Seizure Salad

Monogamous knitting is blog-boring

Although I don’t consider this a knitting or spinning-only blog, it was started partly as a vehicle for me to share my projects. You may have noticed there hasn’t been much in the way of knitting content lately, and that’s because of THIS (click to biggify the thumbnails):

The hunny vest. I have been working on this on and off (and off) for over a year. I don’t get a lot of time to knit, and although I don’t consider myself slow I don’t exactly knit at top speed, so it does take me longer than some to get something done.

I started feeling like a jerk a few months ago, because I was constantly putting this vest aside for other little projects. Although Daniel has never complained, I wondered what that said about me, that I kept making things for myself or other people rather than buckling down on this gift for my partner.

Problem is…due to exact specifications, this vest is grey. Just grey. Yards and yards of grey Lamb’s Pride Worsted. Out of sheer desperation I threw in a cable on the front, but that’s as fancy as it’s going to get – my love is very specific about what he wanted. A grey vest.

So once in a while I toddle over to the stash and peek in there, and inhale one or a number of rainbow fumes and get kind of itchy to start something else. But for the last several months, I have resisted the urge and have been totally monogamous with this grey vest. (Oh, except for the sock that lives on my desk at work and I knit on occasionally at lunch. We all know sock knitting doesn't count).

But I fear deep in my heart that one more winter will come and go without this vest being worn by the person for whom it is intended. I am less than half way done the left front, and still have right front and seaming. And what with the new climate change reality, winter in Toronto could last only until the end of February, so I have about a month to finish, dagnabbit.

Another wrinkle is the sudden proliferation of pregnant people in my life - as of this week it's 5! And I think all of the ladies are in their second trimester, so the clock’s a tickin…

In other news, my band drove north-east of the city last this past week to check out a recording studio. It’s owned by a member of the very good local band Cedar. Pete has converted a stand-alone building on his property (perhaps it used to be a barn?) into a fully capable recording studio, and we might spend a few weekends in March recording some songs there. It’s located in Brooklin Ontario, which last Wednesday was quaint and quiet and fresh with actual snow, and not black slush. When we got out of the car, it smelled like real winter – winters of childhood. It was nice.

We leonids are really working at making this music the best it can be. I’ve been in many bands over the years, but none so willing to work hard, frequently and in a focused way to try to get better and find an audience. My personal aspirations are humble; I’d like to build up a good local fan base, play shows every month or so and maybe even do a little mini-tour at some point. Being signed by a label can be very problematic – I’ve seen the mechanics up close over the years career-wise, artists are often better off steering clear. I would never want to be signed to a major label, the Canadian landscape is littered with the carcasses of bands that were signed by a major label, under promoted or not promoted at all and sometimes even ending up owing money. Conversely, a tiny indie can only do so much for you and you may be better off doing it on your own, especially if they don’t have distribution arrangements secured. There are a number of larger prestige-indie labels in the area that I would give my eye teeth to be supported by, but we are not anywhere near that point. It's not even worth thinking about.

The touring thing has always been on my life’s to-do list, and I know enough about the realities of the Canadian music industry to know that it would be thankless and grueling. And we’re not kids anymore, all of us are adults with established careers, so coordinating time off for such an endeavor would be really challenging. But I still want to drive all night, live on hamburgers and play in Sudbury to five people, you know? Maybe just once.

Gratuituous photos of the day:

This looks like spring to me, the colourway is called Papaya, from Spunky Eclectic. Blue Faced Leicester, my first time working with it, and it's lovely.

And here's dear Irwin and his moist hedgehog nosicle, we haven't had a nice pic of the dude in a while. Today we had to go on an excursion to find him a new wheel, he ran the last one right into the ground. Fell off it's frame last night while he was out for a jog - it's a lucky thing he wasn't hurt. We often laugh about Irwin and his wheel, the first night we had him we put it in his cage, and about 5 minutes after we went to sleep we heard him running. How do they know what to do that first time? "Hey, look at that big round thing. I think I'll climb on it...HEY! This thing moves, and I stay where I am, that is so cool!"

