Warty Bobbles

Joyful Ferocity Update

And what of the Joyful Ferocity? 

A little history:  the Joyful Ferocity was commissioned by my dear friend, Joyce, back in autumn.  She sketched an exquisite line drawing of a flowing jacket-type garment and chose our Dawn color way (wisely, to my thinking, as she has golden coloring herself).  Sarah and I went straight to work on the design – we even made a mock-up from t-shirt-type knit yardage to get the draping just right.  We chose yarns and stitches.  We began knitting…and then, quite abruptly, the Joyful Ferocity went dormant. 

I could render rationalizations (Christmas, family, knitting conferences, Front Room Knit Studio classes…), but the truth is that it just slipped off to sleep all on its own.   For weeks, we walked passed it on tiptoe.  We would whisper to each other (a bit mournfully): o, the Joyful Ferocity. 

And then, about three weeks ago it woke up.  And we picked it up and started knitting it again. 

Clearly, the Joyful Ferocity knew itself to belong to Spring.  I should not be surprised:  the colors are cream, lilac, pink, gold, the green of new leaves.  Now, it is unfurling like any spring flower.  We are very excited – without giving too much away, I can say that it has a medieval fairy-tale feel to it, strong lines and a shimmer of enchantment.

 

The Knit Stitch Is An Elegant Thing!

Teaching our knitting class has made me really think about the whole knitting process, the knit and purl stitches, the knitted fabric.  I think it was the “right side and wrong side” discussions that led me to the existential-esque questions that, in turn, made me really see the humble yet elegant loop that is the knit stitch for the first time.

It was Monday evening (the evening after knitting class) that I was sitting up in bed knitting away on the Gull Pi Shawl pondering the day’s events (including the “right and wrong side” discussion) that I suddenly thought: what is the purl bump?  I knew what it looked like, of course, but I did not know what it was (I have used more italics tonight than I have all month – but I digress).  So, as I had the knit side of the shawl facing me, I carefully turned the work over and peered at a purl bump and…

It was the top of the knit stitch loop bent gracefully backward and tucked under the needle!

The lower portion of the knit stitch (or the purl stitch!) shows as a V and the top part is the top curve bent under and behind the needle (or ducking slightly forward!).  The only difference between a knit stitch and a purl stitch is the nod forward or backward!

I was floored!

A New Lapboard

I have a new lapboard and I could not wait to try it out (how quiet a life I lead!).  My lapboard is my desk when I am stationed in my leather chair – and is especially useful for holding My Pet (my mini-notebook computer – not a parakeet or gerbil).  My old one suffered some, er, unpleasantness from one of the cats and had to be discarded (immediately).  So, for a few days I have been improvising with a cushion and a clipboard.  And I kept saying, gee, I should go out and get a new lapboard. 

But I didn’t.  The weather here has been crazy – when we woke yesterday it was dumping snow and there was already an inch or so on the ground.  The rest of the day: sleet, rain, wind, rain from several directions at once, hail, about 10 minutes of a completely blue sky, then the rain came back – and the wind.  There was sleet again.  And when we went to bed snow was powdering the back deck.  Today, we are back to the plain drenching rain that chills your marrow.  So, I have been lurking inside as much as possible.

Fortunately, we needed groceries.  And George, being kind of a hero, not only went to the grocery store, but stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond to get me a new lapboard.  And it is a pretty spiffy one.   It has a built-in cup holder and a pop-up LED light on a flexible goose-neck (and it looks like some kind of space-age alien thing – pretty cool).  It has a pencil trough, too.

 

Management Issues

I am hiding from the left-front of the Joyful Ferocity.  I could say I am just taking a break, but if I am going to be a slacker I might as well be honest about it.

It is not the left-front’s fault.  It is actually a beautiful piece and it is fun to knit –but there are management issues that are wearing me down.  Left-front is 10 inches wide.  It will be 17 inches long.  Not large.  But complex – oh so complex!  Five balls of yarn hang from it (oh, the twisting and wrapping ‘round and the un-twisting, the un-wrapping ‘round!).  Two of these yarns have beads which need to be shoved up (and down) as needed (or not needed).  One of the yarns is a chunky crinkle that could probably eat the other yarns.  There are four stitch patterns –which means that there are four charts to follow.  One of these patterns is a mammoth:  39 stitches wide and 32 rows high. 

The management issues (keeping track of the stitches, the rows, the beads, the yarns) take as much time as the knitting.  It goes kind of like this:

Knit, knit, knit, wrap a yarn, knit, slide a bead, knit, knit, wrap, knit, knit, brrrng-brrrng (phone call), knit, knit, what?! oops, un-knit, un-knit, knit, knit, knit, wrap, slide bead, knit, knit, wrap, knit, mark this chart, mark that chart, move the line marker, turn, un-wrap, un-wrap, un-twist, un-twist, catch the ball of yarn that is rolling under the table, un-twist….

I think I need an administrative assistant!

Dinking Around Instead Of Knitting

So, this afternoon, I had some quiet time and could have settled down with the nice complicated front-left of the Joyful Ferocity or the Gull Pi Shawl (I’m still in love….) or the baby blanket or the baby matinee jacket or the Short-Row Tapestry Stole (which is so free-form that it is kind of like coloring with yarn).  But I did none of these.

 

I dinked around on Ravelry instead.

 

And now the family is starting to come home and I am kind of regretting the quiet knitting-time-that-might-have-been.

