Madame DeFarge: Knitting for Desperate Times

2004-11-05T17:04:00.000-05:00

I've been busy at the marsh this week. Drop by for a visit!

2004-11-02T06:58:00.000-05:00

It appears that November is going to be a very busy month work-wise, which is terrific for the pocketbook but devastating for knitting and sewing progress. Fortunately all the work ahead interests me, which makes all the difference.

I've got to rip out the blue and white Fortissima Colori socks I've been knitting. The gauge is wrong; this problem is entirely due to the fact that I'm "tightening up." It's been nearly three months now since I picked up needles after a 25-year hiatus. At first, my stitches were really loose, two needle sizes below gauge. When I started the socks up in the Adirondacks in September, I was one needle size below gauge. Now I think I'm knitting at gauge, and the socks have got to be ripped out.

It's truly scarf season! When I checked the outdoor thermometer this morning, the temperature was hovering at the freezing point. My first thought was that we've entered scraping-ice-off-the-windshield" season. My second was that I need a new coat but shouldn't spend the money right now, but at least I have a beautiful new scarf to sport around.

I love the Berroco Medley yarn. When I knitted the scarf on the deck overlooking Minerva Lake at the cabin in the Adirondacks, I was entranced by the beauty of the yarn in the sunlight. It's an entirely different product when exposed to the light of day. All sorts of colors appear radiant; glints of turquoise, bright yellow-gold, tangerine orange, a grapey purple, not to mention all the reds. Gorgeous!

2004-10-31T13:20:00.000-05:00

Blogger has weighed in on my disappearing template problems. Evidently, they're having difficulties in this area. My apologies to all the webring folks. I'm in the queue until things become more secure.

The Lion Brand Chenille arrived Wednesday or so, all 12 skeins, which I acquired at a substantial savings by purchasing on Ebay. At first, I was concerned that I'd received ersatz chenille and not the real Lion Brand product. (I have since put that worry to rest by buying a skein at Michael's and comparing the two.) My doubts arose because a 60 Minutes broadcast came back to haunt me, in particular a news segment that investigated Chinese-made ersatz products labelled as their designer equivalents, which are currently flooding Ebay. Perhaps I needn't have worried because Lion Brand is no designer product, but I think I may hesitate next time when I'm tempted to buy yarn that is shipped without manufacturer labels.

In any event, I'm thrilled with the chenille color (wine), which is a deep red with blue overtones. I can't wait to finish the Lopi pullover, so I can knit up the jacket.

2004-10-26T09:58:00.000-04:00

Due to template problems, I've had to place the link to my books and nature blog, "Musings from Redwing Marsh" here.

2004-10-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

I'd be the last person to rush the season, believe me, but I had to display the material I bought for the tablerunner and placemats. When I entered the parking lot at the Fabric Place yesterday, a huge "25% Off Sale Today Only" sign greeted me. I nearly fell out of the car from excitement. Absolutely everything was 25% off in this unannounced Sunday sale. Wouldn't you know I'd end up falling in love with a designer cotton that costs $9.59/yard? Oh, well. The sales clerks were way too busy to help anyone, so I ended up asking questions of a few customers, who took pity on me and were really, really nice. I had no idea how to select "batting" for the tablerunner and placemats, for example. Saturday morning, early, I have an appointment with myself to begin the project.

At long last, the winter hat made of Cascade yarn is finished. It's a beautiful, soft yarn and a lovely blue. I'll be using it soon, I'll bet, because we'll be running into those 25 degree mornings any week now. All I need to do now is sew up the seam and it's all set.

Template Disaster

2004-10-24T07:53:00.000-04:00

I was working on the template early this morning, scrolling up and down searching for the right place to change the sidebar background color, when suddenly half the template disappeared. This is the second time this has happened to me. I make several changes to the template's colors. They all go through fine. The blog is republished and looks perfect. I contemplate the next change I want to make, I scroll down, and wham-o! Kaput! Half the template has vanished. It's so aggravating, made all the more so by the fact that I had neglected to save a copy of my template on Word. How idiotic.

2004-10-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a tip from Cathy, blogger at The Knitting Life, I have purchased the Lion Brand chenille on Ebay, for a price that's much lower than the current "on sale" price at Jo-Ann's. By the way, Cathy is sponsoring a knit-a-long that will be starting soon.

