Summer’s Last Gasp

Chicago is SO much cooler in the summer than Washington, DC! Of course, anything unlike the inside of an oven qualifies as cooler than DC, but still – weather here has been so nice: low 80s, sunny. Unfortunately, for a sweater girl like me, that is not warm enough for a tank top, especially if there’s a breeze blowing! I’m rushing to finish the Soleil tank before my trip to Tennessee this weekend. I hear it is still hot there! A pic of its almost-finished state:



This project has been the perfect level of difficulty for me. I sailed through the lace, stumbled a little with the neckline instructions, and was challenged in making suitably neat selvedges. Before I finish, though, I will need to tackle crochet! Yikes. But it’s getting finished this week one way or another.

I imagine you all have read or heard about the utter devastation from Hurricane Katrina. It is heartbreaking to see how families and communities have been torn apart by this disaster. I visited New Orleans last November for the first time. I stayed on St. Charles Street, ate beignets at Café du Monde, and took the trolley out to the Garden District to visit the Garden District Needlework Shop. What a beautiful city. I hope that everyone affected will get to safety and find some comfort, soon.

A view of Decatur Street and St. Louis Cathedral, in happier times:

I am really proud of myself

Thanks for all the comments! Glad you have been willing to re-include me in your knitting and blogging lives. It makes this a lot more fun!

Today, rather than knitting news, I have un-knitting news:




Yes, that's the famed Rowan Smooch. I started this sweater pre-blog, about two years ago. It was my first attempt at using a chart, and although it took me about seven tries to get the yarnovers in the right place, i finally finished the lace motif at the bottom of the two pieces. But where I went wrong, really wrong, was the eyelets around the neckline. A curse on Rowan and their instructions made for smarter people! After all their complicated directions for the eyelets on one side of the neck, they simply say "reverse shapings." This was easier said than done, considering that you want the eyelets to match. I never could get a reverse set of yos and k2tog to look right.

But, I'm really proud of myself for ripping this out. It has been staring at me for TWO LONG YEARS, and I finally admitted to myself that 1) it was really frustrating for me, 2) I learned how to read a chart by doing this project, even if I didn't finish it, and 3) it's not my style anyway.

Ever taken the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory? I am (at last testing) an ENTP. Way off the charts on E (extrovert) and on T (thinking). Where I get into trouble in knitting is with the "P," which stands for Perceiving. Perceiving means that you prefer a flexible, spontaneous way of life and may be more process-oriented. The alternative to P is J, for Judging. Judging means that you prefer a planned, orderly, structured way of life and are often results-oriented.

So, what this means is that I have trouble finishing things. But on the positive side, it also means that I am learning as I go and that the result for me is really the process.

Being process-oriented sure doesn't do much for your yarn stash! Too much yarn...must finish projects... More on that later.

Happy knitting, everyone!

Back in the Saddle

I’m back! And now that I am, I can see I was gone a long time. What has everyone in blog-land been up to? I’m looking forward to catching up on everyone’s knitting adventures.

My adventures lately have been of a different kind – the packing, flying, moving in, unpacking kind. Through all of that I was still working for my former employer, which added a level of delight to the whole process, as you can imagine! (ha) But I’m happy to report that I’m finished with that and getting ready to write the next chapter of my life.

Knitting has begun again, albeit slowly. I’ve started on the Debbie Bliss Matinee Coat, a gift for a friend. Here’s a work-in-progress shot:


Also, I’m excited to be going to my first Chicago knitting group tonight! The famed Bonne Marie organizes a group that meets twice a month on Thursdays. I haven’t been getting out much since I’ve been in Chicago, so I’m REALLY thrilled to be going.

In other news, I bought a Mac! This has been a long time coming – I’ve been thinking about it since before I got my iPod last January, and I finally took the plunge. I’m looking forward to seeing how this will affect the blog once I learn more about its software and features.

Anyway, sorry for the disappearance, but I hope everyone will keep reading! I haven’t forgotten about the Knitting Sisters review – that will be a coming attraction. Hope everyone is doing well!

Happy knitting!