Now Norma Knits

Choose Your Weapon Color

No. 110.  For the Trek. Starting June 1st.

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In other news, as you probably guessed, there were a few purchases in New Hampshire, in addition to the headband and mittens.

After having seen Claudia's adorable orange hedgehog, when I saw this adorable kit, I had to get it.

It's not orange, so therefore it won't be as adorable. But it'll still be quite adorable. Should I stop using the word "adorable" now?

And then there was some fiber for spinning. Something with the glitz:

Certified "not haggy."

And the reason for the purchase of this ball of roving is explained by the name of the sheep which is listed on the tag:

Very restrained, really.

I also came home with a bag of grey Montedale and a bag of super-soft camel fiber, as well as two balls of Rowan Biggie Print yarn to use for a Dulaan project, from Cate.  I saw an Ashford Joy, barely used, with bag, and I was sorely tempted for a few minutes. Then good sense prevailed.

TAKE A HIKE!!!

Yes, it's another knitalong. It all started with this comment left by Margene the other day when I showed my new Trekking acquisitions:

Trekking colors are soo cool. I have a bunch and have yet to knit with it. Maybe we can do so together.

I suppose you know what happened next. There was a flurry of emails back and forth wherein the idea of knitting Trekking socks while doing summer hikes was discussed. This is a way to combine a wonderful summer activity with the knitting of some uber-cool and delicious yarn.

Margene deserves all the credit for doing the work involved in setting this up. She made the button and set up the blog. We talked about initial ideas, and then I went to work. When I came back from my deposition, the whole thing was done. Wow. Why can't all my work be like that, huh? 

We have another idea for having a transcontinental (or better yet, transworld!) hiking day, where we all do our hikes on a particular date (which we will determine later), perhaps in small local groups, and post our pictures waving at each other from our respective mountaintops, urban trails, or suburban walking trails.

Join us for a hike, will you?  It'll kick off June 1st.

-------------QUIZ ALERT, QUIZ ALERT ---

I suppose you're wondering where my quiz is.  Because you know how much I always follow the crowd, right?  (Just when you think you have me figgered out, I throw you a curve ball.  I'm just special like that.) So just hike on over there and take it if you want. I had Sandy preview it, and she said I should post it. So there it is.

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Now, today promises to be a fun day. JoVE and her daughter are driving down from Ottawa, picking me up, and we're heading off to the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival together, where we will don our duck shoes and heavy-duty rain gear (coz it's gonna be DAMN SOGGY and windy) and meet up with Laura J., MamaCate, Sandy, Carole & Dale, Dave, Julia FC, Laurie, Bookish Wendy, Stitchy, Teresa C.,..... and more.  The list, it keeps a-growin'! It's such a small festival that I fear they'll have nothing to sell this huge crowd. They're not going to know what hit them. The whole blogger influence -- it's insane! I hope to see you there, but if not, never fear: We'll tell you all about it. :D

Olympic-Class Insanity

I had just enough time for some early-morning and break-time blog-skimming, and of course it took no time to learn about this.

I've just got one word for you people:  SUCKAHS!!!!

Given that I have proven lately that a pretty simple cabled scarf and a pair of thrummed mittens are too challenging for me to complete in 16 days, I'm not going to humiliate myself by signing up for this. I'll challenge myself by maybe finishing one of the many things I already have on the needles. And I'll be sitting in the lodge by the fire and the telly, sipping hot chocolate with my feet up, watching the rest of you....uh.....having....uh....fun? There needs to be an audience -- everyone can't be a competitor, right?

Mwahahahahaha! But seriously, folks, if you choose to take part in this insanity, I will be on the sidelines cheering you on and I'll be there at the finish line with a good supply of water and straitjackets.

Meanwhile, I have been clued in that Lu has made a cool button for the Red Scarf Project.  Like so:

Isn't it cute? (Save it to your own server, please, if you're going to take it.)

