Another Red Robin

Thank you all so much for your compliments on Red Robin. I have one more for sale, and I'll be listing that one on Woolly Boully tonight. I've been knitting up a sock with Red Robin, and I can't put it down. I'm off to hear some poetry in the city. I think Red Robin will have to come along with me.

Red Robin: Bird, Nest, & Eggs

I think I'm going to really enjoy this rainy day. The workmen are finally, after all their brushing and draping and glass breaking, done with the ceiling in my bathroom. I only have to live with the paint vapors now.

I get to organize my office, locate my tax forms, knit a bit of my (modified) RPM socks, write a bit of the ole prospectus, and curl up with, again, Barthes' Camera Lucida.

There is rye bread (seeded). There is pastrami. There are cornichons and bread.

And, besides, I have new sock yarn to pet. Its name is "Red Robin: Bird, Nest, & Eggs."

I've never taken to red really, but after knitting up the sock yarn that Coley dyed for me, with its little unexpected bits of red, I've grown to really crave spots of red in my knitting.

When I told J. that I wanted to dye a robins egg and nest yarn, she suggested that I put a bit of red in it. Why, yes, a red robin.

I liked this yarn so much that I'm keeping one for myself. One is listed in my Woolly Boully shop.

* * *

Jilian made three squares for the blanket drive. These squares are in memory of Grandma Gerda. Thanks so much, Jilian.


J. made four more squares. I think she's made about 12. I have some catching up to do. Thanks, J!


I want to thank all of you who have encouraged me in my dyeing enterprise and send an extra special thank you to those of you who purchased some of my Woolly Boully yarn. I think I'm loving the dyeing as much as I am the knitting.

* * *

It's official: my little sister is all grown up now. She got her driving learner's permit yesterday. She was very excited to get it. I wasn't excited by getting mine at all; I feared it.

Woolly Boully now open

Woolly Boully is stocked. Stop by if you have a moment.

Wisteria; March's Prize

I named this colorway after one of my most favorite flowers, wisteria. I love how the wisteria plant always seems to spring back, even after the harshest of winters. My other favorite flowers are lily-of-the-valley, lilac, blue bonnets, hyacinths, mountain laurel, lotus blooms, and peonies.

March's Prize

This month's prize will be two skeins of Lamb's Pride worsted in Creme, accompanied by Traditional Aran Knitting.

Beneath the Cherry Trees & Luna Moth

This colorway is "Beneath the Cherry Trees." Manly asked if I could please make a colorway called cherry blossom, and that's how I came upon this colorway.

This colorway is called "Luna Moth." I handpainted this one, so there are many different colors and color variations.

I'm dyeing two more skeins tonight in a different colorway. Dyeing is great--you get to work on other tasks as the dye sets, which is a good thing, considering the overwhelming amount of work I have to do this week.

I'm going to open up my etsy shop on Friday. I'll post here once it's up and running.

Thanks so much everyone for your encouragement and thoughts on Kelp Sea Horse.

Kelp Sea Horse

Here is my first official colorway for Woolly Boully. The short name of this colorway is Kelp Sea Horse. The full name is I thought of how I might disguise myself as the kelp sea horse does, clinging. I think I'm going to wait until I have about ten skeins of different colorways before I stock the store.

p.s. For some reason my computer isn't loading the "visual verification" when I go to comment on blogs. So, please know I'm reading--I'm just not able to leave comments.

Lightning Strikes & Squares & Shop Update & February's Winner

Lightning Strikes

Apparently airplanes get hit by lightning. Apparently the chances of this happening to any one airplane is once per year. Some airplanes get hit more than others and some not at all. Apparently this isn't dangerous, but it is very frightning. My plane got struck by lightning on my way down to Atlanta on Thursday, the day when twisters were roaring all through the south. I did not accomplish much knitting on that flight.

Squares

Before I left, a very nice somebody gave me eight squares. Some were knit and some were crocheted. They are so bright and cheery, and they make me want to pull out a crochet hook and get cranking on some crocheted squares myself.