The comedy and tragedy of silkworms

This is a great example of why I love the innarnets in general, and Ravelry in particular. I stumbled upon this Texan fellow Michael Cook's website while goofing around on Ravelry this evening. I have just spent the last 2 hours reading about how he raises silkworms, "reeling" the resulting silk from each cocoon by hand. If that weren't enough, he makes the MOST unbelievably gorgeous items by a process called tablet weaving. From larvae to silk to thread to finished item, he does the entire process from the ground up, as it had been done for thousands of years.

Did you know that domesticated bombyx silk moths have no mouths? Once they emerge from the cocoons as adults, they mate and die very quickly because they can't eat. He writes about the uh, insect husbandry in great detail on the website, it's very tragi-comic and well worth reading.

Untitled Monday Post...so there

Had a lovely weekend, just the right mixture of busy and lazy. If I get it just right I enjoy my weekends immensely, but if the balance is off (too lazy or too busy) then I feel grumpy, and it can even carry over into the next week. In my advancing adulthood I am really becoming a person with some seriously ingrained preferences.

F’rinstance: Like to watch the TV on weekday evenings. HATE having the TV on during the weekends, unless it’s later at night. My boyfriend enjoys waking up on a weekend morning and turning on the tube to browse around the news channels. My weekend morning routine is pretty set, I wake up before Daniel, make coffee and read a magazine or a book, or if neither are available browse through my favorite blogs. If he wakes up and turns the tube on…my delicious weekend morning mood deflates like a lead balloon. The problem is exacerbated by our apartment, which is an open-concept loft (i.e. no escaping the TV).

So, sometimes I ask him to turn it off and sometimes I let it slide, the dude has to get his way occasionally. But I know that I will always want to throw the TV out the window when it’s on on a Saturday morning. Every time. And as time goes by and I trail off from the sunset of my youth into the curmudgeonly yet charmingly eccentric, withered-ovary “middle age” epitomized in contemporary cinema by Diane Keaton, there are more and more of these things - things that I am, ahem, not as easygoing about as I used to be. And I’m kind of enjoying it. When it doesn’t piss me off.

How did I ever live in a house with 7 roommates without once ever going on a murderous rampage?

But I digress; I wanted to tell you a bit about my nice weekend. On Saturday morning we trundled off to Bright Pearl in Chinatown for dim sum. The occasion was my friend Gerry’s 40th birthday. In addition to Gerry and his fantastic partner Lex, both of Cheap Eats fame were several friends of theirs who were friendly, witty and pretty much all foodies – kindred spirits! An après-dim sum field trip to House of Spice in Kensington Market was wonderous, I can’t believe I had never made it into this place before. I picked up some middle east type spices, sumac and zaatar as well as little colourful bundles of everything else I could get my hands on.

Speaking of colourful bundles, check this fibery goodness out!

That's some merino-silk blend, in a colour called Garnet, but it sure looks like cotton candy in this picture. Squooshably soft.

I also picked up some natural white Blue Faced Leicester (or as the cool knit kids like to call it, BFL) and a merino/alpaca blend, also in white. Both are destined for the Kool-Aid dyebath.

And this – I am actually spinning reliably even singles! This is some alpaca/silk blend in a natural charcoal grey. The fineness of the spinning has as much to do with this lovely fibre as it does my developing skill.

On the needles, nothing but my sweet Daniel’s vest. This vest has really got to be finished soon, it was started LAST winter and hibernated all summer. If the thing is not on that man by March I fear it will be another year yet. To add some interest to the pattern which is by the Brown Sheep people, I added a simple cable panel to each front-side. I increased a few (six?) stitches to compensate (hopefully, help me god) for the pulling-in of the cables. This is my first foray into the twisty side of things, and I have to say it couldn’t be easier. It's not really picture worthy yet.

And, that is all.

Rock the rock-rock, and, spinning

Short post today, because I can't stop spinning long enough to type. So mesmerizing! My brain goes into some kind of fugue state or something, all else is forgotten. I'm in serious trouble.

