Don't like the weather here?

***

...wait five minutes!

*

Thursday afternoon, I looked up from my desk and saw this:

*

Even though the thermometer still said this:

*

I got so excited, I made a dorky little video:

-

(Feedblitz subscribers click here to watch embedded video)

-

And took a few pictures of our vast accumulation:

*

Some people were even able to build a wee snowman.


But thirty minutes later, the skies looked like this:

*

and all our snow had melted.

I'm still holding out hope that we get a real snowstorm before our fickle winter is over....

*

Whadya know? I'm in Yarnival!

***

Yarnival! is what is known as a "blog carnival". And what, pray tell, is a blog carnival, you ask?


I'm paraphrasing the following definition from Eve, over at Needle Exchange, who originally created Yarnival:

Blog Carnivals are a collection of links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic, (in the case of "Yarnival" blog carnival, the topics are typically knitting-related). A Blog Carnival is like a magazine, in that it has a title, a topic, editors, contributors, and an audience, but are much less formal than regular online magazines, and anyone can submit to them. Essentially, every month bloggers submit posts they think represent their best work (be it a really cool FO or an explanation of a technique recently learned, or even just a post complaining about how noisy their dogs are), and the best are selected for publication.

Editions of Yarnival are published on a regular basis (typically monthly) as a special blog article on that month's editor's knitting blog, and consists of links to the blog article locations of accepted contributors, often accompanied by a short description, opinion or remark by the editor. The Yarnival blog location and editor for each edition tends to rotate from month to month, and one can learn the location of various additions of Yarnival by checking the Blog Carnival website. Yarnival is a relaxed and fun way to find knitting blogs one may not have previously discovered.


Anyway, I submitted my recent bitch-fest gripe session about linen yarn for publication to this month's issue,


and it was accepted!


Whoo! And might I add, Hoo!


If you like to browse different knitting blogs once in awhile, I encourage you check out this month's issue of Yarnival, and also add a link for it to your blogroll or Favorites, to facilitate checking back for future issues. And if you're a blogger with something to say, why not submit a blog post for future publication? It can't hurt and just might bring you a little traffic.

***

Issy Does Moscow...

...or, How to do a Russian Join.

This past weekend at our "Knittin' on the Lake" retreat, Isobel was kind enough to demonstrate for us how to join new yarn to old yarn in a way that eliminates the need for weaving in ends later.

Filmed by me and embedded here for your edification:


(Feedblitz subscribers click here to see embedded video)


The basic technique: (still pictures of the technique can be found here and here; another video, more professional than mine, can be found here): when joining one strand of old yarn to one of new yarn, wrap the ends of the old and new yarn around each other once, so that there's about a six-inch tail on each side, and then, using your darning needle, sew the wrapped old end into itself, and the wrapped new end into itself. This may require loosening the spin of the yarn just a bit, to work the darning needle through the yarn.

In the particular project in this video, the yarn being used is Noro Silk Garden for the Sursa Shawl, which is being knit using two strands held together, one strand from each end of the same ball of Noro, so that when you get to the end of that ball of yarn, (really the middle), there is a loop, rather than a single strand.

I apologize for the several instances of out-of-focus filming -- the fault lies entirely with the filmmaker. Please be gentle with your critique of this amateur film-making and editing effort.

I hope you enjoy!

:-)

***NOTE: If you've come over from Yarnival, thanks for stopping by! You will find your way back to the latest issue of Yarnival by clicking here.***

TNK "Knittin' at the Lake" 2007: Full Disclosure

***

(Relax -- it's not real)
***

If you've been reading along over the past few days, then you know that some folks from our knitting group, plus several knitters from other parts of Virginia and North Carolina attended a knitting retreat in Clarksville, VA at a hotel on Buggs Island Lake (aka Kerr Lake).

The retreat was organized by the very capable Robin H., and there are excellent descriptions and pictures on her blog. Other bloggers in attendance were Jane and Emmy, so be sure to stop by and read their accounts, as well.

