Well, here I am. I am being very efficient by writing the blog post while my camera battery is charging and then stealthily inserting pictures after. This way, I can be sewing by noon and maybe have time to drop into Dressew this afternoon.
I had to eat my breakfast first, as I mentioned, because the camera battery was dead and I had to go and find the charger anyway. Once I got away from the internet, I realized just how hungry I was… especially when I started to do the hunger dance when I couldn’t put my hand on the battery charger immediately. Finally, I got into the kitchen, found my oatmeal snotty because I had left in on the burner, even though the burner was off. Damnit. I hate snotty oatmeal. Then, to top it all off, the roasted pecans had attached to one of them… this.
That’s right, not one, but TWO little pieces of shell. Snotty oatmeal with pecan shells. My favourite. (For the proper perfect oatmeal recipe, I direct you to our sadly neglected family blog….)
Getting back to our sheep, I finished my arm warmers yesterday night. (Did you know that in French this is an actual way of saying ‘getting back on topic’? Retournons a nos moutons. Ya. Such a cool language.)
The darning in took two episodes of Ghost Whisperer. Speaking of which, I realized that an important detail that I often forget to reveal is what I am watching or listening to when I knit a particular garment. I almost always remember the circumstances in which I knit when I fondle finished objects so, I try and pick literature that inspires the garment. Not to mention that the ultimate cozy is listening to an audiobook drinking tea and knitting at the same time – its a total orgasm of my senses. For example, the shawl I knit for Sarah’s Wedding… I mostly knit while listening to Jane Eyre, and a Jane Austin novel. The abandoned Milkweed, I was listening to The Secret Life of Bees for the second time. I finished the book, but not the shawl.
To inspire the Noro Striped Arm Warmers, aside from the aforementioned show, I listened to the first few stories in Runaway by Alice Munro (you can only listen to so many short stories before you begin to think like a short story, which can be tragic.) There is something about striped arm warmers that screamed rebellion and independence to me – two beautiful themes in Runaway.
I also found myself so engrossed in the story line for the 4th season that I didn’t want to go to bed and thus continued right onto my sweater sleeve.
Proof that with the right circumstances we can overcome any form of knitters block!
Spring Mittens
Blog: Well, well, well. Here we are again, yet another project on the go before the sweater has been finished.
Blogger: Ya, I…
Blog: Ya nothing. There is a certain expectation here. Some people are process knitters. They tune in to see your pictures, or tune in to learn how to do certain knitting techniques. Others… they knit for the finished object, and they come here, hoping to be inspired by your finished objects.
Blogger: But the arm warmers! I…
Blog: The ARM WARMERS? You call that a finished object? You used scrap yarn to make them. You didn’t even take any good pictures. That’s like saying a dish cloth is a finished object.
Blogger: Woa… don’t you think that’s being a bit harsh on wash cloth knitters?
Blog: We’re talking about you here.
Blogger (speaking from the pelvic floor now): No. I don’t think we are. I don’t think we’re talking about blog readers either. In fact, your comments felt pretty critical and uninspiring.
Blogger grabs blog by the face, pulls at his cables a little…
Blog (struggling): Hey! Watch what you’re…
SNAP! Blog’s mask rips in two to reveal none other than…
Blogger: I thought you sounded an awful lot like my ego. Git.
Ego exits stage left with tail between legs.
As I was saying. This week, I began my first colour work mittens. My first stranded colour work ever! I’m working from the pattern Andalus Mittens by Heather Desserud. For yarn I’m using Blue Moon Fiber Arts: Socks that Rock lightweight colourways Pond Scum (green) and Juniper (purple).
I feel like they are a little big (which might leave some room for a liner?) which is my own fault because I didn’t get gauge, but the needles fault for me not having small enough dpns… do they make .5mm? Thankfully they are not so big that one would have to rip them back. I did rip back a little bit… and man, ripping back colourwork is not that fun!
I got to the thumb hole last night and am getting pretty comfortable with diligently following a pattern while knitting with two hands. (Video to come?)
And in case you are wondering about the sweater… I finished the first sleeve
And I am now almost done the second one. I have decided to rip the body back and keep going with the stockinette until my hips. Having the garter stitch start at my waist looks a little frumpy, if a stick bug can look frumpy.
OOOOooh… and for inspiration, I’ve been watching The Nest Cam. A beautiful hummingbird nesting in California.