Knitting With Granny LJ

Good morning.

I got to thinking in the shower this morning about working in wool and how careful you have to be with it.  That information comes from personal experience.

Growing up, I was told that  I should get a “college degree so that if, god forbid, anything happens to your husband you can get a job. ”   So I was dutiful and went to college.  I learned history and English literature, how to write interesting sentences and a host of other really wonderful things.  I finally graduated about 6 years later, with over 300 hours and with a BA in English literature and  minors in general social science and writing.  I also learned that if you washed colored items with underware the underware often took on the color of the colored things.  I learned to cook:  Two casseroles.  I learned to drink coffee that was horribly black and thick.  But I had my degree and I was ready to get married.

I found the man of my dreams.  He loved William Faulkner as much as I did.  So with all these plusses in my world, we did the natural thing and got married.

We had not been married long when my husband walked into the living room.  I was on the sofa reading something by William Faulkner.  He (the husband not William Faulkner) had a black sock on his left hand with the index finger sticking out a hole in the toe. 

“Look at this.”   He announced.

I looked at the finger sticking out from the sock toe, and said, “OK. What do you want me to do about it?”

“I want you to darn it.”

My response was, rather predictably, “Darn. Darn. Darn. Darn.” 

We did not speak for a couple of weeks.  And this was after I had discovered that he would not eat either of the two things I knew how to cook.

Obviously, my education to prepare myself for taking care of myself if something should happen to my husband was not yet needed.  But the education of taking care of the husband until the above mentioned time had been missed somewhere along the line. 

We struggled on until our son was born.  That was pretty rough, but by the time  our son was about 4 months old I had figured out how to get all the bottles clean and sanitized and refilled AND get a dinner on the table. 

At this time, my husband had a beautiful Aran knit sweater in 100 per cent wool (probably Aran wool, now that I think about it ).  He had put the sweater into the dirty clothes.  I had figured out  that the sweater had to go to the cleaners.  Several weeks  passed and I would find the sweater in the dirty clothes and would take it out, fold it neatly and put it on the shelf of the closet.  The next morning it would be in the dirty clothes again. 

One morning I found the sweater in the dirty clothes basket yet another time.  I was getting ready  to wash  a load of baby clothes. I looked at the sweater and figured that with the gentle cycle and only warm water I could get it washed.  So into the washer it went. 

Then I got busy sterilizing bottles — and forgot about the sweater.  An hour or so later, I started to move the baby’s things into the dryer and pulled out a very small off-white sweater.  I knew the baby did not have a sweater like that so I did the only reasonable thing and put it back into the washer.  I emptied all the baby things into the dryer and the felted, off-white sweater materialized again. I could not figure out where it had come from.  I stared at it for several minutes and finally remembered.  It was my husband’s Aran sweater.

I placed a rather hysterical phone call to a friend asking how one could unshrink a shrunk sweater.  She said I was doomed.  The sweater could not be unshrunk.

So I did the, again,  only reasonable thing.  I hid the sweater under a pile of old newspapers.  And promptly forgot about it  because the baby was announcing he needed changed or fed or something. 

About 6 months later, we were getting ready to move to a larger house and my husband picked me up from work and looked, calmly, at me and said in a very quiet voice, ” Did you think that when the baby got bigger that  I would quit buying him clothes?” 

I choked as I suddenly remembered the secret of the stack of newspapers in the laundry room.   I could feel my shoulders draw up toward my ears and then he laughed.  So I laughed too.  From then on until I started working on my caps, I stayed away from any fiber that I could not toss into the washer and dryer and have it come out looking, more or less,  like it did when I put it in, only cleaner. 

Have a good day.  Happy knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning. 

Just got back from a walk on the beach with Parker.  (Again, see Karen’s blog about Parker and Red).  We have come to an agreement about our walks together.  We walk out from the cliff to the water’s edge and walk south until the first creek.  I am looking for rocks.  He is impatient.  Then on the way back we walk in the dry sand and drift wood along the edge of the cliff.  It is a leisurely return because he has to stop and smell everything that there is to smell, and follow some trails,  and hope they take him some place fascinating.  In a past life, I am sure he was a knitter.

