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Spill Guts Here. It's gotta go somewhere, know what I mean? Can you stand it?
purls before swine
Geek Knitting
West Indian Parade
West Indian Parade
Dog/Cat Wrestling
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10.31.2003
Difficulties make you a jewel.
- Japanese proverb
OH, the screening of Karl's movie, "Thanatos & Eros" last night was simultaneously exquisitely beautiful and emotionally/visually brutal. Did make me cry for many reasons which I will not go into here.
My public shyness is quite pronounced these days. Yes, I talk to people all freaking day long, meet new ones every day at the shop, but it's a controlled situation, and really, *my* world, so I feel comfortable there. But in an unfamliar environment, with people I don't know, I feel like a deer in headlights, needing to bolt. Always been like this to varying degrees. Yes, I know you can take drugs for this, but I think that's absurd. Do not suggest it. I have to get out more, that's a fact. Knitting 7g skirts for a few hours, then going to stock up on giant bags of candy for the creatures roaming my neighborhood today. 10.29.2003
Wow, today was a hard day. I generally have the usual ups and downs, but today was brutal. *exhale*
I'm going to see my friend's film tommorrow, took him 4 years to make it. Can't wait. The stills are all good. 10.28.2003
Years ago there was an artist named Mr. Apology here in New York, who set up a phone answering system where people could call in and leave messages anonymously to confess or apologize to anyone for anything. You could also call in and listen to what was left. I had insomnia in those days pretty bad, and I heard many confessions and apologies in the small hours trying to get sleepy. Group Hug is a new version of that concept.
Back to normal stressed out mode, "the happies" have passed, at least for the time being. Cranking out as many 7g fingerless mitts as I can in the next 2 hours, showering, then in the city all day shopping for the shop. Big fun, very tiring.
Got involved making a woodgrain patterned sweater coat yesterday, pretty much worked on it all day, it was raining and tornadolike outside, definitely will post a picture of this, it came out nice. Have to wash and block, will take a few days to dry, it's very heavy. *sigh*. My intuition is usually very accurate, and am always surprised when it's not spot-on. May be too soon to tell. And thank you, Marilyn, for this wonderful link! One inch scale gloves! Just look at them, and the stockings! Oh, how I love miniatures! Have a bunch of images here in my camera, will release them as soon as there is a small window of time. Anyone ever check out Rare Yarns in Australia? Seems like the exchange rate is pretty good, considering the fiber content. I've just found myself jonesing for yak. 10.26.2003
A warm, overcast early am in the park. Glad to have the extra am hour. It was warm enough for the dog to have a swim.
I love coffee. I feel unreasonably happy. 10.25.2003
Handknitting experimental hats with varying degrees of success. 7G sweaters and skirts next in the pipe. Ordering Geelong lambswool next week in rich colors, very excited about it. I will be posting some pictures soon of what I'm up to, in response to a request by charming Canadian Megan, who visited the shop today with her husband and a child gently sawing wood in his stroller. She wore an excellent barn red sweater coat, handknit by someone a long time ago, with a flat faux cable texture pattern on it, very inspiring. Hi, Megan! :->
I'm having alot of fun knitting this fast. Hopped up on adreniline, cutting down on caffiene. Able to focus, and getting plenty of satisfaction from it. I know you know what I mean, you hardcore knitters. 10.23.2003
Sometimes, so rarely, I get lucky enough to have a deep & meaningful conversation, satisfying in every single way, that continues mostly un-interrupted until it is done, in an arc.
Thank you, Grandpa. 10.22.2003
Spent the am locked IN my apartment, the doorknob latch has been going bad for some time, and apparently expired during the night, in the locked position. Felt most sorry for the dog, who had to go out pretty badly, he had to wait. I drank some coffee, black, since I ran out of milk yesterday, while waiting for the locksmith to rescue us.