For the Purling Puppies Webring folks:

I had a fabulous time at the Button Box yesterday. Within ten minutes of being in the store, I was in sensory overload from the row upon row of luscious cottons! The colors--the possibilities! Definitely mind-blowing. With the much-welcomed assistance of a staff member, I selected a fairly simple patchwork vest pattern. She suggested that I first sew up a dummy vest to make sure I get the proper size. (The pattern is for sizes 6-18.) That's a terrific idea, because I can be hard to fit as far as tops are concerned. (I'm tall, but am small-boned from the waist up and have narrow shoulders, not to mention my small bust.) So I bought 3/4 yard of a material that feels a bit like mesh interfacing. It is marked lightly with a grid of 1" squares. I got dizzy from the prospect of selecting the seven or eight different fabrics for the vest, so I browsed a bit and decided to postpone fabric selection for a later date. I did, however, find one fuschia-print batik that has royal blue and navy blue elements. As one of the central fabrics, it will make a smashing vest. And that was it.

In the late afternoon, Sophie and I puzzled over the pattern directions, and though I know I can do it, I realized that since I have done absolutely no sewing in 24 years, and have not used the sewing machine in 25 or 26 years, that I should start with a simple, simple project.

This morning I had fun poring over the Simplicity website and found a perfect pattern. We desperately need new placemats for the dining room table, so I think I'll make a holiday table-runner and coordinated placemats. I should be able to manage that! I'll stop by the Fabric Place soon.

2004-10-21T20:50:00.000-04:00

Here's the photo of the chenille sweater from the Fall 2004 Knitter's Magazine which I discussed yesterday. I'm now in the process of searching for the lowest price on the Lion Brand chenille. I'm thinking maybe a deep red. The model's blasted hair covers the collar, so that it's not possible to get a good look at it, but I can imagine it from the pattern directions.

I have to go to the library in Wellesley tomorrow, which is nestled right next to Needham. That means I'll make a beeline to Needham Center on the way home and stop in at the Button Box Quilt Shop to see if they have any patterns or ideas in the patchwork vest department. Right across the street from the Button Box is Black Sheep Knitting Company. I had a fun visit there in early September when I bought the Berrocco Medley yarn for the scarf I knitted on vacation. Also in Needham is the Creative Warehouse. I hear they have an excellent and comprehensive selection of yarns. But timewise I'd be really pushing it to try to get over there, too.

2004-10-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

I came home from the gym exhausted and flopped on the couch with a cup of hot darjeeling once I put the groceries away. (I attribute the fatigue to my withdrawal from my customary Starbucks Tazo Chai Latte, which I usually consume after each workout. Not to go off on a tangent or anything, but I'm trying to save money. My three times a week habit has been costing me $40/month, and I thought, wouldn't the money be better spent on yarn and fabric?)

Back to the important stuff. I picked up the Fall issue of Knitter's Magazine and fell in love with the boxy velvet chenille cardigan featured toward the back of the issue. Boxy jackets and tops look great on me, and I really like the styling of the pattern. The pattern lists Lion Brand Thick & Quick Chenille as the yarn. Does anyone know how this chenille rates for quality, durability, colorfastness? Actually any thoughts you might have on your experience with it would be interesting. Are there other chenille brands that I should consider?

2004-10-19T18:16:00.000-04:00

I had to rid my computer of a worm this afternoon, and while updates to several virus protection programs were scanning all my files, I curled up with Sophie and my knitting on the couch. I worked on the three-block pattern pullover sweater. I keep working and working and still haven't finished the back. Anyway, Sophie and I listened to The Sunday Philosophy Club on CD. I was so lucky to get it from the library--it's so hard to get new books, especially new sound recordings.

I was so at peace. My snoozing pooch at my side, the needles and yarn in my lap, and the quiet struggles of Isabel Dalhousie, the philosophical heroine of Alexander McCall Smith's new mystery series. This is the first I've read of Smith's books; I think I was drawn to it because of the Edinburgh setting. This is no fast-paced thriller, but a gentle ride through a picturesque landscape with interesting characters and a mildly puzzling mystery. Very soothing for the nerves, even if a young man does fall off a theater balcony in the first chapter. I didn't find out until the middle of chapter 9 that Isabelle is in her mid-40s. The reader helps to lend this impression, since she is an older sixtyish woman. But Isabelle does lead rather a subdued life for a single contemporary woman. Yet I'm enjoying the book immensely. I was sorry to have to go back to the computer!

2004-10-17T20:46:00.000-04:00

Excavating in closets can be so much fun. I had no idea I had all this yarn left over from a sweater I knit decades ago. (The sweater has long since met its grave.)The yarn's been lurking in Massachusetts dark closets ever since, following me from Harvard (the town, not the university) to Swampscott to Leominster to Milton and finally to Canton exactly 15 years ago. (We celebrate 15 years in this house tomorrow.) And the yarn is beautiful! It's shetland wool in a sport weight--about 5 ounces all together. Will that do a striped hat maybe? I hope so!

