moonfrog

I have lots of things to share … and not much time to do it! We are off tomorrow on the motorcycle for two weeks. So, let me get down to business.

This beautiful hand-dyed cotton yarn is the prize from a contest Ferg held at Red Umbrella. Isn’t it awesome! Ferg named it YARN but I must change that to Cosmos YARN. Doesn’t it look like my Cosmos flowers? I just love these colors…and it is cotton! How cool! Thanks so much, Ferg. Your contest was the bestest fun! (That’s a contest joke.)

Next up is my Knit the Classics project for A Passage to India. I am still listening to the audiobook, which is very interesting, but sometimes the foreign words throw me and I have to backtrack a bit, so it is taking quite a while.
This is the project I did for the book. The Indian women practice purdah, which is staying seperate from the men (or covered by a burqa,) often behind a curtain. This is my Purdah curtain. The diagonal lace pattern is my nod to the British, who rule over India at the time of the book. I promised myself that I would not be picky with this knit since the Sari Silk is difficult to knit and time is limited. Well, I guess I kept that promise! This is not a tidy knit — or even correct for that matter…but I held true to my no-frog policy for this project. (Please be gentle.) I did enjoy making this. It was soothing to knit it, especially under these special conditions. The silk kept my interest, as did the lace pattern. (It was especially entertaining when it wandered off track…ahem.) This curtain is intended for my backdoor window, but it may become a wall hanging instead. I used bamboo stakes to hang it. It will remind me of the curtains we sometimes hide behind.

As for A Passage to India, it really revealed the psychological issues that exist when social class sets up strict barriers. The characters are complex and varied and the descriptions of the scene are mesmerizing.
With this version, there is a male narrator. He does a good job, but I must say that I prefer female narrators for audiobooks. A female voice sounds real to my ear whether speaking as a woman or a man. A male voice used to portray a woman sounds rather condescending and mocking. The falsetto sounds silly at times. It does distract from the story.

On to the next topic. I promised to share my impressions of the Knit Picks needles. I have only tried the interchangeable ones. I started a round dishcloth that ending up in the frog pond — no fault of the needles! I really like the pointy tips, of course. The cable is much thinner than the Denise needles and I am hoping this might alleviate some laddering problems. The thinner cable does make it harder to get that yarn up onto the needles when I knit too tight.
The interchangeables come with a little paperclip-like key to help tighten the joins. I used this and all went swimmingly. Then I thought, hmmm…what would happen if I didn’t tighten? Probably nothing. Wrong! When I didn’t use the tool, these needles unscrewed quickly! I noticed before they broke apart, but that certainly clarified that the key is essential. Do Not Try This At Home! Grumperina used a “scientific” approach to testing the needles. Her results show that Knit Picks needles are heavier than comparable needles. This is not an issue for me, but may affect some users.

Edit: Did that ending seem rather abrupt? My mom and dad stopped by and life got crazy for a few hours. I was going to post the new STR yarn…. Here it is. Pretty, huh? And the pattern is Hippy Crunchy…Ha! I guess that is a nickname of one of the STR people.
Now I am in the lull of being almost ready to leave…just a few details to tend, a warm shower, and a good sleep. I’m looking forward to an exciting trip, but will miss my knitting and my blogging community. (I did sneak a Trek sock bag with chemo cap supplies into my bag!) I look forward to sharing my trip with all of you when I return. Ciao!

I saw some odd sights today on my way home from the grocery store. First, there was a group of cats — about six of them — sitting and laying around together. One was rolling around on his back. Just chillin’. A regular Cat Party. It’s unusual to see cats socializing, but there it was, every one of them feeling very comfortable with the group.
A little farther along the road, a skunk ran across the road. In broad daylight! In the middle of the day! Crossing a city street! It was a pretty little striped skunk with the bushy tail just flowing along behind it. With skunks roaming around at odd hours, it’s not surprising that a skunk sprayed under our house a couple days ago. I was afraid our cat had gotten sprayed, but she was fine.
Strange sights. Must be the weather. It is hot in our little coastal city! I feel bad for the people enduring heat waves across the country, but I’m sure loving the sunshine in our neighborhood.

I promised to share what I have been working on lately. As usual, when the pressure is on … I knit a dishcloth! This time I crocheted one, too. I wanted to compare the fabrics created in the same design. And I have a dishtowel in the same shades of blue and green. How could I resist? And I used up some leftovers and didn’t buy new yarn. Win! Win! Win!

