— Seneca
Very interesting novel. Suspenseful til the end (and I tend to read the end in advance but the suspense remained).
Restingmotion
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Silk Garden Scarf
Pattern: Wavy Scarves
from Knitters Magazine # 69, Winter 2002.
Yarn:Noro Silk Garden, color 230
versions in the past few years. I
especially love making it in hand-dyed and variegated yarns, especially Noro.
my donation box for next winter, as this winter’s contributions have long since
left the house. I admittedly bought the
two skeins of silk garden used here, a bit of an extravagance for a scarf to be
donated to unfortunate children, but a lovely indulgence for the knitter. I love the colors of Noro. Yarn Swift always seems to have a tempting
array of Noro colors when I walk in, candy for this knitter.This color combination is not one I could easily wear, at least not close to my face, but I still love the colors. I can certainly indulge in knitting it for someone else. A $20 purchase of yarn for a scarf to be donated to inner city children is more than many would spend and may be excessive. The color may not what most children would chose, but on that I am no judge. Is $20 too much to spend for the privelege of spending 7 to 8 hours of pure pleasure knitting an interesting pattern in a yarn whose color changes bring me unexpected joy? I didn’t think so. I do think I am much too easily pleased.
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Interfacing
As I moved the interfacing supply back into my sewing room I
started to think about interfacing, what I use, what I don’t, and what might
need to be changed.
certain interfacings, and because I could not usually get them locally, I began
buying bolts or large pieces to insure that I always had some on hand. To make life simpler I settled on a couple of
interfacings that I consistently liked and stuck to them.
Weft and Fusi Knit. Armo Weft is used
for support in tailored garments, kind of like a fusible hair canvas I
guess. I used Fusi Knit for everything
else. Probably not very sophisticated
but it worked for me.
lightweight fabrics like cottons and silks and fused the entire body pieces to
give the fabric enough weight to function in the more tailored application of a
jacket. Fusi Knit was too firm for this
and I eventually found So-Sheer. For
years I used So Sheer and eventually, Textured Weft, which came out later. Sometimes people had trouble fusing Textured
Weft and I haven’t found that it works well with all fabrics. It certainly maintains the loft of textured
fabrics better than So Sheer and it changes the hand of the fabric far
less. In time Textured Weft became my
primary fusible for underlining, but I still use So Sheer for some things.
locally. Most of them are, or were, sold
on 25 yard bolts so I just bought bolts of each so that I would have them on
hand. When I get started on a project,
nothing kills it faster than having to put it aside waiting for interfacing to
arrive. By the time the interfacing
would arrive other things would have happened and the sewing project would be
abandoned. It seemed excessive in the beginning, but I have had to replace every bolt of my original purchases, some more than once.
file cabinets that make up my cutting table.
change.I have two full or almost full bolts of Armo Weft in two
colors, probably a lifetime supply at this point. I find that Armo Weft is sometimes too firm
for the kind of very light soft shaping that is fashionable in women’s jackets
now and I might want to find something different.Fusi Knit is still useful, but again is too firm for some
knits and light fabrics, although so-sheer works well for support in very light
knits, and I have been increasingly using it for structural support in knit garments. I might need something in between. Both Fusi Knit and So Sheer change the hand
of some fabrics too much, although on others there seems to be little
difference. I still adore Textured Weft
and am almost out, so you know that will be replaced soon.BUT
What do I do about new styles in interfacings and tailoring of
women’s garments? I don’t really want to
stock a dozen different interfacings. Life needs to be simple. But I
also want to accomplish a particular look.My discontent started about a year and a half ago, in
September 2004. I was making a jacket
out of a very nice menswear suiting fabric from Dormeuil. I did need to fuse parts of the front of the
jacket, but the fabric had a good bit of body and I was having trouble getting
the look I wanted. So Sheer was too
stiff. Textured Weft maintained much
more of the drape of the fabric but still made it too “thick” and affected the
drape just enough that I was not satisfied. I did not know how to proceed, so I put the jacket aside.I picked that jacket up again a few months later when some
