Amanda's scarf goes to Washington (D.C. that is)

The title of this post was the title of a lovely little email I got from a dear friend and fellow aspiring historian who left for D.C. the night after she passed her oral exams in January (congratulations!). You may know her by the moniker "New Knitter" which she uses when leaving comments on my blog.

D.C. is a bit colder than Santa Cruz, and she brought the scarf I knit for her a few winters back and has been using it frequently to keep warm when she's out and about in our nation's capital. I told her it would thrill me if she sent a picture for my blog of her wearing the scarf in front of a national landmark. She out did herself and sent several. Here are my favorites.

The Washington Monument:



The Vietnam War Memorial:



The Lincoln Memorial:


Yay New Knitter!!! I love pictures of people wearing the things I make for them! Thank you.

Short

I have a short amount of time to write this blog entry before the battery charge on my laptop fades into nothing, so bare with me.

First, I started a new project:


I decided that I really need more lace in my life. And, after digging out some old holiday yarn that I've been hoarding, I decided that now is the time to actually make a scarf pattern I've been coveting in Victorian Lace Today.

Second, I have a new haircut:


I'm not sure if you can see my hair very well in this picture because I took it myself while walking to the coffee shop and the wind was blowing, but my hair is now a bit short. I think I like it. It's fun to have a new look. What do you think?

Coming soon: Amanda's scarf goes to Washington (D.C., that is)

TIME:MASTER

Exactly one week ago, at this time in the afternoon, I was in bed with a fever of 102.4. It was rather awful. Now I'm better, and I'm embarking on a new campaign in my battle to master (my) time. Goal setting, here I come! Grrrrr.


One of my goals (along with specific time/page requirements for this week) was get a book to read for pleasure, hence the Pratchett book in the background of picture of my new planner. I think it's already had a discernable positive impact on my general wellbeing.

And, although I haven't been blogging, I have been knitting. I even finished a simple little scarf for my niece, but I don't have pictures. My main project is a hat with earflaps for my sister, who requested a new hat about a year ago. I'm designing it for her and really hope it lives up to all her expectations. Isn't this yarn super lovely?


I'm proud of my little sketches, I made them while watching Project Runway several weeks ago. Oh, and a nice French girl who came to my knitting group wrote Tricoter on my design (because that's the word for knitting in French).

Back to work!

Further adventures of the birthday scarf (and a new hat)

I would be remiss not to tell you about the wonderful show I attended a couple Fridays ago and the spontaneous roll that my unsuspecting birthday scarf played in the festivities.

The first knitting related event occurred when I met the lovely Miss D.


My sister's introduction included describing Miss D. as "crafty," and (as if to provide evidence of Jenny's statement) Miss D. immediately pulled up her sleeve to show me the words "crafty lady" at the bottom of a large tattoo. I, of course, asked to see the whole tattoo and then took a picture to share with you, my gentle readers. She's considering continuing the piece around the inside of her arm by adding a heart shaped ball of yarn with two knitting needles sticking through it--a choice I fully support. Plus, she came to my knitting group this Sunday. (Yay!)

The show was quite long and I managed to knit most of a small hat during the evening (which seemed to give Miss D. knitting envy because she brought a fuzzy scarf project back with her after a quick jaunt home for some earplugs). I started the hat a few days before with the intention of making a new baby hat for my little nephew, who is already way too big for the first hat I made him. I was about an inch in and finished it during the show. But it's too big for a baby! Even a big baby like sweet Joe! So, I think I'm going to give it to Derek, my friend Karen's son, who it will probably fit. (I'll try to get pictures when I present the gift in a couple weeks.) Anyway, it's fun to spread the knitting bug at rock shows.


But, you ask, what about the scarf? What adventure did it have? Well, after the show, Cataldo recorded one of the tracks for his upcoming album, and I was one of a bunch of people who stuck around to sing for the chorus. One of the other performers acted as the hypeman (indicating to us when to sing, etc), and he used my birthday scarf as his signaling tool. It was fun. I shook bells. My scarf was the center of attention. I sang. Music + Knitting = Good Stuff!

