Yesterday, after the parent coffee at Peachtree Charter Middle School (which A will attend in the fall) and transferring T from the Dunwoody MARTA station to the Volvo place (to pick up his 175,000 miracle mile car), I had a scant hour until carpool time. So I roared down 400 to Strings & Strands in Sandy Springs.
Such a nice reception! Well stocked bins, lots of patterns, and a huge sale room . . . wonderful. I was looking specifically for some yarn to swatch for a cardigan project I'm mulling when I found the South West Trading Company bamboo yarn. Hmmm. I need a spring wrap. How about Clapotis? One thing led to another and I exited with swatching yarn plus two skeins of the Bamboo in Parrot, a blue/green colorway. (I guessed on the quantity incorrectly. I'll have to return for two more skeins to make the longer wrap version of the pattern.)
So Clapotis is going on the needles this weekend.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Stuff knitters like
One of today's AJC op-ed pieces covered a funny web site, www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com, which had me howling. The satirical site pokes fun at a certain population's quirks. (Today's edition covers water bottles. I'm wincing.) So, of course, I started thinking about knitters and our own special likes.
Stuff Knitters Like
Stuff Knitters Like
- The sale bin at the LYS - it has to be filled with a sweater's worth of really expensive yarn, specially marked down to $1 a skein just because I want a bargain (the fact that the LYS would make zero money on the sale must be irrelevant)
- Free patterns (designers have to earn a living? really?)
- Yarn that doesn't pill after you've worn the knittable a few times (the cheap stuff looks good on the sales receipt, but it sure doesn't perform well)
- Low arms on chairs - how does a chair designer expect me to wield the needles with that decorative arm poking me in the elbow?
- Knitting totes - you can never have too many for those WIPs
- Ravelry - the developers can't get it running fast enough for the demand!
- iPod - not for the latest music downloads, but for music to knit by and knitting podcasts
- Easily memorized patterns - it's hard to chat with your knitting circle if you're having to mark a row, knit it, count the stitches, frog, mark the next row, curse, pick up the dropped stitch, correct the purl that should have been a knit, frog, etc.
- A LYS just a few minutes away - that's essential in metro Atlanta, where 15 miles turns into an hour's drive at any given moment. I'm still mourning the loss of Dunwoody Yarn.
- Rowan - we meld with each new design, living vicariously in the English countryside where they work and have their photo shoots, and imagine wearing those exquisite knits like a size-2 model. Ahem.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
There's nothing heroic about a kid suffering
Double mascara alert: after I dropped off AG at school this morning (no power, major storm just roared through), I tuned into Q100 and heard their latest "Burt's Big Adventure." They took a bunch of families whose children are enduring terminal and chronic illnesses to Disney World. Wonderful! The song "Baby of Mine" from Beaches was interspersed with snippets of reactions from the families and children. That definitely had me tearing up.
Then came the caller.
Bless his heart, he's a soldier who's defending our country. And he knows families in similar situations. Then he said the one thing that just frustrates me over and over again. He said the "real heroes" in the Disney trip weren't the show's producers and talent. "The real heroes are those kids, because they're really having to go through a lot."
Please.
As a mother of a child with a chronic illness that nearly took him from us twice, please please please don't call these kids "inspirational" or "heroic."
A hero is someone who chooses to do something amazingly brave and giving with full awareness of the risks and danger.
A child would NEVER choose to go through cancer or Crohn's Disease or diabetes or a genetic condition so severe that their entire life is a challenge. There's nothing inspirational about what a child suffers. Yes, they have the gift of innocence, of not knowing the full story shared by the adults around them.
Love a child like that. Nurture that child and give that child all the joy you can so there's a "happy place" in memories to go to when the treatment hurts or the pain of the illness is so overwhelming.
Just don't tell that child or his family that he's a hero.
Then came the caller.
Bless his heart, he's a soldier who's defending our country. And he knows families in similar situations. Then he said the one thing that just frustrates me over and over again. He said the "real heroes" in the Disney trip weren't the show's producers and talent. "The real heroes are those kids, because they're really having to go through a lot."
Please.
As a mother of a child with a chronic illness that nearly took him from us twice, please please please don't call these kids "inspirational" or "heroic."
A hero is someone who chooses to do something amazingly brave and giving with full awareness of the risks and danger.
A child would NEVER choose to go through cancer or Crohn's Disease or diabetes or a genetic condition so severe that their entire life is a challenge. There's nothing inspirational about what a child suffers. Yes, they have the gift of innocence, of not knowing the full story shared by the adults around them.
Love a child like that. Nurture that child and give that child all the joy you can so there's a "happy place" in memories to go to when the treatment hurts or the pain of the illness is so overwhelming.