I arrived much later than expected Friday night because I stopped at a friend's house in Amelia for dinner on my way down, before continuing on to Clarksville. A few die-hard knitters were still awake when I got there after midnight, knitting in their PJs, but went on to bed shortly after I arrived, and so did I.

I have to admit that I was a little worried about the Best Western accommodations, but was very pleasantly surprised. The hotel graciously agreed to house all of us in the same building as the conference room, which is right at the water's edge, and I believe most of us were given extra large lakeview rooms with a patio or balcony (depending on first or second floor), and kitchenettes, which made the stay even more enjoyable. My room was just a couple doors down from the conference room, making it extra-convenient.

Saturday morning, knitters gathered in the conference room and immediately began knitting, some not stopping except for meals, until the wee hours of Sunday morning!

Everyone brought beautifully knitted items to display around the room, which became a feast for the eyes. Robin H.'s mom also brought some beautifully hooked rugs to show us.

Robin H. had gathered tons of donated door prizes, which were given out throughout the day. I won a hat pattern, a pair of size 17 straight wooden needles and a 2007 Knitting Pattern-a-Day calendar, which I'd been wanting and hadn't gotten around to purchasing yet, so, Yippee! I can't wait to sit down with that calendar and look at all the patterns.

By early afternoon, knitters were ready for shopping, and luckily we had ample opportunity. Mary Jane from Unraveled brought tons of yarn, books, patterns and notions to sell, and quite a few folks succumbed to the siren song of Noro. Jane, Issy and Sheddy decided then and there to purchase yarn for and begin knitting the Sursa Shawl, and made a bit of a competition out of the process! Jane finished hers first on Sunday morning and modeled it for everyone. Mary Jane also had a selection of Jane's sister's Lawre's Laine bags for sale.

Robin H. brought soaps and butters to sell, as well as some of Patsy's hand-dyed, handspun yarns. Robin's dad brought beautiful handwoven baskets, and many were snapped up before I'd even gotten back from lunch. Another retreat attendee brought beautifully beaded stitch & row markers, scissor fobs and earrings. I bought a pair of earrings and a set of stitch markers from her.

Lunches and dinners were eaten at restaurants in the quaint little town of Clarksville, within easy walking distance from the hotel, (although I rode with a group that drove, since it was so cold out).

Sunday morning was more of the same -- knitting, chatting, yarn shopping, but folks started clearing out in late morning when the weather became foul. I left a little after noon, and battled ice accumulation on my windshield during my entire drive home, although the roads were fine.

It was hard to come home to a quiet house after such a fun weekend with chatty knitters. Many thanks go out to Robin H. for organizing this event. Can't wait until next year's!

And by now, you're probably wondering, WHERE ARE THE PICTURES??!!

Fear not, there are pictures, and plenty of them. They can be viewed by clicking on the image below, which will take you to my Flickr Photoset for this event:


(I recommend viewing the pictures via "detail view", so you can see photo titles and descriptions. Otherwise, try viewing them as a slideshow.)

Thanks for stopping by!

***

TNK Retreat 2007 - a peek at Saturday

***

I believe that several in our group may have caught the extremely contagious Noro virus:

Crack Dealer's Yarn Vendor's tempting wares

***

Several of the addicted infected

***

Full report to come....

***

TNK Retreat 2007 - Saturday morning

***

Good morning from Buggs Island Lake!

View from hotel parking lot

***

View from my room
***

Got in very late (after midnight) last night, so no Friday pictures to be had. I guess I'd better jump in the shower and get this Weekend of Knitting started. See ya tomorrow!

***

A Week's Worth of Knit Happenings

***

This is becoming quite the knitterly week for me.

Tuesday, I went and knit with my TNK peeps, as usual, at Barnes & Noble. And although there were several beautiful FO's displayed that evening, I took no photos whatsoever. Jane took quite a few, however, so she may post those to her blog in the near future. (I decided that it's sorta silly for both of us to blog about the same thing, so I'll probably step back a little bit on blogging about TNK, unless I'm the sole blogger in attendance that evening.)

And speaking of TNK and blogging....

