A little trek at last

I finally took my Trekking sock on a little trek yesterday afternoon. We didn't get far -- just to my favorite bit of bay beach near Sag Harbor. We didn't stay long either -- as you can see, the sock was a bit uncomfortable! The air was so damp and dreary, and the wind was so stiff, that we decided to pack up and head for town and the post office.

Here is the intrepid sock, Trekking XXL Color 67, getting out of the wind behind a boulder. It would really rather be inside its special sock bag made by Trek, don't you think?

And here, the increasingly damp and bedraggled sock is being used to gauge wind speed (that would make it a windsock, I suppose). This is not a trick photograph, the sock will have you know!

~:~

I had to make another trip to the post office this afternoon when I heard that the first Sundara Yarns Petals Collection packages had begun to arrive.

The first offering to us fortunate Petals Collection members is "Calla Lily." When the light is better (in other words, when this two-day-old fog lifts) I'll take better pictures of the yarn. This will do for now. There's the yarn, of course, a photograph of Sundara's inspiration, a little treat, and a Welcome letter. Then there's the pattern. It's presented in the most ingenious way -- it's printed on several sheets of card stock, which will make it so easy to read and carry, and it comes in a beautiful mossy-green envelope. The pattern itself looks like it will be a pleasure to knit, too. Its heel is not your usual flap heel, its lace is placed in an unusual way, and its cuff is not your mother's basic sock cuff. I can't wait to get started on it! I love Sundara's yarn -- I used her DK Silky Merino for my Sunny Day Clapotis.

~:~

I'd say it's been a hard, but good, day all in all. I think I've ordered enough of the right books for the big holiday weekend. I have to let it go though, because there's nothing more I can do until next week. It's certainly been a stressful day, but having that beautiful package to open, and an evening to smile at it while I work on my Lagoon scarf and my Flower Basket shawl, will do a fine job of unkinking my shoulders. Oh! Before I forget -- thanks for all the lovely comments and blogiversary wishes, everyone!

The thing about knitting

Sometimes you just have to have a little faith. Trust in yourself, in your idea, in the yarn. Leap a little, or a lot. Or maybe you just have to follow along wherever your ideas take you. It’s just yarn, just a pattern. You have to assume the best and remember that what you end up with isn’t going to change the world, just you.

This Lagoon yarn is mine, to lead or to follow, as I choose. My hand is on every inch of it, many times over. I spun it, plied it, wound it into a little ball. It consumed me for days, and whispered to me whenever I passed. I get to decide what is to become of it, though I want to let it have a say. We have to agree, the yarn and me, but since I am the one who will do all the work, at some point the yarn has to let go and let me knit.

It’s so watery. The deep liquid colors, the softness of the cashmere and silk fibers, the way the two plies wind around each other – everything flows. I wanted to knit something rippling, like water, but the scarf I began the other day just lay there. The ruffle was fine, but the rest was too flat.

I went off to find something else. Lacy Riverine, maybe, but I didn’t have nearly enough yarn to do it, even with modifications. Then I found the link to this Rainy Day Scarf and had cast on almost before it finished printing. It's not very wide (about 4.5 inches), something I debated until I thought about the scarves I wear most often -- they're long and narrow, wrapped around and around. The wavy rib is stretchy, and I might or might not block it. It looks so substantial in the photographs, but in the end it will weigh just two ounces, which was all the fiber I had to begin with. It even blew off the windowsill as I was taking pictures!

So, for now, this is where I am going with my Lagoon yarn:

• Yarn: Handspun 2-ply cashmere/tussah roving from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, "Lagoon"; spun on my Ashford Traditional wheel.
  

• Pattern: Rainy Day Scarf from Beth at Demonic Progress

• Needles: Addi Turbo 4.5mm/US 7
  

You never know, though. I might decide to take a detour at some point. That's the thing about knitting!

~:~

Hey, I've been writing here for a whole year now. Full circle, in the cycle of knit, work, knit, ponder, knit, work, knit. I'm falling behind in my blog reading, and replying to comments, and in many of the little things and ways that are part of being a member of this community. I'll get back on track one of these days. Everybody, it seems, says this, but it's worth repeating: I'm really happy, and quite grateful that anyone reads my blog at all. That my world has widened so, and that I've begun so many wonderful friendships because of it, means everything to me. I'm a lucky, lucky knitter indeed.

All moony over lagoon

Ready...Set...

Go!

