I can feel it coming. It doesn’t help that the fall knitting magazines are hitting my mailboxes both real and virtual. And what with the weather being unseasonably comfortable of late, it’s easy to think it’s nearer than it actually is.
For those who are unfamiliar, fall has a strange power over knitters, especially the wool lovers. She is a siren whose song grows stronger right around august. It’s the promise of cooler days and a growing need for layers. We relish fall. Autumn is our mistress. Normal people get caught up in spring cleaning; knitters get caught up in fall knitting.
Add to that the fact that I, like at least a few others, measure our year by a school calendar, which means renewed vigor for a new year comes now, rather than between Christmas and New Years. You don’t want to see what happens when I smell a new box of crayons around this time of year; it’s downright silly.
But back to the wool. I’ve just finished leafing through my copy of Interweave Knits Fall ‘09 and I’m so inspired. All I want to do is stockpile some yarn and park it on the couch and knit until I can’t move my arms anymore. Not helpful when one is still unemployed – no new jobs to be found on the couch. I, however, would be blissfully unaware of this fact. Just look at what I’ve been eyeing. Not all of these are new, but still exciting.
fall 09
Fall 09
Fall 09
Winter 06
Fall 08
Winter 08
Fall 09
Spring 09
Winter 08
Spring 09
Fall 09
Winter 07
Winter 08
** Note, we have found a really nice apartment, it was clean, appliances are all new and work great, very quiet, and I even get to do some gardening. These following observations are not meant to be complaints.**
I don’t like living spaces that are really cavernous. I think I would prefer my ceilings to be 8 feet or less. I want to feel cozy in my home. Built in shelves are a good thing. Anything to bring the walls in a little without actually creating a problem walking around. Think hobbit house. Having these big blank walls that stretch up 9-10 feet actually makes me a little uncomfortable.
I don’t much care for carpet; I would much prefer wood floors and some throw rugs.
I want a window behind my kitchen sink, along with a good many windows to brighten up my kitchen. And what wall is left between cabinets and windows should be covered in something durable like tile, stone, or metal. Personally I would replace the typical microwave over the stove with a pot rack or just the vent hood. Though the microwave has proved somewhat useful in melting wax for candles, but I can do that on the stove just as well once I find the designated not-food pot. I think I like black appliances – not as jarring as white ones, less industrial feeling than stainless steel – though i wouldn’ t mind mounting cabinet door panels on them to make them blend it either.
I want my windows to be simple squares/rectangles of glass with as little breakup in them as possible. Some I would hang bits of knitted lace over, cafe curtains and such, because sunshine through handknit lace is really pretty. But otherwise they should have nice molding around them and be clean so I can see the outside.
That’s all I’ve got at the moment.
I’m not a fan. But I am learning new things about myself: I have too much stuff, when that stuff is rearranged and packed in boxes I lose the ability to track my relative position in time and space along with my ability to produce logical thoughts, also when packing I tend to forget to eat. But we’re chugging along smartly and should be done soon.
Soon I hope.
We’re moving, rather soon. I could really use a job. That’s all I’ve got the energy for now.
I have no idea who decides these things, but 2009 is the year of the natural fiber. I’m a huge fan of natural fibers, so I’m fine with this. Thought I’d share a little inspiration.
From top left:
1. Cotton Boll 2. Silk Noil, Ingeo, Acala Cotton, Bamboo, and Cormo Wool 3. Naturally Dyed Wool 4. Natural Colored Cotton 5. Handspun Artyarn 6. Handwoven Scarf 7. Wool and Bamboo Yarn 8. Flax Fiber 9. Hand Dyed Wensleydale Wool
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where my head has been lately. Enjoy!
Ok, that mosaic making thing is really fun – I might need to do that some more!
Time for an update.
Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:
I’ve been finishing things.
I’ve started some things.
I’ve had some interesting things on my mind:
Snow White
This whole book
Girasole
Demi
I think maybe I’m on a texture kick.
