all kinds of crazy

Summer's here and everything's just a little...off.
Some of us have taken up favored positions. Till October. I wonder if passersby think they're lawn ornaments?

Others are sleeping till noon and dropping crumbs, towels, cellphones and ipods in their wake. Lovably annoying. Will spare you the imagery.

Me? I'm experiencing weirdness. I was knitting at the beach a few days ago, on the Lace Ribbon scarf that's at about 45" and growing. Later,I picked it up to knit and had only one needle in the bag. aarrrgh! Retraced steps, looked around the sand, poked by the trash can, the tide had come up. Gone. Replaced grudgingly with a cheapo new pair the following day. Because of course, I have plenty 2's and 4's but no other #3.

Yesterday, 5 days later, walking with a friend almost a mile in the complete opposite direction from the beach, I caught something shiny in the grass.

My #3 bright blue vintage Susie Bates, REUNITED! I guess they want to get out for a walk more? Or less?

local color sneaks up

If you ask me, I'd say I'm not drawn to blue. Unless it's water I can swim in, I mean. So what's up with what I've been knitting this year?


A trend, right here under my nose, and I hadn't noticed, until I was sitting near part of my garden and realized what I'd planted, which got me thinking.


My wandering into the blues may have passed already, soon as I finish that upper left indigo Montana Tunic (Ravelry link ). I'm all about the reds & oranges now, like the Lace Ribbon (scroll down to end of post) spooling off my needles this month.

And this inspiration last weekend:

A sweater in my future: some kind of barn red raglan with toothpaste minty green colorwork around the yoke. Or maybe mittens, or a hat....yep, you're witnessing the downsizing of knitterly ambition right before your eyes.
Someday soon when I'm procrastinating on a deadline I'll jump into the Bermuda Triangle of Ravelry patterns and just a few hours later I'll have the right project queued.

oh! Ohio

The good thing about taking almost a week to post about being at TNNA is it has already been super covered .

I spent my 36 hours there saying dorky things like" You're Nicky Epstein? I love your books. You're Jillian Moreno? I love your books! You're Bonne Marie? I love your designs! You're Clara Parkes? I love your..... you what? you love my book? pop! tinkling glass sound.

That was the me plotzing, while dropping the sauvignon blanc in my hand.


Columbus itself was geometric. And hot. When the yarn overload on the trade show floor got to me, I took me a superheated hike to the German Village neighborhood, charming in a way the rest of downtown, um, is less so. Hot tip- the Book Loft in that neighborhood has a huge selection of knitting books and a splendid shady courtyard garden. It'd be my hangout of choice, with stiff competition from the friendly coffee shop next door if I lived in the 'hood.

Meeting talented designers/writers /bloggers/knit cartoonists/knit world entrepeneurs was too fun. Tagging along with MaryLou and her Yarnery posse was great , and not just because they introduced me to Jeni's ice cream (gravel road is salty caramel ice cream with smoked nuts, and a side scoop of chocolate cocoa gelato. need I say more? I thought not). And I just discovered through that link you can order it online? Brilliant.


May we speak of my knitting? I am in love with the Lace Ribbon pattern. In my altered flying state I messed it up badly enough to rip out a 30 row start and begin anew. But now? Blissfully proceeding , full lace mojo on high.

heavily scheduled yet easily distracted

yep, that sums it up.
F'r instance, I've been focusing on finishing my Montana Tunic, slogging that shawl collar. It has the magical power of the more you knit, the less it grows. But sticking with it, in whatever knitting time I squeeze in around frenetic work. Eyes on the prize and all that.
Until, while book blabbing about Shear Spirit at Saybrook Yarn,the group fixated on double knitting. We were examining the Hardrock Snowboarder jacket pattern. When Mary Lou Egan designed it for us based on this flying prototype , she thought it'd be pretty awesome as a vest. I'd kind of forgotten but, now, well, it's got to happen. Here's the working sample, knit by MaryLou with 2 strands of Lambs Pride Bulky held together on size 15 US needles. Picture it sans sleeves. It'll be quick, right? Zipper or toggles up the front and walla!

Another distraction: I'm heading off to TNNA this weekend. So exciting. What to knit enroute? Too hot there to drag a partial sweater.
I'm thinking, hmm, my Mass Sheep & Wool souvenir Tashi crying to be a Lace Ribbon scarf . Advantage: if I run into a problem, there'll be at least , I dunno, 400 people or so in the Columbus OH downtown area who have already knit it.

Rounding out Temptations Today: I did a talk at Sit-n-Knit in Bloomfield CT. I love this place. The joint totally lives up to its name. Owners Barbara & Richard made a store that welcomes you into 3 sitting areas. That's a class up above at a high table near the back of the store, there are also lower tables in the middle and comfy sofas to sit on near the windows. I plopped down for part of my visit with a friendly gang up front(not shown, I was too busy blabbing) and after a while noticed this shawl right in front of my face. Turns out it's a pattern that's never grabbed me but someone discovered you can knit it in two skeins of Noro Kureyon sock yarn and this stripey magic occurs. I have a hunch that link is the very same shawl I had the close encounter with. Do we love Ravelry? yes. we do. At the end of the evening of watching others nab yarn for it, I trotted myself over to the shelf . Just the earthy colorway 149 was left. Will return!

Matters got more complicated last night- I finally took a look at
More Big Girls Knits. Check out that link, it has a window that opens inside pattern images. Love this book. A useful, well-written, conversational front section discusses measuring and knitted garment structure and analyzes how a sweater might work your assets, and then there are all these great patterns. I hope I cross paths with these two.

So if you're at TNNA, say hi, I'll be the one wandering the convention center with her head swiveling around and eyes boinging out. Just don't show me anymore enticing patterns..ok?