Mass Ave Knit Shop

My NDP (Non-Domestic Partner - much more descriptive than SO) and I decided to get out of town for the day, so we drove down to Indy yesterday. And, as is my MO, I found me a yarn shop to visit while we were "in the area" - Mass Ave Knit Shop. This is like the only LYS I know of anywhere that is open on Sunday. And let it be known that it is not on Mass Ave. And you enter through the back door. And it has lots of yarn, so I bought some.

This is Cascade Yarns Jewel Hand Dyed (color 9887), which are destined to become mittens for me, to go with my faux suede coat.



It is a bulky yarn of variable thicknesses, giving it a homespun appearance.

And this is Nashua Handknits Snowbird (color NSB.9155, aka "Blue"), which will become a thank-you gift for the neighbor across the street who has been keeping my driveway clear this winter.



It is 70% wool and 30% alpaca.

And I bought another skein of Cascade 220 Paints (color 9926), so I can make me a "bubble wrap" hat to match my Math Geek scarf.

And I checked out the Kaffe Fassett sock yarn, a special design line of Regia. I was hoping for a self-patterning sock yarn, one that would produce socks that looked like a granny square afghan or crazy quilt. But the yarn is basically self-striping, in either "landscape" or "mirage" motif. Lovely colors, but I passed it up.

A lot of the yarn in Mass Ave was what I think of as "novelty" yarn, but beyond the usual eyelash and ribbon. I will plead ignorance on what these yarns are like to knit, and what one makes with them. Maybe someone can clue me in?

While in the shop, I overheard one of the employees talking about how he was demonstrating spinning at the library when someone told him they had read about him on Ravelry. Well, he wanted to know what Ravelry was and, more importantly, what they were saying about him. I clued him in to Ravelry, but I neglected to get his name, so I don't know what they were saying about him either.

After Mass Ave, we went to the Indiana State Museum, which didn't have anything fiber related... yet. Check it out!



And if you time your visit right, you can see this at the same time:



Mark your calendars!

And now, the finished dog sweater. I had to adjust the leg holes, and I resewed the seams with a mattress stitch. It tends to ride backwards, though, so I may try to do something with the neck, to help keep it in place.



Betsy is wondering, "Does this sweater make me look fat?"

Busy, Busy, Busy

I meant to post at least once this past weekend, but the days were just packed, in a good way. After a weekend like that, though, it was more difficult than usual to return to work today. I felt like I needed another day just for me.

The busyness started Friday afternoon, when I decided to stop at one of our new LYS's, Knitting Off Broadway. My first impression of this store is that it is less of a shop and more of a yarn boutique, like maybe the Von Maur of knitting. I poked around for a while, but I didn't have any particular yarn in mind and nothing caught my eye. Actually, I was hoping to buy some DPN's (more about my needle crisis later), but KoB is needle-light. So I walked out of a yarn store without making a purchase - unheard of! It would happen one more time before the weekend was out.

Saturday I finished the Math Geek scarf.



(I really need to sharpen my photography skills. Or develop some patience when taking pictures. Or learn better how to digitally enhance them.)



Details are:

• Pattern: Math Geek Scarf from the 2007 Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar, March 21.
  
• Yarn: Cascade 220 Paints, color no. 9926 (it's maroon and black)
  
• Needle size: US7

The dimensions of my scarf were 3.5" x 58" before blocking. I tried to use up as much yarn as possible, so made 14 large triangles instead of the 11 the pattern called for. Ending with an even number also affected how I knit the last small triangle, but it turned out A-OK. I wore it to work today. Very warm and cozy.

This was the weekend for NFL division playoffs, and we watched the Colts (lose) Saturday night. Needing something to work on during the game, I selected another item from my private yarn store: a skein of Schaefer Yarns Anne in "Powder Puff" for a shawl. Quite a while ago, I started a shawl with this yarn, but the project just did not grab me and after it sat in neglect for a while, I frogged it. I'm liking this pattern much better, but I can't tell you where I got it; I photocopied the pattern from a library book but the pages don't include the name of the book on them. It might have been something like Scarf Style? The name of the pattern is "Shetland Triangle" and it calls for 548 yards of fingering weight yarn, so Anne is perfect for it.