Or maybe some of me rubbed off on him, because that is the way I am in a yarn store.  My neighbor, Karen, almost never goes with me into a yarn store any more.  She is entranced by all the speciality yarns.  And they are beautiful, but they don’t make very good caps.  Too flimsy.  To make the kind of cap I want in my inventory, I have to use a yarn that the wind cannot blow through too easily.  That is why I work in the sturdy wools and wool blends to make the caps sturdy enough to keep the coastal wind out of  the ears. 

Yesterday, I spent most of the day working on the new Galway cap with the Handpaint colored yarn.  I have about 6 or 7 rows of the pattern done and I discovered that I had made a mistake at the seam where the old row blends into the new row.  It looks like somebody stomped on an Easter egg.  I was extremely grumpy when I saw it.  So I put it aside and grabbed up some brownish-gray wool and started a Guy Cap.  Usually I find the Guy Caps pretty boring to do, but yesterday it was just the right thing. 

Now I have two caps to take out and redo.  I know I sound pretty grumpy about it.  But that is the wonderful thing about knitting, when something does not turn out right, it can be taken out and done again.  I always feel pretty good about a cap that looks just right,  and am pleased that I took the time to make it just right.

Well, that is about all from here for today.  Good knitting to you all.  Granny LJ

Good morning:

I just got back from walking Parker on the beach.  Uusually, as you know,  Karen and Red and Parker and I go down together.  But a couple of days ago, Red took something of a fall and has not been well since then.   Karen is taking him to the vet this morning.  For those who would a visual image of Parker and Red, Karen has done a web page called English Cocker Photo a Day.   Go there and see who I have been talking about all these weeks.

At any rate, Parker and I got down for a pretty good walkabout this morning.  Found one agate and a very interesting shell that has given me an idea for topping caps.  But I won’t say much more than that until I have experimented with it and see if it is doable.

Also had a response on this site by another knitter, and am excited about having another knitter to communicate with.  It is good to know, too, that someone is reading this Blog. 

Back to knitting:  I have the Contest Cap finished and Karen took some photos of it the other day.  And we have another photo shoot to do after she gets back from the vet with Red.

Currrently, I have started 2-color cap with Galway (Plymouth)  as the base and Handpaint Originals (Brown Sheep) in dark blues and lavender.  I have had a 2-color pattern picked out  before I cast on, and have gotten 2 rows of the pattern done.  I like doing 2-color work.  I really enjoy watching the pattern grow as I am knitting. 

I have another cap on my work table that is ready for top-off.  It is in a really rich red-lavender with a accent of a wirey kind of speciality knit in the red-lavender and gold wire.  It rather lost priority while I was working on the Contest Cap.  I think this one will be a pretty cap, but not a very practical one.  It was just that in looking at the 2 yarns together, I really had to work them into a cap. 

Well, that is about all from here for today.  Glad to have you aboard, Deb.  Good knitting to you all.  Granny LJ

Good morning,

This will be an odds and ends posting. 

1.   The  Contest Cap is topped, finished and photographed for the entry.  Will have some pictures of it for you all as soon as possible.

2.   I talked with a friend last weekend who said he enjoyed reading the Blog, but did not know how to write a response.  So here are the instructions.  At the top of the page, one of the headers says to click on it to enter comments.  Click on it.  Then scroll down to the bottom of the Blog and there will be a place to type in your message to me.  Type it in.  Send it.  And I will answer you.  Works like an email site except you have to scroll up and down to write your message.

3.   Saturday, Karen and I went to Lincoln City to a meeting for an artist’s group that Karen belongs to.  So I indulged myself and walked up to the yarn store and got myself a mess of new yarn.  One thing that surprised me was that the Kureyon yarn was so much softer than previously.  I ended up getting a cap’s worth of  the Kureyon  for two caps.  It is thicker than the Silk Garden, and instead of feeling scritchy like it used to feel — it is soft and pleasant to work in.  And, as an added bonus, they have taken the sticks and other debris out of it. 

4.   This weekend, my brother, Steve got on this site and moved several entries that I thought were lost in the cyberspace of Hal’s memory banks.  So they are on the site and you can read those, too.  From now on, when I send one off to somewhere else, I’ll get in touch with Steve and have him move them for me.  Younger brothers are wonderful people to have in your life.  Thanks, Steve. 

Well, that is about all for today.  Please remember to click on the top of the page where it says “comments” and let me hear from you.   Good knitting.   Granny LJ

Good morning.

