‘Cause He’s Worth It

I just wrote a nice long post and zapped it completely when my netbook computer lost its plug. Grrrrr…

Let’s try again, shall we? The battery is in now for extra security.

I know it’s been awhile. I got sucked into lots of walkies and even more gardening. Gotta do it while it’s nice out, right? We have about 9 months of dreary weather around here so any sunshine we do get has to be savoured carefully. My garden is looking pretty nice. I’ll try to get a photo for next time. We’re eating something out of it every day: salad greens, parsley, chives, basil, kale, gai-lan, rhubarb, onions, etc. Garlic scapes are appearing and the peas and tomatoes are finally flowering. Cabbages are starting to set teeny cabbages. Yum.

Yesterday I spent some quality time up in the studio pasting together the Newcastle Cardigan pattern from Thread Theory. It printed out very nicely with sufficient borders to actually print properly on the bottom edge where most patterns get cut off due to the whopping .7” no-print zone on my old inkjet printer. The pieces went together pretty easily. I bravely chopped out a size M for T-Man though I eliminated the waist curve because he…er, doesn’t. I think the sleeves are a little long too but I can adjust that later. Easier to cut than add fabric!

I was a little disappointed that the design used a facing which is usually kind of floppy in a knit. This time I went with it as drafted but we’ll see how it performs. I might eliminate facings and substitute a more streamlined binding if I make it again. We also discussed it and T decided that he wanted the more shallow shawl collar. He didn’t want to look too “grandpa”. Snort! (The grandkids might disagree.) Or too Mister Rogers. No chance. Nice that there’s the option to make it both ways.

The fabric is an unknown synthetic. (Dressew’s labels often leave a lot to the imagination!) It’s a dark gray and fuzzy on one side and smooth knit on the other. It washed and dried like a dream and cut like butter. Or maybe that was the new Olfa blade? Whatever, I went with a nap layout but didn’t follow the one in the directions because a) I couldn’t see it on the printout and b) my fabric was only 56” wide, not 60”. Come to think of it, I never follow the layout diagrams! Now I still have to experiment with various interfacing options. I’m not sure if fusible will stick to the fuzzy side which will be the interior for cosiness. The decorative yokes will be with the fuzzy side out just because I can. I think it’ll be cool. No idea how it presses or sews yet. It’s pretty thick and very stretchy. Wish me luck.

I also finished T’s next pair of socks:

Natura Socks

For:  T-Man

Begun:  May 13, 2013
Completed:  June 7, 2013

Yarn:  Zitron Trekking Pro Natura, 75% superwash wool/25% bamboo fibre, colourway 1600 (browns and gold), 100g = 420m.

Needles:  Blackthorn carbon dpns, 2mm

Pattern:  Damselfly’s Plain Socks on 68sts, 9” before heel, 8.25” before toe dec.

Comments:  This ball of yarn has been in the stash for quite awhile waiting patiently. The bamboo is apparently not the “rayon” version but the real retted bamboo so hopefully it will be a good substitute for the usual nylon content. It’s a nice idea environmentally speaking but we’ll see how it wears over time.

I just chucked out a pair of his socks that were worn down to the nylon content on the soles and completely pilled. They were pretty old (predating my 2007 Ravelry membership) and were knit in hand-dyed Sandnes Garn Sisu which doesn’t hold up as well as some of the other sock/fingering yarns. It’s only 3-ply and not as tightly twisted. I used it because I could get it in white for dyeing from the old Birkeland Bros Wool. (Before they sold and moved out to Abbotsford. Sniff!) T won’t wear bought socks anymore – only hand-knitted by me. Yes, he’s spoiled! Rotten.

Since this is becoming the T-Man post, I did promise to show you his new Cigar Box Guitar that he made at Lee Valley Tools:

That’s a real Cuban cigar box, Romeo y Julieta. We call her RJ for short. No, he didn’t smoke the cigars first. Yuck. Even if they are the same brand popularised by Sir Winston Churchill. However he did cut out and assemble the parts and sand and polish it all nice. It’s a 3-string fretless tuned in G, played with a glass slide and a pick – you know, in case you care about these things. Yes, it’s reversed from the usual guitar direction. T’s left wrist doesn’t bend properly so he has trouble playing the neck with the left hand. Nice thing about making something is you can customise, right? It sounds deeper than you might think and not at all like an ukulele. He now has a cable and gear to connect the electric pickup to his computer or iPhone too. Can an amp be far behind? Umm…he might want to learn to play it first maybe…

How Many?

So exactly how many blogs or podcasts can one keep up with? How many magazines and books and newspapers can one read cover-to-cover? How can one stay on top of the fibre world and still have time to do anything else? I need to know this because there’s only 6408 people in front of me waiting to get into Ravelry! I’m afraid once I get in there won’t be one minute left in the day to go pee. I’m already having trouble getting housework, cooking and gardening done. This could be one of those situations where I won’t allow myself the pleasure of indulging until at least some of my chores are finished first. Yeah, right.

