moonfrog

Here’s what my better half and I have been up to lately.

This picture was taken by some friends who were driving (a car) with a group of us.

It’s supposed to be spring, but it is still cold here — and wet. I even had to wear hubby’s big ol’ leather chaps. I know… I’m a California wimp. But 40 degress feels like freezing! And add the wind chill and I almost won’t ride. Then hubby uses his favorite tactic…

“Do you need any yarn?” Ha! There just happens to be a LYS with a larger inventory about 15 miles away. Then, of course, we take a little jaunt farther along the road. He sure knows how to treat a gal!

What am I knitting? Dishcloths! It seems like that is my “comfort knit” for when I am between projects or just knit a more taxing project. Believe me, it doesn’t take too much to qualify as a taxing knit for me!

I just finished one cloth and have cast on for another. I’m also trying to decide what to cast on next. It’s strange how I seem to be a one-project-at-a-time knitter lately. I’ll try to work on that. Happy Knitting!

Over at Knit the Classics we have been reading Life of Pi. Actually, I listened to the book on CD and it works great! I can knit or run errands and still read.

Life of Pi was a very interesting book and caused me to think a lot. I like that in a book. There was a triad of religions in Pi’s (the main character’s) life. So the project I knit for the book reflects that in the colors that were so vividly painted in the writing. The religions were woven together in an unusual blending of faiths: Hindu, Islam, and Catholic. To represent this interweaving, I used the colors to represent the religions: orange for Hinduism, green for Islam, and red for Christianity. Not a likely mix of colors — just as it is not a likely mix of faiths. The orange also represents survival and Richard Parker, another character in the story. Each color yarn also has white or yellow to depict god, faith or innocence.

At the end of Pi’s journey, he gets a scrubbing from a nurse that about removed his skin. After months stranded in a lifeboat at sea he was crusty from the saltwater. It also seemed to be a metaphor for the washing away of sin or of his innocence, since he was only sixteen at the time. For this, I chose a back scrubber and a washcloth.

The end product reminds me of the colors of Mexico, which is where Pi landed. The back scrubber is my own pattern in crochet, which I find easier than knitting due to years of practice. (I tried I-cord, but that lesson will have to wait for another day.) The washcloth is a pattern called Chinese Waves.

This is my first readalong and knitalong with KTC and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to starting April’s book, Moll Flanders. My library even had it on tape.

Poema 14

Every day you play with the light of the universe.

Subtle visitor, you arrive in the flower and the water.

You are more than this white head that I hold tightly

as a cluster of fruit, every day, between my hands.

You are like nobody since I love you.

Let me spread you out among yellow garlands.

Who writes your name in letters of smoke among the stars of the south?

Oh let me remember you as you were before you existed.

Suddenly the wind howls and bangs at my shut window.

The sky is a net crammed with shadowy fish.

Here all the winds let go sooner or later, all of them.

The rain takes off her clothes.

The birds go by, fleeing.

The wind. The wind.

I can contend only against the power of men.

The storm whirls dark leaves

and turns loose all the boats that were moored last night to the sky.

You are here. Oh, you do not run away.

You will answer me to the last cry.

Cling to me as though you were frightened.

Even so, at one time a strange shadow ran through your eyes.

Now, now too, little one, you bring me honeysuckle,

and even your breasts smell of it.

While the sad wind goes slaughtering butterflies

I love you, and my happiness bites the plum of your mouth.

How you must have suffered getting accustomed to me,

my savage, solitary soul, my name that sends them all running.

So many times we have seen the morning star burn, kissing our eyes,

and over our heads the gray light unwind in turning fans.

My words rained over you, stroking you.

A long time I have loved the sunned mother-of-pearl of your body.

I go so far as to think that you own the universe.

I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, bluebells,

dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses.

I want
to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.

–translated by W.S. Merwin from “20 Love Poems and a Song of Despair

It’s time to reveal myself to my Secret Pal 7! I have really enjoyed sending goodies to her and have one last thing done with her in mind. I hope all my online knitty friends will also find it useful. My pal’s questionaire included an interest in learning cables. What a great spark to get me to learn this lovely technique, too!

And thus the Coronet hat was conceived! This was a double-duty project, allowing me to ease into the world of cables and get another hat made for Caps for a Cure. Here she is finally finished.

I’m hoping a good blocking will smooth out the edges. I enjoyed learning how to do the cable. I tried three kinds of cable needles in all — hooked, crooked and a wooden one with just a bit of crookedness. I like the wooden one best. It didn’t slip out like the two metal needles and it stayed out of the way and felt good while knitting with it. I preferred making the cables with a needle, rather than without, because it was less to think about. The method without a needle works well, too.

The Pattern: Coronet from Knitty

The Yarn: Four Seasons by Classic Elite Yarns in violet (7656)

The Needles: Lantern Moon Rosewood #7, Denise circular #8 and 7

And now for my last gift to my secret pal 7….
At the top of the sidebar is a link to my Cables Page. There are links to tutorials for making cables — with or without cable needles. There are also links to a variety of cable patterns. All the projects are small and great for beginners. There are several scarves, some hats, purses, socks, hand and leg warmers, an afghan, and, of course, there’s a dishcloth! That one must be for me.

I want to thank my pal Karen for inspiring me to knit for others. She does wonderful work for Eastern European orphans through a Yahoo group that knits for Children in Common. I hope this page is useful to her and to my other knitty friends, too. Have a wonderful weekend!

Knit for Peace on Tuesday. Read about it here.

I think this is a lovely idea. Unfortunately, I have a short-term job that gives me no time for knitting for about a week. My cable hat is languishing in it’s basket. All knitting is at a standstill for a couple more days. Whenever I have a few moments to work on a couple rows, I’m in such a hurry that I end up frogging. It will wait.

