Presents and Poetry

So many things were completed since my last real post: 13 FOs, one frogged hat, and one cowboy poetry gathering. Sure, it's been two months, but that many projects is a lot for me these days, especially those days leading up to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

I'm not sure where to start. The Gathering was great. I had been feeling about a month behind in preparations (probably because I'd lost a month's worth of work days to furlough) until two weeks before the event. Then, magically, I was ready. I'm sure a few things got overlooked, but all in all, it was a great Gathering. I heard so many compliments--people don't usually tell me those things, since I'm the invisible hand running the machine--which was really nice. I even got a present! I usually only get amazing hugs, but Doris Daley gave me chocolate straws (and hugs). I finally shared them with the staff, but I pretended they were just for me for about a week.

I didn't see much music or poetry, as is usually the case, but I did get to see my friends Andy Hedges and Andy Wilkinson perform. Andy Hedges's wife, Alissa, sang with them, too. They are all great. Video and audio from some of the shows are available on the Western Folklife Center's website. We also blogged during the event. Find that here.

Now on to knitting. Here are some things that became presents (in Blogger upload order, not chronological).

Windschief, which I will some day send to my brother.

Owl, with a magnet in the bottom, for Brian

Cat toy. It was supposed to be a sock, but I did not like the colors at all. I ripped back to the toe, seamed it up, and voila! a cat toy.

Mittens with flip-top thumbs (my pattern) so Brian can use his iPhone.

Soxies for Brian's Mom.

Men's Cashmere Scarf (not cashmere) that Brian will probably never wear (don't be surprised if you see it in my giveaway pile)

Argyle Felted Hot Pad for my kitchen. I always forget that white yarn doesn't felt at the same rate as colored yarn, so I pulled out the blue argyle pattern.

I also finished Duck for a pregnant friend. I'm not sure whether she reads this, so no pictures until I mail them off.

On impulse, Brian and I went to Portland after Christmas (which was spent with his mom in Mountain Home, ID). I visited a few yarn shops while we were there.

Malabrigo Sock

Rowan Purelife (I made the mittens above out of this)

2 skeins of Shelter. I used one skein on a hat that I ended up frogging. It was knit too tightly and I couldn't get the lace pattern (as usual).

All of the above were from Knit Purl. Very nice store.

Purple Lotus Sweet Grass hand dyed cotton from Gossamer

Cascade Eco + from Close Knit. I'd been to Close Knit the first time I was in Portland. It's a really great store. I'd probably shop there a lot if I lived in Portland.

I didn't love Portland the first time Brian took me (nearly a year ago, for our second date), but my mind was changed this time. The weather was awful, but I miss the moist air of the Midwest so much that I didn't mind. My car minded, fogging up and condensing on the inside every day, all day. We ate some amazing food. Food I dream about. We did some great sightseeing to Sauvie Island and The Grotto. We also explored some neighborhoods, and did a lot of window shopping. My favorite day was spent in Ground Kontrol, dropping quarters into classic video games. That day reminded me of the times when my dad would take me to the arcade after school. All the games were from that era, except most of the pinball, which was newer and reminded me of college when I would spend my laundry money on pinball. I love pinball.

Ever since I started knitting without an intended recipient (for the most part), I have accumulated a pile of homeless knits. I have an idea to give these away to whomever expresses interest in them. I recently gifted the Snapdragon mitts to CarrieK because she liked them. Why not give away the rest of the items to people who will use them? I think this post is too long and picture heavy to do it here, so I'll list the items next week. Stay tuned!

Resurgence

In spite of the very busy month I just had, or maybe because of it, I've been knitting a lot. Unfortunately, I tend to lose things when I'm stressed. So I was sure I had pictures of all the things I've knit since December. Alas, I do not.

I did make some great things, though. And I followed my New Year's Resolution quite well. It's not easy to break the habit of knitting for someone in particular. My thought process goes something like this: "What do I want to make? Maybe I should make that, it will fit so-and-so and they have a birthday coming up. Or maybe I should make this, since I've wanted to make it for a while. But it won't look good on anyone and I want to use wool." Obviously, I'm still considering what others can wear, but I'm also knitting things just for fun.

