On your marks, get set, SLOW!

I was recently in New Orleans for a conference, where I won a race by coming in dead last. It was a slow bicycle race, where the object is to take the greatest possible amount of time to get to the finish line without falling over or touching the ground. After many years of intensifying focus and improving balance through the practice of yoga, it would appear I am now a NATURAL GENIUS at slow bike racing. What a splendid moment that was, when I crept wobblingly, and well behind the competition, across that chalk mark on the pavement! And what a splendid metaphor for everything that's been going on in my life lately. Almost everything I've lost in the past few weeks has turned out to be a win, one way or another. And it's definitely involved some very slow progress toward goals that were pretty humble, but still counted as triumphs.

The most significant loss was of my little green sketchbook, which I take with me everywhere and fill with notes and drawings and incomprehensible-to-everyone-but-me scribblings on various knitting projects in progress. (I posted a scan of one sketch here a few months ago.) One minute I was knitting and taking notes while I waited on the Aviation Blvd. Metro platform in Los Angeles, then the train came and I was seated on it with my suitcase and my knitting and my handbag...but no sketchbook. I looked around under the seats and asked if anyone had seen it, but it seems all anyone saw that day was more of my badonkadonk than they were expecting to while I crawled around looking for my little book. Poof, it was gone. With all my meticulous stitch counts for the project I was right in the middle of inventing, and everything. Such a bummer. I called the Metro Lost & Found number and discovered I'd need to wait at least three days before coming in person to their office to inquire about any lost item.

A week later, when I was back in town, I took the airport shuttle back to the station where I'd lost it (and risked a hefty fine by going back up to the platform without a valid ticket) to see if by any chance it had fallen between the train and the platform, and was still down there on the tracks. I was seriously willing to climb on down to get it if it was there, too. Although I'd bought a new notebook the day after I lost it, the green one had over a year's worth of ideas and notes in it, and I'd had time to realize how much I wanted it back. Enough to jump in front of a speeding train! (Well, almost. There's a schedule for the inbound trains, so I'd know if I had time to get back up or not, and anyway, I figured I'd at least try to find a Metro employee and ask for help first. A fine I could probably talk my way out of, but getting arrested is another matter.) No such luck. The next day, I checked at the Lost & Found office; no luck there, either, but the woman I spoke to was extremely nice and put my name and number on a list of people who'd lost stuff, just in case it did get turned in later. Meanwhile, I tried to forget about it.

Here's where the loss turns into a win, though: Out of the blue, about a week after this (and almost three weeks after I'd lost it), Jared Flood emails me and tells me someone got in touch with him via Facebook to report a lost notebook. Jared's name was the only one in it--on the page where I was laying out my idea for the Hill Country Weavers SHELTER pattern collection--and obviously, he's easy to Google, so the person who found the notebook got in touch with him. Jared figured out, based on the description of the page with his name on it, that the design was probably mine, and put me in touch with the finder. (Jared also noted that the person had said "that the book was full of good but time-intensive ideas, which I had a good laugh about. He's clearly not a knitter.") I emailed the dude, whose name is Darren, and he got in touch pretty quickly and sent my notebook back to me, politely demurring at the suggestion of any kind of reward, even though he just moved to Oregon and I'm sure he could use stuff in his new place. He's gonna get a hand-knit Koolhaas whether he likes it or not--HA! Take that, super-nice-guy Darren!

All of which is to say that a loss isn't always permanent; nor is it always a bad thing. A slow bike race, furthermore, is a much-needed reminder of how HARD it is to slow down--to NOT go barreling toward a goal that, most of the time, is as evanescent as a chalk line on the pavement. You're probably just as likely to crash a bike going fast as going slow (well, I am, anyway), and it sure hurts less if you're going slow. As for "good but time-intensive ideas"...do I ever have any other kind?? Isn't knitting just the hugest, best, most time-intensive idea ever--a slow string race, if you will? And if knitting isn't the most time-intensive idea ever, then getting a PhD surely must be. So I'm win/losing every which way here.

