moonfrog

As I thought about this month’s Knit the Classics reading of Gulliver’s Travels, I was intrigued by the theme of opposites in his sea-faring voyages. I was struck by the author, Jonathan Swift’s, phrase “nothing is great or little otherwise than by comparison” and chose to represent this with a large and small design in opposing colors.

Gulliver seems to find in the end that human nature, represented by the Yahoos, is characterized by the crude satisfaction of selfish appetites, while the reasonable Houyhnhnm, which he aspires to be, possess restraint and benevolence. I chose to represent Gulliver with the pirate symbol, for one who accepts and embraces the barbaric lifestyle.

I decided it was time to knit the pirate motif I had been admiring. And what better use for it than a new bag to carry my cd player that I use for listening to audiobooks. This is based on the chart for this pattern. I wish I could knit well enough to make this up quickly, but once again I resorted to crochet and made up my own simple pattern.

I know with the booty bag and all that I should dress up as a pirate, right? Nope. Here’s a picture a friend took of DH and I on our Harley graveyard ride last night. That’s me in the bat wings. They flapped beautifully until we reached the highway. The scary clown is my sweet chauffer. That’s actually just a face mask that keeps you warm when insanely riding in the cold and dark. Brrrrr…… This is a yearly event and one of my favorites.

Here’s my favorite costume kitty! (This is not my own wild cat. She does not dress up. Meow! ) Have a Safe and Froggy Halloween!

Remember a couple posts back when I said that I was so smitten with Knitty’s surprise Smock it To Me that I had already ordered the yarn? Well, this is it. It’s Lorna’s Laces worsted weight in the color Chino. This is a little darker than I expected and it has some greenish and reddish tints to it. My aim when I ordered it was to eventually overdye it. Now I need some advice. How can I do that to best advantage? What colors would work well? I’ve never overdyed before, so I could use any suggestions at all.

I love the yarn, soft and smooth. This will be my January-just-for-me project.

I finished my first Lace-Edged Hat and am quite pleased with it. I started it on Knit Picks circulars with Rowan Cashsoft DK Crush. I used lots of stitch markers and was able to finish a mistake-free knit (as far as I know.) Yeah! I finished it on Lantern Moon rosewood double-points. Ah…these are heavenly needles I bought just for knitting chemo hats.

I just need to make laundry tags for my hats and they are ready to send to Debi for St. John’s Hospital in Illinois. I didn’t finish Knitty’s Shedir for this round. I want to have a few solid hours of knitting time to finish it quickly. Everytime I put it down, I forget how to do it!

The chimney sweeper came today and fixed our fireplace insert, so I plan to knit all cozy-like tonight. I’m working on a project for Gulliver’s Travels for Knit the Classics. I’ll share it later if I manage to conquer the pattern.

I’ve been enjoying more time at home this week. First I started knitting the Lace Edged Hat that has been on my Wanna-Do List for a long time. It’s also one of the featured patterns for Caps for a Cure. I started…and frogged…started…and frogged. Seems I can’t count or something simple like that. So I did what I should have done in the beginning. I placed a stitch marker every six stitches, since this has a six-stitch repeat. The bands are real cheap and lightweight hair bands, not heavy rubber. They are perfect for this, especially when I accidentally knit one into the hat and can easily cut it loose. The markers worked great! I was able to tell immediately if I had a wrong count and made it through the lace edging. Now I am zooming up the hat in stockinette.

I also took time to make some Split Pea Soup and Onion Braid Bread. It’s a great meal for the change in seasons. My kids grew up on these and were very happy to come to dinner. It’s been a long time since I kneaded bread by hand, and I’ve always enjoyed the process. And this recipe makes such a pretty loaf. Here’s the soup recipe. It’s a streamlined version that doesn’t call for a ham hock.

2 c. split peas
8 c. hot water
1 ham slice, chopped
1 c. carrots, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
1/4 c. onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery with tops, chopped fine
2 T. chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in soup pan. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for an hour and a half or until peas are very soft. Mash with a potatoe masher, if desired. Makes 8 servings. Enjoy!

