old and new alike

Posted on Posted in designing, lace/shawls, projects

these pods are left from the last lilies of last summer. only one type of our lilies had them, and i’ve enjoyed these dried “flowers” which have remained in the back garden bed during the winter. first they were shut tight, then they opened up and stretched their cobweb “hinges” just to show us they had a trick or two left in them. the shells are hard, but translucent, and allow the light to shine through to the center cavern where the seeds are nesting. maybe in spring the seeds will drop into the ground and grow up to be lilies some day too.

i’ve had photos of them for a while but was waiting for the right knit to pair them with.

and i think we have one here. i finished up the first baby violet sock last night.

hehe. it’s always so hard for me to get good photos of the sock on my own leg, and um, since it’s valentine’s day, i thought it would be a bit unappreciative if i woke david up to do it. but i managed to get a few i like.

i made one adjustment in the gusset which i will knit into the second sock—that’s it.
here’s a photo of the leg, so you can see the cuff and all.

and then i started the pavé sock. and started it again. and again (most of those machinations went on during the time i was teaching . . i got absolutely nothing done during class except starting over. and over! oh well . . . some days are like that.).

love the yarn. LOVE the colorway.
the problem was that i started the sock and merrily knit for about 3 inches in the exact same motif i used for the paris-roubaix mitts and hat. in my head i knew the motif would be smaller in sock yarn on size 1 needles. but my inner visualization module must have missed a cylinder when it placed that picture in my head because what came off the needles did not at all match what was playing on my imaginary movie screen.

(what, you don’t have one? . . . c’mon . . .)

i mean, it was fine. just . . . tiny.
but maybe tiny is good—mosaics are tiny; i like mosaics.
so we’re going to knit a little of both and see—maybe this sock is really two socks.

and then there is the ubiquitous snow shawl.

i’m really getting there. i’m beginning to see a glimmer that might be the light at the end of the tunnel. i don’t dare think that too loud—there is still the rest of the tree border, the snow drifts and the edging to do. speaking of the tree border, here is a glimpse of the first row of trees which has emerged from the needles

i am hoping against hope to finish it before i leave for SPA next thursday, but i can’t predict whether i’ll make it. we could take bets, but uh, let’s not . . . i don’t need to monitor a gambling ring in addition to all this knitting i need to get done.

i might end up taking it with me to work on at my mom’s after SPA. i always get so much knitting done there, so i’m very much looking forward to it.

if that’s the case—and i’ll know by saturday if it is—then i may just decide to finish up gale and block that before i go so the pattern can be released, then work on the last of the snow shawl on my trip. and more socks of course.

but really all of that is just speculation right now. and why speculate when i could be knitting—huh, huh??

35 thoughts on “old and new alike

  1. Oooh, love the socks! The shawl will be gorgeous. How do you keep it clean while you’re knitting?! The lily pods are amazing. Still standing after wind, rain, sleet, snow, Ohio stuff. Wow!

  2. ooohhh….that sock is pretty! i’d been liking the color, but now that i can really see the pattern, i like! i am of course enjoying the progress on the snow shawl as well…so many temptations!

  3. Oh, Anne! I love those socks. Not sure I can knit them as beautifully as you, but I know I must try!

  4. Your shawl looks gi-normous. I am amazed that it is growing at all given all the stitches on that needle (grin)
    love the violets sock. yumm.

  5. Oh, that sock! Now I understand what the horizontal bar was for–it perplexed me before, but now I can see how cleverly it divides the cuff pattern from the leg. I really like how you’ve handled that transition, with the lace down the front uninterrupted. It’s beautiful!

  6. The socks are very nice. And your work is always beautiful.

    For some reason every time I read your blog I think about that interesting wooden horse that David gave you for Christmas. I really thought that was cool. Do you display it on your desk or is your desk as messy as mine these days?

  7. Another award-worthy still life photo, Anne. The sock colors are so beautiful (and who isn’t hungry for Spring just now?) And the shawl is just gorgeous – you take all the time you need (there, doesn’t that feel good? huh? huh?) 😉

  8. Oh, so pretty! The violets in my yard should be coming up just about the time I get my kit. Something to dream about through all the “wintry mix” we’ve been getting. The sky last night was almost the colors of the snow squall yarn, that slatey blue and white.

  9. It’s a successful flower that can still be beautiful in February! And those socks should be just as perennial, I think. I love the colors. =)

  10. Love that photo of the lily pods. The sock and the shawl are beautiful too, of course! I like juxtaposition of the winter and spring colorways—goodbye to one, hello to the other.

  11. Anne- The Snow Shawl is alot more work than it appears- it’s like knitting 2 triangular shawls simultaneously.

    Love the yarn for the socks- it has to be Kim’s work.

  12. I love how everything is coming out, esp the colorway and pattern of those socks! Most of my knitting consists of starting over. And over. And over. And… Sigh.

    And there’s no movie in my head, but definitely a picture of the FO. Which so often far exceeds reality.

  13. Lovely shawl and socks! The shawl *almost* makes me like snow, ha ha! (And that’s saying a LOT). Oh, I finished the first of the zig zag socks, and I’m planning to start the second one today. It’s a good thing you promised to send them back after their possible photo shoot, because I don’t know if I can bear to let them out of my hands! I LOVE, LOVE the pattern, and the yarn – oo-la-la!

    I’m a music teacher, and my poor students are probably so sick of me pulling out my sock and making them admire and stroke it, ha ha!

  14. The pods reminded me of stained glass they are so beautiful. Love the socks, they are just brilliant! The colour and pattern match up perfectly, as usual. The shawl is looking huge, I look forward to seeing it finished.

  15. First I had to look at the pod a good little while….
    I thought it was a garment; losely tied in the front, soft shoulders with the ridges on either side indicating the sleeves, bunched together at the waist and then all artfully photographed……
    And now I don’t know what SPA means ( and I don’t want to use the fact that I am not a native speaker as an excuse).
    I am thinking SPA = Spain ? A Spa ? I would wish of course both for you….maybe a Spa in Spain…..you would really enjoy it.
    I do have a feeling however that it’s something completely different……and maybe something I should know….
    I love all the yarn you use, but alás this countrie’s general climate and my personal thermostat in particular do not allow for me to wear socks…….and the snow shawl makes me miss the Black Forest where I grew up……sighhh.
    You do an excellent job at making my heart beat just a little bit faster with your wonderful blog entries…
    Have a great weekend !

    Angelika

  16. Fabulous sock! I had lily pods like that, but they didn’t survive the many small boys in search of ammunition for the various battles that take place daily on the street in front of my house.

  17. Blackberry lilies are fun to watch through the winter too. I try to do holiday decorations from the garden and woods and then “store” them in the compost pile not the attic. It is especially challenging for Easter! At the moment I have a bowl of moss sprouting ‘British Soldiers” and little yellow somethings just like EZ had. And a huge pitcher of forsythia ready to burst in to bloom…a fine thing to watch while mending socks!

  18. The new socks are lovely! They are perfectly paired with the photograph of the pods. Great photos all around! I really like pod photos, there is always something interesting and unexpected to see in them (lichen, too!!!).

    It is really hard to get photos of the socks on your own feet isn’t it!? Good job!!

  19. Those are gorgeous socks. Such a beautiful colorway. I’m usually not one for all the laciness in a sock design, but that sock changes my mind.

Comments are closed.