Dawn's Dream http://www.dawnsdream.com/ My name is Dawn... and I'm powerless over fiber. en Copyright 2008 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:08:48 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Why I started knitting Thanks, mom, for pulling out these sweaters on my visit last weekend - I'm thrilled to have gotten to finally bring one of these beauties home to call my own, and thrilled to have this piece of my knitting history. When I was a young teen, my grandmother took up knitting these fabulous fair isle sweaters - but only for the grownups in the family. It wasn't worth all that knitting for kids who would grow out of them - a feeling I now share about knitting for kids. She made red/black/cream ones for the men. I was insane with envy - I so wanted one of these sweaters! Instead, grandma showed me how to knit (thanks grandma!). I don't really remember learning, or what kind of yarn we used, or any details whatsoever. I do remember the first project I decided to make - a long, black, acrylic cardigan. I guess I've always been the "just do it" type - no hat or scarves for me. I started that sweater, made tons o' mistakes on the back - I recall holes. I'm sure I started one of the fronts, but I was, after all a teen, and it was black, and I had no idea what I was doing, and grandma lived hours away, so it got stuffed in a plastic bag. Where it live for many years, untouched but apparently important enough for me to cart around until I was 34, through many lives and many apartments. I finally pitched it in the big move of 2000. Right before my twin sis was pregnant and on bed rest and taking up knitting to pass the time. Being a twin, it was imperative that I knit too, across the country but in some competitive sychronicity. For me - it took. For her - not so much. I made a horrible yellow cotton tank that I never ever wore, but I was hooked. Haven't put the needles down since. And look where I am now - this sample cardigan I knit up for Melissa Leapman is in a pattern book! It's the green cardigan that comes up right after the godawful 80s sack sweater in yellow and red - please forgive me if that's your favorite one in the book. And know it looks much different on that long-waisted model with her belly hanging out than regular people like me!) ML%20green%20cardigan%20010.JPG ML%20green%20cardigan%20011.JPG]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/08/why_i_started_knitting.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/08/why_i_started_knitting.html Knitting Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:08:48 -0500 You know how it goes when I can’t be like most beginning super-twisty spinners – noooo – I have to go the opposite way. I did, however, figure out how to make my lazy kate work for me while plying, and had a much easier time of that than ever. I have no memory how much yardage I got on the two-plied yarn, but it’s a LOT of yarn. purple%20wool1.jpg Then it was on to two Crazy Batts I got way back in October of 06 at the Virginia Fiber Festival. I really wanted to try long draw spinning, and understood that rolags or batts are the way to go with this method, so I made a stab at it. But, these bats were full of uncombed locks and a whole bunch of other varieties of weird wool, so I did what I could and turned out some very interesting yarn in the process. orange%20batt.jpg The colors match my orange dining room with a lovely Arts & Crafts rug called Tulip Light Festival with browns and greens and pretty red/orange tulips and I’d love to make it into some sort of interesting wall hanging, but then I’m not so good at that visual arts stuff, so it’s decorating my dining room table and fits in quite nicely there. obatt%20close.jpg My nephew, Flat Stanley Jack, helped with the spinning and we had a grand time together. flat%20stanley.JPG I’m almost done spinning about 6 oz of pretty pink wool batts, also of an unknown variety, that I got at my first (and only so far) Maryland Sheep & Wool in 2007. My long draw went much, much better with these very well prepared batts, and I’m happy with this soft pink two ply. I started spinning with a backwards draw because that’s just what felt right, so long draw isn’t that far removed from what I’ve been doing, but it is fun to not worry about slubs or thick parts so much. It’s tricky to keep my forward hand from wanting to smooth the yarn – I guess I remain a worsted girl, and I must admit, if woolen yarn isn’t good for making garments, I’m not sure what it IS good for. ( I could have SWORN I had a photo of my sample skein, but will go without in the interest of getting this post UP.) Phew. I wrote a post. So much more to say – so more soon. The garden has been a major adventure this year, and I have pictures to prove it! Here's a preview of the echineacea we put in: ech1.jpg ]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/08/you_know_how_it_goes_when.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/08/you_know_how_it_goes_when.html Life Spinning Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:19:23 -0500 Spring forward? So that's hanging out in the knitting corner of the couch. I'm thinking I might just do the ever-popular Monkey socks from Knitty with the Koigu and continue to hope for inspiration for the Sheep Shop stuff. But then Captain America's vest from my brown handspun popped into my head, and I spent a couple of days pondering the design, and searching Ravelry some more, and staring at the yarn, and pondering some more, until I bit the bullet and cast on for the Cabled Rib Vest from Men In Knits. And I haven't put it down since. I admit feeling immense pride watching my handspun knit up into a gorgeous fabric, even though the yarn is both underspun and underplied in lots of parts, and even though those funky thick parts appear to enjoy aligning themselves over rows and cables, and the thin parts also often seem to seek each other out. CA%20vest1.JPG I was able to get some photos when the sun finally made a brief appearance this week, and I'm just plain delighted with this project so far. I'm cruising