(composed on Feb. 13, 2009)

Karen and I had lunch together yesterday after hair cuts.  This weekend is going to be a photo shoot of my caps.  We also talked about getting the Contest Cap done so I could have the pictures necessary to send into the contest. 

This decision is a good one — it will prevent me from procrastinating on finishing the Contest Cap.  It has been ready for top off for almost a week.  I have dithered about whether to do a regular 7-point top off or one that carries the pattern into the top of the cap.  I have decided on the latter. 

Also the Memorial Day weekend show in Yachats is looming, and I want to get all the odds and ends of several caps done before then.  I got the olive green cap on double points yesterday.  I should have it topped by tomorrow.  I will get the Contest Cap on double points today, too.  Then I can get both caps topped at once. 

I get antsy about the contest when I let myself think about it too much.  I have not entered a contest since I was in 4-H and that was way too many years ago to even try to remember.  At any rate, I will not think about the contest.  I will just get the cap finished and let the contest worry about itself. 

I plan to send pictures of the Contest Cap to my brother, Steve, and he can post them so those who are interested can see what I have been working on the last couple of months.  I will also have pictures of our space at the show for Steve to post for me, too.  

If you happen to be in the neighborhood of Yachats Memorial Day weekend, please drop by the show and come in and say hello.  I am always interested in meeting other knitters. 

Hope you have a great day.  Good knitting to you all.  Granny LJ

Good morning:

(originally composed on Feb. 6, 2009)

Well, our coastal rain is back.  Not much breeze so far.  Hopefully we will have just the rain and no surprises. 

I spent the day knitting yesterday.  Karen and I did get Parker and Red out for a beach walk in the morning, before the storm wandered in.  They had a good romp and the two of us had a good walk.  Especially when Parker took off tracking something and did not come when called.  I don’t see how he could have not heard us.  I gues that something in his head turns off (his ears in particular) when he is following a scent. 

Of course I have been known to not pay attention to someone speaking to me when I am browsing in a yarn shop.  

After the walk, I spent the rest of the day tinking and knitting.  I did the tinking in the morning.  Even though I am getting better at tinking, I spent the whole morning tinking 2 1/2 rows.  Very frustrating. 

The work on the Guy Cap (GC)  is going along well.  I have the ribbing and about 4 inches of the body done.  It is going to be a good looking cap, I think.  Of course with a watch cap there is not too much to look at, but I have not done one in a long time and I really forgot how restful doing a GC can be. 

Today is going to be doing  the finish work that I have been putting off for a week.  Some of the caps, this month, are ones that I am pretty pleased with.  And several others are listed under the heading of Ho-Hum.  I also have another one that needs to be taken out.  Will probably start with that one, since it will take the most time. 

Well, that is pretty much my agenda for the day today.

Good morning.

We are having sunny weather this morning.  I just lost the blog for today when my computer decided to act like a T-Rex and do nothing but what he wanted.  And that turned out to be eating my earlier blog entry.

Karen and I are planning a photo shoot this weekend.  Parker will model some of my caps.  Karen is planning a little booklet for the photos.  In addition, we will be taking pictures of the Contest Cap.  I have been dithering about how to top it off.  So, since she is willing to take her time to take pictures of the cap for me, I can get the entry form to the contest put together and sent off.  The deadline is looming.

I also have the olive green cap on double points.  I can work on the two of them together today. 

I decided to carry the pattern into the top of the Contest Cap.

Good morning:

I did write to you all yesterday.  It is just that Hal (my computer’s new name) decided to send both entries off into cyber neverland.  Very frustrating.  So I showed him.  I shut him down until this morning.  And it seems to have worked. He is doing everything I ask him to do. So far.

Knitting has been going along apace.  I have the Contest Cap almost topped.  Only 3 more rows and then I will start the finish work. I have had my up and down moments with this cap.  But I am having an Up moment with it now that it is almost topped. 

I won’t get much knitting done today because I am doing a ride-along.  Karen needs to make a run to Lincoln City and I am going to go along.  So I will put a project in my little work-in-progress hip tote and ride along.  It is supposed to rain today, but so far all we have is sunshine — and a few clouds that really do not look like rain. 

The olive green cap is on double points now, too.  So I will take that in my tote and work on it during the times when Karen is busy and I have some few free moments.  The olive green and yellow cap is on the take-out list.  I will start it over again on Monday. 

