Where was I?

I know (and you know) that it's been too long but that I'll always be back.
I've been busy knitting between work and family things.
I finished the sleeves and LF of Martin Storey's Arak for Julie.


It's been very enjoyable, though I should have enlarged the chart a wee bit. Just a RF to knit up, followed by a hard core blocking then a bit of finishing.

Today I am at the hospital for the "Stefanison Special". A gamut of annual tests (liver ultrasound, chest X-ray, mammogram and bone scan) that he orders for his breast cancer patients for 5 years post op as an early detection screening for possible metastasis.
I decided to leave the chart-knitting at home and cast on for an Inside-Outside scarf using some Noro Silk Garden and recycled silk that I have had for years for just this purpose.
I was rushing this morning at 6:30 because I didn't set my alarm early enough (don't even ask - I can't even begin to recall the lack of thought process I went through) so I grabbed needles and left. I could also easily include lack of sleep and caffeine deprivation as root causes.



I cast on and it was soon apparent that there is a decided lack of contrast that the texture of the silk exacerbates. I was happily willing to let this go as "subtle" but the fabric is too loose - even for a scarf - for my liking so I will be zipping it out and reknitting. And probably with a more neutral Noro.

I've been having an increased amount of trouble with my elbows (especially my right one). Cue scary music. Tendinitis. I've been wearing arm braces and icing religiously. I am stretching and am going to pick up wee weights to do the exercises. I really don't want to get a note to have my job modified - I'd be relegated to Express where when it's slow, it's painfully slow. I also don't want to be armless so I'll see how it goes.
Also on the work front - I'm training as a CSM so that I can be the backup CSM. It will also give me the skills and abilities that I need so that my chances of gaining a f/t CSM position are greatly increased. It's a small step back up the retail ladder but at least it's a step up.


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Busy needles.

I know ... but you're used to me disappearing for periods of time. And like the proverbial bad penny I always turn up again.

So Clue 3 of Westknits Colo(u)rknits came out last Friday. I didn't have the luxury/pleasure of the day off but I woke up early and got a start before I headed off to the salt mines. I finished it Friday after work.

I really don't know how it's going to finish in one more clue; perhaps this one will be a big'un. I do love my colour choices!

I don't generally crochet and I really don't usually accept commissions without a pre-set payment amount. But there was a story about a knitterly grandmother who always crocheted a blankie for new family babies and a upcoming birth, the first without said grandmother to crochet a welcoming blankie. And I may have been on some medication that day.

So I have undertaken a simple ripple blankie out of Cascade Pinwheel. It says Aran but it is mos def a worsted. It also is not very evenly spun for an acrylic but the colours are nice and I'm enjoying the simplicity of crocheting. Yes - the leaves are lovely colours!!

Elise's lace-weight linen Shawl of Secrecy continues slowly - increasing 6 sts every alt row. It's lovely and I like working on it but need some variety.

So of course I started on another project!!! Lynda started on Martin Storey's Arak and finished the back but I am taking the hand-off and finishing it. Rather than a regular swatch I decided to just cast on a sleeve and measure off of that.

The nails are OPI's In The Cable-Carpool Lane from the San Fransisco collection.

Cordón Shawl

I am going to preface this post by saying that every time I wind linen I forget that you need to wind it tight or it just falls apart. Perhaps in so writing I will remember this lesson for the next time.

So this is Americo's Linen Cordón in Coral and Dark Stone. I will be casting on for a different Shawl of Secrecy tonight.



To do so I needed to online my Addi Lace circulars.
We all know that the most effective way to do this is putting the cord into hot water for a few seconds.

I'm at Lee's and he's got spaghetti sauce simmering (he makes it from scratch ... I know, a total keeper!!) and spaghetti in boiling water. Grated its been oiled & salted, but it's still boiling water. And there really wasn't room I really wasn't inclined to make room and set a clean pot to boil. So I just dipped the needle in with the noodles a few times.
Poor Lee - his face as he came 'round the corner and saw what I was doing was utterly priceless!! I laughed and explained it but he still had an incredulous/dumbfounded look. I wiped the cord and dried and I'm good to go.

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Colorknits

Clue #2 came out this morning and I was all over it.

A significantly smaller clue but it incorporates the 3rd colour yet leaves the knitter with no real clue where this will go next! A perfect mystery knit!!

No spoilers here ... go to my Rav project page to satisfy your curiosity.

Inspiration

in·spi·ra·tion  

/ˌinspəˈrāSHən/

Noun The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative: "flashes of inspiration". The quality of having been so stimulated, esp. when evident in something: "a moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display".

When Elise gave me the pattern for her her On The Easy Side pattern it was the beginning of a journey that started with that single questing query, "I wonder if ...".

I wondered if Koigu's PPPM would repeat and pattern as did their Kersti at a particular stitch count. Thus began my journey and exploration of the Sweetspot of a yarn and my resulting scarves/afghans.

I always believed and discussed with Elise the mathematical theory of a predictable repeat based on the skein size, dye sequence and stitch count/gauge but it was well beyond my skill set. I relied on intuition and trial and error.

My day was totally made when Elise & I spoke yesterday and she mentioned an article written by Karla Stuebing in Twist Collective on The Art and Science of Planned Pooling where she said that my design inspired her to explore and extrapolate the maths in the yarns!! Carol Sulcoski wrote an article in the Early Fall 2013 VK on Planned Pooling referencing my design and Karla's work.

I am still exploring indie yarns and have another afghan in the works.