April's almost over...

... so I suppose it's time to inform you that April is Autism Awareness month. Others in the knitblog world (knitspot, brooklyn tweed) have been much more on top of this than I have been, but never fear. I have been Aware.

Almost accidently, I have run across two really interesting bits of entertainment that involved Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. I really didn't have any idea of what Asperger's was or how it was different from other forms of autism before this month. Aspergers.com defines the disorders as :

"Asperger's Disorder is a milder variant of Autistic Disorder. Both Asperger's Disorder and Autistic Disorder are in fact subgroups of a larger diagnostic category. This larger category is called either Autistic Spectrum Disorders, mostly in European countries, or Pervasive Developmental Disorders ("PDD"), in the United States. In Asperger's Disorder, affected individuals are characterized by social isolation and eccentric behavior in childhood. There are impairments in two-sided social interaction and non-verbal communication. Though grammatical, their speech is peculiar due to abnormalities of inflection and a repetitive pattern. Clumsiness is prominent both in their articulation and gross motor behavior. They usually have a circumscribed area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests. Some examples are cars, trains, French Literature, door knobs, hinges, cappucino, meteorology, astronomy or history."

I listened to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime by Mark Haddon as an audiobook. I had sort of wanted to read this book for a while, but not enough to spend $15 on it. After listening to it, I have to tell you that it would have totally been worth the price. It's a written from the point of view of a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's who finds his neighbor's dog murdered in the middle of the night. The main drive behind the story is following Christopher as he tries to solve the murder, but in the process, he uncovers truths about his own life that he never expected. It was extremely interesting to have someone with the disease (even a fictional someone) explain his thought processes. When he explains why he does the things he does, the disease actually makes a weird sort of sense.

The other bit of entertainment was a movie I watched last night called Mozart and the Whale. It's billed as a kind of romantic comedy, but it's not all that funny (at least in my opinion. Smile-inducing, yes. Laugh-out-loud, no.). It's about two people with Asperger's who fall in love. The screen play was written by the same guy who wrote Rainman, and like Rainman the story is inspired by two real life people even though the story is fictional. I found it on the shelf at Blockbuster, and it was completely worth the rental price. It was just... interesting. I really can't give it a better description.

Interesting. I've used that word a lot in this post. So I'll use it again. Interesting.

In and interesting turn of events, I finished my socks. (I threw that "interesting" in just for fun. Ha!)

Pattern: Oak Ribbed Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks

Yarn: Sockotta (45% cotton, 40% Superwash Wool, 15% nylon) #5616

Needles: US2 dpn

Modifications: slightly shorter cuff. Accidentally decreased two extra stitches at the gusset, so I made it up in the toe decreases.

I'm not completely in love with this sock pattern (cool colors aside). They're kind of big, especially in the heel. See previous post about that. Also, while the rib was unique (k4, p1, k1, p1), it didn't evenly distribute at the heel flap, so the ribbing on the instep isn't in whole pattern repeats. Next time, I'm going to use a slightly thicker yarn with a smaller needle, and I'll shorten the heel flap. I do enjoy me a round toe, though. No nasty grafting.

Other things I love

I love books. Love them. Last year when I moved to North Carolina, I had to get rid of a bunch of books - half of my library to be exact - and I cried. Because books have always been my best, most loyal friends. And even though I gave a bunch of them to a friend I knew would take care of them the way I would, and the rest went to the library to finance even more books, I spent a couple of days depressed.

Why am I going into this? Well, I imagine there will be a number of entries on this blog involving books, and I thought I'd give you fair warning. And also, because this blog has to do with a book about knitting. Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter to be exact.

I bought this book last week and finished in two days, and that was by holding back. This book is an addictive collection of short essays perfect for before-bed reading or in a quick moment running from one place to another. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Go to her blog if you haven't already. You won't be sorry. Go now.) has an incredible voice, and an unabashed acknowledgement of her knitting neuroses. I can't personally identify with a lot of her craziness (I like to pretend that I'm perfectly normal all the time) like her numerous essays about her stash, but every single story has an element of humor which I highly appreciate. I've not read any more of her books, but based on this one, my library is in serious trouble.

