Mambo, Baby, Mambo

The last days of 2006 linger, like a snippet of song heard from the car next to yours, left floating on the breeze as the light changes and the car moves off. The tune stays in your head, though, even as you move forward, delighting in the promise of a new year.

For me, knitting-wise, this year's tune has been a Cal Tjader mambo. Upbeat, lively, its percussion got my fingers moving and its vibes added soul to every stitch I made. Here are the highlights:

1. The Knitting Olympics - What a blast to connect with other knitters around the world and learn a new technique at the same time. Several of the women in my knitting group also participated; three of us learned to knit lace by making knitty's Branching Out scarf.

2. Intarsia - Another new technique learned by joining the Wobbly Circles Tote KAL in the spring. The KAL itself was lackluster, but the framework it provided kept me motivated to finish this behemoth of a felted bag. (Seriously, the thing turned out huge.) It also made me realize that I can spend the rest of my knitting life not doing another intarsia project and that will be just fine.

3. Lace - After finishing my Branching Out scarf, I discovered I was addicted to lace. Casting around this summer, I found Sivia Harding's Yahoo group, joined up and participated in their ongoing Diamond Fantasy Shawl KAL. Sivia actively participates on the list, and responds to almost every post. The other knitters share wonderful tips, there are great FAQs pages for newbie lacers like moi, and Sivia's patterns are well written and easy to do. A fantastic experience all around.

This fall I also joined the Lacevember KAL, which was also a great KAL. Already I'm looking forward to next year.

4. Knitdevil - After six months (!) of hemming and hawing, I finally began blogging in September. Now I can't believe I didn't do it earlier, as it's become such a big part of my knitting world. And friends - thanks for reading, leaving comments, and enriching my life. It's good to know ya.

5. Pasadena Daytimers SnB - While our knitting group disbanded this fall, it was great fun while it lasted. I learned a lot and laughed even more. Thanks, knitsisters.


A few other musical notes - I finished my first adult sweater, and am tickled that it fits me. I'm learning how to make socks. I'm over my Kid Silk Haze crush. I knit a bunch of stuff for my sister and a poncho for my niece. I learned how to dye with Kool Aid. I tallied up my stash, and realized I have way too much Jo Sharp Kid Comfort but not nearly enough worsted weight wool. I bought a spinning wheel. My one UFO from this year is a Jess Hutch toy; all it needs is its arms and legs. I fell in love with handdyed sock yarn. I swatched for five sweaters, and none of them worked out well enough for me to start knitting them. Felting is comforting. I crocheted a baby blanket.

And now, time to move on. Happy 2007! May the music it brings be your favorite song.

So, What Did Santa Leave You?

Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday, and you're settling back into regular life with a rosy glow of contentment. Me, I'm just glad I survived the wackiest Christmas I've ever had. (Some kindly advice gleaned from this weekend: Never allow a childhood friend of your husband's - whom your husband hasn't really spent any time with in twenty years - who is going through a dreadful divorce, talks non-stop about himself, and 1) doesn't pay for anything or 2) bring one measly Christmas present to spend the holidays with you. It can really tax a person's holiday cheer.)

But, after the houseguest from hell left bright and early yesterday morning, and the strains of his truck stereo blaring the Eagles at ear splitting volume faded into the distance, Tom and I heaved a sigh of relief and settled down to our Christmas proper. We called family, prepared a righteous prime rib (Tom's favorite special meal), drank wassail (one of his family traditions that I enjoy, too), admired our presents, relaxed and watched a movie after dinner. Lovely.

Again, no knitting content, as I haven't had any time to pick up my needles this past week. But my head is chockablock full of ideas for the coming year. A good few involve my conquering the sock, and I have a feeling Lucy and I will be getting to know each other pretty well.

I'll also be knitting some cables, learning how to Fair Isle, and making one of these. Can't wait!

Twinkle, Twinkle

Today is the winter solstice, and, on this shortest day of the year, I offer bright blessings to you and your families. May you all be surrounded by light and joy, now and in the coming year.