Samuel Beckett wrote: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better." In that spirit, I have now written my email address and phone number and "reward for safe return!" in the front of all of my sketchbooks, so I can fail better the next time I lose one. (Or win. Or whatever.)

Winter flowers, cash and showers!

Wowsers. Remember that scholarship I received last year from the good folks at Jimmy Beans Wool? Well, it's that time of year again, and for this round of scholarships, they've recruited a bunch of incredible sponsors, and boosted the award amount to a whopping $3,000 in tuition money for knitters and crocheters with college bills to pay. I was thrilled to be awarded $800 last year, so I can only imagine how great it would be to get three G's. Three cheers for Jimmy Beans! Please encourage any crafty college kids you know to apply; full details are here. It's such an easy form to fill out, and such a great program. The scholarship information page also has downloadable fliers for posting at your school or LYS. If you're not in school yourself, help spread the word--you could put some very deserving student on the road to a huge windfall!



Speaking of windfalls and weather, we've either been having a sneak preview of spring, or else we're taking a pass on the rest of winter here in Austin. We had a teensy bit of the snow and cold temps you may have heard about on the news--including one inch of snowfall over a Thursday night when I was out of town, which was all melted away by the time I got home Friday afternoon. It did get chilly enough for a few days to shut down the schools, which everyone called a snow day (even though it was more like a sleet day, or a "dagnabit it's colder than I'm used to" day). Since then, though, it's pretty much been sunny, muggy, and pushing 80 every day. Punxatawney Phil must be down here on vacation or something. Go home, groundhog, and let us have our six more weeks, please! It'll be a hundred here soon enough, and I miss the snows and cold rains of my Seattle childhood, I really do.

I've been making my own wishful winter weather on my needles, though: everything I've made lately either looks like winter skies (I'm off the orange and back on the gray now) or works for winter wear. I worked up a pullover version of my new Hill Country pattern in some Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in a lovely variegated range of mother-of-pearl tints, which turned out terrific. I also got to experiment with a brand-new yarn from Knit Picks, Aloft, which I turned into a downy-soft cowl in a lace pattern that looks like thunderclouds massing on the horizon.



Clusters of tiny blue beads and a fringe of the same complete the cloudy-with-a-chance of rain theme. Complete details and pattern link are on my Ravelry page, here, and you can download the PDF directly by clicking on the link at left--just $1.99 gets you charted and written instructions (knitters, you have been heard! I do try to provide written instructions for charts whenever possible in my patterns) for this little lovely. Imagine, a cozy little thundercloud you can put over your head any time you want! Now, if only I could figure out how to knit myself a snowdrift before summer comes...

January

Republican coin, c.225-212; (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien)

The ancient Roman god Janus is closely associated with doorways, beginnings, and transitions. His two faces--one looking back to the past, one toward the future--are also a potent symbol for archives and archivists, who collect and care for the records of the past to serve as a continuing resource for the future. For a knitter, the sense of Janus could be embodied in a cake of yarn, with its two ends, or even a single stitch, which is at once both knit and purl, its two faces opposed and integrated. Of course, the month of January is named for Janus: the old year closes here just as the new year opens.

Looking back on 2010, I see some things that definitely color my view forward into 2011--in generally positive ways. For one thing, there's my FO tally (with links to Rav project or pattern pages, where applicable):

2 Dewey baby pullovers
1 Elsie baby cardigan with beaded yoke (which one of the cats threw up on...sigh)
1 Beverly cardigan for Abbe
3 Larkin baby blankets
1 Otto bear (for little Henry Marcel)
1 Chiana sweater
2 Constance cardigans (adult sizes...one of which I haven't even taken pictures of)
1 Constance baby cardigan
2 tall Billington bags
3 small Billington bags
1 Herringbone vest for Steven (which I started in 2009 and set aside until finishign it in March, 2010, so I'm counting it as a 2010 FO, dang it!)
1 Althea cardigan
1 Althea skirt (which I just realized is not listed in my Ravelry store...fixing that now!)
2 Hill Country dresses
3 Cecily camisoles
1 Cecily jacket

...And I think that's about it. It's interesting to see how many false starts I had among my new projects for 2010: Dewey, Elsie, Chiana, Constance, and the men's vest pattern are all lingering in the prototype phases, really, and not truly finished designs yet. They all still need a certain something. But Billington, Larkin, Hill Country, and the Cecily camisole are all things I'm quite proud of.

