dry creek
August 3, 2020
after the…we’ll call it…dissatisfaction with my last shawl,
my plans to join romi’s summer shawl knit along stalled.
still. something in my decided to download the pattern
yesterday, and watch the introductory video.
naturally,
since today is
my first day off in
what is it? a week, maybe?
a day when i “get” to catch up on
all the house work that needs to be done
and, of course, plan the next semester that
will be taught face to face during a pandemic,
i decided that knitting was a much more pressing
endeavor to undertake.
but rather than a tendency toward’s procrastination,
which would be the easier, one could even say cliché scapegoat,
let’s instead lay today’s failure to be productive at the feet of romi,
whose intro video was…to say thorough would be an understatement.
it included a demonstration for the unusual cast on; a deep dive into the fiber of the sample and how wool would behave differently, giving a very different look (negative connotations); the importance of, not only knitting but blocking, a gauge swatch (see also thefiber content deep dive); there was an explanation of the charts, which was needed since, even as an experienced lace knitter, her charts are unlike ones i’ve encountered before; and of course the live chat allowed people to ask questions.
i was thoroughly impressed.
and considering there are weekly
weekly livestreams accompanying this knitalong,
i felt the $15 price tag was considerably too low
and immediately offered to venmo romi.
and so today,
after painstakingly winding
the perfect center-pull ball on my nostepinne, (kill me)
i took all of romi’s video inspiration and information
and promptly threw it all out the window,
casting on immediately
with the wrong fiber.*
fuck you! i thought
to some imagined,
unknit swatch.
i want to knit this shawl
i want to knit it now,
and i want to knit with
this yarn in this color, got it?
thus
a tiny triangle was born.
(do excuse the shit lighting;
i was too hot to go outside today).
i also completely forgot the instructions for the charts
which has resulted in many mistakes and much tinking.
but i love my purple triangle
and i even have an idea
for who i might
give it to.
maybe.
what are you knitting?
*i have strong feelings about so-called “bamboo” yarn.
mostly that it…is shit. and a gimmick. it’s just rayon!
it’s toxic to manufacture and while it may seem
pretty in some applications,i’m just
not here for synthetic fibers.
but you can knit with it.
people love it!
everything is terrible
August 2, 2020
and yet,
here we are.
i finished the through the loops mastery shawl 2020 ages ago
and, immediately, i hated it.
it was hideous in my eyes, though
blocking it helped quite a bit.
i don’t know what it is, exactly:
the colors
the asymmetry
the fact that it was difficult to block
and nearly impossible to photograph (damn shawl photography!)
after a couple of weeks, stewing,
this is my takeaway:
i absolutely loved knitting it, and for a process knitter, maybe that’s all that matters. but looking at it in its current iteration, it lacks cohesion. the very thing that made it fun to knit—the varying techniques, the interplay of color, not knowing what it would look like—are what make me not like it now. i think it’s the repetition and symmetry i enjoy in lace shawl knitting that’s missing for me. even a subtler contrast would be more appealing for me.
let me be clear.
it’s not the shawls fault.
it’s exactly as advertized:
a high contrast asymmetrical shawl.
it’s simply a question of taste, and i, apparently,
like symmetry, regularity, a subtle contrast.
who knew‽
and yet!
giving away my last shawl
made me sadder than expected.
so i’ve lovingly tucked away my ugly duckling
because, after all, i did knit it.
in other knitting news,
i’ve been working on a boneyard 2.0.
i fell in love with the yarn
and this patten’s simple regularity has always been deeply soothing.
i was also excited by the 2.0 part, boasting
longer wings for a more wearable,
isosceles shape.
cependent, i remember remembering that
yarn over increases at the edges
on both right and wrong sides
created a very tight edge,
one that curves, rather
than lying straight.
i ignored what i knew,
and more than 400 yards in,
after beginning the single row striping—
at the mathematically perfect part of the shawl, i’ll add—
the problem has only gotten worse. and, as much as i’d like to,
i cannot delude myself into thinking that shit will block right out.
ripping it will happen.
just not yet.
but the heat and general shawl failure
makes the idea of hand-winding 900 yards of wool
untenable.
my only other option, my
last spark of knitting joy,
is this
because obviously the rational response
to being unable to knit a basic shawl
is some bohus stickning,
how’re you?????
world aids day project – prelude
November 29, 2011
on dec 1,
at midnight,
the bitches get stitches world aids day project will go live.
i could never have pulled this off without the help of my gracious sponsors. they run the gambit from big yarn companies, to independent dyers & designers, to some of my favorite knitter/friends.
with their help, i have gathered an amazing array of loot to give away to raise money for the pittsburgh aids task force.
make sure to be here on december 1 to find out how you can enter to win one of these amazing prizes.