up to the shoulder on one of the fronts, which is thick and square and handsome. Hopefully the three hanks remaining will a) be enough to finish the vest and 2) be enough alike in grist to continue at the same gauge for the rest of the project. CA%20Vest2.JPG Now that my mojo has returned, I've been pulled back to my spinning wheel, which has been languishing untouched in my dining room since (gasp) last July when my mom visited and I made her try it. The same purple wool that I tortured her with was still hanging out in the basket next to the wheel and on the bobbin, so that's what I've been spinning since last Sunday afternoon - I guess when my mojo comes back, it COMES BACK. I'm deliberately putting more twist than I've ever used in the singles since I seem to have a tendency to under-twist. I split the 8oz. of roving in half and I'm shooting for a sock-weight two or three ply. (That makes it sound like I have any control over what I end up with - which I really don't.) *I do have lots to say about Knittapalooza V - another incredible, mind-blowing weekend, but even though I've started a post about it it feels too special not to write about it very carefully and thoughtfully. I'll get there...]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/03/spring_forward.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/03/spring_forward.html Knitting Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:40:03 -0500 Like Wearing a Cloud Thanks to Brouhaha for that title - this blouse is light and airy AND warm - merino and kid mohair from Crystal Palace. This is the absolute fussiest thing I've ever knit. Lots of pieces, lots of seaming, LOTS of grafting - live stitches to bound off stitches. I did get a clear image in my head on how to do that and made a fairly decent go at it all. I do make a damn fine button band these days! I had to graft the cuffs to the sleeves TWICE for each side. Yup, I picked out all those white fuzzy mohair seams twice and re-grafted. I found it most challenging to keep track of what was a stitch and what wasn't - with this fine yarn it was difficult to tell the difference between the stitch and between the stitch. After I had accomplished my 2nd go at cuff-grafting, I realized I had slightly screwed up one of them. The buttonhole side of the cuff is supposed to lap over the button side, just like a regular blouse, but I managed to do the opposite. Oh well - I like it better unbuttoned anyway! Pattern: The Sally Melville Collection for Needful Yarns (I'd love to link you to this pattern, but Needful doesn't seem to be listing it at the moment) Yarn: Crystal Palace Kid Merino - 4.25 balls Needles: KnitPicks Options US4 I grabbed the photographer at work for a quick shoot yesterday, and I sort of imagined he'd at least put me in front of a solid backdrop, but beggars can't be choosers, right? That's all his stuff in his studio in the background. The blouse grew a bit while wearing it, and I may end up sewing up the front partway to kill the gapping that inevitably happens. I'm thrilled with this one - it fits, it's elegant, it's so different. And I was there for the pattern's birth - pretty cool. Sally Melville remains one of my top ten knitting godesses - this blouse is one of the many reasons why. Woot! Now, should I wear it Friday or Saturday to Knittapalooza?]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/03/like_wearing_a_cloud.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/03/like_wearing_a_cloud.html Knitting Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:48:42 -0500 Home Stretch I'm about to finish my Sally Melville for Needful Yarns White Blouse in Kid Mohair and I'm so delighted with this little project! Sally Melville the amazing was a teacher at last year's Knittapalooza, and during breaks and after dinner she was knitting away on a white mohair something - turns out she just decided to measure up her favorite white button-down blouse and knit it - voila! Besides the fact that I love a good white blouse, I was there for the birth of this pattern, so it was pretty much a given I'd make it. It's a super fiddly knit - Sally's not messing around. It has knitted button bands, a collar band, cuffs, and grafting galore. I've about knit up the separate cuffs and plan to attempt to graft them to the sleeves tonight. I have entered a new phase of my knitting life somehow - one morning before having to graft the collar band back onto itself, the way to do it just sort of arrived, circled around in my brain, and settled during my shower. Love that! As a spatially challenged person, to be able to imagine the path of the yarn was a pretty remarkable happening. I'm not saying my execution was perfect, but my understanding is much more bettah these days. Of course I'm on this finishing kick because I must have new knits to wear to KNITTAPALOOZA next weekend - I'm already vibrating. Whiskey pulli - check. White blouse - almost. Haven't quite decided what else to wear - this is a Thursday - Sunday knitting retreat - my favorite weekend of the year. And bonus for me this year - I get to pick Annie Modesitt up from the airport a week from today - zippity dooh dah! And for the first time, deliver test knits to Melissa Leapman in person! And Barry Keinl from Trendsetter Yarns is having a pajama knitting party Saturday night - anyone know where I can get some crazy footie pj's real quick?]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/03/home_stretch.