I’m still a bit skeptical as to where Ravelry will fit into my style. Kind of hard to ignore a lot of folks whom I admire madly chanting its praises though. This includes several members of my beginner spinning class who were cheering at getting their invitations. It’s starting to take on the aspect of Exclusive Club, doncha think? As #23999, I feel like I’ve got my nose pressed up to the window trying to see what all the hoopla is about inside. Guess I’ll find out soon enough! They’re letting people in more quickly now, even though they still aren’t actually “live” yet. And there’s almost 12,000 behind me still! I bet nobody was expecting this level of participation and excitement over an interactive knitting and crochet community. For more blather, listen to Jess and Casey (Ravelry’s creators) over on Stash and Burn’s recent podcast.

I spent yesterday (in my ancient dressing gown – don’t ask) helping a friend adjust a blouse pattern to fit her Big Girl figure. I had already adjusted it quite a bit several years ago but the back shoulder area needed a bit more tweaking. The first one was in handwoven silk and she wore it often enough to just about wear it out so she knows this one will be another popular item in her wardrobe. She plans to make a replacement garment again in her own fine handwoven and hand-dyed silk/linen fabric. It feels lovely, all crunchy yet with a flattering drape. Shoulda taken a photo of it while I was fondling it, shouldn’t I?

In other crafty news, I’m just starting the toes on the Crosshatch Socks. Haven’t touched the DDD Socks at all in an attempt to finish the Crosshatch first. I’m slogging away in the Icelandic Lace Shawl centre doldrums. The stitch is a simple [k3tog, k1p1k1 in next st] repeat and then, after a plain knit row between, work a k1p1k1 over the k3tog and knit those made-3 sts tog. There are decreases at the beginning, middle and end of the pattern rows which automagically staggers the two elements and decreases 8 stitches at the same time so there’s really only one pattern row. I guess that’s why it feels like it’s going on forever! It does make a cute mesh of puffs and holes which leads me to continue slogging and the rows keep getting shorter so there’s a definite end out there. Then I have to pick up the opposite end and carry on for a while longer on the outside edge of the triangle. It’s the process that counts, right?

So I’m feeling a bit better today from whatever bug hit both T-Man and me this last weekend. It’s a bit like a cold but not too sniffly. It mostly just knocks you flat with no energy. This effect still comes and goes so you start something and then poop out quickly. Not terrible — just annoying. And it’s T’s birthday today! I forgot to wish him a Happy Birthday at 5:30 am this morning so I sent him an email. How romantic, eh? LOL! Now he’ll be my Old Man for a month or so until I catch up in early November. He already bought himself his birthday presents: $600 worth of new clothes, a very expensive chuck for his lathe and a lovely turned wooden platter made by his friend (and guild president) Bruce Campbell at a guild auction. (No, not “Army of Darkness” Bruce Campbell! This Bruce Campbell!) I can show you the platter which is now on display on our buffet:

Front and back. Init purdy?

Zippedy-Weekend

Time goes way too fast. Or maybe I try to cram too much into it. Anyway, here we are at another week when I hardly know what happened to the last one. Saturday we did our usual marathon walk, this time downtown. We went shopping at that famous institution that’s older than Canada (but sold out to US interests), The Bay. T-Man needed some new undies so I also managed to convince him to get a few cotton knit tops with long sleeves that he can wear now that the weather is getting somewhat colder. There’s no dress code at his workplace so he can wear whatever is comfortable. Anything to save me ironing his pure cotton and linen shirts every week!

Yesterday I finished the left front piece to my Little Squares Sweater and I’ve cast on for the back. That’s the last and largest piece! I think I might be getting somewhere. I’m kind of getting impatient to finish it now that I’m so close. I was knitting on the front piece while we drove out to the woodworking show in the MINI Cooper. Ha-ha! T-Man finally succumbed to a new lathe, though he doesn’t actually have it yet. It weighs 600 lbs (wouldn't fit in the MINI!) and but he still has some work to do in his woodworking studio to accommodate the new equipment before it can be delivered from the shop. He has to rewire for 220 volts and move the old lathe out and clear some floor space. He plans to sell his old lathe so there will still be some room to turn around in there. Reorganising is very necessary. Not to mention spider removal. Good thing I’m not afraid of them! I’m sure he’ll draft me into helping wrangle the dust bunnies too. Maybe I could get the spiders to corral them first with their webs?

The show was interesting as always. It’s very fun to watch guys (and a few gals) go as nuts over tools, machines and wood as we do over fibres, looms and spinning wheels! They totally understand the urge to make stuff. And collect stuff. It’s just that their stuff is heavier, noisier and takes up more room. Well maybe not more room than my big loom, but wood isn’t as soft as wool. Even when it’s reduced to shavings. But I’m really hoping that having a new piece of equipment and a clean studio will inspire T-Man to get back into woodworking this winter. He’ll be able to make me some neat fibre tools with his new lathe. After all, I don’t even have a T-made spindle. Talk about the cobbler’s children…