Since Friday...

This has been a busy knitting weekend (well, extended weekend).

Friday was the Indigo appearance of the Yarn Harlot. I met up with Ms. M and the Crazy Knitting Lady and their parents around 6-6:10 and we promptly lined up, which was a good thing since if we'd been much later we would have been among the standing majority. Instead we sat and worked on socks and chatted and estimated how many people were standing up. It was lovely, the YH as hilarious (as could be expected), the crowd was huge, and there was so much knitting going on one could get giddy from the yarn fumes. M and G took many pictures, and M's were mentioned on the YH's blog - so exciting!! Friday night was spent knitting away at M and G's since tiredness and the amount of stuff I had to schlep around (being a turtle has serious disadvantages at times) prevented us from carrying on in public.

Saturday more knitting in the morning. Went home. more knitting - while entertaining company. Then read YH's new book (G - you shouldn't put ideas in my head without also reminding me to insure the water temperature be adjusted up to make sure it stays hot long enough!!)

Sunday - confirmation and first communion - followed by house full of company - followed by trip to Liz's where I - you guessed it - knit some more, as we watched movies until the wee hours.

Monday - tried to check out the yarn shop in Milton - it is closed Mondays. So we went back to Lizzie's and sewed and sewed and sewed - I now have a petticoat appropriate for 1812 and French/Indian and the pattern for a chemise appropriate for either and a serious problem with the pattern for the coat I'll be needing for July (geesh, all this for a camping trip!!) - patter was 3 sizes too small... so I don't have a jacket. Then we watched Pirates 1 and I ... knit (my shawl has gotten a lot of love lately).

Today - went back to yarn shop. I wanted to see if I could pick up or possibly substitute yarn for the nightie in Mason Dixon, however they didn't have the Euroflax or the book... (so I'm not the last person on the planet to get their copy). So that plan fell through. Instead I picked up some more sock yarn - cuz you always need more sock yarn... and a couple of odds and ends, a hard plastic gauge ruler, some stitch makers, and a 4.5mm-32" circular. The store is big and airy and the staff (I assume owner) was very nice. But I was disappointed on a couple of fronts. 1. Nothing irritates me more (well almost nothing) than a store that doesn't clearly price things. There was no system here, somethings had prices some didn't.
2. There didn't seem to be much by way of organization - sometimes it was all a designer (ie. Debbie Bliss) other times it was type (ie. baby yarn).
3. Pattern selection was crap. Lots of magazines, which was good, but almost no books and none of the ones I'd have liked to consult (ie. Mason Dixon...). Also poorly arranged, there might have been good stuff but I would have had to flip through all of the books.
I may end up back there again some time, but I'm not likely to take up residence.

Plans - I have two orders that need to go into knitpicks - with desperate hope that they will arrive in something resembling a timely fashion.
Want to knit-
* knee socks to go with the other re-enactment stuff (probably own design using the shaping from the Clessidra as a starting point) using the bare merino/silk from knitpicks.
*a baby blanket of my own design (with the superwash ww bare again knitpicks) it's going to have cables and a dragon...
*the nightie from MD, not sure whether I'll use the Euroflax or try to sub, we'll see (the book is in the first kp order)

Also - Friday I do my fields (eeek), I'm thinking since many of my friends aren't actually around to celebrate, and I'm planning to come home that night anyway, that I might just go yarn shopping afterwards...

So it starts, for real this time..

I have decided to design a guernsey. I've never done anything other than socks except with a pattern, and usually those (in the sweater family) kind of suck, generally a little too big and I've had bad luck with yarn choices (I'm working the learning curve for all it's worth).

This sweater is going to be for my 10 year old brother and is going to use up at least some of the yarn I mis-dyed at Christmas last year. (Which means the final product is going to require a dye job of its own, I figure I'll dunk it in some black and let the grey mix with the various shades of turquoise - as long as it is greyish the 10 yr old won't care anyway!)

