Ketchup and other tomato products...

This post is just a quick update, so no pictures... really busy!

Laurie posted about World Wide Knit in Public Day? What are YOU doing on June 10th? What should be do Utah grrls?

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Patty (who as far as I know is blogless) has finished a Seraphim Shawl and she sent me pictures! You can see it here, just LOOK at those lovely colors!

And look at Margene's Eleanora socks! They look just as fabulous in person as they do on her blog, although more red and less pink :)

M

J is for...

.... Jobs. I shared a story about a job I had with Sage from Quirky Nomads. You can listen to her read my story in today's podcast here. YAY! I love Sage's voice!

M

I is for...

I'm catching up.

I is for Imperfections.

I've been working on loving things about myself that may be less than perfect. A couple of months ago, I looked in the mirror and DIDN'T think my ears stuck out too much. That is PROGRESS!


So here's my freckles. I feel most of the time that they make my otherwise pretty clear skin look like it's blotchy... but I'm learning to like them, I think. Next up, love handles, stretch marks and pudgy belly :)

I is also for Icarus.

I've been really happy with all the interest in the shawl! Half of the google searches that lead to this blog have been for the shawl. I've said it before, but again, there is a knitalong up here.

M

Ah... that wet cat smell.

The other day I gave Ekho a hug and he smelled a bit ripe, so I decided he needed a bath that didn't come from a tongue that was scented with cat food. After a mighty struggle I had a rather pissed cat, a swatted face and a bathtub drain full of hair. But most important, I had a nice smelling cat. I think it's funny how small cats look when they're wet. I really didn't realize that fur was such a large portion of him!



"Woman! I spent forEVER getting my fur JUST PERFECT! Look what you've done."



"How dare you take a picutre of me in my humiliated state!"

Thankfully by the morning he had forgiven me.



"I forgive you because you have a warm lap."

Go see Vanessa's finished Eleanora socks! I LOVE the color!

M

Thoughts on Patience and Knitting

I knit everywhere. On the bus to work everyday, in waiting rooms, in the car, on my lunchbreak, down the aisles in grocery stores, walking across the University campus where I work.

People's reactions are pretty polarized. Most people sneak furtive glances at my work trying not to stare, while some people are prompted to speak. They ask me what I'm making or tell me their Grandmother crochets too. (Here I usually explain the difference between knitting and crochet..."one hook? crochet. Multiple needles? knitting). Then a slightly awkward silence follows when they just watch what I'm doing and I don't bother to look up. Then: "I wish I knew how to do that". I assure them that they can learn and tell them where the nice LYS is and that they offer lessons for free. And the usual response? "I don't have the patience to knit".

Patience? Who said you need PATIENCE!? I'm sure there are other knitters out there in the great wide internet world who knit because they're patient. But me? I knit because I'm NOT patient. I can't just sit down and wait for an appointment without doing SOMETHING. If I'm not knitting, the time passes more slowly and I get bored more easily, and I end up obsessively clicking a pen or tearing apart and reforming the piece of lint I found in my pocket... Knitting helps me BECOME patient.

Yes, sometimes you need patience to set aside a project that's not working, or to wait until you can ask someone else to try and interpret a pattern. But I don't think that's what they mean.

Perhaps they think knitting takes patience because I'm making large lacey items on very small needles, or a pair of socks on US 1's. And they think "All those stitches, that must take a long time", but what they don't see is that every stitch emerging in a pattern and that every loop of the yarn is magic. Knitting is the INFINITE amusement! If you were solely concerned with the act of knitting, you could rip and reknit the same ball over and over and over again, and then it truly would be infinite, but the most wonderful thing about knitting is that it transforms your spare and idle moments into something beautiful (or beautifully misshapen, depending on your skill level ;) ).

I recall not so long ago, saying that I wouldn't knit anything larger than socks on US 1's. And lo and behold, here I am, HAPPILY working lace with TINY yarn and Size 1's. So perhaps I began knitting because I DIDN'T have patience, but now it's taught me a measure of it. So perhaps my response to the "I don't have patience" spectators should be "Jump right in, and you'll LEARN patience. And you'll end up with a nifty scarf too."

M

The knitting continues apace

Lynn has started a KAL for the Icarus shawl. If you're interested, go check it out here. Links to all the KAL's for my patterns are listed under the pattern in the left sidebar.

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I've been working on the lighterweight Mountain Peaks shawl, so there's not anything interesting to show you, but it's certainly growing, and my yarn ball is noticibly smaller!

Thanks for all the kind words on the Blessing Sock pattern! I'm glad you guys like it, as always it's in the sidebar.

Things are a bit consuming at work, so I'm not sure how regular my posting will be. Unsettled is the word.... but it should all get sorted pretty soon. I'm just too preoccupied to blog much.

