a week in three acts.
May 23, 2010
i’m exhausted.
i worked a full week at the shop,
and helped a friend organize her stash.
you’d think with all that yarny goodness,
i’d have some really great blog material.
let me tell you, it’s been a struggle.
so, instead of one cohesive post,
i give three short ones,
and an epilogue.
act one: hotpants lives
as you may recall,
i became semi-infamous for the gams i knitted for this past maryland sheep and wool festival.
(they were pretty cool)
well this past week, our favorite yarn rep informed me that clara parkes had mentioned my shorts on the knitter’s review:
“I saw men in kilts, lambs in halters, women in giant floppy hats, and countless kids being led around in high-tech strollers. I spotted colorful tattoos and brightly colored knitted shorts, grilled lamb burgers and deep-fried corn dogs, kids playing catch on the grass, and nervous sheep being groomed to perfection. It was a weekend to end all weekends.”
i immediately sent an email informing her that it was in fact me in those hotpants, realizing that she might be too busy to respond herself. imagine my surprise when i received this:
“Hi Steven,
The gorgeous orange shorts? That was you? I LOVED THEM!! I was at the Spirit Trail booth when you came by, and I really wanted to ask you for a picture but I feared you’d take it the wrong way. I loved that you paired them with a turquoise shirt. And you looked so much more comfortable than everybody else combined. So I say bravo, and once again I tip my hat to you. Please oh please, keep the inspiration coming.
Take care,
Clara
Knitter’s Review”
the legend of the hotpants lives on.
act two: the international
what’s that?
what’s that i see?
that would be shara,
winner of the bitches get stitches girasole giveaway.
she graciously showed it around london
(if memory serves me this lion lives in trafalgar square)
this was certainly worth every penny of the international shipping to see my knitting on another continent.
i wonder where she’ll take it next.
finale: do not go gentle
in regards to my recent post about my grandma,
i just want to say thank you to all the people who were so supportive in their comments both on the blog and in person.
my dear friend nancy left a particularly beautiful comment,
braving her nemesis the internet to do so:
“3am in the ‘Burgh, reading about musk ox in the arctic tundra, memories of ice and the sound of birds flying guiding a migrating people, memories of your grandma knitting themselves into your heart, the sound of my Swedish mor mor’s voice, the sweater she knit me in junior high…We are connected by these threads; we wrap ourselves in their love. It is always the right thing to do, and you have the heart to tell it. You are a writer!”
thanks nancy.
as an update,
my grandma is out of the hospital
and back in the rehab center of the nursing home.
her appetite has returned, and they hope to get her up and walking again.
if i’m very lucky, she’ll be here to see me turn 26.
epilogue: i am, in fact, a crazy face
if you’ve made it this far, you have the opportunity to get a reward.
in the spirit of de-stashing, i’m announcing the second bitches get stitches giveaway!
the prize:
50g/170yds of pure, french, cashmere deliciousness.
the reason:
it’s been in my stash for a while,
and i still don’t know what the heck to make with it.
the rules:
leave a comment telling me what you will do with the skein,
and whichever idea i love best, wins.
(a rav link might help you)
the winner will be announced in may 30, 2010
fairness factor:
zero.
the last giveaway was completely fair.
this time, it’s completely arbitrary.
hey it’s my blog.
do you want cashmere or not?
Bitches Get Stitches 
May 23, 2010 at 11:43 pm
o m g.
in order of importance:
1. nancy’s comment made me weep.
2. clara parkes really is a dear heart. (imagine her getting all apple-juice around you…it slays me).
3. that pashmina? 170 yards of delicious. i’m imagining it as knit pasties. not for me, of course. 😉
May 24, 2010 at 5:42 am
Wow, you have had a lot going on in your life.
Contest wise:
Well 1st I would pet it a lot…a lot, a lot…
Then, I don’t know… It looks like it might be calling to be dyed. Next? Well, they do have these fab panties in knitting lingerie style. Or bethigh high stocking… Yes the stocking. That is the thing. Dove gray stockings would be fab!