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/03/home_stretch.html Knitting Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:49:22 -0500 115 and then some! Ends, that is - a whole lotta ends going on here! But they're all woven in, and I did indeed wear this sweater to work on Friday after I sewed in the very last end that same morning. It fits poifectly - I mean poifectly. I'm thrilled that I can wear this to Knittapalooza in just a little over two weeks! The pattern: Reynolds Whiskey Fairisle Patterned Pullover from booklet 82391 Yarn: Reynolds Whiskey in suggested colorway - I fell in love with the "lavender" stripe in the corrugated ribbing. Too lazy to get up and see what's left, but I know I have a ball or two rolling around somewhere. I maybe bought extra... Needles: 3 and 4 circs - combination of addi, Susan Bates, and HiyaHiya! Details: If you don't like stranded knitting back and forth, don't knit a Reynolds pattern. Not a steek to be found in this booklet. If I were to do it again, I'd figure out how to insert steek stitches for the sleeves, but I want to steek from a witten pattern before I go all maverick on it. Confession - I added a row and my own twist to a stripe on one of the sleeves.... hard to spot but now that I know where it is, it's the first thing I see. I'm over it - I'm just sayin'. Binding off in 2x2 ribbing made for a floppy neckline, so I took that out and tried just a knit bind-off - still floppy and untidy. So, the third time WAS a charm here, when I bound off in pattern AND purled the two purls of each rib together before binding them off - voila. Here's my current knitting conundrum as I finish another "sweater" and set in more sleeves: the second sleeve always goes in better and easier and even-er and I start to feel bad for that poor first sleeve that had to be the on-the-job-training one. It just doesn't seem fair that I have to practice on the first and the second gets to go in so much better. I'm considering picking out the first sleeve seam in my mohair white blouse because it's just not quite up to the second one's standards! (I said considering - we're talking about fuzzy, sticky, white mohair here.)]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/03/115_and_then_some.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/03/115_and_then_some.html Knitting Sun, 02 Mar 2008 06:33:56 -0500 62 and counting Sixty-two ends I wove in and trimmed off my Whiskey Fair Isle pullover - and there are still soooo many more. I just want to wear it already - I even dreamed I couldn't wait to wear it and did without weaving in all the ends, and the dream was all about my embarrassment as all those ends kept hanging out of the neckband at work. Ugh. I was committed last night to getting it done so I could wear it today but, after all those ends, I conked out on the couch at 9:30. For a moment this morning I thought I might finish before work, but then I remembered that yes, I had snapped the seaming yarn on the first sleeve and have to redo part of that seam (more ends). I tried to pretend that hadn't happened - I couldn't find a break when I first heard it snap, and the sweater's been on several times since them with no problem - but of course the sleeve opened up as I was weaving. At least it wasn't while I was wearing it. I ended up trying three different bind-offs for the neckline ribbing: 1)the recommended bind of in rib - came out floppy and didn't lay flat, 2) a plain knit bind-off - still floppy and just not so good, and finally 3) a knit bind-off, but as I went, I knit and bound off the knit stitches as usual, and before binding off the purls I purled them together. Did I say that clearly? I reduced the number of stitches on the bound off-edge by purling the two purl stitches in each rib together before binding them off as one. Perfect! My handknits often suffer from some neckline issue and I was determined to make this one look pretty and function properly. Score! So - tomorrow. I WILL finish this sweater tonight (which fits perfectomundo!) and I WILL wear it tomorrow.]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/02/62_and_counting.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/02/62_and_counting.html Knitting Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:12:40 -0500 I COULD have. I CHOSE not to. It's shocking that we're headed straight for the end of February - I feel like I was just cursing Puxatawney Phil's shadow seeing.... I'll sprinkle in some WIP photos just to break up the saga that looms ahead..... It was right about then, Groundhog day-ish, when, out of nowhere, a fabulous yarn shop for sale came hurtling out of the universe into my lap. Just like that. It came flying at me with flashing neon signs saying "this could be IT, Dawn!" It happened out of the blue in the kind of way that stops you in your tracks and makes you think it was meant to be. It happened just as I'm settling in to much better times at my job that I was ready to run screaming from eight months ago. I wasn't looking for it - that's the way things are supposed to turn up in your life if you work hard and live right and put it out there in the universe that you want to find a way to work with fiber all the time... right? So holy shit - here it was! I literally vibrated for several days - learned about the whole thing on a Thursday night, set the appointment for Captain America and I to meet with the couple selling the shop on Saturday, and I tried to remember how to breathe. I felt like my organs were sucked flat and pressed against my back inside. I felt giddy. Captain America got excited. Knit%20015.JPG We met with the yarn shop folks - great. I had to wait until Monday to take advantage of my eight years working with the most incredible people who serve on the Board at my company - boy oh boy am I lucky to get to work with these folks. I needed quick, serious financial, legal - all kinds of help - we're pretty simple folks who filed a 1040EZ til we bought our house and we never had to find a lawyer, or have a relationship with our bank, or any of that other sort of grownup stuff. The incredible person I called was away on vacation, but he must have checked in with his secretary 'cause all of a sudden he was on the phone. Without hesitation he made a phone call on my behalf and set me up with red-carpet treatment at a local bank, whose commercial lending people called me right after the bank president did! (Vibrating, trying to remember to breathe still - four days into the process) Knit%20016.JPG Tuesday morning I met with the bankers - what do you wear when you're thinking about borrowing a whole lotta cash? I've been wearing the same pair of ratty black pumps for about ten years, and they say shoes