Here at Casa Knitdevil, holiday preparation superceded everything else this past week. We got a late start this year, but things are in hand - the tree up and decorated; the outside lights up; the cards written and sent; the gifts bought, wrapped and sent/placed under the tree. Cookie baking commenced yesterday, and will continue through the weekend. I was just beginning to relax a bit, when we got a phone call from a childhood friend of Tom's. He's going through a rough spot, and will be joining us for Christmas. Tom is excited he's coming, and I see it as a chance to get lots of knitting done while they're out and about. (I'm also supposed to be getting a Webs gift certificate to help diffuse the stress of having a guest whom I don't really know in the house over the holiday. Yes, I'm bribable.)

On the knitting front there's very little to report, due to the aforementioned holiday blitzkrieg. One lone FO.


Pattern: Felted Striped Tote from One Skein
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Avocado, Carrot, Chestnut, Evergreen and Fern
Needles: Options US 10 1/2
Mods: Made the handles more substantial by doubling the number of rows
Rating: Yep, I'd make it again


I'm calling this bag my leftovers bag, since 1) the yarn is from this, and 2) the yarn colors are named after food. Well, except for evergreen. But, I've heard you can eat fiddlehead fern buds in the springtime, so the fern qualifies. And lots of veggies are dark (ever)green, like chard and spinach. Anyway, enough with the digression. I like how the stripes look, but what's with that wonky right corner? In retrospect, the bottom seam looks off kilter, but whatever. I'll load this puppy up with all my purse stuff, and you won't be able to tell a thing. And this is a great pattern for using up those feltable odds and ends in your stash.

* * *

Finally, Mehitabel has tagged me to reveal six weird things about myself:

1. I've never seen a reality tv show. (when my knitting group talks about Project Runway, I daydream about him)
2. I can't say the alphabet backwards.
3. When doing laundry, I have to fold our t-shirts a specific way. Tom folds them the opposite way, and it drives me so crazy I always have to refold the ones he folds. This folding mania applies only to t-shirts; with the rest of the laundry I'm totally laissez faire, and however it gets in the drawers is fine.
4. I love the smell of wet wool.
5. I have a calaveras folk art collection and tattoo.
6. My sense of humor is unusual and, well, dark. For example, I'm one of probably two people out there (the other being Tom - thank goodness we found each other) who really likes the movie Death to Smoochy.

Happy holidays!

Where's My Aluminum Foil Hat?

Crafting Morrighana has a contest running right now, and last week I decided I'd participate. Easy, I thought. All you have to do is count how many balls of yarn you have. That won't take any time at all. It's not like I have a lot or anything.

Cue to this afternoon. I dragged out my tubs o' yarn and began tallying.

After 2 hours it became clear that reality is a little different than my understanding of it. How? Well, after counting, and counting, and counting, and then rechecking my numbers twice, I learned that I have 600 skeins/balls/hanks of yarn. Six hundred. Most of which were purchased over the last three years. Kinda mindblowing.

It must be aliens. They're totally messing with me. There's been no bright lights, or time standing still, or any of the other, er, less pleasant side effects linked with alien visitation, but how else to explain that huge number?

Yep, aliens. With some sort of mind control device, that clicks on whenever I visit a yarn store. That must be what's going on. Now, please excuse me while I go check for data chip implants.

What I'm Doing Today

Thank you, Mehitabel.

Jayne Hat

To round off and finish up the Buffy/Angel/Firefly jag I've been on, I tracked down a photo of my good buddy DD (fellow Buffy fan and co-owner of the infamous Wax Trax Records - if you're ever in Denver go check 'em out) trying on (see the gift tag still attached?) the Jayne hat I made him last winter. Cunning, eh?

Pattern: Jayne hat from the television series Firefly, episode The Message; available as a kit here or a pattern here, here
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Bulky in Autumn Harvest, Sunburst Gold and Rust
Needles: US 10 1/2 16" circs (Addis) and dpns
Mods: For the earflap decreases I subbed ssk's on one side. Also changed something else about how I did the earflaps - maybe how I picked up stitches? - but don't really remember now
Rating: 5 by 5

Call me a total dork, but this project was fun. I was so lazy I just bought the kit from Heather - I think the deciding factor was she even makes the pompom for you - and whipped it up in an evening. This is the first - and probably? hopefully? the last - time I've ever knit clothing from a tv series. Kinda surreal, especially after I googled and saw how many Jayne hats are out there. But fun. See? Dork.