My little rock and roll combo, leonids, has a few dates coming up that you may enjoy if you leave near the Toronto area. The last two aren't confirmed so I won't post them yet, but we are fersure fersure playing at the Smiling Buddha on November 14th. Two more dates in December too, I'll post them shortly. If you care to hear a few songs (albiet really, really homemade recorded-in-Matt's-bedroom ones) go here. Like everyone in a band ever says, we're even better live.

Ta-da - my first passable singles!

Neat, huh? There have been many attempts in the last week, this is the first stuff I will actually ply and skein. They are not as even as I'd like but I know I will get better. This is some nice Corriedale from the very good folks at Gemini Fibres in Mount Albert, about 45 minutes north/east of the GTA. I  *love* their shop, and I want to spin everything there. Their prices are good and they have a good selection of fibres.

Tonight for dinner, it's Mexican Lasagna. Sounds like crap, right? No, no - it's actually really good and really easy, and I'll tell ya how to do it.

1 pkd corn tortillas
1 lb cooked chicken meat (you can buy a small cooked chicken and take the meat off, or cook a few boneless chicken breasts) chopped
2 cans enchillada sauce (look in the "Old Elpaso" aisle)
1 small can green chillies
1 can chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
1 small container sour cream, light sour cream or plain yogurt
1 can black beans
2 cups frozen corn.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the enchillada sauce and tomato sauce in a bowl.  Put a little sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, and just start layering. I do a layer of tortillas, then chicken, beans, corn, chillies, sour cream and cheese. End with tortillas, sauce and cheese. Bake until bubbling and hot, about 30-45 min. You can certainly go more authentic or upscale with this, but this version is really really fast, and very good. The tortillas kind of disintegrate but in a good way. We buy our corn tortillas at a sweet Columbian bakery, they are sometimes hard to find in the regular grocery store. If your grocery store has a health food section, check the freezer there. I've made it with flour tortillas as well, but they totally turn to nothing. Still yummy.

A Finished Object

A finished Baby Surprise Jacket, for Miss Olive Euphemia Deneau!

I did not use buttons, instead made two crochet chain ties at the front. Hope this will help the thing to fit baby a l little longer as she grows.

The main colour is Dale of Norway Baby Ull, which was nice and springy but a little splitty. I did like working with it though, and it wasn't the same price as my rent for once.

The lighter stripe is 2 strands of Handmaiden Seasilk held together - oh MY how soft and amazingly plush. I would definitely knit a baby hat or booties out of this, but it is so expensive! I had some leftover from the Forest Canopy shawl. If I was disgustingly rich I would just ROLL in this stuff, it's heaven.                                                    

The dark blue/purple striping is Fleece Artist merino sock yarn, and I am not terribly happy with it. I washed the jacket in gentle cycle in cold water, and the colour is already fading and the yarn is really worn looking, as if it had been washed multiple times. Also, one of the shoulder seams popped out after washing, so I have to re-do.

A quick knit, such a puzzle piece but darn if it doesn't all work out in the end. Highly recommended! I have done nothing today except knit, seam and finish this little jacket but I am mighty pleased (dear golden fleece diapered 8 lb, 6 oz Jesus, please let this fit her).

*****************************************************************************************
Good vibes and lotsa love going out to Queen Lisa of Montreal tonight. I wish I was there in person bella, to give you a big hug and pour you a big ol' glass of vino.

Ride a painted pony let the spinning wheel spin...

Where was I about that spinning wheel?

You got no money and you got no home, spinnin' wheel, all alone...

Brain - stop that.  Moving on.

I am having a hard time making up my mind between this one (click to embiggen):

and this one:

The first is a Louet, made in Holland and the second one is a Lendrum, made in Canada! I am interested in the single treadle model, not the double treadle shown in the picture. Aren't they both cute as a bug's ear? I have tried the Lendrum at Noel's house (the lovely woman giving me spinning lessons) and I like it a lot, the orifice (snort - you said orifice) is a little higher than on the Louet, I think it would be less hard on the back. The Louet is lighter and even more portable, although both wheels fold. I like the look of the Louet slightly better, it's oh so Scandanavian and modern and stuff. Anyone out there have experience with either wheel, or another one? I'd love to hear.

