Into Each Life, a Little Errata Must Fall...

Crocus Pocus Errata

Chart D:

On row 3, stitch 24: change k2tog to a sk2p.

On row 5, stitch 24, change sk2p to K2tog.

I think my test knitter or I found an error and I changed the wrong one for whatever reason. So then there were two errors.

Think of it as the designer's twofer from HELL!!!!! (dramatic crashing cymbals and ominous chord)

Wouldn't life be better with a soundtrack?

In the Garden

The kiss of the sun for pardon

The song of the birds for mirth

One is nearer to God's heart in the garden

Than anywhere else on earth

Dorothy Gurney

1858 - 1952

Hydrangea is out of design and ready to go into test knit.

This one posed some interesting problems and taught me a lot about where to place yarnovers and decreases when designing lace.

I worked from a lace pattern called wide leaf border. The shape of the leaf was right for the hydrangea, but it repeated horizontally,

And I wanted diagonals (I like diagonals; they seem to worm their way into eveeything I design, lol!)

So I fiddled with the pattern, offsetting the repeats until I got what I wanted.

But the leaf faced up. I wanted it to hang down.

Simple. Right? Just flip it upside down...

But it still looked like it was growing up and not down.

The key turned out to be decreases in the center and holes along the edge instead of the center. That pulls the top half of the leaf into a diagonal slant, leaving the bottom half straight up and down.

The straightaways began as another established pattern, but I modified them to fit the width of the leaf so that each line of beading blossoms at its top into the bottom of a leaf.

And by moving the decreases to the center I got a nice clean vertical line up the center of the motif as well.



And then there was the orientation of the trellis and the hydrangea blossoms at the center of each opening.

Again I began with a known pattern, but wound up modifying (as you heard about in yesterdays "black hole" post.

The original pattern called for another lace motif at each intersection of the trellis. But I wanted something more solid.

Why?

So I would have someplace to put these:

That my friends, is a little 3-d hydrangea action!

Which will be anchored to the finished piece with a larger bead.

I think...

unless it's too much...

Wouldn't want to be accused of gilding the lily hydrangea...

AND DON'T FORGET; IRIS GOES ON SALE MONDAY!

Are we having fun yet?

Where You Been?

I was going to post yesterday.

Honest!

But I got sucked into a black hole.

There I was, minding my own business, knitting along on Hydrangea, not bothering anybody, planning to post as soon as I worked my way through the first repeat of the center motif...

And the ground opened up before me and swallowed me whole.

Really!

It all began innocently enough. I noticed that the places in the pattern where the lattice crossed were a little....

wonky.

Well, I could fix that...

And while I was fixing that, I could tweak the pattern to make the lattice work line up with the leafy edging better...

And that involved taking two rows out of each repeat...

Which solved that problem but meant the floral motif at the center of the lattice no longer lined up vertically in the center of the lattice...

Which led to the lace knitter's equivelent of that age old question:

Which came first: the chicken or the egg?

Which do you line up with: the holes on the right side rows or the beads on the wrong side rows?

And then...

It was 6:00 PM, my husband was asking, "What's for dinner?", I was ordering pizza...

And ripping out rows.

Those black holes will get you every time.

Sneaky little suckers...

BTW, I still need one test knitter for Hydrangea during the month of June. You don't have to knit the whole scarf, just the first twelve inches or so...

Have your people call my people; we'll talk...

Got Errata?

Moroccan Days/Arabian Nights Errata

Chart A, row 21: Center stitch should be knit, not purl

Chart A, row 41, stitch 20:

Should be purl, not knit. Written directions are correct.

Chart C:

On rows 7, 9, & 11, 2nd stitch in from edge should be a knit 2 together. All right side rows on this chart begin with a beaded yarnover, k2 tog. Written directions are correct.

Chart G4, row 19, st 40:

Should be YO, not knit, as written.

Schematic:

I meant to put G1 & G3 on the right side triangles and G2 & G4 on the left side triangles. Directions are correct. Diagram is correct. Label is specious.

Pg. 8, Legend:

Wrong side decreases: On wrong side rows of beaded edging (Charts B & C ONLY) substitute K2tog for SSK, SSK for K2tog, and K3tog for Sk2P. (as if in garter stitch)

ALL OTHER CHARTS, wrong side rows, the symbol for a right leaning decrease (k2tog) on the right side becomes a p2tog on the wrong side, a left leaning decrease (ssk) becomes a p2 tog tbl, and an Sk2p double decrease becomes a P3tog tbl. This is standard stockinette practice.

