I wanted to show off my progress on The Adamas Shawl but I'd forgotten that mohair is pretty but evil. Evil, evil, evil.
(Warning. The following story was written late at night in a fit of rage and despair. It also illustrates beautifully why I did not grow up to be a famous novelist.)
What REALLY Happened in the Garden of Eden:
I don't think it was an apple or a tomato or anything from a tree. It was a sheep. (Tree/Sheep. Works for me)I think the Devil grabbed a skein of mohair (because who else would think of shearing an annoyed sheep, cleaning it, spinning it and then using it to knit stuff?) and told Eve "Look! How beautiful! Soft. Fuzzy......... Pet it......you can make gorgeous garments from this."
Eve looked puzzled and asked "What are garments?"
The Serpent (looking suspiciously like Jean Paul Gaultier, c'mon, tell me that this is not the work of the Devil)
) replied, astonished "You don't wear garments? But cherie! they can show off your beautifully small waist! Those hips! Those thighs! And you'd look stunning in this......diaper culotte fashion disaster Straight From the Runway Creation." (Granted, not knitted but perfect for Devilish representation.)
Eve, seduced, takes the skein of mohair to show Adam. He remains unconvinced until she tells him she'll knit him a sweater and manly matching scarf. And that, my friends, is how we were expelled from the Garden of Eden. By mohair and its evil seductiveness.
So. Short story? (On the shawl. Stay with me.)No progress. But I think I could tell you the first 10 rows in my sleep. How I keep getting off count is beyond me. Other than, well, I blame mohair ( and the inability to count in........evidently, numerical order) I zealously worked on it last night with earplugs in my ears in a small silent space and made it to the 17th row! Before I lost track. It was late though. This is strictly the fault of the yarn (hairy freaking string) and the operator. I've seen it knit up beautifully. But look! Actual knitting.
Book Swap Info: (for Knit the Classics)
Yarn:
1. What is your favorite type of yarn/fibers?
Well, it's not mohair at the moment. Wool really, but I'm in the wrong region.
2. Any yarns/fibers you absolutely hate?
Yucky feeling stuff. I don't care if it's natural or forged in a chem lab, if it feels good, I like it.
3. Any type that you would love to try but haven't yet?
Cascade 220 (I think that's the go-to felting yarn.) I want to felt something. (Isn't that a song?)
4. Any yarn allergies or sensitivities?
Itchy yucky stuff.
5. Favorite colors?
Orange. Red. Brown. At least that's what I seem to wear.
6. Favorite type of thing to knit: socks, lace, fair isle etc.
I like to knit everything. I manage to finish shawls, socks, the odd sweater (and I do mean odd)
7. Any knitting tools you would love to have?
That I don't have? More cool measuring tapes? Stitchmarkers.
8. Favorite tools you already have?
Crochet hooks. Freakin' indispensable. Stitchmarkers.
9. Favorite knitting designer?
Kathy Zimmerman, Nicky Epstein, Lily Chin, Deborah New.........uh, no. I like a lot of designers.
10. Favorite knitting book?
Stitch pattern books.
11. Any knitting books you would like?
The Pam Allen Scarf book. Out of Africa.
Food:
1. Favorite foods/flavors?
Peanut butter.
2. Foods/flavors you dislike?
Chuck roast. (I am now picturing someone mailing a chuck roast).
3. Any food allergies?
Nope
4. Do you like tea or coffee?
I love coffee, but pretty much just plain old (high end) coffee. No flavorings.
Books:
1. Favorite genre?
Black plague. History (mostly Queen Elizabeth era, or England). Mysteries. Time Travel.
2. Favorite authors?
Connie Willis. Alison Weir. Jack Higgins. Sharyn McCrumb, Alice Hoffman. Kage Baker. Charles de Lint.....
3. Top three favorite books?
Subject to change by mood
4. Anything you dislike to read?
Romances.
5. Do you like to listen to audiobooks? Cassette, cd or mp3 format?
I do. CD and cassette.
Misc:
1. Other hobbies besides knitting?
Reading, whining and complaining.
2. Do you collect anything?
Yarn and books. Stitchmarkers.
3. Favorite scent?
None. Migraines and allergies have made me a fan of scent free products.
