Are You Getting Enough Fibre?

Come, children, we have much knitting to discuss.

Remember how Kelly was going to "con" me out of a scarf? Well, she's one persuasive chica, 'cause I caved after SECONDS of heated discussion ("What colour would you like? Long? Short? Functional and warm or decorative? Can I make you two in case you don't like the first one?" The answers, for those who need to know, were blue ["Light or dark?" "Medium."] and "I don't care. Whatever you want to do, I'll wear it.").

I went on a serious knitty.com rampage Tuesday last and Kelly is (probably -- that may be another story for another day) going to be the proud recipient of the Branching Out scarf, thus:

Branching Out in blue


I'm using the yarn (one of them) suggested in the pattern (Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool -- 65% wool, 35% silk, colour: um... blue. Medium blue), which is almost unheard of, since I don't usually use patterns.

This is a late revelation for me. Like two minutes ago. I'm not sure how I made it this far not *knowing* I almost never use patterns. I'm a dork.

I have my sock software for knitting socks so I'm pretty much queen bee when it comes to the sock thing. I choose the yarn and I get my guage and I tell the software, "Software! Make me a pattern that is to my liking!" and it does. Sometimes? When it tells me to do a k2p2 rib? I do a k1p1 rib. 'Cause I'm HKIC (Head Knitta in Charge) when it comes to the sock software.

I usually knit blankets and scarves out of my head or from stitch dictionaries. Rarely does anyone tell me what sort of yarn I *should* be using or exactly how to use it. It's actually kind of cool (the using a pattern thing, I mean) -- less thinking that way. Thinking never led to any good in my experience. Yes, it's patterns and suggested fibres from now on for this little black duck! I'm a new woman!

(Philosophical question: What do you call it if your Branching Out takes you right to the root of the matter?)

[SUMMARY: There is much knitting to be had, and it will involve patterns and the yarns suggested in them. Free at last, free at at last, sweet Jesus I'm free at at last!]

I also got Cascade Indulgence (part angora, part superfine alpaca. Does that not sound like a cheesy, anthemic line from a blaxploitation movie? "Baby, I'm part angora, part superfine alpaca. Supafine!" cue that funky music, white boy) in this lovely green to make a Branching Out:

Supafine! Supabargain!


It was in the sale bin at A Knitted Peace. Half price! And I realise it isn't the yarn called for in the Branching Out pattern! Pay no attention to the chick behind the curtain! So I'm not *all* about the pattern and suggested fibre, but I'm *mostly* about the pattern and the suggested fibre!

Except when Cascade Indulgences is half price and I realise just how perfect it would be for the Yorick scarf from knitty.com:

Alas, poor Yorick. I knew his pattern.


(Heh. I like how it looks like a black & white picture but it's really colour.)

Switch up! Now I'm knitting a scarf for Annie OFF A PATTERN, OF THE SUGGESTED YARN. I'm so tricky.

[SUMMARY: Psych!]

For some reason, my camera doesn't do well with purples. Every time I snap something purple, it comes out blue. So I doctored the second one to approximate the actual purplocity of the yarn in question. This is Wavy from knitty.com in Cascade 220: the Heathers ("This isn't just a spoke in my menstrual cycle."). It's a deep, glowing purple with a very subtle heather ("What is your damage, Heather?") of dark, bright shocking pink.

Heathers ("Dear Diary: my teen-angst bullshit now has a body count.")


(How long do you think it's going to be before I get tired of the Heathers schtick?)

Now, this last new project... well, I may just be knitting something for myself. See, I got the Wool Silk for Kelly's Branching Out and I cast on to my Denise needles, of which I'm not particularly fond because, while I love knowing if I get a knitting itch at midnight I'll have the right size needle, I don't like how sticky they are. So the Wool Silk was sticking something fierce and it was Saturday at 7:00 and all the LYSs were closed and most weren't going to be open again until fucking TUESDAY and you know that simply isn't acceptable so I ran to Michael's for some aluminum or bamboo (got bamboo, in case you were wondering) and right across from the knitting needles (those marketing fiends at Michael's!) was this lovely Patons SWS (soy wool stripes). It's very, very soft and a little fuzzy. It isn't plied, so it's hard to tink (not that I ever lost count and purled an entire row that was supposed to be p5k5 due to thinking about potential dirty lyrics for Barney songs) but it has a nice sheen and gorgeous colours and I think this scarf will be mine when it's done.

(Hang on a sec. Dizzy. Need to breathe.)

I am using a sort of pattern: Crazy Aunt Purl's (that'd be Laurie *with* a link) Magic Scarf. I added four stitches to make a two-stitch knit border. I also knit five rows of garter at the beginning (and plan on doing the same at the end!). Hopefully, it will lie flat once blocked.** I love me some stockinette, but hate how it curls on me (you try scrubbing it, you try soaking it...). Anyway, here it is:

Awww... pink! And that's all I have to say about that.


And, just for the record, the progress on the Stupid Blanket. I took two pictures, one in natural light, one in flash. I couldn't decide which was better, so I posted them both. Besides, I was fascinated with the differences between the two pictures. If you haven't figure out by now, the world fascinates me. I'm kinda like a cat that way. The world is my kitty toy, imaginary bugs and all.

Natural light... and... flash


And cat for scale.

[SUMMARY: AntiM is knitting for herself! A cat may be involved! Or AntiM may be a cat! We still haven't quite figured out what the hell she's talking about!]

*************

OK, one thing that kept my spirits up through the wretched, Momless holiday season was knowing that 2007 HAS to be better than 2006. In 2006, Mom died, Lucy (my other cat) died, Brad and Tehya divorced, Bonnie and Mar divorced, Michelle died, Nancy died, Diane got more cancer in the other breast... 2007 HAD to be better.

What happens minutes into the new year? Darrent Williams (one of my beloved Broncos, even though I spent all season yelling at him for shoulder tackling when he's 5'10 and way smaller than the rhinos he was trying to take down) is killed. Anna Nicole Smith died (which doesn't really affect me in a personal way, but it felt like one in a series). Damien Nash (another Bronco) died doing a charity event. Jeanne got cancer. Now Richard Jeni kills himself. I loved Richard Jeni. He was better live than any other comedian I've ever seen, and I've seen a gaggle of comedians in my day.**

Look, I'm not sure how much more sick and dying my heart can take, so could we all please eat our vegetables and get enough sunlight (use sunblock!) and stay well?

Thanks.

[**FOOTNOTE (asterisked): Confession: I've never blocked anything (at least not properly) in my whole knitting life. I once made a scarf for my sis-in-law that curled into a tube and could have been mistaken for a drinking straw cozy, so I got it wet and rolled it flat in a towel. I didn't pin. I don't think I really knew about pinning. I thought maybe if it dried in a forced-flat position it would *stay* in a forced-flat position (STICK, DAMNIT! STICK!). Not so much. Both Pink Magic and Branching Out *clearly* need blocking.

I must buy pins.

[**FOOTNOTE (asterisked): I didn't put it in there, 'cause it's maybe not as... well, DIRE as the other stuff, but Duke sucking rocks doesn't help my frame of mind. Just sayin'.]