks excellent! You "tagged" me at the perfect time: I believe I am suffering from a knitting injury (upper back pain), and am now convinced I totally made the right decision to not enter the olympics, and so now will not have to be subjected to any potentially embarrassing situations involving press conferences in which I explain why I am dropping out now after the games have already started.

In any case, to participate in the "tag", since I don't have a lot of new knitting to show you, and because I have an injury, today I bring you pictures of the places in which today I am not knitting. Here I am not knitting in our recliner. Notice the knitting bag sitting within arms' reach, so it is difficult to just sit there and not knit, but my upper back just hurts so much that it is actually worth trying to restrain myself. Notice also the two "Stitch n Bitch" books sitting on top of the table, which I got from the library, and which I always have something piled on top of in order to keep my dear son, a kindergartener who is reading beyond my expectations, from absorbing a new word into his vocabulary.

Then, here is a picture of the couch, located at an angle, just on the other side of the knitting bag. Notice how all furniture in the room has been placed around the knitting bag. I've read that when decorating, one should find a "focal point" in the room...

Here are the two front seats of our van. Right now I am not knitting from the passenger seat when my dh is driving, generally only on long trips, because though I usually don't actually say, "quiet, I'm counting", I know I give off that aura, so during short trips, I try to focus on other things and be an active participant in my family. Sometimes, too, in special circumstances involving two small boys who are fighting, screaming, or throwing things, and when my back was feeling better, I have been known to knit from the drivers' seat. Prior to the kids and me all piling into the van, all it takes is my utterance of the words "okay, well, I'm BRINGING MY KNITTING ALONG" for my dear sons to say, "Nooooo, Mommy, nooooooo", because they know, then, that they can carry-on forever as we are parked next to the side of the road (and they have done this) and I am doing my own thing (and smiling inside about it) until the commotion has reduced to a level more safe for a mother-on-the-edge to resume driving.

And, here is one more unfinished project, which I will not be knitting today, from all of the locations shown above. It is a cardigan for me, of my own design, rather plain, and it will have a front zipper and be so warm, made out of leftover nubby wool (bulky) from Blackberry Ridge. Unfortunately, there weren't enough leftovers for an entire sweater, so I purchased additional yarn from a different dye lot, so this will also be an exercise in detecting differences in dye lots, and if found, using subtle "stripes" in order to even the color out. More on that potential disaster later.

Well, I'd better stop "sitting" so long, too, as I've read that that could also be causing my upper back pain, so I'll leave you with nice wishes for a Happy Tuesday!

Warm regards,
Laura (aka YarnThrower)

Stopping to stretch....

Dear Laura:

Thanks for your input and encouragement. Today is going better, and I'm not going to stress about the fact that it looks small for another couple of days. I am confident in my gauge, and I do think it is about being crunched up on the needles.

But you have to stop to stretch!!

So I have a "truly finished" object to display. I knitted a fun pair of fuzzy feet for my niece, but they hadn't been felted yet. I haven't been felting in my washing machine because it is a new type - it's a top load machine but the tub is like a front load, so there is no agitator. They say that it isn't as hard on your clothes, which is a plus for laundry, but I'm not so sure about felting. (Or fulling...as they say is a more correct term!) Plus it locks once the cycle starts, so it's more of a pain to keep checking the project.

I usually use my mom's machine upstairs, but it had been out of commission. When Kayla got here today to clean, I decided to do a quick job on the slippers, and then we formed them to her feet. So here they are, in all their bright fuzzy glory!



Ok, back to knitting now!

Designated Knitter