In the middle of seemingly endless days of house painting, I received my Knitter’s Tea Swap 2 package. My wonderful swap pal Michelle-Nicholle brightened my day! She sent Jasmine Green Tea, which I have been wanting to try, and Alter Eco organic black tea. I’ve never seen this kind before and look forward to trying it. She also sent some organic Chamomile tea that looks good and some Sue Bee honey, which my DH is hoping to claim. Oh, and some Knitting Girl mints that I’ll put in my traveling knitting bag.

She included two kinds of very pretty yarn. One is two skeins of a cotton/rayon blend by Classic Elite called Believe in a lovely purple. The other is Tilli Tomas Exotica, a luscious silk yarn with stone chip beads. Both of these yarns will be tons of fun to use! Thanks so much, Michelle!

I’ve enjoyed both the Tea Swaps because I’ve learned about new teas each time. Last round I found Cocoa Spice, which is a current favorite. This round I tried Mate Latte, and it has replaced my morning mocha. I ended up sending both of these new teas to my swap partners, too. It’s great meeting new people, too.

I’ve managed to squeeze in a bit of knitting, too. I finished the first hat I started and moved on to crochet a second one. Tweed has taken my fancy lately, so I used a partial skein of purple that I think is Lion Brand Jiffy or Wool Ease and bundled it with Sock it to Me Puzzle. I like how it looks together and the hat has a nice shape to it. I made up the pattern as I went. This will go to Caps for a Cure. I’d like to make two more hats for this round before I mail them.I’m hoping next week will be free for lots of knitting.

And in the spirit of adding more to my ever-growing list of want-to-knits — have you seen the Knitty surprises? I am smitten with Smock it to me. I like it so much that I ordered some yarn for it. It looks difficult, but I might just try it come January. It’s about time I knit something that took some time and patience. Until then… off to my painting.

This week has been all about starting over with my knitting. First, I frogged My So Called Scarf and re-knit it. It’s back to the size it was previously and I still like it. Then I started a hat to match, so I’ll know how long I can make the scarf. I just love this soft merino yarn. This is my easy project that I take along with me and work on when I am watching TV.

Then there’s DH’s toe-up Trekking socks. I was almost finished with the first short-row heel. Then they were involved in an accident which knocked off some of the stitches. Sigh. That was a hard frogging, taking out two half-completed socks. I was never really thrilled with the pattern or the yarn,though, and DH probably was not either, so that made it a little easier. DH helped unravel them, and while he frogged, I cast on for another pair for him. I am now him some socks just like the ones I made for my dad, using Steinbach Wolle Strapaz. It will be a basic ribbed cuff, but I will have to add a contrasting heel and toe to make them as long as he wants them with two skeins of yarn. I ran out on Dad’s socks. I’ve been wanting to try contrasting heels, so I’m looking forward to it. I will run a lifeline, though, just to prevent another frogging.

Despite the froggings, this is more knitting than I had expected to get done. I am grabbing every little opportunity I can to twist a few stitches. I’ve also listened to a couple of books lately and will have a report on that very soon.

It has been a hectic week. First, let me share our cloudy Saturday sky. We spent all week preparing DS’s house for the spray painter. We managed to get it primed at dark on Friday evening. The weather did not cooperate for painting. It is drizzly and breezy — but our part is done.
Bottom line is that there was very little knitting. After reaching about two feet on My So Called Scarf, I couldn’t keep the stitch count right and it went up in flames. Here’s the tiny bit of progress on the re-do. I enjoy this herringbone stitch, so it’s not too terrible doing it over.

I like this picture because it looks like it really is going up in flames. And check out the cute flame bag that Trek made. I’m so glad that I got a couple of her creations before she started working a day job, leaving no time for swapping her wonderful bags.