say a lot about a person, so I had an agonizing morning trying to build an outfit around the new blue shoes that said I wasn't some cheapskate who couldn't afford new black shoes. I wore gold jewelry and a sweater set - gold somehow seems more serious than silver and since I'm not so into suits, the sweater set said "classic" and "professional." Right? The bankers asked where I was in the process and my response was "here." My wonderful business owning mom kept assuring me no one knows anything about buying a business until they're buying one, and the bankers were incredibly generous and helped me set up a plan to figure it all out. Next step: CPA. It was much easier getting dressed for the CPA appointment on Wednesday. Somehow it seemed like there was less on the line - and appearance just wasn't so important for an accountant. I know - where do I get this stuff? We talked numbers - really talked. I had to stop him a few times for definitions and clarifications, but we got through a good discussion before he said he'd never have guessed I was a knitter! He pointed me to the next step: attorney to work up an offer. I called the attorney - seemed like we weren't quite ready to get to the offer. We talked and agreed to talk some more the next week. It's all backwards when you want to buy a business - the bank doesn't want to talk about lending you money until you've got a firmly accepted offer, but I wanted to know how much I could borrow before I could decide if I wanted to make an offer! In the meanwhile, I decided to call up a yarn shop owner I've admired since she opened her shop in another state more than four years ago. When I landed at her website, I discovered she'd sold her shop last summer! Was this a sign? I tracked her down by email and asked for advice - and she was incredibly honest and incredibly generous with her time and experience. So the next night, I decide to pop on over to Knit Happens - another yarn shop I watched open with envy and admiration four or five years ago - turns out Kristine has left the country and the shop is running without her, AND they closed down what I thought looked like an incredibly successful online shop too. Another sign. And all through this time I was avoiding the nagging realization that I had already processed the whole yarn shop idea over the last four or five years and had decided that I really didn't want to be in retail. I didn't want to deal with the hours, the inventory, the staffing, the cash flow, etc., etc., etc. Decided. Moved on. Started thinking about other things I could do in the industry. Got involved in interesting and challenging projects in my day job. Didn't bat an eye last summer when another LYS went up for sale - didn't even consider it. So, this shop is THE shop in the area, or at least the one I where I shop. It's always busy, has a steady clientele, good classes, and a fabulous big deal retreat every year. So, so very seductive! Then I figured it all out. I boiled it all down like my man would - so simple. Captain America and I recently spent several months talking about whether or not we should get a puppy - something we'd both really really love. BUT - after considering all the pros and cons very carefully, understanding the demads of puppy ownership, and witnessing my little sister's gorgeous four-month old golden leap from piece of furniture to piece of furniture, we made the very grownup decision that this wasn't the right time to become dog owners. Decided. Moved on. I'll continued to talk to all dogs on the street, but not gonna get one right now. So this yarn shop thing felt just like what could happen in an instant if I got a whiff of puppy breath - a single whiff of that sweet, sweet puppy breath, and I could forget my hard fought, rational decision and end up with a puppy. Easily. Except the yarn shop would have locked us into a very, very large debt that would have made housebreaking a puppy seem like a walk in the park. So, no yarn shop for me. I did the work, I took the steps, I made the right decision. I was telling the one friend who knew the saga about my phone call last Monday to pull my name from the running, and I held up my thumb and forefinger in that universal "little bit" symbol about to say I felt just a little bit disappointed that I wasn't going to be the new LYS owner when it occurred to me with a lightbulb flash - I wasn't disappointed at all! It turns out is wasn't meant to be in the end, but it was an incredible journey filled with great stuff, great people, and great generosity - not a bad way to spend February 2008! Knit%20011.JPG Photos:
  • Daffodils that were all ready to bloom right before a cold snap, so I cut them. And note the vase - I blew that glass!
  • White mohair blouse from Sally Melville & Needful Yarns blocking - it's further along and I'm grafting the collar to the neck band at the moment.
  • Sleevage! I finally gritted my teeth and picked back up on my Whiskey Fair Isle pullover - and it's DONE as of yesterday! Except for all the ends I have to weave in and the neck bind off I want to change from "in pattern" to a smooth knit bind off.
  • Gratuitous Bluefish shot - she's recently decided it's great to watch TV - she's really going to ruin her eyes this way, but she makes me giggle. I think this is the opening to HBO's In Treatment on the screen - how cool is that? Are you watching this show BTW? Good stuff, especially with smouldering Gabriel Byrne in the lead. Mmmm.
]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/02/just_like_a_whiff_of_puppy_bre.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2008/02/just_like_a_whiff_of_puppy_bre.html Knitting Life The Universe Talking Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:36:25 -0500 Trash Totem to·tem /ˈtoʊtəm/ –noun
1. a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family, or group. 2. an object or natural phenomenon with which a family or sib considers itself closely related. 3. a representation of such an object serving as the distinctive mark of the clan or group. 4. anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.