Oh, and the Ballet Camisole? Off the needles. I just have to add the crocheted edgings and ruch the front (which may be interesting... may have to find some elastic thread). Initially, the top is on the verge of being too big. Knit Picks Shine Sport is supposed to be machine washable and dryable, so I put a swatch in the wash yesterday. If it shrinks a bit, that wouldn't be the worse thing ever.

FO shots later this week?

The view from the other side

Well, I've survived my recital, which wasn't nearly the dire situation that I was leading you to believe.... not in the end, anyway. There was a pretty scary half an hour where my mom and I hit both a train and a bridge (and what seemed like every single red light) getting to the church, which meant that we were 20 minutes late, leaving me and my accompanist excatly 40 minutes to warm up for the both of us. But in the end, everything was fine. I even played better than I was expecting for the most part. So now it's on to grad school planning...

And in knitting news, I finished one of my socks.

Aren't the colors fun? The colors turned out way better than I was expecting. The yarn is very interesting, too. It's a cotton/wool/acrylic blend that has a crepe-y feel - and is more comfortable than I was expecting. It's quite light and airy. It will be interesting to see how it washes - supposedly machine washable.

The one thing I don't like is the heel. You can't really see it in this pic, but it's a little long for me, which means that it's kind of baggy. It's a case of "I was following the directions, even though I suspected that this would happen." So, the other will be made to match (because I'm for sure not going to rip it out to the heel) and I'll know in the future that I really only need a 2 1/4-2 1/2 inch heel, no matter how many chain stitches the pattern says to have. More info on pattern and whatnot when I finish the second sock...

Also, I'm nearly done with the knitting on my Ballet Camisole. It looks like it will fit (yay!) although it may be a little shorter in the length than I'd like. It's funny. I've had this problem a couple of times lately, and I wonder if it has to do with the width-length ratio, but it seems like everything I've been making lately looks a LOT longer in the pictures with the patterns than in the ones that I make.

I'm thinking of stocking up on some sock yarn for summertime knitting. Anyone have suggestions? I'd like something that's beautiful, but also washes nicely....

Spring Beauty

There's really nothing to say that can't be better said with a picture. I think I'm starting to getter better at this whole picture taking thing.

Budding Lilacs

Lily of the Valley shoots

New socks

The weather man says it's supposesd be be 65 degrees and beautiful on Saturday, so I should be able to head off any problems heating the church off at the pass.

Life is good.

Mmm... new socks

Thick Woods(wo)man's Socks

Pattern by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Knitting Around

Yarn: Knit Picks Shamrock in Dougherty (about 3 balls, I think)

Needles: US6

Modifications: Went down two needle sizes to change the pattern from a men's sock to a woman's. Also changed the length of the cuff and foot obviously. Omitted garter stitch edging on heel flap in favor of slip stich edging.

I finally managed to finish these socks. I had one whole one plus the cuff of the second done for months. It's been staring at me in an accusatory way, demanding that I finish it just in time for... spring. The nice thing about knitting socks on size 6 is that I knocked off the whole heel and foot in one evening. These are lovely, thick socks for lounging around on a Saturday or wearing in delightful combination with my purple Crocs. I was trying to use up the extra from knitting socks for the guys at Christmas, but I still have a significant amount left.

Here's a peek at my Ballet Camisole. It's quite nice to knit - lots of easy stockinette with shaping to keep it interesting. I'm starting the shaping for the bust.

And tonight? Swatching for my next pair of socks with the new Kalamazoo yarn.

Windy

It would be a fantastic day if it weren't so windy - one of the first sunny days we've had in a while. I hear it's worse out East. I'm feeling hard core for those marathoners in Boston. Not only do they have to run one of the most difficult marathons (including the infamous Heartbreak Hill) but now they have to do it in some wicked wind. I managed (barely) to catch a picture of one of our daffodils, which somehow survived two weeks of snow. I love daffodils. They are my favorite flower. Anyone know what that says about me? I don't know my flower meanings. Let me tell you though, it was no easy feat to get a pic in this wind.

It's been kind of a crappy day. I saw the sun this morning and decided to go for my first outdoor run of the spring. Then I listened to the way the wind was whipping around the house, and I thought better of it. I had no desire to have the skin ripped from my body a la Jean Grey and Wolverine in X-Men 3. And the day spiralled downwards from there.

