Preparing for Wednesday, & Thursday & Friday ...

This week there are several days to prepare for, I've spent the week preparing Wednesday ready for Thursday, I'm waiting for Thursday and my students are alternating between panic mode and the-calm-before-the-storm mode as they head towards their final degree hand in this Friday. Yes there has been knitting, only sock knitting .. but there have been other things distracting me. First up is Halloween .. and the parental preparations required that will allow me to keep knitting thru Halloween events, then I've got the knitting report, Clue IV of the Soctober mystery sock was fun .. and pretty, and quite clever, and my second Frankensock grows - and its easier the 2nd time around.


Halloween - in my day, when I was a kid .. Halloween was something we saw on sitcoms .. in a distant land .. where kids wore costumes crafted by their mums (or dads) and trolled the neighborhood requesting and receiving candy and treats. Seen from afar it seemed an odd tradition but a lot of fun. Here in New Zealand Halloween was not part of our little set of traditions - we had to hang out for bonfires and Guy Fawkes and toasted marshmallows and fireworks - and the lolly scramble. But as the world gets smaller, as travel and communication is easier .. as we have more of the world at our doorstep, traditions seem to be adopted and adapted. The school my kids go to, a primary school, has a tradition of a disco in the last term of the year. And for whatever reason the once a year Disco is now held on Halloween, that is this Thursday, and the kids dress up, so apparently we learned do the parents. The first two years Toby was at school he went with a friend whilst Bear and I sat at home with our baby daughter. Last year they both went .. and Bear chaperoned, and found that dressing up was a 'big deal', he came home and announced 'all the other parents dressed up - I felt out of kilter'.

Knowing that - this year we've made an effort - Poppy is going as Wednesday, so I spent Saturday sewing the Wednesday clothes ready for wearing on Thursday. I made a Black calico old fashioned full skirted petticoat buttoned down the back, and a long sleeved pocketed, severe dress also in black calico with a prissy white collar. We are going with the bleaker look of the the early Wednesday here - not floral. apparently Wednesday is named after the poem - Wednesdays child is full of woe, and her middle name is Friday. Tucked in one pocket is a headless doll (from the $1-$2-$3 shop) dressed to match and into the other pocket a pair of blue and black stripped knee high socks. Poppy loves it and has announced she wants to wear it as her new party dress - to all her friends parties. Now I'll admit I was a little tired of the whole pink sparkly purple fluffy frilly barbie-esque theme of little contemporary girls clothes - but I'm a little taken aback by my new wee goth's enthusiasm for severe black.


Toby wanted to go as a 'homicidal maniac' - that is in ordinary clothes but with a large plastic axe. We refused and negotiated him down to Indiana Jones, he has jeans, brown leather boots, brown belt, kakhi shirt, a cheap fake felt hat, and a bull whip (again the $1-$2-$3 shop - but found in the slightly naughty adult aisle - don't ask, we removed all the packaging). He is happy - its modest enough to fit in with super cool friends, not to exotic, and he spent a lot of time outside trying to crack the whip. We have elicited a promise not to whip any teachers or kids ... what else can we do? Bear has bought himself a pile of chain from the hardware shop, and several black belts, and dug out his oldest black tee shirts and jeans and plans to shave his head and go as an aging punk. Me - I'm going to go to knitting, after all its Thursday night, I'm going as a slightly odd or crazy middle aged lady who knits in public places, (I feel I've done my bit by providing all the costumes).

Sewing and providing has robbed me of my knitting time this week, but I managed to keep up with Soctober Clue IV. Its turning out a very pretty sock, Kirsten Kapur is a clever designer. The two lace twists on either side of the leg shifted and moved and neatly became a single center motif on the instep - very nice, very neat. Cue V is due out Thursday US time, so I'll not get to pick that up until Friday morning here New Zealand time. It will be the toe - but I'm wondering how Kirsten will toe these socks ... aren't you?