Ahem. I know there are several of you TNKers who read this blog on occasion. And yet not one of you delurked the other day.... What's up with that? Why the withholding of the comment love? Was it something I said?

Seriously, though, I continue to work on my Scarf Around for the Red Scarf Project, and the clock is ticking. It should be finished and ready to mail out early next week. I will post pictures after it's all done.

Wednesday, I decided to go knit with the Richmond Knitters that meet at Panera at Willow Lawn. It was probably my last chance to say goodbye to Mira and meet her new baby Drake, before they pack up and move to San Antonio. I've been reading Mira's blog for maybe a year now, and got to meet her, along with several other Richmond knit-bloggers, last spring at Maryland Sheep & Wool. I've since gone to knit with the Wednesday night group a couple of times, although not as often as I'd like.

Anyway, I brought Mira a little sumthin-sumthin I made for baby Drake:

Specs:

• Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic 100% mercerized cotton
• Pattern: Knitting Knonsense's Baby Feet Cloth
• Needles: US size 8 wooden straights

Here's Mira holding baby Drake, with fellow knitter Beth looking on:

Such a cute boy!

***

Today, I went on a yarn trek with another local knit-blogger, Suzanne, out to Holly Spring Homespun. We live relatively near each other, and she was gracious enough to drive. (It's a 45-minute drive for us, each way, so that's no small favor.) I was restrained and bought just a few patterns, a couple hanks of Art Yarns Supermerino and a ball of that newfangled Tofutsies sock yarn, [a blend of wool, soysilk, cotton and chitin (which comes from shrimp and crab shells)]. It's incredibly soft yarn -- the softest sock yarn I've ever felt. I'm such a sucker for novelties.... Kathy threw in a free pattern that goes with the sock yarn, so I may try that one of these days....

This weekend, (Friday through Sunday), our knitting group is having a retreat at a hotel down on Buggs Island Lake in Clarksville, VA. The very organized and crafty Robin H. pulled this entire thing together, and there will be about 25 people attending. There will even be vendors! (W00t! Knitting! Yarn! Shopping! Bliss!) Should be a good time, I think. I was a little iffy on attending, worried that business travel might interfere, but that's not an issue at the moment. So, off to Clarksville I go! I will be bringing my laptop and will try to post pictures each day.

Happy Knitting!

***

Alert: Delurk!

Apparently, it's National Delurking Week. (Okay, it was actually last week and I'm late to the party.) Anyway, if you're a reader that never comments, I'd sure love to hear from you. And even if you're a regular commenter, I'd still like to hear from you.

[If you read this blog via Feedblitz emails, click on the title of this article ("Alert: Delurk!") to open this post in your web browser, scroll to the bottom of this post and click on the phrase "Shout-Outs" to open the commenting window.]

If you DO delurk, (and I'm beggin' ya now), I'd love to know where you live, what brought you here, and if you have a blog.

Because I'm just nosey that way....

Thanks in advance for your comments!

Elephants in my Living Room, Lions in my Lap

***

I return from another unintended long absence, to write about a subject that's about as far removed from knitting as one can get.

I used to work with elephants.

As an admitted science nut lover, I watch a lot of PBS, which regularly airs some excellent science programs, including Scientific American Frontiers, Nova, Nova: Science Now and Nature. Last night they aired Best of Nature: 25 Years, which was a remarkable collection of clips from their best shows over the last quarter-century. Among those clips was the obligatory cheetah-chases/catches/eats-gazelle footage, which I always find hard to watch. But if you can sit through the predator-prey clips, you're then rewarded with more heart-warming footage, like that of a mother polar bear snuggling in her den nursing her tee-tiny newborn cub.

My favorite clip from last night's show was the incredibly moving story of Shirley the elephant, which originally aired in 2000 as an episode called The Urban Elephant. Shirley has lived a very hard life in one circus or zoo after another, and looks every inch of her 52 years. Prior to 2000, she had spent the last 20 years of her life as an isolated elephant at a zoo in the deep south, when it was decided to move her to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, where she was reunited with another old circus elephant she'd last seen 22 years prior. Their reunion was nothing less than tear-jerking -- there was absolutely no mistaking the affection shared by Shirley and her old friend, Jenny, reinforcing the growing belief that elephants crave socialization and suffer in isolation.