Dish

One of the things I love most about Los Angeles is its modern architecture. From the deco sweep of City Hall to the fresh crispness of Neutra's Silverlake homes, from the whimsical googie shapes of Pann's coffee shops to the weightiness of Frank Lloyd Wright's Mayan-inspired concrete block mansions, LA has some great design going on.

This exuberant design aesthetic can be found inside buildings, too, and one of the most ubiquitous examples of this is California Pottery. From the late 1880s to the 1960s, ceramics companies flourished in California, and one of the grand dames of that time was the J.A. Bauer Pottery Company. (Bauer: Classic American Pottery by Mitch Tuchman and California Pottery: From Missions to Modernism by Bill Stern are good places to read more; also, any of Jack Chipman's books) Bauer's dishes - glazed turqoise, cobalt, yellow and orange in the 1930s - are a little slice of the sunny California Dream. Once everyday crockery selling for pennies, these dishes now collect high prices on ebay.

Despair not, however, because a few years ago Bauer was reborn as a new ceramics studio. The folks running it have reintroduced some of the original pieces, concentrating mainly on reproducing designs from the 1930s and 40s. All those collectors out there paying seventeen bajillion dollars for their oilpots may recoil in horror at this "new" Bauer, but I love it. For one, it offers a viable way of owning some of these great ceramic pieces. For another, it perpetuates a part of Los Angeles history. And, to make things even better for thrifty crafty folk like you and me, every December they run a year-end holiday sale where they offer irregulars at dirt cheap prices and regular stock at 10% off. (The sale runs for the next two weekends, so if you need a last minute holiday gift - or just love good dish - you still have time to go.)


It has been several years since Tom and I went to the sale, but yesterday Sknitty, Tom and I popped in first thing. Their warehouse is a funny little building tucked behind some other industrial warehouses at the end of a cul de sac. Inside are shelves bursting with dishes and serious shoppers roaming among them. I only had a few things on my list, and came away with the most important: these adorable food bowls for our kitty Maggie and a 9" yellow nesting bowl to replace the one I've chipped badly.



To recharge the batteries, we then boogied on over to Eat Well and had a full-on breakfast. Once back home, trying to stave off a nap, I wet blocked the pink sweater, worked a couple of rows on Hanging Garden and dug into the felted striped bag from One Skein. What a glorious Sunday.

Slay Me

There hasn't been any stash enhancement around here for a while, so it was lots of fun to receive an order from Connie at Pick Up Sticks today. A couple of weeks ago I was trawling for Sweet Georgia sock yarn, and felt like I'd hit the motherlode when I found Connie's site. Especially since there were colorways listed as Angel...and Firefly...and Willow. Hmm, I thought, I wonder if Sweet Georgia's a Joss Whedon fan. Then I clicked on another page, and there was the Slayer colorway. Yep, she most definitely is.

And so am I. In fact, back when the shows were on, a couple friends and I used to get together on Tuesday nights to knit, crochet and watch the Scooby Gang battle the forces of evil. We called it our Post-Feminist Craft Night aka Buffy Night, and it was good times. With that personal history, I just had to buy these Buffy the Vampire Slayer-themed colorways. So I did.


Slayer (in Speed Demon Sock/superwash merino) is a kick ass blood red with black overtones.


Angel (in Handpainted Sock/100% merino) is a variegated black/grey/red/white. After I placed my order I found Sweet Georgia's blog, and love how she describes this colorway: "Angel: a little bit of bleeding heart, a lot of brooding."


Willow (in Speed Demon Sock/superwash merino) is a pretty light green (almost chartreuse) with brown and white splotches.

And not only did I get my super fun yarn, but Connie also included a great project bag and a "Sell Your Sole" (!) sock pattern which uses the Speed Demon Sock yarn. So if you've a hankering for some sock yarn, I'd recommend Pick Up Sticks. They are based in Ontario, Canada, so delivery time is a little longer than Priority Mail (Connie processed my order immediately, and it took 11 days to arrive), but I expected that with the international mail. I've already got my eye on that Firefly colorway - and check out the Kill Bill - and will definitely be ordering from her again.