So this is what I would make:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/betties-lace-stockings
keep the color. I can just think how lovely I would feel in them…
May 24, 2010 at 6:43 am
I would knit a bunny. A fabulously soft little bunny that I could keep with me and pet and snuggle and rub against my cheek. I may or may not name it George.
(Marlitharn on Ravelry)
May 24, 2010 at 7:06 am
I would carry it in my project bag for a while, safely secured in its own little ziplock, so I could pass it around and share the tale of my good fortune with everyone I run into.
That would last for about a week. Maybe less.
Then I would knit it into whatever it seems to want to be. And if I didn’t get it quite right the first time, I would gently frog it and knit it again. (So far, I have knit only one tiny hank of cashmere, and I knit and ripped a scarf three times because I just love the sensation of knitting with what seems to be yarn made of air.)
May 24, 2010 at 8:02 am
that is GORGEOUS yarn!
i love that picture of us at mdsw. so happy and not yet sweaty, headachy, cranky, or tired! yet it still wasn’t the best part of the day. go figure!
if i had that cashmere, i would make a pretty thing out of it and wear it all winter. it is gorgeous. i have no right to get anything more from you, after all you’ve done for me already! but i cannot help being greedy when it comes to cashmere, especially in grey 🙂
smooches,
me.
May 24, 2010 at 8:34 am
Hmm…Cashmere yarn…what to do…what to do! I know, a beautiful pair of lacy fingerless gloves and a matching headband. How wonderful!
teammom on Ravelry
May 24, 2010 at 8:52 am
I have to agree with Yvonne, Nancy’s comment was simply amazing.
For the Pashmina? Damn straight I want it!! Off to scour patterns, thinking lace-ish, be back soon.
May 24, 2010 at 9:19 am
I’m back! Think I’d have to go with the Wine and Roses Mitts: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/fablaur/wine-and-roses-mitts because how freakin’ yummy would they be!
Haven’t made hand/wrist warmers yet, really want a pair, and am ready to take on the DTDPN’s. (Dreaded Tiny DPN’s). I’m committed!
May 24, 2010 at 9:36 am
good day sir~
i am so glad to hear your gramma is feeling better >whew< (these granparents dont know what we go thru when they are ill:)
second here is what i would do with this yummy cashmere http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-noble-cowl
i have never worked with cashmere , but i would imagine it feel so soft and warm against my neck~
well take care & blessings~m
May 24, 2010 at 10:03 am
Those pictures are great! It’s always great to see the knitted things you make in action.
The yarn is gorgeous! I think I’d like to make a some sort of beaded cuff bracelets from it. I’ve never done beaded or cashmere, but the color reminds me of metal. I just think it would work well together. Maybe something like this: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/beaded-cuffs-2
Thanks for the fun giveaway! I’m carrieg777 on Rav.
May 24, 2010 at 12:10 pm
I went “aww” when I heard about your grandmother, because my grandma is also very sick and I don’t know if I will ever see her again (we live on opposite sides of the globe).
Thanks for the generous giveaway. If I win that beautiful skein, I would use it for a pretty little Victorian Rose scarf:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/victorian-rose-2
May 24, 2010 at 12:51 pm
First, thank you for sharing the wonderful photos of the Girasole on tour! I hope to see more in the future (and congrats to the recipient of it, too!).
Oh, that is a lovely skein of yarn. Although it might make for a floppy result, I think I would knit a Pretty Thing cowl with it. I have just knit one and am about to start another (both gifts), but I think I might have to keep one I knit with that, just so I could have a lovely thing for my own neck.
And it’s great to hear that Grandma is on the mend!
