In Progress, In Potentia
I’m out of town this weekend but thought I’d post a few photos of works in progress. Travel is terrible for my WIP graveyard in that I start more projects rather than finishing the ones I have. Oh dear.
At any rate, here we have a modified Child’s Rainbow Scarf (from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts) in Noro Silk Garden Sock, a simple ribbed sock in Austermann Step, a hand mitt for Inauguration (my own pattern, coming soon) in Schaefer Anne Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, and (drumroll please) some NFC sock yarn in their latest color, 1600 Pennsylvania. Huzzah! What will I make with this historic yarn? Whatever it is, I’ll be working on it from the Lincoln Memorial during the swearing-in. Very exciting.
Yarn Saves the Day (again)
For reasons I imagine to be obvious (hello? yarn-related being!) I have been watching the Aardman Studios wonder “Shaun the Sheep” lately. It’s a spin-off of the Wallace & Gromit short “A Close Shave,” which is, indeed, about a little sheep named Shaun (get it? Shorn? Shaun? Ha!). It shows Gromit, the dog, knitting…there’s a trip to a yarn shop and a little romance for Wallace…what’s not to love?
At any rate, the most recent one, called “Who’s the Mummy,” showed some chicks hatching and imprinting on Shaun instead of their mother. They follow him around and hijinks ensue, but at the end of the day knitted items come to the rescue. In the last scene, the mother chicken is wearing a sweater and hat made of Shaun’s wool, so that the chicks think she’s Shaun. [And Shaun, in his sad sheepy underwear, is clutching a hot water bottle to stay warm.]
There aren’t any clips of that particular show available, but you can find US showings of “Shaun the Sheep” on the official website, and below is a clip from “A Close Shave” in which Wallace and Gromit save Shaun and friends from an evil bulldog in a high-speed chase with truck and motorcycle. Shaun, of course, is the sheep in the sweater (because he’s been SHORN. Get it?).
A Different Kind of Holiday
Wodehouse Cures All Ills
Craftily hidden behind this grand Wodehouse book is the project I’m about to finish. It’s hidden because it’s for someone who occasionally reads this blog…and one would not want to ruin one’s surprise, would one? Nevertheless, here is proof that I continue to knit.
I work at a school, and we’re smack-dab in the middle of exams right now. I spent two nights on dorm duty this week, and it’s quieter than usual as the students try to hold it together long enough to get through their tests and home for the holidays.
[Well…quiet, punctuated by bursts of hysteria (smearing grape jelly on each other’s doors, laughing like Mrs. Rochester, dashing up and down the halls at 11 p.m.), but what can you expect from 50 girls?]
The holidays can be a little stressful themselves, what with knitting items for various people, purchasing gifts upon gifts, thinking about holiday cards, hosting family members, realizing holiday cards won’t get done this year either, traveling, not traveling, finishing up at work before the break, fretting about work while on the break, staying in hotels, renting cars, swearing that This Is The Last Year For [insert your particular issue here], etc.
In the face of Next Thursday, I returned to The Luck of the Bodkins
In “Luck of the Bodkins,” Monty Bodkin follows his erstwhile fiancé on a boat from Europe to America, in the hopes of winning her back. His traveling companions include a jewel-smuggling film magnate, his osteopath sister-in-law, a garrulous steward, and an entire women’s hockey team. Good, clean fun.
The only thing Wodehouse lacks is much of a knitting presence. [Though we do have Wodehousian Fibre Artists [rav lnk] over on Ravelry.]
Speaking of Ravelry [free, and only four days ’til you’re added as a beta tester!] , the WIP Amnesty group [rav lnk] is hopping, largely of its own accord, as people try to finish long-neglected projects in order to use them as gifts in this, the season of acting-like-I-planned-this-for-you.
If the holidays are really getting to you, you might visit the Festivus “Airing of the Grievances” kiosk in the Adams Morgan section of DC; read all about it in Holiday Cheer? Not Here. from washingtonpost.com.
Finally: Hamster on a Piano. Just ’cause.
Socks That…Do Lots of Stuff
This video of socks…FEET, really…is partly a promo for a book, but, jeez, they made me laugh. Might work for you too. Starts out slow, so hang in there.
Colbert Report: Radical Knitting
Brooke (she of the brilliant Why We Knit list) sent me a gem this morning.
In this dandy video, the Colbert Report tells us something we already knew: knitting is dangerous, and so are the people who do it.
The real fun starts at about 1:05, when we get to see a real live knitter…one who was planning to cover an SUV in a net of fiber, apparently.
Holiday Shopping…
Project Bag by nStitches4u
One of my favorite classes asked me one of my favorite questions: what do we buy? Any excuse for me to go shopping is a good thing.
These folks were more specific, lucky for them. They wanted to know about knitting-related stocking stuffers or small gifts they might ask for from their nearest and dearest. And, you know, there are a lot of cool little gadgets out there!
I trolled through some online sites for links to the items, but you can probably find at least some of them at your Local Yarn Shop as well.
See the list, after the jump… Read more…
An Unexpected One
Speaking of things for which to be grateful…my sister sent me a photo of a knitting problem yesterday! Not only is she knitting…and knitting on road trips…she’s also knitting with Karida‘s gorgeous hand-painted worsted, and (best of all) asking me for help. My sisterly and knitterly cups runneth over.
Danielle Gets Inked
Nice press for Danielle and Knit-A-Gogo in the Washington Post Magazine! Huzzah!
Canopy Boatneck
I promised a photo of the Canopy Sweater…and here it is. I designed it during the Glam Knits Workshop a couple of weeks ago, and it’s coming along nicely. Some eyelet increases in the shoulders, and I think I’ve found a nice lace pattern for bottom edge and the edges of the sleeves.
I love when mail comes in on the iPhone while I’m taking a picture. The resultant photo is all stutter-steppy. Voilà!
Saving Money, One Stitch at a Time
Knit More, Shop Less
My student Brooke sent me—just off the top of her head, no less!—this list of reasons why knitting is going to get even more popular as the economy declines.
Now, I’m not saying she’s wrong here, because she makes some excellent points…but I will say that, as my stress grows, my cravings for both chocolate and new yarn reach shrieking point.
But, hey, it’s worth a try.
The photo to the side here was taken for the upcoming book Pints and Purls: Portable Projects for the Social Knitter
See the list, after the jump. Read more…
Knit Like You Mean It. 