Just don't tell that child or his family that he's a hero.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Jaywalkin' the blues
Jaywalker is finished! My daughter is practicing the "banana boat" song on her sax, also famous as the theme song in the Beetlejuice movie. Seems appropriate to celebrate the blue striations of these fun-to-knit socks. 
Yarn: Kertzer’s On Your Toes in teal, ON223600
Needles: #1 doublepointed bamboo, set of 5
Length of Project: Took a month, because I set it aside for weeks at a time.
Design Notes: Really easy to memorize pattern, so a great project for road knitting, carpool and waiting rooms. I made the legs 10" instead of the pattern's 9" because my legs are longer.
Here, my daughter models Jaywalker. They're too big for her, but she'll likely "borrow" them often since she loves crazy socks.
Yarn: Kertzer’s On Your Toes in teal, ON223600
Needles: #1 doublepointed bamboo, set of 5
Length of Project: Took a month, because I set it aside for weeks at a time.
Design Notes: Really easy to memorize pattern, so a great project for road knitting, carpool and waiting rooms. I made the legs 10" instead of the pattern's 9" because my legs are longer.
Here, my daughter models Jaywalker. They're too big for her, but she'll likely "borrow" them often since she loves crazy socks.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Such a trial
The intense preparation is over. The Dunwoody High School Mock Trial team competed in two rounds yesterday at the DeKalb County Courthouse. Weeks of practice, fine-tuning arguments, preparing for objections and procedural questions culminated in absolutely stellar performances.
As one of the prosecuting attorneys, A took the opening statement and cross-examined two witnesses. He looked good in the unaccustomed suit and managed not to tug at the collar during the competition.
Favorite personal competition moment: the defense objected to one of A's questions to the witness, that it was "hearsay." A paused, thought for a second, then quoted the appropriate rule verbatim that would allow the question. Even A's prosecution team looked at each other in pleased surprise. And the judge ruled in A's favor. See, our guy is so reserved and shy that his performance in mock trial is an ongoing lesson for me in not underestimating him.
Most "are you kidding me" moment: in Round 2, the defendent impeached herself loud and clear on a key prosecution fact. I wish I could plug in an audio track for the DHS attorney's "Okay, then." Because the intonation makes it really worthwhile. The jury would have definitely found for the prosecution (but that isn't the point of the competition.)
DHS didn't go on to the final competition, but their scores showed that it was very close. Just points away from the final round! That's amazing, considering the school had a two-year hiatus in its mock trial program. We fielded a raw team, who had to mesh personalities and talents in a very short period of time. But thanks to super attorney coaches Curt and Heather, and talented teacher coach Mr. Vincent, as well as the students' own exemplary efforts and natural talents . . . DHS rocked.
Of course I knitted quietly the entire time. Hey - it was a really, really long day. Quant flowed off the needles to the point that I started and nearly finished before the day was over. I used a leftover ball of Yarn Treehouse's Rhythm striated wool. The colors flowed really nicely.
Note: we inadvertently were originally sent to the Fulton County Courthouse. Cranky punch-the-clock security, who really didn't want to deal with the hordes of teens descending on their courthouse. With a timely correction, we all made it to the Dekalb County Courthouse. Super-friendly security, who made us feel very welcome while ensuring we all followed security procedures. Both security staffs made it clear they were there to protect the building and occupants. But Dekalb does it with class.
And now it's Sunday. We're headed for the respite of church and there's a glimmer of spring in the birds' songs outside the kitchen window.
As one of the prosecuting attorneys, A took the opening statement and cross-examined two witnesses. He looked good in the unaccustomed suit and managed not to tug at the collar during the competition.
Favorite personal competition moment: the defense objected to one of A's questions to the witness, that it was "hearsay." A paused, thought for a second, then quoted the appropriate rule verbatim that would allow the question. Even A's prosecution team looked at each other in pleased surprise. And the judge ruled in A's favor. See, our guy is so reserved and shy that his performance in mock trial is an ongoing lesson for me in not underestimating him.
Most "are you kidding me" moment: in Round 2, the defendent impeached herself loud and clear on a key prosecution fact. I wish I could plug in an audio track for the DHS attorney's "Okay, then." Because the intonation makes it really worthwhile. The jury would have definitely found for the prosecution (but that isn't the point of the competition.)
DHS didn't go on to the final competition, but their scores showed that it was very close. Just points away from the final round! That's amazing, considering the school had a two-year hiatus in its mock trial program. We fielded a raw team, who had to mesh personalities and talents in a very short period of time. But thanks to super attorney coaches Curt and Heather, and talented teacher coach Mr. Vincent, as well as the students' own exemplary efforts and natural talents . . . DHS rocked.
