ArgoKnot – Page 117 – A journal of my weaving, spinning, and knitting life

>Squeezing lemons

February 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment

>I’ve gotten some great ideas from fellow knitters and friends on how to make lemonade with this Muir shawl! I feel nurtured by your sympathy and by the interesting ideas for how to save this project! For now, I’m just going to move on. I don’t give up easily on things, and sometimes I need a slap in the face to make me walk away from a project! I’m going to look at this hiatus as the gift of freedom to move on to other knitting and weaving!

But… if/when I come back to this project here is the idea that most appeals to me now: block the partial piece to a square, knit the lace edging, and have a little shawlette! Voila! Thank you, Lea Ann! (This idea is from my oldest friend who is not even a knitter!)

I am getting back on track with my little-man-in-the-boat-historical-piece (from one of the Devonshire Hunt tapestries). I’ve also warped and woven the hem and first border for my new tapestry. It’s not much to look at yet.

An update on my son’s friend Sarah who suffered the terrible accident back in the fall. She has mostly adjusted back to her regular life and does not have any noticeable brain impairment. Truly a miracle! She is staying in Rochester even though she is not in classes this semester. What an amazing recovery!

This morning there is heavy fog, and it is lovely! We are having some confused weather! It was as warm as April and just as sunny over the weekend, snow yesterday, and fog today. I’m thinking about the ground hog and Shrove Tuesday, and crocus, snow drops, and taking a moment to cut some forsythia!
When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!!

>Lemonade

January 29, 2008 | 1 Comment

>Bad news in my inbox today. I cannot get any more yarn to finish my Muir shawl. Drat, drat, drat! I’m about halfway through the shawl, using a beautiful silk yarn from ArtFibers called Alfabeto in a somewhat strange space dyed colorway. The color has gradually grown on me. I don’t know why I thought I had enough of this yarn….
perhaps it was that the yarn had no ball band so over time I only imagined it was enough for a whole shawl? This shawl was to be for a friend. I need to think if there is any way to salvage what I have and somehow complete it.

This situation does NOT improve my mood. I’ve just spent some time looking at blogs of two people whose work inspires me. I was looking for a bit of cheering up and inspiration, and I got both….until that email arrived about the yarn.

I need to find a way to make lemonade out of this, but my mind is a blank….. knitting has not gone well for me lately!

>Winter Blues

January 13, 2008 | 4 Comments

>EVERY DAY IS A STRUGGLE;
THEREFORE WE MUST BE KIND TO EACH OTHER.

My son noticed this saying posted on the wall of the little hamburger place where we ate before the opera last week. At the time I thought it was a little overstated. Surely every day is not a struggle. But now as this I begin to tire of winter so early in the season this year, I imagine that each day is going to be harder and longer on the slow road to April!

I’ve already got a pretty bad case of the winter blues and it’s only mid-January. Yikes! I’ve got a long way to go…. So, look at these colors! The hot red and yellow, the soothing white and purple. I think it was May last year when we visited Longwood Gardens. I’m trying to remember how it smelled on that glorious day in May.

Now would be a good time for spinning. I’ve got a rather imposing project going on my spinning wheel, something I admit I’m avoiding right now. But my lovely Steve spindle might be just the thing to cheer me! The fiber I haven’t finished spinning is a combination of merino and silk. It’s a very pretty grey/green with white silk streaks. And the finished yarn would make a wonderful lace shawl.

I have borrowed my son’s monitor for the past couple of weeks since mine died. He is going to pack his up and take it back to school today, so I will be visually impaired until mine returns from being fixed. So…..I won’t be here, and hopefully I’ll be spinning….

>New Year

January 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment

>It’s been ages since I sat at a loom, either my tapestry looms or my “regular” looms. I’m getting a bit frustrated about that! I haven’t even managed to get much knitting done this holiday season, except to finally sew together my Hild sweater, which I wore to the opera on Monday, when I saw “DieWalkyrie” at the Met with Lorin Maazel conducting.

My younger son has certainly been creative during his time off this month. This is a drawing he did for his dad for Christmas. It’s a traditional boat called a Friendship sloop, for Friendship, Maine, where they were built. I had envisioned us doing some drawing together, but it still hasn’t happened. I could sure use a dose of his creativity! He leaves on Sunday to return to school.

>New Ideas Brewing

December 19, 2007 | 2 Comments

>I’m feeling rather smug that the presents are wrapped and the house is decorated. After my annual panic about whether I remembered everyone on my list, whether have I been fair with everyone, and whether are there enough goodies for the stockings, I am pleased to report all is well and I’ll be sleeping soundly for the next few nights!

So that gives my mind time to pursue other tasks, like a lineup of possible future projects. There are a lot of wonderful shots of desert in Nevada from our recent trip. There is a large pile of linen tow singles in luscious colors waiting to become dishtowels. There is a little warp left on a Theo Moorman project that wants to become a stylized image of sunflowers. There is a warp on my table loom waiting to become a silk scarf in my own design network twill (from aBonnie Innouye class last fall). So what am I doing HERE at the computer???