I was feeling a little guilty about starting this shawl when I keep promising my daughter that I will work on her vintage lace top, but actually this project will be a good warm-up for the top. I had been working lace in worsted weight yarn. Working with fingering is challenging but should get me in shape for the (gulp) Rowan Kidsilk Haze.

Another project I want to get started on are the Classic Elite Inca Marl socks for my much-appreciated son-in-law. (On Sunday he installed my reverse osmosis filter system, which lead to replacing some of the plumbing under the kitchen sink as it had corroded and started to leak just when he thought he was done.) But I am having a needle crisis.

One problem is that I like to work both socks at the same time, so I need two sets of DPNs, but I have only one set of the size US6 that I want to use. Of course. And they are INOX, which I am not liking much these days because another set of them (the US5's) developed a tackiness that makes the yarn stick and throws off my gauge. I was hoping to find something at Knitting Off Broadway, but their DPNs were INOX and bamboo. I hate bamboo. But I like my aluminum needles, so I stopped at Joann's on Saturday, thinking I would pick up a couple of sets of Susan Bates. But they come in packages of 4 (I'd prefer 5 per package) and through the packaging I could see that the finish was flawed. Aargh! Again, I left a (sort of) yarn store without making a purchase.

Meanwhile, this weekend I was also fretting meditating on the red-red-red sweater. I reached the tentative end of the body, took it off the needles, and tried it on.



Well, at least it looks like a sweater.



But the neck was really boatneck-like, if you know what I mean. Very high in front, and wide. It later occurred to me that part of its shape was probably due to the fact I did not have the neck cinched up at all, but still. How should I move forward? I searched through all my pattern books without finding any ideas, so I set it aside. Again.

Today I stopped at the library and found on the new non-fiction shelf Suss Design Essentials, which amazingly has a sweater with a snood, just like I have been contemplating. So now I have an idea of what to do next and also have a little faith it might actually work out.

And then there was yoga, laundry, pet poop patrol, dog walking, wild bird feeding, and friends and family. Like I said, a very full weekend.

Movin' on Up

Ever since I found out that we are moving upstairs, the theme song from "The Jeffersons" has been running through my head ("Movin' on up/to the eastside/finally got a piece of the pie"). Unfortunately, I don't know most of the lyrics and, much to my lifelong disappointment, I cannot sing. I wish I could sing or play an instrument like it mattered or at least hear what other people hear when they listen to music. I try to catch "The Art of the Song" each week on WUMB, as the show teaches me about what to listen for, as do the interviews with singer/songwriters that occur all over the place on WUMB. Meanwhile, my singing shall be confined to the bruising shower.

The last pair of Magic Stripes socks needs only the kitchener stitch be applied to each toe and they will be done. The color is "Jellybean" and they are rather garish. Tonight I will make another attempt to upload photos to Blogger, so hopefully you will be able to see just how garish they are.

Meanwhile, I strapped on my knitting kahunas and played around with the sleeve to the red-red-red hoodie. I had started one sleeve on US8 needles, but the resulting fabric just looked coarse. So I knit up a bit on another sleeve using US7 needles and it looks much better. Then, since the prospect of knitting acres of stockinette just doesn't appeal to me, I picked out a simple lace stitch to decorate the sleeves. I like the initial results, so I worked out the arithmetic and am now ready to start a "real" sleeve. Gulp!

The pattern I am starting with is the Miss Priss Seamless Hoodie, from Schaefer Yarn, but I am using Cascade 220 instead of Miss Priss. Also, besides being seamless, I plan to knit it in the round, omitting the zipper (obviously) and omitting any purling as well. We'll see how my plans work out. (Someone once said, If you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans.)

Dream the Impossible Dream

I don't usually watch TV, but I tuned in last night just in time to hear the concession/victory speeches of our mayoral candidates. It was the first time I had seen either of them live, and I was impressed at how both were very poised and articulate. Matt Kelty was gracious in defeat, and Tom Henry actually came off as inspirational. The future of our fair city should be interesting, if nothing else.

