Superfluous

I'll tell you what is happening in this photo in a moment. First, I'd like to share one of my favorite ( if not completely true ) anecdotes. This link gives you the accurate, boring, story but I prefer my version.

During the space race of the 1960's, NASA realized they would need a pen whose ink could flow with out the aid of gravity. In typical American bureaucratic style, they spent years and millions to produce an anti gravity pen. The Russians, however, sent their cosmonauts into space with a pencil.

So, Comrades, while most of you simply knit a test gauge swatch that measures a neat 4 by 4 inches, I spend weeks producing the world's largest swatch: my Cozy V- Neck sweater. Please refer to the photo again. See the sweater finished save an arm and a collar band? I did finish the arm which has since morphed into the neck of 28thirty. I am hoping this one will stick.

Beholden

I am appreciative of the wonderful acquaintances I've made through this blog. You all know who you are. More importantly, you've let me know what I mean to you by taking time to leave a comment and lately gifting me with these awards:

Un -Mainstream Mom included me in her list of bloggers that exhibit Everyday Kindness. You deserve it, sweetie.

A Mingled Yarn has included me in her list of bloggers that make her day. Brave move since I declared my girl crush on her for the whole internet to read. Thanks for not giving me the " you freak me out" award.

Thank you ladies, I think the same of you both. I am really touched and promise I won't become a pedantic bore under the pressure of upholding these values. I am to pass the awards along to ten other bloggers, and since I subscribe to well over one hundred blogs, this is kinda tough. I think I will choose a group that I don't often link to or blog about so we can all enjoy the talent out there.

So, to the following blogs, I am grateful for your kindness and ability to make my day:

1. Scent of Water

2. {sixoneseven}

3. Mushroom Villagers

4. Little Cotton Rabbits

5. Left- Handed Housewife

6. the Lady Knits

7. Jennifer and Brandon

8. Tammy Knits

9. Fancie Pants Knits

10. Crazy Mom Quilts

A special bonus is the blog 3191. Photography enthusiasts will appreciate these two women who live 3,191 miles apart and upload a photo taken during the same time each day. This year is about evenings. I think they are soul mates.

Bay Socks

Bay Socks

Pattern: my own basic sock recipe

Yarn: Tess sock yarn, superwash merino

Needles: US #1

I like the way these pool in a tidal swirl. Pretty and sturdy yarn. Should keep cold toes very warm. These haven't been blocked yet, so ignore the lumpyness.

In keeping with my previous post's theme of creepy blue science fiction, I offer my children doing their best Han Solo frozen in carbonite impersonation. We love the Science Center!

New to the Queue

Look what the gals over at Zephyr Style have come up with now (photo from site). I really like this and am considering knitting it up. I am usually not a fan of cropped cardi's, but this is cute and I love the over sized button up collar.

The combination of the big collar and the ridges reminds me of the costumes in the movie Dune. I really struggled with that movie. I wanted so badly to "get" it but through the entire 7 hours or however long it was this was conversation droning on in my head," hmm... those blue eyes are bright and glowy... Kyle has such thick hair... what the heck was that?...ok, glowy blue eyes are creepy... oh look, Sting... in tiny blue panties... beginning to fear the blue eyes... Sting flies around like a crazy bee ...bee Sting... ha ha ha ha ha ... enough with the blue eyes already!!!."

I think I will knit this one and think of Sting in tiny blue panties every time I wear it.

Augury

I'll save you the time and define augury as a " sign of something coming, an omen." Or in other words: the post I have written and erased in my head a thousand times but will give a go since I have no knitting to share. Knitting? When did I let this blog become just about knitting? Probably around the time I decided to do nothing but knit. A microscopic virus put my knitting (and life) on hold this weekend and landed me in bed. Forced to my knees by a wee germ. It really needed to happen since I have no pause button. I go and go and go until I drop.

The auguries, the signs, which I allude to have been popping up for a few months now. Waiting patiently for me to be physically unable to ignore them by distracting myself with the day to day rituals. My nature is one of introspection as regular readers will have picked up on, but there has been an area of my life that I keep behind closed doors . I treat my spirituality like a sleeping baby that you love to stare at and wonder over, but are terrified to wake because it will cry out incessantly, demanding you nurture it. I am not talking about religion by the way. I am left more confused by dogma than comforted by it, so I leave others to decide that for themselves.

I am a deeply spiritual being. I am wrapped around the universe's finger. In love with it and all it offers. Just don't ask me to define God or compartmentalize my relationship with divinity. I have often called myself a "Heatherist". Clever, I know. Really my beliefs are such a Heinz 57 mix of all forms of devotion that no one philosophy would ever be able to come close to celebrating the unseen forces, the breath of life, the spirit, the pneuma that moves me and is me.

