Three's a Charm. Or So They Keep Telling Me.

The first time I knit Ishbel, I was a bit annoyed by the pattern directions and convinced it was actually a much easier knit than its behavior indicated. The second time I knit Ishbel, the pattern made sense and the process felt fast and light and lovely. And now, the third time...




















I'm more than a little bored. Don't get me wrong -- the yarn is lovely (Dream in Color Smooshy), and the pattern and yarn play very well together. And the recipient will be happy to get it when it's finally shipped off to her. Certainly, there's joy for me in knowing she truly wants this. But really, the Ishbel thrill is gone. This isn't a pattern anyone needs to knit three times. I'll be happy when it's done so I can get back to the sleeves for St. Brigid, which are about a quarter done now.

And I also look forward to knitting my new lovelies.



















On the left, Handmaiden Sea Silk for a Montego Bay shawl (purchased from Broad Ripple Knits in Indianapolis, a lovely new shop within walking distance of my favorite Indian restaurant, which provides further evidence to prove my theory that God loves me and wants me to eat curry and buy yarn).

On the right, a Zauerball from the same shop, which must be knit into a shawl because any socks would be fraternal, and we can't have that. (Chrissy, can I get an amen, sister?)

In the middle, a pair of Ella Rae Lace Merino skeins, which for some reason insist on photographing red when they're actually a fuschia/purple blend. I bought these at Nana's Knitting shop during the first week of her store-closing sale. (cry) (sniffle)

I've also bought a stack of patterns and a few sets of Addis, but I've been holding off on buying much yarn. For one thing, I'm in total denial that the store is actually closing. Yes, I've known about it for a long time, and in theory anyway I've had ample time to wrap my head around the giant hole Tricia's departure will create.

But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

And really, I don't. Not one bit. I was in the shop three times last week, and each time, there were more empty cubbies and more sad faces. The vultures are definitely picking the bones clean over there -- and more power to them, because every knitter loves a bargain. God knows I do, and plan to spend a little more before it's all gone.

But that still doesn't mean I like it.

In fact, I hate it. I hate that the back table, my refuge and my solace for the past several years, will be moved to Cory's house where I'll probably never see it again. I hate that the friends I've made there over the years will likely scatter, only to be seen at intervals or on ravelry instead of at our weekly knit-ins. But mostly, I hate that I won't have a friendly place for instant yarn therapy.

You know what I mean. You're knitters, too. You know what it's like to have a knitting place filled with people you're always happy to see. You know what it's like when that pressure builds and you absolutely must, no excuses, no delay, play with wool until calm is restored. You know that the smell of wool and the touch of cashmere can change your mood, and the clicking of the needles can change your life.

Trish and I will always be friends -- God knows, I have to keep her close just so I can be sure she doesn't try to run off with my boyfriend Henry Cavill from the Tudors. That greedy hussy. We all know she'll skip off with him if I turn my back for a second, so yes, I plan to keep a permanent eye on her.

But the shop. I hate losing the shop.
(sob)

Something Finished, Something In Progress, Something New

Ishbel 2 is off the needles, blocked, and ready for shipping. Ishbel 3 is presenting a challenge because I can't find the right yarn for it, but the quest continues. If anyone knows of a fingering weight (3-ply) yarn with a slight halo and a natural aran color, I'd be grateful for a tip.

Meanwhile, I finished the front of St. B and started the sleeves. The sleeves should go quickly now they're on the needles.




















My other big news -- last week I went out of town an editor, and returned home a publisher. That's right! I quit my job at the publishing company and opened my own! You have no idea how excited and terrified I am of this entire project, but what the hell. You only live once, so you might as well live your dreams.

The new company is called STAR Guides Publishing -- STAR is an acronym of our initials. I'm acting as publisher, and we'll be publishing a series of books on the craft of writing with plans/hopes to expand beyond that. We'll also be conducting online workshops and mini-clinics on a variety of craft and business issues. And we have more plans besides, but for now, this is enough to get started. The web domains have been purchased but we have a long way to go before we'll be able to claim that our website it built -- right now, we just have placeholder pages there, but that's temporary.

