Warty Bobbles

The Mystery Of The Missing Knitter

The problem with finding a series of books that you are willing to drop anything to read is that you want to drop everything to read them!  I think I may have stumbled onto such a series thanks to my dear friend Jodi.

 

(Note: if you love a good “read” proceed on through this post at your own risk – you might get intrigued and hooked too!)

 

I try not to make book recommendations until I have actually finished reading the book (having had to eat my words once or twice – well, it seems prudent to wait), but I am rollicking along so delightfully through Deanna Raybourn’s first “Lady Julia Grey” novel Silent in the Grave that I cannot kerb my enthusiasm.

 

It is a mystery series set in Victorian England (a good start).  The characters are intriguing and original.  The author writes with wit, clarity, humor – and she writes well.  This is a page-turner – and I cannot even imagine what is going to happen in the next chapter! 

 

So, I keep sneaking off to read page or two.  And then I linger to read a page or two more.  I tear myself away and then, when there is not so much a lull (in what is kind of a crazy-busy week around here!) but a sort of hiccup in activity, I dash into my bedroom to read a little more…

 

As I have taken to knitting in bed at night instead of reading before going to sleep, this book has posed kind of a problem!  So, I am bringing the garter stitch “Rashy Blanket” to bed with me because I can knit garter while reading. 

 

Having great faith in Jodi’s taste in books (she has never failed to make terrific recommendations in our 30+ years of friendship!), I ordered the first 3 books in the series at once – so I have Silent on the Moor and Dark Road to Darjeeling waiting in the wings.  The good news is that I should get that garter blanket done in record time!

Resolutions

I am home again after a fabulous weekend at the Beach celebrating my 50^th birthday with my family.  A great time was had by all!  We ate, drank, laughed, danced, played on the beach and climbed on the rocks – then ate, drank, and laughed some more.

 

I came home with delightful birthday gifts – including 7 books that I had requested.  I seem to have bought 2 more books at one of our favorite little bookshops in Newport.  And just before we left, I received 3 books that I had ordered from amazon.com.  Tomorrow, I fully intend to order one more book.

 

And you thought I only stashed yarn!

 

I have always been an avid reader (absolutely voracious in my youth!).  And I have always been one of those “keep a book handy in case you have a few minutes” kind of readers.   In recent years, however, I have been reading less – as I have been knitting more (and as I tend to keep knitting, rather than books, at hand).  I always have a book going, but it takes me a long time to get through any book because I really do not spend much time reading each day.

 

So, as I neatly stacked my new books next to the old books in the bookcase I devote to “books I have not read yet,” I decided that, good heavens, I could make time for reading in my life.  Surely, I can read for 30-45 minutes a day.  I mean, actually sitting down for a long chunk of time specifically to read.  Like a civilized person.  I bet I could double or triple the number of books I read in a year by doing so.

 

So, now I am writing “Read” on my daily to-do list -- right up there with “Shower” and “Check Email” and “Knit.”

 

And “Knit” reminds me of the second Resolution I have made as I embark on this new decade.  I have decided to knit the projects I have going, to knit the projects I have been planning to knit, to knit the yarn I have.  (I have to give Sarah some credit for this particular Resolution – it was her idea, even though she is not embarking on a new decade until next year). 

 

Any project I choose to pursue is worth the time it takes to knit it.  Really and truly.  And it will take as much time as it takes.  Honestly, it will. I think I am ready to accept these two points and take them to heart.  Which means letting myself finish projects – without feeling compelled to jump into something else “because I should have been done with it by now and should be moving along to something new.” 

 

Of course, the best way to carry out this philosophy is to finish what is at hand before starting something new.  And the best way to finish what is at hand is to work on it consistently.  And the best way to keep at it is to make progress.  So, perhaps I need to make knitting time a higher priority – as in actually sitting down for a long chunk of time specifically to knit.  Like a civilized person.

 

Soooo, I guess I will be spending more time reading and more time knitting (sounds good!) and less time….hmmm…well, I may have to ponder that out.  I think I will just start sitting down to read and sitting down to knit regularly – and surely whatever else I would have done during that time will not get done (without my having to ponder it out!) and maybe I won’t even miss it!

 

 

Of Designs

I seem to be in the middle of designing 5 projects – with one or two other lurking in the wings.  And this does not count the ones that are “in process” but having a wee nap until the weather gets better and sleeveless summer shells are on my radar again.

 

So, I am a little fragmented.  Having boldly converted several lace stitch patterns from flat knitting to in-the-round knitting (sort of means turning them inside-out and writing half of the directions backwards) and gnashed my teeth over the near-impossibility of charting a particular tam pattern with a double decrease (it must be possible – I just haven’t quite got it yet…), my brain is a little fried and I am second-guessing myself on even simple matters.  Which is actually a good thing since I discovered, last night, that I cannot add simple numbers!  I have been calculating a top-down raglan sweater, too – and should actually be on my knees praying that all the figuring I did to figure the fit will actually fit my figure.