Lately those forces have been dropping me hints to shut up and listen to them and I am going to give it my best. I am going to lay my fear of faith aside this year and delve into the dusty closet behind door number three. I am going to shake myself up a bit and hope you don't mind hearing an insight or two along the way. I'll leave you with this nugget of wisdom and I promise I will have some knitting to show next time I see you.

In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't. Blaise Pascal

Hand Made

I have developed a taste for all things hand made. Large amounts of my time and thoughts are spent marveling over the sublime simplicity of a running stitch in a quilt, the careful finish on a carved wooden bowl, the perfect French seams hidden in the lining of a coat, and the even tension in a knitted item. A finely turned ceramic vase can send my imagination reeling, transporting me through centuries of pottery, deciphering the lives behind the inanimate shards. Don't even get me started on paintings.

I am, however, surrounded by a large amount of brightly colored plastic. I swim in a sea of it every time I enter my children's rooms. To combat plastic fatigue, I am earnestly enjoying these:

Hand Dyed by Fearless Fibers in sublime and deepest forest

Project bag by Misocrafty gifted by Sandra (thank you !!)

Socks for a special set of twins who share my birthday. Thank you to Anny Purls for physically measuring her baby's foot just because a strange sock knitter (me) asked her to.

Incandescence

The face of the river, in time, became a wonderful book . . . which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it had uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day.

Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

Enhancement

Look what I won from the Lady Knits ! She made the beautiful stitch markers which she sells here. The small skeins are fingering weight super wash merino from Pigeonroof Studios. I am already thinking up tiny socks and mittens.

I will leave you with a few links for the weekend. Hubby had a tooth removed and I need to get back to my patient. He is doing well, just a tiny bit less wise.

Project Spectrum Three is about to begin! This is a fantastic source of inspiration for all you crafty types. Not just for knitters, this themed craft-a-long is for everyone who sews, quilts, knits, spins, crochets, scrapbooks, paints, etc.

Berroco Fashion Yarns has released their Spring / Summer '08 booklets. I am in love with the Norah Gaughan vol.2 patterns, especially Ellis.

What's the recipe for you personality ? I want to keep up this air of mystery and intrigue I'm affecting so no peeks at my very accurate results. Yet.

Happy Weekend!

Alpha and Omega

I filled the bird feeder a couple of days ago. In the dry grass, pushing it's way up through the damp cracked shells, was a lovely sprout. He, like most seeds and bulbs around here, was a bit confused by the balmy temperatures and dewy mornings. Despite the almanac's insistence we are firmly ensconced in winter, nature is forcing itself into being . No surprise since seeds can't read.

We had a lightening storm here last night and according to my husband, lightning struck our backyard, mere feet from our bedroom window, on my side of the bed, where I was reclined. He seemed awfully calm about the whole thing but I was freaked out enough to get the rest of the way out of bed (I jumped a few feet when the crack sounded) and huddled in the living room to finish reading Atonement by Ian McEwan. Which was a good read by the way, but has an ending that made me double back and reread a few key passages. The book coupled with near death by lightening conspired to cause me fitful dreams full of metaphysical conundrums. So I'm just going to stare at my little sprout here and think happy thoughts for the rest of the day.

Stella Luna

The cozy v-neck sweater I am knitting is coming along nicely, but I just didn't feel like working on it Sunday. So I cast on for a quick hat with the second skein of Aurora 8 in my stash. I highly recommend this project, it was quick, interesting, and decidedly unique. By the way, if you find yourself in need of a good laugh and limbering exercise, take photos of a hat on your own head.

Stella's Hat

by Knitting School Dropout

yarn: Karabella Aurora 8 color 1305 1 skein + a few yards

needles: size 8 circular and dpn

mods: knit to 5.5 inches before decrease rather than 6 because of lack of yarn.

verdict: I adore my odd little hat.

Acquiesce

A few months back, I posted about my lack of gadgetry, namely a swift and winder combo. I have happily wound hanks by hand in the dark of night while all distractions and sticky fingers were tucked in bed. Apparently my few sentences set into motion a behind the scenes rally and the forces that be aligned to (forcibly) let Santa know to leave me this:

I was giddy. I surprised myself with the sudden thrall I felt while caressing the smooth wood of the handcrafted swift. My daughter joined in and declared the first hank of yarn being spun into a cake ,"the most exciting thing all day!" Note to self: get out more.

My frustrated grumblings like "son of a monkey trainer!" were soon replaced with laughter and joy when the carved wooden screw decided to finally turn in the threads (soap helps).

I guess industrialization isn't so bad after all. When the cake of Tess sock yarn was complete, Miss A wanted to spin another. I told her this was the only hank I needed to wind. She told me to go buy more. Yes, indeed.

Thanks to all the elves out there who ensured this gift would arrive in my hands. I love it. Too bad I have to drive an old beat up car to the yarn shop... might as well try right?

Imitation

He picked up my needles and glasses while I was getting into my pajamas. My son is equal parts artist and comedian. I am in love.