life is a bowl of tomatoes

Posted on Posted in designing, food and garden, projects

we actually had a bowlful of cherries, but i managed to scarf all of those down when i came in from the garden the other day. mm, cold cherries on a hot summer afternoon. i didn’t get pictures though, so you just get tomatoes (and not even the cherry tomatoes at that). maybe not quite the same, eh?

sorry i didn’t post this weekend; i meant to, but exhaustion just took over. i’ve been feeling absolutely wiped for the past few days. i actually slept for eight hours last night; that doesn’t happen very often. it must have done me some good, too—i think i feel something close to a surge of energy coursing back through my veins as today goes on.

i have lots of knitting going on but very little to report—most of what i have on the needles is secret. i’m really not diggin’ all the secret knitting; must remember that for the future—it’s not even that fun once the secret can be told (which i can’t explain at all; any thoughts?).

i do have this sock i restarted in spritely goods superwash merino. the yarn weight is sylph, a very lightweight, softly-twisted yarn, and the colorway is eaving

i first began it over a month ago and ended up not really liking what was coming off the needles. so i ripped back and while it was in time out, i knit lacewing. now it’s back on the table in a stitch pattern that’s working out lots better.
i had a desire to do a couple of allover lace-patterned socks; we haven’t had any of those in a while, since i was concentrating on socks the guys would like. i think it’s a pretty combination; the stitch pattern moves diagonally across the sock as i work down the leg.

someone wrote over the weekend to ask if i ever considered using my photographs as inspiration for my knitting. i wrote back, “yes, all the time”

one of the reasons i photograph things i see with so much doggedness is so that i won’t forget how a detail in it (or the whole thing) relates to a yarn/stitch pattern/shape i want to knit.

since i am usually not in a position to run to my needles and cast on as soon as i have an inspirational moment with an object or plant, my camera has become my main tool is recording the world that my eyes absorb (however skewed or biased that may be).

as you may have noticed, i have been drooling over and examining the coleus and begonias all summer long (the pictures are leading to something). and, i know why—they are the plant-world equivalent of briar rose yarns.

it is like chris takes the splashings of the entire coleus color palette and transfers it directly to her yarns. when i knit them up, the waves and puddles and dots from these very leaves are in the fabric. what i didn’t know is that what i see in the yarns is based on real circumstances—at one time chris raised garden plants as a business. aren’t we glad?

(that one isn’t coleus, it’s basil, but i think it’s related)
the reason i’ve been going over and over this relationship in my mind is that for a number of months now i have been marking some incredible, glory days yarn she gave me for a must-do project (omg, it’s such beautiful yarn). i keep putting it off to do “work” projects, but this past week the itch has gotten the best of me and i’ve gone and done something i shouldn’t have . . .

i swatched.
actually, i swatched and then swatched some more

and washed them, you know, just to see what would happen (BTW, the color in the top swatch is closest). can you tell what it’s going to be?

i’m sunk. no—really.
i have two more shawls to do. i have a bunch of little secret projects to finish.
i am NOT allowed to start a sweater just now.
but i WANT. i want, i want, i want . . . (i know. that’s babyish. but i do. want).
i think i even have my sweater software straightened out (my previous excuse for not starting before was that my software wasn’t getting along with my new computer, but now it is. darn.).

ok, so here’s what i’m thinking: this can be my carrot.
(my previously agreed-upon carrot needs to be shelved for a bit while i wait for the yarn).
every time i finish something that’s currently on the needles (including the pattern), i can work on the sweater a bit. but i can’t even begin til the new shawl is on the needles (hopefully by friday). i can work on the sweater when A) i don’t have anything else to do (HA!) or B) when i have worked on any current project so many hours that i am about to fall asleep from it.

and don’t you let me stray, no matter how much you want the sweater too.
ok, so, now that the ground rules are out of the way i can be excited!

my inspiration for the sweater has really been the yarn itself—i mean, come on. look at it. there’s just one word—yumm. you remember how i like school plaids? well several years ago i knit another sweater in a stitch pattern i like a lot that i’ve always wanted to do in a variegated colorway, just to see what would happen.

last winter, when i opened the box and saw the yarn for the first time, the image of this stitch pattern and the sight of the yarn had a fantabulous head-on collision which i have never recovered from. through all the socks, the shawls, and the scarves of the past many months, the idea of this sweater has preyed on my mind. i played with it and played with it because i wanted to add some cabling and a different edge treatment (something heftier with more contrast).

then on friday, in a flash i saw it. and the last shred of my resolve tore in two.
make way for sweater action my brain said . . . this one cannot be stopped.
okay, then.

more tomorrow; i haven’t gotten to the garden report, though i did prepare one. but that’s enough for today . . . i need to get to work so i can accrue some sweater time.

28 thoughts on “life is a bowl of tomatoes

  1. I LOVE tomatoes. Sadly our tomato plants are just not doing so well. The tomatoes just don’t know how to ripen or something. So, I love pictures of tomatoes like yours.

    Also, 8 hours of sleep is a lot for you?? It’s amazing how much energy you have. Any chance you could lend me some? 😉 Good luck trying to follow your rules for the sweater!

  2. Our tomatoes are finally thinking about ripening. Hopefully it isn’t a fleeting thought, but some are actually moving toward a ‘warmer’ shade of green!!! Oh Happy Day!!

    Your coleus is lovely!

    And that sweater is going to be stunning!! What a great ‘carrot’! 🙂

  3. The sweater will be fab in that yarn! It is just beautiful.
    Now I need to go eat some tomatoes!

  4. The socks are going to be lovely. And that carrot seems to tempt you so much, I’m sure you’ll zip through the rest of your knitting in no time!