Speaking of superheroines, Mary gets a great big thanks for teaching me to turn the heels on my Monster Mash 'practice' socks. (Remember them?) I'm still trying to get my head around sock theory. It's hard. But Mary's been very patient, and has gone over - and over - with me how to do a short row heel. I think it's beginning to stick. Maybe. A little. As proof, here's a shot of the good side of the one heel I've done so far.


The other side (the side where I do the p3tog stitches) is a different story. I dropped a stitch, and was too lazy to rip back and redo things, so that side has two honking huge holes. There are also weird stitches with a bar across them; I don't think I'm doing my purl yarnovers correctly and have to check that. This week's homework is to finish the other heel, so I can finish this practice pair and start a 'real' pair with some of this cool yarn. It might not be as big as saving the world, but conquering the sock shall be sweet indeed.

Tickled Pink

Thanksgiving weekend is winding down, and I hope everyone has had a great holiday. Tom and I went into it rather haphazardly, and almost ate out on Thursday. But we rallied at the last moment, and managed to cook and enjoy our turkey feast. Since then we've been eating leftovers and puttering around at home. Last night we took a drive, and saw a bunch of houses on our street have their holiday lights up; as I write this, Tom is putting ours up, too. I've started to drag out the Yule decorations, and will attend to those this evening. Break out the egg nog - the holidays are upon us.


In between the turkey sandwiches and the subsequent napping I've knit the pieces of my niece's pink sweater. It's a cardigan found in The Yarn Girls Guide to Knits for Older Kids (p. 74). I love how it's turning out. The pink is righteously pink, and the red cuffs are a perfect contrast. (I'm making it in the recommended colors, which is something I hardly ever do.) The yarn is Tahki's Baby, a funky chunky knit. I'm weaving in ends now, and tomorrow will hit my LYS for some wool tapestry thread to sew up the seams. I hope to finish this week, although finding the perfect buttons for it might take a bit longer. (I'm one of those crazy people who just has to have the right buttons.) Through no planning of mine, it's looking like a holiday knit. I love it when a project comes together like this!

Row 38

Wow, Mary is right: After yesterday's black sweater purge, I do feel a lot better. (Isn't it funny how a misguided project can just suck the fun right out of your knitting?) So much so that I knit with a vengeance last night on Hanging Garden...and actually have something to show for it. Yes, I'm up to row 38 of the second repeat. See it there? Right by row 37? Cool, eh?


Lacevember continues to inspire. A good number of people are posting FOs now, and it's fun to see what everyone has been working on during the month. There's a broad range of skill levels, and some of the people are downright amazing; they've knit an intricate lace shawl in a week or two. What a great superpower to have.

Also inspiring is Jane Sowerby's Victorian Lace Today. Oh my goodness. What a gorgeous book. My little lace knitting newbie heart just goes pitter pat whenever I open it up.

And from the sublime to the confusing...the spring Knitscene preview is up. And while I'd like to be impartial and discuss the entire issue, all I can say is...WTF is with that giant baby bottle?! Am I the only person whose mind just flips to envisioning it used in some kinky fetishistic way? (didn't they see that episode of CSI?) Ahem. Oh, yeah, Kat Coyle's Cabaret Capelet is cute. And Kate Gilbert's Strawberry Clutch is kitsch used for good instead of evil. But that baby bottle just has me scratching my head.

Failure

A year ago, I told my sister I'd knit her a sweater. After shooting emails back and forth asking her what she'd like, I learned that black was her color of choice and that she was "doing matron" these days. I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but settled on a vintage-inspired cardigan pattern I found in the Fall 2005 issue of Knitter's Magazine. Called Lucy, I figured it was as safe as sweaters come. I bought some Jaeger Matchmaker Merino Aran from elann and swatched. I went through some gauge issues. I sorted those out and began knitting. Almost immediately, I realized I hated the yarn, but I kept on, thinking maybe I was just being persnickety. Immediately after that, the miles of black stockinette began to bore me to tears. But, doggedly I kept on. I was going to make this sweater, darn it. So, I knit and I knit, and finished the body and sleeves.

