Take It as a Sign!

Quite often, when I sew a project, even a big one like a quilt, I don't do the math or make exact measurements. I don't like doing all the prep work, I just want to get my hands right in there. I suppose with patchwork that's OK. I really love it though when I end up with the exact amount of fabric I'm supposed to have. I take it as a sign.

A few days ago I had a similar experience. After buying a whole bunch of dye, (to dye my homespun) I went to Value Village hoping to find a big stainless steel pot, as required. Oh, I should mention, I had a nice conversation with the salesperson who sold me the dye. She explained that rather than mixing the primary colours, red, blue, yellow to get other colours, many people use a turquoise blue, magenta, yellow and sometimes black. Hmmm, I thought, I never heard of that.... Well, back to Value Village. I found a big, brand new stainless steel pot right off the bat, then when perusing the books I found a colour manual, with 24,000 colour samples, used by printers etc. And yes, the recipes/percentages use turquoise, magenta, yellow and black. Anyway, it made me take this whole yarn spinning/dyeing yarn thing as a sign that I'm on the right track, in the groove.

Yesterday I went to my local head shop to buy a gram scale, so I can accurately measure the powdered dye. If I had deliberated over the scales for any length of time I would have walked out of there thoroughly stoned. Massive clouds of billowy, blue smoke were wafting through the store. You've got to love Vancouver!

Here's another one. Last weekend when I was checking out a thrift store in Steveston I spotted a big hand knit, wool blanket. Someone else was looking at it and I saddled up beside her, pretending to be interested in something else nearby, all the while thinking, don't you buy it! She put it down, and I went in for the grab. You know what? I turned it down too. I left the store, went back to the park, couldn't stop thinking about it, decided to go back, (walking more and more quickly) and it was still there! Waiting for me!

...

I had decided I could not pass up all that wool! Yes I only wanted it for it's wool. Even though most of the colours were great, and it was all knit in a painstaking knit one, purl one rib, it was full of knots! Yes knots! So sad. It had to be frogged!

So this....

Became this.....

I am so good at the knitty noddy now!

Finished Objects

Here is / was My So Called Scarf, done in Manos de Uruguay. It's a beautiful

colour way, but neither of these photos does it justice. I frogged the So Called for a simple 2x2 ribbing because I found it just too thick and stiff, even though I went up a needle size. I still think the pattern really suits the yarn and I was invisioning a square block of this as a section for a pillow. It's an easy knit, but a strange pattern, kind of like somebodys inebriated non knitting friend invented a new stitch. I did see a woman on the bus the other day wearing her So Called Scarf done in Noro's Silk Garden and it looked (and felt) amazing. Yes, of course I fondled her scarf!

As The Yarn Harlot says in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off
"Running your hand down the sleeve of a fellow knitter's sweater when you meet him or her is a healthy expression of knitterly interest and is not at all odd. It's the knitters handshake."

Please read the Yarn Harlot, you'll feel good about your obsession with knitting. She's a hoot!

And now, if you're a reletively new knitter and you want something a tiny bit challenging in terms of fiber and something very impressive, try Kid Silk Haze. This is the simple Feather and Fan pattern, the easiest lace for a beginner. Use bamboo needles for grip and have a delicate touch when ripping back. This photo shows the haze quite a bit more blue than in reality. Another repeat or so and it's blocking time. Yeah!

Oh, and on a final note... I got invited to Ravelry! It's the best! Go get yourself invited!