Hooking at the Met

So here we are. Running behind. But then I'm running in so many places right now, why shouldn't behind would be one of them.

Before I play catch-up with yesterday's adventures, there are two things I want to address. First, sorry no WIPs today because other than the socks, which you've seen, and the crochet, which you are about to see, I haven't gotten much done. And don't know if I will (although I'd like to get the Monogram side of the Be My Love pillow done by the end of the week.)

Second, and this one is really exciting, so exciting that even Mommy, the anti-knitter was impressed. I received the following comment from Annie Modesitt in Ravelry yesterday regarding my Backyard Leaves (Ravelry) photo.

You did SUCH a beautiful job - thank you!

Would it be okay if I used this photo for a class submission for a fiber fest? It’s such an excellent photo of the tips of the leaves...

Thanks!
Annie

Can I just say Super Squee!!!

Ok, now back to the Wednesday edition of Crochet Day Tuesday...

So, yesterday Mommy and I went into Manhattan. We walked over to the Public Library


and walked up lots of steps, up to the reading room which had these cool ceilings.


But mostly we were there to go to the Met. Mostly to see the Super Heroes exhibition. Which, unfortunately, mostly left me disappointed. Which was really a shame because I LOVED AngloMania two summers ago.

It was good, just not great. And sorry, no pics. It's the one exhibition where cameras were forbidden.

We caught up with a docent tour and hung out for a bit. I also snapped some pics from the Greek room. One of my friends is teaching Greek mythology now and I thought she might be able to use them somehow. (I loved Greek mythology as a kid. Used to sit and read through all the myths. Came in handy when I had to read all those tragedies in University. Some day I'll tell you about the wicked MedeaMaterial, by Heiner Muller, that I directed.)

This is a terracotta hydria (water jar) depicting the abduction of Persephone by Hades.

And this is a statue of Perseus after cutting off Medusa's head.


But enough of those Greeks. This is Black Iris by Georgia O'Keeffe which reminded a bit of something I have at home...



Here is the portrait Don Manuel Osorio de Zuniga by Goya, but I prefer to think of it as that famous picture of the little boy in red.

And here is Two Young Girls at the Piano by Renoir. Not one of my Renoir favorites (which I have had the privilege of seeing a room full of at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and this beauty at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.)


And here is where I finally got to sit a while...

and relax.

Then it was back to Midtown for a late lunch at Cafe K.

The weather was absolutely disgusting, by the way. 85° and horribly humid. I snapped this picture of Mommy against Time Square as we walked back to the Port Authority Bus Station.

Thunder and lightening were not far behind and the heavens opened just as the bus headed for home.

And if you really need more crochet content there is this:

This is a dark purple piece being knit from Lion Brand Microspun.

Can I just say how much I hate this yarn. Splitty, splitty, splitty. Ugh!

The Schachenmayr nomotta Micro is only a bit better. If I'd known about sock yarn when I started this, it would have been way different. Speaking of which, Shawnee left a comment after last Tuesday's blog which sparked a great idea. A truly one-of-a-kind scarf made up from bits of left over sock yarn. This scarf may take years to complete but I'm in no rush. Here are the first few pieces. Can you identify the original socks?


And finally, here is quick recap of where the Windchime Blues is holding. (click to enlarge)





Total pieces needed 69 rectangles and 12 discs

green=complete
lavender=complete
pale blue=complete
violet=missing 3
aqua=missing 3
periwinkle=missing 8 + 2 discs
dk purple=missing 9 + 2 discs

Rainy Days and the Blues

It's raining. Again. It's May and I've barely seen the sun. This is something I'm not quite used to. Weather in Jerusalem is in the 80's and 90's. Sometimes change is difficult. Sometimes it's good. With all the sock madness threatening to short circuit my brain I decided a little crochet might be in order. First order of business, tying up loose ends.

First, Windchime Blues. I started this in Jerusalem, before I even dreamed of knitting socks, let alone become addicted to them and the dreamy yarns used to make them.

