books and music and sheep and pod casts

Hooray! In the post came a fabu package from Nadine of NadinesKnittingBasketBlog - she of the German forest on the French border and the exotic hens! (she sent me one of these hen's feathers and it now adorns the doll's newly stylish hat!) Her mother had embroidered a darling sheep for me (I named him Baaaaabaraaa) and I so wish I had my own computer so I could post a picture of him for you! (work computer does not have the necessary software). Nadine made a handmade book with natural rice paper and red Chinese characters on the cover that I think will become my own pattern book with pictures and sketches! and, and.....And she sent me four CDs of knitting (and cooking) podcasts!! I have:


At the Yarn Store
AussieKnit
Beneath the Fiber Moon
BritKnitCast
Cast-On
ChristaKnits
Craft Borg
Craft Sanity
Godet Cast
Eat Feed
insubordiknit
ArieKnits
It's a Purl Man
Online Knitting
Knit 2Btied
KnitCast
Knitcentric
Knitters Review Live
Knitting News Cast
Knitting Psychos
Knit Tunes
Knitty and the City
Knit Wit
Lime & Violet (in which Nadine is mentioned Twice!)
MaterialMama
Math 4 Knitters
Nana's Knitting
Pixie Purls
Purl Diving
Red Light Knitting
Secret Knitting
Muggle Cast
Pointy Sticks
Sleepy Eyes Knits
Sticks and String
Stikle-cast
The Age of Innocence
The Fiber Cast
The Knitting Cook

This should keep me entertained for while, no? I can't wait for Saturday morning, when I will curl up on the couch in the front room with tea and knitting and listen, listen, listen while I K2P2 on my green linen shrug.

Did I tell you about this shrug? You can have one too! Cast on 114 stitches on size nine needles (with very fine yarn - size 11 needles with thicker yarn and only 76 stitches) and knit 2 purl 2 for 30 inches. Then fold so that the two selvedges are touching each other and sew up the non-selvedge edge from the non-fold corners until there are 13 inches left open before the fold. These openings are where your arms go. When you put it on, the selvedges (or cast off / cast on edges) will be the edges against your waist and around your neck. Fold the neck edge back to make a wide shawl collar. It’s very very pretty!

To do this in crochet, make a chain 30 inches long. Single crochet in each loop all the way across. Double crochet into the back loops only, in each stitch back and forth for 30 inches. make a final row of single crochet and end off. Fold and sew the shrug as described above except that this time you will fold it so that the non-selvedges are touching and you will be sewing the under-arms together on the selvedge edges and then wear it the same way with the wide shawl collar. The point is that the rows are radiating out from the neck when you fold the shawl collar over - not horizontal to it. The single crochet first and last rows make a very pretty edging.

post-Valentine's

My computer at home is completely broken now, and doesnt turn on, so I write from work when I take a break. But yesterday, due to enormous snow storms and every building in town being closed, I stayed home from work. I shoveled 22 inches of snow in my nightgown (too lazy to get dressed) and L.L.Bean boots three times yesterday and this morning still woke up to several inches on the driveway! My boyfriend - now my hero - stopped by at 8 am this morning and cleared the driveway for me, while I went over to my neighbour's and cleared her driveway for her. It's now cosy and warm in my office, and I have a nice cup of Jasmine Green tea in my Arts & Crafts mug (from Peet's Coffee and Tea in Boston) here by my side. I brought a big Orange from home, my favorite treat in the whole world. My window looks down on the courtyard of this old brick building, where the fierce wind is whipping around like a tornado and brushing impotent fists against the glass. It looks scary, but I can laugh at it because I'm inside!!

With all that time off yesterday, I was able to complete my garter-rib scarf. I can't remember if I told you the yarn - it is Jo Sharp's Alpaca Silk Georgette in a colour called Musk, which is really a very mauvy dusky lavender. If my computer worked, I would show you, alas.

I've now started on a new Jo Sharp pattern from her new spring book Knit, volume 2 http://www.josharp.com.au/Books/Books.html. It is version 2 of the shrug. I'm using a gorgeous deep green linen/kid-silk yarn from Louette yarns called Kid-Lin. Its really just a rectangle that you sew up at the end, leaving holes for your arms to go through. The only tricky part is measuring your back so you knit the width - which stays constant - the right size.

I have one more thing I want to knit for myself before March - Ysolde's Cloud Bolero http://ysolda.me.uk/wordpress/index.php/patterns. I'm making this in Plymouth's Baby Alpaca.

Well, I must go back to work now. I'll miss you until I can steal a few minutes once again to write.

when the computer fairies visit

Having finished my current knit projects on Saturday, and packaged them for sending, I spent a very frustrating Saturday evening and all day Sunday trying to get inspired by a new project. I searched everywhere for a garter-rib pattern I wanted for a springy merino yarn in mauve, and couldn't find it. My OS drove with me around to various knitting shops to see if they knew what I was talking about. Alas, no. On Sunday evening, I got out my needles and after 3 trials finally found the stitch I was envisioning: CO 28 (size 5 needles --> this makes a difference), K4P4. turn. repeat. Its so lovely. A photo will happen when the computer fairies return.

Edited to add: (Oops! I tried to add the picture of my new knit pattern, but my laptop died before it loaded! The home laptop is completely dead now, so updates will be few and far between unless computer fairies visit. Don't worry. I'll connect as able from work.)


I have some new books: Twinkle's Big City Knits -

http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/twinkle/

http://www.twinklebywenlan.com/main.html


I think I want to make everything in this book!

and I want Spring to come soon.

Green From Inside
by RUMI

The moon comes to visit as a guest
of the night. Rose sits down by

thorn. Someone washing clothes
asks for the sun's forgiveness!

Compass leg circles the point.
Muhammad arrives here, a stranger,

Spring to this dry tree. Hallaj
smiles at his cross. The pomegranate

flowers. Everyone talks about
greenery, not with words but quietly

as green itself talks from inside,
as we begin to live our love.