The senate approved a 4 month delay of the DTV transition today. Why?? Because we’re apparently a nation of whiny, indecisive good-for-nothings.
IT’S JUST FREAKING TV PEOPLE!!!! This is not a life or death kind of situation!
Deep breath, Q. Ok, I feel better. It just really frustrates me that these government types talk about a loss of TV reception like it would have much if any actual impact on a person’s health and safety. There are far too many ways to receive the emergency information that we need. It’s not that big of a deal.
Let’s just get the whole freaking thing over with!
ETA – this is not official yet, it’s just working its way around in congress.
I have to share this because it just made my day.
So yesterday I was madly trying to finish a sock, one of a pair that I’d been putting off working on for a while. So when things were a little dull I’d sit in my chair and knit on my sock. Someone walked in and ask me what I was knitting. I told her it was a sock, and she was pretty amazed that I could make a sock “from scratch” which at this point looked like a sock. She then asked me if I had knit my scarf. I said no, I’d picked it up at Target. She laughed. The thing that got me was, I was wearing a store bought scarf and a handknit sweater. She didn’t ask about the sweater. This happened not once, but twice! I was so tickled! It just amused me to no end.
It’s a new year it’s time for new tactics. Over the course of 2008 I overcommitted myself, started too many projects at once, and then ended up not finishing many of them. I reached a point in the fall where I had a huge variety of projects on the needles, but none of them excited me anymore and I wanted to start something else, but felt like I needed to get some of them out of the way before I could. By the end I didn’t finish half as many projects as I had hoped to in the year and was ultimately unhappy with my knitting.
No more. Since the tail end of last year I’ve been in a mood to finish things and get them off of my needles. I’m also happily devoting myself to a single project at a time. As both of these are extremely rare for me, I’m taking the momentum and running with it. Once I have either run out of steam or finished the projects I want to be done with, I have some exciting plans.
Right now I have a list of eleven projects I’d like to complete by the end of the year. Some of them are presents, others are for me. I’m a little scared, because I have 4 sweaters on the list, that I won’t be able to complete everything, but I’m going to give it a go. I’m finishing the Cobblestone sweater for Seth this week, or at least I hope to. I’m going to knit the Tangled Yoke cardigan again, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going to knit myself a pair of socks that I’ve really wanted for a long time. My hope is that if I can devote myself to one project at a time I may get more of them finished. If that doesn’t work, then one big project and one small project going at a time, say a sweater and a pair of socks. Time will just have to tell.
but I can’t sleep yet. My mind is vibrating because this is my awake time of day, er night.
I really need to take some pictures, I’ve done some stuff lately that I’d like to show off. I’ll get to that sooner or later. I open up wordpress from time to time, but I end up not posting anything because I don’t have the pictures I want or need. I don’t think me just writing stuff really cuts it most of the time, especially since I tend to stop and start thoughts in the middle and ramble a lot. And yes, this is my blog, and I can do anything I want . . . but I want to have pictures. On the upside, a storage room in the basement was freed up last week. Long story short, we should have had access to one a long time ago, but at least we have one now, which is making the second bedroom a whole lot less crowded with the accumulated belongings we just don’t want to part with. Maybe I’ll make myself a little setup for photography in there so I can shoot stuff when I want to. I need better light . . . might have to work on that.
Why is it that people change so quickly the minute they perceive even the smallest amount of anonymity? I see it from time to time on the internet . . . but I see it all the time in traffic. For the record it’s not hard to recognize the car of someone you know. People who drive like complete freaking jerks and/or morons (it’s usually both) should bear in mind the fact that someone in traffic may know their car. I mean, does it really take all that much effort to read road signs, have an ounce of consideration for other drivers, obey some really basic traffic laws, and maybe have just an ounce of patience? Really.
I have a couple knitting projects I really need to finish, but I’m having a huge bout of knitting ADD combined with startitis. Time to buckle down.
I’m excited for this weekend, it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Ok, I think I might be able to sleep now . . . time to go try.