4. Any scent you dislike or are allergic to?
Lavender. Rose. Perfumes.
5. Music that you like or dislike?
I like the Big Band era, Swing and Jazz most consistently. I listen to pretty much everything, but my taste is all over the map.
And now for pictoral knitting progress. This was done........four-fiveish years ago.
Isn't that a pretty border stitch? From Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments. I loved it and "designed" a sweater around it.
Said "designed" sweater:
Notice anything, ah, peculiar about the neckline? Shoulders? Yeah. Back to the Frog Pond. At least down to the sleeve join. I think I'm going to knit them separately this time.
And this little number I did between rows 1-17 eleventy million times just to prove to myself that I could knit something. Notice anything odd about it? None of the ends or joins are weaved in. I finished it, washed it, blocked it and then thought.......hmmmm. Idiot.
Medium is on tonight! I didn't watch the Oscars last night (just to show how engrossed I was in the Adamas Shawl, I didn't even think of it until they announced the winners this morning - hey, actually accomplishing almost the whole upper body chart is way more important than dumb movies awards. But I did want to see how Jon Stewart did. I bet he was great.) Knit & Plenty had a hysterical post about the Oscars too.
I noticed when I was alpabetizing my.......whatchacallit list for blogs that I don't have even a fraction of the sites I have bookmarked and visit. Not even close. Bookmarking is sooooo much easier.
(Warning. The following story was written late at night in a fit of rage and despair. It also illustrates beautifully why I did not grow up to be a famous novelist.)
What REALLY Happened in the Garden of Eden:
I don't think it was an apple or a tomato or anything from a tree. It was a sheep. (Tree/Sheep. Works for me)I think the Devil grabbed a skein of mohair (because who else would think of shearing an annoyed sheep, cleaning it, spinning it and then using it to knit stuff?) and told Eve "Look! How beautiful! Soft. Fuzzy......... Pet it......you can make gorgeous garments from this."
Eve looked puzzled and asked "What are garments?"
The Serpent (looking suspiciously like Jean Paul Gaultier, c'mon, tell me that this is not the work of the Devil)
) replied, astonished "You don't wear garments? But cherie! they can show off your beautifully small waist! Those hips! Those thighs! And you'd look stunning in this......Eve, seduced, takes the skein of mohair to show Adam. He remains unconvinced until she tells him she'll knit him a sweater and manly matching scarf. And that, my friends, is how we were expelled from the Garden of Eden. By mohair and its evil seductiveness.
So. Short story? (On the shawl. Stay with me.)
Book Swap Info: (for Knit the Classics)
Yarn:
1. What is your favorite type of yarn/fibers?
Well, it's not mohair at the moment. Wool really, but I'm in the wrong region.
2. Any yarns/fibers you absolutely hate?
Yucky feeling stuff. I don't care if it's natural or forged in a chem lab, if it feels good, I like it.
3. Any type that you would love to try but haven't yet?
Cascade 220 (I think that's the go-to felting yarn.) I want to felt something. (Isn't that a song?)
4. Any yarn allergies or sensitivities?
Itchy yucky stuff.
5. Favorite colors?
Orange. Red. Brown. At least that's what I seem to wear.
6. Favorite type of thing to knit: socks, lace, fair isle etc.
I like to knit everything. I manage to finish shawls, socks, the odd sweater (and I do mean odd)
7. Any knitting tools you would love to have?
That I don't have? More cool measuring tapes? Stitchmarkers.
8. Favorite tools you already have?
Crochet hooks. Freakin' indispensable. Stitchmarkers.
9. Favorite knitting designer?
Kathy Zimmerman, Nicky Epstein, Lily Chin, Deborah New.........uh, no. I like a lot of designers.
10. Favorite knitting book?
Stitch pattern books.
11. Any knitting books you would like?
The Pam Allen Scarf book. Out of Africa.
Food:
1. Favorite foods/flavors?
Peanut butter.
2. Foods/flavors you dislike?
Chuck roast. (I am now picturing someone mailing a chuck roast).
3. Any food allergies?
Nope
4. Do you like tea or coffee?
I love coffee, but pretty much just plain old (high end) coffee. No flavorings.