The crocheted fabric is much thicker and heavier. Mom says crochet takes more yarn, too. It’s also a lot easier for me to make. And ripping out crochet is no sweat. The stitch pattern is just alternating half double crochet and single crochet.
The knit cloth is lighter and more flexible. I really like the look of knit fabric. I’m glad I can do both. It’s nice to have something to fall back on when knitting gets stressful. And what is the stress? Nothing but trying to get my projects done by a group deadline and before our vacation. Not gonna happen! And that’s okay. The curtain for Knit the Classics is still “almost” done. The socks are still at the heel. I’ve dabbled with a new hat pattern, then decided I needed double point needles for this particular pattern. They will all be here when we return.

Kaidy had a question about Mom’s Noro bag. The pattern comes from the Cornelia Hamilton Noro Revisted book.
There are two pattern versions in the book. One uses Kureyon and the other calls for Iro. For the first bag Mom used Noro Kureyon, but I think she followed the pattern that called for Iro. For the recent version she used Paton’s Classic Wool.

If I have time this week, I will tell you what I think of the Knit Picks needles. Yep. I have ‘em. Look for that later this week. Right now, I’m going to work on that Sari Silk Curtain, well, that or a hat!

My sweet Mom continues to knit, but the only time I get pictures of what she makes is when I felt a bag for her or she gives me something. This time it is both. First, another felted bag from a Noro book. She made it in two colorways of Paton’s Classic Wool. This bag knits up in three connected diamond shapes and folds in some mysterious way to make this bag. Mom made me one out of some Noro I gave her for Christmas.

She also made this sweater and gave it to me. I love this sweater! She may have given it to me because it is a little small for her. I blocked it, hoping it would grow a bit, but I don’t think it stretched quite enough. Lucky me!
This is the Top-down Raglan Cardi from Cosmic Pluto. I need to find a button for the neckline and it will be ready to wear. I have a button collection, so I will look there first. There are no buttonholes knit into the band, so the button will need to be fairly small. I might even use a button on each side with a loop to hold them closed.

When I was visiting my parents a couple weeks ago, I wandered around their yard and took photos of their hydrangeas. They have a great variety of types and colors. The colors are what naturally happen in the soil where they grow. The don’t try to change them with additives. I’ll leave you with this collage of beautiful flowers, and on Monday I will show you what I’ve been working on lately! Here’s a hint: I started something new, even though I’m on a time crunch. I guess I gave up on meeting deadlines!

I have to tell you about the customer service over at Knit Happens. A couple weeks ago I ordered a few balls of Rowan Calmer for knitting Shedir, a chemo cap. I threw in one skein of Blue Sky Cotton, just to try it. The order arrived without the Blue Sky. I sent off an email letting them know and was given a prompt refund. The person handling my order had thought they were out, but discovered one last ball of this bright orange. He sent it along free and apologized for his mistake. Now, he could have just left it at the refund. I call that going the extra mile!

Today we headed south to a fruitstand for some fresh produce. The local strawberry farm was closed for the day, so we settled on cantaloupe, plums, tomatoes, and some late apricots. The people who own this fruitstand drive down to central California and bring back luscious ripe fruits and vegetables. When I was a kid, whenever we traveled my dad would pick up a couple lugs of fruit. He’s notorious for getting more than he can eat, since he knows Mom will make him a pie with the rest.
The big yarn store is just a skip away, so I went to check out something for my Knit the Classics swap partner. I couldn’t believe what I saw. This store has a stash of LB Cotton Ease! That’s been discontinued, right? I picked up a few balls for chemo caps, of course. I love me a good excuse to buy more yarn than I intended.

I tried the sari silk curtain on the window today. I’ve almost got enough done for a half curtain, which is what I want. The bumpy, frazzled texture of this yarn makes for a very strange result. Every once in a while I think that maybe this isn’t my best idea. The pattern stitch is a diagonal lace and hangs a little wonky, but I think blocking will take care of it — if the silk will take shape well. I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to block this. But the holes are nice and big, letting in plenty of light, which I like. But I don’t entertain thoughts of frogging for long, because the knitting is so soothing. For some reason, I am really enjoying making this curtain. Even if I decide not to use it, I still want to make it. There’s something intriguing about the textures and colors, not knowing what will happen next. This curtain is a real throwback to the hippy era. I actually like it, and better than that, I’m enjoying it. Happy knitting to you all!

My knitting has been hot and cold lately. All or nothing. With our trip this weekend…it was nothing.

