JenLa

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. So says Oscar Wilde anyway. I have *not* finished either the farm mat or the Wing Top, though I have made progress on both. Considering the Bee Fields Shawl was buzzing at me from behind a closed door, I think it’s amazing I had the fortitude, frankly. Seeing Cara knitting along on it doesn’t help, either. However, yesterday while chatting with La, I came up with a very good reason to yield to my temptation. I realized that if this is going to be my vacation knitting, I need to make sure I’m happy with my needle choice, I have all necessary accoutrements for knitting it and that I understand the instructions without needing to resort to the internet since I will be disconnected. Right? RIGHT?? I am determined to pack light for once and I don’t plan to haul all my “in case” knitting crap this time. Vacation is a time to not be weighed down by stuff. I know most of you are freaking out right now. I know it’s traditional to take not only everything you’re currently knitting that is still portable, plus several projects you’d like to begin, printed out instructions for every pattern on the internet and some extra balls of yarn and several sets of needles you don’t think you’ll need. A few knitting magazines you’d like to catch up on, your ipod or MP3 player, a couple novels for the times when you don’t feel like knitting and whatever miniaturized databases you might have [pdf files on your phone or PDA, along with necessary chargers, extra batteries, etc.] round out the selection. Pack all this in a huge tote-hey you can take TWO carry-ons and those overhead bins are pretty big-and you’re pretty much prepared for that 45 minute layover in Chicago.

Now, I do tend to follow tradition, I get that part where we want to be prepared for every potential knitting situation. Stash Separation Anxiety Disorder [SSAD] can be very debilitating. But when I think hard about it, I realize that I never knit much on vacation. I really don’t. Those layovers are never as long as you think they are, what with the lines in the bathrooms, the lines to get coffee [that's my code for cocktails] and the last minute decision to stop in the gift shop and buy pepperoni pizza flavored combos because oh yeah, they don’t have food on the flights anymore. I get a few rows in, and then I might get a few in on the plane if I can stay awake and if the person sitting next to me will stop effing touching it* and telling me about how her great aunt Myrtle used to crochet. I might get a few rows in here and there at the hotel or during family stuff. But I’m not going to finish anything. I’m probably not even going to make an appreciable dent in anything. If I were being realistic, I’d probably take ONE sock pattern and leave the rest, but I don’t have a sock I love right this second. I only have eyes for Bees. And since it may be the only thing I take with me-and with the bare minimum of knitting notions, to boot-when I do have knitting time, it will get all my love and attention. But since it will be all I have, I need to make sure there won’t be any roadblocks. Yes, I can talk myself into anything. A N Y thing.

Therefore, I decided to cast on and perform the setup, which consists of a provisional cast on and 11 rows. There is this tricky little winglet bit where you bind off a couple stitches, but the last one counts as the next stitch. This makes sense, really. Eventually I remembered doing this in the Morning Glory pattern but I must admit that when I finish a pattern, all of the notes about it that I stored in my brain are instantly set to self-destruct. It’s true. I’m the same way with a lot of stuff, if I haven’t seen you within 24 hours, I can’t really recall what you look like. My brain files all information that it’s not currently using in the recycle bin and I often wish I could reset those preferences in my internal control panel, but there it is. Intel Inside. I found the chart to be much more intuitive than the long hand, although I was going to try and reverse my policy this time and knit using the the written. It’s definitely easier for me to find my place in a chart by seeing where the stitch I’m doing is in relation to the one below it, which I can’t really do with long hand. So here I am, back to my old ways and it only took three rows.

Behold!

Once I beat my brain back into submission regarding the BO stitches, I was able to soar through the setup chart. But you know, I kind of thought I should practice a bit with those winglets. Just to be sure. So I started the second chart.

I might have stayed up until 2 in the morning practicing. But this is IT, no more until the other stuff is done. I swear it. Except for maybe exploring the idea of taking out that provisional now and grafting it instead of waiting until the end. The dangling ends of the crochet cast on are bugging the crap out of me. (insert bee/bugging joke) That would definitely make it a better travel project, right? So I should do that. Glad we’re all agreed.