Once my Soctober Sock knitting was complete .. I turned to Frankensock sock II. Knitting anything the second time is always faster and easier .. all the puzzlement and guessing has been done as the first. sock was knit. I'm just begining the heel flap so well on my way to finishing.

And I'm reading, I'm half way thru The Nature and Art of Workmanship by James Pye, which I will write a little more about in a post soon. It is one of those books that I read that 'just feels right', I love the idea of workmanship of risk and workmanship of craft .. and some of the other concepts that he discusses seem to fit seamlessly with my understandings of different approaches to design. I like it. I also started two books yesterday, Everyday knitting - treasures from a ragpile by Annemar Sundbo, which I have from the library for one week so have to read now, and The cutlure of knitting by Joanne Turney. Both of these I've only dipped into the first few chapters of .. but I love them both. Everyday knitting is both sad at the thought of all that history being torn up and insightful into lost arts and processes of knitting and of recycling .. and The Culture of knitting so far is hilarious. I'm not sure I should consider it hilarious but the chapter on gendered knitting and the meanings imbibed into(onto?) men wearing cardigans is a hoot - plain and simple - a hoot. I don't know I'll ever be able to look at a cardigan wearing man and keep a straight face ever again.

I'll explain more in another post - when I've read more and probably have a more balanced report to make on the whole book.

na Stella

How did that happen?

Today the post is a series of questions, rhetorical perhaps, mostly around the theme 'how did that happen?'. First up a new podcast, a New Zealand craft Podcast, with a cuppa-tea-what-is-in-the-tins New Zealand style theme every week, and interviews of local crafters, secondly books as I seemed to have a acquired rather a lot recently and thought it might be prudent to 'fess up'. Thirdly there is the actual knitting report, for it is after all a knit blog, I have Frankensocks and a new lace project, small lace, easy lace, but lace nonetheless.


My first 'how did that happen' question' is about being interviewed for Crafternoon Tea by Genny [aka GrannyG on Ravelry] who is doing an absolutly wonderful job of podcasting about craft and food in New Zealand. Her podcasts are here, Morag from Vintage Purls was interviewed in her third episode, I'm in her fourth, and I know she has a few more crafters lined up. As well as arranging to hear crafters discuss their influences and practice, Genny brings New Zealand culinary delights of the 'tea-tins' to light in her podcasts. I grew up here mostly in New Zealand, and as such experienced much of the baking Genny discusses. I'm a fairly intelligent cook - but I'm still learning a lot about baking our national dishes and being a good host.


My second 'how did that happen' is about books, earlier this year I decided to add a few needed books to my work library. I felt it was important to keep my working library current. So I bought a few here and there .. In August Berg had a sale, most books were a mere £5 so a few more were bought. Over the year I'd see a book, or read a review, and buy it, mostly from Amazon or BookDepository. When the books arrived I've read the intro,and sit it on my desk meaning to read more ... as soon as I has more time. Then the another book would arrive, and another one (familiar anyone?). The shocking thing is it appears I've acquired 26 books this year on craft, knitting, fashion, design and pattern-making. This first pile is what I've called the 'theory' pile. Right now I've no idea what I should read first .. and I've still got two more 'theory' books ordered, paid for and yet still to arrive and add to this pile - the Culture of knitting, and The Nature and Art of Craftsmanship. How did that happen - and what should I read next? Any one - help?

