Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Exciting weekend

News... I am soon to join the ranks of married people! My sweetie proposed on Saturday on the beach in Big Sur. The ring is gorgeous, a sapphire surrounded by diamonds. It was not a huge surprise; I expected it to happen some time in the next few weeks, but the moment it happened I was definitely taken by surprise. Wedding in March!

We took a bunch of blog-bound photos this weekend, including me knitting at 4000 feet on a hike in the Ventana Wilderness. The project? Cardigan for Best Nephew in the Universe. It's coming along slowly; nowhere near the speed of Spinnity's lovely Narcisse sweater. I'm looking forward to vacationing with the Nephew and his lovely parents next week. I'm going to knit and knit and knit! Of course, my sister will also drag me out to shop for wedding dresses, a prospect I view with some dread and trepidation. Having worked briefly in the industry, I know it's an enormous scam. However, I look forward to a Koigu wedding shawl from Spinnity.

Other knitting news... not much to report! I am making steady progress on the spidery sparkly poncho. Expect to have a FO while on vacation. Cardigan will be done by Xmas, if I'm lucky. I really want to start something from Vintage Knits as well, in a Rowan yarn. Love Rowan. I'm planning a naughty little visit to Knitting Arts tomorrow, to pick up a dragonfly button to decorate the poncho.

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Well, here I am...

...my first home on the internet. Some paint, a few curtains, and it'll really be something.

I was inspired to start this by my friend and almost-relative Spinnity's fabulous blog (www.spinnity.blogspot.com) Like her, I knit. But, as my name suggests, I just learned. From her, actually. And I am constantly amazed by the zen of knitting, the things it makes me think about, as well as the overwhelming coolness of what you can actually do with a simple ball of yarn and a couple of sticks. I've developed a very dangerous Knitting Arts habit (www.goknit.com).

Have you noticed that yarns have personalities? (Of course you have; if you're reading this, you've probably been knitting much longer than I have.) My very first two projects were a hat and scarf in a super-soft Anny Blatt angora blend, dreamily colored in gentle blue, green, orange, and raspberry. Aaah! So peaceful. So relaxing. A good first yarn -- misty and forgiving of small mistakes, but still not too tricky to see the stitches.

Now I've got two totally dissimilar projects. One is a poncho in Softy and Ironstone Paris Nights. The Softy is black and spidery and sticky. One evening I realized it was an angry yarn. I wrestled with it a lot at the beginning. We've come to a sort of truce now. I've conquered two whole balls now and I think it knows who's boss. The Ironstone is more elusive. Sparkly and colorful, but with a sharp edge. It hides in and out of the black but helps me when it's time to count rows of purl bumps.

The other is a blue cardigan for Peter, Best Nephew in the Universe. My new favorite yarn, a Rowan cotton. It's miles and miles of stockinette, but soothing somehow through the fingers. Except the buttonholes, which have been onerous.

I suppose other people have favorite yarn personalities. Tell me!