I hated it. I stuffed it in the back of my yarn closet and forgot about it. Every once in a while, someone from my knitting group would ask about it, but as the months passed people forgot about it and the questions stopped. Then, last night, I figured maybe it's aged enough and is ripe for blocking. I pulled it out, and began sewing in the loose ends. I went to bed, got up this morning and really looked at it.

I hate it. Fuzzy, blurry, stitches. Yucky yarn. There's no way I'm working on it one second longer, let alone giving this to my sister.

Jaeger Matchmaker Merino Aran - 1, Knitdevil - 0.

Yoo Hoo Mr. DeMille

Pattern: Midwest Moonlight from Scarf Style (aka my Gloria Swanson scarf)
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in color 29, 2+ skeins
Needles: Takumi US 6
Mods: None
Rating: 5 stars

What a satisfying project. The yarn, the color, the pattern - all meshed like I wanted them to, creating an eye-popping chartreuse scarf. The lace pattern was easy, but held my attention, and zipped along. Things could've moved along even faster if I'd used slicker needles with the nubby yarn, but since I could finish a repeat in an hour, I figured what the heck and kept with the Takumis. (As a good friend says, I'm built for comfort, not for speed.) Still have to block the gal; I recently ordered a set of blocking wires from HandWorks Northwest, and am waiting for them to arrive.

And for the Sunset Boulevard fans out there, here's a closeup:



Immediately upon binding off the scarf last night, I cast on the hoodie (Kirstin from Melissa Leapman's Hot Knits) I'm making with all that Classic Elite Beatrice I bought from Webs a few weeks ago. I was feeling reckless, and subbed needles - Addis instead of KP Options, which split the yarn as I knit my swatch - and am much happier with the blunt-nosed Addis. I'll check gauge in a couple more inches, just to make sure, but right now I'm tempting the knitting gods by thinking things look pretty good.



This afternoon I'm letting the sweater be, though, and wrestling with Hanging Garden instead. In the time it took me last night to knit 3" on the sweater, I'm hoping to finish two rows of HG. Rather mind-boggling when you think about it, isn't it? And daunting, but I'm persevering. In fact, the other day Mehitabel and I were discussing how even though we like this pattern, it spurns our attention like a recalcitrant child and just doesn't get knit. Silly HG, don't you know, I can be stubborn, too.

Belated

I was waiting and waiting...and then I missed it. Oops. Well, what's a little residual spookiness between friends....

FO

Pattern: Purple People Eater Poncho, based loosely on this one
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky in color 9100, 3 plus a smidge balls; Lion Brand Fun Fur in color 112
Needles: Knit Picks Options US 10
Rating: 3 out of 5 skeins

This was, like, the easiest project ever. The hardest part was finding the pattern (thanks, Pasadena Daytimers, for sharing your patterns with me) and overcoming my *ahem* repugnance to ponchos (I'm with JenLa here) and novelty yarn; once these things were dealt with, the actual knitting occurred quickly. I'm disappointed in my sewing of the pieces together, but hope that my less than fantastic finishing will just be seen as funky and homemade instead of crappy. Ah, self-delusion - it's my friend. Plus, this poncho is for a kid, and thus its shelf life is way shorter than a Twinkie.

So, how'd I make it? Well, I knit two 11" x 22" rectangles lengthwise, and then sewed them together in a poncho-ish shape. My gauge was roughly 3.25 st/in. It might be a little loose, but I was afraid the garment would be too heavy if I went with a tighter gauge. Hopefully the thing won't sag, like, er, um, never mind. I reinforced the neck with a row of single crochet, and finally crocheted a FF row around the bottom edge to impart a little pizzazz. See, easy peasy.

This is the first project I've made using my Knit Picks Options needles, and I'm definitely in the love 'em camp. It's also the first time I've used Misti Alpaca, and boy, is it soft and squooshy. And how about the Fun Fur? Well, it's hot pink, and I have a lot left over, so if you need any, let me know.

Next up for the kid? A sweater made out of yarn that costs more than I've ever spent on yarn for an adult-sized sweater, let alone a child's. Holiday insanity must be striking early this year.

Purple People Eater

This week most of my knittin' time has been spent on, er, a couple of rectangles. They will soon be turned into a splendiferous poncho for my niece...and will be much more exciting when they're sewn together and then livened up with some pink and purple variegated Fun Fur around the bottom hem, doncha think?


