Mice in the library

Jane Green, librarian and sock knitter par excellence (check out her Spirit Sisters website), brought these little guys to the library last week:

They are a wonderful Ysolda Teague pattern, "Mousie,"available through Ysolda's website or Ravelry.

And above are two of Jane's latest sock creations--an olive green tweed hiking sock, and elegant blue cabled socks with Jane's signature "fizz" at top.  The mice are about to leave for Louisville, KY, where Jane's heading for a week's visit with her daughter and grand-cat.  (Guess who's getting the mice?)

Why Socks?  An Existential Disquisition, Part 1

Recently I've come across more than a few manifestos, online and in knitting magazines, arguing in favor of knitted socks. The Langworthy Library Knitting Association, perhaps as a reflection of Jane's proclivities, cleaves to socks more than to anything else.  Denise tells me, "They're instant gratification." She favors them over more time-consuming projects, as do many other proponents, both in-library and outside.

I'm in the early stages of my sock-knitting career, and consider myself a convert to the beauty and general superiority of hand-knitted socks. They are warmer, lighter, and softer than any machine-made sock I've ever worn, including machine-made cashmere and angora. Plus, they're mine--original, unique, and custom-fitted!

Below a small gallery of hand-knitted socks made by the Langworthians:

Judy's socks

Denise's socks

Anne's socks

Socks I made for HC's birthday in November!

Here's a question:  Why do you or don't you knit socks?  (Responses will appear in a future post.)

Multifaceted

The historic Octagon house of Carolina Village, Richmond, Rhode Island, now shelters the Carolina Fiber and Fiction Center.

Inside,  Jan Doyle and  Richard Muto teach spinning, weaving, and knitting!

Jan Doyle and Master Weaver Certificate Candidate Anna Hallstrom.

Richard Muto's most entertaining yarn-spinning class meets on Saturday mornings.

Jan's amazing woven robes adorn the walls of Octagon House.

Jan and student working from the bottom up.

For more info see the CFFC's Facebook page, or contact Jan at vavlkyrie@cox.net.

A little bit of Persia in Woodville, Lower Falls

Imagine that you're surrendered to the Cranston Animal Shelter because someone didn't have the time or desire to care for you. You live there for what seems like forever, in a barred steel cage surrounded by other kitties in barred steel cages.  This is "The Cat Room." Everyone yowls. Or, everyone tries to sleep as much as possible so as to forget what's happening. People come in and out, and sometimes someone takes you from the cage and holds you. And then puts you back. Until Tuesday, October 5th. 

She came in and held you close to her. You rubbed your head against her face and against her hand. "I want this little one!" she said. (Because you are little, weighing less than five pounds!) She left the room but returned a short while later with a carrier, and before you knew it, you were outside the animal shelter, then in a car. The motor purred, just like you. You settled down and made yourself as small as possible. In your short life you've been taken many places, and this was just another place to go.

Then the car stopped and she took you into the house. She opened the carrier and picked you up, and ascended several flights of stairs. You could tell immediately there were other cats and something else--a very large cat that they call a Lola Dog--and then you were in a quiet room. There was delicious food and a bowl of water. There was a tidy litterbox. There was a very soft place to sit.

She told you your name is Molly, and you are in your forever home. She said, "I want to take your photo for the knitting blog, but we have to link this to knitting, even though it's really about how anyone who loves animals can ADOPT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND LOVING PET FROM AN ANIMAL SHELTER. You were already sitting on a hand-knitted blanket, but she surrounded you with several skeins of the softest cashmere yarn, which is very warm and made you feel even happier than you already were.

This lady who loves to knit wants her readers to know that all her adult life she has adopted beautiful, wonderful cats and the world's cutest and smartest and best Portuguese Water Dog from animal shelters and foster homes, never from breeders or pet stores. There are too many helpless creatures out there who need the love and attention that they deserve, but have never received. The animal shelters are full of them, sad to say.

Molly, the silver-cream Persian with aqua eyes, now lives with four other kitties--a Himalayan named Kramer, a really big Persian named Alfie, a tiny elderly Persian named Fiordiligi (she's 20 years old!), a tuxedo kitty named Rufus--and Lola the Wonder Dog. They are all very happy, and Molly is pretty sure she's going to be happy, too, though it might take a little while before she feels really safe and secure. Her new person wants every reader of this blog to know: If you have the ways and the means, please check out Petfinder.com. Molly and her new family and all her furry friends at animal shelters everywhere will thank you dearly.

