matchy matchy

iPhone view, down the street Friday

Around here it's been a big winter for hats, scarves & mitts. The full monty, every time I go outside. It's come to my attention, by looking in the mirror occasionally, I look I'm dressed by the Handknit Rummage Sale. Natural brown alpaca cowl! Bright red earflap hat with mulitcolored ties ! Noro mitts! That's just one of my combos, many are more alarming.  And striped, too. Call it the Rhinebeck look. Does not play well outside of large fiber festivals. No matter how nice the yarn and stitches are.

So, in my efforts for a better fitting Felicity  I  chose Manos Rittenhouse in turquoise, to coordinate with the Manos Silk Blend razor shell scarf, from a coupla years ago. The yarns have different fibers and finishes but the same kettledyed colorway. Big step toward matchkind.

(Well, sort of. I was surprised that the semi solid settled into stripes, very definite stripes. )
And, in my worries about overdoing the slouch and putting myself back into a hat  that again said Ellis Island instead of PDX , I may have overcompensated. See my first Felicity here, and you'll understand.

Ellis Island immigrants, from Vincent J. Cannato’s “American Passage: The History of Ellis Island”

None worrying about the slouch of her headwear , I bet. 

My modifications: I cast on 74 stitches, so it wouldn't squeeze my hair too flat.  I could have gone 78. When I switched up to the larger  needles, I used size US6  rather than the recommended 7. I knit one less round of increases, too. The volume is fine but I could have use an extra few rounds in length. Or maybe not. The last one grew a bit with wear, so this might be as close as I get to my ideal version.  

Next hat try, Simple Slouch Hat (rav link). Maybe in a yarn that'll go with my Palisades cowl.  Or.....maybe spring will come.

how to drive your loved ones crazy in 3 days or less

Insist on knitting a sock of questionable appeal during group watching of international sporting events, and suspenseful movies, too. Punctuate the most engaging parts of either by saying " wow, this really is pretty ugly, isn't it?"  and  " does this look like something I'll wear?". When it is suggested that maybe you'd be happier knitting something else, insist that you want to get 'er done. Even if it'll need a mate.

Then when  finished, try it on, maybe as Apolo Ohno waits for the short track finals starter horn. In response to the look on your loved ones' faces when you ask them to agree with you about how unappealing the sock is, say " Really? You think they're THAT bad?".

Oh don't go feeling sorry for them. They drive me crazy too. Besides, I've moved on, I'm knitting my new Felicity now and oh am I happy with this yarn. It feels like velvet knit up, isn't that weird?

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Navajo Churro sheep on the reservation, Arizona.

Announcement to the local sheep peeps: I'm the lunchtime book author presentation at the Scranton Library in Madison CT this Thursday, 2/25  from 12:30-2:30. It's a slide talk about working on Shear Spirit, cleverly titled: She Shoots Sheep Shots.  Bring your knitting! Bring your lunch ! No charge! Detail here

in lieu of looking at those socks

I met my friend & colleague Joanne* to talk shop earlier this week.

She brought me eight perfect little eggs from her chickens. Here's what I've had for lunch every day since, inspired by a sandwich at the Iris Cafe in Brooklyn last month. You know how you accidentally get a really good sandwich and then try to find it again?

It's better on really crusty french bread or multi grain toast but all I could scrum up today was a bagel.

 

Go, look at her work.  (link to her yarn photos).  Her superpower is achieving harmony in composition.No idea how, but she always nails it.

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still knitting

Though you'd never know it from the lack of my talking about it, some sock action. 

I'm doing another book with Joan Tapper,  I should remember from last time: working on a crafts/knitting book is in inverse proportion to how much crafting & knitting time you have for yourself.  Oh, the irony. 

When I received this yarn (ignore that link! edited a few days later, I found the ballband, its Dyenamics Yarn, I think in the colorway Farmers Market) in a swap , the knitter relieved of it was, well, truly relieved. She assured me she was tired of the colorway, showed me mittens & socks she'd knit from it, gladly waving buhbye. She may have gone so far as avoided further eye contact, in case I changed my mind and handed it back.

I think I understand. While I am loving the Wesh Traveling Sock (ravelry link) pattern, the colorway is doing the opposite of growing on me. It's sort of like dulled down Wonder Bread.

This here? My carrot on a stick yarn, Manos Rittenhouse, it is merino, plied and it will be a new slouchy hat, as soon as I get the sock done.Or, maybe sooner.

• • • • • • • • •

ps. There's a contest at JessaLu's blog celebrating her 5th blogiversary.  Go check it out,  give her a high five. As I read her entry, a thought trickled in, I checked my dates. This week is mine, too.  Really? Five years?

a big mwah for red scarf knitters & supporters

Today, Feb 14th,  there are about 2500 college students who used to be foster kids, looking something like this, thanks to you, Red Scarf knitters.

A few of this year's donations.  A random sampling. Quality? Oh yeah. We got quality. Look closer: 
Happy Valentines Day!

ps While scarves can be sent for 2010 care packages after September1st, you can donate anytime to the Red Scarf Fund for Foster Youth  to help former foster kids in college with small expenses, like broken glasses, and extra course supplies that run out , and emergency needs. (an aside- now that I have a son in college, I realize just how much these small emergency needs crop up.  Need a tie for an interview! Fee for a field trip that is sort of required! Lost a book! ) There's a link on Norma's blog, click from her sidebar- you know she's the one who started this fund,with the Orphan Foundation of America. 

a requisite update

I'd feel remiss if I didn't give an Ice Cream for Breakfast Day report. Some day I'll photograph it beautifully, using some care to light and compose. But, this year (and, um, every year up till now) I prefer to just jump in and celebrate the holiday in the only way it can be.

You may notice that pink jar of heavenly goodness that is Norma's rose petal jelly, a gift as I left her place last week. She kind of mentioned it's "nice" on ice cream. Understatement! New favorite of the crowd. It's like eating the smell of beach roses as you walk toward the waves with an ice cream cone.

 

Vanilla bean ice cream with sliced bananas, walnuts, rose petal jelly & whipped cream.

Need I say more?

postcards from the north

If you follow Norma's blog I guess you already know I was way up in Vermont having a visit with my adorable friend, Mr. Jefferies Norma.

For a quickie trip we really packed it in. There was, of course, knitting and red scarves, and photos, and blog talk, and laughter (lots).   Norma managed to find the most perfect fitting sample sweater evah at her LYS, where I met Joan. While I was distracted by, well, everything, Norma managed to acquire the yarn and buttons and a couple of new patterns too. I  tell ya, that woman can make decisions. The company, the crispy winter weather and the  great vibe at Kaleidoscope Yarns inspired: I managed to choose one skein of yarn to attempt a better fitting Felicity, myself.  If I ever do a post about knitting, I'll  show it.

scoops ready?

First  Saturday in February, you know what that means, right?

ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST DAY
Rules here. You can do it. Believe me, it's easier than finding 7.5 hours to sleep.

No idea if they'll be celebrating at this joint.  No idea if they really are world famous at all but I can vouch for their fine egg & cheese sandwiches.  If you're ever near Howard University on Florida Ave in DC, stop by. The collard greens looked good too.

Knitting & other adventures next post.