Our motorcycle run consisted of two days of 12 hours of riding. That’s a lot of time in the saddle! The scenery varied so much that it was never dull. We went through open spaces that were still as green as spring. Then we traveled through the desert-like heat where the ride was delayed by a flat tire and one rider suffering from heat exhaustion.
We camped in luxury due to the truck and trailer following us. They carried all our camping gear and fed us ribs and smores. We were happy campers indeed.
The next day took us though Lassen volcanic park. At the highest elevations we found the last of the year’s snow. The sun was warm and the chill from the snow was really refreshing. We stopped for the required snowball fight, then back on the road. Being in the mountains, the road was more curves than straight, so it wasn’t until we came down off the mountain that we picked up speed. We also picked up the heat. The bikes zoomed through 112 degree temperatures at 70 miles per hour. It felt like riding through an oven!
Next gas stop half the group jumped in a swimming pool on display at a pool store — clothes and all!

Boy, was I glad to get back in the trees, headed for the coast. Even at its hottest, the forest still provides some shade. Over some more mountains and we hit the fog cloud that mushrooms over our county. Brrrr! No happy medium here, it was freezing. A warm shower, a day of running errands and resting … and life returns to normal. Whew!
I did start the mid-month dishcloth for my kal, but it’s not really a pattern I like enough to postpone other knitting that has deadlines, so I frogged it. I started the gussets on the Trekking socks and hope to finish the heels today. Once I hit the cuff (they’re toe-up) I’ll feel like there is a chance of finishing them before leaving on vacation. Right now I’m off to the gym for some much needed exercise. Catch ya later!

Today we finally planted the front flower beds. Ya know, 2 weeks before vacation? So they can die of thirst while we are gone. They are pretty, though, and my neighbor (aka my son) will probably take pity on them and keep them alive until our return. My flowers are the purple and white stock and the petunias on the porch. Hubby’s are the marigolds. See how we share? He’s much more willing to help with the work when he gets to pick some flowers, too. We had to hurry and get these in the ground before a weekend whirlwind motorcycle trip to several lakes in our area. It will be hot, hot where we camp out. I’m sure the socializing with the large group of people who are going will be fun. Not so sure about riding so far in the heat. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Last night I finally made up my mind regarding what to knit for A Passage to India, this month’s Knit the Classics book. I have several skeins of recycled sari silk that I won from KTC for my Life of Pi project, and I knew I wanted to use some of that. In Passage to India the women are behind the curtain, out of public view, so I decided that’s what I needed to make — a recycled silk curtain. I just happen to need one for my backdoor window.
The sari silk and the curtain represent the Indian part and the lace pattern represents the English portion of the story. One of the main themes introduced early in the story is whether the Indians can be friends with the British, who rule over India as one of their colonies. I haven’t gotten as far in the story as I’d like, but I’m happy to have my project selected to knit along as I listen.
I’m actually pretty happy with the way the curtain is turning out so far. It’s … well, interesting. I was worried about knitting with this fuzzy, can’t-see-where-my-stitches-went yarn, but it’s not too bad, especially since I’ve decided not to be too picky.
Of course, this puts my Trekking socks, my Soleil/Rose lace top, and my chemo caps behind schedule. If I can get one more cap made and the curtain done, I’ll be happy with that. Best get to it!

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. She was a sweet southern lady, and I have wonderful memories of her. It is also Pablo Neruda’s birthday. He is one of my favorite poets: romantic, sensual, political, full of surprises. His poetry is full of extraordinary metaphors and imagery. Here is one of his poems that I used in my high school classes.

ODE TO MY SOCKS
by Pablo Neruda

Maru Mori brought me
a pair
of socks
that she knit with her
shepherd’s hands.
Two socks as soft
as rabbit fur.
I thrust my feet
inside them
as if they were
two
little boxes
knit
from threads
of sunset
and sheepskin.
My feet were
two woolen
fish
in those outrageous socks,
two gangly,
navy-blue sharks
impaled on a golden thread,
two giant blackbirds,
two cannons:
thus
were my feet
honored
by
those
heavenly
socks.
They were
so beautiful
I found my feet
unlovable
for the very first time,
like two crusty old
firemen, firemen
unworthy
of that embroidered
fire,
those incandescent
socks.
Nevertheless
I fought
the sharp temptation
to put them away
the way schoolboys
put
fireflies in a bottle,
the way scholars
hoard
holy writ.
I fought
the mad urge
to lock them
in a golden
cage
and feed them birdseed
and morsels of pink melon
every day.
Like jungle
explorers
who deliver a young deer
of the rarest species
to the roasting spit
then wolf it down
in shame,
I stretched
my feet forward
and pulled on
those
gorgeous
socks,
and over them
my shoes.
So this is
the moral of my ode:
beauty is beauty
twice over
and good things are doubly
good
when you’re talking
about
a pair of wool
socks<
in the dead of winter.