Of course I knitted quietly the entire time. Hey - it was a really, really long day. Quant flowed off the needles to the point that I started and nearly finished before the day was over. I used a leftover ball of Yarn Treehouse's Rhythm striated wool. The colors flowed really nicely.
Note: we inadvertently were originally sent to the Fulton County Courthouse. Cranky punch-the-clock security, who really didn't want to deal with the hordes of teens descending on their courthouse. With a timely correction, we all made it to the Dekalb County Courthouse. Super-friendly security, who made us feel very welcome while ensuring we all followed security procedures. Both security staffs made it clear they were there to protect the building and occupants. But Dekalb does it with class.
And now it's Sunday. We're headed for the respite of church and there's a glimmer of spring in the birds' songs outside the kitchen window.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
And she's back . . .
Okay, it didn't really take three days to recover from the 10 mile hike. It's just been crazy busy in the Knitternall family. Mock Trial competition is Saturday for A, softball Spring Training is underway for AG, I'm working on a freelance assignment as well as some big updates to the Nature Center website, the Honda Odyssey is at the dealer so they can recreate the hinky transmission issues that seem to disappear whenever I take it in, and I drove SEVEN TIMES to and from home yesterday.
I'm pooped.
Last evening, during a quickly bolted capital campaign dinner at St. Luke's, I thought longingly about a glass of wine. But even though Jesus drank it and we serve it at communion, it seems that wine at a church dinner is not appropriate. Huh. I personally think that a glass of wine goes with anything you've just squeezed in between work, kids, stuff breaking down and needing fixing, business trips, and everything else that happens in a single day in our life.
Back to knitting.
I'm at a restless stage. I finished Jaywalker (hurray! - will post pix soon) and can't decide what major project to get underway. I'm knitting a ballband dishcloth (thanks, Mason Dixon!) as a kind of stopgap and to pass the time during Spring Training. However, it was a frigid 40 Tuesday night and I tried to knit with gloves on. Doesn't work. I also casted on another prayer shawl, which is the kind of project I like to pick up as a break from more demanding designs.
I have several options in the queue and enough yarn for a sweater or cardigan. But I'm feeling bamboo or linen these days. It's probably a yearning for spring. This has been a wicked winter for tragedy in our little community. Illness, death, infidelity, and financial difficulty are pervasive. I was talking to a friend last night that, this year in particular, Spring seems like the best hope we have for a turn for the better.
I pray so.
Since I saw a short sleeved wrap top in the latest Rowan magazine, it's stayed in my mind. I think I'll go back and look at the pattern again and see if it may scratch that itch.
Okay. Time to start another overbooked day.
I'm pooped.
Last evening, during a quickly bolted capital campaign dinner at St. Luke's, I thought longingly about a glass of wine. But even though Jesus drank it and we serve it at communion, it seems that wine at a church dinner is not appropriate. Huh. I personally think that a glass of wine goes with anything you've just squeezed in between work, kids, stuff breaking down and needing fixing, business trips, and everything else that happens in a single day in our life.
Back to knitting.
I'm at a restless stage. I finished Jaywalker (hurray! - will post pix soon) and can't decide what major project to get underway. I'm knitting a ballband dishcloth (thanks, Mason Dixon!) as a kind of stopgap and to pass the time during Spring Training. However, it was a frigid 40 Tuesday night and I tried to knit with gloves on. Doesn't work. I also casted on another prayer shawl, which is the kind of project I like to pick up as a break from more demanding designs.
I have several options in the queue and enough yarn for a sweater or cardigan. But I'm feeling bamboo or linen these days. It's probably a yearning for spring. This has been a wicked winter for tragedy in our little community. Illness, death, infidelity, and financial difficulty are pervasive. I was talking to a friend last night that, this year in particular, Spring seems like the best hope we have for a turn for the better.
I pray so.
Since I saw a short sleeved wrap top in the latest Rowan magazine, it's stayed in my mind. I think I'll go back and look at the pattern again and see if it may scratch that itch.
Okay. Time to start another overbooked day.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Take a hike
Ten miles. That's how far the kids and I hiked this morning. We looped through Dunwoody, headed over to the Perimeter Mall area, then trekked up Ashford-Dunwoody, back through the Village, and home. Finished in just under 3 hours, with a stop at Starbucks. Urban hiking rocks!
A has to complete five ten-mile hikes plus one 20-mile hike to earn his Hiking Merit Badge. That, and Personal Fitness, are all that stand between him and his Eagle project. It was a great morning for a hike - overcast, 50's. He's already completed hikes on the Big Creek greenway at North Point and Stone Mountain Park. He opted for an urban hike this time so he'd have access to restroom facilities. Just two days since Remicade, and things are still settling down. These physical merit badges are really hard for A, but he's gamely trying to meet the requirements.
