Movin' On

I just finished Clue #1 for the Secret of the Stole III. The pattern is lovely and relatively easy to follow (I am knocking on wood even as I write!). I decided to go ahead and work from both ends. I am NOT optimistic enough to try and knit them simultaneously; however, I am beginning the second half as I finish the clues at the other end. WE'll see how long I can keep up the pace.

I also finished swatching Mystery Stole 4. You can't see much difference in the photos. On the left is the 3.5 mm version, the 3.0 mm is on the right. In person, though, the swatch made with 3.5 mm needles is lighter, airier, and the stitches are more balanced looking.

I have a huge cache of FOs to block - 4 in all. I am particularly eager to see the results for the Slow Bee contraction version. I'm not entirely satisfied with the look of the ending, but I think on the whole it will make a nice little cape. I am aiming to block at least two by the end of the long weekend, but ....

Of Stitch Markers and Jane Austen

Looky! See what the Knitting Fairy brought me - okay, it was the postman, but aren't they great! These beauties are from Jed's Joy on Etsy. I'll be trying them out on the SotSiii and Mystery Stole 4. I'm hoping they'll eliminate any lag between stitches where a marker separates them. As you can see, they aren't made with metal circles, but instead with narrow, flexible cord. They're also just so cute. You can find them here

As for my ongoing KAL obsession, many bead choices have been posted from Artbeads - now it's a race against the clock. Will they arrive in time? Will the first clues be greeted by whoops of joy or groans of defeat?

In the meantime, I have been reading a pair of Jane Austen fan pieces, I guess you'd call them, both acquired at a great little bookstore in Stratford. The first, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, was a pleasant little romp. Austen herself does not appear in this light novel. Instead, a professed "Austen Addict" finds herself in regency England living another woman's life. It's light and frothy - a day's read when you don't want to think too much. The conceit explains away most anachronistic bits, and we all need that bit of fluff now and then. The second, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, was equally fictional, but I found it a bit more sympathetic with the Regency world view. The novel purports to be a lost memoir by Jane Austen (hence the name), recording a hitherto unacknowledged romance that encouraged her to return to her writing after a long hiatus. The romance is suitably conducted - as orderly, sincere, heart-felt, and thoroughly decorous as Austen herself.

If, however, you have been longing for an Austen fix - after all once you read the six completed novels, the juvenalia, Lady Susan and the fragments, what are you to do? - I have a few other suggestions. The most well known would have to be Stephanie Barron's mystery series starring Austen as narrator and sleuth. These charming pieces demonstrate Barron's familiarity with both the period and Austen's own life - as well as her superb command of "Austenian" language and tone.

The two you might not have come across might be a bit difficult to find. Both are completions of Austen fragments. Generally, I have disliked these attempts; I suspect because their authors have viewed Austen with so much awe that they haven't been willing to really take on the story. Reading them is rather like watching Shakespeare as staged by an awe-struck director who has refused to see the humourous (and bawdy) bits. These two are an exception to the rule. Sanditon by Jane Austen and Another Lady is a little sensational, but the Lady's use of language and plotting is nonetheless admirable to the Austen-starved reader. A new edition is available right now as well.

The other is more controversial - and thoroughly out of print. The Watsons continued and completed by John Coates is utterly charming, if extremely controversial. He not only completed the novel but also cut the original fragment. Despite this heresy, though, I would say that his is the ablest completion I have ever read. He catches the tone of Austen's language beautifully, and the characters he creates have that wry, fond yet brutally clear-eyed Austen touch.

Hopefully I'll soon have pictures of the yarn and beads together - and swatches - for the ever-fascinating KALs

KAL Extravaganza

I'm just beginning to gear up for the Lace KAL extravaganza. Secret of the Stole III begins on Friday with our first clue. I'm wildly excited - especially since I greatly admired the earlier SotSs - especially "Charleston". I am indeed using my remaining Malabrigo Tuareg for the project. I've ordered pearlescent blue beads - I hope they'll match well. As for the ill-fated Bee, I have decided not to frog it as I originally planned. Instead, I'm going to try a knitted-on edging to make it a shoulderette. I love the opening sequences, and I hope this will create a lovely little bit. Any suggestions for edging gratefully received - the pattern has just ended. It is about 10-12 inches deep at this point.










A few weeks later, Mystery Stole 4 begins! Again, I have loved the earlier Mystery Stoles, and although the designer has changed, I'm sure this one will be as delightful. I abandoned my original orange plan (no, my DH will not have to run me out of Dodge), and instead I have purchased some gorgeous sage green Zephyr from Fiddlesticks in Toronto via the Needle Arts Bookstore. I had already ordered pearly white beads, and I think they'll be fabulous with this color. The yarn arrived in a day (they are SO FAST - and being in the same city certainly helps). Now I just hope all the beads will arrive in time. I have just found two bead stores in Toronto, but I haven't yet gotten up the nerve to use them. I think this may be some new form of pathology - things purchased by computer MUST be better than those you see with your own eyes - go figure.

In the meantime, I continue doggedly with the Gale shawl. I keep wanting to begin something else for a little variety, but I think, given my KAL commitments, that that would be insanity - or insanity of a higher order.

My DH has finally decided on an Aran pattern for his next sweater as well - Gail's Red Aran Sweater from The Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters. It's gorgeous! He wants it in natural white and would like me to alter it so that some of the cables extend into the ribbing. Looking at the pattern, I think I can do that for him. It will be slow going, though. My obsession with knitted lace derives from two sources: first, I hate worrying about size and gauge - wondering if a garment will fit after months of work is really more than I can bear. Second, I had a bad shoulder injury a few years ago; lace-weight knitting doesn't aggravate it, but knitting in heavier wool results in aches and pains. Clearly, this sweater will be on the needles for awhile. I do love the pattern, but I was hoping he would choose the River Grass Gansey from Jamieson's Shetland Knitting Book 2. It would let me indulge my gansey obsession. If the shoulder holds up, I may try Bristow by Melanie Gibbons for myself. This is clearly my problem; instead of knitting, here I am talking about the next ten projects I WILL knit. I'm off to put my money where my mouth is ...