I just finished Quincy by Jared Flood. That guy is a genius. I used some wool I bought in Idaho this fall and it looks great. I had no recipients in mind when I knit this. It will be given away when the time comes.


Quincy was a much needed quick project after finishing a pair of Faux Bois Mittens. I'm crazy about faux bois right now, so these were great for that. I liked the colorwork and the twisted stitches, but I should remember that I knit stranded work tightly. The mittens are quite snug, even though I was got gauge on my swatch. I'm not crazy about the thumb, either. I think I prefer a gusset. The lack of a gusset makes these pull, which adds to the snugness. The technique also left holes where I picked up stitches (I should have picked up an extra stitch over the hole and then knit the extra stitch in on the next round). The pattern is very clever, though, and I'm happy I made them, even if I have to find someone with tiny hands to give them to. But that's not the point anymore, is it?


Otherwise this month I finished a cowl. This was a clever bit of cheating, since the only knitting I did was binding off. I had started a girl's dress using a Drops pattern five years ago. It dawned on me that the skirt, which was all I'd completed, could be turned into a cowl. It took a couple tries because I'd forgotten that I'd decreased some, so I had to rip out the bind off and a few rows to make it work. It's beautiful. I gave it away before I could take a picture.

I also knit some fingerless gloves out of the leftovers from Sarah's Caliometry. They've already been used to climb outside in January.


In December I decided to catalog and photograph my stash. In doing so, I rediscovered some yarns I had stored away. From that came a quick, garter stitch cowl out of R2 Braid.



Before that I made a Sag Snood/Cowl out of three strands of Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton. It was supposed to be for me, but I don't like how drapey the cotton is. I knew it was a risk, but I really wanted a big, chunky cowl. I might rip it out, I might decide I like it. I love the color at the very least.


My sweater project in December was a Shalom. Fabulous sweater. It took about a week to make. I gifted it to a friend at work. She wanted it a little longer, so I ripped back and added about an inch to the bottom. Top down sweaters are awesome. This was a two-person knit along with my friend Amber, which really helped me decide what to knit then. I'm glad I knit it. I made a few modifications to the sleeve and the yoke by shortening the ribbed sections by one repeat each and continuing the pattern onto the sleeve.


I also knit two hats. I gave both of them to Jen at Christmastime. The first was another Piper. It really is an amazing pattern that creates a beautiful hat.


While visiting Jen, I also made a Robin's Egg Blue Hat out of Ella Rae Latte. Oh, my, what soft and fuzzy yarn. I have some in a couple other colors that should be destined for something to wear around a neck, or maybe even mittens so the recipient could touch it all the time. I don't have a picture of that hat.

I think I ordered some buttons for Holly, but I can't find the receipt, so I'm not sure I really did. I did, however complete all the finishing. Now it just needs buttons.

Now I'm starting a Side Impact Sweater. I've had the pattern since I visited Artfibers in 2006 and the yarn for at least a year. It was a toss up with some other sweaters, but I think it's time I cracked down and made this one. I've liked it for so long and it will be perfect for Spring.

Oh, and the Gathering was great. See my last post for links to the cybercast and other media from the event. I skipped a Super Bowl party tonight so I could stay home and knit. It feels good to spend some time alone after hanging out with hundreds of people for a week straight.

Fall

Fall and winter are so busy for me anymore (with planning the largest and oldest cowboy poetry gathering and all), that I no longer have time to plan for the important things, like making flight arrangements for Christmas, or figuring out where I'll be for New Year's Eve. The busy-ness creeps up on me. All of a sudden I'm working late and skipping lunch and I don't know how that happened. I don't mind, though. My job is still interesting enough most of the time to keep me expending the energy it needs.

Knitting doesn't seem to be suffering right now, which is a surprise. I take that back. The amount of knitting I'm doing hasn't slowed down. In fact, I seem to be spending more time with the needles in my hands. What is suffering, are the knits themselves. I spent all that time loving the Holly Jacket, but now that I need to do the finishing touches (which include knitting), I can't get motivated to do it. I thought I was finished with the cozy shorts for Sandman, but I need to rip back and fix a leg.