Pg. 8, Written Dir. Chart A

Row 7 should read: (P1, k1tbl) twice, (bead1, k1) twice, k2*, not k1* as written.

Rows 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, & 20 should read: Repeat to last 9 stitches. Chart is correct.

Rows 17 & 21 should read: Repeat to last 7 stitches. Chart is correct.

Page 10, Written Dir. Chart F

Row 7: Eliminate extra * k1 from instruction. (I st-stuttered…)

Page 12 at bottom:

Should read:

End panel

Row 1: (WS) Purl. Row 2: Knit. Row 3: P1, slide 20 beads close to RH needle, k1tbl, forming a beaded loop, k2; rep from, end p1. Rows 4 -8: Knit. Row 9: Knit 94, knit 2 tog, knit 94 (189 stitches)

Pg 13, one third of the pg. down, after line beginning with Next Row:

Should read: work chart D (leaf shadows) over next 27 stitches, not 26, as written.

Cherry Country Errata

Chart B should have a fourteen-stitch repeat plus five,
not a thirteen stitch repeat. Farthest stitch to right should be included in
repeat. 131 minus 5 equals 126 or 7 times the 14 stitch repeat.

“It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

Progress

"I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy."
- Madame Marie Curie

While I was in New York last weekend, it was my privilege to attend the spring recital by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater's School of Dance. My nephew (and godson) William has studied with them for several years, and this was my first chance to see him in performance.

From the timidity of the tiniest would-be ballerinas in their pale pink leotards to the youthful exuberance of the high school kids; it was an invigorating and inspiring program. These kids really know how to "step it up and dance" to steal a line from Bravo.

At program's end, as parents and students alike milled about the lobby, searching for each other, someone in our family asked Will how long he had been working on the numbers he had just performed. His answer?

"I've been working on the moves since September and the actual choreography since February (Forgive me Will, if I have remembered incorrectly!)

That is nine months in development and four months in rehearsal.

I wondered how many times he had done those moves. I pondered how hard he worked to learn them. I marveled at the ability of these kids to transcend their limitations.

I know progress comes only with dedication and the willingness to fail.

For every precise turn that unspooled right on time, there were dozens (at least!) that didn't make the grade. For every tap of the kick line, there were countless times they missed the beat. For every performance smile on these young faces, there were many rehearsal disappointments and many sighs of frustration.

Behind success, lies the unwavering will to "pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again."

Seven levels lie between a new student and the end of the program. That is a lot of sweat and tears, a lot of muscle cramps and sore feet, a lot of time when these kids could be playing on the playground or hanging with their friends.

The progress they make from year to year is neither swift nor easy, but it is joyful.

And inspiring. Truly inspiring.

*****

Speaking of progress...




Iris is getting longer.


Look for the pattern on June 1st (pending approval from Knitty Noddy.)





Sherwood is not getting the majority of my time right now...


But I have managed to work my way through the second repeat of the center pattern.


You can see how the leaves line up now.


Drizzle is back on the needles.


I am past the floating bead ruffle at the end.


And have begun the stockinette section.


Next comes the lace...









And I have a new scarf in design.

Made out of this lovely color of seasilk: Seashore.





This is Hydrangea, the July installment of the Garden Variety Collection.

I wanted a vintage look for this one. Hydrangeas are old fashioned garden flowers. They make me think of long lazy afternoons on the porch swing with a tall glass of cold lemonade.


The colors, palest pink, watery aqua, and sandy beige, reminded me of the variegation hydrangeas exhibit, depending upon the alkalinity of the soil.

I also kept in mind the vision of dried blooms, with their faded elegance and beauty.


Iris was all about the angles and the curving fountain shape. Hydrangea is more difuse, more delicate; she is still a rectangular scarf, but her lines are softer.


The beading is a soft iridescent aqua and adds a bit of sparkle, but not too much flash.

Soft.

Always soft.


After much trial and error, I decided on the lovely Versailles border for the ends of the scarf.

I wanted something that was a little floaty, but with a strong horizontal line.


And wait until you see what comes next...

No peeking...

Unless you want to test knit this one. (I am trying to share the knitting around so no one gets burned out.)

*****

I have been delinquent in my blogging during the last month or so. You can bet, when I fall silent, it is because all my energy and time are consumed with creation.

For every pattern you see, there are countless failures.

For every scarf I complete, there are many I'm not happy with.

For every original idea adopted, there are many derivative options rejected.

For every fifty rows, several trips to the frog pond.