I'm using Misti Alpaca Chunky in colorway 9100, as I was told by my sister that the poncho must be lavender and it must be soft. I've tweaked this pattern, knitting two 11"x22" rectangles lengthwise for the poncho proper. I'll sew them together this week, add a single-crochet border around the neck using the last of the Misti, crochet the Fun Fur around the bottom, and voila! zee Purple People Eater Poncho!

The rest of my knitting news is pretty ho hum. Ho - I'm on the 16th repeat of Midwest Moonlight - and hum - I'm still on the second repeat of Hanging Garden and the Monster Mash socks have been shelved this week for the poncho. At least they're all still keeping my interest...even if I am contemplating casting on another lace project. Darn Lacevember, getting me all excited about lace. Heh.

Day Trippin'

This past Sunday Sknitty, CatBookMom and I attended the Southern California Handweaver's Guild annual fall show and sale. The vibe was laid back and the attendees enthusiastic and friendly. And while most of the vendors obviously were geared toward spinners and weavers, a few booths were selling yarn and knitting supplies, too.


There were several highlights to the day. First and foremost was spinner/dyer extraordinaire Lori Lawson and her Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio booth o' yarny goodness. Sknitty and I had first seen and fallen in love with her yarn and roving at La Petite Knitterie this past summer. We were thrilled that Lori was at the show, and all of us oohed and aahed over her wares. I came away with two skeins of luscious merino/silk in Irish Moss, with which I will probably make fingerless gloves. (I bought two other skeins of the same yarn in a lovely burgundy/pink/sage colorway, but they've gone to live with Dim Sum Knitting.) I also bought some beige and green roving (baby camel/tussah silk) from Lori, and a couple of skeins of Claudia Hand Painted fingering in Navy Olive from Anacapa Fine Yarns. Also from Anacapa comes the cute black sheep tape measure.


We bought yarn, we ate lunch, we visited with some other bloggers, we watched some folks spinning, we sat and knit for a bit ourselves.


CBM and I watched the fashion show, and Sknitty and a pal (who joined us mid-day) modeled a couple of handwoven pieces. We went back and stalked Lori and bought more of her yarn.


Late in the day we participated in the raffle, and CBM won a skein of Schaefer's Laurel in tropical hues. You can see it there in the front, the vivid yellow and turqoise skein. And go visit her blog to read the funny story behind the dumpster diving involved. Then, after visiting Lori a third and final time (and yes, we bought more yarn), we headed home. Great friends, great fiber, great day.

Yarntini store update

Yarntini is restocking her etsy shop today at 7pm est. There will be some limited seasonal colorways, a couple of semi-solids and some original colors, too.

Bottoms up!

Lacevember Questionnaire

The knitting questions, or the usual suspects

+ How long have you been knitting? Off and on since I was six. Seriously for the past two years.
+ How did you learn to knit? My grandmother taught me.
+ Favorite thing about knitting? It offers me the opportunity to create something that is both beautiful and practical.
+ How long have you been knitting lace? My first lace project was knitty's Branching Out Scarf for the Knitting Olympics this February.
+ Favorite thing about knitting lace. Blocking. It's magical.



The yarn questions, or flash your stash

+ Favorite lace yarn? I've only finished two lace projects, so I don't have a favorite yet.
+ Variegated or solids for shawls? Solids.
+ Favorite lace color? Olive, chocolate brown, pumpkin, black. (I have no idea how I have all that pink Koigu!)



Technique, or show us your skillz

+ Circs or straights? Circs.
+ Favorite lace knitting trick? Spit splice/Russian join.
+ Lifelines? If so with what? Definitely. Unwaxed dental floss.
+ Fancy blocking wires, or just sewing pins stuck in your carpet? Pins stuck to the spare bed.

Pattern, or can you follow directions

+ Shawls or lacey items? Both.
+ Triangle, rectangle, or circular shawls? Rectangular.
+ Charts or printed instructions? Charts.
+ Favorite lace you've knit? Sivia Harding's Diamond Fantasy Shawl.
+ Favorite lace you want to knit? Evelyn Clark's Flower Basket Shawl...and at least ten others.

