Knitting Page Archives: June 2002

June 27, 2002. I have about 20 rows left on the sleeves for the 3-4 sleeve raglan sweater, and then it's just blocking and sewing together. I'm afraid I'm going to run out of yarn. I hope I at least have enough to finish the sleeves, and then it won't matter if I get a ball from a different dye lot to sew the sweater together. No new pictures, since it's too big to scan. I'll take some regular photos when I'm all done.

I got a call today saying the Mini Sock Sampler class I was going to take at Central Yarn is being canceled. This is the second time it's been canceled! They're going to have it on a different day though, which might work out better for me anyway.

I finally archived this page. It was getting a little unwieldy. Sorry about that.

June 25, 2002. Theresa's Personal Yarns.

Moving on to high school:

Who was your best friend in high school? Rebecca Lewison

What was it about them that made you feel close? We'd been friends since we were really little. 4 or 5 years old, maybe. I used to sleep over at her house almost every Friday night. We grew apart for a few years in junior high, but then became close friends again in 10th grade. We were a lot like each other, and had a lot of personal history. Plus the same sense of humor.

What is the silliest/craziest/most outrageous thing you did together? Oh, gosh, I don't know. I'm sure there are many things that I've completely blocked out. I can think of some embarrassing things, like this horrid picture of us at around age 9, with our faces painted like clowns (sad clowns, if I remember correctly). I'll have to come back to this one.

Are you still in touch? If not, how long did you keep in touch? Would you like to get reacquainted? Yep, we're still in touch. We email on a fairly regular basis. I haven't seen her in several years though, since she's always off studying South American turtles of African hippos or Nova Scotian marine life of some sort.

June 17, 2002. I was walking back from Central Yarn today (got some sock yarn!) and I saw the most adorable little sign across the street. A big wooden sign with a funky face on it, and it was all pink. I crossed the street to check it out, and it was pointing up the stairs to a new jewelry store: Mary Amalia, Jewelry for Everyone. Such. Cute. Stuff. This woman makes the cutest jewelry, all different kinds (really is jewelry for everyone!). I got this bracelet:

It's stretchy, and the wire with the pink beads is wound into a spiral. I was just gushing over everything. She had really nice simple silver bracelets and rings, and then wackier ones that were all spirally or looked like architecture. And necklaces with bright sparkly flowers. I liked those too.

So I showed her my sock yarn, and was just babbling and gushing a bit, and she said, "A friend of mine just started a knitting website. Clara..." and of course at that point I started squawking, "Clara! Knitter's Review! I know her! Squawk! Squawk!" (ok, I didn't literally squawk, but I do tend to start squealing when I get excited) Maine is a small town, I tell ya. Anyway, if you're anywhere in this area, go see Mary Amalia on Congress Street! Her jewelry is really beautiful, she makes it all herself, the walls in her shop are painted green, and she serves cosmopolitans during First Friday Artwalk.

June 15, 2002. A little late, but here are my answers to Theresa's latest Personal Yarns (the deserted island edition).

With all essentials being taken care of, what ...

• (non-knitting) book : Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume 2. Those tissue-thin pages were a nuisance in college, but all that literature packed into one book would be helpful on a deserted island.
• movie: Oh, I don't know. Maybe, "Brazil"? Something semi-confusing and meaty like that, with many layers, and also funny bits.
• music: Elvis Costello "This Year's Model." Always makes me happy.
• food: Dave's black-eyed pea salsa. Nectar of the gods, and it's nutritionally complete!
• knitting book, yarn & needles: Debbie Bliss' "How to Knit," some 4.5 sts/inch 100% wool yarn in a grey/brown color, and size 8 circulars.
  

...would you take along to a deserted island for the nourishment of your soul?

June 7, 2002. It always takes me forever to figure out gauge on new projects! I'm trying do swatches for the Vogue sweater, and size 10 needles had too few stitches, and size 9 had too many. I thought, "No problem, I'll go get size 9.5 needles!" Which don't exist (at least not in the U.S.). But I had a nice long chat with an extremely helpful woman at one of my local yarn stores, and she suggested I get size 10s made of a different material, since that can make a difference. That was fine with me, since my size 10s were aluminum, and I didn't like them that much. So I got a pair of Clover Takumi bamboo needles (my favorite kind of needle), and the swatch worked out fine on that. Ready to cast on! Phew.

While I was in Central Yarn, I signed up for the mini sock sampler workshop that was canceled during the Maine Fabric & Fiber Festival. It's the same teacher and everything (she works at the store). I guess they canceled it during the Festival because only 3 people signed up. They'll hold it at Central Yarn even if I'm the only student, so that's good. They had all the cool variegated sock yarn there that makes its own pattern. I can't wait to know how to make socks!

Speaking of local yarn shops, look at all the fun Ginn had touring the great knitting state of Maine! I'm so glad you had a good time, Ginn!

June 3, 2002. I didn't knit anything on my week-long vacation, because I brought the wrong size needles. I meant to bring size 10 and size 9, but instead brought size 10 and size 8. I needed size 9. Oh well.

I did get some good free yarn from my high school friend's grandmother, who was a weaver, and had a lot of yarn around that she wasn't using anymore. I'm going to combine it with some other leftover yarn I have to make an afghan, at some point.

I updated the hooded baby sweater page, with actual photos of the sweater (and I deleted my pieced-together scanned in photo). I also updated the hooded baby towel page, with a photo of the finished object.