And yesterday, (because it is now after midnight) while my nose was at the transcript grindstone, I was multi-tasking. I dyed a big pot of Fisherman's Wool a to-die-for shade of red, in case I have time after the cashmere blend one, to churn out another. If I do, that one will be super-simple and bulky (I'll double or triple the yarn). It won't be machine washable, but really, how many teens and young 20-somethings do you think wash their scarves, anyway? I can't even remember the last time I did.

Back to the grindstone now. I took a break for yoga and a 2-minute shower and to write this post while eating a bowl of yogurt with blueberries, and I'm going to do 50 more pages before bedtime. Totally doable. Call it the Transcript Long-Jump Event.

Movin' Right Along Then....

...and we're walking.....we're walking.....

A fact of my work life is it's largely feast or famine. I've mentioned this phenomenon before, and you're probably sick of it, but, well, as of the middle of this past week, the drought is over and the food is on the table.  Eat it now or risk starvation later. So that's what I'm doing. I got up this morning to find my peel-off desk calendar stuck on Wednesday, the 11th.   (isn't that a cute coincidence, it being Angelina and all, and wasn't this right around the time we found out she's in the motherly way?)  This next week, I may not be able to post too much (unless things fall apart, as they sometimes do), and I may be largely incommunicado. Don't forget me, will ya? 

My sock has been stuck at this stage for over a week: That's four little measly Kitcheners, folks, and We Have A Sock. I've tried it on. It fits perfectly. You'd think I would have taken the effort to find my Chibi and sew that toe, wouldn't ya? Hmmmmm.

The gift thrummed mitten has not changed. I won't waste the space with a recycled picture of that.

Last night I indulged myself and allowed time for watching a movie with hubby, and I doubled the length of the red scarf. 

Some major yardage issues have surfaced. This is almost the end of the 2nd ball, and it's only 20 inches long.  I have two balls left.  40 inches, in my opinion, is too short for a scarf. I thought about adding in some stripes or color-blocking with the two other colors of Lion Caszh blend I have, but in addition to seeming too busy and detracting from all the cabley goodness of the pattern, I also rejected that idea on color theory grounds. I took the colors out in the natural light, and the precise shade of charcoal (although they call it charcoal, I would call it closer to "battleship" - kind of a dull gray color) and navy I have are not of the same value as this red. The navy is marginally ok, but it seems too hard a contrast with this red which is slightly on the orangey side, and I can't imagine it looking good. I could be wrong, and maybe one of those "half-and-half" scarves would be kinda cool, and quite desirable for a college student. But I just want the red.

So I'm coming clean here and now: I've ordered two more balls of the red from Joann.com. This technically disqualifies me from the Stashalong. But it's for a good cause, so I'm sucking it up and facing it like a woman. I got one ball for 50% off with a coupon, and the other at their "regular sale" price.  Let the judging begin.

My Gift To Me

Homespun, Handknit for the Holidays

This is my first project in my own handspun yarn. (well, I don't count the three rows of spindle-spun singles I used on the cuffs of the spicy thrummed mittens I did earlier this year or late last year...)

Yarn:  Handspun (by me! Woot!) gorgeous red-dyed Portland wool from Spirit Trail, purchased at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival, 2005

Pattern:  "Classic Mittens No. 615" from "Gloves and Mittens to Knit and Crochet for the Entire Family," women's size

Needles: US Size 4/3.5 mm double-points

Gauge:  5.5 stitches/inch

Thrums: Montadale roving dyed red to coordinate with the yarn. I used Kool-Aid and cake icing gel for the dye.

Knitted in the Warms Hands knitalong. Yay, Sandy!

Me = Happy, happy, grin, grin. Warm Hands. Pretty red, yummmm. Love, love, love.