FO Display

In my last post, I announced the completion of TWO FOs (pardon the capitals, in my world this is unprecedented!). I'm not going to wait for the blocked shots; instead, I'm going to share the shriveled unblocked photos. Although I'd love to claim that I am electing to post these pictures because the contrast to the blocked pieces will increase their glory, the fact is, I have no idea when I might actually block them, and I want to share them while I'm still aglow with achievement.

So here they are:

The Seraphim in Mini Maiden Victoria





















and the Silk Romance Cape







I have not, however, become a lady of leisure - I have to justify my stash somehow. I am working almost exclusively on the Gale Shawl. I am gearing up, however, to begin the Secret of the Stole by Nautical Knitter and Mystery Stole 4 by Pink Lemon Knits. I finally frogged the Bee, admitting, rather belatedly, to myself that, although it is lovely, it is enormous and thus unlikely to be completed - or worn if such an unlikely event were to occur. I'm thinking of doing the SotS with the remaining Malabrigo Tuareg from the "late" Bee. The Mystery Stole, though, is going to be knitted in my impulse yarn - Helen's Lace "Carrot". It's not really a color I usually use, but I fell in love with it. I'm going to use - as a reveler suggested - alabaster beads. I am quite aware that the last time I began a piece in an "impulse" yarn - the ill-fated first Seraphim in "Lily Pad" - I spent hours working on it, refusing to admit I hated it until a posse of my close friends and family ambushed me with reality. This time I hope it won't come to that - or that "Sheriff" DH will successfully order it out of town early on in the process while I can change to the Mahogany Zephyr waiting in the wings.

Yes, we are watching Deadwood - as you can tell by the extended metaphors above - what a fabulous show!

It Ends Well

I have just returned from Shakespeare bliss .... Yes, we went to Stratford (Ontario, not England - it was bliss not heaven) for their amazing Shakespeare Festival - a yearly event showcasing plays and musicals by the Bard and others. This year we were particularly fortunate. The piece de resistance (I can't do diacritical marks; I can spell - well a little) was Simon Callow's There Reigns Love. In this remarkable piece, the character actor so many know from Four Weddings and a Funeral addresses himself to Shakespeare's sonnets, supporting a scholarly suggestion that the sonnets, when reordered in a certain way, tell a tragic tale of love and loss in Shakespeare's life. As a reader, I am not at all convinced by this theory, but as a theatre-goer, I was a complete believer for the length of Callow's rendition which alternated between casual narrative and recitation of the sonnets in character. Of course, the fact that the theatre seats fewer than 500 and that we secured front row seats certainly added to the magic.

We also had the opportunity to see Brian Dennehy perform two one act plays, Krapp's Last Tape and Hughie. The Studio Theatre was even smaller than Callow's venue, and the performance was sublime - however utterly depressing the matter of the two plays. Dennehy's amazing range was certainly showcased, particularly since we saw him later that evening as the King of France in All's Well. Unfortunately, that show was of mixed quality. Dennehy and the smaller characters were marvelous; however, the production elected to play the two principals, Helena and Bertram, as straight, sincere, and thus largely unlikeable, characters. If you don't know the plot, Helena arranges to marry Bertram, a man of superior birth, by obtaining him as a reward for curing the king. He's unimpressed - he feels she's beneath him - and deserts her, claiming he'll treat her as a wife only if she gets his ring from his finger and bears his child (he is not helping on this score). She engages in various stratagems to comply in which he unknowingly assists through his attempts to seduce and later deny a young virgin. In order to make this come off - there's a reason why it's referred to as a "problem" comedy - it really has to be presented as a battle of wits rather than earnest girl goes after slug of a man. Oh well ...

In a completely different vein, I completed two, yes two, FOs this week! The first is the mini-maiden Seraphim I have been working on for awhile, and the second is the Silk Romance Cape by BadCat Designs. I appear to be the only person on Ravelry to have attempted this piece - which I can understand given how hard the pattern was to obtain - but I must say it was entirely worth the effort. It took only a few days to complete, and it's beautiful. The pattern is very clear and the product amazing. I will put up pictures of both as soon as I have blocked them - by far the most aggravating part of any project!

Translation

I just picked up a new book - yes, my book budget is enormous ... okay, it's not enormous, but I always go way over - Experiences in Translation by Umberto Eco. I always enjoy Eco's books, both fiction and non-fiction, because of his amazing writing style. I read something in one of his works, and I think: yes, that's it; that's it exactly. He has the gift of putting into words that which, I would have thought, could not be expressed.

The book, which I have perused but not actually read, addresses an amazing range of issues in translation. I remember years ago, in graduate school, I was translating a Latin text in which the author listed various breakfast dishes as an example of taste and variety in individuals. I was having fits - dictionaries of the Latin language seldom include the details of Roman culinary masterpieces. Finally, I realized that direct translation would have no real meaning; the author wanted the reader to get the sense of variety not cooking details. I happily inserted sunny-side-up, over easy, poached, etc. That may have been the moment that I truly became fascinated with the idea of translation. Years later, I was working on some articles for an encyclopedia of the Renaissance, and I was assigned several Italian humanists who were responsible for rethinking - re-visioning - the idea of translation, what it meant, and what were its goals. Again, I became enthralled with the idea of changed language, audience, purpose. Of course, this fascination has forced me to attempt to learn to read a number of Medieval languages, and I am an appallingly bad linguist. Once I learn a language, all is well, but learning it - horrors! When I read Dante, I often use four or five translations simultaneously - the one with beautiful poetry, the very literal one, the one with fabulous notes, the one with facing page Italian ...

Must go read....

Characters are the Thing

I just finished reading Sherwood Smith's King's Shield, the third and pentultimate entry (or so she says; it began life as a trilogy, so who really knows) in her Inda series of fantasy novels. This collection was unexpectedly engrossing. Although the premise seems, upon first glance, to be a typical coming of age plot, the careful crafting of characters puts this series head-and-shoulders above standard writing. The characters are ambiguous. Readers can tell who the heroes and villains are - it's not like George R. R. Martin's fiction in which villain becomes hero and hero villain as reader perspective changes - but her sympathetic rendering of the most negative characters, as well as the ambiguity of her "good" characters gives this novel a depth and edge that we often do not see. Moreover, again unlike Martin, she appears to be writing at a good pace, enough to encourage anticipation without ending up in the throes of abandonment.