Those shorts. How can I have the same number of stitches and end up with one leg wider than the other? The problem with the pattern is that it doesn't give stitch counts, so it's harder to keep track. I thought I had calculated everything correctly. I even had a friend try them on. The simple fact of the matter is that one leg is wider than the other. So the shorts have been sitting in my knitting basket, staring at me with contempt when I pick up the needles to make a sure-fire hat.

I was thinking that it was just garments, and that I should stick to accessories. I made two hats (stop what you're doing and make Piper now. It's awesome),


then I made a scarf,


then a Calorimetry.


But I'm risking a garment so I can have a very, very loose knit along with Amber. Amber's been knitting way longer than I have, and we've never had a chance to knit together, really, since we lived together before I learned how to knit. So I like the idea of a two-person knit along. It makes me feel connected to her. So we're both knitting Shalom. I've already made a mistake and had to rip back, but it's a fast knit so it wasn't heart breaking. I don't mind ripping back (except when I think the garment is complete--see above or, worse yet, Patti).

I've also made a New Year's resolution. I am going to avoid knitting for deadlines. These deadlines are always self-imposed and stressful. I am also going to avoid promising knits for anyone. That is also stressful. Instead. I'm going to knit what I want, how I want, and then decide who it's for. If I'm knitting for myself, I'm going to allow myself to take however long it takes. This way, I'll eliminate all the self-imposed stress and can enjoy the entire process. This starts now and is retroactive. Therefore, Sandman may not get his shorts while it's cold (though isn't it always cold in North Dakota?), and Aimee's cousin will never get his rattle. But someone else will get a great sweater in a couple weeks (or days, this thing moves fast!).

One more thing. I'm busy these days. I might not blog for a couple more months. Come to the Gathering if you need a fun festival in the depths of winter. I have an extra bedroom and plenty of floor space. I really recommend it. I know cowboy poetry doesn't sound like it could be as much fun as it really is, but trust me. It's a great time.

Quickie

Holidays. Gathering.

The Gathering was fantastic. Please check out the cybercasts on our website to see what amazing shows you missed. I had the time of my life this year.

It's been busy. Christina took all the chairs, so typing at my desk is difficult. Here's a photo summary of the things I've been doing when not at the holiday festivities or the Gathering. There were other projects, too. I'm just missing some photos.

Postcard. Aimee, did you ever get this?

Legwarmers.

Hat.

Bike Helmut Earmuffs.

Climbing on January 18th. I needed this right before the Gathering.

My Awesome Job

Sometimes my job is incredible. Incredible because I'm seeing and doing things I never imagined I'd even want to do.

The Western Folklife Center and the Elko Convention and Visitor's Authority has brought in a group of journalists to learn about the Elko area and, especially, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. I didn't have to do any of the planning or organizing (thankfully), but I did get to meet the folks and share in some of the exciting things they are learning about.

Yesterday I headed to the 71 after work for dinner (which was ribs, so I only had dessert) and a concert by the campfire. Jay Dalton picked his way through quite a few songs as people took pictures and sang along.

Today, I headed back out to the 71 for lunch (Mexican, so I had a version of the served dish). After lunch we listened to a talk about changes in grazing cattle, and then we headed down to a barn to watch a horse be castrated. Fascinating. The vet threw the, um, removed part over the horse's head because "otherwise he looks back and won't be a good horse." In other words, they want the horse to see what's been removed so he doesn't think he can still, well, enjoy the ladies. Don't worry, the horse was knocked out before knife hit skin. His tongue was sticking out, which was awfully undignified and cute. After that we watched some cattle get roped and "doctored," which meant getting treated for an infection in their hooves.

Tomorrow I get to have dinner (which I also can't eat--this is the problem with being a vegetarian in cattle country) with Baxter Black, then go watch him perform. What a job.

Vegas!

Here's what two seven-hour drives to Las Vegas will get you:

One finished pair of Fulbright Socks (I hope Aimee really is computer-free while she's at a residency in Maine because these were my secret project). I named them that because Aimee is leaving in a few weeks to spend a year in Korea. I'm saving my nickels so I can visit.