I would like to support the Canadian company, so I think I'm leaning toward the Lendrum. (And it's leaning toward me....inside Lendrum joke). Know what's funny though? What with the mighty loonie right now, the Canadian wheel is cheaper to buy in the States. Unbelievable - I can get it for $50 less or better if I drive over the border. I am trying to figure out the duty thing as we speak, I think there is a cap or something. Anyone have any experience with this - I also was told that there is no sales tax in Pennsylvania?

Here are a few pics of my efforts to date, both on the spindle and wheel. I know I'm going to get a lot better, but I'm so pleased at what I have managed to accomplish so far.

From worst to best, my first real spindle effort on the left, second (better) spindle effort in the middle, and first wheel (plyed even!) effort on the right:

The spindle stuff on the left is horrid, all overspun and underspun. The stuff in the middle is a hodgepodge from the spindle, but mostly some really nice Romney I got from Stoddart Farms at a farmers' market (at St. Clair and Wychwood for you Torontonians, I think they are there today and one more week after this. Lotsa good fleece for sale, even some handdyed). The difference in skill is pretty stark, owing much to the better quality of what I was spinning - the stuff on the left came with the spindle and was pretty coarse. The Stoddart Romney spins itself, I love it. On the right is my very first wheel effort, plyed. Here are some close ups of my (very common to new spinners) mistakes:

Overspun. See how it's all kinked up on itself there where it's thinner? More twist piles up in the thinner/weaker spots. I wasn't drafting out enough to let the twist migrate up as much as it could, I can see that now. This was from the spindle, I found it harder to control twist there than on the wheel. Here's another shot below of a common new spinner mistake:

Thick and thin. Again, this is spindle spun, and although it's not over or underspun it's not terribly consistent. Thick and thin yarn can still be knit with, it's kinda funky but I'm not aiming to make chunky funky yarn, I want me some nice, consistent stuff.

Here's another shot of that first wheel stuff:

Hard to see the definition because it's kind of fuzzy. Here's a bit of the yarn drawn out:

Not bad! Still a little thick and thin, but not over or undertwisted and plied fairly consistently. I was at the wheel for the first time for a total of 15 minutes and this is the result - it's pretty finely spun, I'd say at about fingering weight. The extreme close up here makes it look bulkier than it is.

I promised progress on the Baby Surprise Jacket, here it is folded up to give you an idea of what it will look like:

So. Cute. Need. To. Finish.

And to cap off today's post, just because we're picture-heavy and he is also irresistibly cute, here is a gratuitous hedgehog shot.

If Patience is the Companion of Wisdom, Then I Am A Dumbass

People, I'm telling you - I am a sick woman. I am not right in the head. The proof is in the pudding as they say and there is photo documentation ahead, read on.

Anyhoo, before we get to that - I have starting spinning. With a spindle. I am getting lessons one-on-one from a very nice woman named Noel. But all I want people, is to spin on the WHEEL. And Noel will not LET me until I master the spindle. This little exercise in proving to me that I have no patience whatsoever reminds me so much of my two months of drum lessons back in grade eight... (cue flashback music and the screen goes all wiggly and shit).

The grade school I attended offered various music lessons and to their credit, percussion was one of the classes you could take. How neat is that for a pre-teen! It was just a rubber practice bad, but you got to hold actual drum sticks!!! Man, that was so cool. I took lessons with my best friends Kelly and Rosie, we had a blast pretending to be Famous Rock Drummers. Eventually my teacher recommended me for private lessons. Awwww, sweet - someone thought I was good at something! At the time I was (who am I kidding, I still am) obsessed with The Police and specifically Stewart Copeland's amazing drum skills, so to be told I had talent in that department was pretty great. I asked the parents and they agreed to pay for the lessons, which in retrospect is amazing because we were poor as dirt farmers at the time. Thanks Mom and Dad.