Some notes:  The yarn was pretty darned ok.  It got better as I went along in the spinning, and therefore in the knitting.  However, it all knitted up at a pretty even gauge and looks nice and even in terms of texture. There are a few places where it tightens up or makes a little indentation line because that row or two was a thinner or thicker yarn, but overall I think it's pretty good and balanced, for a first project.  I realized for the first time as I was taking the picture of the inside of the mittens that the second mitten's thrums are, shall we say, less generous. I didn't realize as I was knitting them that I was making the thrums any differently than the first, so it's possible that they might fluff out more with wear, since the first one has been put on and off my hand several times already, and the second one has not. I cannot discern a difference when they're on my hands. 

Ok, bring on the cold and snow. I'm soooo ready.

Happy Holidays, everyone! 

O' Bountiful Day

My Better Pal was Missa. With every item in every package, she showed thoughtful consideration, attention to detail, and creativity. She was the very definition of a better pal.

The final package looked like this:

A lovely Thanksgiving card; a really cool tea canister filled with fragrant Earl Grey tea; a bag of wonderful Lemon Women's Tea with Nettle and More (I've had a whole pot already); a bottle of peppermint essential oil; a scrumptiously soft skein of Blue Sky Alpacas alpaca in a gorgeous neutral fawn color; a cuter-than-hell Xmas ornament; and a really cute Fossil pillbox in which to keep the pretty stitch markers that I have a tendency to lose. Thank you, Missa! I love each and every gift. You spoiled me rotten. Rotten, I tell ya - ROTTEN!  (and I love you for it)  Color me fortunate. I am, in so many ways.

Thank you, blog friends, for adding to my vast fortune by being there, being supportive, being funny and creative, giving me ideas, making me laugh. This blog thing -- it's just awesome. Really awesome. *sniff* Oh, stop it. You're gonna make me cry!

Anyway, *cough,* not to change the subject or anything, but Knitting Unto Others continues:

Thanksgiving 2005 Cloud Hat. (Cloud Hat pattern from Mossy Cottage Knits -- 1 strand Magallanes/1 strand Patons Divine)

I must admit, I considered keeping this one myself. But I won't. I'm making myself a hat, though. I think it's going to be quite nice. Details later. First, there is an expedited transcript to take care of, and perhaps a visit to the chiropractor. My back is hurting a little bit, and I want to catch it before it really goes south. I think it was all that turkey-wrestling. 

There's Been A Whole Lot of CarryingCasting On Around Here

This one came out of nowhere. I was hunting for inspiration for my red Portland handspun and started thumbing through Folk Mittens. The next thing I knew, I was knitting white Aran mittens. What the? I considered using this pattern for the red, but I knew that would be wrong....all wrong!  I cast them on and knit the cuff in Cascade 220. And the next thing I knew, I was ripping them out. The ivory Cascade 220 I was using was lovely, but it didn't seem authentic enough. Too soft and white and processed-seeming. I longed for wool in the grease. I wanted lanolin and sheepy smell. I also had some Patons, but I knew that wouldn't cut it, either. I searched around and found the skein of Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool I knew I had and gave it a feel and a sniff. Yes, lanolin. Yesssssss, sheepy smell.

I would give my eyeteeth for some authentic Irish bainin, but this will do in a pinch. And a subsequent internet search for Irish yarn turned up bubkes. What is up with THAT? I found a place in Maine, but the ivory/natural is sold out. Has Ireland just given up the ghost in terms of sheep and producing yarn?  Does anyone have any info on that?

And so I decided to do a cast-on that Folk Mittens says was traditional for "the knitted jerseys of the European fisher folk," the knotted cast-on. I'm having some serious reservations about it now. It produced a very ruffly edge, which, while pretty, I canNOT picture an Irish fisherman having on either his sweater or his mittens. Then again, when I look at the pattern on this mitten, I don't really see "Irish fisherman" either, so my ideas must be skewed by 21st Century American sensibilities. So I've now finished the cuff and finished one row of the main chart and I'm paralyzed. Firstly, I'm just overtired. I got about an hour or two of sleep Saturday night. Don't ask. Oh, ok, I'll tell you: hormones.

