Historic Fibers

Inheritance

Today I would like to honor another knitter who has passed away. Her name was Bygee Lockett, and she was my aunt’s sister-in-law. She died before we went to Montana, and while we were there, her brother, my uncle, was clearing out her apartment. I only met her a couple of times and don’t really know much about her. But she left some knitting needles and yarn, which I inherited. She also left a finished project, a lacy top that I imagine was intended to be worn over a turtleneck or camisole:

There were several rows of garter stitch still on the needles that were intended to be another top. I’m planning on repurposing these projects to become bed jackets for my retirement home project. It is soft, pretty yarn that is machine washable and I think it will be perfect for this intended use. I’m sure Bygee would have been pleased to know that her yarn was put to good use, and made other people happy. Isn't that what we, as knitters, all want?

Kitty Beds in a Fix

I talked yesterday about how my kitty beds came up short in the diameter department, and here's how I figured that out. I plopped the bed on a flat surface and made it into a flat "pancake". Then I measured the diameter of the pancake:

This is variegated kitty bed #2, and the white stripe is a measuring tape stubbornly recording its diamter at 24 inches instead of the desired 28 inches. So the gauge for this yarn is 3 stitches to the inch, and I need another 4 inches - 12 stitches. So I will rip back to row 24 after the last increase row (there are 144 stitches at this point), and increase 1 stitch every 12 stitches , giving me 12 more stitches increased. Then I will continue as directed in the pattern, after figuring my row gauge to make sure I end up with approximately the correct depth.

For the coral kitty bed, the diameter fell 10 inches short. The stitch gauge is 2.5 stitches to the inch, so I'll need to increase approximately 25 stitches. So again I will rip back to row 24 after the last increase row (again, 144 stitches at this point) and increase 1 stitch every 6 stitches, for a total of 24 stitches increased. Again I will figure the row gauge to calculate how many more rows to knit before the decreases.

I know this is boring math and makes no sense if you aren't making the pattern yourself, but I'm hoping that some of you are "knitting along" and can check my logic! Am I doing this correctly?

Providential

As you know, I have been knitting kitty beds feverishly trying to help out Petfinders in their effort to find homes for adult kitties. One list member reported an instance of cosmic significance – a former co-worker dropped by her office and gave her –out of the blue – the perfect yarn and needles for this project! I had a similar, although less interesting, incidence. I had some Online Linie Plush eyelash yarn that I put up for sale on Ebay, and it didn’t sell. When this project came up, I had identified some gorgeous deep coral Lopi yarn – not quite red but not quite orange – that I thought would be perfect. Wouldn’t you know the Plush that didn’t sell works perfectly with the Lopi and adds a wonderful embellishment. Here’s the pre-felted bed and the yarn:

I encountered a slight hitch in this project – my prefelted bed didn’t quite measure up to the desired parameters. So I’ll need to rip back several rows and do some increases, and I'll talk about that more tomorrow.

I also started another bed out of some vintage Scheepjes Pintura in variegated forest green, rust, taupe, and brown, and here it is on the needles. I had the same problem with this bed – I’ll need to go back and add some increases to get the desired diameter. I have test swatched this yarn and it felts to a really lovely thick, warm fabric, so I’m excited to see how it turns out. This is a quick and easy pattern, and I love adding the eyelash border. It’s sort of a reward at the very end to see that fluffy border develop. I may keep this particular kitty bed since it coordinates well with my living room, but I have identified several other yarns in the stash that I would like to work into kitty beds, so we’ll see which ones I keep and which ones I donate. The decision rests on home décor.

Lastly, I had an almost Providential encounter yesterday as I was cleaning out old shampoo bottles that had accumulated under the sink in an effort to make some space. I upended a bottle and saw the word "HOPE" on the underside. "It's an omen! It's a sign! " I was thinking to myself. Maybe I WILL finish my dissertation on time! Maybe I WILL become gainfully employed sooner rather than later! The light shifted, and I saw that the message really said, "HDPE," identifying the type of plastic that the bottle was made of. So much for providence.