It's been a hard month on so many people around us. One lost her mother to a horrible automobile accident and weeks of hospitalization. A friend is in the Northside ICU with double pneumonia and collapsed lungs. She has three girls between the ages of 5 and 14. Two weeks on a ventilator and still counting. Another mom of three young girls between the ages of 2 and 10) visited her last Tuesday, then was admitted to the same ICU the next day with Type H Influenza (the 1918 strain that was so deadly). Flu has been roaring through our preschools and schools here in Dunwoody. She contracted one of the rarer strains that is always around, but usually affects only the very young and the very elderly. She's in critical condition, also on a ventilator.
Awful.
I worry about A being exposed to flu and pneumonia - his immune system is compromised at best, and at the moment it's completely suppressed thanks to Remicade. But we can't keep him in a bubble, so keep hoping and praying for the best.
Knitting Progress
A has to complete five ten-mile hikes plus one 20-mile hike to earn his Hiking Merit Badge. That, and Personal Fitness, are all that stand between him and his Eagle project. It was a great morning for a hike - overcast, 50's. He's already completed hikes on the Big Creek greenway at North Point and Stone Mountain Park. He opted for an urban hike this time so he'd have access to restroom facilities. Just two days since Remicade, and things are still settling down. These physical merit badges are really hard for A, but he's gamely trying to meet the requirements.
It's been a hard month on so many people around us. One lost her mother to a horrible automobile accident and weeks of hospitalization. A friend is in the Northside ICU with double pneumonia and collapsed lungs. She has three girls between the ages of 5 and 14. Two weeks on a ventilator and still counting. Another mom of three young girls between the ages of 2 and 10) visited her last Tuesday, then was admitted to the same ICU the next day with Type H Influenza (the 1918 strain that was so deadly). Flu has been roaring through our preschools and schools here in Dunwoody. She contracted one of the rarer strains that is always around, but usually affects only the very young and the very elderly. She's in critical condition, also on a ventilator.
Awful.
I worry about A being exposed to flu and pneumonia - his immune system is compromised at best, and at the moment it's completely suppressed thanks to Remicade. But we can't keep him in a bubble, so keep hoping and praying for the best.
Knitting Progress
- Finished: another prayer shawl for the knitting ministry at St. Luke's. This one, also in the Comfort Shawl pattern, combined black and cream in yarns of various textures.
- 90% complete: At the instep for Jaywalker #2! I expect to finish it in the next few days, thanks to some unexpected waiting room time at Curry Honda. The van's transmission is hinky.
- Starting: Swatching for a felted runner idea, Ice Queen.
- On hold (temporarily): Mukluks.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Remicade knitting
Today is A's eight-week Remicade infusion. We'll stop for a chicken biscuit at Chic Fil A then head for the lab for his 10:00 appointment. The good news is that today is a school holiday, so he isn't missing classes. (A does not consider that good news. He loves to miss classes.)
Remicade is coded by the insurance company like chemotherapy, and there are many similarities. Every eight weeks, he's hooked up to an IV for 3 hours of measured dosage. The infusion lab is staffed by GI Care for Kids (the pediatric gastroenterology practice) so it's set up for the primarily tween and teen patients' comfort. Recliners, a TV, a bunch of current DVD's, snack tray and two amazing nurses, plus half a dozen pediatric GIs right around the corner and Children's Healthcare/Scottish Rite across the street just in case . . . it's a fantastic arrangement.
Remicade has been a last-ditch measure to control Adam's severe Crohn's, and so far it's preventing the perforations and sepsis he's endured in the past. We're praying that the inevitable development of Remicade antibodies is far in the future because there isn't much in the research pipeline to go to next.
Meanwhile, we parents get to perch in a microscope waiting "room" that's anything but comfortable. Seven armless seats with the worst ergonomics I've ever seen in an airless anteroom that's about 8 feet wide by 12 feet long! I always try to angle for the corner seat because that way I'm not in the path of strollers headed to the lab that shares the infusion lab's space, nor will the door to the lab smack me in the knees. Otherwise, it's a constant dodge.
I truly do not mind the waiting room because I appreciate the space set aside for patients. I can get up and move around. The patients are tethered to their IVs.
Three hours of Remicade equates to really productive knitting. I hope to get to the heel of Jaywalker #2 and swatch a new project. Plus I have a J. D. Robb in case my hands get tired.
Remicade is coded by the insurance company like chemotherapy, and there are many similarities. Every eight weeks, he's hooked up to an IV for 3 hours of measured dosage. The infusion lab is staffed by GI Care for Kids (the pediatric gastroenterology practice) so it's set up for the primarily tween and teen patients' comfort. Recliners, a TV, a bunch of current DVD's, snack tray and two amazing nurses, plus half a dozen pediatric GIs right around the corner and Children's Healthcare/Scottish Rite across the street just in case . . . it's a fantastic arrangement.
