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Thursday
IRO FO! Yay! and other ramblings ....
Okay, I'm back with a Thursday update ...
Some FO's to report:
Yay! I finished my very own Charlotte's Web Shawl ... granted, it's not in Koigu, but rather in stunning but very very chunky NORO IRO (normally 3 st = 1"), but as a first shawl, I'm very pleased. If I wear it at all, I'll definitely consider making a real Charlotte's Web in Koigu ... but what colors to choose? Various shades of red? They would look splendid with a black dress in the summer, or maybe to a Christmas (er, holiday) party ... or bright turquoise-like summer colors? Fall browns and golds? But I digress.
Here's a shot of my Iro Shawl:
Here I am wearing my Iro, in two poses (note how clever I was to take a photo over my back ... this required about 10 practice shots before I got it right! [doh!]):
And the glorious Iro Shawl hanging from the towel rod in my bathroom -- note to self: try to find better places to do photos!.
As an aside, I did my Master's Degree in Spanish Literature at Colorado State University, with an additional graduate certificate in Women's Studies. My thesis was interdisciplinary -- I wrote a critique of two separate books written by female authors ( Realidad desde la cama, by a favorite Argentine author Luisa Valenzuela, and El cuarto de atras, by a fab Spanish author Carmen Martin Gaite) and analyzed them from the perspective of French feminist psychoanalytical theory (in part founded by Julia Kristeva and Helene Cixous, along with L Irigaray), and I specifically focused on Luce Irigaray, an amazing mind who wrote This Sex Which Is Not One. If you're interested in feminist theory, it's an amazing book which still boggles my mind. Again, however, I digress. I had always heard of and read Barbara Walker's Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. When I started knitting two years ago, I of course heard of B Walker, and thought ... what a coincidence! As you know, she went from knitting insatiably for ten years to straight into feminist theory ... sort of the opposite direction from me ... and what an amazing mind she has!!
This brings me to what I've been working on this week:
A FUN little swatch from Barbara Walker's mosaic knitting book, which I got from my library (gotta love ordering books from your library!):
I don't know what I'll do with this yet ... I was thinking of checking gauge, and then felting to see how it turned out. What would a Kureyon/Lamb's pride worsted swatch turn out like? How about a felted tote from mosaic? Hmmm ... the possibilities are out there!
And what is this? ... a trip to my LYS, Shuttles in Boulder?
Well, yes ... and what for? Since we're on the subject of Barbara Walker, here it is, a special hard-to-find edition of the Learn to Knit Afghan Book -- Yay! They had it brand-new in the store, unbelievably so because it is practically out of print, and expensive on eBay, too.
And what yarn shall I use to make my own LTKA? I decided on Plymouth Encore Chunky, mainly because it was on sale, but also because I can buy a lot of different blues for my son, and then because it is chunky, it should go quickly. Here are the first colors:
There we go for now! I have yet more yarn news in store ... update to come later!
Chloe my kitty, by the way, says: "When are you going to make me a kitty pi? Meow."
Posted at 8/12/2004 8:06:43 pm by Jen
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Sunday
What have I been working on?
Well, I'm establishing my own blog rules:
1. Blog at least once a week, more if possible.
2. One FO per week (this includes UFOs I'll be digging up to finish).
3. Strive to always include photos (always more interesting).
4. Try to update at least one past FO per blog session, and that way I'll get them done.
5. Don't forget other "interesting" stuff!
So, living up to these standards, here's my promised photo entries:
#1. Two rolled brim hats that I just finished recently, free pattern to come for these. Both are Noro Kureyon (#40, #130 respectively), and both are super easy on #7 dpns. Are you a Noro addict? 
#2. I am indeed a Noro addict, as these entries shall soon prove. Here's my start of Karlsro, a side-to-side lacy rib wrap cardigan, from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's book ONE.  Notes on this: once I got the lacy rib pattern down, this has been a pretty quick knit -- and only takes 10 skeins for the M/L size (and 8 for S/M). I think that this is definitely *the* pattern to knit in this book.
#3. In order to get the said lacy rib pattern down, I worked on this Noro Silk Garden scarf. Free pattern also forthcoming, only 1 sk necessary! 
Notes on this: it's a slightly rolled-in scarf; although it's lacy, it's all st st, which does roll.
#4. And, one more lacy rib pattern scarf. I actually like this one more, and once I do a few great stitch patterns, I'll make a pattern out of it bundled with the others to sell later. Also, a 1-sk scarf! 
#5. And, just so that you understand the depths of my Noro addiction, here's my last (for today, at least): my own very first shawl, made of Noro Iro #08 (chunky, usually 3 st = 1"). What's the pattern, you ask?? Why, it's Charlotte's Web, by Koigu. What, no sock-weight Koigu used here? No, no ... as amazingly entrancing as those yarns can be, I had to do a shawl that was a QUICK FIX. It is my first shawl after all. Maybe some day I can do a real Charlotte's Web. Anyhow, it really is easy, once you figure out how to put markers between every repeating section. It's actually mesmerizing, and in chunky yarn, it comes together so quickly ... I started this about 4 days ago. This is 2 out of 3 hanks of Iro. 
Posted at 8/8/2004 9:06:15 pm by Jen
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A - Age: 32
B - Band listening to right now: Vince Guaraldi on Charlie Brown (kids are on tv)
C - Career: French and Spanish teacher; amateur entrepreneur
D - Dad's name: Ken
E - Easiest person to talk to: my husband
F - Favorite song: songs? I have two small children, and not enough time to listen to *a* song
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: bears
H - Hometown: Lakewood, CO
I - Instruments: flute, piccolo, piano
J - Job: sometimes-foreign-language-teacher
K - Kids: Yes, 4 and almost 2, Conor and Lia
L - Longest car ride ever: Cape Cod, MA to Boulder, CO
M - Mom's name: Sandra
N - Number of people you've slept with: none of your beeswax
P - Phobia(s): none really
Q - Quote: Life is nothing if not an adventure -- Helen Keller
R - Reason to smile: I have no real complaints (though it doesn't always stop me!)
S - Song you sang last: probably either a Raffi or a Burle Ives song
T - Time you wake up: around 6:30, or later if I can fanagle it
U - Unknown fact about me: I can wiggle my eyebrows
V - Vegetable you hate: none that I hate
W - Worst habit: worrying about things that don't matter
X - X-rays you've had: spine, lots of dental
Y - Yummy food: husband's cooking (I'm so lucky)
Z - Zodiac sign: Aquarius
Posted at 8/8/2004 9:03:05 pm by Jen
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Against my better judgment, here I am starting a knitting blog ... I know, there's a ton of blogs out there ... who has time to do this? ... why do you want to share this with others?, etc ... I've reasoned out the reasons to not start a blog, and I've decided to take the plunge.
Why?
1. I kind of just want to put my stuff out there, and see what others think/ can give feedback on/ like ...
2. I want a place to catalogue my stuff that isn't a physical place.
3. I want something to help direct my energies, and I feel like if I write down here that I'll do something, then maybe I'll be more tempted to do it.
4. (This is silly...) I think that if I do a better job of taking picts of knitting related stuff, then I'll be able to take pictures of real life stuff (like my kids) that I get sidetracked on and don't do.
5. I want to record my progress towards the Master Knitter's program, and as a knitter in general.
Here I go!
Posted at 8/8/2004 8:49:52 pm by Jen
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