Like the young dancers of the Alvin Ailey School, I put a tremendous amount of effort into moving forward in my chosen art.

And like them, I feel the exhilarating leap of joy within my breast that comes with completion.

Completion that comes only through progress.

Which is neither swift nor easy...

But often comes at considerable cost.

I am so proud of William, and of all his fellow students.

Through them, I touch the future.

New York, New York

Start spreading the news
I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York
These vagabond shoes
Are longing to stray
And make a brand new start of it
New York, New York
I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York.

I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues
Are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it
In old New York
If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York.

-the immortal Ebb & Kander

Yep. That's right. They are opening up the cage door and letting me off the sunflower farm

How you gonna keep me down on the farm after I've seen Paree Brooklyn?

I'm heading out tonight to visit my brother and his family for another long weekend and this time...

I'm not taking the laptop.

Yeah. You heard me right. I'm actually taking a real break with no Sunflower business.

(Well, I might sneak in a little visit to a yarn store - research)

Back on Monday night late. Any orders placed tonight through Monday will go out Tuesday.

Y'all have a good weekend, ya hear?

Limitations

So put me on a highway
And show me a sign
And take it to the limit one more time
-The Eagles

Nobody like limitations. They nag at us. They restrict us. They hem us in.

They pinch like a shirt collar two sizes too small.

I saw a new commercial this morning on television (Now see, if I had Tivo, this wouldn't have happened. I'm not sure if this is a drawback or a selling point. Perhaps we get enough freebies in this lifetime. Perhaps we should be required to watch the blamed things to earn our MTV. Perhaps it builds character. Perhaps I'm full of s#@t.)

The commercial ended with the slogan, "Because nothing is more beautiful than unlimited potential."

I don't remember what they were selling (sorry ad-men) but I agree whole heartedly with the sentiment.

Unlimited potential is the most intoxicating feeling in the world.

We, here in the states, don't seem to deal well with limitations. I don't know if it is the result of all those wide open spaces, manifest destiny, the new frontier. Or if it just that we are, by nature, stubborn.

The good ol' US of A was born from the willingness of people to leave behind what they knew as familiar, and venture into the unknown. We are all (with the exception of Native-Americans) newcomers. And all of our ancestors, at some point, decided to throw off the limitations of their old life and forge a new one in a new land.

Whether they came over on the Mayflower or crossed the border last week.

We want to:

• Worship God in our own way.
• Keep a gun on the top shelf of the closet if we so choose.
• Decide for ourselves who is best suited to run the country
• Be able to drive our cars as often, as far, and as fast as we like.
• Own our own homes
• Eat out when we are busy. Or tired. Or stressed out.

We want to live out the "American dream" We want - we have the right, dammit - to be free.

And we don't take kindly to someone or something telling us,

"You can't."

There's a reason it is called the "Bill of Rights" instead of the "Bill of Desires."

But a funny thing happens on the way to our own individual declarations of independence.

We bump up against limits.

• Not enough time.
• Not enough money.
• Not enough health.
• Not enough faith.
• Not enough us.

I don't know about you, but I spend most of my days close to home these days. Cuts down on the gas bill.

I don't know about you, but I worry that my house is unsellable in today's market.

I don't know about you, but both my candidates lost in the Indiana primary yesterday - and the one that won the primary is a walking advertisement for term limits.

I don't know about you, but my grocery bill scares me.

For every freedom, there is a counterbalance; a price that must be paid for the lifting of the limits. Just like the speeding tickets we get when we ignore the legal limit.

I can drive all I want, if I'm willing to sell my children into white slavery.

I can sell my house tomorrow, provided I'm willing to accept $30,000 less than it was worth a year ago.

I can overthrow majority rule, if I am willing to accept dictatorship.

I can eat out every night, provided I don't mind bankrupting our retirement savings and ruining my health with too many Mcfatty Mcmeals.

Maybe, limits are trade-offs of a sort. An ever-shifting series of transactions with life.

I spent the last couple days, widening my search for the "perfect" spot to vacation in with my DH next year for our 30th anniversary.

You know the one:

• Close to the beach, but not so close that topless women are parading by (although DH probably would not think this a problem)
  
• Comfortable, but not fancy
• Charming wildlife like birds & monkeys, but no mosquitoes
  
• Romantic, but not smarmy
• Warm, but not hot
• Private, but not desolate
• Quiet, but not boring
• Fun, but not frenzied.
• Nice, but inexpensive

I feel like Goldilocks...

Every time I think I have found something that is "just right"...

it isn't.

