Progress

Remember the M-D dishcloth I stopped blogging to finish?

Well here it is!



Not a whit of progress. I've been busy not knitting, verra, verra busy. I have, you see, gone and gotten myself a job. A busy job, a not-ideal job (re: not in a yarn store) and spending my entire work afternoon knitting is no longer an option. Sad state of affairs, isn't it?

I don't mean this. I'm actually really pleased to be out, amongst the humans, again. After spending all of May with no crucial reason to go out, I've realized some kind of work is necessary. Otherwise, the dogs might start answering.


(Can anyone guess what's behind Door Number One?)

So I'm out in the big, bad world of, er, people, and it's been great. But busy! And not conducive to whenever-I-please-knitting. Which is why I am, again, going to stop blogging, and go knit. And probably try to catch up on my Knitty Gritty. We're in the double digits of unwatched shows. This can't be good.

I promise not to bring myself back until I have an honest-to-goodness knitted item to show. Particularly this fairly quick dishcloth. Or the Really Beautiful thing I'm about two rows and blocking away from finishing. Something. I will not come back to blogging empty-pictured.

Hello Again

"It's been too long/too long, too long/ hello again." Dave Matthews Band, "Hello Again" Stand Up

I could use Dave throughout this post. Such as I have So Much to Say or Everyday has been wildly busy and The Space Between posts is truly shameful.

There's lots I've got to show and tell (including probably my favorite knit item yet and news about Dave), and I could Stay (Wasting Time), but right now I'd rather be knitting.

So I give you these.

One finished Washcloth from M-D Knitting:



and one in progress.



Also, Lie in Our Graves. If you follow the link you can listen to the entire song off The Hubba's website. You can, in fact, listen to many live DMB songs on The Hubba's site, but if you only listen to ONE Dave song today, make it Lie in Our Graves. It's just about my favorite, it strongly highlights the talents of our buddy Boyd (the most talented violinist ever) and our soon to be buddy Butch (the most talented pianist ever). This song is DMB at their Smuckers jammiest and you will have a better day by listening to it*. So, if you get a moment, do, good friend, do.

Also #41, which is such a close second favorite for me and has some of the loveliest lyrics my ears have ever had the good fortune to hear.

If I don't stop now, I'll keep talking about them and never get to my knitting (The Space Between, Crush, Best of What's Around- my three other favorites that'sallI'mgoingtosay).

*This statement is not fact, and has not been blahblah cannot be guaranteed yaddayaddayadda not the views held by etcetcetc except that I'm 100% sure you will have a better day if you do listen to it.

I'm a Woman of the Cloth

Back in the habit, y'all, that's what I am.

Erin, who's recently been discovered in Burlington knitting cycles, and, sadly, is blogless (write your congressman!), has inspired several of us. She and her Ballband Dishcloth have got the masses (Miz Knotty and me) flocking to our local Michael's and even Wal-Mart for our Sugar n'Cream and Peaches n'Cream dishcloth cotton.



And turning out beauties such as this:



Might I point out, this dishcloth, which calls for size 7 needles and which I decided to knit on size 7 needles, will clearly, with my loosey-goosey ways, be bigger than all belief? But that is alright, because my dishcloth is always just the right size.

Again, I cannot emphasize it enough, I LOVE MY DISHCLOTHS. I just do, it is a love that dares speak its name and it makes me so happy. There is no explaining it.

So I'm already plotting out my next one of these. And- AND!- how did I miss this? am I really paying this little attention in day-to-day life? (chances are good)- I've *discovered* Knitting Pattern Central (or KPC, keep it on the DL, y'all) has an entire page of free dishcloth patterns. Dozens and dozens and dozens of patterns. I was almost a little light-headed looking over them.

So even though I'm still working on finishing this lovely mess o' lace



and even though I've cast-on yet another pair of socks, I am back in the land of cotton. Where I belong.