May 24, 2010 at 1:49 pm
this is pretty cool…..love the pics of the shawl around london!!
i would prolly make an earwarmer-headband thing, using some of the charts from http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-color-patterned-bag-with-islamic-motifs
to coordinate wtih the mitts i made using the same charts…..
-oonaghfibersmyth on ravelry
May 24, 2010 at 2:07 pm
That girasole is so gorgeous. I wanted to win it but wouldn’t be able to display it so elegantly.
As for the cashmere- I would rub it all over my face. I would tuck it into my cleavage so that I can take it out and rub my face on it. (But only in the winter and when my face is clean. Sweating or getting makeup on that would be sacrilige.) When it’s time to knit, I think I’d probably make a little cowl so that I can (wait for it…. )
rub my face on it!
May 24, 2010 at 4:00 pm
I would knit either a key hole scarf or a cowl with it. Something soft and squishy.
May 24, 2010 at 5:17 pm
I have to admit, I am deeply coveting that cashmere. And because I am very boring (and not the best knitter on the web) I would just do a simple cowl, something that would be close to my mouth and cheeks so I could feel it there every time I wore it.
May 24, 2010 at 5:26 pm
I have never knit with cashmere! And, I would love to knit something soft and cuddly – probably a cowl or a pair of fingerless mitts. I know that is not very creative – but, it’s what I need for these cold New Hampshire winters…
Glad I discovered your blog…
May 24, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Steven,
That girasole is so beautiful, I don’t know if I could have parted with it like you did. For that beautiful gray cashmere, I would make the Feather scarf. Here is the link:http://yarnmom.blogspot.com/2009/02/feather.html. I found this pattern on Ravelry. Glad your grandma is feeling better.
Teresa
May 24, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Thanks so much for the give-away – that yarn is scrumptious! Now, I’m not an experienced lace knitter, but if I win the yarn, I’ll be using it to make the Frost Flowers Lace Cowl. That yarn needs something special, and this is it!
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/frost-flowers-lace-cowl
May 24, 2010 at 8:41 pm
I have no idea what I’d make; it would probably sit in my stash and I’d pet it a lot. So, you know, there you have it.
I really just wanted to say I am SO glad your grandma is doing better.
May 25, 2010 at 9:25 am
I would knit Yarn Harlot’s Pretty Thing for my totally amazing and now grown up daughter (her inimitableness, Princess Ant Girl), for whom I wish only the finest things in life. Because her parents were dear and beloved friends of mine, I was present at the home birth of Princess Ant Girl and quickly deemed “her other mother.” Her birth mother was taken by breast cancer and her father passed when she was only two. The Princess received many gifts from her birth parents, including a keen intellect, absolute beauty, compassion, modesty and a real knack for being a smart alec. I am so honored to have been able to adopt her and would give her the world in a heart beat, including a hand knit cashmere cowl.
May 25, 2010 at 10:04 am
I don’t have any cashmere in my stash. I would want this for sure around my neck in Cowl form.
A Noble Cowl, maybe the Luxe Neck Warmer on smaller needles..
My #1 choice is the Shifting Sands scarf pattern. I would knit until the yarn runs out and make a Cowl! The yarn weight would be nice for this pattern and use a needle that would make a cowl with good drape. I wouldn’t have to worry about yardage with this project.
Awesome Shorts!
May 25, 2010 at 12:50 pm
YOU’RE FAMOUS! It’s so cool that you were noted in the Knitter’s Review!!! Glad to hear your grandmother is doing well! I hope you are finding ways to fill you free-time now that it’s summer!
May 25, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Timing is everything, my friend. I would make Ptarmigan with it–just published and I lurve it. Linky: http://www.danicahenry.wordpress.com
–DaynicaSchmaynica on Rav
PS: I can’t believe I missed you at MDS&W… seems spotting you in your hot pants was the hilight of many a knitter’s weekend.
May 25, 2010 at 3:49 pm
lots of things here:
Nancys comment was beautiful,
lol, love the girasole pics!