Remicade has been a last-ditch measure to control Adam's severe Crohn's, and so far it's preventing the perforations and sepsis he's endured in the past. We're praying that the inevitable development of Remicade antibodies is far in the future because there isn't much in the research pipeline to go to next.
Meanwhile, we parents get to perch in a microscope waiting "room" that's anything but comfortable. Seven armless seats with the worst ergonomics I've ever seen in an airless anteroom that's about 8 feet wide by 12 feet long! I always try to angle for the corner seat because that way I'm not in the path of strollers headed to the lab that shares the infusion lab's space, nor will the door to the lab smack me in the knees. Otherwise, it's a constant dodge.
I truly do not mind the waiting room because I appreciate the space set aside for patients. I can get up and move around. The patients are tethered to their IVs.
Three hours of Remicade equates to really productive knitting. I hope to get to the heel of Jaywalker #2 and swatch a new project. Plus I have a J. D. Robb in case my hands get tired.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The birthday that slapped me upside the head
Today I hit one of those milestone birthdays. It comes with these:
He went to Jared! Check out the major WOW factor of my extravagant diamond necklace and earrings!!!
and these:The kids got me knitting loot! Sock forms, a shawl pin, and a pattern that I really wanted. I promptly put Jaywalker #1 on one of the sock forms.
and these:
my cohorts at Dunwoody Nature Center shared the love - luscious lavender to grow in a pot and a custom designed bracelet featuring butterflies, the icon of one of our biggest special events!
I'm not going to say which birthday I'm celebrating. I quite enjoy the shock on the faces of the much-younger moms who find out. If I broadcast it here, the surprise isn't as much fun.
I feel blessed in so many ways. Except time! So much still to do. So much less time. Ah, well. I'm just going to have to kick it up a notch and get even busier exploring new byways and moving ahead. My kids came to my husband and me when we were older than our peers.
Just as knitting came to me later in life than the knitters I admire.
I've always been a late bloomer.
I'm trying things right now while friends have already "been there done that." They shrug, think I'm kind of slow, and move on to the next big thing. I don't mind toddling along afterward. I'm too busy enjoying the here and now!
Check out my roses and lovely vase! T will be in San Francisco for Valentine's Day, so he presented me with flowers during the birthday festivities. The guy doesn't miss a thing.
So today, for my birthday, I count my blessings:
- My husband and children - I longed for this when I was younger and got everything I imagined.
- Knitting - of course! It's meditation, recreation, socialization and inspiration.
- Fulfilling work - writing, the Nature Center, website management, teaching Preschool Phonics.
- Community of faith - what would I do without you?
- Friends - you're wonderful!
- Home - it's OURS. How very essential that is.
- My inner Donna Reed. I admit it. I was born in the wrong generation.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Homage to felting
Valentine's Day is coming, so I'm feeling the love. I LOVE felting. I heart it unconditionally. When I was a new knitter, unsure of my abilities, felting embraced all my faults . . . pesky holes (where did that come from?), irregular tension, schlubby yarn, rough texture, loose ends, curled edges, and miscounted rows. . . and transformed a ragged knitted form magically into lovely handbag and clogs.
When I pull a felted handbag out of the washing machine (toploaders only!) and tug and pull and stretch and work it into shape, I'm engaging in the most intimate relationship with my handwork.
There's a simple clutch pattern that I like to teach beginners. It encompasses garter stitch,
casting on, binding off, and buttonholes. By the time a beginner has made a couple of these clutches - one for herself, one to give away, knitting feels comfortable and familiar. You're basically knitting a long rectangle with holes at the ends.
The pattern has made the rounds, so I'm pretty sure it's a freebie. (If it belongs to someone let me know and I'll attribute it to the designer!)
Here it is:
Easy Felted Clutch
Finished dimensions: approximately 12" wide x 8 " high
Knit 8 rows (4 ridges).
Make handle: On the next row, knit 12, bind off 16, knit 12.
On the next row, knit 12, cast on 16 (using e-wrap), knit 12.
Knit 4 rows.
Add novelty yarn. Holding both yarns together, knit 40 rows (20 ridges).
Drop novelty yarn. Knit 8 rows (4 ridges) with wool alone (this creates the base).
Add novelty yarn. Holding both yarns together, knit 40 rows (20 ridges).
Drop novelty yarn.
Knit 4 rows.
Make handle: On the next row, knit 12, bind off 16, knit 12.
On the next row, knit 12, cast on 16 (using e-wrap), knit 12.
Knit 8 rows (4 ridges).
Bind off loosely.
Fold in half and sew up sides using tapestry needle and main color wool yarn.
Felt.
