Oh Goddess Knits, My Brain is Torn Asunder!

I think I've gone insane. This Anniversary Shawl is making me do crazy things. Clue 2 came out yesterday and, wham, bang, I printed it out. Now, here's where something inside my brain started to come loose. Instead of just looking at the four charts and saying, "Oh, that one looks nice, I think I'll go with B," or "I'll just close my eyes and point to one," or even "I'll just draw from a hat or flip a coin,"......I said, "Hmmm....I just can't choose from looking at these charts. I'll just put on some Jane Austen films and make a little swatch from each one." So I did. Here's the proof.

B and A

D and C

But it didn't stop there, because you can't really see what happens between the 12 stitches, you can imagine it, but you can't really see it! Heh heh, unless you hold a mirror up to them....

I am ashamed to say it got worse. I had to take pictures of them and put them on my computer and crop and cut and paste with the photo of my Clue 1 and change colors and grayscale, oh, it was awful, awful! You see, all of this, it made it so much worse. I found out that the patterns are all so beautiful that now I want to make them all! I want to try different combinations, different clue 1's and clue 2's, in different yarns and colors. Now, I am starting to dread clue 3! It's madness, I tell you, madness!

I had to stop to go sing at the radio station last night (which was so much fun) and came back too late to torture my brain anymore with decisions, so the whole thing started again this morning. I looked on Ravelry and saw some people had already chosen and finished their Clue 2's. They are all gorgeous. I think that no matter which charts you decide on, you are going to end up with an amazing looking shawl. Thank you Renee for such a great experience and pattern.....oh, and....um....the mental anguish and torture...as well....yep. No, just kidding about that last part, that's entirely my fault. I've always had problems with decisions.

I will tell you, though, I have narrowed it down to two charts. B and D. When combined with my swirl center, one chart increases the "blazing sun" look and the other reminds me more of mineral patterns or snowflake, maybe. Hot or cold? Organic growing things or crystalline metallicness? I think I am obsessed.

Okay, I am without vehicle today and am unable to get to church. I will make a pot of tea and choose. Yes, I...will...choose. Errgh! I think that right now, (Right now, I tell you!) I am going to get out my A-D stitch markers for Cat Bordhi socks and put them in a hat for next Saturday's clue! Let's see, B or D. B or D....B.....D.....B.....D.....bee...dee...beedee....beedee beedee beedee beedee...........

What a Hoot

I'm waiting for the UPS man. The UPS man should be bringing me a box. In that box, should be a cord. That cord should, and it better, fit into the back of my laptop. We have been sans laptop for just a few days, but it seems like an eternity. You see, I usually use the laptop to update this blog, because the monitor on our pc is old and getting dim. In fact, I can't really tell how the photos (taken by a camera whose batteries are threatening to die at any moment, by the way) on the last several posts actually look on a non-old, dim, crusty monitor. So, I am waiting for the UPS man.

The Honda Hoot came to town yesterday. What is that, you ask? It's an annual event that the Honda company organizes for people who own Honda motorcycles. They've been coming to the Smokies for several years now, and stay in Knoxville. They come, by the thousands, from all over the country, to ride in this truly gorgeous area. They get to choose from several different activities over the course of four days. We're on the list. Around seven or eight hundred of them descended on our town at around 11:00 yesterday morning. They got to sight-see and partake of a big 'ol country dinner catered by the only "real" restaurant in town, which has the best food for miles around here. The town makes it into a mini festival for them, complete with local vendors, speakers from historic state and national parks, and demonstraters. That's me!

I had a good time, I met some very nice people, and got to share something I love with other people who were actually interested in what I was doing. I've heard other spinners say that they get more interest from men when they spin out in public. It's funny, but somwhat true. Though I had plenty of women stopping by, the men seemed to linger longer. They were interested in the mechanics of the wheel, what made what happen and each step it took to get from sheep to finished product. The women commented more about the softness of different fibers and how they wished they could spin or knit. I met a very nice father/daughter combo from California who were riding together on one bike. The daughter was a pretty, elfin-like girl, with pixie-like, dark hair and big eyes. She has leukemia and taught herself to knit from a book during a lengthy hospital stay. Some folks came back a couple of times to check on my progress (how full my bobbin was). One man came back and asked if I sold any of my skeins, because he thought handspun would make a nice gift for his mother back home, who is a knitter. I hadn't planned on it, but I managed to find a couple I could part with. It was really nice. I was set up next to a high school lad who was drawing caricatures. I didn't realize that they still made teenaged boys so nice! What a great kid. We helped each other out, and when I wasn't looking, he had drawn a caricature of me and hung it up behind him to advertise his business! Lucky for him it was cute and not unflattering.

So today, though I was thinking about dyeing some silk,I think the most I'm going to do is knit, spin and think about what to make for dinner, before I have to sing tonight. Yesterday, was leftovers of the totally countrified supper I made the night before. Soup beans, cornbread, cole slaw, fried chicken and fried green tomatoes! Yumm-ay! Tomorrow I have a leeetle gig at a leetle local radio station.