Then today was set aside for a memorial service for a dear friend who passed away a couple months ago. I traveled inland an hour’s drive, listening to an audiobook which was quite pleasant. The autumn sky was sunny and the air was warm. The service was outside and the wind came up and blew yellow leaves out of the trees, as if it was snowing. It reminded me that the cycle of life includes decay, and that can be a beautiful thing, in the midst of the wistful sense of loss.

Home again, I returned to my knitting corner. I reminded myself of the lovely Opal yarn that came as a contest prize from Harriet, the Limedragon. It made me think of making socks in front of a cozy fire. That will have to wait until the chimney cleaner comes and fixes our stove so that it doesn’t smoke us out whenever we light a fire. Soon, I hope.

Isn’t that pretty yarn? Thank you, Harriet!  I’ve never used Opal before, and this is a perfect colorway for me. I’m off to knit now, and relax a while. Next week does not promise much knitting time either.

After two days of local motorcycle events, I ran away to the Natural Fiber Fair, an hour’s drive south, and immersed myself in fiber and fun. I meandered through the booths, petting wool and getting lots of knitting ideas. I enjoyed watching a spinning competition, checking out all the different wheels as they whirled as fast as they could go. I even entered a fleece judging contest in which we rated the fleece by quality for spinning. And I won! I was the only one who correctly guessed ranked the order of excellence.

My friend, Connie, had reserved a fleece earlier in the year and it just happened to be in the contest to be rated. Her fleece won many awards in the local fairs, including division champion. After a long summer of waiting, it was finally time for her to take her fleece home. And check out what else she took home from the fair. See it right there next to the bag with the fleece in it? A Majacraft Suzie spinning wheel!

And see that brown blob on top of the bag of fleece? That’s my new yarn. It’s Peruvian Tweed, pure alpaca with no dyes, all natural colors. It is so soft! Here’s a little close up. I bought it as a pet, but maybel I’ll make it into a scarf.

And there were some people from my neck of the woods there, too. Watching this spindle demo are Janice, the owner of the LYS called Handmade Memories, and Tosh, a fellow blogger. I think they may have caught the spinning bug.

It was a wonderful, sunny day surrounded by fiber and friends. I listened happily to my audiobook on the long drive. Then it was back to family and work in the real world. Knitting has been severly limited lately, but I think petting yarn counts as a fiber-related activity, right?

As soon as I saw this book, I ordered it. I admit it — I ordered it just because Tracey Ullman is a co-author. And I love it! I mean, can’t you just see these two wearing my Lover’s Mitten? Really! It’s a perfect match! And the pattern for the sweater on the cover is in the book. Too funny.
I read this book from cover to cover, which didn’t take long, and it is fun and interesting. There are many patterns I would never knit, but there are a few I’m really excited about: a bath mat, a table runner, a sweater with a mitten pocket, and a mouse family.

The other patterns are fun to look at and most of them are quite original. Of course, there are plenty of old standards, too. I enjoyed the dialogue and the authors’ knitting histories. There’s a good reference section in the back, although the pictures don’t show the steps as well as I’d like. There’s a great review on the National Public Radio website that has a pdf file of the apron pattern from the book. Click on the book picture for more info on Amazon.

Today is the day for two. I have two hats done for Caps for a Cure. Finally, I made some adult sized hats! The first one is made with Plymouth Yarn’s Jelli Beenz.(75% acrylic, 25% wool) I made this at Earth Dance, the music festival I worked, and it kept my hands busy. I was a little worried about yardage and ended a little soon, but it turned out well. It has the folds on top that some hats include. I didn’t think I’d like them, but I do. It’s just a basic hat pattern that I kind of made up as I went along.
The second hat is called the Waffle Hat. I used JoAnn Sensation’s Dolcetto. (54% wool, 24% nylon, 22% cotton) There’s only one modification to the pattern, instead of casting on 76, I used 96 stitches. This is the first hat that is actually on the big side. No stretching needed for my small head! Now, I didn’t alter the pattern on purpose. I had started another hat, but it didn’t work out on the first try — and I was impatient — so I switched patterns in midstream. The Dolcetto stays put because it is a bit fuzzy, so I was able to save the entire ribbed cuff. Yahoo! Save a Frog! Wish I had a button that said that. But I’m off to work a motorcycle gathering for the weekend. It’s right here in town and that makes me very happy! Maybe I’ll even finish My So Called Scarf while I work.