I was a good girl and did my swatch - see swatch-

Then I promptly did all my calculations and cast on twice as many stitches as I needed. So the sweater for the 28in chest 10yr old started life as if made for a 56in chest...

I thought something wasn't right, so last night when I ran out of the first skein about 4 inches in I rechecked the diagrams and realized I'd doubled the chest (no stupid M's chest is not 28 across it is 28 around!!) So today I frogged it all, rewound the ball, and cast on again - the right number of stitches this time. On the upside I'm getting much better at hand winding centre pull balls.

I'm now past the ribbing and first pattern band and into what I think I'll make a large section of stockinette on the body. It works up so much quicker this size... The patterning really can't be seen because of the yarn, which makes me think that my greyish finished product is just going to look greyish and hide all my cool designed patterning, but oh well it is a test garment after all.

(In unrelated news, I understand using the same actors/actresses as extras and bit parts, but come on X-files season 3 used one actor and one actress in two different episodes, I mean at least have them come a couple of seasons apart!! - also, when in HMV going to put seasons 4 and over on sale?! I am now finished 1-3 people!)

Rather than read another article or book, I will post about knitting and yarn instead.

Kalamazoo proved particularly fruitful on the knitting front, as I finished the pirate socks and knit the other ball of hand-dyed into a pair for myself, which do indeed look like Christmas socks (and are already in the wash and therefore not available for photographing). I am also now approaching the half-way point of my lace shawl, I will hopefully have it done in a month or so.

This leaves me in the odd position of being a one WIP girl, I suppose I have sock yarn kicking around I could knit up, but still. I am thinking that I'll try and use up the stuff I botched the dying of last fall by designing a guernsey for my little brother. I have done the preliminary pattern planning, but still need to swatch, which is being held up by the fact that I have not decided yet whether to dye the yarn grey first or knit the sweater and then dye that. (Also, the yarn is all in skeins and needs ball-ifying before I can do anything with it.)

This project was inspired by reading (and inheriting) a book on the history and knitting of guernseys and jerseys. [The top book on the pile of inherited books]

No doubt the fair-isle book will have the same effect due course.

I'm also trying to see what to do with the yarn I inherited. This is the selection:
Three large cakes of a variegated purple/blue which I think is Fleece Artist and some darker purple mohair (one large one smaller ball) [these are the two back-centre purple things in the picture]. The texture isn't right for socks and it is a little too thick, I'm thinking some kind of lace/shawl, but I haven't found a patter that would show up the yarn to best advantage. There are 8 balls of the silver and 19 of the blue (Filatura Di Crosa, No Smoking), which I'm pretty sure will go into shawls or shrugs of some sort. The black blob in the front-left is boucle of some sort and there is a fair amount of it, I'm thinking afghan... The white off to the right is really nice mohair - sooo soft- in a natural colour, 9 balls worth; I have no idea what to do with it! The stuff in front is 100% alpaca, really soft, and a whole bag full, but the colour is - well - not something I'd have chosen... don't know what to do with that, maybe outer wear for a baby? (my sister suggested teddy bears) [Also, love that the picture captures the Icelandic law codes and box of Pop Tarts that are also on my bed right now...]

In other news, I learned over the week that one of my good friends knows how to spin (really who conceals that kind of talent?!) I will be making her teach me before the end of the year. To that end I've dredged up all my spinning links (from when I was looking into it after my masters) and have been ogling roving for the last couple of days.

Yo ho ho

The shawl continues to progress, but since it is the same, but just (imperceptibly longer) I will be saving pictures for later.

But I've got back to socks, I wanted something calming that I didn't really need to pay attention to for the other night. So I grabbed some of that black Kroy I inherited, some of the left over from those 2in1s, season 3 of Xfiles and I hid in my room and knit and knit and knit.

This is the result... I just need to graft the toes and sew in ends, but you can ignore that part.