I showed up for my first lesson and immediately saw the gleaming drum set in the corner of the room, and I coveted it. Cov et ed. Big time. Sparkly blue, shiny drum kit - you will be mine. But oh, no - Mr. Drum Lesson would not let me touch that thing in the entire time I took lessons, he made me practice this specific type of bullshit on the snare drum called "rudiments": paradiddle, paradiddle, it's a triple paradiddle. There is even such a thing as a flamadiddle. Jesus wept. Weeks of mind-numbing paradiddles and flamadiddles ensued, and Mr. Drum Lesson yelling "wrists up! Wrists up!" and then learning sight reading and drum notation (another specific kind of bullshit) and then onto the xylophone. WHAT?! Yes, that's right, I was forced to practice the freaking xylophone when a gleaming drum kit was calling my name not three feet away. Those drum heads tilted just so, at that angle just waiting to be struck. Made to be struck. By me.

Those lessons lasted a painful two months before I quit. I begged my father to buy me a drum kit, he found some old piece of crap in the newspaper and he actually went out and bought it for me and *let me practice in the rec room*. If you knew my father...this was a feat of total uncharacteristic coolness on his part. I still can't believe my curmudgeonly, selfish (not to forget poverty stricken) father bought and let me play a drum kit, in the house. I spent the next year practicing to The Police with my Walkman on, but never joined a band because none of my 13 year old friends played any instruments, and so I lost interest. I was also so shy that I could not play if anyone was watching me, even my parents. A friend of my brother eventually borrowed the kit ... for a few years, and his wife absconded with it in their eventual divorce. It wasn't until more than ten years later that I picked up the instrument again (not literally people, a drum kit is HEAVY - I make my boyfriend do that ) in a serious way.

Stay with me now, there is a point to this. I am doing the same thing with this spinning business. I am **this** close to buying a Louet S17 wheel, telling Noel so long and thanks for all the fish, but I have to move on. I came for the wheel and I am being denied. DO NOT DENY ME THE WHEEL. I have the patience of a flea, a gnat, a micro-nano-gnat. I am weak.

In Ravelry news...I swear to you Jesus that I will not amass an unbelievably huge stash of spinning fibre, overflowing Rubbermaid bins and hiding in the bookcase and the freezer - I will NOT. I will also not put sixty-four thousand knitting patterns in my queue and freak myself out with anxiety over the stuff I have not knit yet. I will limit myself to memberships in the Ravelry groups that I have already joined, those being Battlestar Galactica knitters, Drunken Toronto knitters, Motherless knitters, Knittin' Musician and Delores Devotees. I will also not spend more than ... one hour a day ON Ravelry (OK, two hours if it's a really slow day at work, that is if I still have a job in two weeks, dear tiny infant Jesus in your golden fleece diapers -  please let me keep my job).

She's a Girl With a Problem and There Ain't No Cure

Two posts ago I cleared my conscience about my unfinished knitting projects by dragging them all out and photographing them. I am telling you, that felt pretty good. I frogged two things and made progress on two others. I started thinking about what else I could drag out and  photograph in this same magical way in order to, um, get over some possible very slight hoarding OCD kind of issues.

If I'm being honest with myself people, it absolutely has to be these two things. These two things are weird. One of them nobody makes fun of me for, because my boyfriend is too nice and my friends do not look in my sock drawer. The other one my friends do make fun of me for. (There is also a third slight hoarding OCD thing that I get made fun of for quite a bit, but you cannot drag out and photograph the encyclopedic amount of trivial information you have memorized about Neil Young and happen to spout in public at inappropriate times. Ahem.)

So let's get to it. It's really just about these two teeny, tiny little things that I have a problem with:

The Endless Parade of  Lipgloss Problem

I have a little lipgloss aquisition issue, I really do. I like them slick, I like them sticky, I like them thin and sheer, I like them thick and goopy, I like a wash of dark stain, a clear shine and a frosty coral pink. I like liquid, gel, stick and wax. I like a squeezy thing with a hole in the end, like a pot, I like a wand and I like  a lipstick tube. I like all colours as long as they are not cool pinks. I like matte and I like shiny. I LIKE LIPGLOSS.

(notice not one but two Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper lipsheer thingies. One for the coat pocket and one for the purse).

