What I Have Been Doing

For the last week and a half, I have pretty much dropped everything droppable to work on preparing swatches and sketches for a design proposal with an April 6 deadline. The process has involved:

- some flipping through magazines, catalogs and websites to try to get a feel for what's current in the way of garment silhouettes. (I know the classics. I'm not always up on the trends.)

- doodling several pages of "concept" sketches, with somewhat general notions of possible pattern stitches, construction and finishing methods; taking skill level needed into account (this particular proposal is for beginner-intermediate level projects); also taking into account that these will need to be graded for several sizes (how long are the pattern repeats?), also taking into account the question of how difficult will it be to write comprehensible instructions.

- swatching and ripping and swatching and ripping to develop pattern stitch combinations/edge treatments/construction and to check their finished appearance and behavior. (Discard some ideas along the way-try different ones).

- washing and blocking final versions of swatches for presentation.

- preparing finished sketches with notes about style, construction, yarn used and possible substitute yarns.

I ended up with five pattern possibilities. I would have liked to have had more, but these need to go in the mail by Monday (from here, even Priority Mail can take up to three days), and I still have one finished sketch to go, a cover letter/formal proposal to compose, copies to make of everything. So between an appointment with the accountant today, a social engagement tonight, work at the library tomorrow.... All I can say is, it's a good thing the weather has been rather cold and damp. Not too much temptation to go out and wander in the yard, even though I know the weeds are going to town.

Good News

Denise from Quebec emailed me to say:

"I recently phoned the toll-free number at Taunton Press and was told by a customer service representative that Taunton was in the process of negotiating a reprint of Knitting Lace with Susanna Lewis.

After that, a woman on a lace knitting list I subscribe to, said she was a friend of Ms. Lewis and that Ms. Lewis was having her book reprinted."

So there is hope, hooray!

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I saw a report, unconfirmed and possibly erroneous, the the Harmony Guides are going to go out of print, or maybe they will stay in print but not be distributed in the U.S. At any rate, that was enough to nudge me into ordering one I don't have. At least I hope it is one I don't have. I picked up the second volume years ago. Since then the series has been re-issued, and what I own looks like what is currently the third volume. So I ordered something that looks like what I don't have, even though it is listed as the second volume. We will see...

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As you can see from the picture up top, the pussy willows are out. Of course, most of the pussys are about 9 feet from the ground, so I couldn't get a picture with more than one branch. I have always loved pussy willows. This one grows in our yard, but when I was a child (and it was safe for young children to roam unsupervised for hours with a friend), I used to go down by the lake, among the reeds and cattails, and find them and delight in bringing home such treasure.

The crocus are at their peak. There are clumps of yellow and white, as well as more purple, scattered around the yard. They may not last more than another day or two, with such warm weather (high 70's). But the daffodils are starting to form flower buds, and the tulips have their leaves up. The hot weather won't last. Spring is such a tease. My neighbor, who is pushing 80, says that her father always said "The frogs have to freeze back three times before it's spring."

I heard the frogs - loudly - singing the other night. So just a couple more freezes to go.

Plodding Along

Gypsy Girl shawl in progress

That heading sounds as if this were tedious or boring, which it is not. But it is painstaking, especially as the arrangement of the motifs in the center section keeps changing. And I am trying to "read" the knitting carefully as I go, because at the width I've reached I don't even want to think about ripping back. So it takes a lot of concentration. Which means I have to be in the right mood, and have a clear block of time with no possibility of interruption before I pick it up. Question to self: can I have it done by June 1?

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The latest issue of "Creative Knitting magazine arrived the other day. It's probably unsophisticated to admit this, but I kind of like the publication. It seems to be aimed at beginning to intermediate knitters with the intention of bringing them along in their skills/techniques, and I think it does a pretty good job of this.

There are always lots of projects that I wouldn't dream of knitting (though I have to say this often holds true for "Knitter's" and IK as well). But this month's cover sweater ain't bad.

And I fairly often come across a stitch pattern or detail that gives me ideas.

The photos don't qualify as "eye candy", but they usually give you a very clear idea of the garment construction.

There are always good schematics. Though I do wish they would chart their lace patterns more often.

There is generally an article introducing the basics of a technique (this month it's Kitchner Stitch)

One feature that I wish the "big guns" would copy: The last page of each issue is made up of thumbnail photos of all the projects in the issue, keyed with page numbers. Boy, does this make looking for something in back issues easy.

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I still haven't decided what to do with my ball of nice grey alpaca from the Argyle Fiber Mill. Maybe a hat? Maybe with a lace pattern on the crown? I stopped by the Mill yesterday, and they have expanded the color range on the alpaca to include a very pretty cream, camel, brown range. Tempting.

My excuse for not writing much lately

Last week was busier than some. Wednesday I spent most of the day with Mom in Madison, taking her in for some medical tests, than going to lunch and taking her shopping. A little of the week was spent on Women's Club follow up. But mostly I have spent almost every free moment in the yard.

I have lots and lots of spring bulb starting to come up. But they have been trying to push their way through a mat of last year's fallen leaves, sticks, and weeds. So I have been clearing away, pulling, and cutting back the remaining perennial stalks that block the view. This is always one of the most gratifying tasks of the garden year. It's like greeting old friends and a new birth at the same time. (I'm not so fond of the dandelions springing forth, but at least they are fairly easy to pull while they are still small and the ground is muddy and soft.)

The little patch of crocus above is the first to bloom. But the daffodils and tulips won't be too far behind. I'm about half way through the clearance project. The old hips and knees are stiffer than they used to be. So far, I have a blood blister on my thumb and a largish splinter. I can hardly wait to get outside again.

Updated to add: I just spotted the first robin in the yard. I was a good girl and made myself finish the latest entry on the Slip Stitch project. Now I am so out the door...

Cultivating Virtue

It is said that patience is a virtue. The Mr. S. scarf is giving me the opportunity to work on that aspect of my character.

Firstly, because it has given me a number of occasions to pick back rows. Let's face it, the pattern stitch is repetitive enough that the mind tends to wander just a bit. At the same time, it requires enough attention that a wandering mind can produce a row out of place. Fortunately, it is easy enough to "read" that I've not had to pick back more than 3 rows, and mostly I caught the goofs at one row or less.

Secondly, because as I got closer and closer to the end of the yarn, it was verrrry tempting to say "What the heck, that's long enough," and bind it off then and there. But I persisted until I had only this much yarn left.



And I hope I am a better person for it. (In truth, I probably could have squeaked out one more repeat, ah well....)

Now for a trip through the washer and dryer.....

in Just -

spring when the world is mud-

lucious....
(from e.e. cummings)




No knitting today. It's fifty-five degrees, and I only have a few hours between work at the library and Women's Club meeting. I'm going to spend them in the yard.

Of course, wise Wisconsinites know that we could still have another blizzard before the end of March. But who cares? The daffodils shoots are arising.