The socks are for a friend who loves all things pirate-y.

I have been doing a short-row heel of late on every sock, because after a couple of other projects using short rows and the 2in1 socks, I had the heel turn memorized. This one I did using a heel flap (based on the Yarn Harlot's guidelines in Knitting Rules), now I've got that memorized too, so bonus. The major difficulty with these was trying to centre it for doing the heel after I'd cast on with the set up for the skull motif on the sides.

I'll graft the toes tonight, and then work on the other one over the next few days (ie. at K'zoo). I may bring the other ball of hand-dyed with me too, since while I love the shawl (and will probably tote it too) it doesn't make for very good conference knitting since there is no way to pretend to pay attention while reading a lace chart.

And so it goes...

All socks have been completed and disbursed, a new round will start soon. - This is my good news.

My bad news - my Great Aunt Shirley passed away last week. She, along with my Grandma, taught me to knit. We've never been particularly close, and so the knitting was our major source of bonding and the primary source of those happy memories childhood is supposed to contain of such relatives. (I was much closer with her husband, Uncle Allan, also a knitter, who died 15 years ago).

The week has been busy with the various to and fro-ings associated with family deaths, and my mom has been more than usually busy with things as we are really the geographically closest and Aunt Shirley's kids are all in the States. I spent most of Tuesday moving things around the house and loading the van with the various things we've inherited (everything from fabric to dishes to books to ziplock bags). Most people remember my Aunt as a doctor, it was her dominate achievement in terms of how she presented herself (and given the givens not a small one), but I remember her as a knitter and have now discovered she also: sewed, tatted, and did various other sorts of needle work - all of the tools and remnants of which my mother has inherited. Grandma it seems got most of the yarn (as Mom doesn't know one end of a knitting needle from the other)- I have a few skeins of black Kroy and some new needles. It is interesting to reflect on knitting habits and preferences, it seems my Aunt liked straights (while I haven't used any in years - dpns and circulars all the way). I also cannot account for most of the yarn I've found. (ie. what does one do with bags and bags of hideous brown baby alpaca? or large quantities of very delicate bright red mohair? or random odd skeins of worsted 100% wool of the most Brillo pad like texture? well maybe that's why they are still stash...) I'm sure one day someone will wonder the same thing about all that blue Astra and some of that very random stuff I got last time I went into the store - (even I can't figure out what I bought half of it for!! - an ugly blanket some day I guess).

Middling News -

*My committee has decreed an end of May date for my fields

*I don't need an extension (yeah!! I hate such forms)

*my lace shawl continues to inch along (or rather to centimeter along) and I'm currently just past half way through the 3 (of 11) pattern repeats.

(between the webcam and the crappy lighting it doesn't look like much, but it I promise it is a lace shawl... sitting on top of some Old English next to a Christmas Tree...)

Question:

*Is it better to try and dye the yarn for a sweater first or knit it up and dye the whole garment? (in this case a sweater for a 10yr old boy on wool that is currently various shades of turquoise and will ultimately be a blackish-greyish-blue - among the other things I inherited was a book on knitting guernseys, and now I want to try and use up some wool by designing one for my little brother)

Knitting in translation

*sigh* As April progresses stubbornly towards completion all life screams in my face about all the things that need doing - mostly the conference paper I have to write for early May and my fields in June.

So I plow through, hoping to remember something along the way.

My other two pairs of socks got finished at the conference in Boston - (one pair of well rinsed socks now hang in my bathroom, free of runny blue dye).

But now back to 'Juliana' - *10mins Old English, 1 row of knitting* repeat until line 246 is reached (or my head explodes, whichever).

I'm now in earnest working on the lace shawl I bought everything for in the fall. I started it once already and nearly gave myself a coronary trying to figure it out, so I put it away. But since I'm in stash knitting mode right now I figured I'd try it again, so far I've only screwed it up a couple of times, but each time I realized it and was able to figure out what was going on. But it remains to be seen how it will turn out.