Line inside of clutch with your choice of fabrics I simply fold my fabric in half with right side together, seam sides and hem the top, then hand-stitch the lining to the inside of the bag. Make sure you anchor the bottom of the lining to the inside bottom of the clutch.
Sew frog closure to outside of bag, between the handles.
Enjoy!
When I pull a felted handbag out of the washing machine (toploaders only!) and tug and pull and stretch and work it into shape, I'm engaging in the most intimate relationship with my handwork.
There's a simple clutch pattern that I like to teach beginners. It encompasses garter stitch,
casting on, binding off, and buttonholes. By the time a beginner has made a couple of these clutches - one for herself, one to give away, knitting feels comfortable and familiar. You're basically knitting a long rectangle with holes at the ends.The pattern has made the rounds, so I'm pretty sure it's a freebie. (If it belongs to someone let me know and I'll attribute it to the designer!)
Here it is:
Easy Felted Clutch
Finished dimensions: approximately 12" wide x 8 " high
- Size 10 1/2 needles
- 1 skein (220 yards) Cascade 220 or Patons Classic Merino worsted wool in any color (my first clutch was black)
- 1 skein (180 yards) novelty yarn in contrasting color (I've used Squiggle, eyelash, etc. Each creates a unique effect)
- lining fabric - approximately 18" square
- Black frog for closing (optional)
Knit 8 rows (4 ridges).
Make handle: On the next row, knit 12, bind off 16, knit 12.
On the next row, knit 12, cast on 16 (using e-wrap), knit 12.
Knit 4 rows.
Add novelty yarn. Holding both yarns together, knit 40 rows (20 ridges).
Drop novelty yarn. Knit 8 rows (4 ridges) with wool alone (this creates the base).
Add novelty yarn. Holding both yarns together, knit 40 rows (20 ridges).
Drop novelty yarn.
Knit 4 rows.
Make handle: On the next row, knit 12, bind off 16, knit 12.
On the next row, knit 12, cast on 16 (using e-wrap), knit 12.
Knit 8 rows (4 ridges).
Bind off loosely.
Fold in half and sew up sides using tapestry needle and main color wool yarn.
Felt.
Line inside of clutch with your choice of fabrics I simply fold my fabric in half with right side together, seam sides and hem the top, then hand-stitch the lining to the inside of the bag. Make sure you anchor the bottom of the lining to the inside bottom of the clutch.
Sew frog closure to outside of bag, between the handles.
Enjoy!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hello, I'm Knitternall
Hello, I'm Knitternall and I'm budget-obsessed. I have purchased 12 skeins of Cascade 220 (same dye lot!) for less than $2 each on eBay. I have amassed dozens of skeins from sale bins and combined them in gorgeous multi-textured sweaters and shawls. I have furnished my sunroom in shabby chic tables and chairs from curbside and Goodwill (a coat of paint does wonders). I have dressed my children in the latest Southern child couture (Kelly's Kids, Lilly Pulitzer, Orient Expressed, Bailey Boy) from consignment sales and neighbors' share-wear. I cook dinner almost every night because that's more fun and way cheaper than eating out.
While I admit to my fondness for a good price, I'm not receptive to changing my ways. I shudder when I look at the price tags on the season's newest frocks and I just can't hand over my credit card to pay full-priced shoes for the kids. It just seems wrong.
That frugality extends to knitting. I have made some beautiful clothing, purses, and accessories from straightforward wool, cotton, and blended yarns. (Check out my Nicole from Chic Knits - made with Patons Classic Merino in a discontinued color for just $1 a skein!!!) Maybe someday, when the kids are finished with college, I'll indulge in some luscious silks and bamboos.
But for now, I'm enjoying myself. On a budget, thank you very much.
While I admit to my fondness for a good price, I'm not receptive to changing my ways. I shudder when I look at the price tags on the season's newest frocks and I just can't hand over my credit card to pay full-priced shoes for the kids. It just seems wrong.
That frugality extends to knitting. I have made some beautiful clothing, purses, and accessories from straightforward wool, cotton, and blended yarns. (Check out my Nicole from Chic Knits - made with Patons Classic Merino in a discontinued color for just $1 a skein!!!) Maybe someday, when the kids are finished with college, I'll indulge in some luscious silks and bamboos.
But for now, I'm enjoying myself. On a budget, thank you very much.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Happy Saturday!
There was a great cartoon in the Baby Blues series last week. It showed the weekend BEFORE and AFTER kids.
BEFORE . . . relax, sleep in, read the paper, enjoy a great new restaurant, yada yada yada.
AFTER . . . synchronize your watches.
