Been working on some other projects lately, a slightly modified version of Evelyn Clark’s Garden Shawl from Knitting Lace Triangles made with yarn from Avillion Farm:
And the Kimono Shawl from Cheryl Oberle’s Folk Shawls in a lovely merino in colorway Mouse from The Sweet Sheep.
This one is about two feet long now, but my camera broke, so no new photos till I get a replacement!
Mel is on vacation, and Jenifleur is on vacation, and both posting about that most important question - what knitting to bring???
I am leaving in 1 hour and I am still wrestling with this problem. I will have two overnight flights and one daytime flight spread over several days. I’ll have 12 hours layover in London, which will probably turn into only 6 actual hours of free time but still, there will be train time and waiting time. I’ll have most of three days in South Africa, but I’ll be out touring around (or completely crashed after two overnight flights…). Then I spend three weeks in DR Congo, one of which will be out in the boonies, where I’m not even sure I’ll take any knitting. Those car rides are pretty ridiculous, more of an athletic feat on rutted and pitted and potholed dirt roads than relaxing knitting time.
I am bringing a medium suitcase, a frame pack, and a carryon thingie with my laptop, etc. The MS3 is coming with me. I can’t leave that behind when Clue 5 is a mere 2 days away! And I bought yarn for another pair of Kilt Hose - yeah!! So that’s coming, too. Is a pair of knee socks and one more shawl clue enough to keep me occupied for almost all of August? Probably, but somehow it doesn’t seem like enough.
The problem, really, is that I don’t want to leave this behind.
This also came in the mail, but I don’t think it’s going in the carryon. Or the suitcase. It requires too much attention for this trip, I think. *sniffle*
And I had some vague thought that I would finish the Josephine Top before I left, but no, that’s going to be awaiting my return as well. I did the sleeve caps at least…
Ugh. Gotta go! Wish me luck with the London airports and their restrictive needle obsessions…
30. Thai red curry with tofu and veggies - yum!
29. Two ladies I haven’t seen since 1999 who went to my alma mater
28. Shannon, Taima and Mary
27. dirty martini with stoli
26. Sweet Ups
25. Belinda Carlisle
24. vodka bramble
23. Amber and Laura
22. Vegetarian dim sum
21. Habu textiles
20. mad money for Habu
19. LODGE
18. pear walnut goat cheese arugula salad
17. sazerac
16. free jug o’ keg wine
15. Velvet Goldmine
14. Phoebe’s Cafe
13. the Yarn Tree
12. silk hankies
11. planning the farm school
10. Beacon’s closet
9. Charlie and Cameron, what a cute couple
8. Tuna casserole, mac and cheese, ambrosia
7. pinot grigio and chocolate LU biscuits
6. A Prairie Home Companion
5. Nashville
4. air-popped popcorn with lots of butter and salt
3. 3 hours of sleep last night
2. cab at 4.40am to return to work
1. I just feel so warm and happy that my girls met me in NYC this weekend and we met other cool ladies and had such a great weekend because I said, I need to celebrate my 30th birthday and I need to do it with you and it has to be in NYC, and they all said OK!
[ps. There is still time, the actual day isn't till Wednesday. Tell me something about turning 30.]
Dear all,
Today is World AIDS Day.
I am not going to cite all of the statistics for you, but I will say that developed countries have it pretty good in terms of access to treatment and care. We have among the lowest rates of HIV (well under 1% of the population), although the US does have some hotspots(DC, LA, New Orleans, others that you might not expect).
But the majority of HIV infection is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa (almost 6% of the population). Some countries such as South Africa and Botswana are looking at prevalence rates of upwards of 20% of the adult population, with some citations pushing 40% for Botswana.
Recently UNAIDS published a report (executive summary found here) that provides a good summary and some nice graphics. The full report is available for download here.
The concerns that I have, 25 years into the epidemic, are related to access. There is no cure, there is no effective vaccine, there is no treatment for many people who cannot afford it. There is no care for those who are not yet poor enough or sick enough to access it - since funding is available to help only the most needy. There are not enough resources to prevent many orphans from becoming street children, although their families do their best to provide even when one or both parents have died. There is not enough funding being released NOW to have an impact.