As I arrived at work today, a pickup truck I have admired from afar pulled into the parking lot. I used to have a pickup truck, a Fordza - it said Mazda on the vehicle but it screamed Ford. Ordinarily, I do not get extended warrenties, but the salesman scared me into one for that truck, and it paid for itself twice. Which is why I will never buy another truck from either Mazda or Ford. Now I have a Honda CRV, which is okay. It gets me from point A to point B reliably and inexpensively, is easy to park, holds four adults comfortably, has all wheel drive that kicks in only when needed, etc. An okay car.

I really miss having a truck, though, or something trucklike. Actually, my ideal vehicle would be small enough for parking and fuel economy but large enough to pull a pop-up camper. That is not really so far fetched. It could run on 4-cylinders with front wheel drive when there is no load, then switch to 6-cylinders and rear wheel or all wheel drive when towing. Would that really be so difficult?

So, that is my wish today: a vehicle that actually met all my personal transportational needs. And was affordable!

One Jaywalker sock is complete, the other lacking only the toe. My daughter tried them on, and they are snug, just the way she likes them. But, since they are snug, they are also difficult to get over her heel. I will have to look through my sock books and see what I can find about enlarging the gusset to make them easier to get on. I will probably use this pattern again, as I have another skein of Austermann Step and the zigzag design works really well with self-striping yarn.

And I wound a skein of Cascade 220 into a ball, in anticipation of the hoodie. I'm still waffling over how to knit it up, but I can still start with the sleeves.

Happy Feet, Happy Me

Despite the balmy, unseasonably warm weather (low 70's yesterday, high 70's today), I wore my Clara Bartons to work yesterday. I found myself looking at my feet while walking, sitting, working, etc. I can't believe how happy the sight of those red toes made me. I also wore the red enamel earrings my son bought me at a PTO fundraiser when he was in grade school and the red sweater my daughter bought me several years ago. Quite the head-to-toe ensemble.

The other day while knitting, this thought entered my mind: This is my true work. Ever since then, I have been puzzling over what this means. It could stem from my I-hate-my-job-and-just-want-to-knit daily state of mind. It could be my age (I grew up in the 50's and am imprinted with "Leave It to Beaver" so my internal clock says I should be a retired homemaker by now). Or it could lead to my next career. The idea of a knitting cafe really appeals to me. Coffee and yarn - what more could you want?

No Expectations

Last week, I found myself caught up in a fantasy of what Women's Weekend would be like this time. Once L mentioned going to a yarn shop, I went overboard and mapped out a yarn crawl that I was going to begin on the trip down, by stopping at Ewetopia Fiber Arts Boutique, and that we would continue on Saturday by visiting Yarn & Needle, Knittique, and the Yarn Basket. And when we weren't enhancing our stashes, we would be knitting socks.

As excited as I was about all my plans, I did take a moment to remind myself to have no expections....

The reality was it took me forever to get going Friday night, what with the constant second-guessing (should I go? should I stay? how sick am I?), so by the time I neared Ewetopia, it was past closing time. Then the cabin had no heat, so part of Saturday was eaten up relocating to warmer digs, which left less time for the rest of the yarn crawl. And it turns out that Women's Weekend is not the best venue for teaching the art of sock knitting, as there are too many distractions: movies, chocolate, wine, descriptions of weddings and upcoming grandmotherhood, cards, etc.

But we did make it to the Yarn Basket, which is a lovely little store in a converted garage chockful of great yarn. After much dithering, I settled on the following selections:

For a red, red, red hoodie, this Cascade Yarn 220 "The Heathers"...



I bought more than enough, because I am going to use some to make a pair of two-color mittens, with the following black Plymouth Yarn Galway...



And this Cascade 220 "Paints" caught my eye and wouldn't leave me alone...



I'm thinking it might work for the Math Geek scarf I tried earlier in a solid color.

(Can you tell I like red?)

And I did get a little knitting done, working my sock until my hands cramped. I used the Ann Norling pattern from my first socks but I don't remember knitting the 9-10 inch cuff called for. I decided to give it a try and knit and knit until the result began to look vaguely phallic.



I squeezed the skein and decided I'd better stop until I could weigh the remaining yarn. This just seems like too much cuff.