Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Bored with Butter

I know what you're all thinking.

Shireen starts a blog and then she stops knitting.

You wouldn't be wrong.

What can I say. I've been spending too much time in Red States and have lost my creative spirit. I'm "working" on two, very large projects. A baby blanket that has started to bore me and a lace shawl that seems endless (and I'm only about 8 inches in).

But so there is proof that there is indeed yarn on my needles, here is the in-progress blanket. The pattern: Diamonds from Fiber Trends. The yarn: Rowan Soft Baby in the color "Butter". The color is actually fabulous - there are more subtle variations in-person that make it really interesting to work with. If i actually knit these days, that is.

 Posted by Picasa

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Why aren't WE on the Today show?

The Boston Courant, fine newspaper that it is, greeted me on my front stoop with this headline today.


A quick perusal indicates that the Greater Boston Knitting Guild will be featured on a story about how knitting "has shed its old-lady association for a hip new image". The story is scheduled to air on Friday, May 26th.

The best part? This is the tentative title:
"How Granny is Getting her Groove Back"

HA! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

We Interrupt This Rain to Bring You . . .

. . . very mopey flowers.



Too much rain and not enough sun makes for very sad looking spring flowers. Posted by Picasa

Monday, May 15, 2006

All Wound Up and Nowhere to Go

First, let me just say now that for THE LAST TIME i'm going to apologize for the poor lighting in all my photos. It's just the way it's going to be for the next few months in my little apartment with crappy lighting. Add to my list of desirable qualities in a NY apartment - decent lighting with which to take photographs of yarn. No problemo.

It's not very exciting to blog about a baby blanket. (it is fun to write that however) What would I do but update every day to say "yep, three more rows. wow.". Meanwhile, my knitting monogamy was pushing the limits of tedium.

So I wound this:




My Morehouse lace merino (which I actually wound up at Knitsmiths in a crazy action photo!) and this peachy argentinian yarn that I bought in Barcelona. I was itching to get started on my sister's morehouse shawl but my size 8 needles were being hogged by the baby blanket. So what's an intrepid knitter to do?! Buy more needles of course! Thank goodness- monogamy is certainly not for me.

And how does one wind yarn when one only has one thingie (thanks to Thea) and not the other thingie?? This way of course!:


What a kind friend. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Silver Lining

First, I have to give sincere thanks to all of you for your kind words and condolences. I really appreciate it. This week has been obviously difficult but it helps to know that I have the sympathy of many.

Second, an apology to my poor sockpal for taking so long to publicly thank you! You were smart to send the socks by UPS but unfortunately I was out of town on all three of the delivery days. So it took some extra pleading on my part to get it delivered on Monday. And here they are!

Just when I thought that the only pair of Jaywalkers I was destined to see for eternity was Dana's . . .

Now I have my own pair! Thanks to Karen. I love the red and apologize that these photos do not do the color justice.


Throughout all of sockapaloooza, i had actually sort of forgotten that I would get a pair in return. Now I feel spoiled. Posted by Picasa

Monday, May 08, 2006

In Memoriam

Temba

?1995? - May 8, 2006

Lover of yarn, people, and affection.




 Posted by Picasa

Monday, May 01, 2006

And they're off!

Have to send my Sockapaloooza socks off a day early since I'm heading out of town tomorrow.

Oh wait. You can't see the cables very well in that one. Try this:

That's a little better.
Pattern: Broken Cable Rib Socks from Interweave Knits (modified only that I did short-row heels instead of traditional heel flap)
Yarn: Socks that Rock, colorway Alina.

I'm pretty happy with this yarn. My sock pal had requested anything but pink, which is funny because I had requested the same, and I like how this yarn has so many colors that are so NOT pink.

And to try to distract my sock pal from the fact that the socks came out fatter than I would have liked:

A postcard of Beacon Hill and some candies from my last trip to Barcelona complete with a New York Times review. Yummm. (I have some for knitsmiths too but keep forgetting to bring!)

Off to North Carolina for a few days for work. Too bad my sock pal doesn't live in Salisbury. I could have made a delivery. :)