Stranded!

The title of this entry seems to impart a lot right now.

Strand is the German word for "beach," and in the past week, I've been beached quite a few time. It was so nice to go visit the ladies in Missoula, then have them come down here to visit. We did a lot of sunbathing, dancing, quatching and imbibing, so I figure between mental and physical health I should break about even. The girls left this morning, but I'm hoping to see them and the Missoulian soon.

However, they did manage to get me stuck at my house. I attempted to start the car to go into town this morning, but the thing wouldn't turn over. Low and behold, the dome light was on, and so I am stranded.

I decided to work on what I can from home. Luckily, my favorite wedding blog and dress-shopping center, Once Wed provides useful distraction. I can't lie though, I'm getting a little fed up with this wedding stuff. The dresses are ridiculously expensive, then I saw an inner tag from a dressmaker I had been jonesing after, Monique Lhuillier, and 40% of the dress was nylon! Thousands of dollars for nylon. Call me a fiber snob, but that crap is bogus.

The wedding venue is another source of frustration in that the place upon which my heart was set refuses to have us, and my second choice for a reception venue hasn't gotten back to me.

It will all just come together, right?

I'm also in the middle of knitting an Amber Vest for Knit/Purl, unfortunately the pattern is not incredibly detailed, so I'm looking forward to pulling out rows before I can continue. I want to get this DONE so I can work on my queue of knitting that I've ignored for months.

Current List:
1. Vest
2. Smoke ring for Aunt Lise demanded by father
3. Silk/Linen Vest for me
4. Veil?

Done with writing, now with doing!

Saw this on another knitting blog, good for keeping track. Fiance has commented lately that I've been knitting to the point that I'm unavailable, so I might have to tone it down a little, it's just that I'm so excited about my current knitting project for knit/purl that I can't put it down, plus I've got an amazing queue of Handmaiden Flaxen yarn, Malabrigo lace, adorable sock yarn from Lid and 50/2 silk to decide on a pattern for. There's no way for him to understand how excited I am about knitting.

Right now I've got a pattern from Amimono, by Isager. It's knit holding four strands in Moss stitch, and it's amazing to watch come along because I haven't worked on 10 3/4 needles for years. I don't think I've touched larger than a 6 for at least two. I feel like I'm skipping!

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing:

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip-stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity Knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/Doll Clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting: knitting items on, or to be left on the street
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Household items: dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…
knitting socks- or other small tubular items- on two circulars
Dyeing with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Olympic Knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/Felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed Toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a Loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Wow, that was way more fun to look at than to do.

She'll be missed.

In more somber news, a couple of weeks ago when visiting Missoula, I bought the yarn for my veil from Joseph's coat. It's pure undyed silk, 50/2. I'd talked to the owner, Susannah, a couple of weeks before. H Tess let me know yesterday that Susannah passed away. She worked at her yarn shop until the day she died, constantly surrounded by visitors, friends and her ever present hundlein. A good life. She was an interesting and interested woman.

Oh man...

Not nearly enough knitting these days. Still working on Mom's Mother's Day socks, now about 1/4 of the way on sock #2.

After a morning of indolence, I decided that since my downstairs roommates have left for the summer, their den would make perfect yarn storage. I put away yarn that I had no plans for and organized my knitting needles. I was v. happy to discover that I have nearly ever size of 16" circular needles, almost of full run of longer circulars, (including, very strangely two 10 3/4) and all dpns minus 4 & 5. AND. I now own my very own crochet hook! My first, currently only for provisional cast-ons, but I have a few balls of dk cotton that my roommate gave to me that might make a nice washcloth? Or whatever a good first crochet project is...

A new occasion for which to knit!

Herr and I took a trip to the Southwest this April/May between seasons. We both work seasonal jobs at the moment so as soon as ski season ends, we've got around a month of unemployment to look forward to. It was beautiful down there, a good 20-30 degrees warmer than up North. It felt good to get some sun and do nothing except hike, read, and knit for days.

On April 29 we camped in Valley of the Gods in one of our favorite camping spots, and Herr proposed marriage! We are now engaged and plan on marrying at the courthouse this summer, having a small ceremony in Mozambique with some family attending, then having a ceremony and reception for family and friends in August 2o1o.

It looks now like I get to knit for 3 weddings! Oh man, I am pretty excited about the prospects. Listen, I may or may not have been looking at veil patterns for the last year.

So, to knit:

Veil (maybe A Curved Shawl

Cold Feet Socks for him and her

Shawl for Grandma

Hats for Groomsmen

Garter

Shrug/Cardigan for Engagement/Rehersal dinner

Oh geez! I love lists.

Powder Eights!

A powder eights competition is one in which two skiers try to synchronize their turns in shape and timing, only one turn distance apart, on fresh powder. It leaves 8 shapes in the snow, the more perfect and more synchronized, the better. 

SO: I made this hat! It's super thick and very warm. The Malabrigo Chunky is not itchy at all! The ball on top is almost as big as the hat, just the way I like it.

I've loved the brioche ever since Weekend Knitting, but brioche cables? Even better. Mmmmm, cinnamon rolls. And snow today for the first time in weeks!

This week has been a great one for yarn! Radish has been asking me to knit a cowl for Auntie out of qiviuk and finally sent me 2 (two!) skeins of the Windy Valley Muskox qiviuq. I could have stretched one skein, but am very excited to experiment. Right now, I'm pretty sure I'll do Prickle.

On top of that goodness, just received a bag of yarn from Knit/Purl to knit shop models! Am making one simple fair isle sock and a Slouch hat out of their store brand, Shibui. The slouch hat pattern is available at their online store, I believe.

Am still working on the Powder Eights hat pattern.

 

The decreases are confounding me and I've been sick for a good 2 weeks, thus on medication, thus not thinking completely clearly. I planned on publishing the pattern for free on ravelry, but a good friend has asked me to save it for a possible book? Love this pattern, and can't wait to wear it. I might make a two-tone version as well!

 

Am looking for a more user friendly blogging service? Is blogger the one?