My Biggest Hurrah is for our Service Men and Women who bravely and willingly risked their lives and some, sadly gave much, much more so other's may live as Free people. May God Bless them all!
This is something I especially wanted to say, even though it could perhaps be misconstrued as being "political". As you may have noticed...I don't normally mix politics and fiber. But in my book, today was a "Great Day"!
I should have blogged earlier today and before the mail arrived and when I was full of fun ideas and energy. Instead however I knitted for hours and hours and then finished plying some New Zealand (long haired) wool. I am rather satisfied with my days efforts though as I didn't run into any glitches. While knitting I had a zillion witty knitty thoughts...I know, I should have written them down. That of course would have required me to put down my needles :)
Saturday was spent searching for the perfect new glasses. Don't you just hate having to buy new glasses? I do! I took hubby with me so he could share the joy... And so he could give me his opinion... "They don't look bad"! Which remained the same through about 6 different optical shops He then realized he'd never get to go home again unless he put a little more "passion" into his role. Finally I found "the ones" and got home just in time for Kathy to arrive.
West Coast (FL) friend Kathy came for a sleep over Sat night. Although I'd spent last weekend at her home we still had more knitty stuff to work/plan/try/design than we even found time this weekend to cover. Of course the weekend only included Sat evening and Sun' till 3 pm and you all know that isn't very long when playing with fiber. We wanted to come up with a design for a cabled capelet that would work for Civil War re-enactments as well as something we'd wear "anyway". Also we needed a design that could be worked without referring to the pattern too often, you know...One of those "take along" projects. This is my effort that fills our criteria fairly well.
It has a rolled reverse SS neckline. The front band is Seed St. The main pattern involves a 3 st Mock Cable with ever widening separation by the Rev SS until reaching the desired width. The pattern will then be continued until long enough.....in this case, that will be about the time I run out of this (Worsted weight "Double Twist") yarn from the Green Mountain Spinnery
The following is the last of some Long Haired New Zealand Wool that I won at the Virginia Sheep and Wool Festival in '03. This fiber was died in the grease and still smelled pretty "ripe" but the colors made me choose it. It spun easily but had to be carded first, and washed "well" after spinning. I don't think I'd choose it again but I chose it as I believed it to be the closest (at the time) to raw fleece that I wanted to try. As a new spinner I didn't have much of clue....I know I've progressed but it seems that the more I learn the more I find there is to learn. Which tells me that I'll never be bored with spinning. I've no clue as to how I will use this (12 oz of DK weight) but the colors look like a fall forest.
Like most of us, I like to put in "my 2 cents" on numerous subjects. Today, on a whim, I've decided to add this opportunity into my blog on a regular basis. I will only cover fiber related issues. The "whim" was inspired by the need to vent about the following. But I do promise that rarely will my 2 cents focus on "venting".
So here's my first 2 cents:
I've just received the spring issue of Cast On. Since I rarely expect anything spectacular out of this magazine I shouldn't even bother to mention my dismay on seeing this one. The only reason that I subscribe is due to belonging to TKGA and yes (sporadically) working on the Level 2 of their Master Knitting program, which by the way, is a truly excellent program. This issue gives me really good reason to hurry up and finish the program so I can do as I do with other mag's....buy them when I find them worthy. Rarely would I find "Cast On" worthy of purchase but this edition really takes the cake! The cover photo shows a worse than boring design called a "Raglan Tansy Tee" by Helene Rush. It's a tired generic pattern using what could be an interesting yarn but the design produces zero reason to purchase it. I also don't understand why they are calling it a TEE! The sloping raglan sleeves take away any resemblance to a "T".
Then comes the "Larkspur Lace Pullover" by Kathy Zimmerman is another "rehashed bore"! Hardly worthy of the name "Zimmerman". If these are the best designs that today's designers can come up with, then I suggest buying old mag's on eBay and getting an absolute "ton" of the "original" patterns for the same money.
By page 34 and I thought I'd actually found a winner and with a flush of excitement I searched for the instructions. But it was just a mean tease......there was this gorgeous jacket using intarsia and other colorwork and I was ready to do a back flip with joy. Then I realized, after frantically flipping pages for the rest of the chart, that the pattern was....in there words... "unavailable"!!! It turns out that although a portion of the chart is shown the whole thing is a just a one page - four step, very brief rendition of how you can "design it". This tells me that either the designer "couldn't" write the pattern or that the editor chose advertising $$$$'s and pretty pictures over "substance".
Following all that is a profile of "Knitting with Kitty"....two pages of "nothing"!
The "not so tired" design of Therese Chynoweth's "Tea Rose Tunic" jarred me from nodding off again! I'm not going to knock her for style as she tried "something different". But the set-in sleeves hung way down the arm and the model can't be blamed for the "bad fit" by being too skinny, as the tunic fits her perfectly at the waist. The attached flap over one hip looks strange but I've seen/done stranger things before, so will leave you to figure that one. I do commend her though on doing an outstanding job of combining knitting and crochet....something that isn't easy to pull off. Just wish she'd go back and fix the shoulders and get rid of the flap.
This is what happens when I only have 2 cents and not enough to buy a Mocha Moolatte from Dairy Queen.
Wow, I feel so much better to have gotten that off my chest. But I've probable screwed myself of ever passing the Level 2! Such is life!
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