When I get upset and start saying I hate being 46, my husband slaps me down by saying, "It beats the alternative."  He's right. I guess. So forget I said anything. It DOES beat the alternative. Unless you mean the alternative is being 27. 27 was good. 30 was good, too. 46? Sucks. Will you believe me if I tell you that, in addition to all that other wonderful stuff that's going on, I have started SNORING? And I HATE snoring? So much so that one little teeny snore from my husband wakes me up and makes me mad? And I am M-O-R-T-I-F-I-E-D that I snore? So guess what happens. I sleep*. I snore. I wake myself up instantly. I get mad. Rinse. Repeat in endless loop from *. Stop laughing. This is NOT FUNNY.

So, all right. I was telling you about all the casting-on that's been going on around here. There was that Aran mitten that fell out of the sky. And then there was the brown alpaca lace scarf that fell out of the sky. That is from a kit I bought at the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival, and for all the world, it was meant to be mine, mine, mine. But we have a friend who is in more need of a comforting hug right now than I am, so it's going to be for her. So there's that.

And then there's the next Cloud hat. You want visuals? Okay, here they are: Tell me what you think of that ruffly cuff, wouldja? Should I continue, or rip it out? (It's a bad picture, but hopefully you can see what I'm talking about.)  Now I'm going to go to sleep/snore/wake up/get mad/sleep/snore/wake up/get mad/sleep/snore/wake up/get mad/sleep/snore/wake up/get mad/sleep/snore/wake up/get mad....

Oh, P.S. Sandy is right: I gave him two warm wrists and one warm foot. I must really love him. (he'll get the other sock when I'm damn good and ready to give it to him.) Happy Birthday, Honey. 

I Resisted

(UPDATED WITH INFO ABOUT KALEIDOSCOPE CHARITY DRIVE.)

But I can resist no longer. Resistance is completely futile. Fads are fads because they're fun. And there is that urgent philosophical question of Ben & Jerry.

It's free. I have to get my kicks where I can.

So go here to my Frappr Map, and  Map it. You know the drill. (If you don't know the drill, go here for a tutorial.)

Speaking of getting my kicks, Dave sent me this:

Suddenly I have the urge to learn where the TV is. And the clicker. And which clicker works the TV. And maybe I'll buy a TiVo.

Is it hot in here or is it just me?

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So, onward and upward.............. Knit Unto Others. Yes, focus, Norma. You....can....do...it. FOhhhh....CUS.

You could call it sublimation.

Or it's an orange confection: The Creamsicle Hat.

Pattern:  Ryan's "Cloud Hat"

Yarn:  One strand Cascade 220, dyed in Orange Kool-Aid, one strand Patons Divine in "Orangina." 

This one is for Kaleidoscope Yarns' hat and mitten drive to benefit COTS-Burlington (and possibly other charities -- I'm fuzzy on the details, because I just took note of COTS, which was good enough for me.)  The drive is going on until December 19th (or was it the 21st? Say the 19th to be safe, or email or call them for details), and each item you donate puts your name in a drawing for a $75 shopping spree in their store.  I've already been asked whether out-of-staters can send in stuff and be entered in the drawing. Well, of course you can! You can send it to me and I'll take it in when I go in with my stuff, putting your name in the drawing, or you can send it directly to them.

UPDATED TO ADD: Kaleidoscope has decided to offer TWO drawings of $75 each, one to its internet customers and one to local customers. Info is here.

These hats are fun and FAST! I might be addicted to cloud hats and Patons Divine yarn. So soft and so warm.

And it's now a pair: Size 4-6 years. Made of Lamb's Pride Bulky and various yarn scraps.  Pattern from Ann Budd's Book of Patterns. These will go to Indiana.

I'm off to cast on another Cloud Hat.

Mail Call!

