alisonknits

Little to Report

I'm very boring lately.  No adventures, no exciting projects on the needles.  I'm waiting for Interweave to send me yarn for a project I'm working on for next summer's issue, so I haven't started any new projects, and instead have been working on some for-hire knitting that has been hanging over my head for most of 2006.  Fortunately - or maybe unfortunately - there was not really a deadline for this project.

In spare moments, I've been frittering away time on a new kind of puzzle I discovered.  It's not exactly sweeping the nation yet; the only source for the puzzles that I've found is this book, deceptively subtitled "paint by sudoku."  In reality, there is almost no resemblence to sudoku puzzles, but these are just as addictive, and somewhat more satisfying as you end up with a picture when you're finished.

My knitting classes continue to go well.  I'm now doing an a la carte open project class every Tuesday night, where people can sign up for as many (or few) sessions as they wish to work on whatever they like.  And last Saturday I taught a new (to me) workshop on fixing mistakes, which I've had many requests for over the years.  There were several satisfying moments when students grasped something new about how to pick up dropped stitches, to rip out and get the stitches back on the needle seated properly, or other fine points, and shouted, "wow! that's amazing!"  It was kind of fascinating how something that seems mundane to me could, to a less experienced knitter, seem completely novel.  I'll definitely repeat this class in the future - and hopefully more people will participate, as I had only three (fine, dedicated, grateful) students this time around.

I've been trying to spend a decent amount of time at the piano, and have divided my time between brushing up pieces I played long ago when I took lessons, and learning a few new pieces.  Re-learning the old is comparatively easy - as I've often observed with knitting students who had knit as children, muscle memory is a power thing indeed.  But trying out new pieces can be frustrating for me, as I try to make my fingers do what my mind tells them to.  This is probably a useful exercise for me in compassion for those who are brand new to knitting.

Yup, it all comes back to knitting.

Accomplished

In the last several months I've been reading a lot of Jane Austen.   And the same evening I was feeling very accomplished having blocked my new shawl, I happened to re-read this, one of my favorite passages from Pride and Prejudice:

``It is amazing to me,'' said Bingley, ``how young ladies can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are.''

``All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?''

``Yes all of them, I think.  They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses.  I scarcely know any one who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished.''

``Your list of the common extent of accomplishments,'' said Darcy, ``has too much truth.  The word is applied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse, or covering a skreen.  But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general.  I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished.'

``Nor I, I am sure,'' said Miss Bingley.

``Then,'' observed Elizabeth, ``you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished women.''

``Yes; I do comprehend a great deal in it.''

``Oh!  certainly,'' cried his faithful assistant, ``no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with.  A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.''

``All this she must possess,'' added Darcy, ``and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.''

``I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.''

I've often thought that I and many of my friends would fit in very well with Jane Austen's society; I'm surely not quite up to Darcy and Miss Bingley's standard, but like many of Austen's heriones, I enjoy needlecrafts, playing piano and reading books.  And wouldn't it be something to be able to spend my days doing only those things, rather than having to work for a living?  True, I wouldn't have any choice of having a career, instead having to depend solely on the men in my life for my financial stability, but still.  It has its appeal.

(On a week that I'm less stressed out about work I might think differently on this matter.)

I am very pleased with this shawl (click for bigger), which I began in August.  It's my own design, using charts adapted from Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller.

Yarn: Skacel Merino Lace

Needles: Size 3 (3.25mm) Addi Turbos

I think I'll submit the design for publication in one of the magazines, so the pattern won't be available anytime soon... not that I've followed through on self-publishing any patterns anyway.  Must get on that; I've already done much of the pattern-writing for many of my designs.  But finishing what I started has never been my forte, and I'll make the excuse that I have three jobs.  And that it's not as much fun as just knitting the things.

Now - no more shawls for a while!  Really, how many shawls does a girl need?  It's time to get back to sweaters.

Best. Day. Ever.*

My, it's been a long time, hasn't it?  I could make excuses, but I won't.  I just haven't gotten around to blogging lately.  But oh what blog fodder I have today!

My sister's long-awaited wedding day was this past Saturday in Guilford, CT.  When she told me that she was having an outdoor wedding in Connecticut in October, I did not try to advise against it - for Meredith has always been very stubborn, and I knew it would do no good - but I did think she was slightly nuts.  Or maybe just optimistic.  But it turned out to be a spectacular day, and the site - some land owned by her husband's uncle - was absolutely perfect.

The shawls I knitted to guard our bare shoulders from the chilly October air were hardly needed.  Even when it got colder in the evening, there was so much dancing (not to mention all the wine & beer), that most of the maids were quite warm enough.   They assured me that they will wear them well in the future.

I did manage to get everyone in the shawls for these photos (click for bigger), taken in the barn where the (fantastic) band was playing.  From left to right, that's Gabrielle in Adamas, Jackie in a Karabella Margrite pattern, Meredith in Leaf Lace, yours truly in Diamond Fantasy, and Susie in Flower Basket.  I think Mere & I did a good job matching shawl to maid.

Details: yarn used was Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, most shawls took 5 balls.  Needles: size 8 Addi Turbos.

More, more, more shawls!  I look forward to knitting Adamas and Flower Basket again someday for myself.  I'm particularly enamoured of Adamas, which I almost kept for myself.  Miriam Felton, who designed Adamas and also Icarus, is quite a spectacular talent.

My uncle wants me to knit a Diamond Fantasy for my aunt, which I'll be delighted to do.  They live in Florida, so I've never been able to figure out what to knit for her. 

And I spent all of yesterday knitting an edging on my latest shawl, of my own design.  Do you ever get to that point in a project where you're so close (yet so far), and you just can't stop?  Happens to me with certain books, too (like Harry Potter) - I'll be hours away from finishing it, but it seems too close to the end to put down.  So, yeah, that's what happened to me yesterday.  I had all kinds of plans for my day off: yoga, practice piano, take a walk, post on the blog.  But I couldn't put the shawl down.  Finally I had to go to bed, with one (short) side left to do.  I'm afraid to pick it up now, because if I do I probably won't get around to showering before I go out later!

*excepting my own wedding day, of course.