A Taste for Lace

Despite my moaning about all the UFOs I have, I've gone and succumbed to 'startitis.' I joined the Mystery Stole 3 KAL. I've done enough lace knitting so that I 'understand' the concept, but I've never embarked on this large a project...but I'm not alone. Judging from the e-mails to the Yahoo group, there are alot of people who are developing a taste for lace, or are hoping to. So far there are over 1800 people signed up. There are actually shortages of Zepher yarn in white being reported, not to mention a run on beads. I don't think anyone anticipated this level of response.





Just to prove I can knit some lace:

this is a scarf I am currently working on. I adapted the Knitty pattern "Convertible" by Rebecca Hatcher. I've done some lacy socks...now I'm beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed at the thought of the shawl.

On the good news side - I won a book from Wiley, the publisher of "Charmed Knits" as part of the Charmed Knits KAL. Since I don't buy lottery tickets, I rarely win anything, actually, even if I do buy lottery tickets, I very rarely win. I was given a list of their craft books to chose from, and choose one on spinning. Winning could be dangerous.

Not All Non-Knitters are Muggles

On May 30 my sister drove with me to Northampton, MA, to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot. She drove so I could knit in the car. We stood in line chatting with knitters, we had more chat time in the theater, and we laughed and enjoyed outselves immensely during Stephanie's talk. During the Q&A, one woman asked "What were muggles?" Most of the audience responded in surprise. But Stephanie actually answered and told us all that muggles was an old word that Rowling had used in her books and it meant "someone outside a closely affiliated community." Is Stephanie the only one who knew that?



We went to WEBS, and I stood in line to have Stephanie sign my copy of "Cast Off," chatting all the while. The woman behind me pulled out a sweater she was knitting of Noro wool, and I truthfully said, "that was the best pattern I'd seen for Noro." She generously gave me the pattern. I promise I will knit it up.



Still basking in the glow of enjoyment, I was recently talking to my sister about the event, when she told me that as we were leaving the theater, she had made some comment to me about not having much interest in looking a wool, and the woman behind her, with whom she had been talking, said, 'Oh, you're a muggle." Her tone implied distain. My sister felt insulted. By the very fact that she was there, she was NOT a muggle. She may not knit, but she is a strong supporter of knitting. She respects knitters for their creativity and work; she appreciates hand knit items, and encourages her daughter to knit.



Any stereotype is dangerous and can be hurtful, so please consider who you're calling a muggle.

Variety is the Spice of Life, if it doesn't give you heartburn

My knitting progress has been like some just learning to drive a manual shift car...that uneven, jerking forward motion. I'm working on too many projects.

I'm knitting three display items for the Fabric Place (my second, part-time job): a tank top (Classic Elite Cotton & pattern), a beaded ascot (Scarfstyle, Classic Elite Classic Silk), and a yet-to-be-started pair of socks.

As I wait for the computer to boot up or load a new page, I work on my baby afghan for Afghans for Afghans. I'm using KnitPicks Yarn of the Andes - one strand of Amethyst and a second strand of another color (which changes every 3 rows, randomly). I was quite pleased to see that the result was a tweedy sort of blended striping. As I watch tv the Charmed Knits Beanie or the Orphans Foundations red scarf get some attention - I'm almost finished with the beanie.

I did finally pull together the yarn for the bag I will knit for the International Tote Exchange 4, but I'm still waiting for the sock yarn I ordered for the Hogwarts Sock Swap, and haven't made any decisions about my Sockapalooza socks. On one hand, when I'm knitting for someone else, I'd like to turn out something special and memorable, on the other hand, I keep telling myself that I have to choose something that I can finish by the deadline without losing my job, my mind, or my friends.

I'm not really complaining. I'm a process knitter, and enjoy having lots of different projects going. This way I can knit what I feel like knitting, and when I'm ready for a change, there is always something else to do. Since I like all the patterns and yarns, and I do have a streak of "project knitter" in me, I eventually do get stuff finished.

I've started dyeing yarn. I've only done two skeins, but I keep planning how the next colorway is going to go. My crockpot will probably get more use from dyeing than it ever got from cooking! Since I want to blend colors during the day with natural light, my next skein will get done this coming weekend.