Which brings me to Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. I LOVE this series. The intricacy of plot, character, history is unparalleled. However, as a reader, I must say I am becoming cold and disillusioned on this cliff upon which we have been left to pine for the next installment. Inda was an accident; ever since my abandonment by Martin, I have carefully avoided beginning any trilogies, quadrilogies, quintrilogies, or whatever in sheer self-defense. Happily, I didn't realize the danger until I completed the book and discovered it was not, in fact, a one-off.

I have moved back to history after my little mystery and fantasy extravaganza. I am currently reading Norwich's trilogy on the history of Byzantium. It's proving an interesting read with lively narration and plenty of detail. Unfortunately, it does not have a driving point or analysis to make; it is very much a storyteller's version. As a story, it is very competently told, but it suffers from that lack of drive provided by a strong sense of purpose. I've just ordered Judith Herrin's Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire and The Formation of Christendom. I have high hopes for these two volumes since both are extremely well reviewed as driven, theoretically underpinned works of historical analysis. Here's hoping!

Fan Girl Philosophy

Last night we went to see The Dark Knight on iMAX. It was fabulous! It could have been the trainwreck that Spiderman 3 was, given a long, strung-out plot and two nemeses; however, it skillfully avoided these pitfalls through its unifying use of a single theme - the hero and the villain are two sides of the same coin. The tension between them creates the continuity that holds the disparate events in a single narrative arc. Really, that was the theme of Batman Begins as well. In the end, Batman is a hero only as long as he trusts the basic goodness of the ordinary person. That commitment led him to oppose the Liam Nissam character in the first movie and to trust the ordinary persons on the boats in the most recent version. (Spoiler Alert) In the end, Harvey is broken because he loses that outlook. (You're safe again) It is interesting to note that the moral centre of the story actually rests on a triumverate of characters - Alfred (guardian of the purpose), Gordon (repository of the goal), and Lucius (moral compass) - who believe that Gotham - and the human race - can not only be saved but deserves to be saved.

On a different note, we have also been watching Dr. Horrible by the incomparable Joss Wedon. We mourned Firefly sincerely - and rewatch it frequently - and it was a delight to see a new creation. It is also, perhaps, a prophet of what may come. This web musical, low budget with fabulous writing and acting, showcases the possibilities the internet provides for talented people to make their creations available without the mediating influence of the large corporate entity. Will those products be different? Yes, both in terms of money and glitz that is possible without corporate investment, and in terms of target audience. These endeavours - it seems to me - can look to a smaller, committed audience, rather than attempting to find a balance point where it will mildly interest and not offend the largest numbers.

Finally, Dr. Horrible led me to The Guild, a delightful web-based series written by and starring the female lead from Dr Horrible, Felicia Day. In it, she chronicles the challenges of the web-game obsessed. However, the core of this piece is the way it realizes that we all struggle to relate to others, find ways to give our lives meaning, and struggle to disentangle fun from avoidance of reality. Find it HERE!

Home Again

Actually, to be honest, I have been "home again" for a week. I still feel, though, that I have just arrived - I'm finally getting settled in.

I came back to some lovely eye candy. Below you can see my package from the Woolen Rabbit - Chestnut, Moroccan Spice, and Seascapes Whisper Lace. They have their work cut out for them ... Chestnut is slated to be transformed into Anne Hanson's Casino, while the Seascapes will be my second Seraphim shawl - I fell in love with the Seraphim in this yarn by knittingtheblues - enchanting! The Moroccan Spice is the yarn for Susan Pandorf's Magic Carpet Ride.



I also received the Lanas Puras Melosa lace yarn at left - for Anne Hanson's Star of Evening. I think, given my color selection (felicitously named "sunset"), my creation - such as it is - will be Evening Sunset or Star of Sunset, or something equally lyrical.

Of course, I have, at last count, 29 items in my queue and four on my needles. When will I begin any or all of these delightful pieces? Who knows.

As for the aforementioned items "on the needles" .... I really got much less accomplished in the knitting line than I had hoped. I quickly found that "Retreat" is not the same as "Rest Cure", and I was pretty busy the entire time. I have moved on nicely with the Forest Seraphim; I am working on the second of the four final charts - hopefully pictures soon of the FO! I have begun the malabrigo Swiss Cheese Scarf - the colors work beautifully - pictures of this little one soon as well. Alas, the Bee and the Gale are wholly untouched.

Finally, I might as well confess that I signed up for the Secret of the Stole III. Yes, I am incorrigible - and encouragable. But .... well ... okay, I have no real excuse ....

Retreat

As I continue to knit merrily away on the Seraphim (I LOVE this pattern!), I am beginning to prepare for Retreat. No, not a military maneuver, not a strategic backing off from the complexities of the Slow Bee (although I have yet to take it up again), but rather ten days of intensive philosophical Buddhist study. I am packing even as I speak (write). Of course Seraphim and the Swiss Cheese Scarf are the first in queue!


I have also, in my typical evil fashion, purchased a huge number of books under the guise of "plane reading". Let me say, I could travel around the world on this stack. As I think I mentioned earlier, I look on a trip as a chance to purchase books I would ordinarily wait for the paperback version thereof. So far, I have purchased the latest Scottoline and Crombie mysteries, two books by Russian mystery author Boris Akunin - yes, I am a mystery fanatic - as well as the Monster of Florence and Rushdie's Enchantress of Florence. We won't mention the three other hardcover mysteries I have devoured over the past three days, necessitating a replenishing of my travel reading. After all, when you're trapped in a plane if one - or two - books pall, you must have others with which to console yourself.

In the meantime, my two new pins from Romi arrived. I had planned to put up photos, but given the results ... let's just say the photos weren't up to the task.

Back to packing ....

Movin' On

After my recent flurry of indecision, I have actually begun DOING something - not much, I grant, since it is a very busy time at work, but something. I have four items on the needle currently.

The first is, of course, my bete noir, the Slow Bee shawl. I've ignored the poor baby completely. However, I don't feel that I'm failing as a slow bee currently. Quite apart from commiseration from other, equally slow, bees, I have quite deliberately set it aside, knowing that, in my current state of nervous tension, I do not have the brain space to deal with its complexities. I AM being incredibly slow, but since I DECIDED to slow down, I feel okay about it. I think there may be some pathology there that I should have looked into ...