Knitting and a Movie

Yesterday I knit a the movie theatre for the first time - while watching 300.

The movie was great and the knitting went very well. I made one little mistake, which I thought was bigger than it was. My bigger goof was not turning the heel in such a way that the mistake would be on the back - instead it is going to be on the top of the sock. (And naturally it couldn't have happened in the middle of a block of colour, no it had to happen where there was just one row of a colour - geesh!)














But by the time I got home, the heel was turned and I was starting off down the foot.









(these socks are in Austermann Step, and are for moi)



The night before I'd cast on this sock, again for movie watching. It is the first ball of the hand-dyed stuff, and I'm making them up for a friend. NTS- ease up on the purple next time, blue finger tips are not sexy. I'm obviously going to need to do another rinse before I give them away... But I am rather excited about the fact that the stripes actually worked.

Socks have eaten my brain

It's been um, a while...

But since last updating I have:

*Finished the dark blue Ivy
*Made a huge mess of the dying for the second one - I think this wool will need to be re-dyed and maybe made into a stripey sweater...
*and so knit the second one out of Inca Silk (in love light blue) from Ram Wools (I got it done - 2hrs after my cousin left our house on Christmas)
*dyed sock yarn - which I conned my cousin and Aunt into winding for me!
*learned to knit 2 socks at a time! (yes I am that awesome) - 3 pairs done that way (two went to a friend - whose cat's really like them... O.o)
*mastered the sizing of socks for myself - and finished a pair in Austermann Step today that prove it
*knit a pair of socks for another friend in a cotton/elastic blend.

So basically socks have eaten my brain. I am so pleased to be able to just knit them - I basically use the Yarn Harlot's basic sock instructions but with a short row heels (because I learned to do them for the 2in1 socks and if I was to use a heel flap I'd have to look up instructions). I still can't graft a toe worth a darn, but I can fake it well enough.

I have plans for some more socks, and am thinking I might need to just return a bunch of yarn I bought that I now don't really like... oops. Come summer I'll order some more yarn (superwash this time) to dye for socks so I know I'll like (or at least be to blame) for the colours.

Some one please tell me why chartreuse is in fashion this season?!

When Fandoms Collied Knit Happens

Um... as it was knitting related, here is a Crossover FanFic I wrote for a friend's birthday this summer.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Entering the silent room, she looked around, taking in the surroundings. There was the bar – well stocked and fully manned – a few tables and a comfortable central sitting area with deep leather chairs and couches and low tables. It would work nicely.

Kara ordered a drink and selected a chair where she could await the arrival of the others.

Jack arrived next, looking relaxed – his top button, behind his tie, was undone, a clear indication that he was ready for a wild night. He collected a scotch and joining Kara, took one of the empty chairs.

“Not an overly punctual group, are we?” he observed.

“Whatever, it’s a bit early still,” Kara said, sprawled in her chair one leg hooked over the arm, her beer held loosely in her right hand, which was hanging behind her over the other arm of the chair.

A dark brooding figure in a long black coat sulked towards them, having come in some back way – probably via a shaded rear alley with sewer access. Following him was a similarly clad figure with platinum hair, who called to the bartender, “’Ey, mate, two pints of pig’s blood with a shot of otter in each. Oh, and one huge scotch.”

“Spike!” Kara drawled, “Glad you could make it.”

“Babe,” he smiled at her. “Jack, good to see you again,” he nodded to the older man, who acknowledged his greeting with a barely perceptible raising of his left eyebrow.

“Oh, I almost forgot, the skulking silent one here is Angel, he was bored so he figured on tagging along – seems to think I’d get into trouble if he didn’t.”

“Angel, this ‘ere is Kara Thrace, and that’s Jack Bristow. Kara and I are old drinking buddies and Fred introduced me to Jack couple years back.”

