MG: third go

the little red footlet has suffered many froggings, but this version is for keeps. all it needs is a mate, who would like to be born before the end of socktober.


rigid stitchmarkers--plastic or metal rings--and i don't seem to get along. they slip surreptitiously off needles and require scrunching to maintain tension. i usually end up abandoning them for knotted pieces of scrap yarn, which are less than ideal...

so i made some stitchmarkers with elastic beading cord (the clear, rubberband-y stuff), crimping beads, and teardrop glass beads. i love them so! they are rigid enough to hold shape for easy transfer yet pliable enough to hug stitches. the rubbery texture also reduces mysterious disappearances into the folds of my comforter. my needles feel fancy.

MG: very little knitting

i feel like i spend a good deal of time on my knitting--reading, learning, planning; even moving those needles quite often--but i seem to have very little to show for it. hmm... maybe it's because i'm a slow knitter. maybe it's because i frog a lot. maybe it's because i don't like to follow patterns. maybe i'm just not very brave and spend way to much time plotting perfect projects--knitting in my head. in any case...

hubby's mom attended a retreat where someone brought a handknit dishcloth for every person present (another example of knitterly generosity). the said dishcloth thoroughly impressed hubby's mom. her store-bought kitchen towels paled in comparison, so she ordered some more from the knitter in her life, i.e. me.


this is a test scrubby using KnitPicks Shine. Kitty Kitty looked up modal a while back; it's beechwood cellulose and extremely absorbent. she suggested the yarn for this project, and i'm glad she did. the photo above was taken after a week of dishwashing duty. the little scrubby is wearing well. it wrings out nicely, dries quickly, and holds a good amount of soapy water. i think the garter-texture gives enough scrubbing power for most kitchen tasks.

i've been crawling along on a sheer, laceweight scarf using KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud in sunlight. this yarn is so so soft; i love it. it's 136 stitches wide and will take some time.


the scarf is extremely crinkly at the moment, as laceweight fabrics tend to be during knitting. i like that word--crinkly--like cafeteria french fries, like candy wrappers, like the eyes of someone smiling and glad to see you. i was nervous about the crinkliness, so i spritzed a corner with water.


much better... but... um, i may start over. i had trouble with this scarf on my clover bamboo circulars, which are usually my favorite needles. there was a lot of wrestling and tugging with the laceweight. serendipitously, Wendy Knits recently blogged about finding the perfect lace needles. i happen to have some inherited Boye circulars--no tugging with the alpaca cloud and not overly slippery.

however, my Boye is 29 inches long, and the scarf is only a bit wider than that. knitting in the round still involves scrunching stiches around. i'm not having much fun. i may start over on different needles... maybe change to a less subtle eyelet pattern too.

the August Eat Local Challenge is long over, but all the reasons for eating locally are perennially valid. also, my farmer's market goodies make me happy, so i think i'll keep showing them to you. here are some photos from august i never managed to post.


fresh, yummy eggs from free-range chickens who live in Santa Rosa; asian pear; pepper; avocado; shitake and crimini mushrooms; sage; basil; and an asian leafy green (hollow stems, crunchy, often called ong tsai or some variation thereof).


those shitakes and criminis went into spring roll wrappers along with dried tree-ear mushrooms, cellophane noodles, silken tofu, and sesame oil. oh, and a little sliver of sage.

MG: Rumpelstiltskin returns

hello there. it's been hectic--research projects, reinstalling linux OSs...s..s.s, and spinning withdrawal; but i finally have my laptop set up properly (yay!), an important piece of fancy software i use for research in working order (double yay!!), and the Ashford Joy back to stay with me for a while (triple yay!!!). so... i can again participate in fiber-endeavor-show-and-tell...

my yarns have grown thinner and more consistent; at this point, when spinning at my rhythm of comfort, one particular sort of yarn (what you see below) emerges. i'm still at the mercy of the spinning process; to spin well at all, i fall into a particular groove. i'm now working on a bit of control; i'd like to be able to spin any yarn at will--thin, thick, lumpy, smooth, lofty, dense. also, some experimentation with the effects of tensions and ratios is in order i think.


