Monday, March 29, 2010

The second tier of jabot lace is finished but for one edging repeat. A friend is coming to lunch today – what to feed him? – which will delay blocking slightly: the dining room is the normal locus for that operation.

And it’s more fun than anything, blocking something so small. I enjoy the operation in general, but crawling around from one edge of a shawl to the opposite point can be athletic. With a jabot tier – a doyley would be the same, but I’m not going to start knitting those – the whole job can be done from one position.

James wrote from Beijing yesterday: “Frothy and fruity! This will be a true test of nerves. I did see one person wearing a jabot at the last ball, but I think he was a foreigner.” What exactly constitutes a “foreigner” at a St Andrew’s Night ball in Beijing is left unspecified.

Koigu

I’m cooling off on the shrug idea. Shandy’s remark about how they tend to slip off the shoulders meshed with something I had vaguely felt as I was posting that picture yesterday. I’ll have a look at everybody’s shrugs on Ravelry one day soon, though.

What about a sleeved Ribwarmer? Woolgathering #58. For that one, EZ seems to have abandoned her fine talk of “your gauge” and “K” and just written it at 4 sts to the inch – which will hardly do for Koigu. But that much thinking I think I can manage, especially because I have knit a ribwarmer and can work from the actual object.

And the Socklady has found some promising free sock-yarn sweater and jacket patterns at the Garnstudio.

My current thought – no doubt there will be something different here tomorrow – is to knit that VK scarf I mentioned yesterday in Koigu when the jabot is finished, and then put the whole question aside while ideas, we might hope, jell. I’ve got plenty of Koigu – there will still be a couple of jackets’-worth when the scarf is subtracted.

I might turn next to Kaffe’s “Green Granite Blocks” from “California Patches”. A dear friend gave me the kit years and years ago. I think it may have ripened sufficiently. I got it out last night. It looked good. It is an emotional necessity for me to have the Next Big Thing lined up in advance of the completion of this one.

KnitCamp

Janet did meet Franklin in Seattle, and says that he is looking forward to the camp in Stirling – so maybe I can stop worrying. I can see that not sending anything in the post saves them a very considerable amount of time and money, but I do feel that the occasional “Dear Camper” email would provide a helpful sense that someone is in charge and that plans are moving forward.

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:22 PM

    Yes, I can see how the shrug could end up being a stole. Would be terribly annoying for me. I really like the jabot. AND it is fun to see it come together. Good luck on making the decision for the next project. I think that half the fun of knitting something is planning the next project while I am knitting the present one. I believe it has something to do with right brain - left brain. When doing something repetitive the creative side kicks in.
    Ron

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  2. Planning the next big project is like planning a trip for me. Nearly as much fun as the actual process or voyage. I got a good laugh out of the foreigner at the ball comment. On the subway in Beijing (about 15 years ago) the old New Yorker in me came out, and I thought 'I should put my guidebook away so I don't look like a tourist.' The entire car full of people staring at me stared even harder when I started to laugh out loud.

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  3. I like the look of shrugs but I don't think I have ever seen one on an actual real person. Maybe there is a reason.
    The foreigner at the St Andrews Ball in Beijing made me giggle.

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  4. =Tamar5:45 PM

    Since I've been wearing a scarf and hat in bed this winter (cold house), I suspect shrugs originated as bedjackets to keep the arms and shoulders warm without the waist part riding up much.

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  5. Anonymous8:08 PM

    Did you see the thread on posh knitters? Dee was going to do the weekend and now isn't but no mention of why? Seems a lot of trouble behind scenes and lots of threads archived on knit camp forum on ravelry
    lindsey

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  6. Alison (in Australia)1:12 AM

    I wear shrugs a lot in winter - I find they work well in an office where often a little covering is needed, but a whole jacket/cardigan is too much. I find they fit fine if they are well-shaped at the armholes: my best ones have set in sleeves. Ones knitted in one piece are okay if there is enough body to balance out the tendency of the garment to drag backwards & off: a deep rib all around is often useful here.

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  7. I think Tamar is onto something with her shrug theory.
    I don't think I would be likely to knit one for myself - I apply the question "How would it do when I did the washing up?". I have decided against quite a few projects on those grounds, and have also got quite a few, beautiful but unworn, where I should have asked the question.

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