*Since I brought it up just now, and we kind of asked the question at Knitch the other day, but nobody really paused to consider it, I’ll put it to you for theories. Why do we have no issues when another knitter comes up and touches our knitting, but take issue when any old jackass in an airport [or wherever] comes up to us, grabs & inspects our knitting and strikes up a conversation? Or is it just me? I have a thing about strangers invading my personal space and touching something I’m clearly working on is a serious invasion of it, but if some strange person walks into the store where I’m knitting and grabs it, I don’t mind a bit. I took Morning Glory the other day and passed it around for everyone to see and touch-and they all sniffed it and rubbed it on themselves, too. Many of them I’d never laid eyes on before. I enjoyed it. Does someone have automatic implied trust because they’re obviously in the club? And if someone in an airport is interested enough to stop and do the same thing, why is that not a secret handshake? Also, would it be rude to wear a T-shirt when you have to go out into the outside world that says “Touch the knitting and I will needle felt your ass.”?

This post is too long, isn’t it? I have more I want to say today, but I was reading a thread on a forum that tells me I should just put up a picture and stop typing now. We can talk about that place everyone is so excited about another day. Here’s one of my many early birthday presents, courtesy of Claudia. It’s for this comment on one of her posts. No, it’s not a medal, but you can’t put likker in a medal and drink it, can you?

“The I-Showed-Claudia-Something-New-Mug” “To Jen For the encroachment short row heel”

Her: hhhhhhhhhhhh
Him: What’s wrong?

Her: I wanted to start this new shawl tonight, but the pattern calls for slender, pointy size nines, and all I have are the dull, plastic, interchangeable ones.
Him: I guess this calls for a trip to the yarn store to get the right needles, huh?

Her: blink blink…blinkity…blink
Him: Isn’t there one in Long Beach that you like?

Her: mouth drops to the floor
Him: walks away smug in the knowledge that, even after 6 years of marriage he can shock her into silence, and that’s saying something

It actually couldn’t have been a nicer weekend. First, came the realization that I hate Forest Path Stole with the fire of a thousand suns. I TRIED to like it, I really did. But to no avail. I hate it. Hate. Hate. Hate. Loathsome…Detestable…SEETHING hatred. So much so that I would rather crochet a bra-and-panty set out of barbed-wire, razor blades and red heart than knit one more single solitary stitch on that craptastic stole. If I didn’t love the yarn so much, I would have set fire to it. I still may burn the pattern in effigy, if only my candle-lighting lighters hadn’t somehow gone missing…

Even the DH when seeing it, considered it too fussy. So Friday night I had the satisfaction of turning this…

Yeah, not much ripping satisfaction was to be had, the yarn kept hanging up on itself, so, after only 3 rows of utter frustration, I put myself out of my misery by severing the umbilical. Ahhhhhhhhhh! So Debi? You know I love ya, but I gotta say adios to the FPS KAL. Hasta la vista, bay-bee!

So the yarn’s on vacation now. There are a couple of patterns I’m contemplating for it, one of which is in Victorian Lace Today, and the other is in A Gathering of Lace. But no hurry, I’m now working on Morning Glory Crack…errr…Wrap, and it consumes every waking thought, every fiber of my being calls out for it. Even though it took 4 times casting on and knitting to row 4 only to rip because somehow, in the last 13 months the DH forgot how to make a meal without my assistance, thus breaking my concentration with a multitude of “Honey, where’s the…”

Saturday afternoon was spent in the company of Michelle and the incomparable Miss M. Good company, good knitting, and good geek made the afternoon just fly by. The highlight for me? Miss M falling asleep in my arms.

On Sunday, the DH and I took a drive to Long Beach where we not only intended to patronize a yarn shop, we actually set foot in one, and wanna know something? He didn’t spontaneously combust! Fancy that. I perused the patterns, fondled the yarn and flipped through some books, but only walked out with a set of size 9 Addi turbos. Afterward, we had lunch at Busters, went to an arts and crafts show at the bay, and then headed home. It’s nice having an entire weekend with no other obligations except to relaxation.

So, how was your weekend?

