Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match

Don't know why I'm writing, if no one is reading, but will assume that eventually someone will find me. (Not sure if that is cause for celebration or abject panic!) Have noticed already that these posts seem to take on the character of shorthand diary entries or missives stuffed into bottles and thrown out into the surf in hopes that someone will find them. Perhaps, in the interest of promoting good writing habits, I should include pronouns?

I know from my own surfing, that everybody wants pictures. My family gave me an IOU for a digital camera for Mommy's day, so I promise pictures as soon as I figure out what kind to get. It has to cost around $100. Any suggestions out there? Hello? Anybody?

Third step today. I joined the Knitting Blog ring (all by myself, with no help - my mother would be so proud.) I also ventured my URL out onto a couple comments. I actually told someone about this experiment in self-flagellation, er, expression.

I promised details on Sheri's blog, so here goes.

What did I knit this weekend? I started three different projects and frogged two. (if you're keeping score, I'm up by one) Why the frogging? Well, I had a ski instructor who once told me, "You can't ski if you don't know how to fall and get up again." So I took the fall, and am glad for the opportunity to get up again.

The first yarn (drug) I wanted to use was four skeins of the softest lace weight cashmere from across the pond at Posh Yarn. The color is a bronze and soft green blend, like verdigris. It reminded me of the fronds on my bronze leaf fern in the back yard. First I tried the Forest Path Stole pattern, and the yarn looked gorgeous in the seed stitch border, but once I got to the entrelac lace sections, the yarn started striping. Shorter color runs will do that. So ribbit - rip it - frog that sucker and try, try again. Second effort was Kiri and after five pattern repeats, I am happy to report the marriage of yarn and pattern is complete. May they live in peace and harmony forever, world without end. Amen.

The second project in process this weekend was a shawl to go with my brown dress. The materials? Three lovely skeins of Handmaiden Sea Silk in the color Woodland, a beautiful blend of blue, green, and brown. First tried this color in the cobweb weight Silk Lace with Eunny Jang's Print of the Wave pattern, but the yarn was too fine to use at the proper gauge and the swatch at a smaller gauge looked too busy. The color change was too obvious. So I scrapped the Silk Lace and tried again with the slightly heavier Sea Silk and Anne's Wing o' the Moth pattern. Eureka! The YOs look like little leaves waving in the woods: just the effect I was going for.

Third project is (what else?) my first pair of Monkey socks! (Well, I did try the pattern once before on a self striping and hated the way it looked. Wound up scrapping the yarn altogether.) I wanted to knit with some of the Zen String Harmony to see how I liked it and whether it behaved as a nice sock should. The color is called Aloha, and Hawaii seems to me a perfect habitat for monkeys, so there you have it.

An interesting thing happened on the way to the instep. The yarn which formed shallow stripes in the ribbing, pooled into gigantic vertical pools of color once the pattern began. But I kind of like them that way. After all, when was the last time you saw a tame monkey? Aren't the trained ones sort of depressing? Go wild, my monkeys. Fly!

So all's well that ends well and I now have two shawls and a pair of monkeys to get off my needles. I now pronounce you yarn and pattern.

Life is good.