And the beginning of Something Red. This may be for me. I was going to make Flair, and bought a kit from kpixie a while ago, but now I'm looking for something with more shape. I need a brown cardigan, too. Living in Elko has made me gain a little weight (yes, it is Elko's fault), and lately I've picked sweaters that don't look the best on me (this only happens when I knit for myself. I can purchase a perfectly flattering sweater). Maybe Something Red will get more wear than other sweaters. If not, I'll pass it on to someone who will look good in it. I'm using the yarn from the kit, Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, which I used on a sweater that did look good on me, except for the wonky button holes.

Right now, Something Red is my only project. We'll see how long it lasts. There's a sweater I want to make for a friend that's winking at me from the queue. I have the yarn, even.

I'm blocking Dollar and a Half now (that picture is before blocking). I hope to get some buttons soon. Maybe a finished sweater will entice my sister to visit. Of course, she lives in the desert (the desert desert, not the high desert like Elko), so she might not care about a sweater right now.

By the way, I was only in Vegas for about sixteen hours. I drove down on Saturday and returned yesterday. It was for work, but I did get to hang with Wylie and the Wild West and Paul Zarzyski.

Spring?

So who do I believe? Punxsutawney Phil or the robins hopping around the yard?

The Gathering is over. I think it went well. We had bad weather, but that made everyone seem friendlier. I guess they figured they were stuck in a good place. Here are a few photos. Remember that you can check out some of the shows on the Western Folklife Center website.

Adrian. Her voice gives me chills.

Oscar and Dylan, waiting their turn at the microphone.

Boots. Mine are the pretty reddish ones.

Kut, a group from Kyrgyzstan

Obviously, I didn't get much knitting done these last couple weeks. I had started a pair of Firestarter socks, but I ended up frustrated with the pattern and a little unhappy with my gauge. I ripped it. I am working on a something for someone. It should be finished soon--it's a little something. I want to start a sweater, so I ordered a lot of yarn I can't afford. I added to my stash of Eco Wool.


The yardage! Makes me swoon. I also think I can use this wool without too much trouble, even though I generally stay away from Peruvian Highland Wool. This doesn't feel as scratchy. In fact, I was hardly itchy during swatching. I think I'm going to make a sweater for Stef out of it. He's been asking for a sweater for some time now, and I'd like to make the EZ Seamless Hybrid. want to make a sweater for Dan, too, but I want to use Skye Tweed. I've only got eight balls. I don't think that will be enough. It's not even enough for a sweater for my sister, who wears extra small things. Speaking of, I ordered yarn to make the Dollar and a Half cardigan for her. I'm definitely itching to make a sweater.

On top of all that, I ordered some Misti Alpaca chunky to finish the Bas Relief hat I started way back before Christmas. I needed another skein of something to get the discount at Webs.

Caucus

I thought I couldn't caucus today because I had problems registering to vote way back in November when I had the time. Turns out I could register today. It's quite an interesting process. Everyone stands in the corner of the candidate they are caucusing for. If there isn't a "viable majority" in a corner, those people can be wooed by the other candidates' corners. It's a very communal process. I'm glad I got to participate.

I also finished the Anastasia socks. They were fun. I have to mail them off to the friend they are for. With the Gathering on the horizon, I'm not sure she'll get them for a while.

I used Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks sport weight yarn in Kona. It was nice. Boy, that sport weight sure makes socks move fast. I liked it much. It didn't pool, but it did stripe in a nice way. It works well with the eyelet pattern of the sock.

Now that I'm on Ravelry, I have more chances to find interesting patters. I've started the Swiss Cheese Scarf. I'm using Louet Gems in a fine/sport weight, instead of the laceweight called for. I hope it isn't too drapey. I'm not sure who this will be for, but I wanted something interesting and simple for my next project. I don't think I'll be able to spend much mental energy on anything but Cowboy Poetry for the next couple weeks.

*Updated (2 hours later): I decided not to make the Swiss Cheese Scarf right now. I want to use that yarn for something else, I think. I also have a couple baby things I want to make. So, I'm starting a hat out of some stash Pima Tencel in green and brown.