This has been a busy week for my postal lady. She's been highly amused and impressed, too. I got a package from RUSSIA! I think she'll be talking about this for a while to come.

Russian cobwebs laceweight, in ORANGE! And bars of chocolate from the Red October chocolate factory. Sweet! (So THAT'S what they were hunting for! snork)

Thank you, Kristen. I can't wait to find the right pattern and cast on. There is something about that color that makes my brain so HAPPY. Actually, in doing research, (and from what Kristen told me) this IS lighter than laceweight -- it's, I guess, gossamer weight. It's the same weight they use for Orenburg shawls. Perhaps, as Kristen suggests, I'll use it doubled so I'll have some chance of finishing it in my lifetime.

And then I got my small Maple Leaf quilt piece from Dave. It is beautiful.

I'm going to have this matted and framed and it'll go on my wall. I'm enchanted by the maple leaf. I have a collection of antique botanical prints on my walls, and this carries along the botanical theme.

I want to give a big shout out to Isela for directing me to her yarn shop, and to the shop Yarn Today, for such terrific personal and fast service. I received my five balls of Furz for Abigail's replacement hat (and extra for future requests) almost before I placed the order. I also got a personal email saying the package had been put in the mail the very same day I ordered it. They included a tub of vanilla-scented hand cream (I keep it here by the computer, and I just put some on. It is lovely!) and strawberries-and-cream lip balm. Wonderful.

Uh-ohhhhh! What is this?  Do your eyes deceive you... 

.....or is that an orange CHIBI?

No, your eyes do not deceive. Thank you to Julia for alerting me to these new doodly-bobs! I ordered them at the shop where she works* and received them, FAST -- ALSO with a lovely personalized email to say they were on the way. I dunno, if I can think of an idea for a contest, maybe one of them will be given away here in the blog.

*alas, no website, but I can attest that they have great mail order service.  YARNS UNLIMITED, 412-741-8894

Is there a new, fresh scent in the air? A new trend in really great, personalized service at yarn shops?  Let's hope other shops get the message and start acting like these shops. This one knows how to do it. And this one. I'm sure there are lots of others. I also know there are lots of The Other Kind, too - the kind that would get "Needs Improvement" on their report cards.

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And we have mittens! Oh, ye of little faith, I beseech ye: Ye must lay down your pride and believe in the Church of Felt! Behold the power.... and the glory.... forever and ever..... Amen!

Now, if you look really, really closely and take out your measuring tape and your microscope, you will notice that the right mitten is about 1/4 inch longer than the left. And you will also notice, if you are really, really anal-retentive picky a perfectionist, that the right mitten has been felted longer than the left, giving a.....yes, wait for it....more felted appearance, with a teensy-weensy bit less remaining stitch definition to the fabric than the left. But I don't expect to be subjecting these to that kind of scrutiny on a daily basis. So they're good enough for me. And warm? And thick? And cushy? And comfy? And nicely fitted? Oh, yeahhhhhhh.

Pattern: Snow Country Felt Mittens by Fiber Trends

Yarn:  One strand Manos, One strand Magallanes

At the time of the photo, they were not yet 100% dry. When they fully dry, I will attempt sewing on the leather palms. I was unhappy with my sewing-on-leather-palm ability on Abigail's mittens last winter. I hope I can do a better job this time.

By the way, I did not determine exactly what happened and why the second one ended up so much smaller than the first. I checked the needles -- they were the same. I don't think I forgot any rows (or inadvertently added any in the first mitten), but I did not count them. I was too lazy. I personally think it was that my tension got much tighter. I am a tight knitter, and the faster I get going, the tighter I often get. I think that's what happened -- or it could also have been a function of the thick-and-thin aspect of the Magallanes yarn.  It really does vary a lot, and it might be that it was mostly THIN for the second mitten. Or it could have been The FLIES. I'm just not sure. But felting really does cover lots of sins. It's a good church. I approve.