These squares are in memory of Frances Berger.

Mims also sent more squares my way. She used a variety of stitches to make these beautiful squares.


These squares are in memory of Chris and in honor of her friend Brianne, who is a survivor.

The A.D.D. Knitter and her church group knit these lovely squares. Some of these were made by beginning knitters--what an awesome way to learn some basic knitting skills and produce something that will give someone comfort.


The A.D.D. Knitter also threw in some yarny goodness for me and Mom J--I mean, these are some lovely, lovely skeins of yarn and I don't know how the A.D.D. Knitter was able to part with these. They will be loved. They are already getting some heavy loving from me. Thanks so much, A.D.D. Knitter! You're too awesome and too thoughtful.

Shop Update

As much as I loved the thought of Lone Knitter Yarns for a shop name, I kind of happened upon another shop name that was too catchy to resist. For those of you who know me personally, you'll know that I have a last name that is quite unusual and also rhymes with woolly. So, my etsy shop will be called: Woolly Boully. I'm dyeing two skeins of sock yarn today. I have about ten total that I want to do before stocking them in the store.

February's Winner

Last night, I asked Manly to draw a name out of my raffle bag. He drew Natalie of Mommy, Look What I Made. Congrats, Natalie. You'll be receiving a copy of Big-Needle Knit Afghans.

If your name was not picked for February's raffle, remember that your entries stay in the raffle bag for the duration of the contest. Thanks so much, everyone! You guys are awesome. My pile of squares is getting taller, and that is a good thing, a very very good thing.

Box-of-Chocolate Socks; More Squares; In Other News

Box-of-Chocolate Socks


Today looks dreadful and snow-threatened. It was sunny and warm just a few hours ago. I've been so busy these last few weeks that I've had little time to update my blog. Of course, I'm never too busy to knit, so I do have a finished object.

These are my second socks for February's Socktopia. The theme for this pair is "life is like a box of chocolates." I wanted to work with a pattern that might suggest little chocolate treats, so I chose a baby rib from Sensational Knitted Socks.



Box-of-Chocolate socks:
Yarn: Spunky Eclectic Napoleon
Pattern: 2x2 2" cuff over 64 stitches on size 1 dpns, leg and foot done in a baby (mock) rib
Timeline: cast on February 12 and finished on February 24
Recipient: these socks are for me

I'm not sure if the pooling was caused by the baby rib pattern or the yarn itself, but I really loved this yarn and don't really mind the pooling. Spunky Eclectic's yarn is superbly fluffy & springy.

More Squares


Natalie of Mommy, Look What I Made sent in two squares, one in memory of Virginia Nell Strong and one in memory of C. Bradley Mulholland, who passed away last week. Thank you so much, Natalie. Your squares are beautiful, and I'm happy that you found some comfort in making them. Your notes really touched me. Thank you.

In Other News

I finally got my hair cut after seven months. The last time I had it cut was this summer at my cousin's salon in Bangkok. I got a curly girl cut, and I loved loved loved it. I will never go straight again.

Manly and I get to go to Atlanta on Thursday for a conference. Perhaps one day there will be conference in some city that's actually romantic.

I live on a block of brownstones. This means that there is always some construction or renovation being done and that there are always strange vans and men cussing on their cell phones and spitting. I suppose this is part of the charm of brownstone living?

Happy Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day isn't at all romantic; it's windy and the sky is raining ice. Suddenly I regret not buying much of anything in the way of groceries last night. Seeing Manly leave to work today, I thought to myself, Manly needs a hat. And suddenly, I remembered a skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky I bought in November, how I planned a Valentine's Day hat for him and never did.

I finished my Kool-Aid socks over the weekend. I washed them in lavender wool soap and a bit of coconut scented conditioner. They smell very happy. These are my "Bed of Roses" socks for Socktopia. There are reds and pinks and whites and yellows, and why, yes, I do believe there are blue roses these days.


I was pleased with how the colors didn't pool and seemed to distribute well throughout the different sections of the sock.

