another Brat

I have very little knitting content to report, because I've been.... well.... knitting presents, and those need to remain, you know, Secret! So, no pictures, no descriptions, no fiber-y hints. Just lots of surreptitious knitting and silence.

But I am making another hat for myself. Because I am stepping westward, I need a hat that will do what it needs to do in wet, cool weather but definitely not cold, snowy weather, I needed something a little lighter than those thick medieval helmets I've been making for myself! I started another Brat Sister Hat, this time in cashmere fingering weight to match the Veyla gloves in my last post.



I've been working on my collection perfectly normal-sized stash also. Ahem. A box from Blue Moon Fiber Arts might have arrived this week. And inside might have been several skeins of their new fiber Marine Silk, which I showed you earlier in it's Quilla incarnation, I think.

Here it is in Lodestone, a most lovely pale green with a subtle swath of spring yellow like the edge of a newly unfurling leaf in Spring:



These two skeins are the ones for Miss Marple's Shawl, which I described below. The shawl, square but lightwieght, is part of an indulgent set I'm making for myself that includes, in addition to this 1930's shawl, a silk and merino undervest from the 1930's, and a pair of merino sleeping socks of my own design. All this is in aid of those times when I'm ill and have to stay on the couch feeling sickeningly sorry for myself. These comforts will be perfect for resting in this cold old house!

More Marine Silk, this time in My Blue Heaven, Winter Solstice, and Lenore:



I have no plans for these skeins, but wish I had ordered more of the Winter Solstice. It's winter-sky silver really appeals to me right now!

And finally, because Marine Silk comes in three different weights, here is Lenore in the Lace weight. It is beautifully silky and shiny:



This skein is actually not mine, but is part of a trade with my friend Nad in Germany. She is a fearless knitter and doesn't hesitate to use the micron-thin lace weight yarns! Here is a close-up of how the blood-red blends with the raven black on the end of the skein:



Don't you just love Blue Moon?

Stepping Westward
~ Denise Levertov

What is green in me
darkens, muscadine.
If woman is inconstant,
good, I am faithful to
ebb and flow, I fall
in season and now
is a time of ripening.
If her part
is to be true,
a north star,
good, I hold steady
in the black sky
and vanish by day,
yet burn there
in blue or above
quilts of cloud.
There is no savor
more sweet, more salt
than to be glad to be
what, woman,
and who, myself,
I am, a shadow
that grows longer as the sun
moves, drawn out
on a thread of wonder.
If I bear burdens
they begin to be remembered
as gifts, goods, a basket
of bread that hurts
my shoulders but closes me
in fragrance. I can
eat as I go.

funhouse

ETA: Editing my blogpost to be a little more coherent - I am really struggling with jetlag, or the time-zone change or something!!

I'm back home now and having serious re-entry issues. I miss my little family on the west coast and the new friends I made there soooooo much!! After a month of sleeping on the floor on an air mattress, I'm having trouble sleeping in a real bed and after walking and taking the MAX everywhere, my legs get really restless - they miss walking long distances, (very fast because everyone but me had such long legs) and uphill both ways. ;)

So I've spending this morning (or the hours somce I wole up at 4 am) on the couch watching VH1 music videos. I love Pink's new song" "This used to be a fun house, but now it's full of evil clowns..." ha ha! I know she's serious, but it's really funny because clowns are scary! It's a perfect "get ready for Halloween" song.

I've had to start all new knitting projects because I am in such a funk. AND (speaking of evil clowns): I somehow lost my new Hiya-Hiya interchangable needle set! It arrived just before I left, in August. I put it away in a safe place so evil clowns wouldn't steal it when they broke into the house while I was away (I know, I have irrational fears about clowns breaking in). Now I can't remember where I put it and I've looked everywhere. If anyone who reads this is psychic, please tell me where my new needles are. I didnt throw them out in the mailing box by mistake, did I?

Well, back to the new knitting projects... Don't you love Knitquest'a patterns? I've started Tellum, a scarf/hood thingy and am using a *new* yarn: MacKintosh Yarns in Iona (small amount of cashmere!) in the oceany colourway Taurus. {{dies}}. I love this yarn. The colour is a prefect deep teal - not solid, more shaded hues of the colour. Okay - I gave you the link to this fabulous yarn, but if you buy it all I'll never forgive you.

Off to sleep now, and try to rebuild my poor brains. Maybe they were lost along with my needles?