 

But I think I needed the Ravelry-dink-around.  I think I miss the knitters from Madrona and Stitches West.  Even though Sarah and I talk about knitting everyday.  Even though we have our darling beginner knitters (Monday afternoon class – we love you guys!).  I think I just needed to hear what other knitters are saying, see what they are doing.  Had to give my opinion about twisting stitches.   Had to make my pitch for using wool yarn for baby blankets. 

 

It is kind of a funny thing, this knitting community thing.  Maybe it is like being in a foreign land and hearing your native tongue.  Sometimes, I would just like to wear a hand-knit garment like it was a normal thing.  Or knit in public without anyone making a big deal out of it.   Not that the attention isn’t flattering and, occasionally, good for business.  It is just that even a bohemian wants to blend sometimes.

 

So, I just melted into my knitting community for a while. 

 

 

Gull Pi Shawl: The Beginnings

So far so good. 

 

The Gull Pi Shawl is 40 rounds old and actually looks a little like a lace shawl.  I began on double pointed needles (9 stitches cast on) and once I got past the wind-chime stage (when the wooden needles are so loosely held together with the wisp of knitting that they clatter like wind-chimes), it went along easily.  At about round 25, I held it up to George and said:  hey, it looks like a ratty little bag.  And he agreed. 

 

Fortunately, it was time to increase again and with 144 stitches I figured I could move up to a circular needle.  After the increase round, I knit onto the circular needle and the stitches fit around – barely.  So, now it looks like a furry spider web.  Or a crafty wall- handing from the ‘70s.

 

I am not sure how distinct the lace patterns will be – even when it is blocked.  The careful patterning may blur into a sort of general holeyness and only I will know that there is any method to it.  Of course, the fact that the stitches were chosen because of their gullish connotations ( gull wings, alternate feather stitch, inverted gull stitch, razor stitch – for the clams with gulls eat – flying wings, bird’s eye edging, and gull egg – which is an invented bobble stitch) is already kind of obscure and cryptic.  Though when the shawl was in its “ratty little bag” stage, it did kind of look like a young gull.

 

A Cast-Off Stole And A Cast-On Shawl

The cast-off stole is, of course, Sonja’s Pelty Stole which we finished at Stitches.  We (shamelessly) made her wear it to the hotel lobby bar where we (shamelessly) made her parade to and from the ladies’ room in it – and the rest of the time we gazed at her wearing it in (shameless) admiration of our own work.  At some point, when I can get Sonja and the Pelty Stole and a camera all together in the same room, I will get a picture to post.

Now that the Pelty Stole is done, I am free to knit the projects that have been whimpering in their various baskets and bags.  Out comes the Short-Row Tapestry Stole!  Out comes the baby blanket and matinee coat!  Out comes the Joyful Ferocity (which means my dear and patient friend, Joyce, can look for it to be done for spring wear)!  And out comes the lace yarn for the Gull Pi Shawl!  Much rejoicing.

Working out the arithmetic for the Pi Shawl was of those nice chewy challenges.  I do all my figuring on scratch paper (it’s not that I distrust calculators, but I am highly suspicious of myself with a calculator) and it was pure delight when the numbers just melted into suitable repeats.  Like magic.  There were some non-magical moments as well, certainly, but really it mostly fell into place. 

I do think I need to take a class in transposing patterns written for back-and-forth rows to in-the-round instructions, though.  My final brain twist of the evening was to get a wrong-side row of twisting to work out on a right-side row!  I did a little research and a little experimenting and think I have it figured out.  I made notes so I will recall what I decided to do when I finally get to where I need to do it.

I have worked 13 rounds now and am up to 72 stitches (one begins at the center and increases outward).  I have had to cast on 3 or 4 times to get it right, but cannot really complain as the cast-on is a mere 9 stitches.  Having read The Yarn Harlot’s recent blog about her lace shawl beginnings and re-beginnings and re-re-beginnings – well, I cannot compete with that!

 

Stitches West 2009

I am collapsed on the bed in the hotel on this our last afternoon at Stitches.  It is all pretty much over now – the classes have ended , the yarn market is closing, most of the knitters have gone.  We fly home tomorrow and today has that day-after-Christmas feel.  I am satiated and worn out.  And on a deeper level, warmly exhilarated. 

For me, it all comes together here at Stitches:  the classes, the yarn, the knitting community.  Three hours on the structure and uses of mesh patterns:  exhilarating!  Booth after booth of delicious yarns in every weight and color and fiber imaginable:  exhilarating!   Women draped in lace shawls, women draped with bags of hand-painted wools and fat skeins of silk, women draped across couches in the lobby bar knitting and talking and laughing: exhilarating!

It has all been super stimulating.  Nupps and bobbles, deep and frenzied discussions with Sarah over the choice of yarn for my new projects (which will, I suspect feature a nupp or bobble or 2), the agony and ecstasy of the final choices (followed by the thrill of dashing back to the market for the yarn I cannot go home without after all).  Alsatian scallop construction and a clever method for sewing zippers in knitted garments and the secrets of manipulating elongated stitches.  Probably a little too much wine and, regrettably, not enough coffee. 

And the fact that my 3 daughters and I have been hanging out together through it all!

Okay, that is probably the best I can do as far as summing up my Stitches experience.   I think I’ll just crawl off the bed and go find a latte.  And maybe do a little knitting.