Friday, April 15, 2011

Shadows

For over the past three years now there has been destruction and construction going on in the block next to the building where I work. I've been watching with much interest how it was all taken apart, how that huge hole was dug, and then filled in with different construction.

Rather than build another high tower in that space, they have opted to just have underground parking, and then make a small park in that spot. There was all kinds of talk about what they were going to create there, and something about mountains, and it wasn't to be used by the public -- well, you know how people like to create and embellish stories.

They seem to nearly complete now, or at least there aren't many workmen around anymore. Of course, the weather hasn't decided what it wants to do. Last week, the last of the snow was gone, and then the other day, we got more! It was at least 10 cm (4 inches) of wet snow. All I can say is that it does make everything nice and clean and white. For a day, and then people start walking and driving on it, and make a horrible mess of it all.

In this park, there are some interesting sculptures. From my vantage point, all I can see are a thin dark line against the white snow, so I know there is something. When on the ground, I can see them. Honestly, I think they are more interesting from up above! LOL

Today, at noon, with the sun shining nicely on these sculptures, and silhoutted against the white snow, I could clearly make out what they were!! They looked just so awesome!! Well, okay, so maybe I'm easily impressed. But I thought I would show them to you, and see what you think. I tried to rotate the pic horizontally, to make it easier for you to see them, and it just seems to have set my whole world upside down! Rather than give any of you vertigo, I will leave it just as I see it from high above.
I do think this presents a most unique perspective of these very common sculptures, to say the least.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Off the Wall

As you have seen in the previous post, I have been working on some lace. I got tired of spinning, spinning, spinning. Not that I don't enjoy it, but it gets tedious if you do it all the time. Not that lace knitting is not tedious as well, but it is a different kind of tedious.

I did get tired of this scarf. It was not very interesting to do. It was soooo predictable! The decreases all followed a set pattern, and the YOs were all in the same place. I know -- that is what makes lace lace! And it is the repetitiveness of it all that is impressive. I got that. It's still very boring and tedious to do!

I have been working on the Three Sisters Scarves #3. There are two other designs (see her previous posts), and I think I will do at least another one -- maybe all three. They are very simple designs, but because of the repetiveness of the motifs, they are very attractive.

I didn't arrange my scarf as nicely as Monika did hers. I was in a rush to take pics! I completed this on Thursday night. I ran home at noon on Friday, washed it, and took it back to the office to pin it up on my cubicle wall. They are made of some sort of fibre-covered foamboard, and I can stick pins into it. And they are large enough!

Here you can see a pic of my scarf pinned out on the wall. It was dry by the time I left for home.
Because it is stocking stitch based, it does want to curl. I did 2 stitches on the edge in garter, but that didn't seem to be enough to prevent that curl. I might have to block it once more.... or maybe I'll just leave it. When a person is wearing it, no looks to see if it is curling or not.

I used some kind of yarn that I found somewhere. It is very fine, and I used two strands together to knit this scarf. I am assuming it is a wool. I think I used about a 4mm needle -- I never check, I just grab a circular that seems to be about the right size, and just cast on! The knitting went very smoothly, there was hardly a slip-up -- except when I would fall asleep, and just keep on knitting, not watching for the next decrease! So I had to tink only a couple of times and just a few stitches at that. As I said, it was boring to do. It seemed it was never going to end! So eventually, when I thought it was plenty long enough, I came to the end of a pattern repeat, and cast-off.

It's a nice wine colour, and I have no idea what I am going to do with it. Perhaps I'll just put it into my "gift box" so that when I need something quick, I will have something ready to go. Here is a detail of the scarf.
Now, I should get back to my spinning. I have a lot of cops here waiting to be plied. Then I can have more things to show you.

Monday, April 04, 2011

Bumping Along

On Friday night, there was this strange weather with sort of rain/snow coming down. It had been quite warm, and we were warned about a snow storm for Saturday. And it did come, but at first, it was quite wet and wasn't sure what it wanted to be.

That was alright. I had nothing to do on Saturday, and planned to just stay inside, and looking out at the weather rather than be in it. When I got up Saturday morning, I looked out, saw nothing but white, and turned around and went back to bed. Perfect.

It remained white all day. I mean, there was nothing to see so there is no pic here. I didn't even want to take a photo! I couldn't see any buildings in the next block, there was no ground below me, there was no sun... it was just.. well, white. The whole day was just white. I didn't care.

I was working away comfy and cozy in my high tower. I have a lot of spinning to do, as you can imagine. And I've been spinning up a storm. No pics just yet, because you've seen them all before. Some neat colours, but I don't quite know what I am going to do with it just yet. It will come.

Here is some knitting I'm working on. It's a really nice deep wine colour, but that is so very hard to photograph! I've tried it every way, and this is about the best I can get. I hope it shows up on your monitor. Of course, this is an "in progress" pic of lace, and you know there is nothing much to see of the design yet but I'll let you look anyway.
This is of the front on the left, and the back side on the right -- I love those ridges and bumps it creates. I know too that these will be worked out when it is blocked, but is interesting to see the texture it produces right now. It's a scarf, not for anyone in particular, except I was bored from spinning all the time. Now I'm bored of all this knitting!! It's all the same: YO, K2tog, SSK, repeat. Well, lace is like that, I know. I think I'm about ready for something more challenging... now let's see....