Last weekend’s motorcycle trip took us up to Coos Bay, Oregon. On Saturday, we rode up and down the coast visiting lighthouses. It was foggy and cold, but that was much better than the torrential rains that ruined the run three years ago.

You can just barely see the lighthouse in this picture. Not all of the lighthouses were accesible to us, but the ride was beautiful. We saw some great old bridges and even a sunken ship on our way home.

Toward the end of our day, I spotted a yarn shop in the little town of Bandon. Of course, we had to stop. The Wool Company is a sweet shop with quality yarns, a good selection of roving, lessons, and more.

I picked up a new cotton blend yarn for making chemo caps called Tatamy Tweed. I also picked out some Manos wool. I guess I was in a blue and purple mood.
My audiobook of The Time Traveler’s Wife was such a good, clear recording that I took it with me on our trip and managed to listen to almost half of it. It distracted me from the cold as we rode.
I had chosen a project pattern for the book just before we left, but knew there would be no way I could finish it by the deadline, but I have missed participating in Knit the Classics in the last couple months, and wanted to get back in the groove. So I made my project anyway. That mystery knit on the last post is the Lovers’ Mitten.

Here is part of my entry on the KTC website:

In an early part of the story, Clare is walking with Henry in the Chicago cold and takes off her glove to put her hand in Henry’s pocket. It struck me that she needed to feel that close connection while he was with her. What could be closer than sharing a mitten? Um, don’t answer that.

Here’s the mitten in action. My DH is a good sport for sharing this intimate moment. And, no, we won’t be wearing this around town. It is just for art’s sake.

I feel like life is getting back to normal after a busy summer. I’m looking forward to winter knitting.

WIP update: My So Called Scarf has doubled and I have hats a-knittin’. DH’s toe-up socks are going to make a break for the finish line any day now. Rose (Soleil’s sister, remember her?) is going to wait until spring.

We were barely back from our weekend jaunt and I couldn’t wait to get started on my next project. Since I was so far behind in reading The Time Traveler’s Wife for Knit the Classics, I took my headphones and listened as we zoomed down the freezing highway on the motorcycle. “Reading” really distracted me from the cold. I had decided on my project before leaving on our trip, but there was no way I would have time to finish it before the deadline. I decided to make it anyway. This is my progress so far. So…what is it? Leave me a guess.

I’ll share a couple things from our trip later. Right now my mind is full of knitting and home life. Yesterday we made our first fire of the winter — and filled the house with billows of smoke. **cough** Today we picked more apples and my dad brought me four gigantic zucchini.

And, like so many other blogging knitters, I have joined some more KALs, I just haven’t had time to mention them. I couldn’t miss this year’s Soctoberfest. I’m hoping to make some socks from my hand-dyed yarn for that. Well, first I have to finish DH’s toe-up socks. So I joined the My First Toe Ups KAL to encourage me on that front.

I also joined a KAL called FiberFlix. It’s like Knit the Classics, except we watch movies and knit to that theme. I don’t how I’ll fit everything in, but I know I’ll have fun with all of it. Our movies this month are all film noir: Gaslight, Maltese Falcon, and Strangers on a Train. There’s a short and sweet synopsis of each one on the FiberFlix blog.
I also won a contest over at Harriet’s Lime Dragon blog. How cool! She had two contests and they were both fun. She is sending me some Opal Petticoat sock yarn, which I’m excited to try.
Tomorrow’s big event is a dental appointment to prepare for a crown on a broken tooth. To make me feel better, I asked the receptionist to write my appointment on this funny postcard they use to remind patients about cleanings. Isn’t it cute? That’s how I feel about going to the dentist! After my numbness wears off, I’ll get working on that post about our weekend. And I’ll tell you what that blue thing is I’m knitting. Until then — happy knitting!