jeannie's hands at work

Knitting, crocheting, other handwork, and personal.

Friday, July 28, 2006

An Evening With Stephanie-Pearl McPhee

Last night the Yarn Harlot was in Albuquerque. I got to go with a lot of my knitting friends.

I tried really hard not to gush like a groupie, but I don't know if I succeeded. I remember reading her blog about gushing over her idols at the big conventions, so I wanted to be just a normal person and Not a doofus. It was Sooo exciting to see her and chat for a minute, I don't know if I gushed or not. !

She talked about her husband's social parties are uncomfortable for her when people find out she knits. These days I'd a a whole lot rather be in a quiet corner knitting with her any time, rather than "mingling".

She talked about feeling shy so much of the time, but my impression was that she wasn't shy with us. - She was with knitters, mothers, like-minded women and men bound together by string and sticks. We all love knitting and find it "fun and interesting."

Thank You, Stephanie, for a lovely evening. Please come back again, any time. We can sit, knit, drink coffee, knit, eat dinner, knit, drink beer, knit...sleep. Knit, talk , knit.

The other thrill of the evening for me was recognizing and meeting Adam from
adam knits (alot!). I've enjoyed reading his blog over the last few months and am delighted to see him in town starting grad school.

While I forgot my camera and have no pictures from last night, if you go to the blog
a Woman Obsessed, she got a great picture with Stephanie and The Sock (s). 'Way to go, Jenny!
Well that's it for today. My last crochet class is tomorrow, and I'm carding roving all day Sunday - my share of the 10 lbs of camel from the zoo, and the roving to blend with it and like that...

The baby sweater and hat and booties are due by next Friday so I'll be posting pics of them next week. The Mystery Stole 2 is at a stand still till after that, and the toe-up-two-socks-2-circs are waiting to be cast off.

Okay - back to work. I'm getting my workout this week- we're pulling all the wires from the old video machines here in the studio and I'm pulling the wires and crawling under the floor in the 30 year tangle of video and audio cables. Hey - I'm a knitter- I can untangle yarn, right? I should be able to untangle cables... Well they're a lot heavier than yarn! Under the floor, under the racks, up out of the floor, up to the patch panels, back under the floor.
Whew, I'll be in good shape by the time we're done. :0)

Friday, July 07, 2006

Oh, the Horror!


Unbelieveable! I snagged it last night on the way home from work. My purse fell off my arm and caught the ONE PLACE that it could. The snag was 3 feet long last night. It's the yarn over row. Wouldn't you know....
Man!!

I've had more compliments - it was totally worth the effort.

Am I ready for Orenburg or cobweb lace? Yes, no, Yes, No! Yes!!!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Kitty Updates

Bear was not in evidence for this photo session. He's the old man of the group and the most cooperative when the camera comes out. But he was sleeping.


Furball- on her perch- from which she lured the boxer upstairs into darn near breaking his walker's ribs on the wrought iron railing as he lunged toward my window to get to her.





Speedy on the four drawer filing cabinet in the living room. He can see out without being too close to the LR window like Furball.
I suspect he's the "clinger" culprit.

So, What's Next? You guessed it. Lace.

Last week or so -BEFORE I even thought I would finish my shawl I joined the Mystery Stole 2 KAL.

Ok, ok, I'm nuts -I know - I have to live with me. :0)
I AM HOOKED.

So the first part is knitting a swatch and getting ready for the first part of the pattern.



This is Jade Sapphire yarn that I bought at least 2 years ago at the LYS. It is rumoured to have some cashmere in it. Unless I can find someone who can read Chinese with a microscope, I'll never know. But if I remember correctly, it was $8.00 a ball,
and 62.5 gm (which is the only thing I can really read on the label). It's a guess that there are 800 yds/ball. I have 2 balls and that's what I'm using for this KAL.


I'm going to use 2 size 4 circular needles so I can knit both sides of the Stole at once. I want to knit it a little more tightly than the swatch. I'll have to watch my yarn-overs carefully. And if we don't get instructions about the edges, I think I'll try to do seed stitch so the edge doesn't roll. Feedback if that won't work, please. Thank you.
Here are pictures of the rest of my lace weight stash.








The first two pictures are mystery yarns ( a bit heavier than cobweb with some silk content) from the "famous" weaver's estate sale two years ago. The weaver had at least two rooms of yarns and fibers. We all spent too much at that sale. ;o
The left hand picture is the cone from which wound off the balls in front. It's light blue with slubs of darker blue silk.
The right hand picture has some mystery dark skein of wool and who knows. The right hand (lighter) ball is Japanese silk (that's what the label said. :0) )

The third picture is what I believe to be warp yarn from the same place- it has mohair in it and I think will soften and fluff out with washing. I haven't decided whether to knit something first and then dye it or paint it, or dye the yarn first. I'm such a waffle.

The last pictures are just all of it laid out. Merino lace in 2 blues and the ball of white is also merino - cobweb weight.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Oh, My, Gosh!!!!!!! It's Magic - it's LACE!!!!!!!

For eleven months I have knitted this. From "one big, ugly, wadgey ('wad-gee) bag ? hat? 'What IS that?!'," attention-getter to Lace, and a shawl!!!! Oh my gosh. It really blooms!
Now I understand WHY we knit lace.

As it comes off the needles and falls away it becomes this floaty, ethereal creation... I can hardly bring words to it.
Eleven months -worth it -e v e r y s t i t c h -all 1872 bound off stitches in the final row.





ELEVEN MONTHS-
I've dropped stitches and tinked back, and in the LAST SIX ROWS, I had to tink, TINK, mind you, NOT rip, TINK back 3/4ths of 624 stitches because I didn't read the right row. DUHHHHHH. I've spent all my four days off on the last 6 rows! After ELEVEN months, you'd think I could read the last 6 rows correctly. Nope, nope, nope.



Less than 200 stitches to go!


Close-up of Picot edging.


Shawl on couch -I didn't realize it would stretch so much.

























Edge detail.



















It's so soft and light, but warm! Just right for my freezing office. Server room, cool away. I laugh at you now...!