  5. 🙂 I too have some Briar Rose in my stash just burning brightly saying ‘come on knit me – you know you want to!’ I do, I do – I have even swatched you, but haven’t found a stitch that does you justice. Grandma’s Blessing – Bing Cherry (well its not called that, but that is all I can think when I see it. The depth of the color, those people over at Briar Rose – yup – its like crack.) Yumm. Cherries. Why can’t they be around all year long? (and raspberries and blueberries?)

    May you speed through your to knit list so that you have time for the enjoyable – shouldn’t be knitting yet – knitting. Guity pleasures. We know. *grin* Enjoy!

  6. oh, i just love, love, love chris’s colors. i have to stay away from her site for that reason! (on the other hand, the stole i’m working on out of her yarn is the first lace project i’ve stuck with this summer…) good luck on finishing the ‘work’ knitting so you can get to the ‘fun’ stuff!

  7. The stitch pattern on your sweater is really nice. I can’t wait to see the yarn you will be using. You should start to design sweater patterns, especially men patterns. There is a shortage of that out there and David will get more sweaters along with his socks.

  8. Oh, you can sell me a sweater. Go on, I dare you.

    (That yarn is BEAUTIFUL and I wantwantwant sweater patterns from you in just that same babyish way!)

  9. On why you don’t get the same kick out of your secret knitting? I suspect–it’s because you enjoy sharing your process with us, your fond audience. And when you knit in secret-the process has to stay secret. Unless of course you wrote “secretly”-to post later once the project has been unveiled. Like the Lost Diaries of Madame Knitspot.

  10. Okay:
    1. I’ve been wanting a sweater pattern from you since the red one last year.
    2. I love Chris’s yarn, and she is a sweetheart.
    3. If you show anymore tomatoes while my are all still green, I’m going to just cry!!!!!!

  11. The yarn IS basil! It’s going to be the most wonderful, wearable, flattering sweater — perfect with your coloring.

  12. Oh, wow, that sweater is going to be gorgeous!!

    And speaking of tomatoes – I meant to comment the other day that you inspired me to try dried tomatoes, and it totally worked! So thank you. 🙂

  13. The colors of the yarn for the sweater are gorgeous & the stitch pattern is perfect. No one can resist casting on! Happy sweater knitting.

  14. Oh my Anne, I am an enabler here for your “sweater fix” I’m afraid….I took one look at that yarn and pattern and feel in sweater love with it. Have a blast, cast on!!

  15. You are so not alone– with yarn that wonderful, how could you resist? I couldn’t…

    Right now, there are three pair of socks to finish, one pair to go on hold, a hat to get out of the way, plus gift scarves (yarn not even wound yet!) for the Favorite Cousins who will be down come November. And what happened this weekend, aside from incredible sloth?

    Yep. Sweater swatching. Gauge squares only, but there’s something in the air that is screaming “KNIT SWEATERS!” and it is irresistable. Agh and aieee.

    Ah well. Knitting life throws up all kinds of goodies like this, haha. At least you have gorgeous tomatoes to aid you in your time of temptaion. 😉

  16. Regarding your distaste of secret knitting…I must confess that as a follower of your blog, it is a let-down to discover your designs in print. They’re just there. There are not tantalizing shots of swatches and progress that build suspense as the project unfolds. They were great designs, but something was missing: the blogging about the process. You could blog about them now in secret and post later, but you also wind in daily life so it wouldn’t be quite the same. My question would be, is it really benefiting you to publish patterns that have to be knit in secret? Do you make more money with those patterns? Is it worth losing the joy of the journey on your blog? The joy your work brings you should count for something. Only you can decide how much secret knitting you want to do, but I encourage you to look at all angles and make sure it’s worth it to you. Happy sweater knitting!

  17. That sweater swatch is gorgeous. Any chance you’re going to publish this sweater pattern? I have some glory days in deep red tones that I have been waiting for the perfect pattern for!

  18. I tried not to look. I tried to just squint my eyes when the swatch yelled “sweater” at me. I tried to distract my brain by thinking of the origins of the words ‘sweater’ and ‘jumper’. But then the picture of the completed sweater grabbed my eyeballs and demanded that I look. and now I want. The design is wonderful.

  19. Yay! A sweater! I’ve been meaning to comment about how nice it’d be to see some new sweater designs. I still remember the red one from last year (knit with yet more Briar Rose, wouldn’t you know).

  20. I have to agree with the others, you are a process designer. You enjoy sharing your ideas, thought process and journey with each design. Once a design is done, so is your journey with it. You can’t bring the same enthusiasm to a retrospective “this is what excited me about the project and these are the blunders and bullseyes I hit along the way!” post that has the same energy and excitement that you get writing as you’re creating. You’ve already processed those emotions. It’s done. Old news.

    Also, now that I’m writing this, I wonder if it has to do with your blogging style. You’re a stream of conscious, write what you’re thinking and feeling in the moment blogger. When you can’t do that and have to bottle up a part of you for secret knitting… are you unable to unbottle it?

    And last… you draw energy from your readers. Your enthusiasm draws enthusiasm, and you feed from that. So when you’re in the midst of a project, you’re getting lots of feedback on it. When you announce a secret project out of the blue, you don’t have that connection, and it may not feel right to write about a project with all the same enthusiasm and energy when you don’t know if your readers will ‘get’ it from out of the blue.

    Okay. Stop me now. 🙂

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