February 8, 2010
Pictures of a rest
Yesterday though, two rare things happened. First, I took a day off. A whole day off. Not that self-employed kind of day off where you just work less than you usually do and call it a day off, but a real, honest to goodness day off. Madrona happens this coming weekend, and as is my habit, I took a few extra days to work with Tina here on the west coast before we go. Saturday I flew in, she picked me up and we settled in one of our favourite places to be. We've both been under a lot of stress these last few months, and decided that we could use "a day off". (Actually, a lot of people told us we could each use a day off, so maybe we were getting weird.) In any case, we thought we would try it. One whole day, without work, without feeling bizarre or guilty about it. I'm out of practice with the whole day off thing, but in the end, we both managed. We spent the entire day knitting. We watched Stargate SG-U
Three rounds of the yoke to go.
February 5, 2010
Packing
This here, would be the knitting-packing that I'm doing for leaving tomorrow. \
The bag on the left would be the Bohus, which seems to me like it's perfect travel project... once I'm settled. 
(I have a sock for the plane, because juggling 14 little balls of yarn and a chart seems like a bit much.) On the right though, is a pretty awesome bag full of fun, or I hope it will be. I've decided to take Rachel H's comment to heart. When I was pondering whether or not the Knitting Olympics were something I wanted to do/host this year, she said this:
So here's what I'm thinking. I enjoy Ravelry a great deal and think highly of the nice people who run it. And sure it's a great venue for large group participation. No question. I know of groups using the Ravelympics as an opportunity to set up teams for spinning challenges, crochet challenges, all sorts of challenges.
But. The Knitting Olympics is The Knitting Olympics. An event that you conceived that takes place every for years in conjunction with the Winter Olympics. My first opportunity to call you up regularly to wonder what the hell you'd gotten me into. I have a whole whack of special memories associated with the first one. I got my first cardigan, a cardigan I love out of the first one, albeit not by the time the torch was extinguished.
It seems I've developed a taste for (and a lot of practice with) asking you what the hell you've gotten me into, so when the Olympic torch is lit in Vancouver I shall cast on as a Knitting Olympian. I'm gonna come here and let you now how I'm doing with my Olympic project (whatever it is) a whole lot. And I'm really hoping that whether you decide to make it official and track it for anyone else or not (because I am the last person who wants to add to your workload), you re-post January 14, 2006 (except for the choice of sweater, no matter how appealing it is to set a challenge knit with the word 'danger' in the pattern name) set and lead an Olympic challenge and invite others to join in the madness here.
So that, my friends is pretty much what I am going to do. In that bag is my sweater. I'm going to re-post the original challenge (found here) and on February 12th, I am going to start Whistler. 
A Dale of Norway Olympic sweater from a few years ago, because darn it, it has a big honking maple leaf on it, and they're going to be skiing at Whistler at these Olympics and I'm just so proud that it's my fantastic country that will be showing the world a good time, because dudes. We. Know. Winter.
I can't figure out for the life of me how I could find the time to list all your names on a page like I did last time, but it has occurred to me that in this day and age there is an excellent chance that a knitter reading this is just geeky enough to help with some sort of auto-script thingie where y'all could enter your own stuff and get listed. Cool? I think so. If you're my geek, speak up - I'd love the help. I'm hoping some of the usual suspects will turn up, and one of the usual suspects already has. I've spoken with the esteemed Mr. Franklin Habit, and he'll be providing us with a kick-arse medal, just like the last time. Feel free to drop by that link and thank or encourage him. (This is because he is pretty much made of seven sorts of awesome. As is his book
So that's it. Game on. Who's in?
February 4, 2010
January Socks
The first months combo of my self-imposed sock club. 
Yarn: Handkraft "The sock who loved me" in Mangrove (70% Merino, 30% silk. Yummy.) Pattern: Sleepy Hollow.
Verdict: I love these socks. Love them. 
I love the stripes up the backs of the legs (probably a throwback to some bizarre stocking seam association I'm making) and I love - no, not love... I am deeply satisfied by the heel.
This sock is knit from the top down, and when you get to the time for the heel, you begin to work it in the traditional slipped stitch pattern, but you don't work it by itself, back and forth. 
Instead you keep working in lovely fulfilling rounds, increasing for the gussets as you go. When the whole business is the right length and size, you work a short row turn, then work back and forth, uniting and consuming the gusset stitches into the heel and sole. After a little, when you have the right number of stitches, you increase as you consume... so that stitch count stays constant.
The result is a nice fitting heel, but as is so often the point in knitting... that's not it's charm.
The charm is, somehow - that the resulting heel is charmingly foot shaped, and almost seems fitted. Narrow where heels are, wider where the foot is. I'm thrillingly enchanted. It's like matching increases or a perfect bobble, or bang on symmetry in a paired decrease. The attention to detail is just. Well. It's sexy. 
And no. I don't mind that I've said that about a sock. I bet you think it's hot too.
February 3, 2010
Groundhog
Just poking my head up to assure you all that I'm fine. I sort of like the way that if the blog goes dark for a few days, the emails start coming to make sure I'm okay. It makes me feel like if I'd ever fallen and couldn't get up that I wouldn't be eaten by my cat before my body was discovered. (I know that realistically I would be found by my family long before that happened, but apparently I was really shaped by one bad episode of Law and Order. Note to self. Maybe not watch that show.) All is well here, though I'm trying to power through family stuff to ready myself and them for some away/ teaching/ talking/ time.
(Insert imaginary picture here, which would be a grand one were it possible to get it off my camera, which it isn't because the cable that I deliberately put on my desk to make sure this never happened again is missing, which I'm sure is not the fault of anyone who lives here except me, because nobody who lives here is the sort of person who would ever, ever, ever touch another persons stuff. Except maybe a lipstick. Or a book. Or mascara, or a black tank top, or that skirt. Or a bag. Never.)
I did finish my socks. I did start more. I did forgive myself for not finishing my January socks until February 2nd. Breaking a self imposed knitting rule is still not a federal offense, so I'm letting go. Tomorrow when there's a photo assistant available I'll take some pictures for you, and until then all I have time to say is that the Sleepy Hollow socks have a dead sexy heel turn and gusset increase/decrease combo that I hope thrills you the way it did me.
(Note: if you're a non-knitter, don't even try to understand that last sentence.)