Stepping down off my soapbox, I will now leave you with some other links that might interest you if you want to learn more or are thinking about taking action:
World AIDS Campaign
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: HIV/AIDS prevention site
Can consumerism fight HIV/AIDS?
And just in case you thought this post wasn’t about knitting, here are some knitting links for you.
AIDS red ribbon halter top - proceeds to charity
No pattern, but make a condom amulet!
If anyone is interested in sending a scarf to me for the Red Scarf Knitalong between now and the middle of January, I will collect them and send them all in one batch as a team effort.
If you don’t want to sign into WordPress, you can email me photos of your goods and I will post them.
By this evening, I should have a pattern and some stash yarn picked out! I’ll let you know what I decide for the first scarf - hopefully I can contribute 2 or 3…
Hey everyone,
This post is an invite to join the Red Scarf Knitalong that I started last night for the Red Scarf Project.
I am thinking that I will need something somewhat mindless to work on during chilly nights of DVD watching and tea drinking that are already upon us, and it would be a good way to flex my designing muscles if I want to get more complicated.
[Also, scarves do not have to be red...]
This project is not a contest, though I will try to round up some loot (to be updated on the knitalong info page).
It is a donation effort though, which does have a deadline - mailing in January.
So, please come join me and the co-mod, Amber, and keep us posted on your progress!
ps. Email me if you want to contribute prizes or make a button or link to a free pattern! Contact info up there to your right in the sidebar.
I realize that I am quite late on this post, which was from the first week of Socktober - bu my excuse is that I was in central Africa…
When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I started making socks in 2003 when I was working for a yarn shop and discovered Melanie Falick’s Weekend Knitting. I have never taken a knitting class - I learned the basics from my mom back in the day.
What was your first pair? How have they “held up” over time?
My first pair was made from teal Koigu and was from a pattern in Weekend Knitting whose name I can’t remember right now. They were for my mom, I’ll have to ask her how they’ve held up.
What would you have done differently?
I would have knitted them on a size larger needle so they weren’t quite so snug, and I would NOT have bought so much yarn! I ended up with four skeins and I only needed two!
What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
I love Koigu, Mountain Colors Bearfoot, and Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock, and the Regia Bamboo - and Fleece Artist, Trekking, man, the list goes on!
Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I knit them on either DPNs or Magic Loop - but one sock at a time, unlike my mom, who does two at a time with Magic Loop. For a while I was die hard about the circulars, but recently I have reverted to DPNs as well.
Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
Definitely flap - it provides more room for my ankle when I put the socks on. Though it’s the kind I have been using for years, so maybe I just need more short row heel practice…
How many pairs have you made?
I have made… maybe 11 pairs? And 3 more are in progress.
Here is the new reason (other than no time) that I haven’t been knitting.
I ate some Indian food here that made me red and splotchy everywhere, and my fingers have been swollen and itchy for several days.
If only to get back to my blogging and my languishing Socktober fest efforts, I can’t wait to get back home.
I am leaving this afternoon to get a flight to London, and I’ll be in Istanbul on Saturday - and even though my fellow traveler is not a textile maniac, I am planning to do a lot of snooping along those lines.
Recently a friend from my local SnB recently introduced me to Anna Zilboorg’s Simply Socks. I can knit a sock without a book, but this book is totally new and different to me. And timely, considering my travel plans! It introduces the reader to Turkish knitting, the traditional technique of sock construction, and then has pages of wonderful graphics of reconstructed Turkish designs. I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet, but I wrote down a couple titles from her intro of books published in Istanbul that I plan to seek out.
No photos today, but lots coming soon! Kilims, blue tiled mosque walls, and angora??
ps. Gallery updated with some socks.
Hey! Look who’s using my button!
If you visit the gallery (over to the right, at the top), you will see the vest from whence the button image came.
Feel free to save the button and use it if you link to my blog, that’s why I put it there.
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