This is just what was in the house ... there are at least five more at work. AND THIS IS JUST GLOSS - I couldn't bring myself to haul out and photograph the lipsticks. Seriously, I have to restrain myself from buying a new lipgloss every time I go to the drugstore. Also, I am so bloody forgetful - I keep buying more mainly because I can't find stuff most of the time. For this little shoot, I had to search the three makeup bags, two purses, two backpacks, the bowl that I keep keys and shit in, and four coat pockets.

The Hoarding of Socks with Holes Problem

Worst things first.

One pair of socks, three holes. This it how it happens - first one hole erupts over the left big toe. So that sock gets moved to right-foot only duty, cause the hole is not over the big toe on the right foot, see? It can still be worn. Toe will not poke through. Then, right foot sock will eventually erupt in a big toe hole too. And then I keep wearing them until a third hole breaks out over the middle somewhere. Because I am crazy like that. Baglady batshit holes-in-socks crazy.

Here's a little collage of the rest of the horror, and there is more than this. The sock on the bottom right is just about to go:

I never realized I have such uninspiring taste in socks until now.

To to head this question off at the pass - YES, I do cut my toenails. Religiously. This toe deformity that I no doubt have has something to do with the rubbing of the big toe, specifically the *left* big toe cause that's the one that always goes first, against the shoe. Socks only last a few weeks with me. I am where socks come to die.

But why, oh why do I save them when some pairs have hole in each sock?? Because my thrifty side, the part of me with the parents that grew up in the Depression and never, ever threw anything out believes one day I will darn these socks.

Today I am embracing reality. I am not going to darn these socks. They are going in the garbage.

The lipglosses are staying.

A reckoning ... UFO's

As promised, an account of my miserable failure to finish anything, OR ... an account of the multitude of joyous knitting projects in progress! With Photos! From newest to oldest. Click to embiggen images.

1. Austermann Step Socks

Springy, lovely yarn purchased at knitomatic. I think I might actually finish these. The standard sock recipe from the Yarn Harlot. In fact I feel like the Harlot, what with holding up a green sock in progress for photos.

2.  Fingerless Mitts

Unfortunately I threw away the ball band, so I no longer remember what the yarn is. Whatever it is, it's luscious and a dream to knit. I got it at a store in Kitchener called Cloth and Clay, which for a very small yarn shop has some wonderful stuff. It might be an alpaca/merino blend. I knit a pair of socks out of this yarn as well, then started on another pair, which turned into mittens which turned into fingerless mittens. I will definitely finish the mate to the one pictured. I have a chocolate brown fall jacket, it will look smashing.          

3. Baby Surprise Jacket

Not much progress since last pictured. I really have to get a move on this, or the damn baby is going to be too big for it. In Fleece Artist Merino (the darker blue/purple) and Dale of Norway Baby Ull.

4. Rainbow short sleeved sweater - Rowan Summer Tweed Kasbah Collection

I'm really in a conundrum with this. Just look at this picture, isn't it the cutest thing ever? If you know me, don't you think it is SO me, and would be flattering on my short and stacked stature? Doesn't she look cool and mysterious, lounging around somewhere in Morocco in her hand knitted short sleeved wraparound sweater?

The problem is, I HATE SUMMER TWEED. It's completely inelastic and crunchy, it's like knitting with twine. Not to mention having to stop and pull out hay, twigs and entire tree branches out of this stuff every 2 minutes. Gah. This is not a pleasurable knit, so this project has been sitting around on the needles since June. Plus - take a look at all the yarn ends I have to weave in! I should be able to send this project with those yarn ends to someone in prison to finish it for me. Hey, that might not be a bad idea....

5. Hunny's Lamb's Pride Vest

Started - oh, sometime at the beginning of last winter. So almost a year ago. It took me months and months to find something Daniel would like, his tastes are very plain. It had to be grey. No stripes. No patterning.  Cardigan style. It's a Lamb's Pride pattern, very straight-up.

