Sunday, March 19, 2006
What Am I Doing Now?
Although I still sound more like Kermit the Frog than Judy the Human, I am feeling much better. I am really behind on listening to the growing numbers of knitting podcasts but did manage to finish listening to Memoirs of a Geisha on audio. What a wonderful book and a great narrator -- I love Audible.com for audiobooks!
In the knitting arena, I'm working on two things. The "macro" project is called the "Big Easy Jacket." It's a pattern by Melissa Leapman, but it's not published as far as I know. How did I get it? Well, I was visiting my in-laws in Omaha, Nebraska. My DMIL (dear Mother-in-Law) took me to String of Purls, a wonderful yarn shop there. As I walked in, I saw this jacket sample hanging up and I tried it on; it looked and felt great, although the color wasn't my fave. In talking to the salespeople, I found out that the jacket was going to be the project in their next class called "Beyond Scarves." If I bought the yarn recommended (Noro Iro) required for the class project, then I could get the pattern free! I couldn't even BUY the pattern because it evidently was created specifically for this class. I looked at the other yarn colorways and fell in love with the one (#21) that had the deep purples, blues, teals in it. I impulsively said that I would make the jacket using this colorway, and the sales staff immediately started pulling skein after skein off the shelf.
"Umm, how many skeins will I need?" I asked, my mouth starting to go dry. Eleven to be on the safe side, they'd said, adding that I could return any unused skeins if I had any left over. Okay, now how to ask the next question, since there was no price tag on the skein I was holding..... I think the space-time continuum halted while the cashier looked up the price.
"Nineteen ninety-five." PER SKEIN. I don't think that I've spent that much on an article of clothing, let alone on just the yarn for an article of clothing. This is knitting in the "big leagues"! I swallowed hard, handed over my credit card and managed to smile as the cashier commented on how pretty the yarn was.
Well, once I got over the sticker shock and the fear of ruining the yarn, I cast on and have knit about 12 inches so far. It IS beautiful yarn: 75% wool and 25% silk. Here's a pic of the overall knitting
-- it's all done in garter stitch. So simple! Here's a better idea of the color of the yarn. See how rich the colors are? They're even better up close and personal. And there are these tiny threads of silk that hang loose around the yarn twist. I'm knitting this in one piece from the bottom up to the sleeves. Then I'll work each side separately. There will be a shawl-type collar and, I think, Dolman sleeves. Stay tuned for more updates......
In the knitting arena, I'm working on two things. The "macro" project is called the "Big Easy Jacket." It's a pattern by Melissa Leapman, but it's not published as far as I know. How did I get it? Well, I was visiting my in-laws in Omaha, Nebraska. My DMIL (dear Mother-in-Law) took me to String of Purls, a wonderful yarn shop there. As I walked in, I saw this jacket sample hanging up and I tried it on; it looked and felt great, although the color wasn't my fave. In talking to the salespeople, I found out that the jacket was going to be the project in their next class called "Beyond Scarves." If I bought the yarn recommended (Noro Iro) required for the class project, then I could get the pattern free! I couldn't even BUY the pattern because it evidently was created specifically for this class. I looked at the other yarn colorways and fell in love with the one (#21) that had the deep purples, blues, teals in it. I impulsively said that I would make the jacket using this colorway, and the sales staff immediately started pulling skein after skein off the shelf.
"Umm, how many skeins will I need?" I asked, my mouth starting to go dry. Eleven to be on the safe side, they'd said, adding that I could return any unused skeins if I had any left over. Okay, now how to ask the next question, since there was no price tag on the skein I was holding..... I think the space-time continuum halted while the cashier looked up the price.
"Nineteen ninety-five." PER SKEIN. I don't think that I've spent that much on an article of clothing, let alone on just the yarn for an article of clothing. This is knitting in the "big leagues"! I swallowed hard, handed over my credit card and managed to smile as the cashier commented on how pretty the yarn was.
Well, once I got over the sticker shock and the fear of ruining the yarn, I cast on and have knit about 12 inches so far. It IS beautiful yarn: 75% wool and 25% silk. Here's a pic of the overall knitting
-- it's all done in garter stitch. So simple! Here's a better idea of the color of the yarn. See how rich the colors are? They're even better up close and personal. And there are these tiny threads of silk that hang loose around the yarn twist. I'm knitting this in one piece from the bottom up to the sleeves. Then I'll work each side separately. There will be a shawl-type collar and, I think, Dolman sleeves. Stay tuned for more updates......# posted by Judy : 1:13 PM
