Tomorrow Mom will be coming here for Thanksgiving. Luckily there is no rain or snow in the forecast so she will be able to easily get into our house. I hope all of you end 2017 with much to be thankful for. My best to you. After dinner tomorrow, I will be knitting and watching the Lions. I can't wait.
Here it is, Thanksgiving Eve. Once again, I have so much for which to be thankful. Knitting and what it does for me is at the top of my list. Right below Dick and my Mom. I've talked about knitting's effect on my outlook, my temperament and my health. I am a nicer person because of knitting. I was inducted into P.E.O. in October and I am thankful for the warmth I feel when I think of the P.E.O. sisterhood. On a very superficial level, I am thankful for Kauni EQ. As we entered US 23 on our way home from the Coastal Condo, I bound off the last stitch of the Double Fun Scarf by Wendy D. Johnson. DFS has been my constant travel knitting companion for several months. It traveled to Traverse City, several times to the Coastal Condo and innumerable short local trips. It was short then all of a sudden it was long. I used an entire ball of EQ the yards in the ball determining the length of the scarf. The Double Fun Scarf fulfilled my desire for EQ and SR (short rows.) I love short rows and the magical twists and turns they provide to a knitted treasure. I could put my hand on automatic pilot and knit while I thought about other things or talked or watched TV. I really haven't figured out how to read and knit since audiobooks put me to sleep. When I bound off that last stitch, it was like saying goodbye to an old friend. Here it is beautiful, perfect. . . well, not quite perfect. I am a knitter in search of perfection. As I was knitting with the EQ, I noticed some spots where new yarn had been added at the factory which were a little rough. . a little fat. . . a little imperfect. After I was finished, I really didn't like how those spots looked. If you go up the middle of the picture, 7 ridges from the left, you'll see what I'm talking about. I was told, "Nobody will ever know it's there." But I knew I would. So I had this great idea, felt it. Once again, those butterflies flew into my stomach. What after the hours and hours of working on Double Fun, I ruined it in the felting process!?!?!?! That was scary but it was so annoying to have that ugly imperfection in my beautiful scarf. So, let the magic begin! Just so you get the idea of the magic that happen when wool meets hot water and agitation. It covered the complete length of my blocking board. See that? Then Wa La! This is what it looks like after 3 cycles of high water and agitation. It's longer. Impossible! I have never added hot water and agitation to wool and not had it shrink. Kauni is the perfect wool to felt, usually! I have no idea what happened. All I know is that it is a lot longer and a little narrower but feels thinker and fluffier. It is beautiful! And all of the little imperfections have disappeared. That was what I really wanted. See it up close. It is perfect. I love it. Next step will be it telling me who it wants to go home with for Christmas.
Tomorrow Mom will be coming here for Thanksgiving. Luckily there is no rain or snow in the forecast so she will be able to easily get into our house. I hope all of you end 2017 with much to be thankful for. My best to you. After dinner tomorrow, I will be knitting and watching the Lions. I can't wait.
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Dick, Tess and I are back from our little trip to the Coastal Condo. When I say "Coastal Condo," you should immediately think Knit 'N Purl. My last two trips, one with Barb T and one with Barb F, Kay and Sally, didn't include a trips to Knit "N Purl. I made up for lost time on this trip. Even though my time at Knit 'N Purl was short, the outcome was pretty fabulous. Remember the amazing Knit 'N Purl in Myrtle Beach? I've talked about it many times. But last spring when Dick and I came home from our first stay at our Coastal Condo, I had a email saying the owner of Knit 'N Purl was going to retire. I was flummoxed. I had just learned there is social knitting at that glorious big table every hour the store is opened and I was ready to take advantage on our next trip. But fear flashed before my eyes. Was Knit 'N Purl going to close?????? Alas alack! Finally, the announcement was made there was a new owner. Not only is there a new owner but the amazing Molly is still there. I love walking in the door and hearing the melodic southern voice say, "Well. look who's here!" Of all of the LYS I visit (and financially support), none makes me feel more welcome than Knit 'N Purl. I was introduced to the new owner, recognized some of the knitters at the big table then I was on my way to discover the treasures of Knit 'N Purl. I thought I was shopping for Madelinetosh for this over-the-top wrap that is in the queue. When I asked, Molly said they didn't currently have Madelinetosh but they did have something new. I was in for a very pleasant introduction. If you haven't already, please meet Diamond Luxury. I have never heard of the brand but the look and feel made me an instant convert. Of course, I had to buy some. I even know what I'm going to make. Stephen West's Doodler. I think I need one more color so I see a call to Molly in my future. Maybe I