Of course, my unwillingness to make untold errors to rip out on the "Bee" has left me with a knitting vacuum which I have filled, as planned, with two lovely shawls. I have re-cast-on Mim Knit's Seraphim in gorgeous mini-maiden in Victoria colorway. The yarn is rather slippery, but soft with a beautiful sheen. I used 4mm needles and in my zen-like acceptance of the inevitability of worrying about decisions, I am refusing to reconsider - or indeed notice at all - how the gauge is going. It will be what it is (I think, perhaps size 4.5 might be better .....). Here it is in all its splendour (although the colors are a little over-saturated - I'm NOT much of a photographer).



I also just cast on my planned Blue moon Laci Valkyrie version of Anne Hanson's Gale. I am NOT - again - thinking about gauge. When you have cast on 4 times in three different needle sizes, it is time to just move on. I do finally have a good photo of the yarn, though, much to my surprise. I think the gremlins living in my camera have decided that without the encouragement of one reasonably accurate shot, I might give up the ghost, and they would lose their entertainment.



And finally, the yarn for my Swiss cheese travel scarf arrived. The colors are amazing - and, in another fit of hysteria, the gremlins allowed me a good snap of it too. Perhaps I should thank the little monsters, they might be disarmed enough to trow me another pictoral bone. I am using Knitfreak's version as a model; you can see it here). I am just going to avoid all decisions by using the same pattern, needle size, etc. After all, I'll be on vacation - from waffling as well as everything else.




I think I'l go check on that Valkyrie gauge one more time ....

Enjoy it while it lasts ....

I took the plunge - finally - I frogged the lily pad seraphim. I still love the yarn - it's so soft and yummy. I still love the pattern. I was knitting doggedly away on it - I started and I was going to finish - and, of course, with every row I became more determined to complete what I had begun. Finally my beloved spouse asked AGAIN why I was knitting this piece. I pointed out the I loved the yarn, the pattern. He asked, rather reasonably and with that patient tone - you know the kind - if I would EVER wear a shawl in such a color. I was forced to respond "no" - after all, I don't want to look like Minnie Mouse any more than the next over six-year-old. I frogged it - my husband, and the friends with whom we were chatting, all cheered.

To fill the void thus created, I have cast on the Gale shawl in Blue Moon Laci. I will probably cast on yet again, since I selected 3.5mm needles and more agonized decision-making has convinced me that probably 4 mm was the way to go. However, the decision leaves me with a travel project void. What shall I take on my trip? Is the Gale sufficiently simple for such use? Not ANOTHER decision!

In a frenzied excess of decision-making, I have decided to cast on Seraphim with the Mini Maiden in my stash. I have two skeins of delicious Victoria in a burgundy and forest green melange. I carefully examined all the projects with Mini Maiden and found that 4 mm is the needle of choice for this yarn.

This may be the moment. I always reach a point after trying to make too many decisions, remaking them, waffling, etc., when a moment of peaceful clarity arises. 3.5 or 4 mm? Mini Maiden or Blue Face Leicester? Will anyone care in a hundred years? Will I care next week? I then make a flurry of decisions in a zen-like daze. The world becomes peaceful. Enjoy it while it lasts ....

You say Guernsey, I say Gansey ....

Today my husband asked me to knit him a new sweater - he figured that June was the perfect time; I might actually finish for winter. I'm thinking about Alice Starmore's Inishmore since he has wanted an Aran sweater for a long time. I, on the other hand, when I actually knit a sweater, LOVE fishermen's ganseys (guernseys). I am utterly intrigued by the clever construction, and I admire the restrained beauty of their subtle purl-knit patterns. That said, the 7-8 stitch per inch gauge is a deterrent. My last gansey took over two years to complete. It was worth it though.

I especially like the knitted-in gussets. They were my first major knit repair. As I was finishing the section, I realized that the pattern was written to place them partway through a motif.
I ravelled down a stitch at a time to make them symmetrical as they flowed around the gusset. My husband thought I had lost my mind - after all, as he said, how many people will be getting THAT good a look at my underarm! I know it's there, though.


This pattern is from Alice Starmore's first (?) book with Anne Matheson, Knitting from the British Islands. I also have her Fishermen's Sweaters, so perhaps another gansey is in my future. After all, if I knit it, I expect my DH will wear it. Of course, the biggest problem with a gansey isn't the thousands of stitches that go into making it; it is the fact that they're made of incredibly dense knitted fabric designed to keep one warn in the middle of the North Sea. Canada is cold, but I still find few days that are cold enough - and if they are, I'm not thinking about modeling knitwear; I'm thinking about how to avoid going out at all!

Avoiding the Hubris Faeries

Now that 'I've finished Clue 2 - and spotted another error (did you see it there, on the right-hand side?) - I'm busily putting in a lifeline and getting ready for the next push.

In the meantime, my two "relaxing" knits are coming along nicely.

The most "relaxing" is the seraphim. I have reached a point of no return with this one. The die is cast, the gauge chosen, and no decisions need be made until I finish the main body and have to decide whether to add to the section or knit as originally written (If you haven't guessed, decisions and I are not the best of friends).





The Gale is still at the early decision stage. I'm happy with the swatch, but now I must decide whether to go with on gauge and looser than I like, to take the tighter version that makes for a better fabric, or to swatch with a still smaller needle and plan to add a pattern repeat or two width and length .... So much for relaxing! The yarn, though, is splendid; the photo in no way does it justice.




In the meantime, we've been watching the new versions of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park ....

Drumroll Please!

Drumroll Please .... I finished Clue 2 in the Slow Bee Mystery Shawl - sloths of the world, look out!



I will put in a lifeline at this point before going any further so that my temerity in announcing a landmark moment may not get the hubris faeries after me - or if they DO target me, they will (I hope) be foiled by a few yards of white cotton embroidery thread.

Clue 2 was quite a bit easier than the earlier clue - that would be Clue 1 - once I recovered from repair shell shock enough to actually try it. The repair itself looks pretty good. I'm also finding my rhythm on beading; this project is my first attempt at beading.

I am now looking for better stitch markers. I finally broke down and put them in, but I find that - although knitting is MUCH easier with them in - I leave a tiny run where they separate the stitches. I use the little flexible rubber ones. Now I am thinking that the wire markers with the dangles might be easier to knit around.

