finally, we’re getting some rain, yay. honestly it’s just been a smattering so far but any little bit is nice—it’s been incredibly dry here. everything is wilty-looking . . .
it’s gonna to take a lot more rain to make these shrubs perk up; hopefully we’ll get the amount we really need (it’s already stopped for now and the sun is threatening to come out again, heh). what we could use is an all-day soaker, or even several days of it.
still, the lilies seem happy
and they sure smell fine.
the last sock summit box goes out in the mail today, as soon as i can get to anne marie’s to pick up her sample knit. now we can start thinking about having fun in portland. all the last plans are being made, thanks to our heroic organizers.
this weekend i’m reading through all my handouts, scribbling notes and attaching post-its all over them to use in class (and hopefully i won’t lose them between here and portland, heh).
yesterday and the day before i worked on a pattern for the secret project i’m creating with kim. so my desk is a sea of papers and other paraphernalia.
i love writing patterns—i love working from a little scrap of knitting (and an idea, of course!), to a sheaf of written instructions for making a whole big fancy thing. it’s a fascinating process that starts with a jumble of disparate bits of information and slowly shoulders itself into a sensible plan.
my project yarn arrived just after i put the finishing touches on my post the other day. i had the charts pretty well worked out by then, but i needed some gauge information and to see the patterns knitted up together in the heavier yarn weight.
i think i can talk about the secret project as long as i (and you) don’t TELL about it, if you get my drift. i feel it’s pretty safe to show swatches and yarn and details without revealing the identity or possible uses for The Item.
because i so want to talk about it, hahaha.
beckie came over that evening to knit and have dinner with us (omg, we had a curry that included 7 different vegetables form the garden; it was, cough, nirvana), so i worked on my extended swatch while we talked and the dinner bubbled.
in fact, this swatch was about the most knitting i’ve done in the last few days.
i washed it yesterday morning and went back to work on the pattern with the additional information. as you can see, i’m not planning to stretch this piece as i would some lace. i want this item to be opened up enough to see the patterns, but still maintain a nice, cushy density. if i was working in lace weight, i’d probably stretch it more.
after it dried a bit and i retrieved the measurements i needed, i spent the rest of the day day on tweaking the charts and stitch counts and getting the row instructions written; i think it was nine pages—that’s a really good amount to get done (but i was still at my desk at midnight; is that cheating?).
last night while we watched the bike races, i started on my project—so far, so good
isn’t the yarn de-lish??
it’s the most beautiful mango-ey yellow with subtle bits of pink and orange and apricot. i asked kim what the colorway will be called and she says i should name it. i told her the only thing that keeps coming to mind is that old joke: can’t elope tonight, dear. i’ll give it a few days; something else is bound to occur to me . . .
today, i have a few last chart notes and tweaks to make and then i can send it off to kim—just in time for her weekend knitting, i hope. i have a bunch of errands to fill part of the day, but i think i can get the pattern finished (since it’s raining and we probably won’t ride this evening) to the stage where it can safely be used by another knitter and simultaneously proofed.
so, not much knitting to show, but a satisfying couple of days work has been done.
i knit just a little bit on the second lady nate sock. i had cast on and worked one row late the other night. while i was waiting for some software updates to load and install this morning (it was endless), i fetched it down to my desk to add a few rounds.
well, good thing i did—almost as soon as i started my next round, i realized i had cast on the wrong number of sts for the size i was knitting. yikes—good catch; i’d be likely to just knit the wrong size on autopilot for who knows how long if i hadn’t looked at it in the light of day. problem corrected and now it’s looking much more the right size.
today i’m getting my hair cut and stopping over at anne marie’s afterward, so i’m taking the opportunity to slyly enter each of those environments with an innocent-looking bag that may accidentally get “left behind”. i probably don’t even have to be sneaky though—the fresh-vegetables-for-knitters plan has been working out tremendously well.
today i spotted another ripening tomato
i’m trying to gird myself for what could prove to be a tsunami of them in a week or two—actually, they should be rolling in like crazy just when i’m going away. fortunately, several knitters have volunteered to unburden us of the excess.
ok, i think that’s all i’ve got for now—time to get back to finishing that pattern.
have a good weekend; remember to stop and smell the flowers.
24 thoughts on “all in a day’s work”
Oooh, you’re my opposite–I HATE putting all my scribbles into a form that makes sense to other people! Of course, maybe it gets easier with practice . . . I’m designing my first lace at the moment, and I was about ready to hurl it out the window yesterday.
That yarn is amazing! It reminds me of peach yogurt or sherbet.
I just did that a while ago, knit a whole 6 inch leg on 60 stitches, and realized I needed 64…sigh. Quick to fix though, had the whole leg reknit that evening.
