women of a certain age are like sunflowers; they know how to turn their faces to the sun.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Progress

"All our progress is an unfolding, like a vegetable bud. You have first an instinct, then an opinion, then a knowledge as the plant has root, bud, and fruit. Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fear not, Garden Varietals, work continues on Sunflower. I am just finishing up the central mahogany section of the shawl/scarf and ready to begin the tiger section.

I don't know if it really shows up in the pictures, but I am pleased at way the lace pattern is forming.Once blocked, I think it will be lovely.

I love how a lace pattern transforms into a completely different animal when you knit it circularly. Too much fun...

For example this little arrowhead like pattern becomes concentric flower shapes once knitted.

I love the way a circular piece looks; I am less enthused by the fact that it keeps getting bigger.I am already up to a 32 inch round, and I have a 45 and a 60 inch waiting in the wings.

Hey! There's a reason I gave myself an extra month on this one!

Evelyn tells me that the Poinsettia sample is in. She is going to send me a picture. Don't worry, I'll share.

*****

Here are some alternate yarn suggestions for the AspenGlo Wrap, since the Maiden Hair is a fairly new fiber:

Handmaiden Fine Yarn Silk Maiden

Any of these would be lovely.

You know, one of the reasons I am publishing the Aperitif Collection is, quite frankly, self serving.

GASP!

Last year I really struggled to come up with inexpensive, yet thoughtful, gifts. I just hate to feed the Xmas machine that runs at the local mall 24/7 from mid-October on.

Luckily, Ravelry came to my rescue with an endless assortment of lovely, quick, cheap...

(I think we should rehabilitate that word. Cheap has taken on an undesirable aura in recent years. Perhaps now that gas costs $4 and the princes of Wall Street are running for the hills, we can begin to value again the virtues of frugality, rather than consumption. Okay, I'm done now. Time to climb back down off of the soapbox.)

Gift ideas. If it weren't for Jared Flood's hat pattern, I would have been lost. I made a ton of hats last year.

And I just figured I probably wasn't alone.

Speaking of Aperitifs, Maria - the wonder knitter - has posted first pictures of her Leaves of Grass scarf. Only she made it a shawl by using a larger needle size and some Noro yarn she had lying around. And hers is red. I'm guessing she won't call hers by the same moniker...unless her grass is a radically different color than mine.

You can take a look here:

Nice, huh?

Pattern will be on the market sometime next week, as soon as I finish mine and get some decent pictures. (I'm going to try and corral my DH into taking some of Zinnia, AspenGlo and Leaves of Grass actually being worn. What a concept!)

*****
I ran across this great joke when I was researching Soulful Parent, Soulful Teen, about the difference between leaders and managers:
Two people were managing a work crew cutting through a thick forest. The leader climbed a tree, looked around, and shouted down, "Halt! We are going in the wrong direction!"

The manager said, "But we're making GREAT progress..."
Sometimes direction is more important than progress; think I'll go find me a tree...

3 comments:

FiberRachel said...

looking good, the sunflower, and a tip for you. I love using Denise needles for circular projects, especially lace ones. You can add longer pieces to the needles you are using as it grows, and to look at what it's going to look like, you just add a few of the very long extensions so you can spread it right out, then take them off again when you carry on knitting.

Lost City Denise said...

This is wonderful! Need some quotes from Walt....

I have to make this one!

Lucia said...

Whenever I come over here I'm gobsmacked at everything you've gotten done. If only I were half as productive. Of course, it might help to knit more and play fewer computer games...

I think cheap is one of those words. You know, I am thrifty, you are frugal, he is cheap. In any case, knitted aperitifs are great. I wish more of my relatives had long hair: I could knit them all snoods.