A holiday knitting recap

I did some holiday knitting: scarves, of course.


I wanted to make something else for my dear Lynn (who I knit Odessa for last winter), and I decided on a light airy scarf, simple but elegant, that won't be too heavy for a sweet lady who's having hot flashes. I'm also hoping that it will be more versatile that the large lace scarf/shawl that I made her before I started this blog.

I knit this scarf with Kidsilk Spray (in the "Regal" colorway) on size 11 needles in a simple garter stitch pattern. It's the same technique (skinny mohair/silk yarn on bigger needles) that I used for Kayla's birthday scarf. I think Lynn's happy with the final product and looks quite cute in it.

The second scarf was for my Grandma Tennie. And, in naughty knitter fasion, I didn't have it done on Christmas, but I did get it done the day after and took some pictures with my brother before I left town.


To be honest, I've been working on this scarf for just shy of a year. The pink yarn was a gift from my father last year at the holidays, and right away I intended to use it on my grandma's scarf. Looking back over my blog posts from the last year, you can see the project mentioned here and there, and I even showed the yarn in my post on Valentine's Day. For some reason, I really wanted to make Grandma a scarf with reversible cables, but none of the patterns I tried looked good with this yarn. I've lost count of the number of times I would find a pattern, start knitting it, get frustrated, frog, and then feel guilty that I still hadn't made Grandma her scarf.


This fall I made the realization that my concept needed revision, and I shifted to experimenting with using the slight bulky yarn in more open/lacy patterns. I settled on knitting the scarf horizontally in a simple feather and fan pattern, with an instant fringe made by cutting and reattaching the yarn at the end of each long, long row. After the addition of blue stripes, I decided that it was probably going to be nice enough for my super sweet Grandma. When I revealed the project to her on Christmas (still on the needles) she seemed excited about it. I tried to finish it before we drove her home, but I couldn't manage to complete the bind off until late that night.


I would have preferred to take FO pictures with Grandma, but Cody was a super model. After donning the scarf, he immediately inquired, "Do I look like Dr. Who?" I love my family.

Birthday scarf report

Well, last time I suggested a few upcoming entries for my blog, but now I'm doing something else: I'm showing you photo evidence that I did, in fact, finish my birthday scarf, and that I love it and wear it daily. It's lovely and colorful and warm and long and... everything I hoped it would be. I got a bit finicky about utilizing every single bit of the fancy Noro Silk Garden yarn, and, by the end, was spit splicing small (2-3 foot) segments of yarn between the two balls so that the colors would work the way I wanted and in order to get optimum length out of the four skeins. I think I was successful.

So, do I look ready to tackle 2008?

A New Year: 2008

As I write this, the first day of 2008 is sliding past. I plan to post this in the morning and hope it signals the beginning of a cycle of more frequent blogging.

I've been in a funk lately. It's odd. And I'm not sure what I need to do to pull myself out. I was awake this morning before Dan, which is unusual for our days off, and I went to the backdoor to take pictures of the sky. Maybe my early morning initiative is a good sign for the what will come in 2008.


It's been cold here recently, freezing at night. I wear my birthday scarf all the time, but (probably because I'm in a funk) I'm very bad and didn't put up any pictures. My new winter look also includes a furry hat. I'll make my sister take a picture for me so that you can tell me if I look prepared to take on the new year.

Ideas for future blog entries: "WIPs and chains," "a holiday knitting recap," and "knitting from the left" (a new perspective with the lovely Miss A.). If I'm really productive, I'll write all of these in the next week. Wouldn't that be astounding?

Plushy womb

Ok, I didn't knit this one, but I have to post a picture of it.