while picking up the dear Joy wheel from Deep Color Studio, Claudia suggested drop spindle spinning. she knew it would be a long while before i could afford a wheel of my very own, and a drop spindle would allow me to keep spinning. i was hesistant. drop spindle spinning somehow didn't have as much appeal. my instincts were it would be awkward for me. Claudia talked me into a $6 Ashford spindle (student top whorl), and i'm glad she did.

after a bit of practice, i was surprised to find drop spindles just as meditative and satisfying as a wheel. it makes a smooth, strong yarn. Claudia recommended knitting right off the spindle for springy, elastic socks, so i thought i'd compound new experiences by hopping into sock knitting, which i've researched and pondered for a while now. here is my first spindle of yarn; see the mushy stuff in the layers beneath, before i got a feel for things?


i'm thinking of this as a practice sock, footy or tennis sock rather (it'll be short). that's a comforting perspective--swatching but in sock form--since i have no idea how it will turn out. it's a toe-up pattern using Stasia's Sock formula. i threw in some cables just for fun:


i have other knitting on my plate. there is a sheer (alpaca laceweight) cardigan in the works, and i'll also show you my Lelah... next time.

MeowGirl: i did it!

thanks for those kind comments (hello Thuy; hello Tonigirl; hello Jessica; hello Anonymous!) about the Love Ambassador. she feels loved, and i'm grateful. to answer Anonymous' question, i'm still considering the design of my gallery page, so um... it may be a while. the Love Ambassador was my very first crochet creature, and i definitely plan to make more. i'm delighted you guys like her!

i have this to show you today:


four little buttons and black twill tape. why do i need such things? i finished knitting my Oregano Sweater!!!!!! my first sweater! my own design! and it fits (mostly)! i'm still in disbelief.

i went to Stonemountain and Daughter yesterday to gawk, consider, and play in their button-land; i also acquired twill tape for reinforcement. so, attach buttons, darn ends, then Oregano will make its debut. it's far from perfect; there are all kinds of flaws, but it's my first sweater!! i leave you with this:
mmmmmmm... buttons

MeowGirl: yay! & argh...

hello. i'm back in berkeley and ready to knitblog away. most of my holiday knitting escapades took place with Kitty Kitty, who has been keeping you up to date. so, i'll opine on just two happenings.

the ruffle scarf from Scarf Style (edited by Pam Allen) was enormously fun to knit. i started it as practice for my empty hands and also out of curiosity--Kitty Kitty and i have both wondered about it. what would it be like to knit? what does it look like in person? could any knitter--specifically, us--create a good version?

i was impressed with the pattern. the short rows made for exciting knitting, and the results were lovely curling tendrils. Kitty Kitty had been slightly fearful, but after she saw the emerging ruffles, she wanted in on the scarf. left to my own devices, i would have ripped what i had and returned the yarn to her stash; instead, i showed her how to short row. we passed the scarf back and forth, which was an ultimate in giggly, yarny fun. she took over when i left, and last i visited, it was over 90 inches long! i'm sure Kitty Kitty will be posting an FO photo soon.

on a less pleasant note...

we do not understand why Clover is pulling their tiny circulars from the U.S. market. the 22cm (8", actually almost 9") circs i tested were amazingly comfortable and knitted beautifully. Kitty Kitty did not exaggerate when she said i fell in love. i would not find it tiresome to knit entire sleeves using them, and their size makes knitting small sleeves in the round possible.

we have both seen these Clover circulars carried by local yarn stores, chain craft stores, and online stores. and as far as we can tell, knitters are buying them, for we never see them in neglected quantities. so, we can only guess there are other knitters like us, and there is a market in the U.S. for them.

in general, i am frustrated by the lack of small circulars in the states. Addi Turbo comes in 12", but not every store that carries Addis will stock them. small circs are readily available in Europe and Asia, but they being removed from the U.S. what do you do when you want to knit seamless small/baby hats, sleeves, socks? always DPNs? and those who find DPNs unwieldy?

is there really no market here? or are silly assumptions about American knitters at work? argh... meow