Went to Michael's to get a US5 29" circular (because I finished the body for Ms. Marigold) but they didn't have any. The didn't have any the last time I went, nor did the LYS in Kalamazoo this weekend. It's very possible that I'm not going to be finished with Ms. Marigold for a while, since apparently US5 circulars are really hard to find. (Speaking of Ms. Marigold, it fits better this time, but as predicted, it's not significantly larger than before, though I went up 2 sizes.)

The best part of today is that I got the last part of my shipment from Overstocks.com. Classic Knits by Erika Knight. Just look at the gorgeous picture of the Deep V Sweater on the front - immediately I want to knit that sweater. Well, that and the fact that Gabriella is (or was) making one now. I think I'm even going to spring for the Debbie Bliss Cathay after her rave reviews. I'm also loving the Silk Shrug and the Classic Turtleneck Sweater.

Now, I've heard there's been some problems with errata in the patterns - particularly with the camisole - so I'm going to have to be on the lookout. Plus, there aren't any schematics for the patterns, which is annoying, and it makes the patterns harder to understand. I just have to decide which size I'm going to knit and order the yarn!

On blogging and life

There's a really interesting conversation going on over at January One about blogging and commenting on blogs. Since I rarely get comments, you may wonder why I'm interested in this conversation. Well, it has to do with my reservations about blogging in general, based on some pretty painful real life experience. As a rule, I do not read blogs that have to do with people's personal lives. It has been my experience that people who use blogs as live journals invariably end up hurting people - making comments on the way that other people live their lives generally leads to nothing good. When I started this blog, I was concerned, because I didn't want this to turn into a live journal. I post about knitting - the places I knit, the things I knit when I travel, and how knitting effects my life. This is not a blog about my life. It's about knitting in my life. This is an important distinction.

This is why, though I mentioned bits of my life in my last post, I'm not going to tell you exactly what my brother and I did this weekend. Plus, I don't have any pictures :). But, since part of my weekend did involve yarn, you will get a little snapshot of who I am.

My brother did take me to that yarn shop this weekend, bless his heart. As it turns out, they were having a charity knitting event, and the place was filled with at least 30 old hen, clucking away. My brother and I were horribly conspicuous. One, because he's 6'6", and two, because we weren't over 50. Oh, and let's not forget that he was also the only male there. It was actually kind of disappointing. A lot of the yarn was what you'd expect the older set to be interested in - heavy on the acrylic blends and weird textures. I did pick up a ball of sock yarn though, because I don't have any in my stash. I know. How can I possibly call myself a knitter with my stash in that state that it is? Well, the truth is, I move frequently (5 times in the past year) and therefore, if I have no immediate plans for a yarn, I really can't afford to truck it cross country. Plus, I'm a new enough knitter to not be sure how much of a yarn I would need to make a certain project without a pattern. But socks, that's pretty guessable. I coveted some Cascade 220 and Plymouth Tweed. When I got the proper pattern, at least know I'll know what they look and feel like.

One highlight: There was food at this charity knitting event, and one of the ladies said to the other, "Judy, everyone just loves your salad. Do you have the recipe?" Judy pulls the recipe out of her bag. The other lady shouts to the shop at large, "Girls, she's got the recipe!" Picture a flurry of excited comments and shuffling for pieces of paper. Then picture my brother and I trying to contain our giggles.

Anyway, here's a picture of the yarn.

Sorry for the terrible picture. I need to learn how to take acceptable pictures. Especially when there are so many blogs with inspiring pictures out there. And look what I got just in time for my recent sock yarn purchase:

It's two thirds of a shipment from Overstocks.com. There's a pattern in the Knitting Vintage Socks book that will be perfect for my new yarn.

Excuses

Lots and lots of excuses for why I haven't been knitting.

Recital, grad school, mom's week o' birthday, Easter, and traveling... It's been crazy around here, and it's only going to get crazier, at least until we get past the recital. 10 days, only 10 days left until I get up in front of a church full of people and prove to everyone that I haven't been wasting my life. Here's hoping that I don't embarrass myself.... at least in a musical way. Tripping on my heels is still an acceptable way to embarrass myself while not reflecting on my life.