Okay, here's the ancient sewing machine I was talking about. It's in remarkably good shape, considering its age. This is in large part because I did very little sewing after three years from the time I bought it. It has shared the same closet space with the yarn. It's working fine, all oiled up from its tune-up. But as I practiced using it today, refamiliarizing myself with all its features, I realized I don't have a clue what to make first. Nor do I have any idea how I'll proceed. I think I'd like to make a vest. A wild vest. Beyond this scrap of knowledge, I'm clueless. Maybe I should go to the Fabric Place next weekend and search for a pattern. To tell the truth, I'd really love to make a patchwork vest. Do I head for a quilting store or the fabric store?

2004-10-15T19:55:00.000-04:00

Friday late afternoon! An entire weekend ahead. Ken is working all day tomorrow, so I'm free to do whatever I like. I have so many projects looming that I don't know where to start first. And, since we're at peak foliage around here, I've got to get outside with Sophie and maybe with the camera, too.

I sold the humungous dollhouse this week, which Ken and I built about four years ago. It was stored in our dining room and has been lurking there like an enormous albatross. It is now gone, to a ten-year-old with a love of interior design, and so I have room to sew in there. I just got my sewing machine back from its tune-up, so I'm ready to roll. Since I haven't done any sewing since--can I admit it--1979, I've got to start at the beginning. Haul the machine manual out and start with step 1. I'm scratching my head to think of what would make a good first sewing project. I'll search online, perhaps at the bookstore and the library. Because I've been sprucing up the domicile, maybe I'll try a pillow or two. Machine patchwork sounds fabulous, but maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.

As far as knitting goes, I'm zooming ahead on the winter hat in the blue Cascade wool. I have no decent hat at this point, and frigid mornings will be here in November.I'm going to need it when I'm off on those early hikes with Sophie.

The photo for today, which I managed to mangle, is a sock I'm knitting with Fortissima Colori yarn. I really love the soft, smooth feel of the knitted product. They will be really nice. I know people recommend using reinforcing thread for the heel. Is this a special kind of thread I need to buy?

I'm really loving all my domestic activity--such a switch from my writing business. And such a switch for me after all these years when I didn't entertain a domestic thought one second longer than absolutely necessary. But I do get pinpricked with the thought that I'm supposed to be concentrating on expanding my business now, what with Ken leaving his day job to do his own business fulltime.

2004-10-12T21:35:00.000-04:00

I was going to be clever and think of a cute caption for this photo, but it's getting to be time for me to cook dinner and my brain won't go there! Sophie is very leery of the camera flash, so we catch some intriguing expressions when we snap her picture indoors.

In knitting news, I have started the hat I'm making for winter walking. I'm using Cascade yarn in a worsted weight (maybe all Cascade is that weight, I don't know) and it is a beautiful blue, the darkish blue of October skies. I'm concerned about the gauge again. Medium is the only women's size given, which describes the size of my head. The problem is the gauge. I need needles that are between 7 and 8 to make the gauge. This in-between stuff has been happening to me alot lately. Since my size 7 needles are already being employed on the sweater, I'll do it on eights and I'll try not to be too loose. I guess I'll have to see how that works. After all, I can always rip it out.

Purling Puppy webring folks! Read about the new novel The Dog Walker on my other blog.

2004-10-07T09:56:00.000-04:00

And here is the back of the sweater that I have had to rip out twice, hoping that the third try will bring me success. The problem? I have gauge issues, which I discussed at length in a previous post.

I'm not wild about how this color is working with the pattern. It's what Sally Melville calls the three-block pattern, as featured in The Purl Stitch, which is a great book by the way. The yarn color doesn't show off the pattern well, in my opinion. I'm not even wild about the color in the first place. I bought it at the Snow Goose in Milton, which was my first stop after discovering that after twenty-five years, I desperately needed to knit again. I spent an hour searching and searching for a sweater pattern and was anxious to select a yarn and get going. This color in the Reynolds Lite Lopi was the only one they had that looked great with my coloring. It's fine, but since I'm into vibrant colors, this denim heather is just too much of a slate-gray for my tastes.

Debate Knitting

2004-10-05T19:55:00.000-04:00

I'm ready for tonight's Edwards-Cheney debate but have not settled on which knitting project will share the limelight. The back of the three-block pattern sweater is about half done, but I also have the Fortissima Colori blue-tones socks going. Last weekend on my domestic binge, I added additional lighting to my evening knitting spot. Now I can actually see well enough to be working on size 1 needles, so perhaps I'll knit the socks tonight.

