i got nuthin’!

i got nuthin.
that’s what i say almost every day when i think about my post and what i am going to write.
and then, well, i start writing, and . . . you all know what happens—two hours later i am trying to think of ways to trim the content down.

it’s always been like that. i used to be an inveterate letter-writer. long after everyone had gone to email, i was depositing thick, decorated envelopes into the mail almost daily. and sometimes it would just be postcards or other small pieces of art and ephemera (this sort of thing a la Ray Johnson)—basically anything to let people know i was still treading water, but mostly, those thick letters.

i just liked to write, and in the letters, i could speak as myself (whereas, if i tried to write something fictional, i think i might need puppet props to make the characters speak the way i wanted). i’m sure that when my friends received their packages er, letters, they thought i was crazy (hahaha! like they don’t now—AH-HAHAHA!). and i know that when i sat down each morning with my coffee to write, i was certain i would not be able to fill even one page.

and that’s how i feel today.
not to worry though, all that rambling has brought a few ideas to mind.

first of all, i got a LOT of email about my new spindle. wow. i had no idea it would be of such interest. in fact, there were a few queries about seeing more detail, so i took some pictures to show you a little more about it.

the spindle is collapsible, and came in several pieces; i don’t know how they usually go together, or whether most of them are fixed or not, but this seems ingenious for traveling and storing when not in use (and probably, for getting the yarn off, right??). this is what it looked like when i opened the package

the crossbars fit together like this

then the spindle shaft goes through the center holes

now, beth (no, not you, pellknit!) commented that it looked really large, but i think that was just a matter of perspective in the photo—it seems fairly small to me

measuring in at less than ten inches tall and weighing 1.8 ounces, which seems light, though i am not a spindle spinner yet, so what do i know?

and for scale, here it is with my hand. though, keep in mind that the words “scale” and “my hand” do not belong in the same sentence—my hands are positively gigantic, and often dwarf my knitting tools. however, it might help a bit to get the right perspective.

that should clear up any misconception about it being big and clunky—it is SO not! it is truly delicate, light, and fast! i can’t wait to get going with it (after tomorrow’s work deadline). maybe i will even get david to take some pictures of my first attempts. heh. like we are lacking in comic relief around here . . .

now, leah has responded to kathy throwing down the moth shawl gauntlet by sending some pictures of her own. after a less-than-fortunate start with some other yarn, leah found something more tame to work with and is well on the way to completing the doll shawl/scarf. she also got a new camera and was pretty excited to show us her stitches via her very first digital photos

readers are just stretching their skills in ALL directions around here! meanwhile everybody, kathy is on the last lace pattern of her moth shawl and closing in fast for the finish. if everyone thinks “go kathy” thoughts all day today, i bet she will have something splendid to show us really soon!

that, and if i didn’t make some other huge boo-boo in the pattern—we did find a few along the way, so just be happy SHE is taking the hit for you all!

ooh, did i hear someone mention homegrown eggplant??

i was out practicing with the macro lens again this morning and i found about four of these in the eggplant patch!! and remember the peppers i was worried about, the ones that looked as if they would be multiplying like bunnies?

yeah. they are. every single one of the 12 plants looks like this right now.
giant marconi, that’s the name. looks like i will be stuffing peppers again this weekend. now sheild your eyes—this next one is pretty bright . . .

we have a few extra cherry tomatoes. and one black tomato—see it?

there IS knitting going on here, believe me. just no new pictures. how many times after all can you look at that skirt or at the mermaid socks? (okay jo, don’t answer that—it was a rhetorical question. i’ll post them tomorrow).

on the cashmere front, for those angels among you who stuck by me today, i did wrestle that chart into submission finally, and it’s a monster. turns out, this stitch pattern doesn’t readily lend itself to charting either—i had it all wrong. but never fear, i will make it so we can ALL knit it it easily. i just needed time. and now, i can get started for real.
it’s a genuine 19th-century beauty—complex, delicate, fascinating—and at the same time, divinely devilish! it screams for this cashmere.
there is a reason it’s it’s one of those obscure patterns you never see used in a magazine piece

you would need two foldout pages to display it. we’ll talk more about it tomorrow