And it wasn't a stretch to be reminded, as I watched Shirley's story, of a brief time in my youth when I spent a break between college semesters working at a nearby wild animal "safari", one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs I've ever had. I won't sugar-coat it for you -- much of my time was spent shoveling animal poo, (whether it be elephant, rhino or giraffe), or hefting hay bales around to feed them, or hosing out their barns. Hard, smelly, back-breaking work. But the rewards were priceless. I got to see elephants, giraffes, rhinos, lions and tigers up close and personal. I got to meet a baby elephant, and ride on the back of an adult, (I was a lot thinner, twenty-some years ago).

And I got to play with lion and tiger cubs:

Lion cubs
***Me (nice hair, nice shnozz) and cub.
(I also worked there during summers as an EMT, which explains the uniform)
***

One thing has always bothered me, though, about that experience. The elephant handlers always carried with them a 3-foot long solid steel pole with a sharp hook at the end, and never hesitated to use it on the elephants if they felt the animal was behaving too aggressively towards their human handlers. I was told that a handler uses the hook-tool or ankus to let the elephant know who's in charge, and that if the elephant starts to prod you with its trunk, the next time, they'll nudge you with it. The time after that, they'll shove you, and the next time, they'll knock you down and step on you, which can't end well. I was never sure if that story was really true, or was just an excuse for cruelty.

I thought about that again last night, as I was watching the story of Shirley and Jenny. I didn't see any of the handlers at either zoo in that story using the hook-tool. Perhaps it really was just an instrument of cruelty, leftover from bad circuses.

After the PBS show ended, I got on the internet to learn more about what happened with Shirley and Jenny. PBS wrote a touching follow-up about them, here. I then found the website of the Tennessee sanctuary where they've been living. That's when I read about a handler there named Joanna Burke. Joanna was a devoted caretaker at the Elephant Sanctuary, and last July, while attempting to inspect the infected eye of another elephant there named Winkie, was knocked down and killed by Winkie, a tragedy that shocked and saddened everyone involved.

And so it appears that the stories of potential elephant aggression towards humans have not been exaggerated. But in Joanna Burke's case, it happened so fast that I'm not sure if a hook-tool would have made any difference. The sanctuary attributes Winkie's surprising aggression to post-traumatic stress disorder in elephants, and considering the lives they've led, that may very well be the case.

I'm still not sure how I feel about that hook-tool, but after watching that PBS special and reading those stories, I'm forced to reconsider my feelings about circuses, zoos and captive wild animals in general. Perhaps the Barnum & Bailey mindset of my youth (wild animals are for our enjoyment and entertainment) might be maturing to a Cirque du Soleil philosophy (we must be stewards rather than exploiters of God's wild creatures).

One thing's for darn sure: we live in an amazingly complicated, intimately interconnected, bafflingly wondrous world and universe, and the more science I'm exposed to, the more and more I appreciate God's creation.

***

Still here...

...and still have lots to write about, but, this girl who craves structure is floating in an unstructured sea, and will try to get back to regular blogging shortly....

Knitting Videos

***

If you're like me, you're a visual learner.

Actually, I think I'm a combination audio/visual/tactile learner, in that I learn best when I'm seeing, hearing, and doing, all within the same lesson. That's why, during college, I was known for being the mad note-taker. During lectures, I wrote very fast and took verbatum notes, in order to try and capture every nuance of the professor's lesson. Who hasn't been burned by getting a question wrong on a test because they wrote something down wrong in class and then studied & learned that wrong information for the exam? In college, I was obsessed with avoiding that trap, which explains the crazy note-scribbling.

