Eastward Ho

I took the long, long, (for me) streetcar ride east to the The Purple Purl today.  I was in search of gifting yarn.  A few months back I purchased some lovely Malabrigo Sock in the colour Archangel because it reminde me of a friend and I thought it would make a lovely shawl for her. I soon discovered that I had once again fallen victim to the Siren call of the handpaint.  Looks great on the skein, horrible as a shawl.  The colour repeats are just too short and the changes too abrupt for this dye lot to look good in any type of side to side knitting.  So, I'm doing an entrelac scarf and it looks fine.  It just no longer reminds me of my friend.  So today I purchased the much more tonal Stonechat colourway.  I'm thinking it will be either another Damson or a Shetland Triangle.  Whatever I decide, I'd better hurry.  Christmas approaches and I haven't even completed The Daughter's cardigan yet!

Problem Solved

I clipped the Koigu girl from the ad inside and pasted her over the offending cover.  She's a lovely girl and the red shawl is much more "holiday." Inside, I pasted pretty pictures from the Anthropologie catalogue over the article.  My daughter often accuses me of over reacting, getting too bothered by silly things.  This is perhaps one of those cases but I just couldn't let it go. I keep my knitting magazines forever and could not bear the thought of looking at that face every time I pulled this issue off the shelf.

Working Cuts Into My Knitting Time

Yes, it's been a long absence. I started a new job (finally!) and have been engulfed in all that that entails.  There's the new schedule to which I have had to adjust not to mention all the emotional conflict.  I've been really struggling with the the dichotomy of being grateful to finally have a job and the disappointment of having had to take work in the same old industry where the hours are crappy, the pay is low, you are always overworked and absolutely everybody craps on you all the time.  I'm making less money now than I was making ten years ago and it sure doesn't help when family tries to placate with empty expressions like, "A job's a job", or "Oh well, it's the economy."  Anyway, my co-workers are nice and my immediate boss is great.  That goes a long way in the adjustment process.

So, basically, I just haven't felt much like blogging.  Until today.  I picked up the latest Vogue Knitting on my lunch break.  Let me start by saying that the patterns in the issue are stellar.  A particular favourite is the V for Vintage  lace blouse.  It's a re-working of a 1965 pattern and I can totally see myself both knitting and wearing this beautiful garment.

However.  I cannot let the cover go un-remarked upon.  Martha fucking Stewart?  On the cover of Vogue Knitting?  What the hell is going on?  I see from the two page ad inside that she is launching a line of ugly craft yarn with Lion Brand (ugh).  Is that any reason for VK to sell it's soul to this corporate meanie?  She has nothing to do with either being Vogue or knit fashion.  I am so offended by her smirking face that I considered not buying the issue.  I may still cut off the cover.  I'm definitely removing the article about her.  Come on VK!  Isn't this your holiday issue?  Where's the beautifully styled and photographed unknown model wearing irresistible knitwear? This gal above would have made a great cover.

Sunny Sunday

After two weeks of clouds and drizzle, we finally had a  sunny autumn day. It was the perfect weather for a long walk in the park wearing new woolies.  In fact, my walk was very long indeed as I took a wrong turn ending up lost, not for the first time, in the maze of High Park's trails.  I came out much further north than intended and had to double back.

These gloves are actually re-purposed socks.  The lovely Daughter threw them in the laundry not realizing that this Stoddart Family farm mohair/wool blend is not machine washable.  The soles of the socks did not survive. I love this yarn too much to abandon it and there was a bit left.  So I salvaged the cuffs and added and inch of ribbing with thumb and improvised index finger openings.  Cool, right?

Renovation Sadness

Today I am sad because I am mourning a building.  I went down the fire escape this morning, heading for work and discovered that the lovely red brick garage, beside which I have posed for many a knitting shot, has been destroyed.  The landlord has had it stuccoed and it is now a nondescript flat beige.  Whatever possessed him?    The old brick was not crumbling and insulation is not the issue (it's a garage after all). These are the only good reasons I know of to stucco over brick.  The side of the house is stucco so perhaps he wanted it to be matchy-poo.
I don't understand some people's compulsion to replace anything old and that has colour and character with blah, blah, flat and pale.  There's an illusion of clean that they see as "better".  They pave over grass, lay beige carpet over hardwood and stucco over beautiful brick.  And you just know that in a couple of years, this "improvement" is going to look like hell.
My landlord is a lovely man.  He's always been kind to me.  However, he has dropped the ball in a big way on this one.

For Me?

The Daughter recently went on a trip with her Dad to Reykjavik, Iceland and because she loves her old mum so much, she brought back yarn.  It's 5 skeins of Alafoss Lopi direct from the land of the traditional Icelandic sweater.  I just love how the red, purple and teal bits are spun into the beautiful dark blue.  This a truly woolly wool.  Yet, I find myself pondering what one makes with Lopi besides a traditional Icelandic sweater?  A hat, maybe?