The picture above is the the cover of VK's On the Go: Crocheted Scarves, and is what inspired me to buy the book. This is by far my favorite pattern offered. In fact, if I'd been living in the US I would have checked the book out from the library instead of buying it. Nevertheless, I was taken with this scarf and had to make it. A dearth of sock yarns at my Jerusalem LYS propelled me to buy Schachenmayr nomotta Micro for this pattern. And except for the fact the it is quite splitty, I'm pretty happy with it. The pattern calls for Koigu Premium. That's the same stuff I just received for my birthday. And if I was starting this now, I'd definitely be using this or some other squishy sock yarn. But as much as I like the way this is shaping up, obviously a project that has been snoozing for almost a year isn't begging for a second chance. Or rather a third since there is a pink, red and yellow version of this too.

The pile is building up and another day or two of pure crocheting should have all the pieces finished and then it's just seaming up all 81 pieces.


And for something a little different, the cover pattern of VK's On the Go: Crocheted Scarves 2


I decided to go with a brighter, bolder choice of colors.

And here is a first go at all the various flowers.

I Didn't Inhale

I'm still euphoric after my trip to Modern Yarn in Montclair this afternoon. This was my first time in a yarn store since I'd moved here. Last summer! And it was even more special since The Wigg-ed One took me as my birthday treat. And what a treat it was. I was intoxicated by the yarn fumes in the air, the colors, the squishy goodness. The Wigg-ed One seemed a bit like Alice, trying to figure it all out, but I was there on a mission. I stayed totally focused. Taking only an hour to gaze and squeeze in a drunken stupor at all the lovely sock yarns. I almost broke when I finally came face to face with some Malabrigo but really, this was all about sock yarn. Solid sock yarn specifically. Unfortunately there was no LL solids and I wasn't looking to increase my multi stash. (It's not that I am so seriously addicted to the LL, in fact I prefer something that knits up on a larger needle. It's just that I have these multis that I'm not using for fear of pooling. And I want solids so I can engage in my first foray into the world of stranded color work.) The search for solids goes beyond the stranded possibilities. It stems from the realization that many of the patterns I want to knit up are all about the stitch work and WANT to be knit up in a solid.

Anyway, I was almost there with the Louet Gems but I was a bit nervous after some reviews I read recently. So I went with the Koigu. Ahhh, the Koigu. My first Koigu! And of course I remembered that the camera was home once we were half way there, but fear not, because I'll be showing off my modest purchases/gifts on Friday.

But today is Wednesday and it is time to show some progress pics.

As per my arrangement, after I finished Shag I was allowed to work on one sock. And here it is. My first Monkey sock. The way things are going I may to have to wait a while before making its mate, but then I'm thinking of changing up the arrangement somewhat. And so since the project is only 50% complete, this qualifies as a WIP.


Next, I'm back to Arietta! Surprise! It's time really, isn't it? It's not that I fell out of love last fall, it's just that I needed to spread my wings a bit. Which I did. And lose some weight. Which I didn't. But I am finally starting to. Slowly, but there it is. I don't know if I will lose enough for this to fit by the Fall but I'm to finish it just the same. Then I can glance at it lovingly and know that with just a bit more work on myself it can be mine. BTW, does anyone see the mistake? Don't worry, I'll fix it before I push forward!)


Another Oldy but Goody, I've pulled Windchime Blues out of the ZZZ pile. By hook or by crook I'll get this scarf done!


And speaking of hooking, another crochet project. A flowered motif scarf knit from VK's On The Go series: Crocheted Scarves Two. This is the same Heela cotton as used for Arietta, only in brighter, bolder colors.


Tomorrow I'll share the "new arrangement" I've made with myself and layout the new structure for the blog.

Spring Sprung and Sprang away...