Tomorrow, Karen and I have a photo shoot and we will take ……

Whoops.  Karen got here just as I was typing the word “take.”  So off we went to Lincoln City. 

I walked up the hill to the yarn shop and got a mess of Noro yarn  — both Silk Garden and Kureyon, which is 100% wool.  So I spent the rest of the morning holed up with my new yarns and have started a cap out of the Kureyon.  I have not bought anything from Noro but Silk Garden for a long time.  But something has changed with the Kureyon and it is softer than it used to be.  So I splurged and got enough for 2 caps. 

Well, that is about all from here.  I still have not figured out a way to recall the notes from yesterday that I saved. 

Hope you had a good day.  Happy knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning.

We have been having cap weather for the last few days.  Cold, with a little wind, and snow up Highway 34 near Tidewater.  I have parked myself in my chair and have worked on the caps. 

I got the Guy Cap topped yesterday.  It is a rich brown-red and black yarn from Cascade.  It turned out so well, that I am almost tempted to keep it myself.  I worked some on the contest cap, but still can’t get a decent feeling for how I want the top to be done.  Makes me wish for a magic wand that would relieve me of indecision.  But I think that, ultimately, would be as uncomfortable as Midas turning everything he touched to gold.  So I will forge ahead on my own.

I will be starting a new cap today.  It will be 2 color.  I have some lovely white Galway yarn and couple of skeins of Handpaint Originals  in blues and lavenders by Brown Sheep Company.  I have had a pattern floating around my work area that some how fell out of its notebook.  As I wound the Handpaint, I was looking at the pattern and decided that I would use part of it for the blue and lavender accents.  I am pretty excited about it.  But then I get very excited about starting most caps. 

The olive green cap is ready for topping, so I will get it on double points before I start on the new cap.  I really need to get my in-progress table cleaned out a little bit before I add something else to it.

The other news is that Karen and I are going to do a photo shoot this weekend.  Parker is going to model some of my caps.  Then Karen is going to use her magic computer and make little booklets out of  the pictures to take to the show in May.  Parker loves posing, but his pose time is about 10 seconds and then he is wanting some treats for his trouble of sitting very still.  Red would like the treats but feels that posing in the caps is really beneath his dignity. 

If you should be interested in one of the books, let me know and Karen  and I’ll get one to you.  They won’t win a Pulitzer or a Nobel prize, but they are fun and Parker really does love to model the caps. 

I hope you have a good day.  Good knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning:

I was just looking around on my blog and realized that it has been almost a week  since I have written anything.  That — by way of an excuse — is because I have spent several days running around taking care of things that needed taking care of. 

I  have been knitting in between things that needed taken care of.  I have the contest cap almost ready to top off.   But I am delaying on that a little bit because I cannot decide to top it in the pattern or in my usual 7-point top off.  Decisions.  Decisions.

I got a good start on the olive green and yellow cap, but I was not paying attention like I should and made a mistake.  So I tinked it and will end up taking it out and cast it on again.  Also, I have 3 caps that are ready for top-off. 

On the business end of things, I took the 4 caps that I had finished and some red ones from the bin and went to Shorebirds yesterday and changed out the caps.  So my space looks more like Valentine’s day and less like yesterday’s storm. 

I have also signed on to be a participant in a website that is sponsored by a mail-order yarn company that I buy from. When I was doing transcription from home I was pretty careful that I did not get on any sites and foul up the hospital’s computers.  One of the transcriptionists actually did that.  But since I have this new computer and am not hooked up to anything but the internet, I decided to give it a try.  After I got my sign on done, I started scrolling the list of those people who are already on the site, and lo and behold, there was my friend, Dodie.  What a neat surprise.  So we have exchanged notices on the site and will continue to email each other. You can check out my other site by logging onto the Knit Picks site. 

One of the problems with being as housebound as I am is that I cannot get out and camp out at a yarn shop like I did when Dodie had her shop.  Talking to other knitters really makes me feel like I am one of a group and not a solo voice in the wind. 

At any rate, that is about all from here for now.  I want to take out at least two caps today as well as work on topping off the guy cap and maybe getting to one of the other two caps that need a top off. 

Have a great day.  Good knitting.  Granny LJ