and so it begins—we had our first snowstorm of the year over the last couple of days.
at first, it looked like it was going to be one of those 48 hour dustings, where the snow falls lightly enough and the wind blows hard enough that nothing ever accumulates, no matter how long it goes on.
but then yesterday, while i was putting the final touches on the final secret project for our 2011 fall in full color club, it started to come down much, much harder
so that, at times, we could hardly see across the street. this set down a good few inches all around, finally covering the grass and dirt completely. not enough to bring the city to a standstill or anything, but plenty to quiet things down for a bit . . . you know that sound—the sound of everyone staying right where they are for just a while?
i love that sound.
it’s not unlike the sound of a room full of knitters knitting.
(as a teacher, i get to hear that sometimes).
everything is pretty much back to normal today—you can see we didn’t get all that much (ohio is way more temperate than some places i’ve lived). but still, a nice accessory to the winter scene. i’ll find out later today how this will affect my running schedule; so far, i know that cold and wind are not much of an obstacle and i’m hoping that the snow and/or ice won’t a deterrent either.
anyway . . . let’s go back to the title and see what i’m up to in the knitting department; i think you’ll get a chuckle out of this one.
ok, so i’ve got a new delicious hat in the wonderful shalimar honey worsted and i think i’m even going to get a pair of fingerless mitts out of my yarn supply to match. i finished the first one last night and there might just be enough for another.
i started writing the pattern up and it’s a funny thing, but with my filing system (and my compulsiveness), one of the first things i have to do (if i haven’t already) is settle on a name, so i can create a folder and all the files that go into the pattern. occasionally i change it later, but i prefer to get a permanent name squared away at this stage because it does set the tone for the publication and marketing of the design. the hunt can take an inordinate amount of time, often way more than i planned . . . but usually worth it.
anyway, this being a slouchy hat, i went to ravelry to see what else is out there and of course there are a ton of designs with the word “slouch” incorporated somehow. i keep going back to the hats and other knitwear i saw in girl with the dragon tattoo last week—i’m a little haunted by them, actually—so i thought to myself, maybe there is a swedish word i can use for the pattern name.
oh, is there ever swedish word alright
(and i think our good friend malin can guess what’s coming)
if you thought fartlek was fun, how about this one: slöfock
omigosh, how can i NOT use that??
i told kim already today that i’d do it for no other reason than to make her and kat carry on like the 10 year olds that they are.
sigh, life is so fun, isn’t it?
david bought a new and even better lumix camera for us to use for our videos and photo shoots, with the result that i keep using it for blog photos too, haha. i love my smaller, lesser camera for it’s portability, but wow, this one?? this takes awesome photos when i’m home to use it.
what we have here is a beautiful closeup of the woolen rabbit sporty kashmir i’m using for david’s new sweater, in colorway enchanted forest. it is such a gorgeous color, neither green nor brown but magically, both at the same time. and it just went live in kim’s store.
i’ve got the first sleeve knit almost to the underarm now; with another evening’s work, it will be off the needles. it’s going pretty quickly for a finer weight sweater in a man’s size.
the pebble tweed texture is really appealing for guys—not too heavy handed, yet still textured enough to read as rustic or rugged. it will have some minor cabled detailing as well.
ooops, david just came in to say that it’s time to go to the dentist, so i gotta fly—be back in a couple days with more!
35 thoughts on “if you thought fartlek was funny . . .”
Well, this is just the most funny day! We have your lovely (and creatively named) new hat, and we have the Yarn Harlot talking about the size of her balls (vs. the size of the yarn balls a particular pattern calls for) and really? I think there’s a 10 year old inside everyone and I’m letting mine loose for just a bit!
Love the texture and color of the new sweater….thanks for sharing!
Love the name you came up with for the new hat and mitts, Anne. It amuses me tons. And speaks to my inner 10 year old.
David’s new sweater looks very interesting. Another winner : ) But will David ever get socks again?
Haha! I laughed right out loud! So glad I’d already finished my last gulp of tea =-) I can just imagine the chatter over at Rav… I’m a (57 10/12 yr old) ten year old, myself =-) Beautiful sweater btw…
That name is awesome! I laughed out loud at work and am now trying to explain the humor to non-knitters – wish me luck.
when i read that name, i almost spit out my fresh cup of coffee all over my laptop – totally hilarious 🙂
I don’t know how helpful this would be for running, but they make strap on cleats for ice. They go right on your shoes. I bought some for Christmas for my grandfathers and I think I need to go buy some for myself! They should have them at sporting goods stores.
I found a link to the ones I bought (though I purchased mine at the local sporting goods) http://www.amazon.com/Yaktrax-Traction-Cleats-Black-Medium/dp/B001CZEYGI/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1325702920&sr=1-1
Great name!! It will definitely keep Kim and Kat amused. I love the colour of David’s new sweater, you’re right about being it being both colours. Kim is a dyepot genius.
Love the name, you are always so clever!
The Woolen Rabbit yarn is yummy. I know David is going to love it.