of the sewists at Sewing World were involved in a “January Jacket
Journey”. I ordered a bunch of samples
of interfacings from several places, intending to make samples and compare them
and reconsider the entire interfacing question. In the meantime, while I waited for UPS, I looked at the various other
odd bits of interfacing I had on hand. There was some red interfacing I got from Sandra Betzina called “Armani
Interfacing”, no longer available, which had good drape, but was not as nice as
the Textured Weft in this fabric. And I
had some interfacing called DEEP FLESH COLORED FUSIBLE INTERFACING from Fabric
Collections which I had used for a silk jacket the previous year, finding it to
be much softer and with better drape than So Sheer. I had also used this interfacing on a light
topper made from a hand-woven wool which was something like a cross between
gauze and burlap with a very loose open weave. I ended up using this interfacing on the blue menswear wool as it had
drape and suppleness I wanted. The
fabric was just like a slightly spongier version of itself with more
support. The hand was much more like the
original fabric than with the Textured Weft. The jacket turned out to be wonderful. Fabric Collections no longer imports this interfacing however and the
little bit I have left cannot be replaced.When I started moving interfacing into its home in the new
sewing room, I began to readdress these questions. I still have those samples, about a yard of
each, waiting in a box. I wondered what to do with all of
them. I also still had some of that
wonderful blue menswear suiting left, the one that gave me interfacing
difficulties.The solution seemed to be that I should make an interfacing
catalog. I decided, for consistency, all
interfacings should be fused to the same fabric no matter what they were
intended for. That way I would have a
basis for comparison. Each sample should
also be adequately large that I could get some sense of the hand and/or
potential drape of the fused fabric. I
decided to cut 8” by 10” pieces of the navy wool and fuse them, with each
interfacing getting a page in a standard three ring binder. A sample of the same wool, unfused, would be
saved for control purposes.
Here are some of the pages with the fabric samples, and me
squinching one piece to see how it feels. I am learning there are some interesting interfacings out there and I
see several that might be good for light flexible underlinings. I am not sure where I will go with this yet,
but there are certainly possibilities and there are a couple of potential new
favorites. I certainly think that one
of the new ultra-light fusibles will replace so-sheer as my other standard
underlining in the near future. Luckily
I have pieces of several nice things. I
will keep you informed of the changes.
I have fused. It seems something like
Armo Weft but much lighter, with a much softer hand. This may be what I am looking for to achieve
that softer tailoring look. I will definitely be trying this in upcoming projects.
interfacings and I am looking forward to trying some of these new, at least to
me, products. I also think that my new
interfacing catalog will prove invaluable when I am looking for something to achieve
a desired look. Although interfacing
will react differently with each fabric, having the samples gives me a big leg
up on the process of narrowing down my choices. I am sure that eventually my catalog will be expanded to have samples on
other base fabrics as well. In the end,
I think the time spent compiling this book will prove to be time very well
spent. -
Weekend Knitting
There is no sunshine today, just rain and more rain. A halogen bulb and fig tree will have to do
for props.
Friday. There was very little done on
the weekend, which was highly stressful and, thankfully, done with. The scarf is about 2/3 done; 2/3 of that was
done on Friday, the other third in a couple of hours of insomnia very early
this morning. Today is filled with gym,
work, and more contractor visits, but I have high hopes of finishing this scarf
as well. -
A trip down memory lane
As I, ever so slowly it seems, move things back
into my sewing/fiber room I am taking the opportunity to sort through the
various accumulated possessions that have accumulated over the years. After this is my chance to really take stock
and determine what is just useless clutter and what is truly loved.As part of this process I have been looking through my
magazine collections. Below is the first cable sweater I knit, from Knitters #4 in the spring of
1986. I wasn’t subscribing then and it
was a few more years before my collection of Knitters becomes consistent. I think this was my third or fourth sweater.
