ArgoKnot – Page 108 – A journal of my weaving, spinning, and knitting life

>‘Arwen Cardi’ gone awry, run amok….

March 23, 2009 | 7 Comments

I’m not going to talk about the ‘Arwen Cardi’ just yet…. First I want to talk about positive things!

My husband (Bob) and I just spent four days in Portland, Maine, which was a first for both of us. What a pretty city! We both thoroughly loved the Art Museum, and Bob enjoyed the Maine Boat Builders’ Show while I happily visited three yarn shops and a weaving shop! What a wonderful surprise for me to find that Tess’ Yarn has moved into a retail space in Portland. I was actually alone with owner and mother of Tess, Melinda, in the shop on Saturday afternoon after years of not being able to get anywhere near her wares in her booth at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! And what did I do with that whole shop to myself??? I freaked….I completely shut down and could not choose a color. There was no way I was leaving that shop empty handed though, so I finally chose three skeins of neutral colored yarn as well as a pattern. In spite of my resolution not to buy any yarn or fiber this year, I felt I was contributing in the smallest way to keeping these wonderful local yarn shops in business by purchasing just a bit of yarn and some patterns and needles. Am I not a master of justification?

At Knitting Central I bought sock yarn, needles and a pattern for a moebius (“Omega Wrap” by Christina Bylsma). I actually left on this trip without a knitting project! I had just finished the most recent Swallowtail and the Arwen Cardi (more on that shortly) so I actually didn’t have anything quite handy, although I do have more UFOs than I can count in one lifetime…

I am already beginning the toe decreases on this sock, and it feels like this sock materialized out of thin air because I did all the knitting during times when I don’t normally knit! I started it while walking around the Boat Builders’ Show. I continued while having coffee in a coffee shop, and I continued through the whole ride home on Sunday. I wasn’t as fast as when I’m not walking around, but I still accomplished most of a sock during times when I normally do nothing at all!

At KnitWits I bought two skeins of sock yarn: Regia’s Design Line Kaffe Fassett in color 4454 and Louet’s ‘Gems’ in eggplant. I will use these yarns to make the cover socks from The Eclectic Sole by Jane Laidman.

I also bought two skeins of Louet sport weight linen in a lovely green that will someday become a shawl, probably the Icarus shawl by Miriam Felton.

Well, now I’ve shared all that good news, and I should begin to talk about my Arwen Cardi debacle. But I’m out of time! Until next time, suffice it to say that I wanted to wear it in Portland so I stayed up well after midnight into the wee hours of the day of departure to finish the collar I had designed and sew on the zipper. A quick trip to the large bathroom mirror at 2 am gave me a horrible shock! I need to photograph the Arwen nightmare in order for anyone to fully comprehend the problem, so I’ll do that shortly and report back!

>Spring Clean-up

March 15, 2009 | 2 Comments

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This is what I found when I began raking out the gardens yesterday!
(It’s a clump of celandine poppies!)

And the next amaryllis is in bloom! I bought this bulb last year at the Philly Flower show because I loved the green and maroon striped flowers!

Today I’ve spent the morning working on the collar of Arwen, and after I do some errands I’ll be back to work on the historic tapestry!

>Unexpected Gifts!

March 13, 2009 | 2 Comments

>Aren’t unexpected gifts the best??

Well, this was actually expected, but I didn’t know when it would arrive or what it would be! This is what I received from the gift exchange of the Traditional Knitting yahoo group. The rules were we had to knit something using yarn from our stash.This kitchen towel with the loop and button on top is a style that was quite prevalent when I was a kid! My mother had a few, and both my grandmothers had a lot of them! It brings back memories of wonderful times in the kitchen with my grandmothers, usually due to a special event like someone’s birthday, so there was the anticipation of a freshly baked treat! I love the colors in this dishtowel and dish cloth set. Thank you to Stephanie, who made these for me!

My guild study group met at my house last night to look at some weaving sample books that are in our guild library. That was quite a treat. Some of the books were from the 1950s, and it was surprising to us that most of the samples had stood the test of time and were lovely fabrics we’d all love to weave!

The completely unexpected gift was this lovely bracelet from Elisa. It’s loom woven, and she was experimenting with different ending finishes. Lucky me! It reminds me of Klimt paintings!

Today I am knuckling down on my Arwen cardi. The pieces are done so I will block them, then sew later today or tomorrow. Finally, I will work out the details of the collar I want to add: a sideways knitted version of the cable that is used on the center fronts and cuffs. I’m excited!

>Almost Spring

March 12, 2009 | 5 Comments

>Even though I don’t have any crocuses yet, I do have these houseplants that reward me every spring! This is a paphiopedilum, but I cannot read the name of the cross on the label.

And here is the first of about a dozen amaryllis coming into bloom. (I should have straightened up the kitchen table before taking this shot! Oh well….)

Today I will work on my Arwen Cardi and go to my tapestry class at Soyoo’s, so I expect to make some progress on the Hudson River tapestry, and maybe Rob as well!

Just on the heels of finishing the Swallowtail comes the new issue of Knitty! I’ve printed the directions for the Aeolian Shawl. Lovely!

>Swallowtail and the Flower Show

March 10, 2009 | 2 Comments

>At last, finished and blocked. Some projects just take a lot of fiddling, and sometimes I wonder how I stand it. First, buying only 2 oz of the handpainted silk top when I knew it would never be enough. How casual I was about that! ‘Oh, I’ll just whip up a little something to go with it!’ That led to the miserable experience of trying to dye my own silk top which matted and made spinning a very un-zen experience, which put me off spinning for several months! Being put off spinning is not a healthy place to be! Then came the rewarding experience of dyeing some commerically spun silk in my own indigo vat. I did find that exhilarating, but wanted to scream when I ran out of the lovely blue before reaching the end of the lace border. Some projects just seem like one hurdle after another. And yet….I can see myself doing this all over again, ad infinitum!

And here are highlight from this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show. The theme was Italy. At the tail end of a very cold winter, at the end of a week that started with a blizzard, I wanted to skip town and head straight for a warm coastline….I’m thinking Amalfi!

And shoes were big this year….