I so want to know what pattern you used for the hotpants or did you do them all on your own? Hubby would love a pair of these (in green and purple of course) to wear when playing outside concerts onstage!
Sorry your gram was not doing well, she sounds like things have greatly improved though. Having lost all 5 grandparents in the past year and a half your gram’s eating, etc is very good news! a good sign for sure!
Lastly, hmmm cashmere….it would fall between a fun knit skinny style shawlette/scarf for myself or a weenie warmer for the man. He has been joking about one for awhile. The scary part is i am sure he would actually wear it as it gets fairly cold in the man cave when he plays his xbox! It would keep his nuggets toasty!
May 25, 2010 at 6:05 pm
I have always wanted to knit the sofia cowl from one skein wonders and this looks PERFECT for that, especially as I have a purple coat tat would show it off beatifully and also I am going to be a Grandma this year and will need lovely soft things to help me age gracefully!!!
May 26, 2010 at 9:29 am
Oh, gosh, cashmere. Yummy. It would stay off the needles just long enough to be passed around and patted and admired and coveted at the weekly Stitch-n-Bitch…then would probably become the Endless Sunrise Scarf. Perhaps with beads, but maybe not…
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/endless-sunrise-scarf
Thanks for the giveaway!!
chana on Rav
May 26, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Because I have never knit with CASHMERE. Becuase I want to make something beautiful that I can pet throughout the day to bolster myself and convince myself everytime I do that there is good in the world. That is why I would like to win the uber lovely skein of cashmere. Num.
May 26, 2010 at 1:57 pm
First, I’m going to take my time fondling this pashmina skein to make sure it knows just how happy it should be to be in my exclusive harem.
Then, it will be time for a little S&M. I’ll use my magic needles to make this skein scream as it becomes…drum roll please… The Diagonal Ribbed Cowl. Yes, ribbed for her pleasure.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/diagonal-ribbed-cowl
May 26, 2010 at 10:42 pm
I would crochet a dishcloth with it. 😀 But I would’t use it to wash dishes, I would use it to dust. OR a can coolie. I would knit this though. Then I would needle felt some sort of witty beer drinkers phrase on it. I still have some time to think of the witty beer drinkers phrase. Hey! Who ever thinks of the wittiest beer drinkers phrase can win a way cool Pashmina can coolie with a witty beer drinkers phrase on it!!!!
May 27, 2010 at 4:52 pm
I would knit a Sack Boy (well, sack girl) out of it to match my character in Little Big Planet.
Like this: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sackboy
May 27, 2010 at 5:49 pm
I love the cashmere. I would definitely NOT knit it, at least not immediately. Instead, I would carry it near and far in my omnipresent knitting bag, tempting knitters and non-knitters alike, and when they ask where I got it, I would tell them about you and your blog and your awesome giveaways. Then I would knit it into a long thin scarf to wear wrapped around my neck a bunch of times.
May 27, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I’m so glad to hear that your grandmother is improving– that has to be a load off your mind.
That looks too soft and pretty not to be somehow on display, so, since my sister’s first wedding anniversary is coming up and she shares my unholy love of cashmere, I’d make this:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lace-flower-doily
The two need more pretty things to make their apartment a home. 🙂
May 27, 2010 at 7:46 pm
How well I know the sadness and uncertainty dementia brings to a family, and the relief of reprieve. Wishing your grandma and mother some peaceful moments (you too). Fibre therapy helps.
As for the giveaway… I have never had the luxury of knitting with cashmere. I imagine that amount would yield two pairs of the softest wrist warmers imaginable, one for me and one for my friend to keep our hands warm while playing our violas in a drafty concert hall next winter (and boy, do I mean winter! We live on the Atlantic Ocean – brr – and play beautiful music for a living).
May 27, 2010 at 7:50 pm
wow – new to your blog but I love what I see (and I’ll be coming back for sure.)