I got a call from the library saying that Knitter's Stash is in. If you check it out on Amazon, you'll be able to browse through the book. Turning the pages makes it hard for me to wait until tomorrow to pick it up.

Knitter's Breakfast

2004-10-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

After a an adventurous Saturday, Sophie and I are relaxing on her favorite piece of furniture. I'm knitting the three-block pattern sweater with Lopi Lite. I think the color is denim heather, but I'm not sure. Anyway, as I will mention just one more time, this is the third and last time I am knitting the back of this garment!

Sophie was not permitted to participate in the big excitement of the day. The Fabric Place in Randolph, 13 minutes away and probably too close for the safety of my financial picture, hosted a Knitter's Breakfast this morning, from 8-10 a.m. Sales people from Classic Elite Yarn were there, showing every yarn they're selling. They not only had yarn samples, but they also had at least two garments for each type of yarn they were showing. The samples were just gorgeous. I fell in love with Beatrice and Montero. I would love a sweater and hat to match in Montero and there's a beautiful set displayed in Classic Elite Yarn's Winter pattern book. But I just have to be budget-conscious right now.

There had to have been at least 75-80 women at this event, and almost everyone left with a raffle prize. I won a skein of a lovely Cascade red. So what did I buy? I sorely need a new winter hat for Sophie hiking. So I found a simple, inexpensive pattern and I bought some Cascade wool, which was on sale. The discounts were terrific. I had a flyer discount and a 20 percent discount because I attended the breakfast. I enjoyed myself immensely and I'm finding the Fabric Place just too intoxicating. I wandered into the drapery area and was so overawed that I feel compelled to make curtains! This afternoon I checked out my sewing machine just to make sure I still have it. All of this has been a welcome, cheering diversion from the things that have been worrying me at home.

Blog Play

2004-09-30T10:44:00.000-04:00

Three young alpaca, minus their fleece, after their May shearing. From Gore Mountain Farm in Weverville, New York.

About Blog Construction and Knitting, Of Course

2004-09-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

Well, it's high time I started to whip this blog into shape. I have no links yet, no photos either. What it takes is time and some mental space. Managing the time is an easier feat at this point than summoning the cognitive powers. I'm overwhelmed with home developments of an unkind nature, which puts me in a less than energetic place.

The rest of the vacation was very relaxing. As I'm sure I mentioned I'm still working on the Fortissima Colori blue-tones socks. And, for the second time I ripped out the back of the pullover sweater I'm making that's in the three-block pattern. It's the gauge that has had me so impossibly messed up.

When I started knitting it, I hadn't been knitting in over twenty years. My stitches were fairly loose, so I had to go down two sizes in needles to compensate. Yet, wouldn't you know, as I've done more and more knitting, my stitches have tightened up, and with it, the need to change needles again. Rip, rip, rip. The other problem is that my body size fits in between the women's small and medium. Small is bust size 32-34, and medium is 36-38. I'm just a hair under 35. So, this may be irrational reasoning, but I have decided to knit the women's small using size 7 needles, the needles the pattern calls for. I'm going to try it. If I have to rip it out again, I will give up the ghost.

I am dying to buy a skein of Skacel Trekking "Crazy" yarn in one of the new fall colors labeled #28. It's a mixture of burgundy, royal blue, burnt sienna, olive green, and one other color. One skein averages about $13.00, and I hate shelling out the shipping costs. Yet the only store I've found that has #28 is online, where I must pay a $7 shipping charge. Maybe I should try calling all the yarn stores in the Boston area and see if one has it.

I realize that so far I'm the only one reading this blog. Must pretty it up before I try to gather in readers.

Good Afternoon from Raquette Lake

2004-09-16T18:30:00.000-04:00

Today is Ken's birthday and we're having a wee adventure driving around the Adirondacks. We stopped for coffee and pastry in Long Lake and wondered whether to post from a cybercafe there, of all things. But it was five dollars for 15 minutes, and I decided not to. So now I'm in Raquette Lake for the first time--what a huge, gorgeous lake and lo and behold, we stumbled upon a small library.

We're going to have dinner at Ken's favorite Adirondacks restaurant, Chili Nights, in Indian Lake.

I knit the second sock like crazy yesterday and will be doing the heel tonight.

Our most exciting adventure yesterday was a visit to Gore Mountain Farm, an alpaca farm, in Wevertown. We had a delightful, long visit with all the alpacas, which are such beautiful animals. Long, strong, furry necks. The fleece is so soft! I bought several skeins of a light brown yarn made from their own fleece. Maybe it will make a hat or mittens.