The pledge I made to contribute $1 from the sale of each Billington bag pattern to the Center for Home Movies yielded great results--over $300!--and is a big step toward the goal for the CHM year-end fundraiser. (We can always use a little bit more, though--even $5 or $10 makes a big difference to a small organization like this one, so feel free to click that link and pitch in to CHM or another charity of your choice through the Network for Good!) I'm already thinking about what my next pledge project might be--I found this experience really gratifying, and think many of the people who purchased the pattern liked that they got to help a good cause at the same time.

The Cecily jacket will probably be the next pattern release I do, and the first pattern I release in 2011. I'm very pleased with that one, and just need to write up and size the pattern. (Um, and get it test-knitted, tech-edited, photographed, laid out, and...whew. I'm tired already.) The lightweight camisole-and-jacket twinset will make for nice springtime knitting and wearing. And of course I have new projects cooking all the time, especially when life is going well and I have time to sort of soften my focus and let the new ideas drift in...

Last but definitely not least, I want to announce the winner of my very first blog giveaway! It's CelticCastOn, who shared a great story about the dollhouse her dad made, which kinda sorta ruined the Santa myth for her but is now a treasured heirloom toy to be passed on to her little daughter. Kelly's a great knitter and will no doubt make something amazing with whatever she gets from HCW with that gift certificate. (Be sure to post a link to that here when it's done, Kelly!) Everyone's comments on that post were terrific; I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading about the smells, recipes, handmade and homemade treasures all of you remember from years past. (Also? The cat getting stuck in the Christmas tree and the mom who set her hair on fire with sparklers. Love it!!) Thanks to all of you for making my first blog giveaway so much fun for ME--I've never gotten so many comments on a post and love how connected it made me feel to those who are reading. Expect the giveaways to continue in 2011!

The end of loose ends is in 2010!

How much do I hate weaving in ends? Sofa king much. I've let some FOs sit, unworn or ungifted, for months on end while I work myself up to the task of weaving in, like, four ends of yarn on the underarms and sleeve hems. Whenever possible, I spit-splice or weave in the ends as I join new yarn, using this method I found online (thanks, aija and JP from Article Pract!).

The worst problem with hating to weave in ends is that I'm not actually particularly good at it when I actually get around to doing it. Looking at the wrong side of my work is usually like looking at Joan Rivers without makeup on--kinda yucky, but...it sure shows how much work went into it. If it's a garment I will be wearing myself, I've even been known to just tuck a random end that I overlooked back down the sleeve if I know it's not going to work itself loose. I hate that I do this and it makes me feel very, very lazy--also a touch unprofessional. It's strange that weaving in ends bugs me this much, because there are other pretty tedious finishing tasks that I'll do with relish, even: Sewing on buttons or ribbon linings for plackets, knitted-on i-cord, even seaming, which many people despise (and which many of my designs, especially the garments, don't require). I just love a pretty and well-finished garment, but when it comes to the loose ends--ugh. I'll willingly settle for the outer appearance of good finishing.

Now that we're here at the end of the year, though, I'm calling an end to that thing with the ends. It stops here. Today. Right now. FOs are going to get FINISHED when they're done, and I'm going to love how it feels to snip that last little tail before moving on to the next project. I am resolved! 2011 will be The Year of Literally Tying Up Loose Ends. It's going to be awesome. Look how great it looks when I do it--the twinset above was blocked the morning after I cast off, and I had it all done right down to the buttons THAT DAY. Yay, me.

