The Eclectic Camisole begins

I started the eclecticly pieced camisole yesterday - here is the progress I made (all crochet thus far, and just look at all those ends to weave in - yikes.) This was the first project that caught my eye in the magazine - for an interesting reason. I have wanted for years to design a top along these lines - a fanciful and eclectic mix of fibers and techniques and crocheted motifs put together with knitted panels. So why didn't I? Quite simply because I didn't believe in myself. I thought that because I had never seen a "real" designer make one like this, then it must be a bad idea, and if I designed it, it would inevitably turn out to be tacky and unwearable. What a dreadfully limiting way to think! I shall follow the directions religiously for this particular piece, because there are always things to be learned that way, but I resolve in future to fearlessly follow my bliss.



Speaking of bliss, here is my almost 6 year old daughter who, while enjoying the warm spring sunshine in the living room window, decided to find out if it was warm enough to make toast on her head. She spent 15 happy minutes like this - perfectly still, reading her book. I have lots to learn.

The Cotton Hoodie is Finished

Well, the quiet afternoon of knitting worked - I feel better AND I finished the cotton hoodie. I have included a close-up of the lace pattern from Vogue Knitting - it's called Frost Flowers - very pretty and versatile, and I nearly went blind following the pattern. Ask me why I've just ordered the yarn for two lace scarves...

I think I shall head to Staples this weekend and see if I can find a gizmo that will clip onto a page and magnify it line by line. If one doesn't exist, it certainly ought to be invented.

Next projects (yes I do more than one at a time) - both from the new Vogue Knitting - the Flowered Belt Camisole which I hope to finish by the 28th of this month in order to wear it to a semi-formal dinner with a yet-to-be-purchased skirt, and the Michael Kors split neck pullover, the purpose of which, as previously mentioned, is to make me look like a movie star at the playground. I think I might wear it with pants, though. Or shorts. Or at least something more than undies and stillettos.

A cup of tea and an almost finished sweater

I "should" spend the afternoon briskly and efficiently continuing my quest to organize and downsize our lives in preparation for the move to Whistler this summer. However, the kids have the sniffles and kept me awake half the night coughing (I can't sleep when my babies are sick), consequently, none of us has much patience or energy and I feel a therapeutic afternoon of knitting and snuggling coming on - perhaps some stories, a little Yo-Yo Ma (the Bach cello suites) on the CD player.

I am almost done the the oversized cotton hooded pullover - I've been knitting it in fits and spurts since last summer. All that's left is the last few rows at the top of the hood, then a bit of grafting and weaving in and Voila! I designed it using Jackie Fee's Sweater Workshop (which I adore, and recently had to buy a new copy of because my car copy got too much water spilled on it) and a broad reversible lace edging from a project in last summer's Vogue knitting. It's a fascinating natural unspun cotton from Italy wrapped with a variegated blue/turquoise viscose thread - very subtle and summery.

Once that's done, it will be on to the Michael Kors tunic in the latest Vogue knitting (the yarn arrived Monday from Elann). This will make me look like a movie star as I trundle to the playground with a plastic wagon load of jackets and water bottles, I'm sure. I hope I didn't make a mistake in yarn substitution - I just couldn't see the wool/cashmere combo for summer, so I picked a 50/50 cotton/microfiber blend by Gedfrida. I suppose I should do a sizeable swatch to see how it holds it's shape.

Beginning

Why Blog?

I've been knitting for almost 30 years now, but always in rather solitary fashion, never truly finding a place in the knitting community. Being a military family, we frequently (generally) live in places that don't have an LYS, which makes it more difficult to locate kindred spirits. The closest thing I presently have to a LYS looked at me like I was mad when I enquired about the possibility of non-acrylic yarns! My poor DH, (mostly) tolerant though he is of my growing stash, just doesn't want to listen to me rave endlessly about the new Vogue Knitting, or join me in petting the luscious rovings I bought on ebay last year and have yet to learn how to spin.

So here I go, tossing my musings and obsessions to the winds of cyberspace. I admit, I don't confine myself solely to knitting, having also acquired a sizeable stash of cotton prints and unquilted quilt tops, and I shamelessly pick up a crochet hook whenever I think a knitted project would benefit. I have also begun in the last year to expand the definition of "fibre" to include silver and gold, and then discovered that hammering pieces of metal was also an awful lot of fun (who says silver isn't a textile), and a good strand of emeralds is comparable to hand-dyed silk for sheer hedonistic delight.

But nothing tops knitting for practicality (after all, we NEED clothes, don't we?) meditative bliss, portability, and sheer tactile pleasure.