Oh, of course I could be cleaning my apartment because my sister is coming for a visit next weekend. I could be sorting through the piles of old magazines and catalogs so that I can take most of them to the dump. I could even be balancing my checkbook.

But it's Sunday, and the week was a doozy, and I kept my hands off the skein of Lagoon for as long as I could. I found this nice drapey little scarf in a new book (well it's new because I just got one) called Knit Ponchos, Wraps and Scarves by Jane Davis. I first read about it when Norma wrote about it a few weeks ago. I'm just spending a little quality time with the cashmere and silk, that's all.

~:~

I really appreciated all the kind and supportive comments left after my post on Friday. You all made me feel so much better! Yes, I need a knitted shield (though I thought I had one around here somewhere). Pearls before swine works, too, but only if the swine trip on them. I do have to remind myself that I put myself in this position voluntarily. Summer People and surly clambake guys come with the territory, but so do all the lovely, kind people who cross my path every day. Those folks, and you all, are the best.

~:~

Excuse me, I have to go now. I just had an idea about that scarf. I think it wants to be a little wider, and a little looser. Oh boy, I get to knit it again!

At the end of the day

Yes, this is what my brain feels like. Yarn spaghetti. Mushy squiggles. Miles of mess.

The day began with a man growling and yelling at me because I would not let him attach his clambake company brochure's holder to the store's bulletin board. He is going to buy his books elsewhere from now on, by the way.

The day ended with a woman on the phone asking about a book. When I asked for more information, since the title she provided was not listed in Books in Print, she laughed and told me, in one of those tones, that other booksellers were willing to order the book for her, so she'd be taking her business to them. It was the laughter that got to me. The "you are an idiot masquerading as a bookseller" laughter.

I'll shrug it off, let it go, get over it. But I will never understand why it seems to cost some people so much to be pleasant. Just plain old, ordinary, everyday pleasant. I am not meant to understand these people. I am lucky that I cannot understand them.

And I have something that they will most likely never have: I have knitting. I am sticking to my plan to knit at least one repeat of the Flower Basket Shawl every evening. There are no new pictures, because I had to frog and begin again, and I'm back to just past where I was when I posted this.

I'm pretty sure mean people can't be knitters, anyway.

Sumer is icumen in

It's summer!


"Just as the summer solstice is symbolic of agricultural growth, so is it symbolic of personal growth. It is a wonderful time to nurture your potential as you would nurture a tiny seedling and let your creative energy express itself fully."
-- Daily Om

"Lagoon" handpainted cashmere and tussah yarn, 250 yards, all washed and dry, and light as a feather. What to knit, what to knit...

"Alina" handpainted merino yarn, 150 yards, also washed and fluffy as a lamb. Mmmmm, socks! Must spin more. Now.

~:~

It's my day off, and I made the rounds of the places I needed to go, but where I wanted to be was here, at home. My little home, where Summer People never come, where there is no traffic, where I don't risk being run over while I am in the crosswalk, for heaven's sake. Here I'll stay, then. It's not as if I have nothing to do.

L is for

Lagoon. It's two ounces of Blue Moon cashmere/tussah roving that I got at Rhinebeck last fall, from The Fold. I began spinning it last night, and got one ounce spun in about three and a half hours. I picked up the second ounce this afternoon, and had it spun and plied in about six hours.

I have 254 yards of luscious water-colored goodness to contemplate now. What will I knit? The color is off (it's really much deeper) but at least this photo shows how many colors and blends of colors there are in the skein. I even have a skein of Socks That Rock in the same "colorwave."
This was one of those creative experiences that sent me into a reverie. I'd just been thinking about what colors I like, and what color I might like to be, and I knew I had two little bundles of this special roving tucked away. I'd had a really, really hard Saturday at work, and I was too tired to think straight, but I was antsy. So I spun and spun, until at last I couldn't see straight either. I woke up thinking about this beautiful Lagoon yarn, and what it is about blue that draws me, and why I craved the spinning of it, and why now.

So what is it that makes me want to spin at all? It's not that I want perfect yarn, or that I want to master all the techniques. I don't care about the latest technology beyond what my dear Ashford provides (I just don't care much about Woolee Winders, plying heads, double treadles, or infinite ratios, thanks). It's that I've known how to spin for so many years, and my hands are so comfortable making yarn. It's that there's a rhythm in the turning of the wheel and flyer, and that they have a meditative effect. It's that I like that settled, relaxed feeling that comes, when the twist begins and the new yarn begins to wind on the bobbin. It's that spinning gives me time to think Deep Thoughts, and to listen down to my toes.

