Garden update

I've made no progress on the Legends of the Shetland Seas shawl this week.  I will say this about it though:  when I got the pattern in the mail, at first I was a bit... well. I'm by no means an expert or anything, but the patterning didn't seem that advanced to me.  Sure, there are no rest rows, but really, we're talking K2tog and yo's here.  The decreases aren't symmetrical, so there isn't even an SSK to keep a knitter on her toes.  I guess I was a bit... disappointed.  There.  I said it.  I had thought this would be a challenge, a sigh that I had graduated to the holy status of the Advanced Knitter, and I was disappointed.

Then I wound the yarn and actually attempted to knit it. And dudes.  The pattern is sooOOOooOOOooo not the issue.  It's the yarn, my friends.  Gossamer weight yarn?  Knitting with that frog hair is intense.  2 rows on regular old straights was all I could handle before I realized I was totally gossamer's bitch and ordered some Addis Turbo Lace needles.  I even considered going Knitter Ninja and buying my first pair of Signatures, but decided against it when I realized I couldn't choose the colour myself.

So.  No Shetland goodness this week.  How about a look at my other WIP this summer?  Here's a peek at what's been going on in the vegetable patch.

 

My beloved tomatoes have started producing fruit.  It's still way too early for the Romas, of course, but the Cherry tomatoes are really getting in gear.  They're juicy and bursting with flavour, and have become a favourite snack when I water the garden every evening.

The bees have been busy little... well... bees, heh.  I was amazed to find them in little swarms in my pumpkin flowers.  Not swarms, really.  They were all just... chillin'.  Like frat boys after a kegger.  They're obviously doing something right, because we've got 5 good sized pumpkins out there this year.

Green beans.  Too many green beans!!!  I think I planted... oh... 12 plants?  16?  Too many.  Way too many.  It's a green bean invasion over here!!!

The corn I planted at Maxime's request seemed to be doing pretty well, maybe too much so since some critter or other has gotten into the garden and chomped 2 of the 9 stalks.  I don't know if I'll have enough to ensure cross pollination at this point, so I may well have a sad, corn-less little man in a few weeks.  We'll see.

Garlic!  I harvested my garlic last weekend!  And, to quote Anastasia Steele: Holy Crap!  It has to be the strongest garlic EVAH!  One clove is enough to get your eyes to tear up, I'm not even kidding.  Vampires beware is all I'm saying.  Phew!

And there you have it.  I'm off to get my knit on.  The Addis have arrived, friends, but so has the second clue of Stephen West's Mystery KAL.  Decisions, decisions...

Happy Knitting, Everyone!

Waiting has its rewards

After my last post, I was really hoping to have some Shetland pr0n to share with you, but it turns out that the pattern (Legends of the Shetland Seas - even the name is epic) is only available in print.  You'd think I would have figured that out after weeks of pattern stalking, but nope, not a clue.  You could have knocked me over with a feather when I wanted went to buy the pattern and realized it wasn't available as a download. No download?  You mean, I have to, like, wait?  Seriously?

Having to wait to cast on had it's advantages, however.  I finished the first of a languishing pair of stripey vanilla socks and am well on my way down the leg of the second.

Yarn: Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett, Landscape Jungle Colourway (4350)

Pattern: 64 stitch vanilla socks, with a heel flap 'cause I like 'em better with flaps

I wove in the ends of the Wild Apple Bohus hat I finished in... oh... March of 2011.  (There were about a MILLION of them.  It would have taken you a long time too.  Ahem.)

I even joined Stephen West's Mystery Shawl KAL and got started on that.

Yarn: String Theory Caper Sock in Brina (Brown) and Viola Fancy Sock in Moonlit Heather (Purple)

And once the pattern finally arrived and I realized I now had to order some seriously pointy needles if I ever wanted to have a chance in heck of knitting this beast of a pattern, I did something drastic.  Something that, to be honest, I never thought I would do.  Ever.  

Dudes, I totally finished the green scarf.

This scarf is what you knit out of the leftover yarn for the Wild Apple Bohus hat.  The whole pattern is written out in 4 lines.  It's almost an afterthought.  And that's what it looks like, if we're going to be completely honest here.  An afterthought.  A "Oh by the way, the hat comes with this matching scarf" scarf.

But here's the thing: that's 132 cm (roughly 52 inches) of alternating rib knit on 2.0 mm needles you're looking at.  I know it doesn't look like much, but trust me.  It's a beast.

 Happy Knitting, Everyone!

Knitter Jargon

According to Wikipedia (the librarian in me just cringed, I kid you not), jargon is defined as esoteric but precisely defined terminology used for ease of communication between specialists in a given field, whereas a buzzword (which often develops from the appropriation of technical jargon) is often used in a more general way, inaccurately or inappropriately.  Whether you call it jargon or a buzzword, the point is that - as Knitters - there are words in our craft that carry a special weight, a special meaning.  Kinnearing.  Wildfire Patterns.  Ravatar.

When I settled on my next project, I realized it tapped into some of the MAJOR knitterly jargon.  Words that MEAN something, you know?

Advanced.  Shetland.  Gossamer (!!!). 

Boom!

Happy Knitting, Everyone!