Just Fun, yup that's right, just for fun

+ Favorite jelly belly flavor? Licorice.
+ Tell me everything you know about Eric the Red..... Wasn't he the guy who played tuba in the high school marching band?
+ Coke, classic or with lime? Classic.
+ Holiday carols, sing along, or wish they would be banned from all public airwaves? Prefer to hum along in the privacy of my own home.
+ What is the definition of irony? You play the black and the red comes up.
+ How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? *crunch*
+ Why is my cat always puking in front of my son's bedroom door? Dunno.
+ What is your superhero power? My unerring ability to find a yarn store or a thrift shop, no matter where I am.
+ If the laundry is 9 foot by 11 foot (just dreaming, that's a big laundry room), and the walls are 8 feet tall, and you are going to tile the entire room in tiles that are 3 inches by 5 inches, what color should those tiles be? Turquoise and black.
+ What's for dinner tonight? Chicken curry with rice.
+ What is clogging my children's bathtub drain? Maybe your cat's puke? Eww.

One Down

Last night I finished the first repeat (out of 14) on my Hanging Garden Shawl. After the lifeline was run, happy dancing occurred. It's great to be able to see the pattern finally emerge, and I'm well chuffed with how my stitches look so far.



Lacevember has me all inspired, and I'm over my mental block about this project. Hopefully if I just pay attention to what I'm doing and not try to knit it when I'm tired the enthusiasm will continue...and since I'm an incredibly slow lace knitter, I expect it'll have to continue for another 2-3 months!



In knitsisterly news: Whimsical Knitting is having a fun photo contest. Check it out and send her your photos. How about that one of Howie sporting the, um, unmentionable? Heh.

Thanks to Mehitabel and Fay Lynn for the feedback on the Socks That Rock Club. Consensus seems to be that it's pricey for what it is, and it's geared really only towards sock knitters (hey, there are a lot of us who buy sock yarn for lace and other accessories). I think it would be fun to get a package in the mail every few months, and I like that 1) there would be an element of surprise to what's coming and 2) that there is an accompanying KAL. But since I'm not an obsessed sock maker (yet), it might be unsatisfying in the long run. There's a good chance I'll just haunt Yarn Pirate and Yarntini instead. Hmm, have to think about it a little more - good thing we've got a couple of months to decide.

Playing Well with Others

Those who've known me for a long time (hi Mom!) know I'm not a joiner. I've always been very independent, and until recently groups and I...well, we haven't really cliqued. I won't bore you with the details, but in the last 10 years some of the more *ahem* colorful people within the gardening, women's spirituality and knitting groups I've been in have been matrons who are nasty mean drunks, crazy people who believe garden gnomes are real, man-hating conspiracists who have convoluted theories about extraterrestrials, ancient cultures and the Knights Templar, and a couple of very snobby women who knit ponchos out of pink acrylic.

So, me? Previously unsuccessful in the joining thing. But that all changed a year ago, when I hooked up with my current knitting group, the Pasadena Daytimers.



These women rock. Hard. And they laugh at my jokes, which is cool, too...'coz you know, I'm kinda wacky myself. We all share a major love of the fiber arts, and most are as obsessed as I am about it all...which leads to all kinds of enthusiastic egging on and group zaniness.

What kinda zaniness you ask? Well, mostly it's led me into the internet knitting community, and I've joined not one, not two, but three KALs this fall.

Lacevember - I'm very excited about this one. It began yesterday, and already I'm awed and humbled by the work of my knittin' peers. It's the perfect venue for working on my Hanging Garden...and while I don't expect to finish my shawl, if I have 4-5 repeats done by the end of November I'll be happy.

Sock-A-Month2 - I've actually been a member of this six-month sock KAL since August. I know, I know, I don't even know how to make socks, so yeah, I was a little optimistic when I joined. But, hey, I'm learning now, and my goal is to have my first pair - the Monster Mashers - done by the end of the month. Even if they do have a crap Russian join and some laddering up the sides.



Scarf Style - Since I'm making Midwest Moonlight from the Scarf Style book I figured what the heck. MM is a quick knit, but since I'm concentrating on my lace and my socks, it's taking a back seat at the moment. Hope to have it finished in December.

