Well it seems that all the time I spent at home last week - plus the nice feeling of having it all to ourselves again - has got me on a home-oriented knitting streak. I have been going like gangbusters through the dishtowels and finished my third (and last for now) today. I was using leftover Blue Sky cotton in a bright purple - probably not a brand intended for dishtowels but the first one I finished works like a dream and the bright color matches the Fiestaware theme of the kitchen overall. I may just have to buy another ball in a different color if they hold up. As you can see, I got to use the casein needles you got me a while back - they are perfect for this project, just the right size. It's not often that I get to use them so I'm glad I got to play with them again!Thinking about the color of the dishcloths has also made me rethink the final destination of my t-shirt , which continues to grow bit by bit. It was meant to go in front of the door to the patio, to try to catch the fine sweep of dirt that seems to blow in all the time. Seeing how long it is becoming, though, and how bright and happy all the colors are I think it might just have to go in the kitchen instead. We'll see where it ends up...
I'm glad to hear that you like the Argosy scarf. In the end, I'm having trouble finding 'big foot' myself so I think my adjustments worked well. And yes, the colors I used are darker than the original but not quite as dark as they appear in the photo. The deep red and the purple pop out a lot more against the golden brown. I really do love this colorway!
With the warm temperatures visiting during the day but the cold returning at night the weather here has been reminding me of South Africa, where all my housemates and I froze during the winter without any kind of central heating (let's just say no-one wanted to be the first person to use the bathroom in the morning - brrr!) Which got me thinking about how nice it was, staying with my friend Alan in Harrismith, when his mother would warm up all the beds with hot water bottles in the evening. So when I was running around in Noe Valley Friday I found myself at Walgreen's and picked up a water bottle of my own. And then directly headed down the street to Noe Knits to pick up yarn for the water bottle cover from Sarah Dallas knitting that has been in the back of my mind ever since I saw this one by Yarnstorm on her blog.
(Well, I didn't actually run straight over - I decided for the sake of caution to stop by my car and fill up my meter first - good thing, since the second I dropped the first quarter in to quell the "expired" flashing madly a parking control van appeared around the corner! Too bad the person parked in front of me didn't have quite so good timing...)
The pattern calls for a Rowan cotton that I couldn't find, but I did come across some Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere yarn in a rich deep blue that I think will be a pretty fine substitute. I also had some Rowan Wool Cotton leftovers in the stash that will be good options for the trim - right now I'm leaning towards the bright blue, maybe also using the little bit of purple for the tie. I think that this will be my next carry-along project instead of socks , small but with the cables to keep it interesting. The big bonus is that unlike all of my other recent projects, it is neither a square nor based on a square. I feel like I'm breaking free!I'm sorry to hear about your friend's husband, but it is good that she has such a good circle of support. It is strange to think that I was reading reviews this week of two books based on knitting groups and how they helped people cope with loss, one of which is the infamous Friday Night Knitting Club (which it seems cannot be mentioned, even by me, without the additional information that it is soon to be movie starring Julia Roberts). The other is The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood, that is supposed to be the better story. It's good that both Sue and Shirley have you all there to help them through the rough patches of bad health and heartache too.
I did get a lot knitting reading in while I was down & out as I finally had a chance to read Knitting Rules by the Yarn Harlot. It was a great and fast read, perfect for beginner knitters but still something that I think I'm going to keep in my own library for reference too. Lots of basic knitting formulas that can be adapted in a multitude of ways, lots of reminders of why swatching is important (something I have ignored at my peril in the past) and lots of good humor at knitting gone wrong. I would definitely recommend it for Barbara - congratulations to her on picking up the needles again and a super kudos for picking such a project as her first one! (The lace and texture would have been too much for me starting out - that really is a beautiful sweater). I would suggest having a copy to share in your knitting group but I think that you'd never get it away from whoever got it first!
Last Friday I also received a copy of KnitLit 3 from Afghans for Afghans thanks to another volunteer who has an essay about her work with A4A in this edition. While I really liked her story and the idea that working for charity can free a knitter from the confines of having to have everything be 'perfect', in a whole the collection doesn't really grab me. I feel with this that the editors were mostly focused on inspiring creativity and being supportive to amateur writers than in creating a professional polished volume. It made me realize just how important an effective editor can be! Based on what I've read so far, I don't think I'll be rushing out to get the two earlier anthologies, sad to say.My other read, which just flew by, was The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. I have to be honest, I've never really liked anything I've read by her before but this one really grabbed me. I picked it up at a local used book store in the Mission, Dog Eared Books, and could hardly put it down. Maybe it was all the references to UofT in the 90's that struck a cord? I've already gone back to DEB where this time I found a copy of Cat's Eye. We'll see if my current infatuation with Ms. Atwood has any legs or if it was just a momentary illness-induced hallucination!
First, though, I have to finish The World to Come, a story that centers around the paintings of Chagall. It is a really interesting and well written book but at the same time just so sad that it's hard to get through. I'm about a third in so we'll see where it goes from here.
I'm bouncing between it and The Master Jewelers, which I got last weekend when I went for a double-barreled museum extravaganza to see the Vivienne Westwood collection at the deYoung and the French jewelry exhibit at the Legion of Honor. Talk about inspiration! I have never been a fan of Ms. Westwood's work seeing it on the runways, but in this show the clothes displayed on the models look fantastic. It gave me a whole new appreciation for her tailoring and research into patterns and shapes. Then the jewelry - all I can say is that I heart Boucheron and I've already made a trip to a local beadstore to start playing around with beads and jewelry again. It seems my box arrived with all of my old beading equipment just in time!
Both of these shows will still be up when you are here in May if you want to take a peek for yourself - I know I'd be happy to spend time with them again (outside of my volunteer work for the deYoung, when I barely get time to rush in and out of the exhibits). Do you know where you are going to stay? You are welcome with us but the digs are in our living room so it depends how much space you want. By then, though, I should be more than geared up for another round of guests!
Happy knitting,
Megan
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