Then there is the 'practical' pile of books, another eight books that cover and explain and explore skills and techniques of cutting and shaping and developing garments. There are four here that really excite me, an old one from the 1940's Practical Dressmaking by Mabel Erwin, and Draping: Art and craftsmanship in fashion design (simply amazing), and Patternmagic I and Patternmagic II. Those are fun, simply fun but its easy to spot designs made by students who have seen those books - very very influential - I tell them the trick it to use the theory to make it unique not to copy. Oh there is way more than that in the pile, there are two on the history of garment cutting (Development of Costume and Cut My Cote). The oldest book I added this year is The 'Climax' System for Cutting Gentlemen's Garments by Legatt, W. E. and Hodgkinson, T. W. London, published in 1917. Again I ask - what one should I read next? Although to be honest its easier to choose with these practical texts, one can dip in and browse, as one needs. Both sets of these books of course join a much larger collection of books in my 'at work' library .. as well as being part of my own personal library, much of which is at home. And knitting .. yes there were some knitting books amongst the aquisitions, not pictured in this set, these are already on the shelf behind my chair.

1. Contemporary knitting for textile artists, Ruth Lee, Batsford, London, 2007
2. Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting, Museum of Arts & Design, 2007
3. Knitting Art 150 Innovative works from 18 contemporary Artists, Karen Searle, Voyager Press, 2008
4. Knit Knit Profiles + Projects from Knitting’s new wave, Sabrina Gschwandther, STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book, 2007
5. The Culture of Knitting, Joanne Turney, Berg Publishers, 2009 - still to arrive.
   

Which brings me to knitting, Frankensock is done, all bar the toe graft. I'll finish the other and graft both at once. This toe is in garter .. which is nice, and squoooshie, but garter grafts can be tricky and I'd like them both to match. Sock two has ribbing done and is about to get the four pattern repeats set out and worked. Tomorrow is Thursday so the final Socktober 09 clue will be up .. so that will delay much progress on Frankensock.

Then finally there is a new project .. a lacy baby vest, pattern and yarn both by Margaret Stove. This is the finest yarn I've every knit with, and I'm sure it will catch or snag - but hasn't yet. The whole vest is knit with only 30g of yarn. I cant find a link to the pattern .. but it seems the same lace as used in Froot Loops. Its a nice easy and cute pattern.

take care
and don't tell me about any more books please?
Stella

Shhhhh ..... look

Poppy, my new knitter knitting, but don't make a fuss ... I don't want to distract, annoy or make her feel self conscious. Only yesterday I was asked about how my children were involved in my craft, and specifically in knitting. I answered that both knew of knitting, and other forms of craft making, and I'd happily show them how to 'do-stuff', but they seemed more interested in me making specific things for them than becoming proficient. Then yesterday afternoon Poppy asked where 'her kniting was', and when found wanted me to show her again how to knit. So I did and left her to it. Today - I'm smiling 'cause Poppy is again knitting... but also because things are working out fine knitwise, I finished the Entrelac headband, the third clue in Soctober 09 was released and so knit asap, and my 'other' sock, Frankensock is back in progress.

but first ... look, this morning Poppy excused herself from the last of the kitchen dishes and went off to knit, alone and without help. She is confident and happy, and making progress. Oh its full of holes and tensioning the yarn is foreign to her, but the needles keep sliding out and she keeps putting them back in - and the best bit is that she looks happy.

Quant is finished, and I'm happy with it, I will probably knit another because it seems to be Poppy's new favorite and it tidies up her wispy fringe very nicely. i was a little surprised that the ends were not a symetrical match .. but found via Rokusudoku on Ravelry that one can use the instructions in Lisa Shroyer's Basic Entrlac Scarf (Free download from Interweave knitting daily). Next time I'll do that - yes there will be a next time. The mismatched ends don't really matter because they tie up under the hair and are hidden .. but sometimes I like to know how to make things match. I also appreciate how generous most online knitters are with advice and help.

Soctober 09 - clue III was up Thursday, it contained instructions for knitting the heel flap and cup. I had the clue contents all knit up by end of Friday night - a little dissappointed that it was done so quick. There is a great deal of fun knitting to a schedule, and the pattern is intuitive so even when there is a variation for the heel flap (m1 replaces yo so there are no holes on/in the flap) - its still intuitive. For now I'm metaphorically sitting and waiting for next Thursday - or Friday morning here in New Zealand, for the last clue.