I'm using this term only a slightly incorrectly - one of my clan's many totems is inanimate and unnatural - but I like it and I'm going with it. cowboys%20clogs.JPG Captain America has been asking for a new pair of Fiber Trends Felted Clogs (his 3rd) for a month or so, but I was so caught up with the test knitting that I hadn't gotten around to them. Finally, after the green cardigan was sent off, I whipped up a pair in a couple of evenings for him during the last week before Christmas (which is also CA's birthday) and was feeling all caught up and ready to relax for my week off. And then I threw that very nearly completed pair away with the trash on Thursday. Yup, along with all the yarn and my Denise size 13 tips and short cable. (Take a moment to catch your breath - I know - it's horrifying). I have to tell you a about couple of other tragedies so that you'll have some idea of how this could have happened. My earliest memory of a brush with the trash demons was when my father brought back six beautiful, handknit Scottish, cabled, natural white wool sweaters from his two-week active duty there. Gorgeous sweaters for the whole family. For some reason, they were in two white plastic bags - like kitchen-sized trash bags. The family lore is that for once, my brother decided to do his chores and take out the trash, and out three of those sweaters went. Ouch. Then, Captain America bought a fabulous new suitcase a while back that opened up like a steamer trunk and had shelves and drawers and hanging places - fabulous. We kept it on our screened porch when we lived in a tiny apartment in DC, and one spring I noticed it was getting covered in pollen. Into a big black trash bag it went, and shortly thereafter, out to the trash in that big black trash bag in went when CA took out the trash. Ouch again - it had only been used once! So, fast forward to last Thursday morning - trash day chez the Dream. I had a big pile of bags at the front door to go out with me when I left for work. Those clogs, in Cowboys colors for Mr. Texas pride, had to be hidden before he came home that afternoon, so I put them in a grocery bag and left the bag in my knitting corner of the couch - which, in my bungalow, is at the front door. As usual, I was rushing out the door and had to come back for a second trip to get all that trash. That bag on the couch looked just like another grocery bag filled with trash - so without thinking, I grabbed it right up with the rest of it. When I came home for lunch that afternoon, I knew EXACTLY what I'd done when I saw the big empty place on the couch. Aaaaauughhhhhh! Good news - I had more yarn, and only had to run out to the LYS for one hank of the gray accent yarn - phew. Bad news - how in the world am I going to exercise this trash demon that seems to really, really like my family? When I told my mom, she said she was sure dad was laughing - yeah - I bet he is! We all know the moral of the story - don't put good stuff in trash bags for goodness' sake - but do we really think I'll learn that lesson? I'll add it to the things I'm supposed to be working on in this lifetime, but I fully expect to have come back for another life to perfect that one! Captain America got his clogs on Christmas morning, and we promply threw them into the washer for felting. I hope to make myself another pair of those fabulous clogs soon - and I'm going to doctor it up a little to address the exposed skin from the top of the clogs to the bottom of my sweatpants - I'll post details when I see if my plan will work. That may be after I finish: the test cardigan for Melissa, the Whiskey Fair Isle pullover - so close, and the Sally Mellville white blouse from Needful Yarns - whew. I want to wear both the sweaters for our big knitting weekend this March, so I have a LOT of work cut out for me!]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/12/trash_totem.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/12/trash_totem.html Knitting Life The Universe Talking Sun, 30 Dec 2007 16:44:45 -0500 Pretty, Shiny Things How about these babies? I was shopping for gifts on Amazon.com a few weeks ago, and good ol' Amazon knows me well and offered up these Kenneth Cole shoes for a mere $26. How could I not buy them? My girlfriend told me she'd just read that the shiny, aluminum foil look will be all over the runways this spring - so not only do I get to giggle at my new shiny shoes, I'm fashion-forward for the first time since I was blazing new fashion trails in my new wave days! Come to think of it, these shoes would have been perfect at the old, dark 9:30 Club in DC - not only perfect for the times, but they could have helped me see where I was going in that cave! shiny%20balls.JPG Continuing the theme, I found the very largest Christmas balls (and bells) I could find on my front porch this year. Pretty lame, but at least a nod to the holidays on my front porch that screams out for something. As always, I swear I will think about these things earlier in the year and find a better solution. We have no power outside, and our house is old and drafty enough already without cracking a window to run an extension cord out. And now that it's done, I can tell you about another project that kept me away from my computer for all of November: ML%20green%20cardigan%20007.JPG This is part of a lovely cotton cardigan jacket I knit up as a sample/test for Melissa Leapman, the pattern-writing fiend that she is! (the photo is rotated - the pattern is still secret) I had a month to get it done - I was confident. I knit up the back in a few nights - no problem. The fronts were a little slower, but I did them at the same time so when they were done, they were done. The sleeves, also both at the same time, seemed to go on FOREVER. What's with that knitting time warp thing? Perhaps it was because I was getting nervous about blocking and seaming and how it would turn out - I had a schematic, but no sketch, so I was flying pretty blind. I finished it and got it off the post office last Saturday and though the line was long and I was sweating, I ended up having a grand time chatting with the postal worker in line ahead of me to buy stamps, and when I got to the counter, Larry the postman eased my worries of Monday delivery with his big smile and guarantee that it would arrive Monday by 3PM. It didn't. But, fingers crossed, it made it to the yarn company (Aslan Trends) in time for a photo shoot. It was major relief to get it done, and another great opportunity to work with Melissa and her great patterns. No sooner had she gotten that sweater off, she sent another for me to finish by January 15th! Luckily this is just a little girl's sweater with lots of stockinette - I think I can manage it.]