Oh, and let's also hope that it warms up around here, so we don't have to worry about that pesky little detail of heating the church which the secretary mentioned might be a problem.

So as far as knitting goes both Ms. Marigold and the Ballet Camisole are growing, but slowly. No pictures to post because there's really nothing to see, just lots of stockinette.

I'm heading to Kalamazoo tomorrow to visit my brother, and I hear there's a yarn shop to visit. There's true brotherly love. Not only did he notice there was a yarn shop, but he told me about it, and is now obligated to take me there. Where I will immediately collapse into a pile of reverence. I haven't been in an actual yarn shop since I was living in Ithaca. I'm super excited.

Happy Easter!

We interrupt your frenzied jelly bean consumption to bring you this message (oh, wait, that's my frenzied jelly bean consumption):

Dear Mother Nature/owners of gas guzzlers,

Last Tuesday it was 85 degrees. This week, it has been in the 20s and snowing every day. I woke up to this view only with more snow on this fine Easter morning:

This is not cool. Please do something about it.

Sincerely, Meg

However, some of the flowers my mom got for her birthday are finally in bloom, so I will pretend that this gorgeous tulip is outside in the sunlight instead of sitting on the table in the dining room.

And speaking of mom's birthday, I finished her Trellis just in time. And by finished, I mean I knit like the wind the morning of her birthday, and just managed to get it off the needles and into a bag with hours to spare, unblocked of course. Luckily, lace dries fast (something about all those holes.... ha!) so she has been wearing it constantly for the past couple of days. It looks particularly nice against this pink shirt.

Pattern: Trellis Scarf, IK Spring 06

Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Midnight

Needles: US 4

I will say that this picture really doesn't do the color justice. It just looks black. Actually, it's navy with a bit of blue-green (like the color of my Trellis) running through it.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter, and that it is not snowing where ever you are!

Chicago Minibreak

Well, I have returned from the Windy City refreshed and relaxed, with pitifully few pictures to show you. I'm not used to taking a lot of pictures, which I always regret. It's a vicious cycle that I am working on breaking. So I will share what little I have.

This is a view from Millenium Park facing the Michigan Ave. skyline. You can see that lump of polished stainless steele slightly to the right of middle. That's the Bean, or the Cloudscape, depending on whether or not you are the residents of Chicago or the artist.

This is also Millenuim Park. This is the coolest ampitheater I have ever seen. It opens up when it's not the end of March, and they have concerts there. You can sort of see this at the top, but it looks like the music is literally blowing open the front and the steel is peeling back. Behind it is an underground theater specifically designed for chamber music. They take their music seriously in this town. So why am I not living there, again?

I went to see the Chicago Symphony and saw one of my musical idols Hilary Hahn. The whole concert was amazing, starting the the overture to the Flying Dutchman moving through the Goldmark violin concerto, and ending with Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 6. Plus I got my CD signed Hilary.

I went to the Shedd Aquarium, which was super cool. I didn't take any pics, unfortunately. I say Pacifc White-Sided Dolphins, Belgua whales, sea otters, sea horses, penguings, live coral, and hundreds of fish. My favorite was a sea horse called a Weedy Sea Dragon. Here's a link to some pictures, but the pics don't really do this cool animal justice.

Another favorite of this trip was visiting my cousin out in Glen Ellyn, a short Metra ride away. Got to see his apartment, and we had dinner at the most amazing restaurant, Mykha. It's technically Vietnamese food (which I'd never had before, but has become my favorite) but there's some Mexican flavor thrown in. And the presentation! Here's my (slightly overexposed) dinner. Note how my salad looks like a tropical bouquet.

And it tasted just as good as it looked.

In knitting news, I have only 4 1/2 repeats plus the ending border left on mom's Trellis. Still probably not going to finish by Wednesday, but I should have it done by Saturday, which is the big family party. The Ballet Camisole is started, and Ms. Marigold, sadly, has been frogged. I finished the body only to have my fears realized. It was too small. I wondered as I saw how tight it was on my 32" needles. I have cast on again for the one that's 2 sizes up. The difference in sizes is a matter of stitches, so I don't know that it will be significantly larger. I'm making gauge, so the whole thing is a mystery to me. I'm going to have to do some modifications on the armholes and the depth of the V too, in order for it to (hopefully) fit. We'll see