Problem? It's vast and grey. Hours and hours of grey stockinette. Also, this yarn sheds like nobody's business, it looks like I've snuggled with a long haired cat after knitting on it. I'm also afraid that it will be the wrong size, even though I swatched and all of that. Fear lurks in my heart. But I must attend to it, I have forsaken my lover's knit for others' knits.

6. Booga Bag

Off the needles and ready for frogging. I dunno, I just couldn't go on. I know it would have felted up all felty and tight and booga bag-ish, but it was just too damn floppy. I hate floppy shit. Although, it does look nice here on my eggplant sofa, doesn't it?

OK, there it is. It's really not that bad, right? I mean, there are people out there that have more unfinished things on the needles than me, correct? It doesn't indicate some kind of moral failing or personality flaw, right?

Jazz Hands

I find myself in possession of ten tons 'o' yarn. (OK, really it's about 10 lbs - that's still a lot). The lovely Lex had it for a long time, and now it has come to live with me. Apparently this yarn, through its own mystical powers, occasionally leaves its host and seeks another. It has chosen me. I will post photos, perhaps tomorrow when it warms up to me a little more - I had to isolate it from the stash because...well, it's *bigger* than the stash. Stash might get frightened. Slow acclimatization is key.

Although its origins are shrouded in mystery, I'm pretty certain this stuff is 100% wool. The colours range from off-white to tan, brown, grey and rust. It's on cones - so I wonder if it was intended for machine knitting or weaving? If so, it might benefit from being washed. I might do an experiment. Wash the crap out of it, see how it does. Thanks to Juno for the recent post about coned yarn, it came just at the right time.

What would you do with about 10 lbs of pure wool in neutral colours? Anybody want some?

The leg, the leg, you all want to know about the leg. Stop yammerin already.

I had my first physio appointment today. The clinic itself was odd, shabby even. The room (which shall now be known as the Chamber of Horrors) contained a bed, a chair, and a deep freezer. Is that for ice packs, or do the staff keep their lunch in there?? Seriously, it was huge.

We started off nicely enough, but once the foreplay was over I got a little taste of the "electronic muscle stimulation". Sounds innocuous enough...until you are hooked up to some straps that shoot hydro straight into your withered, fucked up calf muscle that hasn't seen any action for eight weeks. Imagine a bad, bad charleyhorse while AT THE SAME TIME having 100 needles stuck rapidly in and out of your leg. I was flailing around on the table like a salted leech, at one point I caught myself doing Jazz Hands:

Jazz Hands of Pain. Who knew.

The dog ate my post

I wrote a very funny post about going back to work, but Typepad ate it. Damn. The jist of it was "working in the government is funny. Many humorous anecdotes arise from my employment there, let me share one of them with you".

I think I'll collect myself and redo that post another time. For now, let us rejoice in the finishing of Christina's Forest Canopy Shawl:                                                                                          

Can you find Daniel??

Here is some stitch detail:                                                                                                                                                         

I don't want to show you the whole thing, Christina might be peeking and I'd like it to be somewhat of a surprise.

This shawl was my first excursion into lace knitting, and overall I'm pretty happy with it. The pattern as written called for worsted weight yarn, I chose to knit it in SeaSilk which is the milk of human kindness, the golden chalice, nectar of the gods and Gilead's balm (what is that, anyway? It just popped into my head) all rolled into one. Wonderful stuff. I used two different colourways, and used a bit more than one skein's worth in total. Beware, this stuff costs more than gold but you could make a one skein shawl from it if you pick the right project.

I could have gone bigger but I just ran out of steam and I've been knitting it since May. I hope she likes it as much as I liked making it. The 8-row stitch pattern was easy to memorize, with a purl row every second row. If you knit with worsted, it would be a pretty quick project, I recommend it.

Next on the needles: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket for Scott and Anne's little one, coming soon. Not much to show yet:                                                                                                                            

Fleece Artist superwash merino in a bright blues/purples colourway. Me photographing me posting to the blog. Meta meta.

The damnable cast comes off tomorrow morning, I expect atrophy, peeling skin, extreme hairiness and righteous scar. My wildly inappropriate sense of decorum dictates that I should post pictures but I'll see what shows up in the comments. Vote yea or nea.