But wait! There's more: I've also joined two yarn clubs in the past week. I've pre-registered for the 2007 Socks That Rock Club, and today I joined Goddess Yarns' Shawl Club. Is anyone a member of either? I'd love to hear feedback, especially about STR. It's a little pricey, and before I commit in January I'd like to be sure that the club colorways are as nice as their other ones. (Marvels of Knitting just posted about the latest colorway she received; I'm in the process of distracting her so I can filch it.)

Whew, all this camaraderie is tiring for an old curmudgeon like me. I better go yell at some of the neighborhood kids so I don't lose my edge.

And the Winner Is...

Joan! You're the winner of the knitdevil Halloween contest. Congrats, and I'll bring your prize to group next week.

A great big thank you to everyone who played.

And if anyone is curious, here are the answers:

1. The Munsters live at what address? 1313 Mockingbird Lane
2. Name the punk rock lead singer who worked as a gravedigger and slept in a coffin. Dave Vanian of the Damned
3. What year was Frankenstein written? 1816 - Several people wrote 1818, which was the year when it was published
4. Before pumpkins, from what were jack-o-lanterns made? Turnips
5. Name the actor who worked as a coffin maker before striking it rich in Hollywood. Sean Connery - this was the question that stumped everyone
6. What is the 13th card in a tarot deck? Death
7. Name Buffalo Bill's dog. Precious
8. What fate befell Neville in the Gashlycrumb Tinies? He died of ennui
9. Name the last film Bela Lugosi ever made. Plan 9 from Outer Space by Ed Wood
10. What is the year/make/model of Sam and Dean Winchester's car? Bonus point if you know its nickname. 1967 Chevy Impala - nicknamed Metallicar
11. What is the difference between All Saints and All Souls? All Saints is celebrated on Nov. 1, and is the holy day when Catholics pray for the intercession of canonized saints and celebrate the communion of all saints and martyrs. All Souls is celebrated on Nov. 2, and is the holy day when Catholics pray for all the souls in purgatory, that they may be hurried along the path to heaven.
12. Vampire, werewolf or zombie? (myself, I'm vampire all the way)
13. Name your favorite scary movie. (Invasion of the Body Snatchers)

Halloween

In our neighborhood, Halloween is a Big Deal. Decorations abound, and when the sun goes down and the moon comes up...well, all the kids from near and far gather here with parents in tow. From 5.30 to 8.30 pm it's a frenzy of costumes and candy, and an absolute hoot. Until we moved here eight years ago we had always lived in dodgy urban areas - the Mission/Bernal Heights in San Francisco and the non-gentrified side of Silverlake in Los Angeles - and not once did we see a trick-or-treater. But here, here Halloween is magical like I remember it being in my childhood. For our neighborhood is a present-day Mayberry replete with safe streets full of kids dressed as princesses and comic book heroes, witches and ghosts, pumpkins and puppies...all clamoring for their Snickers and Baby Ruths.

The candy giving does take stamina, because there are hundreds of kids. Really. Lots. Tom and I usually tag team; I take the first shift until he comes home from work, and then he spends the last hour or so answering the door. Last year was horrific...we ran out of candy at 8.10 pm - even the cheapo Tootsie Rolls that I buy as backup went before then - and had to shut the door and turn off the lights. We had to turn away kids, which really bummed us out. But this year I'm ready for 'em.


I've also received a Halloween goodie of my own. My skein of Yarn Pirate's Spooky arrived yesterday, and I heart it, especially the way the grey is mixed in with the orange and black. Very nice. Georgia also included a little skeleton toy with the yarn - awww - which my cat Maggie immediately pounced on and carried off to parts unknown. Some day, when I have conquered the sock, I shall make a kick ass Spooky pair to wear on this most wonderful of holidays.


And wait, what's that about socks? Could it be?! Yes, I think it is. Don't they look funny? Mary is teaching me how to make toe up socks on two circs. So far I like using two circs waaaay better than when I tried using DPNs two months ago. Hopefully M will show me the wonders of heel turning tomorrow at knitting group and a sock making epiphany shall occur. Stay tuned to the same bat channel to hear all about it.



Happy haunting.