Oh, have you seen this? I saw it awhile back and thought it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It's a glass spinning wheel, in motion, on YouTube! Incredible!

Do kitties get the blues?

Ready for Clue Two!

Here are the two different versions of Clue 1, Chart A, for the Anniversary Shawl. This is the one I am going with. This one is knit with size 4 needles.

This is the first one, which I frogged. It's knit with size 3 needles.

I believe that the frogged version is the way the designer actually meant it to be knit, but some folks, including me, are knitting it the other, more spirally, way. I think they are both pretty, but the spiral looks better in this ultra thin laceweight. I've seen some knit up in the orginal way using a slightly heavier laceweight and it looks really nice, like a chrysanthemum. Makes me want to knit them both! My spyrograph center reminds me of the sun. I can't wait to see what the Jojoland looks like when it starts to change colors. The colors just fade into each other. Very cool.

I forgot to mention that I did knit in public last Saturday. I took a sock to the Fireman's BBQ and knit after we sang. I have a GoKnit pouch in camoflauge for just such occasions as these! It even has a "don't shoot me orange" cord! Tomorrow, I'll be spinning and weaving in public. I'll be doing some demonstrations here in the Gap. Perhaps, I'd better get some sleep. ZZZzzz...

Into the Jojoland Mystery

I stayed up too late re-knitting Clue 1 of the Goddess Knits Anniversary Mystery Shawl. Oh, but I like it much better. At least, that is what I think tonight. I'll look at it by the morning's light and see if it actually looks as good as I think it does. I'll post pictures of both my first and second attempt tomorrow. I used the circular crochet cast on that you can see performed here. It worked great with the extremely thin Jojoland Harmony. G'night!

Can't We All Just Knit-A-Long?

As if I didn't have enough to knit, I've joined up with the Goddess Knits Anniversary Shawl KAL. The first clue came out on Friday and I've just knit it up today. I'm using the Jojoland Harmony that I posted about here. I think the ombre color changes will work well with the circular construction of the shawl. The unique thing about the Anniversary Shawl pattern is that you get to pick from several different charts as you knit, so all of the shawls won't look alike when they are completed. My camera batteries have died. Photos will have to wait until tomorrow.

This is a picture of PH when he was very young. I think he is almost one year in this photo. Oh, yes, he's always been devastatingly handsome...and orange.

Knittin' in a Winter Wonderland

I made the skirt from the pattern I bought with no help from PH, as you can see. I'm not taking a photo of the skirt until I find a white slip to wear under it. I didn't realize how sheer the fabric is. I still haven't hemmed the other two. But, I might hem one in the morning so I can wear it tomorrow. I'm singing at a Firemans' BBQ. It'll be bluegrass and Patsy Cline tomorrow. Hee hee.

Here's another snowflake. Are you sick of them yet?

I reknitted the one that had that big hole in it. This one looks right.

I got to visit with my friend, Linda, this evening! She's a talented spinner and weaver, and, she has the added distinction of being the first one to give Punkinhead, aka Kittysperk, the distinguished moniker of, PH. She knew him when he was just a little tyke.

Other than the snowflakes, I knitted a bit more on the wrap cardi today. It's a bit longer, that's all. I am finished increasing for the wrapped fronts and am into the home stretch for the body of the sweater. Then it will be onto the sleeves.

Boy, I'm tired. I guess I better take one of my unfinished socks to the BBQ tomorrow so I can knit in public. Snowflakes aren't suited for that kind of thing. I've been living dangerously and not using the point protectors that are recommended for knitting the flake backgrounds with 7 dpn's. I've been working them with four wooden and three metal needles. The metal ones have only slipped out a few times....

The Post With No Name

More snowflakes! Here's one.

Here's another...

and all three with backgrounds!

The top snowflake in the pyramid is one that I thought I might have to reknit because I thought it might have been a little smaller, but after I realized how forgiving the backgrounds are (stretchy!) I decided to try with that flake, and it worked! I may try one of the biggest flakes next to see if they aren't too big!

Here is how far along I am with the Knitting Pure and Simple Wrap Cardigan. I'm adding a little waist shaping to make it nice and huggy.

I still haven't hemmed the two skirts that I made so I haven't taken any photos of them, yet. I did, however manage to find a skirt and dress pattern that I like, along with more fabric, when I went out shopping with my friend, Madge, yesterday. The skirt is a big, simple, circular one with NO zippers! Yay! I think I'll make that today. The dress is a pullover one with NO zippers! Yay!

I have been listening to knitting podcasts all morning, so I'm itching to work on something! I'll leave you with an embarassing picture of PH to get him back for the last post. It's a bit dark, but I think his face looks so funny!

Heh heh heh.