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/12/pretty_shiny_things.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/12/pretty_shiny_things.html Knitting Life Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:43:23 -0500 Cammouflage Minimalist Somewhere in the travels and craziness of November, I finished my Cherry Tree Hill Silk & Merino IK Minimalist Cardigan. It's amazing I ever did finish - I managed to knit merrily along, inches past what I was supposed to, on both the fronts and the sleeves. I took some of it out, but left itlonger than suggested. I guess I must really love knitting this stuff - and it is sooooo soft. I did the fronts & sleeves two at a time - love that. After knitting a good amount I was finally able to see the pattern in all that variegation and it was a quick, easy, and satisfying knit. I've worn it several times already - it's an absolutely perfect "throw on with jeans" thing and it's warm and snuggly. I do find myslef wanting to close it at the top, so I may go with a shawl pin on particularly chilly days. Cammo%20Minimalist.JPG This poor sweater will now forever be known as the database sweater - the one I started so I had something to knit during training. Do you do that? Think of your projects in terms of what was going on when you knit them? The last time I worked with CTH yarn, I made a diamond pullover from VK while my grandfather was ill - can't help but think of that and him when I pull it out. Then there are those socks that got me published.]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/12/cammouflage_minimalist.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/12/cammouflage_minimalist.html Knitting Sun, 16 Dec 2007 07:24:15 -0500 Over the river and through the woods Loop - I've come close one time and also missed the knitty meetup with Amy. It was a horrible rainy, foggy day, but I took the eastern shore route and had my new GPS thingy at the ready. I worried as I approached Philly that I'd have to skip Loop - or run in and run out, but the fam's plane was delayed. Good news/bad news - the GPS took me directly into the city and to the shop, albeit on one of the narrowest one-way streets I've ever been on. It's an absolutely lovely shop - so clean and inviting and open. I love the seating area right in the middle of the store (instead of tucked away in a back corner). They have the most incredible colors I've ever seen, so well displayed in so many new yarns. I indulged (imagine that!) on four hanks of this gorgeous silk/wool from Sheep Shop Yarns - the color undulates with subtle tone-on-tone variegation and sheen. I tried to get some of the orange-y, coraly tones in here: sheep%20shop.JPG I should have stayed and knit a while, but I was anxious about getting out to the airport on a Friday at rush hour - turns out that was a good hunch. But then I ended up having to wait in the Philadelphia airport - sorry to any natives there, but what a pit! There are VERY limited services for any poor slob who's stuck waiting for a plane, outside the security area. I ate at one of those horrible airport restaurants and then just picked a spot to knit and wait. The Minimalist Cardigan got some work done, but I was jonesing - no coffee place anywhere - sheesh. I was confused about which airport the gang was coming through, and after several bumbling phone calls with my aunt and uncle, also on their way to the dinner from NJ, I was sure they weren't going to arrive until 7PM. And then there they were - out of nowhere! We crammed into my station wagon - three women in the back and my brother navigating in the front - and set off for the hardest driving of my entire life. I had absolutely NO IDEA where we were going, but my Magellan did, and it knew rush hour was in full swing, so it took us on dark, winding, hilly, misty, unlined, unlit, rural roads to Collegeville PA. To Ursinus College - land of no signs, no directions anywhere. Not to mention we were now an hour late - the salads were on the tables when we blew in (through the loading dock and kitchen, like a bad movie). My father's supporters (frat brothers and teammates) occupied four ten-tops - pretty damned amazing how much this award meant for all of them too. My rock-star mom had to go sit on the stage through all the acceptance speeches, and she managed to say wonderful things and look wonderful at the same time as she accepted the award. It was certainly worth the drive and the drama. for%20dad.jpg But now it was after 9PM, and we still had to get to my aunt & uncle's in rural NJ - on those same dark, winding, hilly, misty, unlined, unlit, rural roads. Magellan to the rescue again - we sent mom in the other car and the brothers and sisters managed to get there in one piece - barely. Saturday was for the New Jersey family, and we all made a visit to see grandpa - he's got an amazing view: grandpa%27s%20view.jpg and then we all got back in my car to head for a night in DC so we could visit dad in Arlington Cemetery Sunday. We listened to my iTunes compilation of our old traveling songs, wondering why some had been so great so many years ago, and all singing along to others. Some real classics too - see if you can find Teddy Bear, an old trucking song - hilarious. The Carpenters songs we girls always wanted on the eight-track sounded like they were recorded at slooooow speed - not so appealing anymore, especially for our high speed family. Steve Martin comedy routines from the 70s really got us through the drive - thanks Steve. Sunday morning was glorious, and after waiting for the Marine Corps Marathon to cross the entrance to the Cemetery, we set off, through DC to avoid all the other closures, and my car started clunking. No flat tire - we continued across Memorial Bridge, clunking, and proceeded on to have an amazing, sad, wonderful family visit. Breathtaking that he's there, and that we could all be together there too. Onward - sibs all flying home Sunday evening, mom planning to stay one night with old friends, and I was to drive home - three hours. Hah - the universe (or dad) had other plans. Not only was my car clunking, it began screeching and making other bad sounds from the rear. Responsible for my entire immediate family, I pulled into a gas station and called AAA. This was incredibly reminiscent of the time, the week before I left for college, that we blew up the engine in the Bronco on our way home from camping on the OBX, and my father and brother rode into Norfolk with the tow truck, leaving my mom, sisters and me on the side of the road in Moyock, NC for hours and hours and hours, with only a very small amount of wine. I think it was just the universe's way (or dad's) of making sure that we remembered that we, as