If that pretty skein of cashmere was dropped on my doorstep, I’d make a #29 Braided Cowl (and maybe it would be a shorter version) but still … gorgeous in cashmere.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/29-braided-cowl
thanks for the opportunity!
May 27, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Is it too late to enter? 🙂 I just discovered your blog thanks to the Yarn Harlot and have enjoyed perusing it.
If I won that pretty pretty skein, I would do like everyone else and pet and pet and pet it – especially since I’ve never owned anything cashmere in my life. Then, I think I’d try to make a cowl or neckwarmer of my own design with it. Fairly noble intentions, since I’ve not really “designed” much other than plugging different patterns into a sock recipe, but I think I would be up for it.
May 28, 2010 at 7:37 am
First thought when I saw the pashmina was to drap the hank around my neck for a necklace. I guess the next best would be knit an ascot something like this (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kick-ass-cot)
May 28, 2010 at 10:33 am
Be still my heart. Cashmere in my favorite color. I’d make Jared Flood’s latest creation, Ptarmigan. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ptarmigan
Cashmere around my neck? Well, no, I’d have to be generous and send it to my bff who lives several states from me and who’s been my bff for 45 years. She has untreatable cancer, an amazing attitude, and she would love it.
I can see my heart beating through my chest.
May 28, 2010 at 11:51 am
1. Good news with your Grandmother. I am in the process of moving both my parents to a community of care. It is good to have medical care close in times of need for family members.
2. Cashmere skein would actually be knitted up (after petting)into a cowl for my sister-in-law who just lost her husband. Living in north Iowa the winters can be pretty bitter when walking the dog.
May 28, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Not very original – I have also come here by way of the Harlot, read through your blog, and can’t help but throw my hat into the ring for that lovely piece of heaven. I have no idea what I would make with it. I would pet it and love it and play with it and make sure it was happy; then, when inspiration strikes, something lacey and lovey, like a lovely cowl.
May 28, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Awesome hot pants man!
I think I would make a little scarf/cowl. I would love to have a bit of cashmere gently cradling my neck with it’s softness and warmth.
May 28, 2010 at 6:09 pm
The pashmina definitely has to be something soft around the face. I’d make a cowl with the face band in pashmina and pick up stitches around the band in a wool/silk/alpaca blend I have been saving for something magical.
May 28, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Hmmm, that looks delicious 🙂 So I’d have to be extra sneaky, I’d spin a god-awful brown-green-purple, rather coarse sock yarn something that no would ever wanna touch with pincers. Knit big socks with a snuggly soft cashmere lining. Can you see that Cheshire cat grin as I slip my feet into deliciousness?
Ooooor, I’d finally, finally take the plunge and knit a tiny shawl for my most favorite plush turtle. She has a hat and scarf already, but wow would that be a fancily dressed turtle with a cashmere shawl!
May 30, 2010 at 3:23 am
I’m glad that your grandma is doing better and will send her good thoughts 🙂
Regarding the contest-
I’d make a lacy, shorter version of http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bainbridge-scarf since cashmere begs to be wrapped around the neck.
Or I might do a pair of fingerless mitts that I can wear all winter long.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/diamante-2 would be the forerunner. Either way, pure cashmere deserves to be knit into something that will be treasured.
May 30, 2010 at 10:37 am
I didn’t know you had a blog but I saw your mention in the YH post (way to go!) so I’m here from pittsburgh via toronto back to pittsburgh again.
As to what I’d do with the cashmere-other than love it and pet it and squeeze it and call it george, I’d probably make a neck warmer for my daughter, who rides her bicycle everywhere in all kinds of weather and gets cold easily.
May 30, 2010 at 4:04 pm
This cashmere looks so insanely soft that it has to be made into something I could wrap close around my throat. It just looks edibly soft… and I think it would look and feel delicious as this Flower Scarf:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flower-scarf-english
Purlescence (from Ravelry)
knittin_kitten@yahoo.com