Books:
1. Favorite genre?
Black plague. History (mostly Queen Elizabeth era, or England). Mysteries. Time Travel.
2. Favorite authors?
Connie Willis. Alison Weir. Jack Higgins. Sharyn McCrumb, Alice Hoffman. Kage Baker. Charles de Lint.....
3. Top three favorite books?
Subject to change by mood
4. Anything you dislike to read?
Romances.
5. Do you like to listen to audiobooks? Cassette, cd or mp3 format?
I do. CD and cassette.
Misc:
1. Other hobbies besides knitting?
Reading, whining and complaining.
2. Do you collect anything?
Yarn and books. Stitchmarkers.
3. Favorite scent?
None. Migraines and allergies have made me a fan of scent free products.
4. Any scent you dislike or are allergic to?
Lavender. Rose. Perfumes.
5. Music that you like or dislike?
I like the Big Band era, Swing and Jazz most consistently. I listen to pretty much everything, but my taste is all over the map.
And now for pictoral knitting progress. This was done........four-fiveish years ago.
Isn't that a pretty border stitch? From Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments. I loved it and "designed" a sweater around it.
Said "designed" sweater:
Notice anything, ah, peculiar about the neckline? Shoulders? Yeah. Back to the Frog Pond. At least down to the sleeve join. I think I'm going to knit them separately this time.
And this little number I did between rows 1-17 eleventy million times just to prove to myself that I could knit something. Notice anything odd about it? None of the ends or joins are weaved in. I finished it, washed it, blocked it and then thought.......hmmmm. Idiot.
Medium is on tonight! I didn't watch the Oscars last night (just to show how engrossed I was in the Adamas Shawl, I didn't even think of it until they announced the winners this morning - hey, actually accomplishing almost the whole upper body chart is way more important than dumb movies awards. But I did want to see how Jon Stewart did. I bet he was great.) Knit & Plenty had a hysterical post about the Oscars too.
I noticed when I was alpabetizing my.......whatchacallit list for blogs that I don't have even a fraction of the sites I have bookmarked and visit. Not even close. Bookmarking is sooooo much easier.
posted by Carrie K at 11:48 AM
10 Comments:
I love the little shawl you have blocking! You and I would probably do well as swap partners - no smelly stuff, good books.. ;)
Persevere with the shawl! You can do it!
that shawl blocking is gorgeous.
The Adamas Shawl will behave at some point, or if not, well um, I don't know what to tell you, but I'll hope it works out for you.
Kick that mohair's butt and show it who's boss. You can do it!
(Is this a bad time to point out that mohair is a goat? Maybe that was God's punishment...demoting the mohair sheep into a mohair goat.)
A Very Bad Time, Imbrium. Oh well, I knew there was no future. Goat, sheep. On the other hand that could explain mohair's stubborness. Or is that a donkey? lol.
It will work! I will have that shawl! If it kills us both.
That is too cool, Aven! I've got Jack the Giant Killer in my TBR stack and now I'll read it with insider info!
Beautiful shawl, and I enjoyed reading the meme too ;o) It is sad about the mohair being unruly :o(
Ok. I love your version of Paradise Lost/Genesis. I think you are right...it must have been a sheep and Satan surely was Jean-Paul Gautier.
I am sorry you are having so much trouble with your shawl. Have you tried putting stitch markers between every single pattern repeat on a row? Will that work with this pattern?
When you get to the end of this shawl you'll wonder what was so hard about it. It's always that way with me.
How can you be in the Bay Area and say it's not right for wool? I'm from Mendocino County, and I must say, wool was a friend of mine there. All year.
Thanks for commenting on my blog.
The thing that makes my cat teapot even more bizarre is that I'm a coffee snob, and my B/P/W doesn't use teapots....It's one of the mysteries of taste.
Christine, Bay Area as in East Bay. Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill. Hot. Or at least temperate.
I learned to knit while I lived in Mendocino Co. though.
Jenni, it's not the pattern, it's me. I really should wait to work on it when I have a solid block of time to work on it, but that's a few weeks off and I hate to wait.
Oh, yeah... I forgot about the valley being so close. I used to work in Concord, live in Antioch, etc. But it was winter.
Whereabouts in Mendo were you knitting? I'm from Fort Bragg.
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