Tuesday, September 16, 2008

In Which I Ramble On About Some Things On My Mind

I really apologize for the lack of postings recently. Life is just getting in the way - of both blogging and knitting!

Fortunately, my seminar professor gave me permission to knit in class, and yesterday I was able to complete about four inches of the front of the sweater I'm working on! I love knitting in class- I stay focused on the discussion, and because we don't have to take notes (a huge relief in law school), I get to make productive use of the time!

I don't have a picture to show you because Mike just left with the camera- he's going on a bike ride tonight, which he's very excited about.

I tried knitting socks again out of the Shibui and it is just really not cooperating. I think I might have to give up on the yarn - at least the first few yards. I've now knit it up into the cuff of a sock at least four times, and it has just lost its spring. I am also so frustrated with the pooling! I may have to stop buying Shibui, it's just impossible to knit with and not get ugly pooling (not my socks, but an example of someone else having the same problem with the same yarn).

It just doesn't matter how many stitches you put on the needle, if you alternate skeins, what needle size you use- nothing will stop this yarn from pooling, and it is driving me crazy.

Especially since I have a lot of gift certificate money to use up at Knit/Purl and everything else they stock is ludicrously expensive. Maybe I'll see if my gift certificates contain enough money for a sweater's worth of malabrigo and call it a day.

Except, I've just joined BlueGarter's group, Knit Local, which is a network of knitters striving to knit from yarn produced from local sheep, mills, spinners, and dyers. And Malabrigo, as delicious as it is, comes from Uruguay (I think- somewhere far away, at least). Unfortunately, as it always goes, local yarn is way more expensive than yarn from, say, those online yarn repositories- they're like the CostCo of yarn stores, and I just can't help buying from them because of the price.

Oregon has a great resource in the Oregon Wool Grower's Association, a directory and community of local yarn and fiber producers. I plan on doing some poking around in there and hopefully planning some projects based around that yarn.

4 comments:

Cassy said...

I love knitting in class. I never had direct permission for it...but I did it during summer school anyway. We never had to take notes and the rest of the class was playing suduko the whole time, so I felt free to do what I wanted.

That's bad news about the Shibui. I just bought some for the first time and haven't completed a pair with it yet.

Anonymous said...

Hey there, checking in. I loved having chickens for years. Some tips, get some scratch from the feed store. I used it to lure the ladies where I needed them. They are also fairly easy to herd if you give them enough room. I rarely had to handle them. If I did, I did it after they roosted for the evening.
Love to you both, -Renee

Claudia said...

First. The last thing in the world I would ever think to exist would be an Oregon Wool Grower's Association, and yet, now that you mention it, it seems the most natural thing in the world.

Second. I can't believe you have chickens. I live in a *dorm* with a *meal plan* and you are *engaged* with *livestock.* Maybe in, like, 11 years, when I am a doctor of something-or-other, I will feel like am am caught up with the adult-ness. Although by that time you may have children and a ranch, just to keep ahead.

Anonymous said...

hey Elizabeth! I understand congratulations are in order! Will see your mom this weekend on our first visit back to Keene since we moved to (the other) Portland. Check out my blog: www.recreatingmyselfinportland.blogspot.com
I'm having fun with it!