need a navy blue to make it pop. One of the very best things about Knit 'N Purl is there are always samples knit up showcasing the fabulous fibers they carry. They had this knit up and I was drawn to it like steel to a magnet or moth to a flame or bee to honey. Well, you get it. This is the gorgeous Malabrigo. I have started the cowl and it is spectacular. But do you see the kind of tangled mess in the Pearl? I put it on my swifter being very careful all strands were headed in the right direction. I attached it to my winder and in about five yards the tangles and knots became apparent. It ended up taking me 55 minutes to wind the skein into a ball. Forget the winder, first I had to untangle it into a hand wound ball then use the ball winder. It's a good thing I love to untangle. To me it's a big puzzle that needs to be solved. I take pride in the fact that I NEVER break yarn when I'm in the midst of solving the tangle puzzle. I really don't understand what happens to some skeins of yarn. If any of you know the answer, please let me know. The cowl can be found in this book. Well worth the purchase. Then I saw some things which are not yarn that I could not live without. First I saw these. Aren't they adorable?!?!?!?! When I bought them I thought I was buying Christmas gifts. But who was I kidding? They are definitely for me. I sort of have a growing collection of coffee mugs with knitting themes. Then I saw this. . . I was smart and bought two of these; one for me and one for someone else. Can't tell in case they read this. I bought three of these. Knit 'N Purl has everything; fabulous fiber, a huge selection of needles, every accessory you can imagine and unique gifts. I can't wait to come back to the Coastal Condo and take part in Knit 'N Purl social knitting.
Our Coastal Condo trip created three knitting stories. This one, one about fixing things and one about finishing things. I'm off to take pictures in preparation for the next two blogs. Dick, Tess and I are at the Coastal Condo. Just a week after Kay, Barb, Sally and I got home, we left. Tess is a very good traveler. She did well in the car. . . She did well in the hotel. . . And she did well at the beach. . . Now that I've shared my adorable puppy with you, let's get on with my story. Do you remember the Itineris Shawl? I found the pattern as a way to bridge the gap between commitment and responsibility. Commitment to "My Year Of Selfish Knitting" and my responsibility to teach classes at Ann's By Design. Itineris was the perfect bridge. I loved the pattern and thought it would be the foundation of an amazing class. Just a reminder of what my scrumptious shawl looked like. Isn't it beautiful?!?!?! I fell in love with the pattern as soon as I saw it and knew this was going to be the perfect Christmas gift for one of those friends I love to knit for. This is the yummy Mini Mochi from out-of-business Chrystal Palace Yarns. That means Mini Mochi is a discontinued yarn, irreplaceable, never to be purchased again. I think you get my message. I get so sad and anxious when a yarn or colorway is discontinued. What if I NEED to knit something with it!?!?!?! Impossible!!! One Friday in October, I decided to go into Ann's By Design early, before anyone else was there and asked my beautiful Itineris who it would like to go home with at Christmas. I was amped. It is always a surprise who each treasure chooses to go home with. I unlocked the door and walked into the dark store. I merrily went to the front window where the beautiful Itineris was displayed on a mannequin. Itineris in the window sold many skeins of yarn. When I got there what I saw was the mannequin in just a burgundy turtleneck. What! I started looking around. No Itineris. I looked through tubs in the back room, no Itineris. Just then Ann came in. "Do you know where Itineris is," I asked. "You took it home," Ann said. I knew that hadn't happened. After searching the store, it was decided Itineris was missing. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. My beautiful Itineris stolen. It didn't seem possible. My beautiful Itineris (made out of discontinued yarn) stolen. I was stunned. My fear about the ramifications of a yarn being discontinued had come true. I will never be able to replace Itineris.
It has been about four weeks since the discovery that Itineris had been stolen. It has taken me this long to write about it because I thought it would turn up then there would be a happy ending. After all, knitters are the greatest group of people in the world. When I think back on all of the social knitting I have been a part of in places where I didn't know a soul or the knitting in public days or the knitting for charity days or knitting for Breast Cancer survivors, I only remember the kind knitters who have participated. No happy ending here (except for the person with Itineris.) I have this vision that some day I will be walking down the street and see Itineris walking by. In my vision Itineris has been well taken care of and loved. I think that is the happiest ending this story can have. |
jan parsonThis blog is dedicated to Mary Helen Growt my first knitting teacher and the woman who changed my life. The mission of Knitting: A Love Story is to preserve, share and promote the love of knitting. Archives
April 2021
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