M

Blessing Socks Pattern Available

This design is dedicated to my Nana, who survived stomach cancer, heart surgery and the death of her husband of 50 plus years all within 18 months. The original socks will be going to her because she can use all the blessings she can get.



The motif of these socks is Arabic calligraphy of the word "baraka", meaning "blessing". The chart was originally published in A History of Handknitting, and was found on a pillow entombed in 1275.

The twisted cuff echoes the spiraling purl decreases on the toe, which it turn mimic the garter ridges and seam stitch on the comfortable, turned German heel. Knit these for someone in need of a few blessings. With good thoughts and a prayer in your heart, the recipient will know they are cared for.





These socks are worked from the cuff down with the twisted edge worked flat and then joined in the round for the rest of the cuff. The heel is a turned German Heel with a garter “seam-stitch” on the center back of the heel flap, which echoes the garter ridges on the sides. The toe is decreased over 3" using purl decreases to give a comfortable and beautiful fit.

Yarn Requirements: 100 grams (378 yards, or 2 skeins) of Main Color (MC) (2232- Tan), 25 yards of Contrast Color 1 (CC1) (5755- blue), and 30 yards for Contrast Color 2 (CC2) (0083- gray). All of Dale of Norway Baby Ull (100% Superwash Merino wool).
Suggested Needles: US Size 1.5 (2.5mm). These can be tricky to find, but I like Crystal Palace 6" bamboo.
Gauge: 18 sts and 22 rows per 2 square inches in stockinette without colorwork.
Finished Size: Unstretched, 5.5" from cuff to top of heel flap, 8" around upper cuff, 8" around foot and foot length to measure. The sample fit a size 8 women’s foot with a good amount left of the MC. If you want to lengthen the foot more than 2 shoe sizes, I would suggest buying a third ball of the MC.
Techniques Used: This pattern uses the following techniques:
knit, purl, k2tog, knit front & back, slipped stitches, p2tog, ssk.

Other Notes:

• The motifs in this pattern are charted. Charts are in black and white.


• This pattern is 5 pages long, and will print on standard 8.5" x 11" paper.


• This pattern is a downloadable .pdf file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it. You can download Acrobat here for free.


• This pattern may only be purchased through PayPal. If you do not have a paypal account, you can open one by clicking that link.


• Once your paypal payment has gone through, you will be e-mailed a link to download the pdf file. BE AWARE THAT THIS LINK EXPIRES after a time. You CAN request additional downloads if you miss this window of time. Also be aware that if you pay with an e-check, you will not receive the download link until your payment has cleared, which may take up to 7 days.


• With this pattern (and with all of my patterns I offer full technical support. I will do anything at all possible to help you figure out the best way to download and use this pattern and knit these socks.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

The cost for this patten is $6.00 USD. You may purchase it by clicking the Buy Now Button below.

Please go to my new shop to purchase this pattern

pdf file updated 7-11-2006

Seraphim KAL

Hi everybody! Eva has started a Seraphim KAL! You can visit the blog here and join up using the instructions given in that most recent post.

I'm still alive, by the way... working like a maniac... trying to get things in order. I hope to get the Blessing sock pattern tested this weekend, and get the pattern out Monday or Tuesday.

M

A Peek at Mittens

I checked with Terri and she's ok with me showing you a peek of the mittens that I test knit for her book.



This is the inside out front and a peek of the palm and thumb. They were a LOT of fun to knit and they gave me the courage to start the blessing socks since I'd never been satisfied with my stranded knitting before. I figured out what I was doing wrong from the post at NonaKnits on Yarn Dominance. I was twisting each of my floats together and never realized that they were supposed to strand one above and one below.

Anyhow, the blessing socks are going really well! I've completed the heel and gusset and I'm working on the body of the foot. I'll test the pattern by knitting the second sock and then I'll make it available for sale. Oh! And I ran into a guy who speaks Arabic (it's hard to do in this small city I live in), and I double checked and the words actually DO say "baraka" which really does mean "blessing". So we're all good. :)

M

Mittens are done and a new sock is in the works.

Look at Monica's finished Mountain Peaks Shawl! I love the colors! It's beautiful Monica!

And Vivica finished her Eleanora socks and sent me a picture. Take a look! They look GREAT Viv!
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So... I have finished the mittens for Terri, and they're GREAT! But I don't think I can show you at all. You'll see them eventually, I'm sure. They were a lot of fun, and I loved doing colorwork, so much so that I'm working on a new sock pattern!


I'm calling them Blessing Socks. The charcoal gray there is arabic. It says "baraka" which means blessing. So I've decided to make this pair for my grandmother, since she could use all the blessings possible to give her. What do you think?

M