Who’s Got the Button?

I do! Cheddar and Cinder (their actual names) also have nicknames. What’s a pet without a pet name? Cheddar is called Boo, and I have no real explanation except I used to call him “baby” until he got really big, and “Boo” is kind of a derivative of “baby.” Cinder is called Button (as in Cute as a Button, or Bright as a Button). Cinder did very well at Dr. Canton’s last week. She is a bit nervous, and I was concerned that we would have to corner her to let him examine her, but she was fine. The doc said that she seems to have the very early stages of the virus, so management is pretty simple at this point. Eye drops twice a day, no big deal. Poor thing, she was so obviously surprised and grateful to come back home. She popped her head out of the carrier and looked around in astonishment. She honestly must have thought we were taking her away somewhere and leaving her, as if we could do without our Button! I knit furiously on my kitty bed in gratitude for my healthy kitties!

Treasured

My long-awaited Barbara Walker Treasuries arrived, and here they are in all their glory:

I am a bit overwhelmed by all the splendid patterns just waiting to be tried. A couple of things surprised me, just on flipping through them. For one, I never really thought about using slip-stitch patterns for texture. I've mainly heard people praising this method as a way of doing color patterns without the stress of trying to carry two colors. I was also struck with how much some of the slip-stitch color patterns resembled Latin American textiles, and am ruminating on other types of patterns that could be worked with this method. And finally, I'm fairly amazed at how many of these stitch patterns I have seen used in various designs. It seems that many designers turn to Barbara Walker for inspiration. Several patterns were familiar to me from sock designs, and even the zig-zag stitch from the Cotton Candy scarf I am making is right there in Barbara Walker. The possibilities, it seems, are endless, and I feel very fortunate to have finally reached a place where I could own these books. Happy birthday, indeed.

Changing My Tune

Okay, I've been slightly snotty about Knitalongs in the past - not really offensive, I hope, but I just didn't think they were my cup of tea. Until I joined one. I've mentioned before that I joined the Six Sox Knitalong, and I must say it has been a pretty good experience overall. As far as I'm concerned, Knitalongs are good for a couple of things: 1) It's a way to FORCE me to knit something for myself, and it makes me accountable for getting them done in the timely fashion (I have finished 2 pairs of socks for myself since joining this group); 2) It's a great way to learn more about knitting. I've learned about all kinds of different heel styles and techniques for sock knitting that I never would have been exposed to otherwise. That said, things that irritate me about knitalongs are the deluge of emails when people have figured out the pattern, or finished the project. 10 posts in a row saying "I know what I'm doing now," or "I'm finished!" is just annoying, although I do understand that people are excited when they have made progress and want to crow a little bit.

So I've joined a couple of new knitalongs. Yes, I'm a convert. First off, I joined the "Cables 101" Knitalong whereby we will knit a gorgeous cabled vest featured in Janet Szabo's "Twists and Turns." I'll be using some vintage Ballybrae that has been in the stash for a while, and I'm looking forward to it. Maybe I'll overcome my fear of knitting sweaters for myself by doing a sleeveless version first.

And secondly, the fabulous Wendy is starting a kitty bed knitalong, with the finished kitty beds to be donated to Petfinders to aid them in adopting out senior kitties. A great project AND a great cause! They even have a Yahoo Group where all the kitty bed knitters can commiserate. I have some deep coral-colored Lopi that would make a smashing kitty bed, although I know Cinder will be wanting one too. She'll have to wait a little bit for hers.

I'm such a fan of animal-related causes. Our local animal shelter does a great service and doesn't receive nearly enough funding for the work that they do. I'm so grateful for our two cats that we adopted from them, and wish we could have a houseful. Unfortunately, Cheddar has a feline herpes virus that affects his eyes (Cinder may have been the carrier for the virus even though she wasn't showing any symptoms, since Cheddar didn't have symptoms until she came), and the result is that we can't have any more cats because they would be exposed to the virus. Cheddar is doing great - he has his own cat ophthalmologist (yes, they really do exist!) who has him on a very effective course of treatment, and he's in fantastic shape. Cinder has just started exhibiting some troubling symptoms along these lines, so she goes and visits our beloved Dr. Canton tomorrow for the first time. I'm hoping she doesn't have the active virus and it's something simple, but we're old pros if she does need the several-times-a-day course of daily eye drops. Despite the virus, both cats will have long and happy lives with the proper treatment.

