Purlene’s Corner

Hello, three-day weekend! Well, almost – I still have to get through two hours of the workday, but soon, it will be freedom. Huzzah! Here. Have a WIP Roundup.

Embossed Leaves Socks, from Favorite Socks. This is the first pattern I’ve done out of the book, and I am really enjoying it. The pair name in my head (what, you don’t name your knitting projects?) is “Stargate Convention Socks” – I knit almost all of what you see here at the Chicago Stargate SG-1 Convention, listening to Paul McGillion be 600% more charming than his Stargate: Atlantis character and Michael Shanks field inappropriate fan questions. Seriously, what is WRONG with people? Anyway, the stripes you see here aren’t nearly as obvious in person, which pleases me. Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Grey’s Corner.

Detail of the pattern. I think this yarn works really well for this pattern. It’s not so bold that it obscures the texture, but instead it gives it a lovely ripply look.

And knitters, this is why we occasionally have to block socks. *g*

Moving on. I tried to take pictures of a sock that wasn’t working out, but the cat kept getting in the way. Witness:

Good grief. I don’t even want to talk about the sock, except to say that Magic Loop is not for me. My gauge is all over the map. Of course, after all the prowling and pawing,

he crashed. Cat-nap city, and if you look close, you can see that he’s still cranky that I was trying to knit and take pictures, and not paying attention to him. EYEROLL.

So. Back to work for another ninety minutes, and then off to home and thence to Kentucky, where my ass will be camped in front of a bonfire, with a cool beer in hand. YAY.

So, due to the flaking-out of my wireless router, I am tied to the cable outlet. This means that I’m curled up in the Bamboo Chair of Surprise Tippings-over with the laptop actually in my lap (I don’t remember the last time that happened) and cords dangling all around, brushing against my legs and freaking me out because it feels like bugs crawling up me. GAH.

I’ve been feeling the urge, or more precisely, the need to go more natural lately. I don’t mean in the bra-less unshorn legs way (I like smooth legs, and the girls need support or else there is heat rash and uncomfortable bobbing around), but in the way that I want to eat better and get rid of clutter and junk, maybe even furniture, use natural things to clean my apartment, that sort of natural. I’m not sure, but I think it’s because I’ve been kind of hyper-focused on knitting – there’s something about the process of winding string around needles to create wearable garments that is very grounding. I knit, and I think of the work that I’m putting into a humble (albeit beautiful) pair of socks, and I think of the woman who dyed the yarn in gorgeous shades of pink and purple and gray (seriously. stunning). I think of the people who sheared the wool, carded it, and spun it. The process has been modernized, but it’s still essentially the same as it was hundreds of years ago – I’m sure that somewhere in my history, women knitted sweaters for their families, socks for their feet, mittens and gloves to keep them warm. I like that. It’s a connection to the past. I’m not really one for dwelling and reminiscing – I’m pretty much in the present and looking forward, but this works for me.

So is it any wonder that after all that musing, I look around my apartment and think – I have too much stuff! I am one person, alone, with a cat – I don’t think I need everything that I have. I’m pretty sure of it, actually. Books piled on books, pictures that I’ve had since eleventh grade – it’s a lot of STUFF. I’m tied into living in places large enough to hold my two bookcases, three bureaus, couch, dining room table, and chairs. I feel kind of weighed down and crowded.

But when it comes down to it, I can’t think of what I would depart with. I *like* having lots of books around, even though I barely read them. I like the fact of a dining room table – I’ve had dinner parties in the past, I may want to do it again. I don’t know. It’s a conundrum, isn’t it? I have too much but I don’t have enough. I want to get rid of things, but I want to keep them as well. I love airy, open apartments, but I have made mine cluttered and, yes, cosy.

Clearly I need to think on this some more.

Look at that happy dog! How can anyone not love all over this little girl, I have no idea. She was a great weekend guest, although taking care of her reminded me of my Jake, so it was a little sad.

Knitting makes all things better. Unfortunately, knitting can not fix my broken cable connection or make me a better photographer, so perhaps knitting makes a lot of things better.

I spent Saturday at Loopy Yarns, my favorite LYS, helping out behind the counter. It was a slow day, so I got lots of knitting done for the store, including beginning this pretty scarf! It’s a 3×1 rib, so it looks like stockinette, but doesn’t curl as badly. The yarn is Noro something – the store kept the label, so I’ll have to update later with the actual name. It’s very fuzzy and very soft and very warm. . . and very dull to knit. YAWN. It’s the designated bus knit for the moment, or I’ll never get it done.

