Knit & Nosh

for kim

a room of my own

with a window to the world

working without guilt

is someone singing?

***spoiler alert***

If you are a memebr of the Woolgirl Sock Club and do not wish to read about April's yarn and/or pattern, you had better move one.  I am about to type about both and even show a picture.

 

 

Are you sure you want to look?

 

 

I do not want anyone to be mad at me.

 

Here's an FO that y'all did not even know I began.

 

Curious Creek Wasonga colorway Old Head of Kinsale, merino, fingering, 493 yards.

This is this months yarn from the afore mentioned Woolgirl Sock Club.  It is so soft and drapey that I would think there is a little silk in there.  The lable says no.  The color pulls your eye right in.  One of the patterns included with the kit is for a cowl.  As cowls are my new favorite thing, I was very excited.  I tried all day Friday not to cast on.  By Friday night the siren song of the wool had captivated me and I was helpless.  I wound the skein into two balls and grabbed a #8 Addi.

Originally the pattern called for a 3 stitch cross.  First right and then left.  Because the yarn is held double I was having a hard time cabling without a cable needle.  So I grabbed a cable needle.  After knitting 2 rounds that included using the cable needle 32 times each round, I was ready to jam that cable needle right into my eye.

The designer was after the criss cross patterning.   I kept the spirit of the design in mind when I decided to alter the pattern.  I switched to a two stitch cross.  SO much better. 

The fabric still has movement and I get to keep both my eyes.  The original design also called for picot borders on both ends.  I am pretty sure a picot hem rubbing against my face and neck would really bug me, so I chose a simple roll.

In the end I am VERY happy with the project.  Not only am I going to wear this cowl like crazy next winter, but the project is another great use for a skein of sock yarn.

 

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow

We interrupt this week of fibery goodness to bring to your attention a good book for kids ages 9-12.  The book is released on Tuesday and your local booksellers should carry it.

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow. If you have a middle grader who likes books, this one is a solid choice.

The book starts out very Indiana Jones.  No apologies, James Rollins is aiming to please here.  From there you get time travel, Mayans, dinosaurs, Romans, Neanderthals, and Native Americans, all interacting in the same place.  You know how some kids like dinosaurs and some kids like gladiators?  Some kids like magic and some kids like science?  Well this book truly delivers it all.

Jake and his sister Kady become orphans when their archaeologist parents are killed by Mayan treasure hunters.  While visiting the museum exhibit of their parents finds, they discover a puzzle that pulls them through time.

This book completely captivated my 10 year old son.  I began reading the book aloud to him, but when I stopped too soon, he would pick the book up himself.  This last statement needs a qualifier.  My son had never before picked up a chapter book to read on his own. Never.  Knowing  a book had so engaged him that I could count on finding him curled up in a chair reading, made my heart soar.

Back to the book.  I did not like the way Kady was portrayed.  I imagine few mothers will, or at least I HOPE  few mothers will.  Yes, she has her helpful moments, but she is the stereotypical teenage girl.  The author’s descriptions of her behaviors, made me cringe. 

My son is a scientist at the core and enjoyed the melding of alchemy and “sy-enz”.  He also likes the endless possibilities that come with magic.  The blending of the fictional alchemy and the real science produces magic.

Skull King's Shadow is broken up into Parts that are further broken up into Chapters.  After we had finished Part One, my son exclaimed, “That is cool!  This book is SO cool!”  In addition to the good story there will be good pictures.  The ARC (Advance Readers Copy) did not have many pictures, but indicated lots of places where the pictures will be.  Also, in the afterward, the author lets us know there is a hidden language encrypted within the book.  YES!

While we have an ARC copy of the book on the shelf, I plan to give it away to the first boy who expresses interest. (let me know if you want it) I will be purchasing the finished book once it is released.  Youngest Son and I are looking forward to seeing all of the drawings and reading the included first chapter of book 2.  I am envisioning him reading the book himself, out in the sunshine, next to the cat.

High literature?  No.  A really, really good book for tweens?  YES!

 

fall gold and spring angst

Oldest Son is a high school senior.  He is going through what I consider to be a good amount of Spring Angst.  For years he thought he knew what he wanted.  He has been walking a very narrow path to get there.  Now he is not so sure.  Actually he is more than not so sure, he is completely up in the air.  He does not know what he wants.  I can tell him I love him no matter what, and that his feelings are normal, but I am not sure how much good it does while he is in the midst of it all.  I can remember having that same “what am I going to do with my life” feeling. The pressure of having to make decisions I was too young to make.  The certainty I had to get it right the first time.   Its tough out there for teenagers.  The pressure comes from everywhere and the competition is fierce. 

Enough of Spring Angst, onto Fall Gold.  Fall Gold is the colorway of some roving I picked up a few months ago from Dragon Fibers. 

It is merino/tencel and I thought it was destined to be socks.  It had other ideas.

535 yards of 2-ply laceweight

is that shine to die for?   This will become Aeolian and hang on the wall for all to see.

oh the pinkness

There is so much fibery goodness happening at my house this week that I will be able to post a different thing everyday and still have leftovers.

Here is the pink shawl, hanging in the breeze.

Down the spine.

Up close and personal.