And here is Samantha, the sock yarn hat. I made it with LB Magic Stripes from a secret pal swap. It’s a very easy knit, but I did get some laddering on two circulars, no matter how tight I snugged the yarn at the ends. I left off the six rows of stockinette that form a rolled brim and made the ribbing longer. I like the weight of this hat, so light and small, and the wool will be warm. I’m going to wash it with a little fabric softener and see if it softens up a bit. My favorite part is the red top. I’d like to make more of these, but will probably make the ribbing even longer so the edge is easier to fold up.

Since we were traveling yesterday, I started another hat with Microspun. I love this color. It’s a nice change from the colors I usually use.
Now that we are back home, I need to work on the Color Blox Trekking socks. DH asked how they were coming along. Uh, fine. I’ve been stalled at the heel since it is different than cuff-down. I have been reading about toe-up heels and think I’m ready to continue now. Once the heel is done, I can easily finish the cuff in some ribbing. I can definately see why some knitters choose a favorite sock pattern — or favorite heels and toes at least — and stick to it. I hope to figure that out soon and be able to speed up the whole sock process. For now, I’m going to try to finish another hat.

This weekend is our annual blues music festival, Blues by the Bay. For two days, I listen to blues bands, visit with friends, and knit. The sun was strong for hours, then the fog came in and the sun played hide and seek. I forgot to put sunscreen on my arms and got a knitter’s sunburn — my arms are white where my elbows were bent to knit, surrounded by bright red burn.
Behind the stage you can see one of our famous Victorian buildings, the Carson Mansion, which is now a gentlemen’s club. Our area is full of Victorian houses. Some have even been converted to apartments. Some are funky and some are incredibly beautiful.

On the west side of the music venue is the bay. If you don’t want to buy a ticket, you can float your kayak or boat over and listen anyway. The Madaket, a boat that gives tours of the bay, brings a group over to hear the music. I bet it sounds great out on the water.
The clouds in the Saturday sky were beautiful all day long, changing as the wind blew in to shift them.I started The Samantha sock yarn hat and might finish it today. I’ll be wearing long sleeves, for sure! Hope you are having a lovely weekend in your spot on the globe!

This picture of a local town plaza is for Nessie. I think she used to live near here. It’s a small college town with shops and bars surrounding the downtown plaza. You meet some really interesting people hanging out on the lawn. Saturday there’s a farmer’s market that circles the entire block. Behind the plaza you can see our gray, cloudy sky. Actually, you can see the blue sky trying to burn through the fog.

Yesterday and today we had half a day of sun — the first sun in a week. So I took the opportunity to get outside and visit my Dad’s garden. Here’s one thing that flourishes in the cool, cloudy weather. The cauliflower and lettuce are beautiful and still bug-free. The first zucchini is the size of a finger.

I enjoyed a few hours visiting with my mom and looking through knitting patterns while she worked on a scrap afghan. It made me realize how much I had missed talking knitting with my mom.
My knitting has been a bit sporadic. My Odessa is finally done but both my current projects take concentration. The lace needs more time than I’ve had lately to do it carefully, and the Trekking socks need heels. I still stall out at the heels. And these are toe-up heels, so it’s another new thing to conquer. So I did what works best for me when my knitting is faltering. . . . I made another dishcloth!

I started the Monthly Dishcloth Kal a few days late, and I’m glad I did. It’s the cutest dolphin! Making a cloth for a local secret pal is on my priority to-do list this month and this one is perfect. She loves dolphins, and the color I chose matches the dishtowel I have for her, too.
This pattern was surprisingly easy. I didn’t do my usual frogging and restarts. No lifeline, either. This definately gave me back my knitting groove.

Work is still leaving little time for knitting, but the end is in sight. I hope by the time I have a few days off that the gray skies will make way for new ones. I have been plugging away on my second Odessa, little by little. Yesterday I made it halfway through the decreases and then had to frog back to the lifeline. That destroyed the precious little knitting I had accomplished for the day.

Today went better and Odessa is finished. This was the featured hat or knitalong for June/July for Caps for a Cure. The vote for the July/Aug. Kal ends July 6th and it looks like Blanche and Shedir might end up in a tie. We might do both at once.

I’m going to try to make the Samantha hat in the next couple of days. It is made with self-patterning sock yarn. I bought some Sassy Stripes (called for in the pattern) in reds and pinks, but I may use some sock yarn that I dyed recently.

Other knitting is languishing in the baskets for a little while longer. Hope your 4th of July is full of fireworks and fun!