This WAS the bus knitting. It’s the first twenty or so rows of the Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, and isn’t it pretty? Atacama by Araucania, colorway Pink/501. LOVE. I have twelve skeins and I’m hoping it’s enough. There’s a chick on Ravelry who’s willing to get rid of her lone skein, and I might hit her up for it – worst to worst, I can make a quickie hat to match, right?

Knitting. Love it.

Oh, I have so much to talk about today! First, I was supremely stupid at work today for about two hours trying to make something huge look like something small, when I really needed to do it the other way around. That was a less than genius moment, but hey, no problems. I’ll work on it tonight and make up the wasted time.

IF I HAVE TIME. BFF is bringing her dog Ginny over to stay the weekend while she runs out to a camp for kids with developmental disabilities. She’s such a good person. Ginny and I are going to have fun – it’ll be nice having a dog in the house again.

But I have knitty pics to post, and that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? Yeah, I thought so. I’m going to start things off with my absolute good luck in winning one of the drawing prizes from The Loopy Ewe! As usual, the yarn is being photographed on my denim couch. I am crap at taking pictures, but the couch seems to work well as a background.

mmmmmm, three skeins of gorgeous hand-dyed sock yarn from indie-dyers.

This is Spritely Goods superwash merino in the Spring is Here colorway. It’s a little more pastel than this picture shows, but the colors are otherwise fairly true. I think it’s going to be a gorgeous something – I just can’t decide what!

Seacoast Handpainted superwash merino, Raspberry Mocha colorway. I am so in love with this yarn, I can’t even tell you. Look at those gorgeous colors! I’m half-tempted to frog out the chevron scarf I have going with my STR Barney Rubble yarn and combining these two. The STR is medium-weight, this is – well, it’s 7-8 st/inch but I don’t know what needle size that is.

And finally (wrapping this up because Ginny is here nad needs attention):

Scarlet Fleece Red Velvet Waters, 100grams, 480 yards of 80% Merino/20% nylon. Destined to belong to my mother. :)

oh, and have a sneak peek of The Revenge of the Fug:

It’s very pink. Oy.
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Now playing: Ramones – I Wanna Be Sedated
via FoxyTunes

I’m slowly migrating old Vox posts here so I can use this as a mirror. I’ll still be on Vox, but they have an annoying policy of not allowing comments from people who don’t have a blog there, which I’m not all that crazy about. I’m essentially blogging for three people on Vox, and that’s a little limiting for my tastes. So, I’m re-energizing the old Blogger account and starting something new.

Purlene. Oh my, how quaint! I suck at coming up with names and subject lines, though.

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Now playing: Shawn Mullins – And On A Rainy Night
via FoxyTunes

I’ve been doing some secret knitting.

I made this pretty pretty heart sachet for my friend Halo, who lives in New Zealand. It’s from this pattern from Interweave knits (note – link goes to the .pdf file), and was great fun to make. I used Noro Silk Garden, and made two sachets from one skein, using size 3 needles. The sachet was filled with batting and some “Clean Linen” scent granules I cannibalized from a paper sachet and slipped in – it smells fantastic.

And here is the little package I sent her – the sachet, a little knit heart made from some leftover yarn (freeform, baby! Who needs patterns?) and a note. The color in this is absolute crap, I took it at work on my desk. Just pretend it’s pretty.

And now I present: A Hint of Fug to Come.

amykins knit the original Fug, a pair of socks that were promptly named the CSI socks, because the red spots looked like blood splatter. I got them as punishment for having the audacity to buy green yarn, and not psychically knowing that she was knitting me green socks. (Would that all punishments were that cool.) Now, I’m into revenge. I’m knitting Fug, but I’m having fun with the pattern, so it’s taking me a long time to get the two done. I just seamed up Sock #2, and decided that I liked it better than Sock #1 (the point of Fug is well-made socks that aren’t pretty), so #1 got frogged.

Frogged Fug, one sock’s worth.

Fug sock ramen!

Well, you can’t knit with that, it’s all kinky and would look terrible. So, I rinsed it and hung it up to dry, and noticed the particular shade of the water in the sink.

Wow. That’s pink. Consider this a warning, Amy. If you end up with pink underwear and pink t-shirts, it ain’t my fault.