***you will only have the 24 hour window on world aids day to enter, so make sure you’re here on dec 1***
below is just the list;
there will be a gallery of photos for you to drool over later.
dah loot!
1. 5 e-patterns
sponsor – spillyjane
2. 3 e-patterns
sponsor – jane richmond
3. 2 braids of gradients merino/silk top – 1 in the ‘bitter lime to rose’ color way & 1 in the ‘copper to verdigris’ color way
sponsor – fiber optic yarns
4. 2 skeins of kashmir sock yarn – 1 in the ‘blood moon’ color way & 1 in the ‘pomegranate’ color way
sponsor – fiber optic yarns
5. 1 skein manchester sock yarn in the ‘kimuru’ color way & 1 braid of 80/20 merino silk top in the ‘pasch’ color way.
sponsor – into the whirled
6. a pair of herrevott man mittens, hand-knit by misa erder & a copy of her original pattern, vagabond fingerless mitts
sponsor – misa erder aka craftivore
7. 3 skeins of handspun yarn – 1, 2, & 3
sponsors – yarn old kim, sarah aka paknitwit, and natalie servant designs
8. 1 sock pattern of your choice and one skein of sock yarn to knit it
sponsor – blue moon fiber arts
9. the mothership, handmade by yokoo
sponsor – yokoo scarves & accessories
10. 1 skein abstract fiber hepburn in marionberry color way
1 skein abstract fiber picasso in smith rock color way
2 patterns from fibre isle international, suitable for dk weight yarn
3-1 oz packettes unicorn power scour
1-2 oz jar woolen rabbit hand cream
3 jul pedestal buttons
1 stonewall bonnet pattern, plus the yarn to make it, snuggle, from the alpaca yarn company
sponsor – yarnsuperhero llc
11. 1-7 small shawls ebook, 1-7 small shawls y2 subscription, 1 pattern only subscription for the pins and lace club x1
sponsor – designs by romi
12. 1 skein hand-dyed serenity 20 sock yarn from zen yarn garden, in the exclusive ‘go pittsburgh’ color way
sponsor – natural stitches
13. 2 skeins of tess designer yarnssuperwash lace
100% Merino, approx 500 yards each
sponsor – yvonne a.k.a. knitnat
14. 2 skeins of wabi sabi yarns trumpet vine dk in magenta hibernating colorway, & three patterns: lilas cardigan, gemma, & cloudy sunday
sponsor – hilary smith callis
15. 1-4oz braid of yarn hallow mixed merino top in the ‘red rocks and spruce’ color way
sponsor – the spinning loft
16. 6 e-patterns – french press felted slippers, breckenridge cowl, montebello texture cowl, aravis, 3-in-1 felted baby booties, and legacy
sponsor – french press knits
17. ebook subscription for knitspot’s upcoming “bare naked club”
sponsor – knitspot
18. $15 gift card for knitspot’s online pattern store
sponsor – knitspot
19. $15 gift card for knitspot’s online pattern store
sponsor – knitspot
20. 3 skeins of kolláge yarns’ luscious in the ‘cherry’, ‘walnut’, ‘color burst’ color ways
sponsor – kolláge yarns
21. 2 skeins of roxi in the ‘signature red’ color way by the grinning gargoyle & 1 copy of schmetterling
sponsor – the grinning gargoyle & mushroom knits
22. HizVest e-pattern
sponsor – stephen hizknits houghton & blue moon fiber arts
23. 1 pair of hand-knit socks knit with silkie socks that rock, hand dyed by me.
sponsor – yours truly
24. 15 balls of cashmere trend in red
sponsor – skacel
25. 1 addi click set in your choice of bamboo, turbo, or lace
sponsor – skacel
whew! now that’s a list, bitches!
Bitches Get Stitches 