Bed of Roses/Kool-Aid socks:
Yarn: Knit Picks Bare 100% merino, fingering weight
Pattern: Astrid's Twirls (modifications: size 1 dpns, cast on 66 stitches then decreased to 60 after gusset)
Timeline: cast on January 22 and finished on February 11
Recipient: these socks are for me

I've been toying with the idea of trying a dyeing enterprise to explore my love of sock yarn and colors and to also help the bank account. It's an idea I've had for a long time, and I think I should stop putting it off. So I'm placing an order soon for some professional dyes and sock yarn. Now I just need to think of a cute name for an etsy shop.

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

Love,
Lone Knitter

p.s. I'll be playing around with my blog template over the next few days. I've been wanting a "cleaner" look to my blog & figure that customizing it and upgrading it to the new blogger would be a good opportunity to change my blog. We'll see how it goes.

Henry; January's contest winner; bed-of-roses socks; sewing update

Henry


My dear neighbor Henry passed away two weeks ago. He was 86 and died of methothelioma, a type of lung cancer caused by asbestos. He was exposed to asbestos when he worked at the Brooklyn Naval Yard during the second world war. I loved him very much, and have been so saddened by his death. His wife passed away about a year and a half ago, and he seemed to have lost all love of life. I miss her so much, he would always say to me. I think I see her sometimes. And all I could do was hug him and hold his hand. He was the kind of man that would talk to you and listen and look you in the eye and really talk--not just small talk. He would also kiss the ladies right on the lips and he always told me he loved me. Towards the end, I would send Manly out to help Henry sweep and bag the leaves that fell from the autumn trees.

This square is for Henry.

January's contest winner & contest update

Mims from Oregon (blogless) will receive a copy of Knitting for Peace. She sent in three (!) lovely squares in memory of Arrie Mae. Thank you so much, Mims. These squares will make a lovely addition to my and Mom J's blanket drive. We are so happy to have these. Mims earned three contest entries and still has two entries in the contest jar. She also earned six extra entries for the Trekking 126 that will be awarded in June. Thanks so much, Mims!

February is such a short month. I'll accept entries that I receive by March 3 for February's prize. February's prize will be Big-Needle Knit Afghans, which is an incredibly gorgeous book--if you thought that you'd never be into knitting afghans, the patterns in this book will change your mind. And perhaps the Lone Knitter will throw in a little something from her yarn stash as well.

Send in your squares, y'all!

Bed-of-roses socks


This month's Socktopia themes are: Life is like a box of chocolates…; Forever in my Heart; Bed of Roses; Short and Sweet; and Laissez les bon temps rouler!

I liked the bed of roses theme, and I thought I should see how my Kool-Aid socks would knit up. After all, I did dye them about a year ago. I dyed these with Knit Picks dye-your-own 100% merino wool. I think the dying process made the yarn a bit harsh, and I wish I would have used conditioner when rinsing out the Kool-Aid to soften the yarn up a bit. I think I might have overdone it on the vinegar as all. I think the feel of the yarn is keeping me from knitting these up as quickly as I would like. It's just not pleasant when the yarn isn't gliding and soft and squishy. I do think they'll make nice soft socks once they're washed.

Here's my word on Knit Picks merino sock yarn: it does not felt when washed; it does not felt when worn; it is sturdy; it is oh-so-heavenly soft; it is lovely to work with; it is cheap. My one complaint is that they aren't available in fun colors. Knit Picks seems to have done away with the brighter colors in favor of more neutral ones. Oh well! Guess I can always dye my own.

Sewing update

I finally finished cleaning the sewing machine that I've had sitting around my apartment for almost three years now. Mom J was getting rid of it, and I knew I might need a machine to sew up some drapes I was thinking of making. You know, I haven't touched a sewing machine since I was about twelve, but it all came back to me. I plugged in the machine, turned it on, wound a bobbin, threaded the needle, and sewed up the seam that was falling apart in Manly's jeans. It felt really awesome to fix something so quickly. So the sewing machine is working! I'm so excited. Now I just need to finish my prospectus so I can start my quilting.