Ziggy Scarf

Well, the purple scarf is done! Only took about six hours. I followed the pattern for the Dropped-Stitch scarf from Teen Knitting Club. Aside from it being geared for teens, the book is one of the best beginner's book that I've read. It's also spiral bound so it lays flat. I wish more knitting books are made this way. I've bought and returned it previously because my other books already covered the same material but it turned out to be pretty useful. The library is our friend. The pics and the project I made really inspired me to try more novelty yarns.

The scarf was knitted on size 15 needles and I held together Plymouth Encore in purple and Sax in gold. The result looked like I accidentally smudged it with gold paint. A little glam, a little rock & roll, it would make Ziggy Stardust proud! Now to brainstorm how to gift wrap it.
Here's how far along the blossom scarf is.
I'm about half-way through and it will be a tad wider after it's blocked.
I've also picked up Teva Durham's Loop-d-Loop today. It's great how she writes about what inspired her for each project. The photos are gorgeous! I loved her pattern for the Lace Leaf Pullover that was also featured in the Summer 2005 issue of Interweave Knits so I find myself looking at a lot of green yarn lately. Guess the pullover is the next project after the bolero.

How fast can I knit?

Well, I'll find out this weekend! I have some friends that are moving and we're having a going away dinner this weekend. I want to make one of them a scarf but I only have a couple of days. Time to break out the size 13's. I'm thinking something purple and glittery.
The blossom scarf is going well but slowly. I'm about half-way through. For something so simple, it sure is taking a long time. Maybe that's the problem, it's not complicated enough. Why did I decide to knit it in two pieces? I could have been done by now.
The yarn for the fiery bolero had to be ordered so its probably another week or so before I can start. Oh well, gives me time to finish both scarves, right?
I'm finishing up another womb knitted with some horrible cotton, Fantasy Naturale by Plymouth Yarn in fushia. Fantasy my arse, more like nightmare. When I was winding it up, I found three knots. Grrrr Arrrgh! I am having fun knitting the womb though. I couldn't put it down until I got the main body done. I still need to work on the fallopian tubes and I have an idea for an embellishment.
How about some good news! Eartha Kitt will be judging Craft Corner Deathmatch again. Hey, its craft related. So there.

More Reading Material

I have way too many books stacked in my room. So what do I need? More books! My copy of Handmade Modern by Todd Oldham came in. The projects look easy enough for me and I have never taken shop class. One project that looks like fun is the Smokestack Lamp (I get to learn wiring). I've also have an idea for the Cubby Credenza that involves yarn. See, this post involves fiber!

New Interweave Knits

I just stopped in at Isle Knits and picked up the Summer Interweave Knits. I've been coveting the pattern for the fiery bolero but with some changes, of course!



I'll be knitting it up with cap sleeves instead like a knitted version of a crocheted sequined bolero I saw in a store. It was too hard to wash and was loose in the back, so, why not make my own.*
I had planned on using the gold Gatsby Katia but then I spied the prettiest ball of yarn just sitting there on the shop's work table. It reminds me of sari fabric with different shades of pink (yes, pink!) and bits of gold. I didn't write down the name but do know it had a lot of yardage, 187 yards, so I won't have to buy a lot of skeins. The most I've bought at one time is three. Its so strange though, I'm terrible at math, but I can remember numbers. Meh. We could only find one ball of it when I was there. The rest are buried under bags of other yummy yarn that just came in. So Sue, the owner, will call me in a couple of days when she excavates the rest of them. Gives me time to read the magazine cover to cover!

*Edited because I am not label-conscious. All hail the mighty edit button.

Fashion insight from my father

The day before, I had read an article about how some well-to-do parents are dressing up their little ones in designer clothes and how it's justified because they're "age appropriate". I couldn't help rolling my eyes at the thought of three-year-olds in trendy velour track suits with a designer name emblazoned on their tushes. I ended up venting to my father about how ridiculous these parents are, buying their kids Prada flats and Chloe blouses when they would outgrow them in a matter of months and how, when I have children, I would never spoil them that way. My father replied that he hopes I stick with my convictions. Then he told me something that made me rethink the whole issue. He had bought pricey designer wear for my brother and I.
This comment brought my tirade to a halt. Neither of his kids act like spoiled brats (I hope!). I started recalling my dad telling me about the expensive toddler shoes he got for me when I was learning to walk. Then there was the beautiful red coat from kindergarten that sparked my passion for red outerwear. And what about the leather backpack from Japan that my godfather sent me in the fifth grade that I am planning on having restored. I realized that what bothered me wasn't that these children were wearing designer clothing, it was because they were learning to be label conscious.
What my father has taught us is how to appreciate good tailoring and craftsmanship. There's nothing wrong with learning how to look how a shirt is made to determine if it is a sound investment. It's worth it to save for several weeks to purchase one well cut dress that you could wear for years instead of five badly sewn dresses from some discount chain (and probably manufactured in a sweatshop). And its alright to buy cheap clothing, just not cheaply made ones.
I have learned to be aware of labels not because of status, but because of workmanship. Isn't what I'm doing now, with my knitting, striving for even stitches, the right drape, and the perfect yarn, a product of this upbringing? I came to the conclusion that spoiling your kids and teaching them to appreciate the finer things in life are two different things.

Knitted Depressed Android

Someone from the Punk Rock Knitter's Journal created a pattern for a knitted Marvin the Robot from the movie, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I haven't seen the movie yet but recall reading the book in junior high. Don't remember a thing.