Now galloping ahead to Clue 3 .... Design 1 or 2 ... so many decisions ....

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Decision?

I finally decided - when in doubt, don't choose!


I have cast on the Seraphim shawl with the Lily Pad Blue Face Leicester - my husband hates it. I think he suspects that I will be unable to resist wearing it once completed, and he doesn't want to be seen with someone who looks like a Disney character. I'm quite happy with it so far - the yarn is sooo soft and the pattern uses a limited number of brain cells. I should admit that this version is the Mock II - I cast on with a smaller needle and finally decided to rip it out and get something at least a LITTLE closer to gauge. (I finally got a sunny day in Toronto to photograph - a thing in short supply lately - and now all my pictures are not washed out, they're "greened". Could my camera be haunted?)

I have also knitted a gauge swatch for Gale in Blue Moon Valkyrie. I'm trying to decide whether to go with gauge or to use the slightly smaller needle because I think I like the fabric better when it's a bit denser.

I think I've also chosen a travel project for my trip to the West Coast at the end of the month.


Last time I travelled, I had just purchased the Book of Yarn and was knitting happily on its many projects. The Maine Morning Mitts and the Scaruffle were a perfect match. The Scaruffle was perfect for actual travel days - just knit, turn, and knit some more. The mitts, while not a good choice when your plane might be called any minute, are great for hotel evenings.

What do I look for in the perfect travel project? Well, it should fit into a large zip-lock bag for portability, it should have directions that can be written on a single 3x5 card, and it should be no problem to stop mid-row. This is a longish trip, so I need a bit of substance as well. I'll probably take either the Seraphim or Gale along for hotel knitting, but for the train and plane, I think I'll bring the Swiss Cheese Scarf by Winnie at Knitting Escapism. I saw a version on ravelry using variegated malabrigo, and I was hooked! You can see the pattern here. I just hope my yarn arrives in Canada in time!

The Choice

I now have a difficult choice ahead of me. You see, I usually have about 3-5 projects on the go at any one time. There is the "hard project", the "purse project", the "relaxing project", and, every-so-often, the "travel project". I have a purse project - a little Wisp-like shawl in Alchemy mohair and silk - and a hard project - the Slow Bee. However, for awhile now, I haven't had a relaxing project. That's probably because I can't relax as the Bees pull away, leaving me in the dust. Now the time has come.

I must select the "relaxing project". In this, my infamous queue is of limited service. It tells me what I plan to knit, but not what I need to and want to knit for this type of project. After much deliberation, however, I have come down to two yarns and two patterns. I now have to match them - each yarn to a pattern - and decide WHICH TO DO FIRST.

Here are the yarns:




On the left, you can see yarn #1 - the lovely Blue Moon Fiber Arts Laci in Valkyrie (in person it is darker and smokier),



while on the right, languishes Fleece Artist's Blue Face Leicester in Lily Pad. The former was acquired from Lettuce Knits in Toronto where its siren call captivated me - it is luscious, its coloring is rich and dark, it is just the kind of yarn I adore. The latter, I purchased on a whim from Little Knits. It is soft, squishy, vibrant - and entirely what I never choose. Why? Because I am, in the language of the colour-obsessed eighties, a "winter". I wear black, white and pretty much any jewel tone with aplomb (well, without actually disgracing myself anyway). When I wear pretty much any pastel, however, I turn immediately and embarassingly into a quite laughable Minnie Mouse. Despite this unpleasant, but oft-tested, reality, I still really LOVE this yarn.

Now the patterns. Here, no such dilemmas rear their ugly heads. I LOVE both these patterns. First we have Seraphim by Mim Knits. You can view it here. This gorgeous triangular beauty is primarily in stocking stitch until the end, but it is flowing, interesting, beautifully proportioned. Then, we have Gale by Anne Hanson. View it here. This enchanting rectangular stole is in easily scanned repeats, resulting in a flowing, harmonious fabric. Lovely!

Now, the CHOICE. Which yarn goes with which pattern? Which ought I to cast on first? I feel like the end of a seventies soap opera ....

The Process of Repair

So I thought I'd record the process I used to correct - THE ERROR. There is a great tutorial with pictures at Rosemary-Go-Round that was really helpful.

To begin, I inserted a dpn into the 21 stitches of the middle panel. I needed to do the whole thing since I missed a pair of rows. Also, that choice meant that I was repairing a section with knit stitches on either end. That makes it easy to tell which loop of yarn is the correct one for the next row, and it keeps the correction all in one pattern. I "read" the row below to see where I was beginning. You don't have to be an expert for this part; I simply counted stitches between yarn overs and easily determined that I was beginning with round 23. I added one because I was on the purl back row and knew my next row would be 25.

Then I took the plunge and began to unravel each line of knitting down to the dpn, leaving empty loops attached at either end to the main body of knitting. I then went back to my dpn at row 24. I took a second dpn and transferred the stitches to it, counting them, making sure they all were from the same row, that I had not dropped any, and that none were twisted. Now to start. I took the lowest loop and using the pair of dpns, I began to knit the pattern from row 25 across. My dpn was a smaller size than the original needles to give me room to throw the loop of yarn as I reached the end of the stitches. When I completed the row, I eased the extra yarn back by tightening each loop from left to right and distributing the yarn as evenly as possible over the stitches. I then took the other dpn and again transferred the stitches, checking yarn overs (they're easy to loose) and ensuring that no stitches were twisted. When all was well, I knitted straight across the next row with the now lowest loop of yarn. You can, of course, turn the work and purl back, but I prefer to continue from right to left through the whole process. Then transfer the stitches while checking for twists and errors and evening out the yarn distribution. Repeat to row 32, and viola!

I still have a leg up on the left side, but it is minor. I am pretty sure I can redistribute the yarn to cover it later on. In the end, this VERY careful repair took about 1 1/2 or 2 hours performed while watching a DVD - time to redo the whole shawl from row 24-32 .... well, a lot more, not to mention the possibility of making more errors!

The Plunge!