 

And all this has me thinking wistfully of a several knitting reference books I would love to own.  I would love to just order them up from amazon.com this very minute.  Would even pay for expedited shipping.  Except that I spent all my knitterly money at Stitches West on fabulous yarn (which I do not regret!  I just regret that I do not have more money to spend on books!).  But, boy, these books would come in useful about now!

 

So, as in one’s youth, one might have written out the name of that cute boy in the second row of one’s algebra class, I will express my most adolescent longings for these books:

 

Knitting From the Top Down and Mosaic Knitting both by Barbara Walker

 

Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller

 

Creating Original Hand Knitted Lace by Margaret Stove

 

Charts Made Simple by JC Briar

 

Sigh.

 

 

If I Were To Be Thinking Of Autumnal Knitting...

I admit that I am a “seasonal knitter” and not one to be (sensibly) starting a wool sweater in June.  But I have 2 new knitting books that have me at least thinking of autumnal knitting. 

 

Elise Duvekot’s Knit One Below showcases her development of “knitting into the stitch below” to create gorgeous multi-color fabrics.   Sarah and I took her class at Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat and I actually bought yarn there to make a sleeveless shell using the knit-one-below technique. 

Now that I am thinking seriously about knitting it (our Pacific Northwest spring is warming up a bit – at least when the sun shines!), I decided to get the book so I could do it properly!  While the project I have in mind is not really a fall garment, most of the pieces in the book are suitable for cold weather.  I am looking forward to playing with the technique – especially as it a great “yarn mixer.”

 

Nancy Marchant’s Knitting Brioche is another Madrona inspiration – I had seen it at one of the bookseller’s booths, but it was gone when I went back to buy it!   It stayed in mind, however, and when I was in a book-buying frame of mind (and with the excuse that autumn knitting is just ‘round the corner), I ordered it. 

I have enjoyed working brioche stitch in the past and now, seeing all the variations in the “brioche stitchionary” I am over-the-top excited about it!   The photos are outstanding – large, clear, showing the stitches in detail and presenting both the right side and wrong side of each.  There are lots of photos in the front portion of the book which is devoted to dealing with brioche’s special characteristics (cast-ons, selvedges, shaping, etc.).  It is a designer’s dream!  There are patterns too and I begin to see more possibilities…

 

I am so grateful for the work these knitter-authors have done.  All the details and directions provided, the tricky bits worked out and explained – so I can play freely with these techniques!  And if we get the cool gray summer that has been predicted (sigh), perhaps I will find comfort in casting on some autumn projects early this year.

 

 

 

Book Review

Returning from Portland this week, I found the books we had ordered had arrived.  Yea!! There is nothing more exciting than a box of books – unless, perhaps, it is a box of yarn.  But one cannot really compare books and yarn (thank goodness).  Apples and oranges.  I will take either one any day of the week!

But this particular box of delights was books.  George’s Patrick O’Brian novels (of Master and Commander fame) and my Alexander McCall Smith’s Isabel Dalhousie mysteries (of The Sunday Philosophy Club fame – and my current drug of choice).  A volume of W.H. Auden another of Robert Burns (both of whom are mentioned a number of times in The Sunday Philosophy Club – so, yes, I am now taking book recommendations from my books….).

Of interest to knitters, though, would be Fairy Tale Knits by Alison Stewart-Guinee – a delightful set of patterns for storybook-inspired children’s garments.  Robin Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella – as well as pirates, elves, mermaids, princesses…. I am impressed by the pieces because, in the author/designer’s words, “They are not costumes, but rather outfits to wear on a regular basis.”  They are based upon timeless clothing styles – the kind that are neither outgrown quickly nor doomed to looking out-dated in a few years.  Classic as the stories that fire imaginations for generation after generation, these garments are definitely worth knitting!

I might add that the technical aspect of the book looks good so far.  Having not actually knit anything from it yet, I have to hold back from full approbation, but it has schematics, several photos for each design, a comprehensive techniques section.  And the directions seem to be laid out logically and efficiently. 

If you have needles in your bag and children in your life, you would probably find Fairy Tale Knits an exciting addition to your library -- and your project list!

Lace and Russian Novels

Knitting a Lace shawl is much like reading a Russian novel. 

The thought occurred to me – rather out of the blue -- as I was tinking back and re-working a row of lace (I had a lot of time to mull over the similarities while the other side of my brain was working on keeping the yarn-overs from escaping and wriggling the point of my needle into tight little knit-three-togethers )  The random thought sprouted into a full-grown theory!