As I look forward to that Year of Literally Tying Up Loose Ends, it reminds me to remind all of you that there's just one more day left to enter yourself in my first-ever blog giveaway! Skip back to my last post and leave a comment with your favorite homemade holiday memory (doesn't have to be a winter holiday either, btw; I'll accept DIY firecrackers for the 4th of July or Guy Fawkes Day, or the hand-drawn cards you got from your kids for Mother's Day, or what have you). I'll put the names in a hat on New Year's Eve and draw for a free pattern and a gift certificate to Hill Country Weavers!




(Um, we may just have to tackle "blocking things as soon as they're done instead of leaving them unblocked on the dress form for several weeks" in 2012. Baby steps...)

Merry Xmas!

Season's greetings, everyone! In the holiday spirit, here's a little of the ol' red-and-green for you, Austin style...



The red is some lovely scarlet bougainvillea, and the green is my Hill Country dress--the pattern for which is now available! I'm thrilled to announce the release of the "Hill Country Does SHELTER" collection, which is an amazing group of patterns created for the new Brooklyn Tweed wool yarns. Just click on the link to visit the Hill Country Weavers e-commerce site and check out all of the patterns; Jared Flood's going to do a special post about it on the Brooklyn Tweed blog, too. There are hats, sweaters, legwarmers, and other accessories featuring all of the colors in the SHELTER range, and all with a dash of uniquely Austin flavor. They're each available as individual PDF downloads, or grouped in two PDF e-booklets at a generous discount off the single-pattern price. The layouts are gorgeous, with loads of great pictures of the designs themselves and the South Congress district that Hill Country Weavers calls home. WARNING: You may have a hard time choosing just one. I want to make them all myself. Especially Sarah Rose, Elizabeth Cobbe's sweet lace-edged cardigan...

Can I just tell you how great it's been working on this project? First of all, I'm in fabulous company: There are two Elizabeths (MightyGoodYarn and Elizabeth Green Musselman of Dark Matter Knits fame), a Kathy and a Kourtney, an Emily, and Suzanne herself, owner of Hill Country Weavers and all-around amazing lady. As the impresario of this project, Suzanne not only created her own beautiful woven blanket design (AND adapted it to scarf size, so she actually made TWO projects), recruited the local designers and photographer (the fabulous Meg Rice, who you may know as winemegup on Flickr), researched graphic designers and printers and photo shoot locations, oh my!, and brought the whole thing home in a matter of what, four months?

The finished product looks really amazing, and being a part of it might just be the best gift I get this Christmas. To celebrate the launch of the collection, and make this a gift that keeps on giving, I'm announcing my first-ever blog giveaway contest! Just comment on this post with your favorite homemade holiday memory (mine is the taste of my mom's peppermint pinwheel cookie dough). On New Year's Day, I'll pick a name at random from all the commenters. The winner will receive a free pattern of their choice from my Ravelry pattern store (you don't need to have a Ravelry account) and a $50 gift certificate to Hill Country Weavers. (That's enough for several skeins of SHELTER yarn, or both pattern collections. Not that you have to get those exact items, but I'm just saying...)

Tidings of comfort and joy to all of you!

New pattern: the Cecily camisole

It's been several months since I last announced a new pattern here, but it's not because I haven't been designing. My needles have been quite busy, in fact, and you'll be seeing the results of that over the next few weeks, starting with this lovely (if I do say so myself) lace-edged camisole: Cecily!



Cecily is knit in Crystal Palace Panda Silk, which is a perennial favorite of mine. It's a fingering-weight blend of wool, bamboo, and silk, and these fibers work together to amazing effect. The bamboo gives it a nice weight and a little bit of shine, the touch of silk adds to the drape and smooth hand, and the wool is superwash merino--so you get a durable machine-washable fabric of beautiful color, breathable lightweight warmth, and elegant drape. Delicious!



The cami is worked in the round from the bottom up, with no seaming. Princess darts at the front and back gently shape the waist, while short-row darts and pretty paired increases and decreases create a beautifully fitted sweetheart neckline at the top. The tapered garter-stitch straps are worked from the upper edge and joined with two short grafts or a three-needle bind-off--you can also use purchased lingerie fittings and satin or grosgrain ribbon in a coordinating or contrasting color for adjustable fabric straps if you like! The pattern's sized from XS up to 2X, to fit busts measuring 28-48" with slight negative ease for a sleek silhouette.