"I am trying to make sense of it all."

What it felt like doing...

My friend asked me to make her a little knitted felted box. She sent me a pattern she'd found online.  I tried the pattern and it was a dud. After some frustrating attempts, and after consulting with my knitting support group at the library, I gave it up. But I didn't want to disappoint. I decided to knit her a felted tote bag. Here's the free pattern I found online:

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/60140AD.htmlnoImages=

It was supposed to look like this:

Here's the unfelted bag I made:

And here's what it looks like after two go-rounds in the washing machine:

It has become a yoga-mat bag. That's what its intention was, all along, apparently. I showed it to the Knitting Goddess, who said, "Here's the thing about felting. It's an inexact process." Please note that this is a Lion Brand pattern and I used Lion Brand 100% worsted, the label of which claims "Perfect for Felting."

My friend now has another good reason for going to yoga class.  Happy birthday, my dear!

Planting ahead

Busy ant that he is, H has begun the winter crops:  kale, chard, radicchio, lettuce, garlic. Some of them are or will be outdoors under a heavy mulch wrap; others, like the lettuce, will be in the unheated hoop house. This is the first year he'll do lettuces there, and we are interested to see how long they can go before frost nukes them. Above photo is of two kinds of kale, still looking summery, as there hasn't yet been cold here to nip surrounding vegetables, and the straw mulch is yet to be applied.

My philosophy of knitted baby clothes is similar to that of the Master Gardener, inasmuch I prepare ahead by knitting everything for recent arrivals on this planet in size one year. It doesn't bother me that a sweater may be on the large and loose side.

Ted here is comparable in length and width to a three-month-old baby, but he thinks this oversized shetland-wool sweater looks fine on him, and doesn't mind the rolled-up sleeves.  He's loath to relinquish it, but it must be mailed tomorrow to Sofia in Berkeley, California, who was born in July. For those of you unfamiliar with Berkeley, it, like many coastal cities, has its share of morning mists and cool days, and we anticipate that Sofia will wear the sweater, in good health, for more than a year.

I've knitted this pattern once before; it's a free download that you can access here (scroll down to the bottom of the page) and was the ostensible subject of my very first ever post last year. The pattern calls for cotton yarn; I did it in wool and think the gauge may be larger than with cotton, but I didn't measure. That's one of the pleasures of knitting baby clothes--it's so not an exact science that it feels improvisatory. Too large is not a problem. This pattern is extremely clever--everything is done in one piece except for the button-on center panel. Thus you may knit several panels if you choose, for variety and to save washing the sweater too often. The pattern was designed by a mother of five, so she knows.

Speaking of which, a young woman came to the Langworthy Library Knitting Association meeting a few weeks ago with a ball of fingering weight white cotton yarn and size six needles she'd recently purchased. She didn't know how to knit but planned to make a sweater for an infant. I wished her much luck.

September song

But the days grow short, when you reach September...

and the autumn weather turns the leaves to grey

And the days dwindle down,

To a precious few...

And these few precious days

I spend with you....

First Prize!

Gentle readers, I'm happy to announce that the First Prize in this year's Knitting New England Poetry of Knitting contest, goes to 

Brandee O'Thown 

of Providence, Rhode Island. 

It wasn't hard to decide, as Ms. O'Thown's entry was both distinctive and accomplished. Herewith, her wonderful poem. I hope it inspires you to enter your own in next year's contest, which will run during the summer of 2011.

Knitting Life 

by Brandee O'Thown

Blend sox, afghan blocks.

Ribbed edge, born in college.

Buttonholes, rev St st rolls.

Aran monster, alpaca disaster.

Yarn stash—oh, wool rash.

Lined pocket, “cable” rocket.

Onion skin, fleece lanolin.

Allover lace—my _mistake_ face.

Intarsia, no mantra.

Getting bored, slipped st cord.

Book stack, wood needle crack.

Circular heaven, looped edge leavens.

Mosaic virus, St st tyrant.

Keep gauge, turn page.

Stash—bash!

Fair isle.  Fair day.

Knit.  Sit.  Flit. Writ. 

Smitten.