That is the question…

hhhhhhhhhhhhh

Thanks for all the compliments on Morning Glory. In all fairness, the design and the yarn had more to do with it than I did, but I am grateful for your kind words and appreciation.

I was having a discussion with Elizabeth from Trailing Yarn about SAFF. I had mentioned that I was planning out what to knit and show off there this year. I also made some noise about the Rhinebeck Sweater tradition and how I really didn’t want to start that sort of thing down here, because I so don’t need that kind of pressure. Just watching the other 80% of the knitting world go nuts a few weeks before Rhinebeck is entertainment and warning enough for me. So naturally, this led to our mutual confessions of really actually *wanting* to have a hand spun, hand knit sweaters for it. Which in turn might have led to a teeny, tiny wager. Something about knitting sweaters that are made at least 1/3 from our hand spun and if one person can’t do it, they pay a forfeit of some kind; whereas if we both do it, we perform interpretive dance while wearing said sweaters and matching pajama bottoms, joy, rapture, etc. Elizabeth suggested something like the loser buys the winner some Brooks Farm, or has to dye their hair temporarily fuschia or something. [I'm brunette, she's blonde-one wonders if she thought of that?] I suggested putting it to you [with the caveat of no nakedness, we don't want the whole world to lose. And I'm not eating anything disgusting.] What do you suggest the loser must do, if there is a loser? And it’s going to be me, because I’m totally behind the 8 ball here, having to still wash, pick and card before I can even think about spinning, much less knitting. And regarding patterns, what the hell happened to Artisokka’s site, does anyone know? Is she coming back?

So…here’s what I need:
1) Ideas for what the loser must do, should there be one.
2) A good, simple sweater pattern [cardigan, preferably] in which I could reasonably substitute 2/3 commercial yarn as an escape plan [or-since I wanted to make that beautiful shawl collared cardi of Artisokka's, any ideas where I can get that now?]
3) More time.
4) A room in the soft white place.

I have 91 days until October 27th. It sounds like a lot until you factor in vacation, working, the Bee Fields shawl and sleeping. **Also, I wrote the above yesterday afternoon and then I went outside and worked on drum carding some of that Ouashita fleece. OMFG, it’s SO full of hay! /cries. I also did a quickie test spin/knit of the single batt I have finished. You know, the batt I have to give to Jared for his actress? Yeah that one. I’m getting further behind the more I work on it. There is officially NO danger of this becoming a tradition, I promise you that. This just in: my brother has volunteered to drum card fleece while I’m gone. First lesson: picking out VM.

In other SAFF news, I emailed the Facilities Manager for the venue to ask for his help in finding a meeting space. I was willing to pay money. He says SAFF has rented every possible nook and cranny for that event and that we’re SOL. Somehow we need to find a way to express the force of the knit blog world and have these people realize that without us, their event would not flourish as it does. Or, to be more precise, YOU need to find a way to teach them that. I have a fleece to pick.

Here’s your eye candy:

I thought it was appropriate. One lonely, desperate little sprig of berries trying to pretend it’s all okay while death looms large all around it.

1. Rave Reviews. Yup, that there’s my Granddaughter’s mama in the lead role! (But ugh! that dress!) Okay…so I’m a little proud, so shoot me.
2.

Handy gadgets that remove the Idiot from idiot-cord.

3. Contemplating a new knit design, flopping it around, flipping it over, exploring every aspect and element I’m considering, all before I cast on a single solitary stitch.
4. Stash & Burn’s Episode 21, where they discuss what information they’d like designers to include in their patterns, such as:
~Lots of (good) photos
~Schematics
~True weight of the yarn used
~Schematics
~Size shown & size of the model
~Intended amount of ease
~Schematics, Schematics…Schematics!
5. The anticipation of completing a WIP, especially when it’s an original design, and I’m not quite sure exactly how it’ll turn out. Wanna sneak peek?

6. Readers who get my geek.
7. Anticipating a casting on for a new project.
8. Recovering kitties.

9. Cooking Light Magazine. Jen sent me a gift subscription. How cool is that?
10. Anticipation weekend to dye for, mentally playing with color combinations and techniques to try.
11. Twisted humor