I also might take Tish of the comments' idea and make a fine-gauge knitted cuff to sew inside the felted cuff, to make it snug-fitting, air-proof and snow-resistant around the wrist. I think that is a wonderful idea.

One pair down and at least one more to come for the Warm Hands knitalong.

SOCKS!

In celebration of Kay wearing lipstick*, I present finished Socktoberfest socks.

These are warm, toasty, THICK babies. Once called The Vermont Vineyard Socks, renamed Socked-Intober Socks for the freak Nor'easter we had this week, during which I finished the second sock because I was knitting in the cold and couldn't wait to finish it so I could wear it. Modeled here the way I have worn them since I finished them -- on top of the Trekking socks lovely Rockin' Ragdoll Cari made for me. Because when you're cold to the bone and there is no 'lectricity (it's all back on now, though), there is nothing like two layers of wool (a thin and a thick) to keep one warm.

Pattern:  Ann Norling Adults Socks II, Play on Ribs pattern for worsted weight yarn. (pattern is written for three weights of yarn)

I took the swirly, viney pattern from a mitten in Magnificent Mittens.

Needles:  U.S. Size 7 DPNs

Yarn: Heavy worsted weight sock yarn:  55% Yearling Mohair from Polly Anna the angora goat/45% Wool from Claudia the Lamb, purchased from a small local vendor from Montgomery, Vermont, at the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival. The deep plum was dyed with cochineal; the deep moss green dyed with cosmos, heliopsis & marigolds.

I am in love with them every which a-way. (even with the pounding headache and aching-cold bones I'm suffering right now which make it hard to express my love with my usual enthusiasm.)

And someone kindly reminded me (I had forgotten, believe it or not!) that yes, this is the first pair of socks I have knitted for myself. I've knitted one other pair of socks, but I gave them to a friend. This is also the first stranded colorwork I've done, simple though it be, and the first knitalong that I have actually followed through on. That's worth something, too, I'd say! Send money. Or your comments will be accepted as legal tender, as well.

Now, see why I need nice, warm socks?

Baby, it's cold outside. Now, so you're not too alarmed, we do get these bizarro storms in October from time to time. It's not all that uncommon. It's not terribly common, either. The trees are not ready for it, and the snow in October is super-heavy and wet. You can see from the pictures the kind of damage it does. It's heartbreaking, really. These photos are all from our property. The rest of the city is sadly much worse. Trees and limbs down all over the place. 100-year-old maples with severe damage, and young trees just getting going, broken in half. As I've mentioned, and people mentioned in some of the comments, in some parts of the state it is much, much worse - and other, large parts of the state got absolutely nothing. Very strange. But then, Mother Nature is strange, unpredictable, ornery at times.

The cold this time is lingering, which is a bit alarming. Usually when we get these storms this early, the next day it's all warm and sunny and the snow is gone. We have had some meltage, but it feels cold and raw and harsh outside still. It's supposed to get much warmer by the weekend.

The odd thing is, while living in this city since 1979, we have never had an extended power outage. That is relatively unusual for Vermont. I grew up in the boondocks, and we spent half the winter without electricity most of the time, it seemed. But even during the great Ice Storm of 1998, we never lost power here. [I felt terribly guilty when my friend Sharon (of the sheepy cake fame), 40 minutes down the road from me, was cooking pancakes for a family of five on the woodstove in the living room and melting snow to flush the toilets for 21 days or so. She took a trip back to the 18th Century, and I never even lost power.] Consequently, we have become rather lackadaisical in our storm preparations. I guess we should wake up and smell the....coffee or something.

And here's how the pin oak looked when I got out there to take a photo of it. My husband had beat me to it, and he had gone out and knocked off as much of the snow as he could to lessen the weight on it before I took the photo. But look -- still mostly green. Weird.

*Of course this doesn't have a flippin' goddamn thing to do with Kay's wearing lipstick, but I just had to find a way to throw it in there. I wanted to make her mother proud.