Lace Shawls and Russian Novels.  The start up is ridiculously easy.  Every yarn shop I have ever visited has lovely lace-weight yarn (which is always an incredible bargain when you price it out per yard) and every book shop has Russian novels (also a bargain priced by page).  Yet, there is an elite quality to both. And one has only to lift the skein or book to find oneself engulfed in an aura of intellectualism and virtue:  why, yes, I am a knitter of lace shawls and a reader of Russian novels (even non-knitters and lackadaisical readers will be impressed when I casually let it drop in conversation).  Somehow, the fact that I am making a HUGE commitment of time on a chance encounter never enters my head and I leave the yarn/book shop feeling ridiculously triumphant. 

The beginning is romantic and I am buoyant with adventure and ambition.  It only takes me a few days to wind the 1800-yard skein into a ball and to cast on 400 stitches – about the amount of time it takes me to chug through the first five chapters of the novel.  Casting on is not my favorite part as there is so much counting and re-counting.  And in the first few chapters, I cannot quite figure out who is who.  But these little frustrations are offset by the knowledge that I am fully embarked on the project/read of a lifetime.  Even though my shawl is but a little stringy worm, I savor the fine merino, the gradation of colors the skein promises.  Soon, I will begin to see it play out into a delicate fabric.  Likewise, I note the fine prose and subtle descriptions.  Soon, I will begin to figure out who the characters are and what they are doing.

Slowly, I become comfortable handling the yarn (thread-like stuff that sticks to itself even as it sort of bounces about and slides off the needles) and familiar with the pattern (which is probably a repeat of 24 ever-varying rows that read something like an African dialect of clicking “k2togs” and sibilant “pssos”).  Slowly, I figure out that the characters are eating breakfast, then luncheon, then dinner, then breakfast again.  Slowly, my family becomes resigned to me muttering my “African dialect” in the living room – though they do dissuade me from trying to cook borscht.  Lace shawls and Russian novels tend to take possession of my mind.

Time passes.  There are many stitches in each row.  There are many words on each page.  My shawl is ten inches long and, by some mystery familiar to knitters everywhere, has been ten inches long for days -- even though I knit every evening.  By the same sort of witchery, my bookmark sits a quarter of the way into the novel, day after day after day even though I read faithfully.  

As weeks pass, the romance pales.  I never actually lose my love for my lace shawl – any more than I lose interest in my Russian novel.  It is not even a matter of losing patience.  It is pure wantonness on my part.   Monogamy practiced upon a lace shawl that never gets any longer or a Russian novel that seems to get longer by the day wears on the nerves.  Other yarns beckon, other books call. 

I cast on a sock and open a murder mystery. 

There are several lace shawls still on the needles tucked into baskets behind closed cupboard doors – the Russian novels stand more boldly naked on the bookshelf in my study, bookmarks wedged securely in place.  I never actually give up on them;   I just let them rest.  

There always comes a day when my appetite for lace-weight yarn or hearty prose returns.  Most likely in a yarn shop or bookstore.  I would like to say that I run home to my not-exactly-forsaken projects and books, but…. Well, there is room in my heart for many passions (of the fiber and literary sort, I mean, and if one is going to practice a little indiscretion, there are certainly worse ways to do so!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Swatch

I am home briefly between family-related road trips (3 trips in 2 weeks!) and am posting another "swatch" from earlier in the year when I was considering starting my blog. (Note: I am still reading Lord Peter and am still working on the socks).

This winter, when I am not staying up too late knitting (or, I confess, after I have stayed up too late knitting), I have been staying up too late reading Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries (thank you, Dorothy Sayers!). Pattern-seeker that I am (as in one who tends to see patterns in life, not as one who continually searches for knitting patterns – I am that, too, of course, but back to Lord Peter), I have noticed that good knitting stories are much like good murder mysteries (okay, you knew we would get around to knitting!).
For example, The Mystery of the Uncooperative Heel Flap is a fairly good story. There are conflicts and missteps and a good villain and resolution (by the way, I have turned the heel, picked up the heel stitches, and am cruising along on the gusset decreases). I majored in English Writing in college and so am familiar with these things.
On the flip side, The Good Cable Sweater does not make good blog fodder. It is sheer bliss to knit. The pattern is striking. The fit of the tunic is loose and so not-to-worry. The merino is doing what it has been bred for generations to do. No story here.
I can imagine a sonnet or an ode, sort of an adoring love tribute toThe Fair Cable Sweater Who Has Captured My Heart (anthropomorphism seems appropriate here, tho I generally find it over-used). I will not write one, however, as that would seem to tempt the Knitting Sprites and I would find myself twisting my cables left instead of right or something of that nature.
I find I like having both murder mysteries and sonnets in my knitting (as well as my literary) life. There is nothing quite like solving a puzzle or out-witting a charming but difficult yarn. And while it is distressing to discover that occasionally I, myself, am the murderer, it is reassuring to know that the victim can usually be resurrected.