A fly on the wall

Have you ever...?  


I knit for myself, my daughter, and my granddaughter.  Knitting has to be appreciated:  Take heed, all you non-knitters!  I know, I appreciate my work, and since my daughter also knits, she does too.  Grandbaby Juju has no choice in wardrobe, yet.  When I knit for others, I'm filled with low-esteem, as difficult as it is to be "filled low", you know what I mean. Will they like it, toss it, think the color is crazy, dull, will it fit, will they know how to take care of it, will I see at the charity shop? I'm so filled that yesterday I took two items to two friends who work together, and not being able to bear the moment of truth (or the look on their faces when they open the package), I left it, mumbling something about that there were two items and it would be OBVIOUS who they were for.  Do you see my second or third mistake?

A few hours later when we could get together again, it became OBVIOUS that it wasn't obvious! Now, with a 50/50 chance of being correct, and the obvious choice factor, it seems like a no-brainer (to the creator of this scenario) that they should be able to see what I see.  Alas, upon return, they had it wrong... but here's the kicker:  I would have liked to see them BOTH trying on the newborn infant bonnet!
Ha! (Picture above is the bonnet, half finished, compared to the skein. The top of the bonnet is in the middle of the picture, and the needles are working down to the neck opening.)
You say, well, where was the newborn infant in all of this?  I guess that was the problem, because the infant is in Colorado, and is the newborn granddaughter of one them!  See!  I can't be the ONLY one who thinks this way.  The other item was a lacy vest in dark green that would only fit one of them!  I laughed, and laughed harder when I heard about the try-ons... I can't believe that they didn't tear that little bonnet apart! Really, it was 0-3 months size, albeit with ribbing!

 That settled, I'm ready to alert them to the perils of garment care! Quick!!!

Relief!

It's over and on to a new challenge! Do you feel a let-down after the Olympics?  I feel... relief!  I'm no longer challenged to sit and root for anyone.  My favorites were the Norwegians, followed by the Canadians, and generally other under-dogs.  I don't appreciate the American hype for "our young athletes" who are so heavily sponsored.  And I should just let it go, except it will appear again in 2 years.  


I happened to catch one of the Colbert Report Vancourerage's where Stephen asked Bob Costas about who he roots for.  Obviously Bob doesn't care who wins as long as he has a job and a story, and in that order.  I don't blame him.  I'm ashamed that I watched so many hours.


So the world still turns, and earthquakes are still happening, and I finished my Olympic socks 2 days early.  To be followed quickly by the completion of a shawl that has been sitting in a basket for years!  And I wore it today!  Lovely, cotton, shawlette pattern that fits beautifully.

The socks are crazy: Maybe if I was more careful about fiber and color, they wouldn't be so "crazy" looking.  I love them, as I do most of my knitted projects. My feet are especially happy to have pure Norwegian wool wrapped around them...

My Olympics!

Who has time to join with the Knitter's Olympics?  I'm too busy knitting!

I didn't intend to cast on anything, and then... Miss Marple came along and snagged my needles.  Cast on first sock on Saturday, and today cast on the second one.  Knitted as mosaic on the leg and heel (one color at a time), and lace on the instep.  

It looks super funky and misshapen until I put it on. Lovely warmth!

NOT as I do!

I've been called "intrepid", which is exactly opposite of "perfect".  


I have been knitting merrily noticing that the vest I was working on would never fit me. I tried to convince myself that there was a chance if the blocking could make it increase by 2 sizes...  It didn't.  Looks great on the hanger!

Some concerns about this pattern:
The knitting starts at the back bottom edge and works over the shoulders and down the front.  The wavy lace pattern turns upside down at the shoulder which disturbed me as I was doing the front.  The bottom edge of the back curves the opposite of the front. Only a picky knitter inspector/judge would comment on it.  


Idle fingers... never!  So I pick up a long lost project:  A shawlette that I started...so long ago, I have no record of it.  I started recording my "knittings" in April of '08, so it was probably before that.  So here is another admonishment:  I took it off the needles, and---and--- didn't leave any message to myself about needle size.  Being sock yarn, and intending it to look like lace, I'm not using size 1 or 2, so the guessing begins.  

I picked it up with the new needles at the yellow garter stitch on the left in the picture.  I tried Size 9, 8, 7 and 8.  I finally decided that 8 must be it, and I had a life-line in there in case.  I can now see that the 8's are too big, but not enough to make me rip it back to the life-line. Yes, shawls get bigger towards the bottom, so it's just fine.  
By the way, I LOVE that OPAL cotton and artsy colors.  


