Missed One

Last Monday when I was talking about online knitting, crochet, and spinning magazines, I forgot to mention a new one that’s just out called For The Love Of Yarn. There isn’t that much content yet, but there’s a great article by Claudia Dunitz on “Confessions of a Reformed Pattern-Slave (Freeformer) Or, How I Threw Away My Knitting Patterns and Learned to Love Crochet.” Definitely worth reading. There’s also a couple of really cute amigurumi snail and turtle patterns. So far crochet is beating out knitting with only one knit sweater pattern and it’s rated advanced. What this mag does have that’s different is a free classified section for regular folks (aka not shops) to sell their excess knitting and crochet related items. I’m staying away from there.

So anyway, yesterday wasn’t all that Bad in retrospect. The weather cleared up somewhat and when T-Man got home from work around 3pm we went for a walk. Good thing too because today we’re back to the rain. I’ve been listening to podcasts and knitting on my funky Vogue #17 top/vest thingy. I’m now partway down the shoulder sections on the front (chart part 2) and heading toward where I join them back together at the front neck. It’s pretty oddly shaped but very fun and a challenge to knit. I’ll take another picture soon — but not today. I’m reserving judgment on what it’s going to look like while being worn until there’s enough of it to try it on. I’m also thinking it needs some beads?

I must be on a roll because I also found a pattern for a simple shell that I can knit with the 5 balls of green-gold Marks & Kattens Bomull (50% cotton, 50% wool) that I have. It’s a cable-twisted yarn with a nice crisp but soft hand that I really like. Maybe worsted weight? I originally bought some for a kumihimo class (among a bunch of different yarns) and I also used some for a crochet class and it worked up really nicely into a small bag. I have all of this particular colour that the shop has and can’t get more so it’s either going to do it or else. According to the pattern (Knit ’n Style Spring 2006, p.33) it uses 400 yards and I have over 490 yards. Plus I’m thinking I might do the crochet edgings in black, of which I have one ball. We’ll see. Gee, I’m turning into a regular-type knitter! Gotta Get Gauge!

While we were walking yesterday we went to Chapters (what else!) and I got an issue of Burda magazine at Mayfair Magazines (across the street from Chapters, which doesn’t carry Burda). There’s a few interesting patterns in this issue (4/2006). If I make just one garment, I’ll have justified the cost of the magazine. We’ll see. Ooh, there’s an echo in here.