Random Thursday

I know I usually do random Wednesdays, but I lost track of the days of the week again am being really random by doing Thursday.

1. As many of you would know already, Mr. Etherknitter (Husband of our lovely Etherknitter) was involved in a dreadful ski accident a little while ago. He’s ok now, though stranded abed, and today is his birthday. If you are so inclined, you can inundate him by dropping off a comment here. I bet it would cheer them both.

2. I finished the new socks…and I think that they are the perfect antidote to the drab greyness of Toronto this time of year.

Jaywalkersfinished2

These are Grumperina’s famous Jaywalker pattern (I had to do it at least once) knit from Vesper Sock Yarn in the “Crew” colourway, modeled by Meg, who’d like to point out how well she thinks they go with her new shoes.

Idressedmyselftd

You may use your imagination to guess what else her spectacularly 14 year old fashion sense will allow her to wear. Some days I’d like to get back the button she had when she was three that said “I dressed myself today”.

As reported by so many, the pattern is tons of fun, though the patterning on the leg is sort of inelastic, so if I were knitting them for anyone without really slender legs and feet I would have gone up a size, regardless of foot length. It should also be noted that I didn’t have the pattern with me when the time came for the toes, so I did my own thing.

3. That Laurie left a comment yesterday, and she makes some darned good points.

First, what everyone else has said about the math involved here — you have calculated to your own detriment AND not counted the considerable labor of washing and carding — also part of spinning (as is PLYING, come to think of it!).

Second, you have also written 2-3 (4?) books in this period of time — blame it on book tours and making us happy.

Third — and this one is key — you need to start knitting the sweater! Nothing inspires power spinning so much as the need for more yarn when the sweater is underway. The knitting creates the love of the yarn which begats more yarn.

The one problem with your readers’ advice about the vest is that I bet you are planning to DESIGN your Joe’s Gansey, possibly using Beth Reinsel-Brown’s delightful book? Even so, you could start.

After all, your working gauge in gansey knitting MIGHT mean you need less yarn.

You can always count on That Laurie for some clear thinking.

First, Yeah. I didn’t add the washing, carding and plying time, though it’s true…those add considerable time to the effort. I think I probably spend as much time washing and carding as I do spinning, which is mostly due to my own obsessive techniques for those activities.

Second, yeah. Right Laurie. (This is why I love Laurie, she’s always willing to supply me with a decent rationalization) It’s because of the books and the tour. Uh-huh. I’ll take the heat on this one. It’ll because it turns out that THINKING about spinning gansey wool while you knit, isn’t the same as sitting at the wheel SPINNING gansey wool and it turns out that I can’t make yarn with the power of my mind and I’m actually going to have to commit to working on it if I want to start making progress.

Third, Start knitting the sweater? This is an interesting idea. I am planning on designing the sweater myself, using this book and this one. My worry, and perhaps it is misguided, as so many of my worries are…is that this yarn is being spun over such a long period of time that I’m concerned (guaranteed, actually) that the yarn I’m producing can’t be consistent. I’m worried that I’ll start knitting with the stuff I’ve already spun, and end up with sleeves two different sizes or something. My common sense tells me that if I were to knit the gansey from two alternating balls throughout (one old, one new, a couple of rows with each one) that maybe I could disguise the fact that I’m about as consistent with my spinning as Elizabeth Taylor is with her husbands.

Thoughts from experienced sweater -spinning knitters? Is there another way? Should I care?

4. I put the new tour page stuff up. There’s some stops listed there, starting a staggering two weeks from today. There will be way more added as we welcome Kelli-the-new-wonder-publicist, who replaces Sarah in their attempts to move me around the world in a way that lets me see as much yarn as possible, meet all of my imaginary friends, go to yarn parties, er…publicize the book? Yeah. That’s it. Who’s coming?

5. Look what I got!

Newbooksmsfe

That’s Mason-Dixon Knitting, from you know who, and Inspired Cable Knits, from Fiona Ellis. Both beautiful. Both to be reviewed. Likely tomorrow.

6. I washed fleece for the sweater even though it was Wednesday.