I took the plunge! The other evening I inserted a small double-pointed needle just below my error in the Slow Bee shawl. The next evening I looked at it - and trembled each time in superstitious dread. Finally, this evening, I was forced to act. I was unable to continue until SOMETHING was done. I'm pretty happy with the result. There is a ladder on the left margin of my repair, but I think I can work it out by spreading the extra yarn over several nearby stitches with a crochet hook. On the other hand, Clue 5 comes out this weekend and I am sprinting forward from row 5 of Clue 2. I'm afraid the sloths have overtaken me. I am now a stone (unfortunately NOT rolling) hoping gravity will step in as moss begins to accumulate upon my surface. Oh dear!

In the meantime, I have just now finished Jane Johnson's The Tenth Gift. If I was a trifle concerned initially with my purchase of The Cathedral of the Sea, this new book seemed an even riskier choice. The supposed diary of a talented needleworker kidnapped by Barbary pirates seems an unlikely vehicle for a satisfying historical novel, after all. However, the book was full of interesting information about a largely unknown aspect of early modern history - the trade in European slaves in Northern Africa incited, at least in part, by the expulsion of the Moors from Spain under less-than-salubrious conditions. Although many aspects of the novel were unlikely at best, the far-fetched items were not especially prurient - nor, thank goodness, did our heroine fall in love with her defiler (although he was her captor). I'll stop now before giving away too much, but this novel was certainly an excellent read for the history - and the textile - enthusiast!

Now, in an effort to spend a bit MORE time catching up to sloth speed in the Slow Bee KAL, I have begun a little mystery, A Killer Stitch by Maggie Sefton. I have read her other knitting cozies over the years, and this should be a perfect quick, light read. Although my favourite "textile novelist" is probably Jennifer Chiaverini, I have a weakness for the textile novel in general. I certainly enjoyed the Friday Night Knitting Club, which I read a few months ago.

Now the challenge is selecting plane reading for my upcoming trip to the West Coast. I often splurge on recent, still-in-hardcover murder mysteries from favourite series as plane fodder. I am thinking the latest by Nevada Barr, a great favourite of mine, and, perhaps, Linda Fairstein's latest as well. I'm not quite sure why the purchase of a very expensive plane ticket should authorize the consumption of books in pricey hardcover versions when I usually wait for the paperback edition, but it does. If enough tempting mysteries are published together, I begin to think of trips I MUST undertake. There must be some fancy psychological syndrome that explains this behaviour ....

THAT Discussion

I seem to have ended up in THAT discussion again. You know the kind ... the one that crops up about once a month, EVERY month. I seem to just put the whole issue to bed without any supper, and then up it pops, demanding attention yet again.

My particular endless discussion revolves around Star Wars. Surprised? Of course, for folks of a certain age - certainly for folks of my age - this film (or rather the first three films) is a landmark. We categorized ourselves by our preference for Han or Luke. We bashed or justified the use of Ewoks, the relationship of Luke and Leia, Luke's unusual parenthood.

My discussion, however, surrounds the, for me, less interesting second trilogy. Younger folks, whom I try not to view as "lost", often PREFER the second trilogy to my (perhaps our) beloved original. I grant that folks my age see it differently - for us it was like nothing we'd ever seen before, while for younger folks it is, well, old and rather dated. Yet, as I tell them (hence the "discussion"), the second trilogy is fundamentally flawed as a narrative because the fall of Anakin is a (failed) classic tragedy.

Tragedy requires a window, however brief, on the extraordinary potential of our hero/villain. In this case, however, the audience is never allowed to really see Anakin's potential for great good, only for great power; the films far too carefully foreshadow his fall to allow a real sense of potential virtue. Because we cannot regret his fall or feel it a loss of a force for good in the world, his story cannot develop the depth that a truly great tragedy must achieve. With such flawed clay presented so early - and to develop the seeds of his fall so long! - at the end we experience no sense of loss, and our only sense of wonder is our amazement that everyone within the film could not see what the audience had perceived two films ago - the inevitability of Anakin's fall.

I should add that the reason this argument emerges so frequently isn't actually because I accost young persons in order to re-educate them on tragedy via the Star Wars vehicle. In fact, my husband and I "discuss" this topic frequently - at the top of our lungs. It is not, I hasten to add, that my spouse LIKES the new Star Wars, but rather that he attributes its rather spectacular failure to the advent to Jar Jar Binks and other extensions of the Ewok mentality. He may have a point ...

I apologize to all who love the newer films as I do the old and invite (gentle - I bruise) disagreement. I would love to enjoy them as I do my elderly classics; another three films to adore, dissect, and rewatch yearly would be a joy.

The Dilemma

My life has just gotten better! I just ordered "Crocus Pocus" and the now available "Iris" from Knitty Noddy. These two designs from Susan Pandorf at Sunflower Designs are exceptionally lovely. Of course, this will extend my already overlong projects queue, but life is short, and I can dream. Of course, I can also look forward to FOUR more designs as December approaches - one a month, I gather. Such richness!

Photos are also up of the Slow Bee I Designs 1 and 2. I think I'm going with Design 2, the lacier version, but I, of course, have plenty of time to decide. Right now my dilemma is much more serious. The centre panel for this piece is constant throughout the piece. I have just discovered, however, that I made an error back about a million rows! I skipped a row - I'm pretty sure I know when, I spent a long time correcting a supposed simple error awhile back - you can see it here.


It's especially noticeable because it should have been beaded. (See it there at the top - only one YO on each side and no beads, as opposed to below with two YOs per side and a pair of beads) So I have two choices - three actually, but I have already rejected one. I can ignore it. Pros: I can't mess it up too much. Cons: I might find myself at the end unable to live with the error - or unable to finish properly with two rows missing. Alternately, I can correct it by ravelling down that section and re-knitting it up on dpns. Pros: I won't have to live with knowing it's there, it's good practice, and I will pre-empt any end-of-project surprises. Cons: If I blow it, I could end up re-knitting a HUGE chunk of shawl. Which leads me to the rejected choice - reknitting a whack of the project. What to do? What to do?

I believe it is time to go eat a large quantity of theraputic ice cream ....

Slow Sloth?

I have finally - drumroll please - finished Clue #1 of the Slow Bee Mystery Shawl! I managed this awe-inspiring feat only hours after Clue #4 was posted. You've heard my assessment of my assets as a so-called slow bee, and I seem to be living up to my early performance. I'm still trying to identify the proper slow insect as metaphor for my molasses-like progress .... Perhaps I should move into the full animal kingdom and begin considering other options - sloth comes to mind. I must say, though, that this shawl is proving both intriguing and exceptionally lovely. This is my first Mystery KAL - actually it's my first KAL - and I'm finding the joint progress - or lack thereof - adds real spice to the enterprise.