“And now you all gather here and…”

Angel’s question was interrupted by the arrival of several others. Giles and Lee had met just outside the doors and were already deep in discussion; they nodded in the general direction of the already assembled and headed straight for the bar.

Tara and Fred entered next. Laughing and chatting, they took up the rest of the couch Spike was lounging on.

The three Winchesters followed close behind, John and Sam joining the group, taking up the couch next to Jack, with whom John instantly fell into conversation. Dean rolled his eyes and took the stool next to Lee at the bar and ordered three pints, which he lined up and started into. “I can’t believe I’m here,” he muttered, picking up the closest pint and raising it in salute. “I may have to be here but nothing says I have to be sober.”

Kara looked around, “I think we’re all here now, so I guess we’ll get started. So, welcome to the first official fandom crossover Stitch ‘n Bitch. We have full run of the place, so make yourselves comfortable. The bar is fully stocked with the all the usual plus some excellent ambrosia and Spike assures me the plasma’s great – if that’s you’re thing. Yeah, so, get a drink and let’s get started.”

Apollo and Giles grabbed their drinks and bags and headed over to join the party, leaving Dean alone at the bar, now working on his second beer and complaining to no one in particular about the lack of hot bartenders.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Jack already had his project out, it was a bright – not neon, just bright – pink, “a sweater for my granddaughter” he explained in response to the question only Jack would have been able to read in the fractional tightening of John’s jaw.

“Afghan,” John offered of his project of thick wool all in neutral browns, “ it can get damn cold sleeping in the truck and I’m frigging sick and tired of bugs in the bedding of cheap motels in the southwest. ‘Sides I figure you never know when it might come in handy for camo.”

Both men relapsed into silence at this point, having pretty much exhausted their quota of words for the next week.

Sam hailed one of the bartenders, ordering himself a light beer and cosmos for Tara and Fred, whom he was engaging in discussion on the topic of textured versus color patterned knitting. “I’m partial to aran knits, but Jess always liked fair-isles,” he was explaining. “This is for my brother, Dean – the guy at the bar – just a ribbed, black touque; anything more elaborate and he’d never wear it,” he sighed.

Fred agreed with Sam about pattern preference and produced her project. “It’s a cable vest for Wes; this particular blue really brings out his eyes.”

Tara confessed a partiality to plain knits with a focus on the shape of the pieces and allowing the feel and appearance of the yarn to stand on its own, a philosophy her fitted, burgundy cashmere/silk mix, three quarter length sleeve sweater fully exemplified.

Lee produced two projects from the small duffle bag that served as his knitting repository, one he handed to Kara; it was the first, barely started, of a pair of fuzzy hot pink mittens. She and Lee had debated whether hot pink would be allowed under regulations, even if she only wore them when actually in the cockpit. In the end Lee said he expected that – allowed or not – Kara would get away with it, and he did concede that it was cold in the Viper and mittens were an excellent idea. It was a point he intended to address with his father the next time they met to discuss military issues. The other project, a plain grey tube on four double pointed needles, he kept for himself and proceeded to stare at and fiddle with, his face a knot of anxiety and puzzlement.

“Lee, come on, it’s only a frakkin’ pair of socks, just finish it,” Kara pleaded. “You’ve restarted four times! You’re way over-thinking this project and completely killing the relaxation factor. Giles, help me out on this one.”

“Commander Adama, Lt. Trace makes an excellent point. And despite your persuasive arguments, I really do think that the simple pattern in the grey DK weight will be the most practical for your purposes. I know you are not often in a Viper these days, but I can’t believe that you will have no use for warm socks in your current role.” Giles counseled sagely, placing his own project – a highly complicated fair-isle scarf – in his lap and turning his full attention to the matter of persuading the young man that he was being anal.

Spike was quietly working on his project, which he kept hidden in the bag while he knitted.

“Spike, won’t you share with the group what you are working on?” Tara asked teasingly, noticing his secretive manner.