With Quant done, and waiting for Clue IV, I delved into my project basket and found my abandoned Frankensocks. Now Frankensock has not been the most intuitive sock to knit, the pattern is quite complex. Not the stitch pattern of the sock but the way in which the pattern is written. There are 5 sizes so each line has instructions for each size bracketed where needed, and often there are several size brackets in each round. There is a chart for the ziggardy zaggardy mock-lightening patterning .. but not for the end where it zags away into the side rib, so all of that is written out in text for each round, with some sections for one size and some for other sizes. On top of all that there are two full patterns, one for the left sock and one for the right ... they look symetrical but we all know to get symetry in knitting requires completly different instructions at times. All of that means for me, a knitter who has problems following instructions .. that there are a lot of detailed instructions that need to be followed to make it work out. Kniting this is something I feel I have to brace myself for, and work up to - for all these reasons I've found it easy to find other things to knit, Soctober, Quant .. and I find myself thinking what should be next.

And yet when I actually sit down to knit, with a pen to tick off what I've done, and knit .. and count and check ... its fine. This is a lovely well thought out intelligent sock. Perhaps a case of the sheer visual volume of nine (9) pages of close set knitting instructions for a pair of socks that disturbs me - I like charts. All that said, I'm nearly done, the serious patterning has finished, and I'm on the plainest section, the foot.

Take care
na Stella

Quick

sorry today is a quick post, usually on Wednesday I post after we eat but before anything interesting is on tv (which seems less and less these days). Today I'll be busy latter, so I'm squeezing in a quick post before we eat the family meal (Bear is cooking - so its Chicago Biscuits from Ratio and Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper soup, yes he is amazing, and yes he is making the Chicago biscuits, no we bought the yummy soup from Jim at Highgate Bridge). But knitting ... today its a new start ... and this one might be a keeper .. and I'm ready and waiting for Soctober 09 Clue III.

If you remember I was trying to knit a hat, top down for Poppy with not enough yarn ... and between two of my cyber-knit-sibs I've realized the folly of my way and started a much more realistic project for the amount of yarn I have. First Morag pointed out that there were multiple projects on Ravelry that needed only 60m of sport weight yarn .. then Suzanne charmed me with her description of her Garterlac Dishcloth that lead her on to work A Step Above [both Rav links]. I have once in a dim distant past, in my teen years knit a cardigan with a entrelac front .. so dim and distant I can only remember I knit it but no details. My current thoughts on entrelac ran along the lines of surely all turning and working on such small numbers of stitches would bit just plain annoying and fidly and a right pita. Turns out I'm wrong .. I've started the Quant headband by Star Athena - and its going well. I've supplemented the yarn a little .. with some left overs from stash .. and its fun. I'm frogging straight from the hat to the headband, and its working surprisingly well. Entrelac is surprisingly ordered and easy to work once a square of part square of each is worked - the next row patterning is just obvious.


I'm working this and hope to finish before Friday -- because Clue III should be up then and so I'll be able to knit the next section of my Soctober 09 Sock. To recap I frogged sock one, and added sock 2, and have knit them two-at-one-time. I'm much happier - this time the lace grows out to the rib. I'm still confused by the pattern and the Part II errata, the pattern clearly states that you need to have the round begin with one knit stitch and followed by two purl stitches. The for the size I'm making, 64 sts the written directions go on to say Round 1 (RS): p1, yo, k3 ..... etc
That is not a round that starts with a knit stitch ..
The chart version for the same section ditto shows P1, yo, k3 ... etc. Methinks the round should start with one purl stitch and two knit stitches ... which is what the first clue directed ... and what I've done and what worked - see?


You can see also that Yo-you realized it was a knit photo being made and so hurried out to be part of the action. Gotta love that cat (except when she bring mice inside the house), she wants to be part of the knitting but completely ignores my yarn (as far as I know anyway).

Take care (sorry about the rush)
na Stella