you know what this means don’t you?
after putting all the books away a few days ago, and generally straightening up our shared rooms by reducing my knit clutter a bit, the spaces around me felt a little more orderly. and as soon as THAT happens, i start thinking.
with one shawl on the needles and well on its way, and no pattern deadline to work toward, my fingers and brain got a little itchy. i have a couple of shawls designed (or, at least half-designed) in my head, and i wanted to get going on one of them.
swatch city, here we come. it’s a good weekend for it; no work because of the holidays, and everything else quiet. most of our friends have family in the area that they will be involved with this weekend so, it’s just us. and david likes to work on the house when he has a bunch of free time, so i’m on my own. i got to thinking about the new shawls.
yeah, i know what you’re saying—careful, don’t start a fire.
so i drug out all the books again and made a mess on my desk. believe it or not, i need ALL those books just find a couple of edgings. yes, i DO.
they have to be just right.
what i’m swatching with right now is this
it’s the new-ish fearless fibers merino laceweight. i love it. it’s about the same weight as the laceweight cashmere, but with a bit more bounce and twist, so it feels a tad more substantial when i’m knitting with it. it’s heavier than a lot of laceweights out there, so you don’t feel like you’re kntiting with sewing thread. and, much as i hate to mention this, it’s a bargain. go see.
i know the swatch looks pretty much like nothing right now, and you may not see it again for a while, but i just had to get my hands into into it and tell you about it.
in case you’ve run out of yarn.
(it could happen)
and then, remember these? i mysteriously posted pictures briefly and asked you to guess which color i liked best?
these are from anne, who is a dyer, spnner and knitter with a wonderful blog and now a shop (go read about her). anne asked me to design a pattern for one of her yarns, which she is willing to custom-dye for the pattern.
(i can’t even begin to tell you how cool that is!). we’ve been talking back and forth about it for a while. that first set of dye samples had several choices that i liked: samples one and four especially.
i know—they are really different from each other, so what’s up with that??
well, i’ve had this idea since last summer to do a shawl involving bee motifs. not cutesy bee stuff, but really pretty ones. i am a bee fan.
i know, it’s a little off-topic, but if you just do even a little research about bees, you’ll be hooked, too. and knitters remind me a lot of bees. hard-working, persistent, and communal. you know.
(he-he, it’s not all about tree scum around here . . .)
well, and then i saw the stitches in an old book, and that got me going
i have the design pretty much all worked out and have been searching for just the right yarn all year. in my head, i could see a wonderful yellow-greeny colorway that was subtly variegated, and reminiscent of summer fields (you know, where the bees hang out). so, when anne asked me about a pattern and said she’d be willing to dye for it, i started talking about this idea. anne was all over it.
(she’s going to offer kits—it’s gonna be fab.)
ok, so back to the yarn. we narrowed the first batch down to a couple of choices. really, i’m going for the greeny-yellowy colors, but i was a little sidetracked by the browny-straw color too. as in “hive” colors? so anne dyed some more and came up with this group.
i’m going to knit a swatch in each colorway i think (except maybe not S3a . . . that one is a bit too baby pastel for an adult shawl i think), just to see how the yarn translates into fabric. but off the top of my head, i’m leaning toward color S2a.
now, i could see the potential for this color to come off as too hi-liter, so i may have to go to S4a (second from the right), which is just a bit more subdued. and the goldy-brown? well, i love it, but maybe not for this piece . . . we’ll see what the sample yields. on the ohter hand, it’s a nice manLace color, no?
(i have not forgotten or abandoned the manLace series—we are just on hiatus til i meet some other commitments. but trust me, there will be more . . . much more.)
speaking of rectangle shawls and how far along i am on morning glories (seriously, it’s scary how fast you can go with DK yarn), now i have one of those blogger stories that would be astounding and amazing if we all weren’t knitters.
you know, stephanie, in her lecture last weekend talked about how knitters are what professional statisticians refer to as “super-responders”—a demographic who respond FAR above and beyond the way that other groups of people do. in fundraising terms, this would translate into raising $120,000 in
72 hours, plus more after that, for MSF, AND $42,000 for heifer over at Wendy Knits! blog, while knitting numerous gifts for charity all in the month of december.
in other words, we ARE our brothers’ keepers, and gladly.
i experienced this phenomenon firsthand last month when my brother died, and i came home to an empy house and hundreds of emails of condolence, personal stories, and comforting words. and it really, REALLY helped.
one person who wrote to me was lisa, who lost her mom at the end of february, and wrote a beautiful note to me. we exchanged a few emails and she has kept in contact. finally she asked if she could send a note in the mail, and i agreed that it would be lovely.
on friday, i got it.
i dunno if you can tell, but those are BLOCKING WIRES!
how cool is that?
she had an extra set that was missing the pins, and kept them for years, even though she didn’t know why. and then, she did know why.
and i have the right pins—pins, i have.
oh man! i am WAY excited about ’em, too.
now i’m gonna tear through morning glories, just so i can use them.
she didn’t completely lie—there WAS a note too
and, it did warm me. thanks again lisa (and yes, i AM going to keep saying it!)
34 thoughts on “i’m back at it . . .”
You’ve got gooooooood friends, woman!
oh, i love bees too… so intrigues by your word sketches… will there be an actual BEE in the lace pattern, will it be metaphorical, will there be wings and hives on the borders… can’t wait to see what you do, and with the “other” amazing Anne’s yarns, too cool
Another shawl already? You are a machine, my dear lady! Anne’s yarns are very inspiring, it will be fun to watch what you do with the ideas. Speaking of, I’m also a bee fan! I saw them at a Smithsonian exhibit when I was a kid, and they were behind magnified glass – up close, they have serious little teddy-bear faces, and they were so fascinating to watch!