$300. later, I can start my day. Holy fuck do I need a vacation. Other than that, my dryer is saving me a ton of time, spreading things out in the studio to airdry is awesome, and Kitty can't mess with things, since she's home wrestling with Mr. Murphy, not a damp hat. Was very pleasantly surprised yesterday when I finally picked up the new "Vogue Knitting", and saw that redlipstick.net had been mentioned in the blurb about bloggers. They got most of my other favorite blogs in there, as well. Thanks! 10.20.2003
Ok, had a lovely french dinner with a good friend last night, and feel good today, my day off. Taking care of many loose ends, the first being:
Glitten Notes, Patterning: CUFF: There are so many possibilities here, the simplest being a fur or novelty yarn, angora, mohair or possum, etc. Make it longer, do colorwork, texturework, lace or cabling, change it and make it yours. Cables with more than 2 stitches in them will need some extra stitches to keep the width stable, as cables pull in, and change the gauge. No need to go nuts trying to figure it out, for a 4 stitch cable {2 over 2}, cast-on 2 more stitches for each cable. 3 over 3, add 3 more per. Evenly space decreases in the first round of the main body to re-achieve the correct amount of stitches. MAIN BODY, POINTER AND THUMB OPTIONS: The main body is a pointed rectangle, essentially. Easy to work in the same options as the cuff, the difference being the bottom part of the thumb is knitted at the same time. A traditional way of resolving this, if your doing 2 colors in a row, is to seed stitch the thumb, decrease part of the main body and pointer finger later in the colors you're using: XOXOXO OXOXOX...{repeat} X=color A O=color B or just make up your own tradition. Graph it out as you go for later reference. Experiment, frog it out and experiment again. Change colors at strategic points. Stripe it. Resizing: The easiest way {and a favorite of mine} is to change needle size and yarn thickness, as Hilary's already done {dk yarn and 3.0 and 3.25 mm needles for her 3.5 yr old}. Fatten the yarn up for a guy, or add a few more stitches in the main body, and a few more for each finger. No big deal. Add length by adding rows in the straightaways. You take it from here. It's a basic pattern, begging you for embellishment. Glittens Forever! 10.19.2003
Working like a galley slave to train Lena (who's working out really well, I just have to show her how I do things once, and she's able to take it from there, just exactly what I need in a production knitter/finisher. Thank you, Lena!), and keep my shop stocked with knits.
Shop's been continuously very busy, and all I want is to stop fucking answering questions all day!!! Yaddayaddayaddayadda! BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH! For a natural recluse like me, this is my idea of hell. Keep getting people in who feel free to endlessly grill me regarding knitting machines, yarn, pattern making, where I get things, etc, and I've been too polite to brush them off, but my nerves are reaching breaking point. I'm like a sitting duck at the shop. Do your own goddamned research, people! I've worked hard to develop my methods and resources, and I'm not giving them away to you! Surprised? Why? Bugger off! I'm not talking about a question here or there, which is not a big deal, but an endless succession of them. It stops today. Why don't you grand inquisitors contact Joan Vass, Liz Collins or any other knitwear designer and see if you even get the time of day. I assure you, you will not. Happy to carry my very old friend Jane Diaz's beautiful 22k charms, earrings and rings in the shop. Jane and I have known each other for over 23 years, and at one point *very* long ago "shared" a boyfriend, who ended up marrying Jane, (it was ok with me, not like I was consulted or anything, but I was fine with it, and wished them well). Al is long gone, but we have remained friends. I love her jewelery designs, and am considering selling them online when RedLipstick eshop is launched at some point in the not so distant future. I know I need to resolve the Glitten thing, but need to be in that mindset first, have had too many other things in the mental pipe. Have knitted 12 shoulder awnings, 6 skirts, a dozen hats and 9 pairs of fingerless mitts since then. Will try to mentally get back there in the next few days. Have loads of finishing, washing and blocking work first. Off to work. 10.11.2003
Spent the am with my contractor (anybody need work done in the NY area, email me, and I'll send you his #. He's awesome, and affordable) picking up a used Maytag extra capacity dryer for my studio, going to Home Despot for electrical/exhaust accessories, and watching it get installed in my studio. It works beautifully!
Wowie! I use a dryer during my wool finishing process, and have had to endure the fisheye every time I walk into a launderama with a pile of soaking wet knits. They generally don't like you to use the dryers here if you don't use the washers first, but I handwash. Everything! So now...I can dry in the middle of the night, what a timesaver. I'm happy today. Plus, H.D. is my favorite store. Stocked up on industrial carpets, also for the studio, lightbulbs, african violets and shelf brackets. Love that shit! 10.10.2003
Next post will talk about Glitten resizing and patterning options.
Close the top of the Main Body: *K2 together, K2*. {repeat what's between *-* for one round}, Knit the last stitch.