Off subject completely, but in these last few weeks of American Idol mania (I don't even link it because, who hasn't heard of AI?), The Hubba came up with a GENIUS plan. It was shortly after we heard (not being people who actually watch AI but who live in, you know, the world and so can't help but hear about it) Bon Jovi had appeared on the show (they are not, as it last seemed, dead) and not only performed but had a 333% (honest to goodness) boost in sales due to said performance. Seriously. Their last album, from 1936, shot back onto the charts due to this one five minute appearance. And so The Hubba, with that Grinch-like glint in his eye, looked at me and said "I know what we need to do."

"We need," he said, while strolling around the living room, hands clasped behind his back, "to get a few chapters of your book into the hands of someone, anyone on American Idol and have them read it on stage. It would be an instant success."

I looked at him. I laughed. I laughed hard. I told him how funny AND clever he is. He did not laugh, but he stopped pacing. He shrugged, looking a little sheepish, and said "I don't know. It seemed like a good idea. But... it's crazy, right? Nuts?"

And we both laughed.

Except... I mean... if anyone out there IS going to be on American Idol, well, maybe-

Look just email me if you decide to audition.

neighborknitter@we'lldoanythingforacrackatStephenKing'smillions.com

Who Knew?

I am sailing through the baby blanket, even with a disturbing number of projects-at-once-itis. All the components of what I love are here. This blanket is: a) square, b) made from cotton with just a hint of wool, and c) all knits and purls to create the interesting design. Which is exactly like...

Got it?

Any ideas?

That's riiiiight- a dishcloth!





I'm making an enormous dishcloth and I couldn't be happier.

Though, perhaps, I shouldn't mention that to the expecting mama.

Somewhere, Beyond the Sea

I've been brought up short in my knitter world this weekend. In recent posts, there has been a lack of knitterly information. Today we're going to change that.

I could give you two reasons for the lack of yarn content: one, I've been on a collision course with time to finish a pair of socks for my Sockret Pal and two, I've just not felt knitting inspired. My concentration has been locked up entirely in these socks which I've not felt motivated to finish, probably because I thought when they were finished, now what? (Sorry for that Pal, you get to be part of my craft-angst issues- how lucky!).

I finished the socks Friday morning, at the yarn store, and said, the inevitable, "Now what?" At first I cast on for a lace stole I've been planning, but ten or eleven rows in I noticed a flaw and ripped the whole thing out. Then... what? Wondering around the store, at a loss for my next project, not one thing in my knitting bag to work on- and then I saw it.

In a black wire basket.

Lily's Sugar n'Cream cotton.

The memories rushed back. In minutes I had seized a gorgeous ball of periwinkle blue, hopped on the internet, and printed off exactly the right pattern. I cast on around four Friday afternoon and Friday evening, after several episodes of Season Five from 24, I was back, baby!

Some size 6 Addis, a ball of cotton, a pattern and I had:



Betsy the Bass brought me back to my knitter roots.

I realized, in that moment, how easy it is to loose your beginnings. I couldn't pinpoint where it started. I can still remember walking into my local LYS, an eager knitter, with no clue as to what she was doing and two hands that would prove ham-like in their initial maneuvering of a pair of needles and yarn. I can still feel the aluminum size 7 Susan Bates in my hand, learning the long-tail cast-on and the basic knit stitch. After several attempts I had this



a plain garter-stitch dishcloth, in hideous neon colors, to show for my very first ever knitting project. I was so proud! Within a few weeks, I whipped out several more, including a pair of matched (!) dishcloths for my stepmom and a scarf for my mom for Mother's Day. What achievement! What success!

Again, I'm not sure when it happened. One minute I'm working along in squares with simple knit-purls for contrast, the next I'm hanging out with sock knitters, discussing the merits of heel flaps to short rows and contemplating my first lace project, dishcloths forgotten.

It's a good thing I've progressed. I'm betting doughnuts to dollars I'd be the dullest knitter in America to talk to if, nearly a year later, I hadn't moved past my dishcloth roots. I love hats, and socks, and bags. I can already tell I'm going to enjoy lace knitting and I can't wait to get serious about a sweater. Still. Sometimes you've got to remember where you came from, to reflect back on what got you started, maybe pour one out for your homies.

Betsy the Bass did that for me.