I took this picture a few weeks ago of the plushy womb (pattern from Knitty) that Laura made (she's one of the women from my new knitting group). Laura is a doula and was interested in the pattern for a while, but she wasn't very experienced reading knitting patterns. I helped her a little (she caught on quickly), and she thanked me with some reusable menstrual pads. I haven't tried them yet, but I couldn't resist their charm when she offered them to me: one has really cute pictures of cowgirls and the other one says "wake up and smell the coffee."

Anyway, the pictures of my new little nephew in my last post made me think about the mind-blowing amazingness of childbirth, and that reminded me that I'd forgotten to post this picture. Soon I'll post some pictures of my newest FO.

Welcome Joe!

There's a new baby in my family! I now have a sweet little nephew!


I thought I would be able to welcome him into the world before I left for Los Angels, but he was born last Thursday, one day after I left on my research trip, and I had to wait a week before meeting the little guy. He's a lovely little bundle of new born baby goodness with fabulously dark eyes and loads of wiggles. I, in fine knitterly fashion, greeted him with a hat (regular readers saw it in process back here).


Personally, I can't resist dressing babies and small children in hats with ears. It amuses me to no end. So, as soon as I found out that Dan's sister was pregnant with her second child, I thought of Hello Yarn's free pattern. The yarn is some amazingly soft baby alpaca that Holly gave me as a going away present last June (she called it "provisions" for my trip from CA to WA).


As you may be able to tell in these pictures, my hat is almost too small for Joe's little head. Thus, I'll need to get busy on a new hat for him to wear as the weather continues to cool. Plus, his sister outgrew her hat with ears and may enjoy a new little something from her adoring aunt—big sisters also deserve knits.


I love this picture of her all tired out after meeting her brother at the hospital for the first time. (Thanks to Tim for all the great pictures!)

SoCal

I'm on another research trip in sunny, hot (and fiery) Southern California. This time, instead of spending all of my time going through archives, I'm also conducting oral history interviews with some very interesting older people. So far it's gone well, but I haven't managed to get nearly as many done as I originally hoped. On the other hand, I found a very promising new source for primary source documents pertinent to my subject, and it's at another lovely space. For some reason, I've been lucky as a researcher and usually find myself working in fabulously cozy and friendly archives (unlike other people I know).


Really, I've spent the entire trip in lovely surroundings. Staying with my aunt, uncle, and cousin is always very nice, and during this trip I got another treat and was able to spend the weekend with my dear friend Holly at her family's very beautiful and comfortable house (my view of the kitchen table before I started this blog entry is pictured above). Holly is the first friend from Santa Cruz that I've been able to connect with since I moved in June, and I've really enjoyed seeing her and getting to know her mom and sister. We even knit together a little.


Her family's house has a fantastic view and is full of interesting pictures and objects artfully displayed. Everywhere I look there's something else to examine and contemplate. But, despite the plentitude of decorative objects, none of the rooms seem cluttered or busy. It's inspired me in several ways, but particularly: I want to have more flowers inside and to try putting more framed photos on the walls.


Holly and I noticed something else interesting when we stopped for lunch on our way to LACMA yesterday. Seeking Ethiopian food, we stopped on Fairfax to look around. It's well known as a Jewish neighborhood (people always seem to bring it up when I mention that I'm researching Jewish history in Los Angeles), but now the streets are also lined with Ethiopian shops and restaurants. Next to where we ate lunch we saw "The National Council of Jewish Women Thrift Shop," and it was like I'd been transported into a modern version of my MA thesis.


All in all, the more I learn about Los Angeles, the more interesting it becomes.

Busy on my birthday scarf

This is my birthday scarf. My birthday was several weeks ago, but this is my birthday scarf because it's made out of my very, very lovely birthday yarn: four luxurious skeins of Noro Silk Garden. The pattern is a very simple design that I first saw on Brooklentweed's blog months ago, and I've wanted to make it ever since. I'm mesmerized by watching the colors change as I knit this and can't wait to have its loveliness snuggled around my neck. It's definitely cold enough outside to warrant a scarf, and I want to wear this one right now!