Adventures in the North Country

2004-09-15T14:45:00.000-04:00

Last night I finished my very first sock! And, miracle of miracles, it fits my foot beautifully. By some accident of fate, it is a custom fit. Ken suggested that I start knitting the other sock right away before I forget how to turn the heel and knit the gusset. So last night I started right in, and horror of horrors, I'm now knitting much, much tighter than when I began the first sock. Would ripping it out and starting again on size three needles instead of size two help? Would ripping it out and consciously trying to knit more loosely help? Who knows? There are too many variables here. Anyway, the finished sock is going to be a terrific boot sock. I wish I had a way to load a photo of it today, but being far from home makes this impossible. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I used the sport-weight Reggia multi-colored yarn--reds, pinks, navy blue, magenta, and lavender. A little strange, but I love crazy socks.

So how did I learn to turn the heel? David, the owner of Morningside Camps and Cottages, suggested that I visit Betty in Olmstedville, which I did on Sunday. Her shop was full and she was very busy, so she called her friend Diane McNally down the road. Diane asked me to come over and I did. Such hospitality among knitters! She interrupted her lawn mowing to show me how to do it and I was extremely grateful. Diane is a fifth grade teacher and a veteran knitter. She says she finds knitting a great way to relax. In the evenings, she has her knitting and her husband has his remote, she says.

I'm dying to visit an alpaca farm nearby in Wevertown. Evidently they sell yarn and clothing made from the wool of their alpaca herd.

I've been having an incredible time paddling on the lake. Yesterday was probably the most beautiful morning since we've arrived. I luxuriated in the warm sun and paddled and meditated in glorious solitude. Perfection!

Hello from North Creek

2004-09-10T15:02:00.000-04:00

Well, we made it! At this moment, I don't know what the date of my previous post is, but it should be September 8, the day we left for the North Country. Since we arrived, it has been raining, but fortunately this morning the rain had stopped, and now it is sunny. Yippee! I want to take the Hornbeck boat out this afternoon on the lake.

And yes, through all the rain I've been knitting away. I have become hopelessly stuck on my very first sock. Yes, the owner of Black Sheep Knitting Company showed me the way, but now that I'm on my own, I'm lost again. I need to be shown again--one more time. Rats! I hear that Betty at Lemon Potpourri in Olmstedville sells yarn and knows how to knit. Perhaps I should call on her soon.

In the meantime, I'm knitting the Berrocco Medley yarn, the scrumptious red and brown multi-colored stuff, into a scarf. I've done about seven inches on size 11 needles and it's going to be beautiful. That settles my angst about the sock some.

We're Off!

2004-09-08T08:58:00.000-04:00

Ken and I will be launched to the Adirondacks by nine this morning. I can't wait to be there. North Country Public Radio says it's going to rain up there today and tomorrow, but it looks like we'll have sun on Friday. We'll curl up with books on Thursday then and visit North Creek to buy the food we didn't bring with us.

I visited Black Sheep Knitting Company in Needham, Massachusetts, yesterday morning in between scads of errands. I love it there, despite the fact it's a small shop. Great atmosphere, lots of women knitting away toward the back of the store, and very well-organized, which I appreciate. The owner of the shop helped me out by showing me how to turn the heel of my very first sock. I reciprocated by buying yarn for a scarf to go with my favorite item of clothing--the brown leather jacket that Ken bought me for Valentine's Day. The yarn is a mixture of autumn colors--orange reds, greens, brown, with traces of blue, gold, reds, and purples. (Berroco Medley) Color #8924. I can't wait to knit it up! I also appreciated that the store had all the latest fall knitting magazines. I couldn't resist buying Interweave Knits and Knitter's News.

I hope to post while I'm on vacation by finding my way to the public library in the North Creek area. So stay tuned!

Return to Knitsville

2004-09-04T07:40:00.000-04:00

On a Saturday in early August, Ken and I wandered into the Starbucks that's a stone's throw from our gym for our post-workout ritual tazo chai latte (me) and Java Chip Frappucino (Ken). There on the big, comfy sofa were two women companionably knitting away.
It was a Eureka! moment. Suddenly I knew what I desperately needed and wanted. After a 25-year hiatus, I needed to knit! Within a few days, I was on my way to The Snow Goose in East Milton, Massachusetts, to find a project. I settled on a sweater featured in Sally Melville's The Knitting Experience: Book 2--The Purl Stitch. Called "To-the-Cottage Pullover," I selected a Reynolds Lopi slate-gray yarn and I was off and knitting.