What a great name!! I think it’s one that sticks 🙂
David’s new sweater’s gorgeous, great colour.. and the stitch pattern!! Your photos really show it off too!
I was sitting along reading quite happily, happy that I don’t have snow and happy that you were work working on the hat and then I read the names and I just started laughing, especially once I tried to say one after the other, that in itself produced a funny result.
I love the name for the new hat, absolutely love it!
It’s definitely cold enough for snow here, but so far it’s just cloudy. I love the pictures!
Also, my husband loves his Christmas Whitfield – he’s sure to be begging for a sweater like the one you’re making David too!
ooohh I so need to knit that hat – just so I can tell the recipient what they are getting… {must have a very naughty inner 10 year old}… 🙂
love the combination of the shalimar coloring and the design, also following the progress of david’s new sweater with interest..looks like he will need it soon with your snow… we are expecting 46c – 114fahrenheit today here…
The hat name is funny, but the sweater is to die for! The yarn, the color, the texture – can’t wait to see how it progresses!
Hahahaha!! That name is priceless and yes, I can hear Kim as I type…hee!!!
I love the design on David’s sweater….rugged yet attractive. 🙂
Oh, great name!
And the color of David’s new sweater awesome! You get extra grace points for soldiering on in the aftermath of Rene.
Longtime reader (and FIFC member), first time commenter. Loving the men’s sweater–although I have knit my one men’s sweater for this decade I think 😉 I bought a pair of ice joggers a while ago from Runners World and they worked great for running on ice in Seattle and Boston. However, it is better if it is icy all over–on plain ground you can definitely feel the metal bits under your feet. Good luck!
OK, yeah, the slöfock name is funny, but the hat is gorgeous. I hope I’ll have the latest niece’s baby blanket off the needles when the pattern becomes available!
Love what we can see of David’s new sweater – stitch pattern and yarn. Can’t wait to watch that grow.
as always.. gorgeous fiber goodness! Snow… mother nature has been a major tease this year but still is holding out on us! I figure she will let all he** loose in a couple of weeks when i have to rake hubby to seatac for his flight to japan! (work not fun)
Love the texture on David’s sweater!
I had to think a while, and guess at how English speakers would pronounce slöfock before I got it, oh dear… BTW, the ö should really sound like the E in Ernie. And a slöfock probably wouldn’t do fartlek 🙂
:snort: Kim and Kat aren’t the only 10 year olds around here! Love the new hat, and David’s sweater is looking great.
I see that Malin has beaten me to it . . . yes, the Swedish pronunciation doesn’t sound at all like the English phrase that has us all giggling. “Slur folk” renders the Swedish sounds in English spelling, for those who don’t want to sound rude when referring to your pattern!
Anne, you have atwisted sense of humor–I like that about you!
I too am haunted by the hats and scarves in the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Love the slouchy hats!
My ten-year-old friends and I cannot wait to knit the hat! 😉
Oh man, you know us so well Anne!!!! Just when we were about done laughing our heads off about the FartLICK, now we have the SLOW FOCK! HAHAHAHA
Slofock?!! LMAO!
Well, I was wondering what was so funny, but I understand, now – it’s all in the pronunciation. Sheesh!
I know what you mean about the hush of freshly fallen snow; as if the universe is holding its collective breath. A truly beautiful moment to savor.
And speaking of beautiful, I love the Shalimar Honey Worsted, especially in the mitts and textured headband of the hat. I think it is time for me to get my hands on a skein or two.
Be safe with your jogging!
slöfock heh heh heeeheeeh. Best name ever! Am going to have to knit this for the name alone not to mention that it’s a great hat.
I do have trouble comeing up with names for my designs maybe I will take a cue from you and name it first:) Love the name by the way.
Hi Anne,
I am so glad to hear that I am. It the only one with an inner 10-year-old who giggles and snorts at names like Fartlek and Slofock. Hee hee hee! But even better, you’ve come up with more lucious knits. Thank you for doing what you do!
Betsy in gray Seattle ‘burbs (without any pretty white snow)
Snicker. She said slofock. And fartlek. Heehee!
Love that sweater – the color is going to be amazing on David!
I was just talking with someone about that lovely hush that comes after snowfall – no engines, just sweet quiet. I get to hear that sometimes when I perform unaccompanied ballads and old songs – sometimes you really could hear a pin drop!
Which Lumix did you buy? I’m in the market for a good camera for yarn and macro shots for my blog and your photos do look great!
Snort. Too funny!
Also: I may have to add “fartlek” to Otis’s list of pet names.
I am a 12 year old boy.
Hm,
I’m probably going to ruin all the fun about the name now, but the way you would pronounce “slöfock” in English, is actually what it originally meant in Swedish too…
Approx. 1000 years ago, more or less the same language was spoken in England and Scandinavia. “Slö” would be the same word as “Slow”, although it now means “lazy”. Since the word “fock” (in its original meaning) isn’t used in any other combination in Swedish, not very many swedes knows the original meaning, and the word is used as the semi-polite “lazy person”.
Anna
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