Sunday Knitting Group

As you know, I loved my old knitting group: I loved the women I shared it with; it's location; the way we laughed and sang, vented and gossiped, and shared our lives with each other along with our knitting (and crocheting!). I miss it, but I've finally reached a place where I'm ready to move on and start a new group, understanding that it will be different than my first.

If you are in the Olympia area, I would love for more knitters to join. Here are the specs:

Sundays, 2:00 to 5:00 at the downtown B&B.

I've had two so far, and hope they will continue to grow. My sister took some photos last week, and, looking through them, I started to contemplate the differences and similarities between the two groups.

First Difference: More dinosaurs.

Second Difference: The possibility of indoctrinating children.



Third Difference: Instead of just discussing uteruses, one of us is knitting them (it's a Knitty pattern!).


We'll see what next week will be like...

Fashion forward

To be honest, I didn’t realize that headbands are in again, but I’ve had three requests for them, in some form or another, over the past few months. Another clue is that I’ve gotten quite a few complements on one I made for my self out of a delicious bit of scrap yarn (there’s a picture of me wearing it way back here).

My “ah ha” moment came when my littlest brother, Cody, marked his entry into teenagehood by requesting a headband for his 13th birthday. Headbands were certainly not in vogue when I turned 13 in the early-nineties. They had unsavory associations with 80s styles, and I was a teenager in the grunge era. Now things are different. Today’s burgeoning trendsetters, such as my brother, are heavily influence by manga and anime, where headbands have different connotations.


Cody asked for "forest colors" and I felt this Trekking sock yarn qualifies. I asked Cody how he will use the headband, and he answered, “Sometimes I’ll wear it when I practice Taekwondo, or maybe when it gets cold.” So, I tried to take some pictures of him practicing kicks, but it was challenging because he moves so fast. Sometimes it seems like he’s flying.

Details

The sweater is coming along nicely. I finished the back (happy with my decision to frog and reknit part), and have moved on to the left front. The comments on my last post included some questions about the pattern, so I will address those today. It's the Ribby Cardi from Chic Knits. The pattern is available to purchase online, but I picked it up at Stitches in San Jose last spring. The website even has a Gallery of pictures from people who already knit the sweater. I spent quite some time pursuing it before I bought the pattern, contemplating how it will handle my, well, feminine curves. Time will tell.


I'm not yet sure what form of collar I'll make. The pattern gives options for a shorter one or a shawl collar. The yarn is Uruguay DK, also procured at Stitches, with green for the body and purple for the sleeves. It's very soft (70% merino, 20% alpaca, 10% silk) and easy to work with, but I'm already anticipating using something machine washable for my next sweater.

Yes, of course I'm already considering my next sweater. It has taken quite a bit of self control—and my sweetie's reminders of other unfinished projects—to refrain from buying the yarn for Rogue. I'm waiting with baited breath for some of my blog friends to finish theirs. Scarybez seems to have finished hers but hasn't posted a picture modeling it, and dear Kelly (who was with me at Stitches, so long ago) has been slowly but surely working on hers for months. Very exciting.

Second chances

First of all, if you are reading this, I want to thank you for sticking with me through my inconsistent blogging: thank you, very much. Plus, you should know, it's really reassuring to see your lovely comments. I sincerely appreciate their humor and caring sentiments. I've become increasingly annoyed that Blogger won't allow me to respond by email to people's individual comments. Oh well. Maybe I'll just start commenting on other people's comments to keep the conversation rolling.


I've been knitting again. I'm making "Ribby"—the sweater I've referred to in my last few posts—and, so far, it's quite simple. I almost finished the back piece but was unhappy with the way I joined the third ball of yarn, so I frogged back to an inch or so below the armhole shaping. Below is a picture I took before ripping back, but you can see the poor join better in photo above. It's a horizontal line of uneven stitches.


