Blast from the past

I finished the monkey socks last night but you'll just have to take my word for it. I don't have any magnificent photos (of these magnificent socks) to show you yet. The official photo shoot is still being arranged.

Even though these socks are knit in a vibrant shade of solid pink, which you know is my favorite color, it occurred to me that perhaps these socks would be better knit in a multi-color, hand painted yarn. I think the multi would camouflage a multitude of flaws (real or imagined) that happen to stand out on the solid color yarn. Again, I'm being much too hard on myself. After all, who is going to notice slight imperfections except for me? That my ssks on the left side look better than the k2togs on the right side? Who really cares anyway? Perhaps that is the exact charm of knitting...that it doesn't look machine made. Isn't that what EZ always said?




Now for the blast from the past:




Last weekend, as I was going through some boxes that had been in storage, I came across an unfinished halter top from probably 20 years ago. I'm almost certain that I started it when we still lived in California and we moved to the PNW in 1991.

Well it looked like it would be perfect little top for Alice. All I can tell you about the pattern is that it's from an old Vogue Knitting that I no longer possess. The yarn is cotton in a lovely lilac color with pink and blue flecks purchsed from a yarn shop in Albany, CA that is no longer in business. 

It’s a testament to my maturity as a knitter that I could complete this halter in about an hour. It only needed a few rows of ribbing on the bottom and the two back ties. As a matter of fact, I was working on it as the lights dimmed for “No Country 4 Old Men”. So all in all, it only took about 20 years and one hour to make. I was so much older then; I’m younger than that now.

Mississippi

Laughing Planet, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

Alice and I checked out the trendy Mississippi Avenue on Saturday. I haven't been there in years and I must say it's really been built up and gentrified as they say. We had a great time nonetheless indulging in our favorite pastime of going out to lunch. Alice is pictured here at the Laughing Planet just before we decided to sit outside and enjoy the February heat wave.

In knitting news, I finished the Hemlock Ring Blanket – over two weeks ago actually.

It took time to block...

...and it's not an easy item to photograph. My hats off to BT for capturing the blanket's true magnificence with his awesome photography.

In the final stretch to finish the February socks, of course I got distracted by a project I saw on Yarn Harlot's website. I already had the yarn so I cast on and I was off and running. Haste makes waste as they say and after a few mistakes I pulled it off the needles and it's a good thing too! I now see that it's much too small and I need to cast on for the bigger (large) size. I also intend to make it longer which suits me. No matter, it knits up really fast on the big needles and once Adrienne (at Close Knit) helped me with the "wrap 3" stitch, I had the pattern memorized. I am resolved to begin again once I have the socks complete by the end of the week.

In addition I have my "mindless" project of the Shetland Triangle to keep me happily occupied. It always elicits "oohs" and "ahs" from passers by. I leave you now with a parting quote from the ReBuilding Center on Mississippi Avenue which could be applied to knitting I suppose…

I forgot all about this project

mitered square, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

It's going to be a great big blanket...someday.

Some Knitting for V-Day

Pink Oven Mitt Cascade 128, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I wanted to make a post for Valentine's Day and pay tribute to one of my favorite colors: pink, of course! It's fitting that the oven mitt sits on the car seat because that is where Cynthia sat as she looked through the oven mitts last night and eventually decided to buy the pink one along with two others.

I'll make more. I always do. However, there's a wee problem. Not only is the j-o-b cutting into knitting time, so is the intense, almost debilitating shoulder pain I've been experiencing recently. Everyone tells me to go to the doctor but without health insurance that's not likely to happen anytime soon. So I'm trying to baby my shoulder by mousing with my left hand, using ergonomics, pain relievers and rest.

Well, actually, instead of resting, I started a new BT project: the Shetland Triangle:


Knit in Karabella vintage cotton I'll confess that this one was a little tricky at the onset despite what everyone on Ravelry says about it being so easy. However, now that I'm well into the pattern, I have to say that's it quite addicting. I know that I've made at least one mistake but Janet exclaimed "Who will see it in that pattern!" and she's right. So I'll not cave into my OCD tendencies to rip it back (this fiber is too slippery to frog!) and do my best to ignore the mistake –if I can ever find it again! Happy V-Day everyone.

PS Today was so spring like that the sensation to completely drop my knitting threatened to overcome me. Happens every year when the weather warms up and eventually it does become too hot to knit but that usually doesn't happen until August heat waves.

I'm knitting as fast as I can

Buddha, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I hope to have some finished items by the end of the week. I hope! In the meantime, peace baby!

The short row heel conquered...and other knitting news

Lovely short row heel, originally uploaded by alicethelma.

I think I have finally conquered the short row heel technique – doesn’t it look great? I followed misocrafty’s excellent tutorial which made all the difference. Now I’m flogging myself because I think the area where the heel joins the foot again is less than stellar. Seriously who is going to care or even notice except me, right?

Meanwhile, progress on the Hemlock Ring Blanket continues and I’m almost at the border. I’m actually enjoying the endless, mindless and meditative knitting. Don’t have to think too hard about this one...yet.

Yesterday I dropped in on Close Knit on Alberta Street only to discover, to my delight, that they were having a sale. Like I need more yarn right? I don’t but who can resist? The beautiful Karabella vintage cotton is going to be a Shetland Triangle which I am just itching to start. I had been searching for just the right color and it was love at first sight.

And last but not least, a tease. I give you “tentacles”, a top secret project. Shhhh.