I used the yarn called for in the pattern, I was still too
nervous about substitutions and I knit the smallest size, for a 36 inch bust
and a supposed finished size of 38 inches. At that time, when I sill weighed 125 pounds on my 5’9” frame, I was much closer to a 32 inch bust and it
was hard to find sweater patterns to fit. Luckily, being tall and lanky, oversized boxy sweaters were actually
quite flattering, and the 80’s were the age of boxy sweaters. I still look good in a long straight
silhouette, despite being a good bit heavier. I thought the extra bulk would be flattering just as boxy long sweaters
were flattering – I was rather partial to loose oversized long sweaters and
leggings and I had the legs and height to pull them off. It wasn’t flattering, and thus continued my
education.
picture in terms of cable pattern, but it did not drape off my shoulders as
nicely as on the model. The sleeves came
straight out like cardboard and the sweater was very thick and heavy. I felt like a samurai every time I wore
it. It was also much too big in the
waist and stuck out in back because I hadn’t yet figured out how to take in the
back waist while I knitted without destroying the pattern. But I knit it to go with a favorite skirt, a
Geiger wool challis skirt in a mustard background with a forest like scene in
shades of olive, teal, and chestnut. The
vest was mustard to match the background of the skirt and I would wear it with
a teal silk charmeuse blouse. Until I came up with another jacket to tie the
pieces together this vest had to do.Eventually I gave up; the vest did not look good and did not
improve as I gained weight with middle age even though it was large enough that
it still fit. It went to a local
consignment shop and I actually saw someone walking down the street wearing it
once, so I hope it found a happy home. It looked much better on its second owner than it did on me, but what
did I know when I knit this? I was still
learning.Most of the sweaters in this issue of Knitters look rather
dated today, but I am still fond of this vest. Perhaps I am just fond of the memories that have been resurrected. Memories alone are enough. -
Your Mission…should you chooes to accept it
Yesterday started out looking like a lost cause in terms of getting on with my own projects, there was much business and a constant influx and outflux of contractors discussing plans, delays, new plans, and start dates. By about 1 PM I had everyone out of the house, including the masons I had expected this week, but will who will now becoming in another two to three weeks, when the weather is warmer and they can break through the roof.
After a week of constantly interlacing my own projects with interruptions, demands, and expectations of others I was ready to embrace the peace and quiet. I brewed a pot of coffee, put on some music, and sat, alone except for the cat, knitting away on Rogue. What relief.
I only got about 2 hours of knitting before the demands of "real life" filtered through to my consciousness but they were 2 hours well spent. I am now about half way through the hood, finished with the increase rows but not yet to the decrease rows. It was good that I spent that time knitting, good for my peace of mind anyway as well as progress on Rogue, as knitting group was somehow more of a distraction this week than a relief and I kept loosing track of my cables and my position in the chart, despite good records and row counts. I think it may have been because our normal seating arrangement was somehow upset and I ended up sitting by the loudest and most talkative member of the group, we are usually on opposite ends of the table, but it was more likely that my brain was just addled, despite my earlier respite, and my mind was more easily swayed.
I gave up on Rogue near the end and picked up the pink sock instead. I was near the end and finished the leg of the sock, just before the picot edge, before group ended.
I was determined to finish the sock last night and did manage, after dinner and clean-up duty, finishing up about 11:30, just in time for a little pre-bed relaxation therapy outside in the hot-tub.
Here is the sock in the light of day. In the end, I went back to plain stockinette, right side (knit side) out.
I love the short-row heel; this or the after-thought heel will probably be my standard techniques as I am finding them very adaptable for fitting my narrow heels. I also like the picot edge, which might be easier as a starting point than an ending point. I suppose it is a question of sewing the hem down or picking up and the cast on row and knitting continuously. They are equivalent in my mind. The jury is still out on toe-up v. top-down but I think I could go either way; the initial cast-on seemed fiddly, but it will probably get easier with time. I don’t see how they go faster or slower or any difference in the knitting either direction. I seem to like the leg about the same length as the actual fooot between toe and heel.
