Friday, October 31, 2008

alto on hold and holding pattern

I ran into a major stob-up today while finishing the alto spindolyns due to go out tommorow on my way to Mom's again. They could not be finished and I sat down and cried in frustration. The dogs thought I was nuts.
The materials that I had planned on using are not level and plumb, straight and narrow, sweet and light, whatever you want to call them.
Whatever, I could not make them work out. I have some new material on order that will arrive next week, and may do a complete overhaul of that design, as time allows. Meantime, I have pulled the order button from the website.
On a cheerier note, the originals that have gone out this week just happened to be out of some extra lovely wood...am thinking that some sort of rustic base and knotty gnarly whorl might be fun, once again, as time permits (that is a weird phrase, isn't it? does "time" permit my knitting? issue it a little "right to knit" token or something?

Friday, October 24, 2008

a real brown

Tommorow is Harvest Days/Fiber Festival in Cannonsburg (murfreesboro, tn) I will be there and am quiet excited to say that I am going to be picking up an Angora buck and Doe. It has been some years since I had fluffy rabbits and it will be great to have somebunny to love again (groan!)
Am going to answer the comments to the last posts in this post.

Lea-Ann, yes, I am done with the collar, and am now on a hunt for a similar fingering weight yarn to do the body of the sweater. (enter, Knitting Today, perhaps? lol) The trouble is, I am looking for a "real" brown. A rich, chocolatey cocoa brown. Not the greyed-out brown that many of the yarn companies call "cocoa". Brown is a "step color" left out, neglected...I can find a few lovely browns in worsted weight, but not in this light weight...any leads?

Hi Dianne! no the leaf edging is just a generic leaf edging..not exactly sure where it came from, but there are many variations..I just love all knitted leaf motifs..would be fun to gather several and put them all into one garment. If you are on Ravelry, and search "leaf" you will be amazed at the leaves in scarves, leaves in socks, etc. Most of the instructions originate from the early 1900's ladies publications, or from Barbara Walkers treasuries (of which I own none, now, but really lust to own all of them) or from Nicky Epsteins various embellishment books. Are you on Ravelry? my name there is Cadymay, if you are.

And in reply to the dear anonymouses (what is the plural for anonymous?)
The spindolyn shaft experiment was a dud. It was a rubber sheath (that sounds kinky) to improve handling and twirl, and although the concept worked well, gravity bit me in the butt... it made too much weight to the center and decreased spin longevity, so, back to the drawing board.
No, at this time, I only make the spindolyns in one wood and with one finish. I have to keep things kinda simple for myself at this time, because I go back and forth to Mom's, and she doesnt have internet, so when I get back, I have to scramble to catch up, and then I get mixed up easily. (ok, Lea Ann, I know you are laughing, I have always gotten mixed up easily, but you have to admit, I do sometimes have my moments of clarity! lol)


And about Mom. Thank you to all who have sent well wishes her way. She is in a lot of pain, which is hard to watch. She is not a complainer, and so kind, intelligent and gracious. I try and imagine what she is going through, and I only know one thing...I believe I would be a whiner. I just am not that strong and unselfish. Maybe they just don't make em like they used to, but she is an inspiration.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Stress knitting and self policing

A leaf a day keeps the doctor away.


This is what I told myself when I started this leaf edging; that I would sit down and knit one leaf each day and finish this neckline in a timely manner. That having set a goal, I would be forcing myself to give myself the needed "me time" that has been missing from my life lately and causing me some stress and performance reduction. The times we live in are stressful enough and focus and concentration on lifes beauty is easily elusive when we don't slow down.

Oh it worked great for the first two leaves, and then it started to feel like pressure, instead of the stress reduction that it was supposed to be.
This got me to thinking again about our motivations to knit and what aspects of knitting actually bring us the satisfaction we receive. It is a three part thing, I am realizing. The drug like satisfaction from knitting is comprised of 1) the actual act-the relaxing, repetitious meditative art itself, 2) the joy of learning and discovery when we incorporate a new technique and 3) the rush of accomplishment when we finish and hold up a three dimensional, functional object or art statement.

Having written that off the cuff, I realize there are probably more than three main aspects, its just struck me suddenly, and I like "threes"
The real point I am trying to get at is anything you do to yourself to stand in your own way of one of these aspects (like policing your progress, "cheating" on the pattern because you dont' want to have to read "complicated" directions but you really do want to learn the technique, or leaving mountains of unfinished and unsatisfying projects around, diminishes that fullness of your satisfaction in your knitting.
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