if you touch that, you’ll go blind

Posted on annePosted in designing, lace/shawls, projects

(sunday, 10 am)
just look at those yummy cocoons of cashmere-y goodness. they look innocent, but they’re not. not quite.

(monday, 2 pm)
i mean, what could look sweeter or cozier than a cashmere shawl sprawled across the living room floor? trust me, it’s a pose—it’s really there to suck me in, like the sucka i am.

i meant to work on other things these last two evenings, but my complete addiction to this project got the best of me. it’s over now, though.

really. it is.
(ok—the truth: i just plain ran out of yarn)
but can i just take one moment point out to you the gorgeous sheen and soft halo on this hand maiden yarn, and the way the colors play across the fabric? i’m desperate to try it on and feel it against my skin

but that’s cashmere for you—it dries slo-o-wly, just when you’re panting for it to go faster.

ahem . . . excuse me while i fan myself.

ok, that’s better. now, how about a name for this baby?
thank you for all the wonderful suggestions—it’s been really tough to decide. i know a LOT of people liked the name tussie-mussie, and it’s appropriate, but somehow the words just don’t sit right for me.

then one suggestion jumped out at me simply because it described the feeling of the yarn so well (it’s got a dangerously rich, buttery, caress). it was maryann b. who suggested “embrace me” and that one hit me as the one.

so off i went to google and search on ravelry, but lo and behold, that name has been used quite a bit (but i also like “caress” as an alternative). so i went to my favorite language translator to look for variations and came up with two choices: caricia (caress) and embrassez-moi (embrace me).

still waffling over which one i like better . . . wanna vote?
here, lemme give you something to help you concentrate

i did get some charting for the new shawl squared away but want to wait to show pictures of it till i have something substantial for you to look at ( i am loving the orange, though).

in late night knitting news, i experienced a small, what-the-hell-was-i-doing/thinking/looking
at-while-this-happened setback.

friday night i got my second bougainvillea sock all the way to the start of the toe shaping before i went to bed. on saturday morning i sat down to write the pattern and sat . . . and sat—it just wasn’t working out on paper. i had sock #1 right there and it looked fine (and i know it knit up ok), but what i stared at on-screen didn’t make sense any more, according to what i was doing on sock #2 (which i was knitting exactly the same way).

heh. i ran up to get my sock-in-progress, brought it downstairs, counted stitches and looked it over carefully several times before i finally saw it.

it wasn’t the same at all.

while working on it in the airport i somehow moved one stitch in the wrong direction before i started my heel flap. that resulted in the heel pattern being two stitches off-center, which in turn, caused the foot to be asymmetrical. that’s bad enough, but not the worst part, even—what’s really bad is that i proceeded to knit through the heel and down the whole foot without noticing, like i was high or something . . . oh wait—hehe, i was.

i’m blaming it on cashmere fumes. it’s just like your mama said—that’s dangerous territory and if you touch it, you’ll go blind.
another reason it was a very good idea to finish that schmata and lock it UP where it can’t harm anyone else.

i was so mad at myself that i started another sock saturday night just to calm my nerves and distract me from my own stupidity.

(don’t think i’m completely unaware that i’m trading one dangerous fiber for another here—i do, but like any good addict i can justify it. somehow)

anyway. this is the sock for this yarn i think, finally. you might remember this yarn in its previous incarnation as a poppy sock which i waffled over for a good long time before finally deciding to rip out. yes it was ok, but i thought i could do a better job showing off the yarn to its best potential.

i like the new one a lot better—the color transitions are more muted and the little wave in the motif enhances them. it’s another variation on a feather and fan pattern which works up quickly and easily, making the sock another good traveler.

ok . . . i’ve put myself on a bit of a schedule and i’m trying to stick with it in order to catch up and to fit in another activity that’s been on hold for way too long.

here’s a clue: it involves whatever is inside the box that arrived the other day.
(don’t forget to vote on one of the two names!)

164 thoughts on “if you touch that, you’ll go blind”

  2. I vote for Caricia of course. I can say it. French, I have no idea how to pronounce, and always switch it around to Spanish anyway (and my funny little mind makes this particular French phrase into the Spanish for impregnate me – sort of. But that’s just me! Don’t worry!)

  6. I vote for Caricia too for lots of the reasons already mentioned, and also: one word is better than two… less chance to mess up. Love the finished product!

  7. LOVE the new sock–will have to have it!!!
    AHHHHHH the lovely shawl, it will be like a soft caress against the skin and sometimes a sweet caress is much better than an embrace.
    Caricia for me.