All eyes turned to him, and realizing he was cornered, he withdrew the tiny baby blue finger weight piece from its hiding place. “I’m making booties and mitts and little sweaters for the preemies at St. Mary’s, okay?” He asked in a voice that was a cross between embarrassment and defiance.

This revelation was met with smiles and giggles by all but John and Jack, who showed their amusement and surprise by the slightest of twitches at the sides of their mouths.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Angel, content that even Spike couldn’t get into trouble while knitting baby booties, made his way to the bar.

Dean had finished his first round of beers, and was tucking neatly into a second and he showed little sign of slowing, though he was eyeing the dart board on the far wall with some intensity.

Angel approached the young Winchester, in his awkward ‘won’t you be my neighbor’ way. Dean eyed him suspiciously and said nothing.

“You don’t knit?” Angel asked, attempting to engage Dean in conversation.

“Do I look to you like a guy who knits?” Dean asked.

Angel shrugged and glanced at the assembled crowd of knitters, none of them looked to him like the type of people who knit. Dean seemed to understand the look and so reluctantly explained his presence. “Dad’s been after Sam to find some way they could bond. Sam, who apparently learned to knit at Stanford – fuck, I can’t believe he left us to go learn to knit! – picked this knitting club thing that Andrea told us about, figuring Dad would say no. Turns out Dad learned to knit in the marines and said yes, so now they’re knitting and I’m drinking.”

“I came to make sure Spike stays out of trouble,” Angel explained, infusing the words with so much angst and meaning that Dean turned to look at the guy, who apparently needed a brooding shadow-guard in order to knit in public.

“The guy with the booties?” Dean asked skeptically.

Angel nodded and focused his brooding on his pint of blood. Taking a deep draught, he sighed, sounding so much older than his two centuries. It was then that Dean smelled it, the blood, and in a second he had leapt over the bar, yanked down a decorative bayonet, leapt back over the bar, and was inches away from slicing off the vampire’s head.

“Whoa, Dean, let’s not have any decapitation among friends,” Kara called out.

“Friends?” Dean expressed the common Winchester incredulity, “it’s a frigging vampire.”

“A vampire with a soul,” Spike corrected.

“So?” Dean was still not understanding why he should leave Angel’s head attached to his neck.

“He’s a champion, helper of the helpless, tool of the Powers That Be, saver of puppies. You know one of the good guys.” Spike rattled off, not taking his eyes from his project for fear of screwing up the eyelet row.

“What kind of fucked up ‘verse are you from where vampires are good guys?” Dean asked in disgust, before he shoved Angel and lowered the blade.

“Language, Dean!” His father called.

Dean ignored John and pointed the bayonet at Angel’s chest, “I’m watching you, fangs. You even look at anyone here the wrong way and you’ll be joining the headless hunt before you even have time to blink.” Having accompanied his threats with sufficient eye narrowing and lip curling to drive home the seriousness of his words, Dean stalked over to the dart board and proceeded to play several rounds of around the clock without a miss.

Angel sat and brooded, distressed that the young man wouldn’t be his friend and was clearly not helpless and therefore in no way in need of his assistance.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

“So, let me get this straight,” Sam said, “Tara, Fred, and Jack all died?”

“Yes, but my body still continued being used by an ancient powerful being with a violent streak and no sense of humor.” Fred explained.

“Personally, I think Jack got the best deal out of it,” Spike offered. “I mean, trapping his erstwhile best-friend become betrayer extraordinaire forever in a tomb in the middle o’ nowhere, saving his beloved daughter’s life, having her total love and affection when he died after a lifetime of misunderstanding and tension, doing all he could to ensure a happy and solid family for his granddaughter, and what bloody brilliant last words!”

Jack pursed his lips in grateful acknowledgement of Spike’s praise.

“I have to agree,” Tara said, “I didn’t really get last words and my death inspired my girlfriend to go on a killing spree and nearly destroy the world.”

