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Friday

Returning to the Morning Glory Vest (by Alice Starmore, in the out of print Stillwater), I'm in the groove and within 10 rounds of beginning the arm steeks and neck shaping. If I apply myself, I imagine I could finish the body on this by the end of the weekend. Here's a progress shot:

This is an enjoyable design to knit; the colors are energizing and the repeating patterns are easy to read in the knitting. And the big huge Plus--No Sleeves! I have four vests lined up after Morning Glory; just a matter of choosing which one to enjoy next. The weather here is still too hot to even think about wooly sleeves. I'm assured that it will get a bit cooler, but I'm having a hard time believing it.

You know what? I love color knitting best of all knitting, yet I find I'm still feeling a little mentally distracted by Unexpected Knitting. I'm interested in hearing what others think of this book. For me, it exerts a real siren's call to try some more new and unexpected knitting. Knitting the "scribble lace" this week was a hoot! So I'm enjoying knitting on Morning Glory, but I keep eyeing my new book from the edge of my Morning Glory chart. I may not be able to resist the temptation to scribble again.

Pups

Della says Dream Big: Reach for the Squirrels.

Are you having a happy Friday yet? Peace, perfect health, and prosperity vibes coming at ya! Have a great weekend.

Scribbling

Remember scribbling with crayons when you were young and simply enjoying the hues and tints and colors, especially if you had the box of 64? That's how I felt knitting the Colinette Point 5 with thread to re-create Debbie New's "Scribble Lace," from my newly arrived book Unexpected Knitting. My skein of Colinette cost 20 bucks (ow!), and it was gratifying to use a new (New!) technique to knit it from start to finish and have a funky finished object--a true one-skein-wonder!

Laura posed wearing "Scribble Lace" as a small-ish stole, which is about what you can expect to get from one skein of Colinette if you try this.

This technique (described in the book) creates a very fluid and stretchy textile.

Because of the nature of its flexible stockinette construction, you can almost shape it to be the shape you want to wear. Just grab it and give it a shake. Laura's wearing it as a stole in her photo above, but she had lots of ideas about how to wear it to best show off the nature of the knitting and her sisterly self.

The book details in photos some of the applications in which New used it. And having now scribbled, I can easily imagine a lot of cool chic stuff to make using this type of knitting. Fun knitting; I had forgotten how it felt to just sit down and knit something fast and frivolous in only a few hours.

Scribbling! I like it. There are more techniques from Unexpected Knitting that I'd like to examine on-the-needles immediately, but my personal blog-vow is to only work on one project at a time (socks don't count), so I'm back on my US 3 ebony needles and into the third repeat of the Morning Glory Vest by Alice Starmore. Fair Isle is also fun knitting, but my! Scribbling with thread and Colinette was a very pleasant diversion, and it was exciting to have something so cool finished so fast. As always, I'm speaking of my knitting. Your knitting is probably very fun to you. At least I hope so! Why else would you do it?

Mikey says it's Thursday--look adorable!

I'm supposed to go get my Texas DL today. Ewww. Wish me luck for an adorable DL photo and a short line at the DMV, okay? See you tomorrow!

More Unexpected Knitting

I am very charmed with my new book by Debbie New. Yesterday, instead of working on the third repeat of the Morning Glory Vest by Alice Starmore, I rushed off to my Local Yarn Store to buy a hank of Colinette Point 5 (Tuscany colorway) so I could do some "scribbling" as described in the book.

Fun! and fast! Never mind the sockpile or the WIP, this technique has given me lots of ideas. The cool thing about this book is that this is only one of the techniques. There are dozens. Teresa says she's made a vow to try at least three of the techniques in this book in the coming knitting year. I want to try 'em all, but I am slightly OC. New writes that "scribbling" will make you feel like "a beginner knitter again," and it's true. And enjoyable, I must say. It's nice to take a break from even stitches once in a while! I'll show you my completed Scribble Lace Stole tomorrow, 'cause it's too dark here for photos this morning.

It's been cooler here in the mornings, and after all the mornings of waking up and finding it was 80 degrees out at 5 a.m., it's pleasant, and reminds me of my home in the NE.

Let's see. New project, cooler weather...I don't think I have anything else to say today. Feel free to offer topics! Oh, and don't miss the start of Nanette's Kashmir. Feel better fast, Snickerdoodle.

Della says Hurry Up! It's Wednesday. Have a good one!

Tuesday

I was merrrily merrily knitting along yesterday when the postman arrived with an eagerly awaited book.

I tossed Morning Glory to the side, because Unexpected Knitting was here! This is an astonishing book. I expected to be pleased with it, having seen a few reviews, but OMG! This isn't a book, it's a testimony to one of the most inventive minds of the century. I've been an admirer of Debbie New since studying her swirl-socks in the Socks Socks Socks book, but have never before seen her work through her eyes. There are knitted people in this book. Organically knitted seashells. And garments that you simply cannot believe.

Here is the Ouroborus Jacket, a knitted circle.

I don't think there has ever been a book like this. It's a look inside an incredible mind. Don't expect to be able to take it all in at one glance. It's a book to marvel at, chapter by chapter. Each chapter is a gallery. I've never seen anything like it. Her techniques are clearly presented and each example is a marvel of engineering and imagination.

I can't find words to describe this book. Definitely worth every penny. Years of mystifying concepts are revealed quite casually, in a very accessible writing style (and you learn about biology and physics, too). This woman has eight children and heaps of grandchildren! How did she find time to think up this stuff??? Not your average knittin' book fer sure, dudes. My copy came from Schoolhouse Press and I believe you can order it from the Knitting Universe Stitches Market website, but I can't access it right now to double-check the url for you. It's 40 bucks, but worth much more. Put this book on your must-have list, okay?

Okay! Off to work for me. Jack and Della say Don't Worry, Be Tuesday.

Have a great day!

Knit Candy

My missing skein of yarn arrived Saturday, so some enjoyable knitting ensued. Here's progress on the Morning Glory Vest from Stillwater:

Della decided to point out the speckled front steek to you:

This design is so bright and charming that I think it's the knitting equivalent of candy. Yum! I'm enjoying the knitting, and looking forward to the not-knitting of sleeves. Actually, I don't seem to mind knitting one sleeve; it's the second sleeve that always seems to take forever.

I also did a bit of sock-knitting, but didn't document. I'll show you later this week, okay?

Pups

Laura and I planned on a trip to Austin's oldest arts and crafts fair on Saturday, but she caught a texas-sized virus and wasn't able to go. I went on Sunday, and it was very crowded and nowhere near as much fun as if I had my sister with me. However, I did see this, and it made me think my pups are not as spoiled as some. This is Dallas and his person:

My pups would laugh their little furry tails off if they saw this photo, so I'm only showing it to you. Ha!

Mike, Jack, and Della know it's Monday, and say Keep It in Motion!

Have a quick and easy one!