Usually because it costs too much. There is no free lunch people. especially when that lunch is a tropical picnic on a deserted isle.

And to make matters worse, my computer is running like

M-O-L-A-S-S-E-S-----

S-L-O-O-O-O-O-W M-O-O-O-L-A-A-A-A-S-S-E-E-E-E-S

Like my pocketbook, I am afraid it has reached its limit. I ran a disk clean up and de-frag yesterday, but I am still waiting for things to load.

And waiting...

And waiting...

Still waiting...

I am trying to think positively here, and come up with a philosophical reason why limits are good. It's hard right now to look beyond the frustration.

And then I think of Baby Boy, and how, when he was two, I put a gate between him and the stairs, so he wouldn't fall. I am sure he felt just as frustrated then as I do today.

But the limits kept him safe.

I don't know if I am safer because of my limits. But I do know enough to respect them. I can sense when things are getting out of whack.

I know when I exceed my limits. When my gauge is too loose and I need to tighten up the stitches of my life.

And I can sense intuitively when my limits are bigger than I realize. When it is time to widen the circle of my experience, change to larger needles, and turn what I thought should be a tightly wound scarf

Into a capacious afghan.

When I was younger, I pushed the limits more, as youth are wont to do. Now I am (usually) content to live within my limits.

But sometimes, it just feels like the limits chafe.

Sometimes I hear the irresistible call of unlimited potential:

"Just because you haven't, doesn't mean you can't."

So I pick up my needles again, and...

Dream...

Design...

Create...

Fulfill...

And the limits?

Fade to black.

Black & White

The world is black, the world is white
It turns by day and then by night
A child is black, a child is white
Together they grow to see the light, to see the light
- Three Dog Night

As a designer I often key my designs from the inspirational color: Moroccan spice, dandelion yellow, purple iris, lettuce green, foggy gray.

So, when someone commented the other day that they couldn't see the pattern for Crocus Pocus because the color got in the way, it made me think.

I know exactly what she means; sometimes a color just can't seem to coexist peacefully with a pattern, no matter how many different things you try. One is oil. And the other is water. And never the twain shall mix.

Now I don't necessarily place Crocus Pocus in that category, but I get where she's coming from. Nobody likes clown barf. (Well,actually, SOMEBODY does, or they wouldn't make it; one person's "clown barf" is another person's "bright and cheery," and who are we to judge?)

So , just for you, because I aim to please... Crocus Pocus in black and white (or as black and white as my photo editor would get me.)

Just pretend it's an old movie. Very Bogie and Bacall...

Before Ted Turner got a hold of them...


In other news, Knitty Noddy is giving a $1 discount on the pattern price when purchased with the yarn.

It might not be enough to bring back the old flicks in all their black and white glory.

But it COULD be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

May Day

CROCUS POCUS

Size: 54" wide by 25" long
Materials: 437 yds. lHandmaiden Sea Silk, Mini Maiden, or other light fingering yarn - main color (Dandelion)
20 yds. contrast color (Periwinkle)
Size 5 (US) needles
2750 8/0 seed beads (Miyuke #1827)
74 Czech pressed glass bellflower beads (tanzanite and citrine)
Skill level: Intermediate - crochet hook beading and chart reading
Gauge: 5.5 st. = 1 inch

Could there be a better day to kick off the Garden Variety Collection than May Day?

I don't think so...

CROCUS POCUS HAS ARRIVED!

When I was young I would laboriously endeavor to render my very best May basket out of construction paper, crayons and scotch tape, then wander through our yard, plucking a tulip here, a daffodil there, some branches from our lilac bush, and a few dandelions just to be cheeky.

I would hang my homemade largess on the nearest doorknob, ring the bell and run. My mom always played along, poking her head out of the front hall with a theatrically bewildered look on her mug, declaiming loudly,

"Oh my goodness! SOMEONE left me a beautiful May basket. I WONDER who it could be?"

Mom was a good sport.

The crocus are in full bloom today, if not outside in my yard, then along the pathways of my imagination and the byways of the blogosphere.

What a great way to kick off a new month and the beginning of the blooming season!

All the info is on my sidebar; I got the seed beads from Foxden and the flower beads from a local source. I have found the flower beads many places on the web. Google "Czech glass bell flower beads and you should get lots of options.

Here are a few I found:

Embellishments
Fusion Beads
Fire Mountain

And while you're at it, give Knitty Noddy's sea silk and mini maiden a gander. I tell you, this stuff is too addicting to be legal!


And if crocus are here, you know what that means.

Can Iris be far behind?