Knit 2 rounds. {If you have longer fingers above the top-o-the-pinkie line, now is the time to add some extra rows for length}. *K2 together, K1* for one round. Knit one round. Cut yarn, leaving at least an 8" tail. Put the tail on a yarn needle, run it through the remaining stitches, and gather tightly, run it through the stitches a few more times to lock it in, and cut. Knit the Thumb: Evenly distribute the stitches on the yarn holder onto your #9 needles. Pick up another 4 stitches from the crotch of the thumb and main body {the 2 cast-on stitches, and any handy loop from the beside those, Be consistent regarding which loop you pick up}. Knit one round, beginning with one of the loop stitches. Knit each cast-on stitch together with the picked-up loop next to it, reducing those 4 stitches to 2, knit the rest of the round. Knit 8 more rounds, or as many as you need to reach the top of the thumb in question. *Knit 2 together* for one round. Gather the remaining stitches together on a yarn needle, just like the main body. Knit the Pointer finger: Put the stitches back on your double pointeds and pick-up/knit-together the 4 stitches the same way you did for the thumb. Knit as many rounds as you need to get to the top of the pointer. I knit 11 rounds. K2 together for one round, gather remaining stitches, same as thumb. You are 50% done! Do it all again. Then: Finishing:Weave the ends in, then hand wash in lukewarm water with Ivory Liquid, a little roughly. Rinse twice in same temperature water, roll and squeeze in a towel, and lay flat on a drying screen {very important} in the shape of your hand. Turn inside out to dry tommorrow. You just made a really warm pair of Glittens. 10.07.2003
Pointer finger: You are at the beginning of the round, go back 1 stitch, rip it out and replace it on the left needle.
{I should have told you that at the end of the last round, but I didn't. I'm knitting this along with you and recording the directions spontaneously.} The point is to center the pointer finger above the thumb, this is an ambidexterous glitten, good on either hand, no front or back. You will now make sure that 4 stitches are on the right side of the center of the 2 made stitches above the thumb "bridge", and 4 stitches are on the left. These 8 sts. INCLUDE the 2 thumb cast-on stitches. *Put these 8 stitches for the pointer on a yarn holder, cast-on 2 new stitches to form another bridge, and knit 10 or 11 rounds ON THE MAIN BODY, or as many as you need to reach the top of the pinkie.
Spent the entire day off yesterday removing the buzzer system and changing locks at the studio building with the electrician and locksmith respectively, to safeguard the building from the last group of psychotic tenants, who are on their way out. Consulting today with an attorney on eviction possibilities. I'll call this a learning experience.
Otherwise, life is great. 10.03.2003
I am beyond thrilled, I have my own production knitter! She came by my shop after searching around on the net for work possibilities, and showed me her work, she's home with a small child all day, and is looking to make some extra do-re-mi. She's a Russian lady who's been knitting and crocheting all her life, and can do it practically in her sleep. This is the normal MO for production knitters, not someone whos been knitting for only a year or two, and only has the scarf thing down. I will teach her the techniques I prefer, and my life will improve drastically! I assure you, making enough knitwear for the shop all by myself for three years has been an extreme exercise in endurance, speed and will. Yippee! Going to knit up some work for her to put together right now, Oh Shit, what a relief.
Thank you Grandpa, for sending her to me. (Irving is my guardian angel, he is responsible for lovely things like this that happen, or so I like to believe. A small quirk.) 10.02.2003
Starting thumb increase section: K2, place marker, increase 2 stitches in the next stitch like this - K1, with stitch still on left needle, yarn over, then K1 in the same stitch. You've turned 1 stitch into three. Place another marker.
*Knit one round. *K2, make one left leaning increase AFTER the marker, K3, make one right leaning increase BEFORE the marker. Knit to end of round. *Knit one round. *K2, make one left leaning increase AFTER the marker, K5, make one right leaning increase BEFORE the marker. Knit to end of round. Continue like this, increasing every other row until there are 11 stitches between the markers. *Knit 2 rounds. *K2, put the 11 thumb stitches on a yarn holder. Cast on 2 to make a bridge between the first 2 stitches in the round and the stitches after the thumb stitches. Knit to end of round. 15 rows should have been knitted on the main body. If your hand is longer, add a few rows after the increasing for the thumb reaches 11 stitches. Just knit straight, (stop increasing) then put the thumb stitches on the cord. Start mid main body: Knit 11 or 12 rows straight, or until you reach the crotch of your pointer finger and middle finger comfortably. Designed the first print ad for the shop, and got it to my local-rag-o-choice just before deadline. It was fun doing that kind of design work again, I miss graphics. Lost the dog's leash this am in the park, thought we would have had to live there, but a kind friend loaned me one so we could go home. Backtracked the entire length again, couldn't find it. Tired now. I am tired all the time, but also really happy, I don't know if I always communicate that. I have a rare window in my life where I can take the ball. my ball, the one I made up, and see how hard, fast and far I can run with it, that's what I'm doing. Hey Tom! |
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