So, I have learned that I don’t mind plain old stockinette socks, stockinette is very relaxing and calming, and there are times when my fngers want to work and let my brain take a rest. Short-row or afterthought heels and picot edge seem to be givens. I really don’t like ribbed tops on socks, and I don’t like particularly long socks, I like them to end just about two inches above my ankle bone, right at the narrowest part of my leg. Socks with ribbed cuffs must be long enough to fold down, probably dorky of me, but I always liked ribbed cuffs folded over and doubled.
Technically the pink sock is a trifle too long. I forgot to include the 5 rows of stockinette I added to the picot edge in my total row count, knitting to the desired length before adding the hem stitches. This can be easily remedied in the future. I suspect I would like a slightly thicker edge too, perhaps 7 rows instead of 5.
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the hands remember
I am amazed how the hands can remember skills I would have
thought long since lost.When we were shopping the other day, G saw a bag of frozen
smelts and we bought them. I was
certainly game to give them a try. When
they were defrosted today I set to cleaning and boning them. I thought it would take me a long time, but
after one, my hands and fingers remembered, almost instinctively, how to cut
just through the flesh, run my fingers along the side, catching the backbone
with my thumbnail and pulling out the bones and ribs, flicking out the entrails
unscathed, gently rubbing off any remaining scales under cold water. The staff at my local fish market don’t do so
well, little bits of the innards are usually attached, sometimes damaging the
flavor of the flesh.How did I learn this? I did not grow up near water. We
did not eat smelts. But I fondly
remember my father teaching us how to scale, bone and gut whole fish, usually
perch or bream. I seam to remember the
rule was that if you can catch them you can clean them. As I reached down and cut the head behind the
gills, slit the fish and pulled out the skeleton from the tail end my hands
seemed to be reliving some old ritual that I had all but forgotten and I was
young again, sitting on the dirt of the back yard on Washington Street, scaling
and gutting fish. I could almost hear
the sound of dad’s knife as he scraped the scales off the skin. I could almost see the small transparent
scales flying through the air, catching the light, sticking to everything.I do remember after all.
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John delivered the new pot rack today and it is gorgeous, far nicer than I expected. I think we have found a true gem here (the carpenter I mean).
I love looking up and over at the lines of the chimney, fireplace, vent hood and pot rack from the kitchen sink as seen here. There are no pots in the rack yet; they shall reside in the dining room until the middle or end of next week. I never dreamed that it would be so hard to find 6" S-type hooks for pot racks. Only one store had any idea, my last stop by the way, and they are now on order.
The color of the new pot rack is very close to the ceiling and it was built to fit perfectly in the rectangle formed by the crossing of the beams in the ceiling next to the fireplace. John used new wood which looks old and has lots of character, it is some kind of local pine. He had trouble finding dowels he liked so he hand planed these, making a pot rack that fits perfectly with the rustic, old/new, country/craftsman/modern overtures that form my house.
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Good Things
A good book, Rogue, and a new sewing/knitting/fiber room. All making slow but sure progress.
Rogue needs to be seamed at the shoulders after which I can start knitting the hood, but the last couple of evenings simple stockingette has been about the extent of my knitting ability and desires.
A last minute decision to paper the blue wall has resulted in my having to virtually rebuild the whole thing, old wobbly paneling which was not attached to the studs or to anything much, replaced with a firm solid, smooth, wall to which the paper can be attached. There seems however to be a sandpaper famine here at the purling house which means work is suspended til morning. Even I, inspired by visions of new space, am not driven to go to Home Depot at dusk in the snow; it can wait til morning.
Which is to say that there may actually be time and energy for knitting tonight; although by the time I get everything cleaned up, including myself as I feel like a permanent layer of sawdust and gypsum dust and what-ever-else-have-you has embedded itself in my skin and hair, stockinette may once again be the course of the evening. Simply to knit is enough.
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Southern Comforts
It’s so nice to have the sun coming in through the kitchen window again. Spring is definitely coming…
minced jalapeno and garlic look lovely in the light.
fresh grilled gulf shirmp on warm black-eyed pea and tomato "salad".