And as usual, it's named for a librarian or archivist or other information-science-y sort...in this case, rare-books store employee Cecily Farr from 84 Charing Cross Road. This movie is based on Helene Hanff's nonfiction memoir of the same title, and is absolutely charming--a little bit funny, a little bit sad, and very much about how important books and the people who work with them can be in our lives. There's also a bit of a Christmas theme running through it: the action begins shortly after World War II, when England was still under rationing. Helene's annual Christmas hamper full of hard-to-come-by delicacies--a thank-you to a London bookstore's staff for the volumes they've sent her throughout the year--is the subject of many of the letters sent between Charing Cross Road and Helene's various New York apartments over a forty-year period. I think this is a lovely equation of food for the mind and food for the body--the sense that books and food can both sate a certain kind of hunger. In the 1950s, Cecily Farr might have worn something like this as a warm underlayer beneath a blouse or cardigan as she worked among the shelves of the unheated store...nowadays, it'd be a feminine accent to a structured blazer, or look great on its own over a pretty summer skirt.

Ravelry details and more images are here (Cecily Camisole pattern page) and here (project page, including lots of WIP pics). Love it so much you want to make it right now? Just click the button! PDF pattern with charted and line-by-line written instructions for the lace motif is just $4.00, and it's a quick knit too--you could cast on tomorrow and be done in plenty of time for Xmas.

Back to the five and dime...well, almost

They call the East Bay of San Francisco "the nickel-dime" for its 510 area code. Just a few hours to the East, and a few thousand feet up, you're in the 530 area code, which the Reno-based Jimmy Beans Wool calls home. I was staying with friends at Lake Tahoe for the Thanksgiving holiday, so of course I paid them a visit in between drop-offs and pick-ups at the Reno airport, thinking of "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" the whole time...

I've never needed an excuse to go to a yarn shop, of course, but I had a good one for visiting JBW in person: Several months ago, I was the grateful recipient of a "Beans for Brains" scholarship sponsored by Vogue Knitting and Jimmy Beans Wool. It was so great to be able to say thanks in person to some of the people who made it possible--although the weekend's very heavy snowfall made it impossible for at least one important person, proprietor Laura Zander, to make it in to the shop that day! The photo above really doesn't do it justice; we encountered white-out conditions on the highway, and I'm kind of amazed that flights were taking off and landing at all that day. (I should note that this picture was taken from INSIDE the cozy, yarn-filled shop and flipped. It was too dang cold to be standing outside with the camera.) It also doesn't do the store justice--"Endless possibilities" is right. Although it's no more than a few hundred square feet, the retail space is a real wonderland of tempting yarns, with an inviting sitting area next to the shelves of books and magazines. And then behind it, and filling another huge space two doors down, there's the whoa-inducing stock from which their vigorous online and mail-order business draws. Holy smokes, that's a lot of yarn.



The lovely Bethany, who was giving me a tour of the operation, was very patient with me while I geeked out and asked all kinds of questions about the organizational scheme for their backstock. (Sorry, Bethany; the librarian training just kicks in and takes over at times like these.) I spent a pleasant, but not nearly long-enough, interval browsing in the store and chatting with Bethany, her fellow cashier-on-duty-that-day Jeanne, and other members of their very friendly staff while knitting a few rounds on my latest project. Snowy weather: Bad for driving, awesome for knitting!

I've gotten spoiled by the great LYSes here in Austin, and thus am frequently disappointed when I visit shops in other towns, but JBW really delivers the goods in their store as well as online--and I'm not just saying that because they gave me a scholarship, I swear. It was really everything I look for in an LYS: nice roomy layout, great selection (including stuff I don't see at home), inspiring samples and swatches everywhere, perusing and petting encouraged. The place was so delightful, I just couldn't resist picking up a few skeins of new yarn while I was there. Guess that de-stash diet will be a New Year's resolution-type thing...because I know the next time I'm in the five and dime, I'll definitely be thinking about going back to Jimmy Beans.