11.05.2007
The Purl-less Void
Well, midterms are over. And the BrooklynTweed tumbleweeds are blowing again. How is it November already? We gained an hour yesterday and the first early sunset really makes it feel like winter doesn't it? My sincerest apologies for neglecting blog updates. With my current schedule I can still cobble together time to knit (it's a must for my sanity) but time to write about knitting... that's where I'm suffering. But I'm trying. Today I promised myself I'd give you all a status report - it may not be the most exciting thing on earth, but a report nonetheless. And I'm thoroughly enjoying myself with new projects so I guess I should share!
Sweater knitting has come to a temporary halt in favor of more appropriate projects for overworked, tired student types. Not only has sweater knitting (or any other remotely complicated knitting for that matter) stopped, I've temporarily removed purling from my knitting altogether. It's just straight knitting knitting knitting on two new, big, mindless projects.
I received 6 beautiful skeins of unspun Icelandic wool from Sigga when she visited a few weeks ago. I've never knit with this stuff before and have always wanted to. It's beautiful and the wooliest stuff I've knit with in a long time... not the type of thing you're dying to rub passionately against your neck, but amazingly warm and even more amazingly light.
The new acquisition inspired me to start a project I've wanted to undertake for a while: EZ's (genius) Pi Shawl. Pure mindless bliss. Stockinette in the round with very little shaping (only 6 increase rows in the whole number). I like the look of the simple Pi Shawls that utilize concentric rings of yarn overs. Liz shows some really gorgeous ones in the lace episode of Knitting Workshop, which I've been known to watch (obsessively) from time to time.
Never satisfied with only one EZ project, I also have something in the works to satisfy my garter needs, and to downsize my stash (although as it turns out, I'll need to acquire more yarn to finish this project).
I'm knitting a big, beefy winter blanket on US 13's, following Elizabeth's pattern in The Opinionated Knitter. Her pattern calls for Sheepsdown, knitting at 2 sts per inch, and while I have dreams of an entire blanket made out of that stuff, I'm using what I have and knitting up a bevy of Cascade EcoWool. My gauge is 3 sts per inch, so I've modified the pattern a bit to compensate for that. The most important information, I guess, is that I'll never have more than 36 stitches on the needle at one time. You can't get much more mindless than that. This thing is gonna be warm, squishy ... and HUGE.
I've been spinning to, but I'll save that for another post (I gotta stretch out my material!)
I hope you are all well and enjoying the chill we deserve after that long, dreadful summer. My apologies if you've e-mailed lately and haven't gotten a response - I'm doing my best but don't think I've ever been this behind in my inbox.
Happy knitting!
¶ 7:43 PM
Sweater knitting has come to a temporary halt in favor of more appropriate projects for overworked, tired student types. Not only has sweater knitting (or any other remotely complicated knitting for that matter) stopped, I've temporarily removed purling from my knitting altogether. It's just straight knitting knitting knitting on two new, big, mindless projects.
I received 6 beautiful skeins of unspun Icelandic wool from Sigga when she visited a few weeks ago. I've never knit with this stuff before and have always wanted to. It's beautiful and the wooliest stuff I've knit with in a long time... not the type of thing you're dying to rub passionately against your neck, but amazingly warm and even more amazingly light.
The new acquisition inspired me to start a project I've wanted to undertake for a while: EZ's (genius) Pi Shawl. Pure mindless bliss. Stockinette in the round with very little shaping (only 6 increase rows in the whole number). I like the look of the simple Pi Shawls that utilize concentric rings of yarn overs. Liz shows some really gorgeous ones in the lace episode of Knitting Workshop, which I've been known to watch (obsessively) from time to time.
Never satisfied with only one EZ project, I also have something in the works to satisfy my garter needs, and to downsize my stash (although as it turns out, I'll need to acquire more yarn to finish this project).
I'm knitting a big, beefy winter blanket on US 13's, following Elizabeth's pattern in The Opinionated Knitter. Her pattern calls for Sheepsdown, knitting at 2 sts per inch, and while I have dreams of an entire blanket made out of that stuff, I'm using what I have and knitting up a bevy of Cascade EcoWool. My gauge is 3 sts per inch, so I've modified the pattern a bit to compensate for that. The most important information, I guess, is that I'll never have more than 36 stitches on the needle at one time. You can't get much more mindless than that. This thing is gonna be warm, squishy ... and HUGE.
I've been spinning to, but I'll save that for another post (I gotta stretch out my material!)
