I admit it. You caught me. I didn't just get up, sort my morning and then sit straight down at the computer to provide you all with today's entry. I went to Knitty first. You should too, it's ok. I'll wait.
Good eh? I admit that the last one wasn't quite my cup of tea, but I'm loving this issue. I'm really impressed with Zigzag and I'm working very hard at convincing myself I'd look great in it. (I wouldn't, but if I made the body a little longer and the neck a little shorter...you can see where I'm going. It's probably easier to adapt the pattern than to suddenly find a way to be taller and more swan-like.) Some of the other patterns are very neat, but it's the articles that I'm really liking. The one about colour should be required reading, and the advice given in the short row shoulder one is pretty darned good too. If you don't know about that already then it could change your life. Fine, not really. The shoulders on your sweaters will be better though. That could change part of your life. You know, the part where strangers point and laugh at your non-short row shoulders and you wish there was some way you could make it stop? That part could be changed.
There's one more nice thing to say about the Knitty articles and then we will get on with our day. This article is very kind, informative and helpful. It's exactly how I feel about learning new knitting skills and I think that the author is bang on.
Moving on. I still feel crappy. I took Devin's advice to try tea, whiskey and lemon. That helped a lot, well, it either helped a lot or I didn't care that I felt crappy anymore. I forget which one. Norma sent me a very nice recipe for un-chicken soup, and that's today's strategy. That and continuing to knit mundane boring blog killing things. Sorry about that.
The Dreadlocks poncho continues...
I'm having a love/hate thing with the yarn. It's the big loops. I am being constantly entertained and amused by the big loops at the same time as they are making me hostile. I keep sticking my needle into the big loops instead of the stitch, feeling angry and bellicose, then noticing that the big loops are cool, forgetting about the down side of the loops and then liking them for their charming loopy roundness again. Let's not talk about that too much, since I don't think it makes me sound smart.
I was right about the mitten thing. I am really suddenly abnormally interested in them. I can't believe the awesome links I got yesterday. I want Folk Mittens, and Magnificent Mittens
and Latvian Mittens are heart stopping. I really, really, really want the (old and hard to find) book that Lisa is using to make these crazy good-looking butterfly mittens. Sadly, I remembered just before I ordered everything that I'm on a knitting stuff diet. Happily, I remembered that the reason I'm on a diet is because I spent all of my money on knitting stuff. There's gotta be something in the stash. I hesitate to enter the deeper levels of the stash. It's sort of a commitment. The stash is well established and has a very delicate ecosystem that allows it to occupy a much smaller space than it should. Removing or disturbing anything in this frangible system of wool and books can mean hours and hours of careful reconstruction.
I poked around the top level or "canopy" of the stash and found these.
Well, I found one, I started the other one last night. They are basic, no screwing around, no fancy-schmancy, froo-froo coloured roving, honest to goodness Newfoundland thrummed mitts, trucked straight here from The Rock by Joe's Ma. This is the oatmeal of mittens. This is a good start.
Is anybody interested in thrummed mitts?