The shawl blocked out to be 70 x 32 inches of soft pink wonderfulness.  It went directly from blocking wires to my shoulders, where it still sits. The size is perfect.  Big enough to tie around my shoulders and long enough to cover my whole back.  It is light and flirty and PINK!  I wear a lot of pink and this is going to get tons of use as a summer accessory.  It is not a nasty rumor, we do wear wool year round in Seattle.

The past two days of sunshine have meant that the deck doors are wide open.  As you walk into the house this what you see

dangly little chicken feet.  Makes me smile everytime.

nice doggy

A recap of this morning's Facebook posts.

~I think the bank across the street may have been robbed. Police cars in front and others speeding around the neighborhood.

~and the crime scene tape goes up

~a police dog is dragging officers down the street

~an officer is now camped out on my corner, he is stopping anyone from walking around the neighborhood

~four officer pow wow under the fir tree

~they found something good, evidence collected

~things are winding down- K-9 goes home, evidence guys go home, only a couple of cars left, crime scene tape comes down and that is that

If Youngest Son and I had gone to the zoo this morning we would have been coming home right about now. We would not have a clue of the morning's activies.  Wonder what else goes on without us knowing anything?

assimiliated

Resistance was futile.  I have cast on for a pair of Zombie Socks(rav link).  The first page of the pattern lets me know that I am not the only one with kids who have made the Easter/Jesus/Zombie connection.  You have no idea how much better that makes me feel.

Here is the ribbing on the first sock, all done and ready for some ghoulish type stitches.

The color in the picture is pretty close to real life.  It is Fleece Artist, Olive.  I have always thought it looks kinda seaweedy and swampy.  Just the thing for a flesh eating monster.

zombies and a pink shawl

It's not quite ALL my fault, I mean I am not the one who started it, but it has become so much fun.  There is definitely going to be a zombie party at my house.  The next two weekends are booked, maybe the first weekend in May?  I can call it a late birthday party.

While on the subject of zombies....I TRULY, TRULY, do not mean to offend anyone...the kids were jib-jabbering in the car and I have no idea how the conversation began because I was tuning them out and I did not focus back in on the conversation until I realized they were saying that Easter should really be Zombie-day.  Because they are good debaters, they included many solid points as evidence.  The conversations my kids have!  I often wonder what thier friends parents must think.

For something decidedly not zombie, I present the Simple Pink Shawl.

The photo is of the shawl unblocked.  It is suppose to be nice and sunny on Sunday, so I will have a chance to block it outside.  Those photos should better show off the yarn, which is gorgeous. I am very happy with the results.  As I was about to cast off I decided to add a little flounce at the bottom.  Not quite a ruffle, it makes for a nice finish.

As a note that I hope I have the sense to refer back to - "Knitting a garter stitch shawl on size 3 needles is only relaxing for the first 12 inches.  Stop and do the math, you could knit 2 shawls with the same number of stitches."

score!

Our local library has a section run by the Friends of the Library that sells used books.  Most of the books are donations, some are out of circulation copies pulled from the library shelves.  The hardcovers are $1, paperback $.50.  Over the past few months I have been lucky enough to pick up scads of local field guides for Youngest Daughter.  She loves the things and most have been .50 a pop.  The past two times I have been in to the library, there have not been any field guides, but knitting books have been on the shelf.  Last week I grabbed the out of print Wendy Knits for .50, and yesterday I stumbled up on a real gem.  The Complete Book of Knitting, published in 1947 by The Spool Cotton Company.   I did a quick flip through the book while in the library, dropped my $1 in to the money box and practically skipped all the way home.

The book itself is hardcovered and filled with classic patterns.  These are not the funny vintage patterns brought to us by Stitchy McYarnpants. These things are classic. 

However, the timeless patterns are not my favorite things about the books.  My favorite things begin with the cover, before the book is even opened. 

The cover has had a drink spilled on it, maybe more than one.  Why do I care?  It means the book was not kept on a shelf, but on the table, next to the couch, in heavy use.  There are some notes, written in large letters so as not to be forgotten, on the pages of the basics section.  The only other notes in the book are on the pages for argyle socks. 

Argyle Socks are a current obsession of mine.  As I read through the book more carefully I found that a page was missing.  It took a bit to figure out what would have been on the page.  Guess what it was?  More socks.  Women’s cabled ski socks.  I can picture the page being torn out just as she was leaving for a trip.  The knitting packed, but the book too big to take along. The person who previously owned this book was into socks and not afraid to spill a drink.  How cool is that?

warm with a z

Here is the second Spiraluscious.

I do not love it nearly as much as the first one.  The yarn is Shibui Sock in Honey.  It is nice, but the drape is not even close to the loveliness of the Madelinetosh used for #1.  I am also not happy with the z shaped pooling.  This was originally going to be a gift for MIL.  Now, I do not think so.  Maybe it will go into the emergency present drawer.

Picture me zipping along in my little knitted car, approaching the finish line for the Simple Lace Shawl, then all of the sudden the road gets bumpy, then the potholes begin.  My little car screeches to a halt and is not sure whether to go back or try to move forward.  The road looks pretty bad either way.

In the end I decided to go back.  The edging for the shawl has been ripped.  Now that has been done I have decided to make the shawl bigger before I redesign the edging.  More soft comforting knitting, aahh.