Good morning. I am still here and still knitting, although not as consistently of late. Spring is here and the garden calls. Dirt and knitting do not always mix. I have finished one front piece of the purple cardigan, and am about half way through the diamond stitch pattern on the bottom of the second front. There are evenings that I am simply too tired to pay attention to even this rather simple pattern.
So I thought I would write about other things. Once upon a time, when I started this blog, I would write about my impressions of new knitting magazines and the things I wanted to knit, even though, more often that not, I never got around to the actual knitting. This blog is supposed to be about the knitting related wanderings of my mind, as well as the wanderings that occur simply because I am knitting, however, not just actual production. If that is the case, I have some catching up to do.
The new Pom Pom Quarterly arrived. There are several patterns that fascinate me, that I perhaps want to knit, or that I at least want to dream about knitting. And this in and itself is interesting to me simply due to the way my dreams of both what to knit and what to wear have evolved over time, and the contradictory selves these dreams present. Not that there is anything wrong with contradiction, I think it is an essential aspect of human nature. When we get into trouble it is because we are trying to avoid or suppress our own contradictions rather than embrace or understand them.
Let's start with that cover sweater, Lucky Pieces. This version is knit in Jamieson's Spindrift, but I suspect it could be knit in any assorted bits and pieces of light fingering yarn. I like the idea of using up scraps. I also know that I have several bits of spindrift floating around somewhere in my stash, not yet catalogued, and a quite a bit of similar yarn as well, mostly meant for a sweater that I never did knit for George during his lifetime. The problem with knitting for George was that he had drawers full of sample sweaters from the time when his mother was chief designer of Unger Yarns, and meticulous as he was, he did not need new sweaters until very late in his life. I always wanted to knit him a particular Alice Starmore pattern, Henry VIII, that he loved, but which wasn't likely because he still felt like he had more sweaters than he could wear. Alas I lost the husband after nearly 27 years of marriage before any of those sweaters wore out. I still have the yarn.
But back to this sweater. I like it. I would wear it. I would enjoy knitting it. What more is there to say. When I was young, this may have been a more casual stay at home, traipse around neighboring farms, or autumn on Nantucket, type of sweater. That was during the time when there was my casual-at-home-dirty-sneakers self, and my more (Probably insecure) armored Theirry-Mugler-sharply-tailored self, and my I want soft-shapes-and-an-abundance-of-colors self, each sharply delineated, each often at odds with the others. Obviously I was stressed. Bits of those selves still exist, but I am more willing to let them converse among themselves these days. Today this sweater could show up anywhere in my life, which I suppose means I am happier and more confident.
Knitting however will have to wait until I actually see what yarns I have and what yarns I need. That may take a while. And I am not convinced I could ever wear a sweater knit in spindrift against my skin, but perhaps the truth is more that I have never lived in a climate where I could wear a sweater knit in spindrift against my skin. The simple truth is that I don't need it as a next-to-the-body sweater, but as a vest, I would wear this. Status: Potential knit.
Next. This sweater -- Lisse, double knitted in DK yarn -- may in fact be impractical for my current climate but I am fascinated anyway. Or not. I may have to knit a sample to figure that out. I can admit that I may be drawn to it simply because the sample is knitted in pink, although looking at various projects on Ravelry, I find I am still intrigued whatever the color choices. I could also be attracted to this because of my current fascination for modular knitting.
At this point I don't know if my attraction to this pattern is a simple imaginary diversion or something that I should pursue further. That is not an issue because the first step would be to see what yarns I might already own that could be used in this sweater. The second step would be to address the actual modular knitting and the maths. The sleeves on this sweater are too wide for me. I would hate them, unless they were shorter, something like 3/4 or 7/8 length, but until I find yarn and do the maths, I have no idea of how this could work.
And yet, as shown, this looks like a snuggly comforting and comfortable sweater, perfect for working around house and garden, perfect for cuddling up in at the end of a day when I am tired and somewhat chilled due to exhaustion. A sweater for the dream self, or for the actual self? Status as yet unknown.
Four Quarters. I have had wrapped sweaters at various stages of my life. More perhaps when I was young and thin and had a 24 inch waist. Fewer as I grew used to the thickening that came with middle age. Now, my waist is still thick but I am less concerned about looking young. I am not saying that one should give up, but that there is a certain freeing power in saying "I have survived this long and my body has served me well". This sweater actually walks the line between the dream self and reality. It could go either way. Status: undecided but intrigued.
Last, but not least, this shawl. Wholecloth shawl, knit in DK. Here Neighborhood Fiber Co's Studio DK is used, but I probably have some appropriate DK yarn somewhere in my stash. I like the wheat pattern but I would not knit it in the wheaten color. It reminds me of grains and grasses and the late summer garden. Although I am mostly attracted to shawls in finer yarns and more complicated patterns, I would actually use and wear this shawl, and I think I would enjoy knitting it. It would be simpler than many shawls that are currently in my queue. Status: most likely to be knit.
There is more catching up and random musings ahead. I don't subscribe to many knitting magazines any more, just Pom Pom (this is my second issue) and MDK's Field Guides, but I do occasionally lose myself in internet browsing and dreaming sessions. Who knows what will turn up as I unpack, catalog, and reconfigure my creative space. Besides, I still have a bunch of goodies from my mystery knit-along still to share.
Until later.
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