The feeling of frogging was redemptive and freeing. The mistake doesn't matter. I can erase it. The sweater will be better because I made a choice to fix it. Still, it was a choice. Not fixing it would have also been fine because it's all a matter of my own needs and preferences. I'm not trying to please anyone else. I am free to choose either way. My actions. My time. My sweater.

I love knitting.

Working

I’m in Los Angeles on a research trip—almost like a real historian. I’ve been knitting in the evenings, and have made a good bit of progress on the back of my very first adult sized sweater (woot!), but most of my time has been spent in my archive or stuck in traffic between my family on one side of L.A. and the archive on the other.

Here, in all its glory, is a picture of my archive:


Can you see it? It’s in the corner, behind the chairs and curtain and stuff. That’s right! The boxes back in the corner. That’s the stuff dissertations are made of. What may (or may not) be goldmine of untouched, untranslated Jewish activism. Lovely.


And really, my research setup is quite nice. They gave me a key to the building, there's plenty of room to spread out, and no one cares if I take off my shoes while I'm going through stuff.


You should see some of the pictures I've found. Just imagine: socialists in the 1940s dressed up like pirates for a costume party. Too cute!

In the Evergreen State

Well, I did it. I moved back to the Northwest. Here's a picture I took the other day that I think really captures the spirit of the region. I call it "Joggers In Rain With Radiant Green Backdrop."


When Dan and I arrived in WA the fates of weather conditions arranged for an unseasonably wet couple of weeks, probably to welcome us home. Now it's warmed up again, and Dan and I are just beginning to find our routines—work, family, school stuff, etc.—but I still haven't found my normal knitting stride. I'm fairly shocked it's been a month since the last time I blogged, and I really miss my knitting group. I had plans to start one here, but lately I keep thinking about how a new group will be totally different from my old one. Then I just get hung-up on trying to decide what day I should try to have it, and then I can't decide where it should meet anyway. Oh well. I miss you, my sweet Santa Cruz crafters!

Of course, I'm still knitting a bit, even if not as industriously as usual. Here's a little something that's almost done. It's a super cute free pattern from Hello Yarn. I'm making it for a special baby due this fall.


Now I have a very important question for you, gentle readers: Do you think the ear I made is too long? I'm worried it will be overly floppy, and this concern is keeping me from picking up stitches for the second ear.

Finally, by popular request, I took a picture of my new apartment. This is the living/dining room area.


Isn't it pretty? You should all come over to knit with me and sip tea.

In flux

We survived the long haul up to Washington and even found a place to live! It’s been stressful and hectic, and I didn’t sleep or knit very much. Our family has been very kindly housing us until we can get into our new home, and we’ve found a few minutes here and there to visit our old haunts (including Canvas Works, Olympia’s yarn store), but we feel that establishing ourselves in our new (bigger) home is necessary before we can relax and really enjoy coming back to the northwest. Being here still feels very surreal and, though we’ve only been away a short time, we find ourselves missing our friends back in Santa Cruz. Hopefully we will find ourselves again soon.

Transitions

Now everything is happening very fast. Boxes are everywhere. I need more sleep. We've reserved the moving truck for Friday. It's a period of transition.


My blog will make the trip up to Washington too, but my entries may continue to be inconsistent for a while. I hope you stick around to see what happens becuase transitions can be exciting. Plus, I decided that my traveling project will be my very first adult sized sweater...

I passed!

Now I'm an official Ph.D. candidate. Does that sound good? Maybe I should knit a sweater to celebrate....


Unfortunately, my imminent move takes the edge off my relief. While I'm looking forward to the good things that will accompany my move (family, old friends, a bigger living space, the loveliness of the northwest, family, etc.), I also have to face the parts of moving that make me sad (leaving my new friends, stress, packing, looking for a new place, feelings of displacement, leaving my Santa Cruz community, etc.). This is a really lovely little spot to live. Oh well, such is life.


My sister still doesn't know where she and the band she is touring with are going to play tonight. We may just takeover a space on campus and call it guerrilla music.