It's just too darn hot for my taste. It's that simple. Even after 10 years I can't get used to it. San Francisco was NEVER like this and in La Jolla May was still grey. In fact we had June Gloom to look forward to. But here, UGH! Already! Wotcha gonna do? My "little" floor fan is my best friend. I treat him with care, giving him many breaks throughout the day so his little heart (uh, motor) doesn't give out. And too often my hands sweat so I put down my knitting and plunge them into cold water...

Capecho update:
Back at work on my Capecho, although that "gotta get it done" feeling is on the wane (and I save this for the coolest moments.) Still, I am in the middle of my second Pentagon and am aiming for at least one per week, so we'll see how long it takes. Here is my first new pentagon. As planned, I made it as for 1x and on 5 mm needles. The stitch definition is MUCH better and the piece is tighter (in a good way!)


And here you can compare the new with old. It is about 1" smaller on all sides, exactly what I wanted.


Arietta update:
Despite writing to groups and looking around for a substitute, I was unable to find a deeper color for Color A. Again I remind everyone that the photo shows much BETTER definition than the real thing! And then on Wednesday it all came together. I was SERIOUSLY thinking about ordering from KnitPicks and putting the whole thing off for a while, when a friend called and offered to bring back yarn from the US. And this all occurred while at, and on the way home from, my LYS. In the mean time I had tried to look beyond the 5 individual colors and did a serious study of the color scheme. After analyzing the pattern a bit more I can explain the color choices better. There is a neutral base color (beige) then a dark with light (cream and blue) for the cool side and another, less extreme dark with light (green and copper) which feels a little warmer. Once I had this epiphany I started looking at all those yarn colors in a new light. And I found a winning combination!


It is very different than the original but I like it, and it reminds of a wonderful olive, plum dress I had as a girl. The dress sticks in my mind because I think I got to wear it only once before my mother washed it and it shrank to doll size. But oh, I did love the colors!

So here are the swatches side by side. They were both blocked, but look at the difference! First I changed from 3.5 mm needles to the 3.25 mm ones I found in my needle stash. I also remembered to garter up the edges, which probably helped. The color schemes give an entirely different feeling and I suppose mine will be good for fall, but as I said, I like it! And if I have the desire to do this all again, I may just order that KnitPicks yarn yet.



Wind Chimes scarf
I thought I would use some of the lovely cotton I have been acquiring to make this, but frankly the cotton is VERY tough on the hands (I had this problem only with the crochet, knitting is a dream,) and I didn't like the way the "dashes" were coming out. So I used some of the Schachenmayr Micro I had in my stash and was much happier with the results. Again, color choices are limited, so I couldn't get as close to the original as I would have liked, but I think this will work nicely.


I should be able to get 2 scarves out of this yarn and I have a few more colors on hold to go with the other colors I had in my stash (that one will be pinks, yellows, purple and red). I'm guessing the Wind Chimes scarf will be replacing Argosy as the present to give next year!

And finally... Several months ago I saw a picture of Nicky Epstein's Rose Felted Bag. And I went crazy trying to find the pattern (the one VK on eBay was going for some CRAZY price - I wasn't THAT desperate!) Then I learned that it was included in Nicky's new Knitted Flowers book. While the book was sitting in my virtual shopping cart I decided to Google the pattern one more time. I found two items of note. First, a review that wasn't terribly good. It said there were lots of pretty pictures but not much as far as content went. A real let down compared to Nicky's previous books. Was the price of the book worth it for this one pattern? Then, Eureka! I found Dream Weaver Yarns' website. They had the VK Winter 2004/2005 issue which the pattern had been featured in, at $5.99! So there would be no free shipping, but I got all the patterns of a VK issue (and Winter tends to be my favorite.) How exciting is that! I will do my fair share of swatching first and am considering doing Amanda's Squatty Sidekick too, (free pattern from Interweave's Knitting Daily). See, this will be my first felting project. Not only can't you find yarn for feting here, but I only have cold water for my washing machine. (European models are set to heat the water themselves but I have a nice American Maytag. Unfortunately, the plumbing isn't set up for that!) So while it'll be a at least a month before I get started, I ordered the magazine last night and I am already excited just thinking about it!