I can't even imagine what college lectures are like nowadays, what with all the kids carrying laptops to class. Do they still handwrite their lecture notes? Or do they type them into their laptops as the professor talks? Or, do they combine the two actions and handwrite their notes with a stylus on the screen of their tablet PC, if they have one? I think I'd miss the old-fashioned paper & ink method, myself, if I found myself back as an undergrad. I guess I've just dated myself as quite ancient.

And, as is my way, I have significantly digressed.

So, back to the topic at hand, which is online knitting videos. There is nothing like being able to watch someone else's hands as they demostrate a complicated technique, and then, be able to rewind and watch it again, as often as you need, until you master that technique. With the advent and maturation of the internet, there is now a plethora of online knitting videos one can watch, in order to learn intimidating techniques in the privacy of one's own home.

Most knitters are well aware of KnittingHelp.com, that priceless in-depth resource of amazingly helpful online knitting videos. It's the first place I tell all new knitters to go, after they've had their first lesson. And it's the first place I go when I need to learn a new technique or need a refresher on an old one.

But there are other online knitting video resources, including:

• Annie's Attic
• Hello Knitty
• Knitting at Knoon

Recently, I've found some great amateur knitting videos out on YouTube, and have started to compile them into a playlist for myself, so I can go back and watch them when the mood strikes.

Want to knit My So-Called Scarf, but you're unsure of that stitch technique? There's now a video demonstration of it.

Want to know how to knit backwards off of your right needle, to avoid purling and turning your work? There's a video for it.

Want to know how to weave in your ends while knitting, to avoid that loathsome task later on? Yep -- there's a video.

One of the best videos I've found thus far is an excellent 10-minute tutorial on Continental Knitting created by the CraftSanity podcasters, and I will embed it here for your edification:

-

(Feedblitz subscribers click here to watch embedded video)
-

Enjoy!

***

Knitterly Goodness

***

It's time for a little catch-up on what all has been happening in my knitterly world.

First of all, a few weeks ago, I won my fourth, (yes -- you read that right), my FOURTH blog contest. Crazy stuff, I tell ya! I've stopped questioning my contest-winning mojo, and have just accepted it for what it is -- God rewarding me for being the exceptional person that I am. (Hee hee)

KIDDING!!! (As I glance worriedly at the sky, waiting for lightning to strike!)

Seriously, though, I've been remarkably blessed with knitterly generosity over the past six months. The latest contest was hosted by Shona, who lives across the pond in Scotland, and who sent me a fabulous care package of goodies:


Don't you just love that little bag? It's perfect for a small knitting project, and well, y'all know how much I like bags of any kind, so the bag alone was enough to make me giddy. But, there was lots of other great stuff included:

Top to bottom: carding fleece postcard, cute polar bear Christmas card, Scotland bookmark,
a lovely little tea light candle, and teabags for reducing eye puffiness.

But wait! That's not all! There was YARN! Fabulous yarn!

Opal sock yarn, color #1122
Chelsea Sea Silk (65% silk, 35% wool), color # 114

Thanks so much, Shona! You rock!


And since we're on the topic of yarn, I must confess that I recently succumbed to temptation after browsing all of the mouth-watering offerings over at the Loopy Ewe, and decided upon these beautiful lovelies:

Left: All Things Heather Merino/Tencel in Teal
Right: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Cool"

Here's some gratuitous extreme close-up yarn pr0n:

All Things Heather Merino/Tencel in Teal -- lucious!
***

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock "Cool" -- ahhhhh!
***

(Side note: if you click on the link for the Lorna's Laces, you may notice that the Loopy Ewe catalogs that colorway as "LL Cool", which immediately calls to mind the rap artist with a similar name. I am easily amused, apparently.)

Finally, a few finished objects I knitted for Christmas gifts. Nothing particularly original or remarkable -- just a few quick & easy hats and washcloths:

Rolled-brim hat for my SIL Mary, knit with Misti Alpaca Chunky (color #1380) as the main color and OnLine Linie Rush (color # 1492) for the stripe, to match the scarf I knit for her birthday in 2005.
***Ribbed-brim hat for my dad, in Misti Alpaca Chunky (color # 701)

***

Rolled-brim hat for my mom, Misti Alpaca Chunky (color #701)

***

Mason-Dixon Knitting warshrags for SIL Mary in Sugar & Cream,
in colors to match her bathroom.