Ah, I've reached the center: it's listening, and being, that draws me to the wheel. So L is also for Listening.

KSKS Questionnaire

What are your favorite colors? Blues and rich colors, mostly, but any colors that evoke a mood or a memory are good.
Are you a new sock knitter? I've been knitting socks for about 3 years. I always have at least two pairs on the needles.
Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Multicolored, especially handpainted.
What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn? I love wool and anything that will make my socks comfy and luxurious.
Where do you usually knit socks? At home, mostly, but I take them with me wherever I go, just in case.
How do you usually carry/store small projects? In a little bag. I have a few that always seem to have a project inside.
What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? My basic fall-back sock formula comes from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, but I have lots of books and patterns I've purchased or downloaded. I tweak most of the patterns I knit, and I like interesting stitches, like lace and texture.
What are your favorite sock knitting techniques? I usually do cuff-down socks with a flap heel. Works every time.
What new techniques would you like to try? I'd like to make some toe-up socks, but as I said, cuff-down works.
Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting? DPN's. I love my DPN's. I've tried both circular methods, and while I use them for larger projects, I think they're too fiddly for socks.
What are some of your favorite yarns? Socks That Rock, Fleece Artist, Sundara Yarn, yarns from small companies.
What yarn do you totally covet? Fleece Artist in one of their deep, luscious colorways. Or Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop.
Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? I'd like to be surprised!
Favorite kind of needles? I love my little Brittany birch needles, and Crystal Palace Bamboo, but I'd be happy to try something new! Pony Pearls, rosewood...hmm...
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? Alchemy Yarns Synchronicity. Just because it exists.
Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? M&M's or dark bittersweet chocolate are yummy.
What’s your favorite animal? Cats, I guess! But I like turtles, too. "Slow and steady wins the race", and all.
Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? Just Annabelle the cat, age about 9 (she won't tell me).
If you were a color what color would you be? A swirling mix of all the blues that can be seen in the ocean, from deep indigo to bright cerulean.
Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s). Old, soft linen, long and loose and comfortable. The next best thing would be an old chambray shirt.
What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? A spiral. It's everywhere in nature, and I love the image because to me it means continuity, a journey, and the way life is. And socks are spirals, too! I love moonflowers and beach stones, too.
Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. Treat others as you would wish to be treated. The Golden Rule, basically.
Do you have a wishlist? No.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Day in my life, enhanced edition

What's a knitter to do when she has made so many adorable Mason-Dixon Dishcloths that she doesn't know what to do with them? Why, she sends them off to unsuspecting victims dear friends, that's what! I love making surprises.

Yesterday was a much better day than last Wednesday. Much, much better. I had been tempted to ask for a do-over (we get do-overs in knitting, don't we, so why not in life?), but yesterday was everything a good day off should be.

I feel repaired. Each day has been a lesson in fixing Jane's bad mood, and the neckache that it caused, too. Tender care, extra rest, a bit of letting go, and something as simple as play have patched the sore spots.

One reason the day was better:

Yes, fresh local strawberries. In a bowl, with yogurt. Or plain. Delicious!

Another day-maker: Spinning happened. I spun all afternoon, while I listened to the last hours of In Cold Blood and gabbed on the phone with my sister. This is Blue Moon Handpainted Merino roving in the colorway called "Alina." I got it at Rhinebeck last fall, and I've been "saving" it. For what? I spun most of a bobbin very fine and with a good amount of twist, and then I decided to ply a little sample. Since it was about 9:00pm by then, and I'd gone bug-eyed from all that spinning, my plying neither suits the yarn nor satisfies me This little 36-yard skein is kind of sweet, anyway. A better yarn will become socks one of these days, and Amie, you're right -- it will probably be three-ply.

Annabelle had a delightful Wednesday, too, because I brought her a present:

Her very own catnip plant! She likes to step out the door and bury her face in it, but she hasn't taken a bite yet. Herbie from downstairs has, though. He's a skittish little tabby, and sweet as can be. I scared him when I opened the door yesterday afternoon. He went flying down the wisteria and landed right side up, dazed but not hurt. He was too mellow to hurt himself, I guess.