a family, just get through it. We figure it out - whatever it is - and no matter how hard or how ugly or how stoooopid, we work it out and get through it and come out smiling on the other side somehow. This is who we are. A PITA way to be reminded, but most effective. getting%20it%20done.jpg So, we laughed, we made phone calls, we sent some of us to rent a car, we met the tow truck, we met the neighbors, and got the sibs to the airport. You probably can't tell, but I'm wearing my triple-threat lucky Clapotis (from my hand dyed, handspun, hand knit silk hankies). Trip one. Mere days later, I drove (my repaired car) BACK up to DC on a Thursday morning with my fun friend at work to particpate in and assist with a trip organized by our well-connected trustee extraordinaire. After seeing the Hopper and Turner shows at the National Gallery on Thursday afternoon, we boarded two busses that drove us deep into Rock Creek Park to the top of a hill I didn't know was there -we saw deer on their long drive - where we visited the Rockefeller home for a tour of their extraordinary art collection. What a chance of a lifetime - pretty amazing, and besides the incredible location and collection, it was obviously someone's comfortable home, and Sharon Rockefeller was a most gracious host to 43 gawkers in her house. We had a private tour of the Corcoran's collection, plus the Annie Liebowitz show on Friday morning - whew. My pal and I also took advantage of having to drive home on 95S to stop at both IKEA and Potomac Mills mall on the way home Friday evening - a nice respite from the stopped traffic, but man - visual overload! We went berserk in IKEA - I forgot how fabluous it is, even though my mom opened the Woodbridge store back in the 80s. She was a team leader - and put the store together with the Swedes - it was an amazing time and and an amazing company. Trip two down. Somewhere in here I finished the Minimalist Cardigan, which I'll tell you about in another post. I've worn it more than once and I love it, cammoflauge and all. Then I turned around and it was Thanksgiving! We did our usual pilgrammage south where we can both see CA's parents AND have turkey on the beach with mine within a 90 minute drive. This year the weather cooperated and we had a glorious day. Little sis has a knack for capturing my inner essence in photographs on the beach on turkey day, and this year was no exception. The birds feasted en mass in the shallow surf of the gulf all day, but towards sunset got soooo dense it was little too Hitchcock. I of course wanted to see what they were eating and wandered into the massive flocks, and couldn't resist stirring them up a bit: chasing%20birds.jpg I ran into another flock of mostly big white gulls up on the beach, and this is me just after that trick desccribing the unsettling way the birds flew alright, but not up and away from me but around me - blowing right by my head! birds2.jpg We boarded the plane bronzed and happy, and I got off with the beginnings of a record-breaking outbreak of cold sores that eventually overflowed my philtrum and ran down onto both lips. Nice. I think it's some sort of vacation penalty - I know I paid at least 20% of my tan as I arrived back to the cold, and I guess owed more. I suffered with a truly disgusting upper lip that whole first week back - which included a board meeting - a lovely opportunity to show my scabby face to all my favorite people. And then that board meeting was rapidly followed by yet another major evening event at the msueum. I've worked more events this year than in my entire 7.5 years there - ugh. Hopefully help is on the way, but I had to do this one too. Another opportunity for me to feel silly trying to play dress-up, but I did get to wear my Christmas ball earrings and my lip was healed enough to disguise with makeup. Are you still here? Wow - thanks for sticking with this one. I have lots more - I'll try to wite in more digestible bits, but it's been a while. There's so end in sight of the mania at work, so I've been MIA from my reagular blog reads and other web fun. I've at least set myself up on Ravelry, and if I can force it to link to my new Flickr account, my MC is up there as my first FO.]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/12/over_the_river_and_through_the.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/12/over_the_river_and_through_the.html Life Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:10:44 -0500 Coincidence? So, CA asked, as I was knitting away on my Minimalist Cardigan, if I was making a digital camouflage sweater! And he should know - he has a huge collection of digital cammo hats, work shirts, tote bags (you know, the ones the soldiers carry their yarn in-hah) and any number of other garments and doodads. You tell me - I think he's on to something. Maybe Cherry Tree Hill should get into the uniform business. cammo.jpg I'm into the sleeves - the end is in sight. I love being able to do two sleeves, or the two fronts for that matter, at the same time. I'm less likely to abandon a project out of boredom this way - a good thing. I'm off for the weekend on a family adventure that features, among other things, an iPod full of everything we had on 8-track on our family road trips in the 70s. Like Queen, The Carpenters, Boxcar Willie, Baby Snooks, and Barbara Streisand. We'll be the station wagon rocking and laughing down the highway for sure! ]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/10/coincidence.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/10/coincidence.html Knitting Life The Universe Talking Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:03:48 -0500 Whew! I managed to get this much done during the database training last week - not as much as I would have liked, but since I had to be head cheerleader, refreshment stocker, and best learner during the sessions, I'm pleased I got to knit at all. I'm pretty awed by how much needs to be fixed, and how badly this database has been managed over the last 10 years. In typical non-profit fundraising, the accounting department has very different needs than the development department, and neither wants to play nice (or even speak) with the other. I now get to be the mediator for both groups - and I'm working to find a way to assure both I've got their backs. Back to my knitting - I know some folks are bothered by variegated yarn, but I love the weirdness that often results, like the line of little blobs of color in a row that developed here. I'm way too lazy to alternate balls of yarn every couple of rows - I take what I get. The colors in this yarn are ones I wear all the time so it will be a useful wardrobe unit. I used to say this was my very favorite yarn, the