***

The gift recipients all seemed to like their knitted items. My dad's hat was a tad too big for him, but I suppose he can fold it up a bit more, if necessary. That is, if we ever see winter temperatures around here! Good-gosh-amighty, it's almost midnight and it's still 67ºF outside! Craziness, I tell ya! And a strong argument for global warming.

...sigh...


Well, that's it, for now, so, g'night!

***

Tuesday Night Knitters Greet the New Year

***

Well, hello there. Pardon my extended absence. It really wasn't my intention to fall off the face of the earth, but apparently that's what happened. For a little over a week I've withdrawn from the knit-blogging world, where I neither read nor wrote any blog posts, nor did much of any knitting. So I now have lots of catch-up reading to do on others' blogs, and lots of catch-up posts to write for my own. Seems I went through this same withdrawal last year around the same time. Something about the holidays turns my mind and spirit in a completely different direction, mostly inward, I guess. But the holidays are over, it's a new year, and it's time to stop navel-gazing and instead look in a forwardly direction to all that lies ahead.

I have a large enough back-log of fodder for at least a week's worth of blog posts, and today's topic will be our most recent knit night, this past Tuesday.

A loyal contingent of Tuesday Night Knitters met last Tuesday, the day after Christmas, but I did not attend, since I was still wrapping and cooking for the following day's extended family-palooza. But I was able to make it to this week's gathering, the day after New Year's, and it was so good to see and sit and knit and chat with everyone! I've missed my peeps!

Here's a few pictures of our goings-on:

Remember the pink bowl that Jo was knitting a few weeks ago? She has since felted it:

Isn't it cool? I love that pink!
***

Tammi determined that it might also make a good Jackie Kennedy pillbox hat:

Jane suggested that if someone was feeling particularly ambitious, they could knit the entire Jackie Kennedy assassination day outfit, complete with intarsia bloodstains. (It could then perhaps be submitted to this website.) Yes, we are easily amused by sick humor.

But I digress.

On to more high-minded finished objects. Here's a beautiful scarf:

knit by Patsy with her very own handspun, hand-dyed yarn. Can't get much more handmade than that, can she, unless she raises & shears the sheep herself! Nice job, Patsy!


Issy knit a beautiful shawl from her own design:


We're encouraging Issy to write down her pattern and sell it!

And here's another item recently finished by Issy:


I forget the name of that pattern, (leave it in the comments if you know it), but Jane also recently knit it with red yarn. It's a 2x2 ribbed stole with a ruffle on each end, made with alpaca, and is just lovely.

And speaking of Jane, she dazzled us with the brilliant colors of some scarves she's been knitting. Here's a current work-in-progress, knit with Noro Kureyon, alternating colors from different balls every two rows:


(Does this pattern have a name? Again, if you know it, please leave it in the comments.) Apparently it's been all over blogland, but this is the first I've seen it. Gorgeous! Here's another, similar one she recently finished, made with Noro Silk Garden, again, alternating colors every two rows:

Isn't this stunning?
I couldn't take my eyes off of it.
***

Here are a few more knitting folks, (although not the entire crowd):

-There were a few new faces knitting with us Tuesday night, which is always good -- the more, the merrier! I didn't meet everyone, so here's hoping they'll come back again soon.

And if you're wondering what I was working on Tuesday evening, even though I have at least ten other projects on the needles, I cast on for something new -- Maia's "Scarf Around", (pdf file here), for the Red Scarf Project. It just so happened that I had all the appropriate yarn already in my stash, so that pattern was the logical choice. I should be able to get this finished and mailed before the end-of-January deadline. I may even have enough yarn left over to make another one, (but won't 'til next year). I'll post an in-progress or finished-object picture later, as it's not terribly exciting at this early stage.

And thus ends my report on how TNK'ers greeted the New Year.

Happy New Year everyone!

***