“Well, at least your death had real context and motivation, and it was beautifully tragic in its understated way,” Fred insisted. “Mine was just so I could come back as someone different! And, my boyfriend, didn’t exactly go on a killing spree but he did stab my ex, kill my assistant, drown his sorrows in a bottle, and then spend the rest of his life teaching the bitch walking around in my body the days of the week.”

“Whoa, and I thought we were messed up,” Sam said to John.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

Kara cast off the finished mitten, and shook her head as she looked at the sock on Lee’s needles, barely an inch further along. Intending to order another beer, she turned around and caught sight of the clock. “Frak! I’ve got twenty minutes to get back to Galactica or Tigh’s gonna bust my ass. Sorry to have to run guys. Same time next week good for you?”

“Fine by me,” Spike replied, “though I may try and leave tall, dark, and broody at home if Sparky over there is going to be here.”

“That sounds like an excellent idea, Spike,” Giles interposed. “This time and place works perfectly for me as well.”

“Tara and I will be here, but we might be a bit late next week, we have a double date with Willow and Wes for dinner,” Fred explained.

“I’m coming with you,” Lee shrugged to Kara, “if it works for you, works for me.”

“It’s fine with me,” Jack added.

“Dad?” Sam deferred to his father.

“We should be able to deal with that poltergeist in Rochester and be back by then,” John decided.

“Great, then it’s settled. See you all then.” Kara concluded, handing her project back to Lee, who returned it to the bag after first rewinding the yarn she sloppily balled together and placing the empty needles in their respective holders. After all was stored to his satisfaction, they both stood and bid the others farewell.

Spike returned his booties to their bag, saluted the gang, and collected Angel from the bar, “Let’s go find you someone to save, that’ll make you feel better, eh mate?”

Tara and Fred hugged Giles and their new friend Sam before heading out, bags weighed down by the substantial progress they had made that night.

Giles collected his things and headed out, wishing them all a good week.

“Dean, let’s roll,” John ordered.

“Yes, sir!” Dean practically saluted his father, heels together, back straight, before bounding out to the Impala.

Sam shrugged and said goodbye to Jack, who nodded to the boy.

Jack and John shook hands and parted.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~* ~ * ~

With their various departures the bar was left nearly empty; one bartender gathered up the glasses from the tables and lined them up for washing next to Dean’s collection of pint glasses already standing in neat rows on the bar. Another swept up the mess made when Dean leapt back and forth over the bar and straightened the stools and tables displaced by the natural operations of the bar and by the unusual altercation between the two civilians at the knitting function. Half an hour later and all traces of the evening’s events – yarn based and otherwise – had been removed, the lights were turned off and the bar was still and empty again.


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Ivy - the last lap is always the hardest

I've been knitting Ivy since sometime in September (anxiously anticipating doing so for some time before then).

Today I have finally finished knitting the 'big' pieces and now have only

2 54" ties
the sewing up

left before I am finished and able to wear it. (partially because I am generally adverse to blocking and therefore am skipping that step - at least I am planning to skip it, we'll see.)

Here are a few of the pieces :



And some closer detail:



I'm working with Telemark, Skyline from knitpicks.com. I'm rather liking it. It is 100% wool, but feels a lot like cotton and it shows the cabling quite nicely.

Today I've placed an (other large) order with knitpicks for various things, including some undyed DK weight Merino to knit another Ivy - this one as a Christmas present. I couldn't find the colour I wanted any where in the right weight, so I'm going to try to make it myself.

Knitting plans continue to develop and I should have company when it comes time for dying. (there will also be sock wool dying... oh dear... grad students + dye + wool + some form of alcohol = a very very fun but also very very scary prospect)

The Beginning of Something

What, I'm not quite sure.

I finally brokedown and moved into the Blog world. This is my hobby blog. It will be filled with knitting, sewing, leather working, book-binding and other related and unrelated hobbies.

Welcome aboard.

Lady O.