I'll be taking on more freelance editing and book doctoring work to keep the money flowing in the meantime. (I've already booked enough work to cover two months' pay at my old job, if you can believe it.) So I'll still be pretty busy, but not like before. Now I know I'll be getting paid a fair rate for all these hours, or I'll be working for myself.

Sign me,
Full of Hope

Catherine de-Parr-ted

Buh-bye, Catherine Parr. Your colorwork was wonderful, but your shape and fit sucked dog paws.

The yarn will be gorgeous in some other project, I'm sure. I have a few patterns in mind. A leading contender now is Knots and Bark by Fiona Ellis. Here's a picture swiped from ravelry, chosen because you can easily see the color breakouts. I was thinking the dark green for the body and sleeves and the light green for the bodice, but then I will need a third color for that accent work at the neck and bodice. Anyone have any suggestions? Would a creamy white work?

Winding Weekend

Pictured from top to bottom: Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn, Chuckanut Bay 10-Ply Aran, Cascade Eco-Wool. We thought the Chuckanut made enormous balls, but check out the size of that Eco-Wool. I plopped the Colinette on top for comparison purposes. Most of us know what a wound skein of sock yarn looks like, size-wise, so that ought to give you an idea of just how enormous the other two are. So enormous that my ball winder -- gimpy even on a good day -- nearly expired from the effort of holding it.

Now that the Kauni shawl is blocking, I turned my attention to what's next. "Next" meaning not just what's next to be cast on, but what's next to claim my knitting time.

I have these things on the needles:

1. The blue Ishbel. I've finished the body and three of the six lace charts. This one could be completed within the next week or two.
2. The Oskar Loves Ishbel socks. On the heel of the first. Nice to knit, but not compelling. I keep them on my nightstand for sleepless nights.
   
3. The purple Smooshy socks. These are my carry-around knitting. I like to keep something portable and patternless in my purse, and these are it. I'm a bit more than halfway through the first cuff, and that's all the result of picking at these in stray moments.
4. Fulmar. Stalled because my brain was needed for other things. It's not a difficult pattern, but it does require a certain amount of focus.
   
5. The Afghan for Danger Boy. Stalled because it's crochet and my wrist has been swelling here and there.
6. Catherine Parr. Probably will be frogged.
   
7. St. Brigid. Stalled because I needed to wind the next ball of yarn.
   

Three small projects, three big projects, and one disaster. Also, the lace skater's top is on hold until I get some better needles. The points on the Addis just can't handle this pattern, and I'm making a total hash out of it as a result.

On this list, the one that jumped out at me was St. Brigid. It's reason for being stalled is the most east to overcome. This would be fairly quick and easy to finish. The blue Ishbel will be done soon because I really want it off my knitting list, and there's little time involved. So after that, St. B.

Hence, the winder came out.

And you know how it is. Once you wind one ball, you want to wind the rest. But if I wind it, I might cast it on, and I want to finish some things before I start new things. So my compromise was to wind one ball of the Eco-wool for a Starsky (or possible for the Shirt-Tail Cardigan -- still debating which pattern I prefer), which will be the next sweater after the St. B is finished.

After Ishbel is finished, I might try to finish one of the pairs of socks before casting on another small project. I'm eyeing two other scarves for the summer -- light, small projects always being better for hot days. But I don't think I need to have a mountain of small projects on the go at one time just because the days are warmer. In a perfect world, I would keep my knitting list down to four projects at a time. But this isn't a perfect world, and I'm sure not a perfect knitter.

What are your summer knitting plans?

Kauni Northern Lights Shawl

Hooray for finishing things! So much better than letting them hang around inside knitting bags. Cast on to bind off in 29 days. Not bad. I also knit half an Ishbel and half a sock in the same time period, so I think it's safe to say my knitting is picking up speed again. Not like the old days, but still, it's on the calendar every week.