In the meantime, I an just now to casting on BadCatDesigns' Lace Sampler. The project seems a perfect enterprise to enhance my knitting skills, such as they are, and to learn new techniques. Pictures of both projects anon (I'm getting ready for the Shaw Festival in June).

I've also just begun a new book, The Tenth Gift, set in Cornwall in 1625 and using the Barbary pirate assaults on the sea coast as its primary inspiration. Like The Cathedral of the Sea, this novel promises to be interesting in terms of historical information, if a touch sensationalistic - if not positively lurid. An added attraction is the main character's interest in needle arts - embroidery rather than knitting.

In that vein, I read The Blood of Flowers a few weeks ago. In some ways, it was a trifle disappointing, since, although it is situated in 17th century Persia, it does not focus on particular events of the time, but instead partakes more generally of the culture of the era. The plot, however, was absorbing, and its material on the status of women very interesting. Its salient feature, though, was the main character's profession - carpet-making. If you too drool - discreetly, of course, and not directly upon any piece - over hand-knotted carpets, you'll understand the pull.

Hopefully, this will prove to be a knit-full weekend, so I might find a more appealing totum animal than sloth ...

Successful Cathedral

I have just finished Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones. This novel turned out to be an intriguing piece of historical fiction. I purchased it with extreme trepidation. Engaging in the purchase of a new novel is always risky - although I must say that, risk averse as I am, I embrace this activity several times a week, generally speaking - and purchasing a new volume of historical fiction, without recommendation (or years of reviews to pinpoint its successes and failures), is even more to be approached with caution. "Historical fiction" can, after all, mean anything from meticulously researched near-biographies of historical personages to bodice-buster romances with historical costuming and exotic names camouflaging an ordinary plot-line - and all stops in between. In this case, I was richly rewarded for my temerity in taking a chance on so unknown a novel by its materful interweaving of the historical and the fantastic into a successful and appealing product.

(I should make it clear that although I want history in my historical fiction, I am not in any way averse to a good historical romp. My many favourite pieces of historical fiction run the gamut in terms of their approach to the genre, and I revel in their diversity. I've listed a few personal favourites in the sidebar in the hope that I can help other readers find these fantastic pieces. My disclaimer - they are nearly as wide-ranging in their approach as the aforementioned biography and bodice-buster.)

It is clear from the author's note which concludes the book that many events I assumed exaggerated - or pruriently sensational - actually had historical precident. For instance, the adulterous young mother walled, with royal approval, into a small room by her husband to live out her life seemed an unlikely occurrence. On the contrary, the author assures us that this rather bizarre event is actually recorded in the documents of the period. What creates the sense of the fantastic, though, isn't any single event, even if it occurred once or twice in fact, but rather the unlikeliness of the events overall - particularly when so many fall to the lot of our protagonist or those closely associated with him.

Why then, is this novel successful historical fiction - which, in my opinion, it undoubtedly is? I suspect that its success lies in three areas. In the first instance, the wealth of historical detail about the lives of people of this period is undeniable. Although the extraordinary continually occurs, it is larded with the day-to-day doings of the people of Barcelona of which our hero is numbered. The second guarantee of success is in the warmth and humanity of this same character. Arnau is generous of spirit without becoming an unlikely paragon of virtue. He has his flaws, but they are human, understandable, and forgivable in the light of his many homely virtues. Finally, in this same vein, all the characters are fully realized, human - usually neither entirely good nor entirely bad - and comprehensible in their motivations, although there are definitely heroes and villains. This balance may indeed form the backbone of successful historical fiction; the characters must be demonstrably of their time, influenced by - though not necessarily constantly in agreement with - the opinions of their day, while nonetheless remaining essentially human, with the same hopes, fears, desires, and flaws of any human of whatever time.

Blocking Faeries?

I have discovered the joy - as opposed to the sorrow and shame - of failing in my role as a "Slow Bee". The other Bees are currently buzzing about the CHOICE that has been presented with clue number 3 - do we wish to complete Design 1 or 2. Oh no! Isn't deciding on a single project enough decision-making. This reminds me of eating at the Red Lobster before I became a vegetarian. Do you want baked potato, fries, or hush puppies with that? Bread or biscuit? Salad or soup? Dressing? ....

After spending a great deal of time examining the two patterns - Will it look like this? Or this? Is this one more intricate? Merely complicated? Is this simplicity of form? Or laziness of temper? - I realized something. I haven't finished Clue 1 yet! By the time I reach Clue 3, there will be dozens of photographs of both! Yes, I will, in the end, be forced to choose, but I can choose with information. I creep on, heartened.

In the meantime, I blocked the Optic Waves Shawl this weekend - after locating my errant camera. It is transformed. The BLOB has become a shawl.





The Blob






















The Shawl






Pattern: Optic Waves Shawl by Sheila January
Yarn: Brooks Farm Primero (2 skeins, 500 yards each)


The yarn is glorious. It is, as the pattern suggested, "inelastic" and fairly weighty, but the pattern makes these possible difficulties assets. The shawl hangs beautifully, if substantially, from the shoulders. The color is rich and deeply saturated - despite my limited photographic ability.

I have also discovered - I HATE BLOCKING! Even with my lovely child's mat (Thank you Ravelry Lace Group) and blocking wires, what a chore it is. Now I am afraid to wear my new creation for fear it may be injured, thus rendering my blocking efforts futile, or worse, that it will become stained and I will have to block it again. Perhaps if I concentrate very hard, I can create Blocking Faeries as Terry Pratchett envisions in Diskworld.

I have made the attempt, and no Blocking Faeries are forthcoming... Perhaps a large engine ...

Hardly Magical

Today I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. Let me say right at the beginning that I had few expectations; a sequel is, after all, a sequel, and though sometimes they shine (Aliens after Alien, for instance), statistically hope is slight. My expectations were not required to go to bed without any supper. By which I mean, neither was it brilliant, nor did I desperately desire the return of my two hours. I came, I saw, I was pleasantly reminded of one of the film beacons of my youth - the original Raiders.