Yes, the cat ophthalmologist is expensive, and his office is a good long drive from where we live. I sort of felt sorry for myself at first when we were dealing with this, but then I read an article about Dr. Canton in the local paper. Someone found a kitten abandoned in a shopping cart of a local supermarket wrapped in a plastic bag (can you imagine???). The kitten had the feline herpes virus in both eyes, and was so far gone that it was already blind in one eye. Dr. Canton took over treatment of the kitten for free, and made sure the poor baby found a supportive home. After that, I never again complained about how much it cost or how far we had to drive to see him. What a guy. And if part of our fees go to subsidize the care of other animals in need, all the better.

Anyway, if you love animals and want to help some older kitties find a happy new home, think about joining the Knitalong, and I'll see you there!

Spicy Scarf

Here's yet another in-progress Christmas gift, a scarf I am working on:

The pattern is the Cotton Candy scarf from the Fall 2004 Knitter's, although I couldn't abide the pale pink yarn that was used for the original. This is Berroco Uxbridge Tweed in Pumpkin Spice (the color is more spice than pumpkin). It's the perfect project for train knitting. I also think this pattern would make a darned nice potholder, so I'll keep that in mind. It's nice and thick and cushy - perfect for protecting my precious hands from the pizza stone that often lives in our oven. But it's a nice scarf pattern, too.

Between this scarf and the second mitten I need to make, I also need to make a pair of gift socks, knit another slip-stitch hat and pair of mittens, finish the evening bag that uses the cursed Fonty Serpentine yarn that hurts my hands - oh, and make the hat to match the scarf. I'd better get busy - this will take quite a few train trips!

Knittin' Mittens

I finished one of the mittens I made to match the slip-stitch hat. Yes, I REALLY finished it - all ends woven in, I'm happy to report!

I am especially proud of the purple/blue stripes at the cuff, because I knit them carrying two colors, one in the left hand and one in the right. It's the first time I've managed to pull off that particular bit of coordination, and it was very exciting. PLUS, I did the purple thumb using the intarsia-in-the-round technique, also a first for me. Even though I haven't done a darned thing on my Master Knitters swatches, I have been thinking about them and trying to incorporate new techniques that I know will come up sooner or later in the program. Now if I can only make a matching second mitten, I will feel truly accomplished!

Summer Turns to Fall

We had our first rain of the season yesterday, and it upset the cats considerably. At least it unsettled Cheddar, who demanded attention pretty much nonstop. Here he is, hiding behind the liriopes thinking, "Say it isn't so! Make the rain stop!"

Cinder slept through most of it.

Thanks for all the advice on luxury yarn. Perhaps not surprisingly, the hands-down winner is Koigu, so Koigu it will be. I even wove in some ends this weekend as a way of appeasing my growing discomfort with the number of works in progress I have going on at the moment. Most of them are Christmas gifts. But I'll be going on the train today to the Bay Area to work with one of my professors on a project, so I'll have some knitting time there, and I'll need to make the same trip countless times this year to do dissertation research, so it will be good progress on all fronts. Time to knit and meditate on the dissertation, and time to research.

I love the quiet of fall and winter as we all turn inward to the comfort of home . . . and our needles!

Luxury Advice

I want to give a gift to a fellow knitter, and I want to give some luxury yarn. When it comes to personal yarn purchases, I tend to be budget conscious. But as a gift, I want to give really special yarn - maybe just in a small, scarf-type quantity (I still have a budget, after all). So here are the options I am considering: Koigu, Lorna's Laces, Alchemy, or Manos del Uruguay (love the colors). Which would you want to receive as a gift? Or would you prefer something else?