Since 5:30 this morning, I've washed clothes, walked the dog, cleaned up the main floor, changed bed linens, and emptied the dishwasher. I also unexpectedly drove over to St. Luke's to take a shower. There's a water main break down the street and who knows when we'll get water on again. That's more of the fun of living in an aging urban environment. Lots of great culture. Really bad infrastructure.
Now it's time to fix everyone some lunch and gear up for the first day of spring training. AG's softball season starts today with lovely weather and a half-finished ballpark. After years of delays for one reason or another, a cancelled Fall Ball season, and worries about not having this year's Spring season at all, the county finally started work on Murphy-Candler's softball fields. (The original construction season would have started right at the end of one spring season and end right before Fall Ball.) And now there's a drought. So even though the fields are technically finished, the sod isn't. The girls will have to play on a football field and we'll have to drive over to another park for practices.
Sigh.
Anyway.
I'm putting together my travel bag, knitting that is. The fold up chairs are tossed in the back of the van along with AG's amazing array of softball gear. It'll take us a few weeks to get back into the groove of practices and games. All in all, we love the softball season and are really glad this one didn't get cancelled as well.
Travel knitting is all about size and pattern complexity. I have very stringent requirements:
I also have my Under Armour ready - February is COLD and metal bleachers are COLDER. So while the girls are warming up on the field, the parents are slowly going into hypothermia. Hence the fold-up chairs. At least, that used to be the solution. I haven't seen the new layout yet so chairs may not fit anywhere within viewing range!
Oh, yeah. Need to add one more thing to the van: a really large warm fleece blanket.
Play ball!
BEFORE . . . relax, sleep in, read the paper, enjoy a great new restaurant, yada yada yada.
AFTER . . . synchronize your watches.
Since 5:30 this morning, I've washed clothes, walked the dog, cleaned up the main floor, changed bed linens, and emptied the dishwasher. I also unexpectedly drove over to St. Luke's to take a shower. There's a water main break down the street and who knows when we'll get water on again. That's more of the fun of living in an aging urban environment. Lots of great culture. Really bad infrastructure.
Now it's time to fix everyone some lunch and gear up for the first day of spring training. AG's softball season starts today with lovely weather and a half-finished ballpark. After years of delays for one reason or another, a cancelled Fall Ball season, and worries about not having this year's Spring season at all, the county finally started work on Murphy-Candler's softball fields. (The original construction season would have started right at the end of one spring season and end right before Fall Ball.) And now there's a drought. So even though the fields are technically finished, the sod isn't. The girls will have to play on a football field and we'll have to drive over to another park for practices.
Sigh.
Anyway.
I'm putting together my travel bag, knitting that is. The fold up chairs are tossed in the back of the van along with AG's amazing array of softball gear. It'll take us a few weeks to get back into the groove of practices and games. All in all, we love the softball season and are really glad this one didn't get cancelled as well.
Travel knitting is all about size and pattern complexity. I have very stringent requirements:
- Ease of transport.
- Conducive to knitting while sitting in a fold-up arm chair.
- Pattern easy enough to memorize (no tricky counting or changes midstream).
- Single skein/ball design - forget stranding.
- A picture of what I'm making for all the curious parents.
I also have my Under Armour ready - February is COLD and metal bleachers are COLDER. So while the girls are warming up on the field, the parents are slowly going into hypothermia. Hence the fold-up chairs. At least, that used to be the solution. I haven't seen the new layout yet so chairs may not fit anywhere within viewing range!
Oh, yeah. Need to add one more thing to the van: a really large warm fleece blanket.
Play ball!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
No city for Dunwoody
We received a terse email last week from the head of the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, the closest thing we have to a council. Our long struggle to become a city died in committee thanks to county administration representatives (who don't want to give up their cash cow) and an elected representative (who no one can figure out). This week, the disappointment was front page fodder for the Dunwoody Crier and the Northside edition of the AJC.
Right on, Dick Williams.
I confess to feeling really low about this. There's nothing like someone taking away your right to self-determination.
DISAPPOINTED!
Ah, well.
Back to knitting.
Right on, Dick Williams.
I confess to feeling really low about this. There's nothing like someone taking away your right to self-determination.
DISAPPOINTED!
Ah, well.
Back to knitting.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Ponder these.
I received an email last evening that has been making the rounds here in Dunwoody. And elsewhere in the internet world. These imponderables are fun, so I'm sharing them here.
And now a few knitting imponderables.
- Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
- If humans evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have moneys and apes?
- What if there were no hypothetical questions?
- What do you do when you seen an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
- If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?
- Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
- If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent? Or, does he gain the right to speak? Or...???
- One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.
- Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
- How is it possible to have a civil war?
- If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
- Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?
Share your imponderables!
- Why does the phone ring right when you're counting a 150-stitch pattern?
- Since Australia is on the opposite side of the world, should it be called purling?