LOVE the color of that yarn, I’m looking forward to the sneak peeks!
Ah yes, the sneak attack veggie drop-off. My grandmother was particularly good at it. She’d play the absent-minded-little-old-lady, just ‘happen’ to leave a bushel basket of zucchini behind her. I’m not sure who she thought she was fooling, nor why my grandfather felt the need to plant 25 zucchini plants every year, but everyone in the neighborhood got really good at making zucchini bread!
My mother, born in 1915, used to make it a conversation. “Can’t elope.” “Oh, honey, do.” The latter said in a pleading tone.
It is a beautiful color yarn.
That yarn just looks wonderful! I really liked reading your thoughts on the design process and some of the steps that are involved for you.That combination of organic with systematic is really fascinating, and it reminds me a lot of knitting itself.
I hope you guys get some rain for those plants 🙂
Oh, gosh, that is looking beautiful! I’m dying to see what it turns out to be. And the color is scrumdiddlyumptious. Mmm…
I’m off to get my hair cut today, too — are we all sprucing up for sock summit? 😉
The color of that swatch is just gorgeous, it looks like you and Kim each have another winner on your hands. I’m so happy you felt able to continue sharing photos and details as long as we don’t “tell”.
When naming the colorway, do you just want to express the color or connect it to the pattern as well since this is a joint project between the 2 of you?
(This is the other Jocelyn who is not your sample knitter.) The hydrangea and lilies look divine. Both are my favorites! See you in Portland!
The sample is amazing….I LOVE it! I can’t believe how great your veggies are looking! It will be a little while still before I see any red tomatoes. 😉
Oh, I Need that mango yarn! And the pattern! Love.
I think I’m giving up on my tomato plants. You can have all the Maine rain you like, we’ve had waaayy too much.
Cheers to getting the last box off!
Yummy yarn, it reminds me of an orange creamsicle, yum.
We’ve had a bit too much rain today (SW Virginia); it flattened my mesclun and lettuce seedlings this morning. Cleared off some this afternoon, but another wave just passed over and more coming (I looked at the Weather Underground radar…). Maybe it’s balancing out the exceedingly dry summer we had a few years ago…
Tomato tsunami – I laughed until tears – gardener’s greatest dream/nightmare – the bushels of work when it comes ripe, all at the same time! I have a knitting question – do you use Knit Visualizer or some other charting tool to assist in your prolific artwork? An enquiring mind would love to know – all you sock summit knitter’s remind me of my *dead head* days. And Portland, oh my goodness, there is so much fun there, you need a month to recuperate! Well, at least I do when I go…Ciao
we do need rain…but part of me keeps thinking – no, no rain! it will put the construction behind….
that yellow yarn is just gorgeous – one of the prettiest yellows i think i’ve seen.
What does one do with the round little squash(es)? Some of them came in my farm share and I have no clue!
Have a great time at sock summit, wish I could be there. (DH got a job offer today tho (!!!!) so hopefully I can come next year!)
About those hydrangeas–they will look wilty if they are planted where they get afternoon sun. Evidently they prefer afternoon shade. I water mine practically daily when it is sunny. I envy you the blue coloration of your blooms. Mine are pink.
I am so excited. I see my favorite stitch in there. Saw Chris yesterday at Midwest Fiber and Folk Fest. Just had to get a skein of green Sea Pearl and that “limited edition” sock yarn you used for Nate. I’m in yarn heaven. I see another project to put in queue.
Ooh, I loves me that mango yarn!
Another inspiring entry, food, flowers, curry, and knitting. What more can we ask for? (Apricot Blush?, not that you asked for suggestions, but that’s what came to mind with your description and photo.)
That yarn *is* pretty. It’s like marmalade with the little orangey flecks.
Anne- The yarn is so pretty.
I was watching a show, and this guy takes the tomatoes and roasts them, then he strains them and adds the seasonings to make sauce for the freezer. It looked like a good way to use up the glut.
It’s great to have a glimpse of your designing process – a great inspiration for me. Thanks.
That yarn certainly is lovely – can’t wait to see what the secret project turns out to be!
I have a garden question, too. I remember you linking several times to an organic critter spray, but I can’t find it. Would you mind terribly linking again? We’re having some awful pest problems (they’ve chewed through two squash plants already), but I want something tried, true, and organic.
And I’m jealous of your ripe tomatoes! It’s rained SO much here and it’s barely been in the 80’s at all, so our monstrous tomato plants are being fed by the rain and we have hundreds of green tomatoes that refuse to ripen!
That yarn IS ‘lish, you’re right. I love lace patterns in a thicker yarn. Don’t get me wrong, laceweight is lovely, but the thicker yarns just add that little extra oomph to a project, don’t they?
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