How sweet of her! Go, Lisa!
Also, S4a caught my eye. It’s beautiful.
I love being a part of the knitting community, too. All the knitalongs, the swaps (in which I have yet to properly participate), the random gifting and contests. Knitters are incredibly special.
a bee shawl… he, he… that seems cute, more cuter than spider. With flowers ? bumble bee ? and so… I am very interesting. Make a swatch please and don’t let us in the dark… !!!
More man lace will be great. H loves his Hypoteneuse shawl–he wears it like a scarf at night after the thermostat lowers the heat setting. There’s definitely something special about that Hypoteneuse pattern.
When I saw the picture of that package, I thought that’s one BIG card! What a nice thing for Lisa to do! I agree that knitters really do come together in times of need; I’ve never seen anything like it.
I’m intrigued about the bee shawl. And Anne is wonderful, I met her last year when I went out to Utah. I think it’s great that you two have teamed up on this project.
Lisa is also a good friend and I’m thrilled that she sent you blocking wires!
I agree about the s4a. Soft, subtle coloring. Still, you never know for sure, for sure, until you knit it up. But I like the brown, even for us gals.
Love your blog!
Love the bee idea, and can’t wait to watch it evolve the brown reminds me of HONEY color too. What a great gift from Lisa!
Awwww…. How nice. That just puts a warm smile on my face. I can’t believe you knit all those shawls, have all that yarn and equipment, and you’ve been lacking a simple set of blocking wires. Silly girl…. 🙂
I love how trashed your Barbara Walkers are. 😀
See, groupies! We love your work. A bee shawl would be a big hit. I love the story about Lisa. There are no coincidences. . . .
wonderful story. thanks for sharing it. (wires) we do have the power to make things happen (after all, we do all the time) but how to use it well?
I love bees too! My name has something to do with it 🙂 I’m so excited to see what you come up with next, you are such a creative person, and how cool is it that you get custom dyed yarn for your project! Those gifts were so thoughtful of Lisa, yay for knitters!
Ooooh…can’t wait to see what you dream up! *on pins & needles*
Can’t wait to see what you come up with for the new shawl. I just received the sock kit from Anne’s shop so I can’t wait to see your bee shawl.
I KNOW you will put those wires to good use!
Thanks for sharing part of your design process with us! Have fun 🙂
Beautiful yarn and designs. Touching words. Thanks for that shot of the milk of human kindness today.
The bee shawl sounds intriguing. And I love the yarn Anne dyed. Have fun creating.(love the greens yet the brown would have caught my attention too!)
and what A sweet story about the blocking wires – and knitters in general. We are certainly a diverse group -and one that has a big heart.
How I loved your comparison of bees to knitters! It truly fit.
Love the colors – I can’t even tell you which one I am most partial to. And, I look forward to seeing what you come up with for a pattern.
Still trying to get my nerve up to do some lace knitting…So intriging…
Of course, we all care about each other – and about others – that’s what makes knitters and quilters so darn special…our love of others. I, too, have been blessed with many blogger friends, like you!!!
The power of just a simply smile, eh, Anne?
Love to read your creative proces, all those steps are little gems which burst into beautiful creations…
You know, you really shouldn’t link to Fearless Fibers. That gets me all atwitter. New laceweight? I’ve already gone over and looked. I especially like that it’s a bit heavier than most laceweights. I like a heavier laceweight or fingering, b/c while I love lace, knitting with very thin yarn does not do it for me. The bee shawl idea sounds very intriguing. It will be interesting to see what you come up with.
This one gave me goosebumps! It’s wonderful just how connected we have become to each other. I’m glad to read that Lisa and you were able to give each other needed words at the right time….and those blocking wires are wonderful!
This bee shawl has me excited, too! Clever, creative idea. And the thought of a kit with the perfect yarn makes it all the more so. The field green is lovely, and PumpkinMama’s comment on the “honey” brown is a wonderful shift in perspective! Easter, even without the religious significance, is a time of rebirth. I think we are all starting to feel it. We’re all so glad you are there.
Anne, I am so excited to hear about more shawls, particularly the bee motif. How wonderful!
And the gift of blocking wires was such a lovely gesture. What a blessing.:)
Of course, you know how appropriate bees are since I live in SLC. It being the beehive state and all. (Of course, I thought when we first moved here the motif on all the state route signs was an upside down boob and not a beehive – took me 2 months on that one – I can be painfully blonde sometimes).
bees for the mature set – interesting – I know you’ll come up with something fabulous! that green is beautiful – like a granny smith apple!
It’s certainly a ‘buzz-worthy’ idea for a new shawl…
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist).
I’m glad you’re hearing the muse again! 🙂
Those are truly excellent greens–but I like the golden brown even better. 😉 Wonder what clever thing you’re going to come up with? 🙂
You can never never pick too much green. Hee Hee
I remember in class Wednesday you said ” I know it is hard to believe, but I do not have blocking wires. I wish i did.” Oh my gosh, I Friday you received them. Spooky !!!
Oohhh… S4a is my pick. Nice and elegant. Very pretty!
Oooo, you got blocking wires! What a perfect gift.
I agree with you on the color choices. Looking forward to seeing it unfold.
About the yarn colors, I think S4a is probably going to be better than S2a – it will look more like a later summer field. And that goldy-brown is just yummy – I know you’ll find just the right project to show it off.
Oh my, the blocking wires are very cool! It seems like Lisa has the same little voice in her head that I do. It always says things like – “someone else will need this someday” or “maybe next week/month/year you’ll find someone who has the other half of this and then one of us can have a whole.”
And the card is just lovely.
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