- Why do we call it casting on when casting implies throwing away?
- Why does a finished sweater weigh more than the total combined weight of the individual balls/skeins of yarn you use?
- Why is baby yarn so scratchy?
- People who ask, "do you like doing that?" as you sit there knitting.
- Do sheep shrink when they get wet?
- LYS who really don't like customers who need help.
- Knitting designers who use exclusive, very expensive, hard to find, impossible to substitute yarns in their creations.
- Information labels that aren't informative.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Tangrams and knitting
My son is working on the classic Geometry tangram project, Lewis Carroll's concepts for Alice in Wonderland. He's figured out the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit. Next come the Mad Hatter and the cranky Queen. I think just about every Geometry student has tackled this project at one time or another. And, believe it or not, there are solutions on the internet. Cheating sure wasn't that easy when I took Geometry (admittedly a really long time ago).
I haven't enlightened A about the solutions. And, bless him, it hasn't occurred to him to look.
Tangrams remind me of the complex interrelationship of knits and purls to create dimension and pattern. Geometry is at the heart of knitting design - slopes and angles, lines and planes - calculating proportions exactly is the difference between good design and bad fit.
Math was never my strong suit. I'm a writer, not a calculator!
But I'm going to have to overcome my reluctance to do the math as I embark on my first major design. I have in mind a long, hip-hiding, figure-flattering, perfectly fitted, kimono-style sweater. There will definitely be math.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Casting around for the next project
As if my queue isn't busy enough:
Saturday morning, I visited my favorite LYS, Cast-On Cottage in Roswell. I hadn't visited since the new owner acquired the shop. There were two classes in progress, friendly staff meandering through the pattern room and various store areas, and lots and lots and lots of yarn, patterns, accessories, etc. Even better, the staff was friendly and seemed to really enjoy working with knitters.
I needed sock forms to block Jaywalker. They had them! In various sizes! I wanted a shawl pin to accent my mixed-media design from last year. They had some real beauties! I wanted to see some of the latest patterns. They had an extensive library! I spent just an hour in the shop this time, but will definitely return shortly because I did indeed get some ideas.
Hello to Marcie! I told you I'd mention you and the shop in my blog.
She and owner Theresa Giordanengo were wonderfully helpful to T when he arrived with the kids in tow get my Christmas present. They even called other LYS to help him find an item that was sold out at Cast-On Cottage. Unlike the sniffy staff of another LYS in Atlanta (how dare he arrive near closing time to purchase a ball winder!!!!), they really believe in customer service.
- Jaywalker (half done - casting on sock #2)
- Prayer shawl #3 (1/3 complete)
- Mukluks (just beginning)
- Layette for ShareAtlanta (complete except for booties)
- Ice Queen
Saturday morning, I visited my favorite LYS, Cast-On Cottage in Roswell. I hadn't visited since the new owner acquired the shop. There were two classes in progress, friendly staff meandering through the pattern room and various store areas, and lots and lots and lots of yarn, patterns, accessories, etc. Even better, the staff was friendly and seemed to really enjoy working with knitters.
I needed sock forms to block Jaywalker. They had them! In various sizes! I wanted a shawl pin to accent my mixed-media design from last year. They had some real beauties! I wanted to see some of the latest patterns. They had an extensive library! I spent just an hour in the shop this time, but will definitely return shortly because I did indeed get some ideas.
Hello to Marcie! I told you I'd mention you and the shop in my blog.
She and owner Theresa Giordanengo were wonderfully helpful to T when he arrived with the kids in tow get my Christmas present. They even called other LYS to help him find an item that was sold out at Cast-On Cottage. Unlike the sniffy staff of another LYS in Atlanta (how dare he arrive near closing time to purchase a ball winder!!!!), they really believe in customer service.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Where everybody knows your name . . .
Every town has one. That eating place everyone goes to all the time. It's been around forever, the decor is forgettable, the prices are low, and the food is pretty basic.
The Old Hickory House in Dunwoody is that place. It's a barbecue restaurant that really shines at breakfast time. Every Friday morning, T and I meet there after he drops off A at the high school and just before I go to the Nature Center. He likes his big fluffy biscuit sandwich. I like a fried egg and rye toast or sausage links. Nothing fancy, certainly nothing healthy. But we really enjoy the time together.
I just got off the phone with TangleGirl (yo, Kris!), catching up on felted clogs, the forgiveness of felting and the heresy of incorrect patterns. (She purled awhile, exactly as the directions indicated, only to find out it was WRONG and mucked up the pattern. Don't you just HATE that?)
Rip it. Rip it. Blasted frogging.
I'm casting on the mukluks this weekend and will post pix of the yarn and WIP as I go. I'm also continuing on Jaywalker #2. We'll see if fun outpaces tedium.