one I'd take with me to a deserted island, but it has serious pilling issues. It's still up there on my list for its incredible softness and sheen and drape, and the moss stitch is enough to break up the colors. If I ever got into the yarn making business, it would involve silk. MC%20close.jpg I also found the perfect use for my little bits of handspun - who knew I would love mitered squares so much? They're not only super fun and fast to knit, they make good use of the funky colors I end up with: hs%20mitered%20square.jpg This is one of two I knit up this week, but I forgot to take a picture of the second and it's off on a secret mission now. I fantasize about making myself something with a bunch of random squares of my funky handspun someday. I've temporarily lost interest in the Whiskey fair isle sweater - I DID finish the first sleeve, agonizing flat knitting and all, and even have almost all of the 5" of ribbing one for the second sleeve. I can't bring myself to pick it up right now though - so instead I think I'll finally cast on for Captain America's cabled vest. I think I'm making it up as I go along, and basing it loosely on a vest in Men in Knits. I've knit two full cardigans for the man, but I apparently have the same issues with fit no matter who I'm knitting for - both were a disaster and live in a box upstairs now. In my defense, the first was very early in my knitting life and I had no concept of gauge at that time. I'm hopeful (and wiser) for this new wearable for my guy.]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/10/whew.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/10/whew.html Knitting Thu, 11 Oct 2007 07:10:24 -0500 Ennui Here's 722 more yards of Captain America's brown wool. I sure hope that the 1000+ yards I've spun is enough to make him an XL cabled vest since I'm quite bored with spinning it now, and I'm pretty sure I'm not yet a talented enough spinner to make more of it if I don't do it right now. I'll employ the usual methods of making sure I don't run out - knit faster and hold my breath. These hanks were all pretty with no weird bits sticking out, but a certain monster cat had a bit of fun when I wasn't looking. I had to re-wind the largest hank in the photo so I could add more twist to the three-ply. I don't know why I'm afraid of the twist - don't beginning spinners usually over twist? Should I twist more since I'm plying? I hope to get the answer to these and more questions from my Mabel Ross DVD that I was finally able to watch a portion of this morning (without it hanging, thanks to new equipment). I was able to watch only a portion of it because, even though I was on my second cup of coffee, it put me right to sleep. She's got a very soothing and slooooooow voice and manner, and freaky spider fingers, but she's just a little dry. As soon as I turned it off, sure enough, wide awake again! Tonight I decided I had to have a break and a mindless pattern to work on in between bouts of tangles, so I decided to swatch for the Minimalist Cardigan from IK Fall 07. Unfortunately, after an hour of energetic searching, I gave up, in a sweat, on finding the size 7 bamboo circular needles I know I own, and also the size 7 tips to my Denise set. Arrrrrgh. I even looked in the upstairs bathroom to see if perhaps this little monster had a secret hiding spot for all my size 7s: brown%20wool%20001.jpg Bluefish, or more often FishyFishy, is our wild child. She's a beeee-yooooo-teee-ful cat but we forget it most of the time because she's such a goof. Anyway, she didn't take my needles. Fine, I settled for my least favorite needles, Addi Turbos. Early in my knitting life, I unfortunately hung around a few Turbo addicts and stocked up on a lot - a LOT of them before I realized I like wood or plastic much better. I'm sure I was attracted to their supposed speed, but I've mellowed and realized it's not so much about speed, not that these needles afford me that anyway. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything about the glare of these shiny silver needles, but it irritates me. The only thing going for them, IMHO, and it's a big one, is that fabulous cable and join. Their new lace needles aren't as glare-y, and I used them for the ribbing on my Whiskey sweater with no big issues. I'm also using a Susan Bates Quicksilver circ on the sleeves, which to my surprise I like very much, since I really can't stand the same needle in straights - another thing I stocked up on before I knew any better. Amazing that I have more than 50 sets of needles and I never seem to have what I need for the next project. It's also remarkable how poor my memory of needle purchases is, given that I have at least four or five sets of size 5 dpns - go figure. I know it's hard for yarn shops to carry tons of different needles, but a good selection of wood AND Turbo would be nice. Love the Addi Naturas, but they're very hard to find around here. Must remember to put the new KnitPicks Harmony wood needles on my Christmas list. So now, at least, I've cast on and done almost all the ribbing for the cardi - whew. I feel better. It's also perfect since I'm about to start four full days of database training, and while I've just been made the Queen of said database*, parts of this training are going to be old news for me. I've already told my boss that if he wants me alert and getting real smart, he'll have to put up with my knitting. He completely understood - told me he hears better when he's doing something with his hands. *I've so wanted to be the Queen of our database for seven years now - but because of various power struggles and bogus job-protection tactics, I've not been allowed to be involved with its design. The department that kept such tight reign on it for so long is now almost completely full of new people and good energy, and they all know I know more about it than anyone else in the building. Very satisfying, finally. Told my boss I was going to be ruthless in cleaning it up, setting policies and procedures, and fixing all the stoooopid problems we've created over the years. Yay - wish me luck. Wish me a big fat bonus check too - I'm technically an executive secretary and this is above and beyond my call of duty! And finally, wish me happy eighth anniversary. I think it's a good thing that I feel like Captain America and I have been together forever, and I'm absolutely certain I'm a very lucky girl (not the very freaky girl I once thought I was - you know, the kind you don't take home to mother). Love you, baby!]]> http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/09/ennui.html http://www.dawnsdream.com/2007/09/ennui.html Knitting Life Spinning Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:42:01 -0500