Although there are many reasons the film ultimately failed in its promise, I don't really want to discuss them now. I have just spent the past several hours dissecting issues of pace, believability, focus on character, winking too much, and so forth - as all my neighbors are undoubtedly are aware (I tend to get excited about these things). Instead, I want to look at one issue that is subtle, that often goes unnoticed, but is utterly critical to magical realism in film. Films like the Indy series (and the Mummy series, Pan's Labyrinth, and Like Water for Chocolate) try to create a balance between our heroes and the unknown, mystical powers that they confront, come to terms with, seldom understand, and ultimately brush by rather than defeating. Raiders and The Mummy successfully threaded this metaphorical needle. Although their hero(in)es frequently flirted with the unbelievable, they took planes, drove cars, rode horses, and raced away from explosions with aplomb without fully abandoning the rules of physics. The supernatural in the form of the Mummy and Ark had an impact, but it was outside the realm of their physical efforts to combat it.

In The Mummy Returns, however, this covenant is broken the minute our heroes board a large boat rendered airworthy by an enormous hot-air balloon. At this point, we leave magical realism; we no longer confront the unknown; we enter the land of Jules Verne and become a part of the magic instead of remaining the humans buffeted by it. In our latest Indy movie (this isn't really a spoiler, but if you want no details about the film, close your eyes now), the filmmakers also lose their grip on the division between the supernatural the heroes combat and the tools mortals may bring to bear. The instant is not so clear, but it occurs at some point between the moment Miriam (Karen Allen) purposely accelerates their long-suffering vehicle onto a tree growing out over the cliff that overlooks the river to be deposited gently on the surface of the water and the moment they land at the bottom of the THIRD waterfall (after traversing the first two while still IN THE CAR) to emerge dripping, but uninjured and breathing normally, in a closely clustered group (if you closed your eyes to avoid the description, you can safely open them now).

I'm not certain why this transgression irritates me more than other, much more visible ones. I think it is because these rules are so deeply rooted in the convention of storytelling. It is not a misstep; it is not failing to trust the audience; it is not even pandering the the big moment at the expense of the crafting that makes that big moment shine. It is a failure to fully grasp the convention of magical realism of which these adventure films form a part. If you have watched Like Water for Chocolate, you know that Tita's cooking is never magical when we are viewing the historical moment in real time, but only when her niece recounts the family legends those events have given rise to. Honoring that division is a fundamental in crafting any film that shows "ordinary" mortals confronting the unknown of the mystical world.

Yarn-O-Mania Sets In

To my dismay, I am discovering in myself a new variation on excessive yarn consumption.  I've always been susceptible to that not-to-be-left skein of yarn, even to the point of browsing through pattern books at the yarn shop to find a project to justify the purchase.  

I'm now finding, however, that my obsessive compulsive tendencies are yielding new and disturbing fruit.  See if you recognize this scene:

I purchase yarn A and happily cue it up with a corresponding pattern, sought out just to show it in all its glory. Then, a few weeks or months later, I find the PERFECT yarn for the project I decided to undertake merely to justify the purchase of yarn A.  I now purchase yarn B, enthralled by its possibilities.  

Now, my OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) takes over.  I begin to worry about the abandoned yarn A.  What will I make with it?  What is its purpose?  I turn to the net - ravelry, knitty, whatever - in search of the perfect pattern.  While browsing, I find THAT SHAWL, the PERFECT shawl (which I somehow seem to find at a rate of about once or twice a week), but, alas, it does not suit poor yarn A.  However, yarn C, located online in one of those outlets of superlative yarn beauty - little knits, colorsong, loopy ewe - has the perfect yarn.  I can feel it already and visualize it made up into THAT SHAWL. I immediately decide to purchase it.  However, in my browsing, I have discovered another gorgeous yarn.  The color is unparalleled, its shimmer is mesmerizing.  If I add it to the order, the postage will be the same. I add it and save on postage.  Oh no, what will I do with this new yarn, poor yarn D (not to mention now forgotten yarn A)?  I am lost!

The symptoms?  Large numbers of soft, squishy packages arriving at your doorstep, brightening your day with their color and texture; a surprising list of credit card charges; a LONG list of queued projects on ravelry, while the stash list, though still impressive, lags behind.

All jokes aside, I have discovered a partial cure for this insidious disease.  I pull photos of yarn down onto my desktop.  I look at them for days.  Is this the perfect color?  Or perhaps this?  Or I could instead make this shawl?  Or that?  After a few days of obsession, I find that a flush of sanity comes over me; I decide I have no need for this new siren of a yarn.  I return to contemplating my already impressive queue of projects, and my incipient crisis is averted - until next time.

Blogging the First

I am celebrating my most recent FOs by beginning a blog - now I hope I actually have something to say!  

The first FO is the beautiful Optic Waves Shawl designed by Sheila January that apears in Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Yarn.  I am very excited about this since I splurged on Brooks Farm Primero,  a glorious spun mohair (rather than brushed), in a meld of blue and golden brown.  Right now, it's a blob, so I'm looking forward with pleasure - and cringing fear - to blocking it this weekend.

The other FO - also to be blocked this weekend - is the Openwork Scarf designed by Iris Scheier for April's Knit and Style.  I knitted it with Alchemy Haiku in a dark blue/green colorway from Lettuce Knits in Toronto.  It is delicate, wispy, and the colors are superb!  I have already purchased another ball of Alchemy - this time in the Equinox colorway - to make a second version.  This time, however, I may make it half again as wide.  I had plenty of left over yarn, and my first version is a trifle, well, narrow.

Meanwhile, I have embarked upon the Slow Bee Mystery Shawl KAL.  So far I find that the pattern is gorgeous and that I am NOT a slow bee.  I am a slow ant?  beetle? an insect that shuffles on foot - all six of them - while others take to the skies .... I continue doggedly with Clue 1, while Clue 3 is to be posted on Sunday.  I have, however, a perfectly delectable yarn selected - Malabrigo Lace Tuareg, an intense turquoise blue.

Of course, my inability to fly with the Slow Bees has not deterred me from beginning the new Summer Sampler Study BadCatDesigns is putting forth even as we speak.  I have begun my test swatch, my proverbial engines are revved, and I am ready to move forward with all the speed and grace of a large desert tortoise into the fiber fray!

I will try to post photos as soon as I:

1. find my errant camera

2. figure out how on earth flickr works