If you're having trouble figuring what's what in the picture, the center back neck edge is at the right bottom of the picture (at the point), the circular needle is along the left edge which is the bottom of the shawl.


Uh-oh!  Just opened the knitpicks catalog.  I'm falling in love again!
Miss Marple Socks
And I have just the stash yarn for them!

Goals!

We are all reminded of goals when the Olympic Games are around.  A constant reminder that these young people have dedicated huge amounts of their lives to the pursuit of being on a team AND winning a medal.  I often wonder about their disappointments:  Seems the TV makes a lot out of the "disappointment" of not winning gold.  Yet shouldn't they be happy with the goal of reaching the Olympics at all?

I was mightily pressed to sign up for the Olympic Knitting Games, however, I just couldn't face the pressure of casting on something more!  Honesty!  I could have lied about it... but knitters don't lie! Of course, we stretch the truth.  And I probably WILL cast on something and have it finished by the 21st.

I love to cast on... Maybe I'll cast on...

Do-overs and NO Do-overs

  

I love to knit!  Do-overs!! Here are some of the projects I have on needles, and have waited for my return for... years!  Yellow shawl, purple pillow edging, blue spiral gauntlets, one hopeless mitten waiting to be frogged, and a blue/red sock.


I love to make music, too!  NO do-overs.  Music can be stressful.  The anticipation of somewhere down the road, next month, next week, tomorrow, of 88 keys and most of them shouldn't be touched to make beautiful music.  And there are no do-overs.  You keep on going and hope it doesn't suck.  


Last Saturday I ended up playing more than I thought. Originally I was asked to accompany a trumpeter playing the Hummel Trumpet Concerto (in E).  It's a great piece, and alas, I knew what I was getting into: Concerto means the piano part is all of the orchestral parts condensed to two hands.  It helps to be familiar with the piece which I am so I had a good feeling about what I had to play and what I could omit. (I'm NOT an orchestra, so get over it!)  I had plenty of time to prepare myself, however, life kept getting in the way (Christmas, granddaughter visit, cruise, Traveler's diarrhea) and suddenly I had one week to pull it together.  AND in that last week two other trumpeters asked for accompaniments which weren't as demanding, so I said yes.  THEN I realized I was accompanying the trumpet ensemble and a duet on organ, and voila!  I was playing half the program!  No do-overs! I was rather proud of myself--I can't say it was perfect, but it was fun, and the Hummel came out better than I had hoped.  I had to memorize some little/big passages and even though it got shaky in one spot, I didn't have to stop (and do-over) and the soloist was top-notch.  She was so familiar with the piece I couldn't trip her up.:-)  


It was stressful, and I realize it most when it's over.

The next day was my "knit like a fiend" day!

I finished 2 projects and started 2.  AHHHH!  Do-overs. This Irish pattern is a 6 month sized vest.  Celina knitted the back way back when, and now I have the pleasure of finishing it.  The Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino dk is... "Sublime"!   
Gaunlets to match a hat:  24 hour project.
Yes, I love my knitting.  Oops, a little mistake: Should I take it out, make it perfect or will my eyes be the only witness?

       This week: Nothing but knitting!  And what a perfect pile of knitting I have to choose from!  Pile #2: Adult vest (dark green), top (pink/gray), baby cardigan (pink), baby vest (tan), and socks (brown).


Maybe I'll cast on...

Particular Hats

My philosophy on Hats:  The farther away from the equator you live, the more picky discerning you are about your hat.  I live at 36º N, and I have several hats in the closet that I wear. One in particular I wear for taking the dog out at night in the winter. I know its qualities of warmth, and snugness, and I don't care about the color (it's dark out!).  I have two felted cloche type hats (one white, one black) which I wear maybe once a year, when I can be outside and want to look "stylish". OK. Anyone who knows me... "stylish" doesn't compute. I'm not fussy.
However, my daughter, who lives at 60º N, has certain parameters for a hat. I understand it's a necessity, even a survival aspect, and her boyfriend is even more "discerning".  If it covers your ears, and holds your hair in place, and it isn't too pointy, and has nothing dangling from it, and matches mittens, you have a winner. 


I love to knit. But the specifications are sometimes just too limiting, and I hate setting myself up for disapproval.  I wonder how many of my hats are in the Salvation Army Store? 

For the past 3 days, I knitted a beautiful "Floating Spiral" hat with mixed results.  I'm wearing it at this moment. I'm growing fond of it, in the middle of the night when I can't sleep, and it's perfect for the extra warmth while sitting here in a chilly house. Hat and bathrobe... I see no conflict of style!