In a couple days, I will sit and knit all day and think of peace. Peaceful knitting to you all.

Well, I was hoping to show a finished cable hat, but all I have is this.

It’s going very well, but I keep getting interrupted. Such is life. The provisional cast-on went great! I tried it before and failed miserably (which is why my Picovoli does not have picots.) Thanks to Whit, who sent me a video link for a provisional cast-on using a crochet hook. This old crocheter loved it!

I’m using my rosewood shorty needles for this special first-time knit. I bought them just for making dishcloths and love them. I started making the cables using a cable needle. I tried three different kinds, staight and large and small hooked. That worked well. Sometimes I slip the cable stitches back on the rosewoods and knit them from there.
Then I tried making cables without the cable needle. There are lots of sites that show how it is done. Here’s one. It works fine, but in my concentration on the process, I forgot the pattern and had to frog. After a couple froggings (ribbit! ribbit!) I got back on track and started hopping along.

At one point I forgot which row I was on so I added a lifeline. I wish I could remember to do this all the time. I didn’t have to frog, but it helped me relax to know the frogging would not have to go to the beginning if it was necessary.
So on it goes, and I hope to finish this sometime this month.

The new KAL pattern for the Sexy Knitters Club has been decided. The voting was so close that there are two choices this time: Orangina and Somewhat Cowl. I still haven’t decided which one to make. Maybe I should skip this round and concentrate on what I already have in the works?

Hey! Maybe it is time for another contest to help me decide? Here are the three choices:

Orangina —- Somewhat Cowl —– Skip it!

The prize? Yarn, of course…fit to the person who wins. The winner? The one with the best argument. I’ll let my husband decide. Sound fair enough? Let’s Play!

I’ve been trying to get some deadline knitting done. So far I have completed four hats for Caps for a Cure.

I made another one in Dolcetto, which is larger. The brown one is made with Bohemian in two colors. I tried to anticipate that the gauge would be off since the pattern called for chunky yarn and Bohemian is super bulky. It ended up just right in circumference, but short. To lengthen it, I added a couple rows of crochet to the bottom edge. I’m pleased with how it turned out. The yarn is super soft! I used this pattern as a guide. I have some dark blue chenille that I will use with this pattern soon.

But first! I am going to do this one from Knitty.

Cables — Here I come!

Other knitting is being ignored. I get stressed out whenever I think of all the KALs I should be working on — and really want to be working on. I tend to be a one-track knitter, though. I need to finish an item or it will never get done.

I am looking forward to April for many reasons. One of them is this:
. Click on the button for all the details.

Secret pal reveals are also happening at the end of the month. I do believe I have found my pals. We’ll see if I’m right. I am sure enjoying the things I’m doing for my recipients. It takes time, but it is all knitting related, so it’s all good.

I’ve been reading Life of Pi with Knit the Classics. It’s a great book and I am “reading” it on CD, so I can knit (or run errands) at the same time. It is working out tremendously! I have already ordered the next book on CD. I wasn’t able to finish the first book and this certainly solves that dilemma, because if it comes down to choosing reading or knitting…well, you know what I’d do, right?
I will announce my knitting project that goes with the book soon and that will take priority for a while.

Speaking of “reading” while knitting, Whit has a new podcast out. I hope to get over to read it (and the last one that I missed) very soon.

Back to my knitting . . . I have three chapters left of Life of Pi and I want to see how it turns out!

Sadly,I have not finished the last two knit-alongs for my Monthly Dishcloths group. That did not, however, diminish my excitement in the least when I found something new at JoAnn’s. They have tulle that matches the dishcloth cotton!

Of course, I had to get some, whether I have time to use it or not. I also picked up a new yarn that is 65% cotton and 35% nylon, called Smania. It just looks like a dishcloth or scrubbie, don’t you think? I hope to find some time soon to try out some new dishcloth patterns.

The Simplest Cap of All is complete.

It really did seem quite simple to knit and went quickly. I cast on 72 stitches instead of 56 and the width is perfect. The height is still a bit short for me, but is probably just right for a chemo cap. I will probably make another one. I love the way the Sensations Dolcetto, a cotton/wool blend, feels and its soft drape. It is very loosely spun and is irregular in spots. The gauge is 4 stitches to the inch, but I think it knit more like a worsted weight than a chunky. I suppose a swatch would tell me more, but that is probably not going to happen.

Someday, I want to make a Pinwheel Hat.
First, I will have to learn to do cables. I think a cable dishcloth is where I will start.

I finally finished a cap for Caps for a Cure. I like how the yarn worked up, but I made it a bit small and made some modifications in the pattern. The pattern and yarn details are listed under March 3rd. I will be adding some kind of embellishment soon.

Right now I am going to cast on for another hat out of JoAnn’s Dolcetto yarn. This yarn is very, very soft. I’m going to use this Simplest Cap of All pattern. That sounds like it should be fool-proof, right? I’m going to test it.

I’m still working on some fast and easy crochet for my secret pals. It’s fun, but I’m just dying to post pictures of it. Soon . . . .

The postman brought me another package from my Secret Pal7.

She sent some cute autumn leaf buttons and and some chocolate mint cookies that are long gone. And there are beads which I think are meant to go with the rag yarn. (I’m supposed to be knitting some beaded socks for the Six Sox KAL. I haven’t started mine.)

But check out this yarn! I love the colors and the variations in the colors. It’s absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to see how it knits up. A great big THANK YOU to my secret pal.

I’m feeling a little frustrated that I can’t get as much knitting done lately. Sometimes I just want to lock myself away and knit in peace. I suppose that means I need to re-evaluate my priorities! LOL I’m off to knit another cap and get a secret package in the mail. Have a wonderful knitty week!

Out the back door…

Around the corner…

Keeping warm…