Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

I'm having a couple of days where my tools and I are just not getting along. I've been working on a fine-gauge reversible lace scarf. It is a lovely thing, indeed; all 75,000 stitches, 60 hours, and 97 repeats of 5 multiples of pattern. I finished it and blocked it, using the beautiful bronze Lacis blocking wires I wrote about previously . I used my typical method for blocking: thread blocking wires through the edges, pin onto mat, spray with water, ignore overnight. In less than 24 hours, the bronze oxidized and left blue-green stains on the edges of the ivory-colored scarf. Sigh. Fortunately, I was able to dig up some stain-removal information (thank you, Internet). The key was lemon juice and salt. I purchased half a dozen lemons at the grocery store. Once I squeezed them, I was armed with a cup of fresh juice. I laid the scarf in a glass baking dish, spooned lemon juice along the stained edge, and then salted. It worked! It took multiple iterations, as the whole sc...

Oddly enough in the busy aftermath of STITCHES South, I managed to keep focus on a little project. I started the Blue Shimmer/Blå Skimmer cuffs during Susanna Hansson's "Bohus Stickning" class. Partly because I wanted the picot edging to match on both cuffs, I was motivated to get the second cuff cast on before I misplaced the scrap of paper reminding me of what I had knit. These are still on the needles because I'd like to expand them into gloves. I plan to acquire some nice indigo-dyed cashmere. When I knit the gloves, I'll just knit plain. I don't want to detract from the fabulous Bohus pattern. I did not buy the cashmere when I saw it in the Market at STITCHES South because I felt that buying cashmere would be motivation for finishing the cuffs. It is! I'm sure not all Bohus patterns are similar to this one, but I do have a few observations. While you do have to strand colors across the back -- and sometimes carry more than two colors in a round -...

During the summer, I decided to take Elizabeth Zimmermann's advice about travel knitting. She suggested a nice shawl, as it is light, easy to transport, and gives hours upon hours of knitting pleasure. For our trip out west, Lyra seemed like the perfect choice. I had purchased the yarn and pattern from the Yarn Place during a moment of unexplained weakness on the last day of STITCHES South 2010. Now one of the things I really need to learn -- and by learn I mean totally take to heart -- is the idea that you ought to cast on such projects before you leave home. I've made this mistake the last two years in a row for Dragon*Con as well, spending four days of sitting and listening sans knitting. (I believe one year I got my Dragon*Con project cast on too early. I liked it too much and finished the whole thing in a week.) Because the trip west involved flying, I was greatly limited in what I could pack. Part of why I'll schlep the day and a half drive to Pennsylvania t...