I'm so in love with this Kauni yarn. Yes, it's rustic, but not unbearably so, and the color changes are magnificent. Almost hypnotic. Imagine if Shetland yarn and Noro had a baby, and that's about how the Kauni is. Less raggy than the Noro, less crunchy than a Shetland but with a very similar hand. Plied like the Shetland, dyed like the Noro. I would knit with it again in a heartbeat.

In fact, I'm already dreaming of Stitches and debating whether to buy enough for a stranded cardigan. I'm thinking Kauni in the black/gray/cream colorway paired with a solid bold color like red.

Yeah, and given the state of my stash, I'll put it on the knitting schedule for around 2025.

(Even knowing that, I still want the yarn.)

Yarn at a Writer's Conference

This is a very kind, very goodhearted author, Nathalie Gray, wearing the white hat she deserves. Forgive the picture quality. The window behind her made the lighting difficult, and I assure you her face is flushed from my camera and not from any other factor. The photo was taken at the North Market, just before we indulged in a bowl of delicious Jeni's Ice Cream -- OMG, the best ever. Go to Columbus and eat ice cream. You won't ever regret it.

























Here we have another author friend, Lyn Cash, who tried to make off with Ishbel. Heh. Ain't gonna happen. Ishbel did enjoy being the center of attention, though. (Notice how Lyn is trying to look all innocent and stuff. We're not fooled.)


























Yes, there was yarn shopping. I think my stash-wagon habits are really starting to take hold, though, because all I bought was some laceweight (25% off, so who can blame me!) to make a cardigan. Isn't it pretty? The colors make me think of a winter storm. I don't know why -- gray sky, brown landscape, and everything faded by the low light, maybe.

















My self-control is even more shocking when you realize that the store we visited was FREAKING AWESOME. Look! They have AISLES. It's hard to tell from this picture, but there were four whole entire aisles of yarn! And the staff was super nice, too. My favorite moment, though, was walking in with Rachael Herron (yarn-a-go-go) and watching the clerk's eyes widen as she recognized her. Awesome. I love shopping with a knitting rock star. They were incredibly nice to us and even used their computer to look up pattern details for us. Knitting Mercantile ("the Merc" to locals) -- well worth a visit if you ever get to Columbus.

Off the Needles, On the Wires

Look what fell off my needles and onto the blocking wires. Ishbel! I decided to finish it because I want to wear it at my conference next week. I put my zebra bag in the photo frame so you can get an idea of how I plan to wear this scarf. Black trousers, black turtleneck, Ishbel, and that zebra patterned Liz Claiborne tote. Normally I wear business suits to conferences, but in this case, given that this is the "party conference," I can get away with something more casual as long as I still look pulled together. And that combo of scarf and bag are pulled together without being all matchified. I hope the resulting look will be slightly Euro/urban, which works better for a business casual atmosphere than just your ordinary pants and shirt.

I love this yarn, the Cherry Tree Hill Possum Sock. Lovely stuff, very soft, almost furry. It was wonderful to knit, too. I've heard some complaints about splittiness, but that was not my experience.

I did, however, have one slight problem with it. Look in the photo at around 5 o'clock, on the blue mat. You should see a fuzzball there. I can't tell you how many of these worked free from the strands during the blocking process. Granted, this is going to happen a little while handling a wet, short-staple yarn. But even so, even allowing for wet handling, there was a lot of shedding. I hope it stops after the yarn dries, but just to be on the safe side, I'll be spritzing that shawl with hairspray before I remove the pins and wires. That should cut down on the potential for shedding.

My only other news to report is that I decided to cast on another pair of socks to travel with me next week. I want something simple that won't require a lot of thought. And lo and behold, right on top of the sock yarn heap was a skein that mimics the Ishbel yarn. It's sort of splotchy with black and cream, but where Ishbel is tinted slightly blue, this sock yarn is tinted slightly green. It's an Opal yarn, and I can't read German to save my life, but the word "Oscar" appeared on the label. So I'm dubbing these socks "Oscar Loves Ishbel."