Mindless Knitting

Quite some time ago, a lady I know was given some yarn by a weaver that wasn't going to be using them. They are on cones, some of them very large! They are very fine, and in the most awful colours you can imagine! We have no idea what she was weaving with these yarns, because they are very fine.

But this lady didn't want them either, so she gave them to me! I thought I might be able to do something with them, but I sure didn't care for the colours. Nothing really went with anything else, nor could I find anything that would work with them. Very strange colours.

So one day, when I was really bored, I took a box of those yarns, and thought I would combine several coordinating yarns into one large yarn and knit something with them -- perhaps a rug or something along that line. But I just couldn't find many that would work together!

I decided on making two yarns: one is a lighter orange brown, and the other a dark brown. I took three of the lighter shades to use as one, and there were two brown yarns that I used for the darker shade. I was going to knit something in garter stitch -- perhaps a scarf knit the long way.

I grabbed a needle that I thought would work with these yarns, and cast on. I don't know how many stitches -- I didn't count -- but when it looked like there were enough, I started knitting! I decided I would alternate colours every two rows. That would give a clean row of a colour from the right side... but there would be those little blips on the back side. Oh, well.

I wouldn't cut the yarns at the end of the rows but just carry it up the side. And that worked quite well. The knitting was just plain knit all the time... very boring, but I could do that while watching a movie. In time, it slowly took shape. Despite using three yarns as one, it still took a long time to complete even one row!

This is the scarf. Trying to get the colours accurate, and still show the stitching was most difficult. It's still not quite correct, but comes close. I don't know what kind of fibres these are, but probably some sort of acrylic. It feels quite nice despite that.
The front shows nice clean lines of colour. The back side is also in rows, although not quite as distinct, but pleasing nonetheless. It was a fun knit (albeit somewhat tedious), and I will do another with other yarns. There are a couple of other ideas I have using this same principle, but I need to work on it a little before I get something completed. It's odd how the perfect design in my head doesn't quite work that way once it is made up in yarns!

Bare Truth about the Ladies

Last night, I decided to go and see the Bare Naked Ladies. They were finally playing at the Calgary Stampede for the very first time in 22 years of performing.

I have enjoyed some of their music over the years, but wasn't ever really a big fan. But I wanted to go and see their show. Not a good idea.

There were far too many people! So there was security all over the place... not really sure why. They were just keeping people away for some reason. You really had to force your way into the venue. Gave the whole thing a very bad taste right from the start.

The sound level was much too high. I think most of the young people must be quite deaf, if they listen to this stuff, and if they need to turn it up that loud. I was very disappointed because everything the band played sounded about the same. It was just noise... irritating, obnoxious, disturbing noise. I think they sound a lot better on their recordings. Perhaps it's all the magic they can do in the editing, I dunno.

They seem like nice guys. They smiled a lot, seemed to really enjoy what they were doing, they looked like they were having fun. They made a few jokes that seemed to go over well, except that thing about cats. That really was a big blunder. I don't think they ever recovered from that one.

After last night's experience, I have to say that I don't like crowds. There are a lot of people whose parents should have used condoms more often! I don't know what purpose these creatures serve. Just using up valuable oxygen is the way I see it. Of course, I would have to be right next to the few that made it bad for everyone else. But I must be tolerant and not say anything about it.

So it was quite a shame that it went so badly last night. The Ladies seemed to sound quite good the few times I've heard their recordings. But it was quite a disappointment to see them live. I don't know if it was them, or their production people at the venue, but I don't think I would pay to see them again. At least, that was my experience. YMMV

All gone flat!

The little shawlette has been washed and blocked.

Now the problem is that I really don't have anywhere to block it at my place. Really -- I don't have that much space on the floor or on the bed or anywhere on the wall to pin it out while it dries. But I do have the perfect spot at my office! So I ran over on the weekend (imagine! going to the office when you don't need to!) and I pinned it on the cubicle wall. Because it's lace, it dries very fast. I went back in about 6 hours, took it off the wall, and it's all done! No one even knows about it.

Well, all those lovely waves and nipples are all gone. It's all flat now! Still, it does look quite nice in its own right. That is the amazing thing about lace knitting, isn't it? What you see as you are knitting is nothing like what it becomes when you are finished! Transformation. Or in Greek, methaphor.

Here is a look at my newest knitting:
And here is a detail of the pattern and the edging.
It was rather easy to do. After all, it's plain basic ordinary lace. And the yarn was nice to work with too. I like the spinning I did on it. I'm very pleased all around!

Now, I got a few more ideas for another little neckerchief. I better get working on it.

Nipples

(so let's see what the searchbots make of this post!)

I have completed my latest project, and am showing you a few tidbits of what I've got so far. It really does look a bit peculiar, and as I spread it out while working on it, I couldn't help thinking that it does remind me of something -- I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
As I cast-off, and it was revealing itself (it was all bunched up on circular needles, so you couldn't really see the full patterning), it became more and more clear what I had created. I just couldn't help giggling to myself! It is the funniest thing. Look:
Well, I'm sure it will look a lot better once it is blocked -- won't it? Tell me it will! Please!!