Finally, this is my Fairgrounds sock in progress. There used to be more of it -- I was almost at the toe decreases -- but it was looking stiff as a board so I'm re-doing the foot. This is medium-weight STR, but I blithely knit it on 2.5mm needles as usual, then 2.25mm's for the foot. Silly. I'm not in a big hurry to finish it. I love the way this color stripes, and I like the seed stitch cuff (I knit it on 2.75mm's so it would be looser, since it's not ribbing).

Now all I have to do for the rest of the week is work. Father's Day means everybody will be buying their dad a book, and many of them don't seem to care which one -- go figure. And I must try to get through the heat wave we're about to have. Heavens, people, it's supposed to hit eighty! We've been fortunate this year, but actually, we could use some warm weather, to keep the Summer People happy. Cool temps or rain make them shop more (which is good), but it makes them grumpy, too (which is not so good).

Blues and changes

Why, yes, I do knit. This is my Flower Basket shawl, still on the small side, but there has been progress. Although I'm past that horrible black mood I was in on Wednesday -- and can I tell you how fantastic it was to have that little episode be the one that I had to post for Day in My Life? -- it's been hard to get back to what really matters. I'm almost there. The shawl is Knitting That Requires Attention, so I'm doing just that. I lost my groove the other day, and I'm working on getting it back today.

My Fairgrounds Rockin' Sock Club sock will be ready for a photo shoot soon -- it's coming along, too.

The weather, though. It's beautiful. It heard my pleas, or else all my stomping around was a reverse rain dance, and I made the sun come out. Either way, how can I not enjoy life on a day like today?

~:~

And in the spirit of PS June...

:low tide:

:cup and glass:

:winter sky:

:spring sky:

:snowy yard:

I have more, but I'll save them for another time.

~:~

I joined the Knit Sock Kit Swap, dreamed up by Bev and Scout. Go on over and take a look! I haven't participated in many exchanges (well, only two, if we're counting), but this comes at a good time for me. It's about socks, and I'll get to create a sock kit (a bag, yarn, etc.) for my pal. I've been thinking about making a sock bag or two, so here's my chance to give it a try. Signups end on Tuesday, June 13th at 8am EST.

Who knew I'd become such a joiner? It's all good. I've connected with other knitters in ways I don't get to in my regular life. Seeing what others are knitting, sharing progress and projects, giving a little here and there -- I guess it's a "K is for Knitting" thing.

What a day

Click!

Wet, just wet, with knitting

This is what it was like here today:We had almost three inches of rain. Puddles everywhere, and ponds on the roads. At least the rain washed away most of the remnants of our cankerworm invasion. They ate many of the trees in my neighborhood, though -- the woods look bare.

The rain and dark skies made me cranky and wild-headed. There's no telling what I'll come up with when I post about my Day in My Life. It has been, let's say, very interesting to be participating in this project on a less-than-good-mood day. I'm just warning you, is all.

Anyway, the Trekking sock began to get a little jumpy, just like me. If it hadn't been for the great sock bag swap that Trek and I made, that sock might have up and left home on its own. No treks today, but a pretty new home calmed it down.

This is Annabelle, imitating me:

She understands my moods.

I did make some progress on my Rockin' Sock Club Fairgrounds sock. Backwards progress, but at least I found out that the Rock and Weave pattern, though it looks very cool and interesting, is not for me. I ripped it back and cast on for a regular sock, with a little seed stitch cuff that reminds me of the linen stitch that looks fine on everyone else's ankles. It looks perfect so far, but I'll decide tomorrow, or after I have stopped climbing the walls.

K just has to be for...

...knitting, of course. Few activities, or words, or ideas are as important to me as knitting. It gives me so much, and adds a dimension to my life that had gone missing since I left weaving behind, since I became a book woman. Knitting has opened up new worlds: Knitters Review, this huge community of bloggers and blogging, my Thursday afternoon Knitting Circle, and all the people I've encountered along the way. Some of my most important friendships have fiber -- spinning, weaving, knitting -- at their core. Some of them go back twenty and twenty-five years, and many are just developing, but all of them are treasures.

Knitting is the thread that winds its way through every one of my days, and unless I'm stuck on a project, there is joy in all the moments I spend thinking about it, doing it, being a knitter. It's made me feel creative again, and the other things I like to do -- make watercolors, take pictures, spin yarn, play with paper -- are more satisfying because I knit and I've developed the knitter's discerning eye.

I'm proud of what I can do with two sticks and some string, and every single time I pick up these simple tools I feel strong, and capable, and creative, and content. This is when I am my best self. I am a knitter.