I hope you are all well and enjoying the chill we deserve after that long, dreadful summer. My apologies if you've e-mailed lately and haven't gotten a response - I'm doing my best but don't think I've ever been this behind in my inbox.
Happy knitting!
¶ 7:43 PM
Comments:
Stay warm...
Good luck with the last half of the semester! I know some people love that midterms mark only half a term remaining. They always make me feel sick about the work that remains before the end!
Take care.
We lost an hour here in Sydney. And Mum's been having difficulty getting up in the morning second week into the daylight savings. Happy to hear from you again!
Congrats on finishing your exams! Now on to more knitting.
I want to thank you for the inspiration and for introducing me to EZ. I read your blog, didn't know who she was, so I ordered several books and have been devouring them ever since (& seeing small improvements in my details). Thank you.
Good luck with school, and keep knitting through it all. Your work is beautiful!
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Thank you for squeezing out time for a post! As always, its great and inspiring to hear and see what you are working on!
Hey, we'll take what we can get. You're always worth the wait!! Love the shots of bright blue on your Pi.
Stay warm...
I'll take a tweed status report any day! Your UFOs look great. I can't wait to see how the Pi Shawl turns out. We all need some mindless projects sometimes!
Good luck with the last half of the semester! I know some people love that midterms mark only half a term remaining. They always make me feel sick about the work that remains before the end!
Glad you're still around. I really hear you on the un-complicated knits. When I finish Fishtrap I will be knitting lots and lots of plain plain plain stuff.
Take care.
I feel your pain, brother. How is it that after midterms, we only get like 3 weeks before finals? Grad school is so cruel. Your knitting is looking fantastic.
so glad that you've posted again, and (more importantly!) that midterms are done! I know there are many students out there breathing a collective sigh of relief! I've just discovered that my LYS carries Cascade Eco Wool - how happy am I?! Happy knitting!
Cool Pi Shawl! We love the yarn too!
We lost an hour here in Sydney. And Mum's been having difficulty getting up in the morning second week into the daylight savings. Happy to hear from you again!
It's good to hear from you. I check every day to see if you're lurking about yet. Love the projects! I can't wait to see how they progress.
Once again, your genius for pairing a yarn with its pattern soulmate (and vice versa) shines through. Beautiful both of them, even on the needles!
Will that blanket be done in time for my birthday on the 30th? :)
Congrats on finishing your exams! Now on to more knitting.
Why, oh, why doesn't Meg Swansen stock gorgeous tweedy unspun Icelandic?... I'd clean her out if she carried that.
Namaste - Delurking to say I greatly enjoy your blog and patterns. The Pi Shawl is my favorite pattern by EZ and I have lost count of how many I've knit over the years. It lends itself to mindless knitting but is a great way to explore lace patterns and how they go together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. - Joe, in Wyoming
I'm glad to see you back and I hope the knitting is helping to keep things balanced in your busy life!
I don't recall how I stumbled upon your blog-I just know that definitely stumbled. I am so glad I did, too.
I want to thank you for the inspiration and for introducing me to EZ. I read your blog, didn't know who she was, so I ordered several books and have been devouring them ever since (& seeing small improvements in my details). Thank you.
I'm a college teacher and writer. I know exactly what you mean about mindless knitting during the semester. I always keep a K2,P2 scarf or two going during even the most hectic work periods, but those complicated lace patterns have to wait for the breaks.
Good luck with school, and keep knitting through it all. Your work is beautiful!
I've only recently discovered you (I'm like "the coo's tail" where the important websites are concerned) so I'm awfully glad you've had time to update your readers on what you're doing!
Midterms! a milestone; good job. I'm always encouraged by seeing what BT is knitting, and I think I need to take another look at the Pi-shawl. I got some icelandic from Meg Swanson's camp last summer. Have you ever been?
Don't feel bad. My life is pretty much the same as yours. After all the hours at school, looking at a computer is less of an option. My inbox is 100+ and I'm trying to check a few blogline at 12:30am. And I'm right there with you on the purl-less void. My projects right now are all garter stitch. Just enough to ease the tension but not tax the brain. Hang in there. Thanksgiving break is coming soon.
Ah, the unique time constraints of the academic semester. But you're doing some seriously beautiful knitting for the mindless requirements of exam period! I missed saying congrats on your two beautiful published patterns - they are wonderful. I enjoyed reading the story behind Koolhaas!
Happy knitting back at you. Love the hat in the previous post. Look forward to seeing how the Pi shawl goes in that intresting wool!
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