  8. Definitely Caricia. The other one sounds too much like the Spanish word for pregnant–embarazada.

  10. Caricia. Anne, which ever name you decide on, it’s beautiful. Is it a great (walking) wheel or a new counter top that David has gotten for the kitchen?

  11. My vote is caricia; moi just doesn’t roll off the tongue well.

    And I’m guessing there’s a spinning wheel in that box….*trying to peek through the cracks*…

  12. Hi Anne! Absolutely love the shawl – – you did it again! I vote for CARICIA, I think this is the word that does the shawl justice. The french one is ok, but the best one is caricia and being that I understand the language I tend to prefer caricia. Caricia definitely sounds more romantic. Thanks for sharing your projects and continuing to inspire us! Take care. Rosalia (from Southern California)

  13. I vote for caricia, but if you want to keep the caress, would floral caress do?

    I also like Mayday or nosegay. Didn’t check either on Ravelry, just thought of them.

  15. What a beautiful shawl. I truly enjoy following along with your projects. I vote for “Caricia” for the name of the shawl.

  16. caricia is shorter, and easier to say. embrassez-moi looks too much like embarrass or embarazada (pregnant in spanish). So I vote fore caricia. I was going to suggest nosegay to go along with the cone of flowers idea… but it’s a little too old fashioned sounding I think.

    Very pretty, I think you ought to ship it to me for safekeeping. I know how addictive those cashmere fumes can be, and I am, ahem, immune… so just to make sure you don’t fall off the cashmere wagon, it would be great if that shawl were 3000 miles away, in Oregon perhaps…. heheheheh

  17. Another vote for Caricia — and I can hardly wait for the pattern. Will you do a rectangular stole with this stitch pattern? You are an amazing designer, and I can hardly wait to finish my current project so I can cast on one of yours that I have stashed.

    Heather

  18. Caricia, it fits the shawl and the yarn. I’m another one who saw embrassez-moi and it came it embarrass the first couple of times.

  20. i vote for caricia. i have no talent for languages other than american english (and really, not even then) and embrassez-moi looks to me like “embarrass me.”
    if you are really worried about the dangerousness of that shawl, you could send it to me for safe keeping….

  23. Love Caricia!! I’m really looking forward to this pattern. The yarn’s been marinating in my stash for a while, I think it’s about done now. 🙂

  24. Put down Caricia for me! I happen to hear that cha ching sound, yet again!!! Beautiful shawl, no matter what the name and I love the pattern….just wonderful!

  27. Oooo–caricia. Is it Spanish or Italian? I like French normally, but for some reason, embrassez-moi doesn’t push my buttons.

  28. caricia sounds like a small carcinoma (don’t mind me, I’m a nurse). Embrassez-moi is a bit too twee for me (hard to please, aren’t I?). Guess I’m not much help. Although you didn’t ask for suggestions, the first thing I though of when I saw the shawl and thought about cashmere, was “better than chocolate”. The colorway is sort of chocolatey too.

  29. Caricia will be the name if you go with the majority, and it is lovely! The other one reminded me of “bra” which on me would be an embarassment in itself! Love that new sock, too. Isn’t it awful how we can knit along and rows later finally look at what we’ve been doing and “see” a mistake – did it today.
    Oh yes, I’d be interested in a rectangle shawl, same pattern.
    And, aren’t the blocking wires wonderful? Used them for the first time on a shawl for my daughter’s wedding.

  30. Anne, when you’re talking about affairs of the heart – such as a caress is, you must go the the Italian: name it “Carezza”

  33. Caricia gets my vote. Unless you’re swayed by the commenters. Then I’d also second the Italian, Carezza.
    It’s gorgeous, btw, no matter what you decide to name it 🙂

  35. Although in French it also means “to kiss”, as in “j’embrasse mieux que je cuisine”, which I have en anglais on my kitchen wall: “I kiss better than I cook”.

  36. The title of this post made me snort coffee through my nose. You are hilariously wonderful!

    I vote for embrassez-moi.

  37. Although I speak French day in and day out, I find caricia to be the better choice. It has more of a flow to it. It’s truly a lovely pattern.

  43. Caracia. It’s lovely and unusual. And I really love French, but “embrassez moi” doesn’t seem like a shawl name to me.

  44. Caricia. I assume “Embrace” and “Caress” were already taken? Darn people. Why couldn’t they come with something different so we could use those names??

  45. I may be a little late, but I like Caricia. Looking at the size of your package, I think you are going to try out weaving and I think you got yourself a loom.

  47. I vote for embrassez-moi. That yarn feels like a lover nuzzling your neck and that name says that more for me than the other. That shawl is a thing of beauty!

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