there IS a there there—isn’t there?

Posted on Posted in projects, Uncategorized

this post is brought to you by before and after.

because i’ve been busy!
sorry i haven’t posted. it’s been another hectic week. BUT, my workload was reduced as of yesterday, so i think going forward this won’t be such a problem. at least, that is what i’m told! keep your fingers crossed.

wednesday, i had this little dress done, except for armhole and neck trim. it looked a little saggy-baggy:

but on thursday, it looks perky and cute, with all its trimmings in place!

i can mail it off any time now. and, i am SO ready to make another one right away . . . but i think i’ll wait. i do have other things to work on. i need to get back to the shrug, which hasn’t changed any since i showed it the other day.

speaking of mail, look what came for me yesterday from japan

here’s a juicy bargain for addi turbo lovers: jeff wu’s addi turbo store wonderland. many thanks to Two Left Needles for providing the path that led me there.

now, i am a true lover of these needles—from way back—i still remember my first set (it was $7; a fortune back then). they are pricey, but they are fast, super-smooth, slippery, sturdy, and have a soft, pliable cord. not everyone is into that, but if you are, you MUST check it out! the prices bring me back to the old days, even with shipping. and they arrived in about 3-4 business days from japan.

and then there is my garden. it was looking pretty sad, pretty forlorn

we are in our 10th straight day of rain here. and i’m not talking april showers or any such wimpy wetness. i am talking heavy torrents of rain, mixed with constant, unending rain, and then a few showers whenever that’s not happening. you know, in case we get bored of just plain rain.

but, last evening, it let up for a little while, and now you can see the happy garden.

yeah, it’s just jumpin’ for joy out there in the pouring 45° rain. because a “let up” in the rain is not a stop. oh no. in fact, i no sooner set my foot back in the door at 9 pm than it started again. not that i’m complaining. we do need the rain.

i ran out of space in which to put plants. i am going to have to sweet-talk david into letting me put them somewhere else. like where he was planning on planting grass. hmm, maybe another pair of socks will grease the wheel (but that is SO yesterday; does anyone have any better ideas?). these were coming along nicely on tuesday, too

wednesday was class day so i got them a little further along. they are starting to remind me of sea glass a bit; this wool has a transluscent sheen to it, and it’s very lofty, so a lot of light shines through it. it’s a little hard to explain unless you are staring at it from about 6 inches away



wha
-at? you mean . . . you don’t do that? huh—i thought everyone did that . . . so, when i tell my students to memorize their fabric and look really closely at it, and they looked at me in that wigged-out way, as if to say “what am i looking for? . . .”THAT’s what that’s about?! hmmm. good to know. in other words, when it comes to seeing things in the fabric, “there is no there there”. ??
for real?

(honestly, i’m having a hard time with that—it sort of blows apart a lifelong pleasure of observing minutiae, not to mention the time i’ve spent on same . . .)
when i got to the heel of those sox, i put that aside to do at home. last time i did a heel in class i had to rip it out 3 times. so, i moved over to this sock

how do you like that sock travel kit?? it’s one of those little heavy plastic zipper bags that pillowcases come in. i used to carry my sock projects in ziploc bags, but the little needles always poke through those. a couple of weeks ago, that resulted in me riding my bike slooowly back along the road to find two DPNs that had slipped out of the bag and through my basket onto the road. i heard them drop—ping! . . . . . . . ping!—and i just knew what it was.
sigh. you only have to do that once to understand that your current system isn’t working for you. then i was rooting around in my workroom and i found a little stash of these bags. you know, you buy linens and they come in these great bags that you KNOW are good for something, so you stash them in a closet for later.

well, later is HERE! this is what they are meant for! that stint as a pillowcase bag was just practice for the real life’s work. they are the perfect size for one sock project and a set or two of sock needles. no room for clutter. and they slip easily into another bag (or bike basket).

so, d’ya like to watch corn grow? or maybe you are a fan of paint drying?
here’s one last shot for you

got that now? got it memorized? cuz when you see what’s next, you might need to refer back

i KNOW! that’s what i said too, after what seemed like a lot more rows than it looks. good thing these are the pair i work on when my mind is numb from even MORE boring work. literally i do these when i am watching files upload. that make it seem as if something is actually happening when i knit a row! (instead of what IS happening—almost nothing)

alright now, time to go make shrug action happen! i know everyone is very anxious. also on monday there is going to be a BIG surpise here! i can hardly keep this secret any more, but i’ve been holding out for two weeks, so i figure i can make it. it’s something really fun, and the more the merrier, so spread the word. come over here monday!!

5 thoughts on “there IS a there there—isn’t there?

  1. The little dress is darling! Bring it Monday if it isn’t on its way to the lucky little girl….

  2. You are not alone in staring at intently the faberic which you are knitting…. I do the same I may even say I obsess ove the way the yarn is twisting into stitches and if the end result is desirable…. I watch the the way the faberic changes as it gets closer and closer untill your one inch away and all the stitches blur… So yes Anne there is a there there…….

  3. The dress if very cute! I’m glad to share the needle love. Wait, that doesn’t sound so good… Ah well, addiction is addiction.

  4. Pingback: knitspot

Comments are closed.