I sing in a choir that rehearses once a week and after rehearsals, some of us go out to a local pub and have a drink or two and some eats. I haven't been able to go as often as I would like as the person who gives me a ride doesn't always want to go. A few weeks ago, I was able to go and as always, I had a wonderful time. Except for one thing.

Somehow we had gotten on the topic of Lent (probably because I wasn't drinking my usual gin and tonic) and from there, somehow, we got to the topic of original sin. I know, kind of a weird topic for late night happy hour but there you have it. Now, at the table was a very wide variety of people, including a pastor, who apparently does not believe in original sin. Judging from some of his comments he also doesn't believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God or at least, the complete word of God. What bothered me most about this conversation was me. I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. I did not agree with a lot of what he said but I didn't have the evidence to back me up. It frustrated me that I could only sit there while others debated and to some extent, dismissed what I believe and I couldn't think of anything to say. It really brought home to me the limitations of my faith. Well, not limitations in what I believe but limitations in explaining and defending what I believe in, and I found myself wishing for the flowchart of my worldview that I had to create for my ethics class senior year of high school.

Faith, to some extent, defies proof. Faith is believing something that can't be proved or seen. But I can still have reasons for my belief, I can show why I believe what I believe. I need to find those again. I don't want to be caught silent again.

A Tote for All Seasons

I'm trying to be really good about not buying yarn for new projects until I've used some of my stash. I'm also trying to finish my UFOs. I was doing pretty well. I started the Barcelona Jacket(Interweave Knits, Fall 2009) in a handspun wool that a friend had given me(15 balls of wool that are between 200 and 300 yards in each skein! That's a lot of wool in one color). I hope to take the sweater with me to Boston in a few weeks so I've named my sweater Homespun in Boston. The pieces are finished and I just need to block the pieces, stitch them up and then I can finish the collar and edging. Since I've never been able to get steam blocking to work for me, I usually submerge my knitted items in my tub and then pin them out on my bedroom floor. However, right now, my tub is in desperate need of a cleaning and I refuse to put my pretty knits in the tub until I've done so. Tub-cleaning is a project for this weekend; it's part of my general de-spidering campaign I've got going at my house.

So, that left me with other UFOs to work on but I was bored with those. I started a double-knit scarf in mohair(also from my stash), but that is slow going and I think I'll save that for the actual flight to Boston. And then, I finally found the colors I wanted to use in the Medallion Travel Bag. Though I liked the bold contrast of the colors of the original, they were a little too bold for my use. So when I found the beautiful grey and green wools that were exactly what I wanted, I broke down and bought them. Plus, they were cheaper than I thought they would be too.

I couldn't wait to cast on. After a few bus commutes, I've been able to complete the base. The only difficulty I've had so far with using the chart(I love charts! I mean it, no sarcasm) is that I have to remember that the white squares are grey and the black squares are green.

Then, last night, I picked up the stitchs to start on the sides. I hate picking up stitches. I can never get the number to come out right. It took me at least two tries, and more often three or more, to get the right number of stitches on each side and even then, when I got to the end of the first pattern row, an stitch had grown all on it's own. It was sitting there, taunting me. Do I tink back to the picked up stitches and start again. Never! This tote is going to be felted so I quickly k2tog to hide that random stitch. Take that, you extra stitch.

This morning, the crowd waiting for the bus seemed abnormally large and I reconciled myself to not knitting this morning. After all, it's difficult to knit standing in a moving vehicle and I'm more likely to stab someone when I attempt it. But, lo and behold, in the back was a seat. I made a beeline for it, sat down, placed my voluminous purse at my feet and proceeded to knit. Then came the inevitable question from a fellow commuter, "What are you making?"

"A tote-bag," I replied. "Once I'm done knitting the bag, I'll felt it."

"What season is it for?"

Season? I wasn't aware totes had seasons. Is that like the "no white after Labor Day" rule? Is there a "no tote" rule as well? The bag is not black and orange or red and green so Halloween and Christmas are out. What season was she talking about?

Thinking how I would like to take this bag with me to Boston as well, and how it is made of wool, I replied, "Winter."

"Winter!? Oh, well...."

You would have thought I committed fashion high treason! Or is that high fashion treason? Seriously? It's a wool bag; if I had to pick a season for this tote, winter makes the most sense to me. Even then, I don't like restricting my knits to one season. After all, I live in the Pacific Northwest, where, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will be different. I'll probably use the tote well into June.

Like everyone else, I usually cannot think up clever come-backs on the spot. I wish that I could have left her with this come-back:

My tote will be a tote for all seasons.

Mary had a little lamb...

it's fleece is not as white as snow and he's rather hunch-backed but if you are interested in trying to recreate my Lambscapes lamb, you'll find the directions below. I apologize now for any errata as I was totally knitting on the fly and had to go back and try to figure out what I did. That's a lot harder than one would think. This is also the first time I have attempted to write a pattern so feel free to ask any questions or complain or whatever.

Lambscapes:
Supplies
Yarn:
2 skeins Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick or other super bulky yarn
1 skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease or other aran weight in similar color to bulky yarn
For Hooves:
1 skein Lion Brand Wool or other worsted weight in black or grey
Needles:
US 6 (4.0 mm)
US 13 (9.0 mm)

Yarn Needle
Poly fiberfil
2 shank buttons for eyes
1 yd ribbon

Head:
Using the smaller needles and the lighter yarn doubled, CO 9 sts.
Row 1: K1(M1, k1) x8
Row 2 and all even rows unless otherwise stated: Purl (wrong side).
Row 3: K1(M1, k3, M1, k1) x4
Row 5: K1(M1, k5, M1, k1) x4
Row 7, 9, 11: Knit.
Row 12: P1 (M1, p7, M1, p1) x4
Row 13, 15, 17: Knit
Row 19: K1 (M1, k9, M1, k1) x4
Row 21: K1 (M1, k11, M1, k1) x4
Row 23: K1 (M1, k13, M1, k1) x4
Straight knitting for 8 rows and BO.

Chin:
Using the smaller needles and the lighter yarn doubled, CO 3 sts.
Row 1: K1, M1, k1, M1, k1
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: K1, M1, k3, M1, k1
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: K1, M1, k5, M1, k1
Straight knitting until piece measures 6 in. or the length of the head. BO all sts, leaving a long tail to sew up the two seams so that the head resembles a bowl.

Ears(make 2):
Using larger needles and bulky yarn, CO 3 sts. Garter stitch for 9 rows. BO all sts, leaving 6” tail. Thread tail through middle stitches on the underside of the ear and pull slightly to make the ear curl. Whip-stitch ears to the head.

Body:
Using the larger needles and the bulky yarn, CO 60 sts. St st for 12 rows. Beginning of next two rows, BO 10 sts. There should be 40 sts remaining.
Knit straight for 6 in. At the end of the next two rows, CO 8 sts. St st for 12 rows. Beginning of next two rows, BO 10 sts (40 sts left).
Change to smaller needles and lighter yarn. Knit 1 row, purl one row.
Short rows:
Next row: K 25, turn.
Purl 10, turn.
Knit 15, turn.
Purl 20, turn.
Knit 25, turn.
Purl 30, turn.
Knit 35, turn.
Next row: Purl. Short rows completed.
Over the next row, evenly decrease 5 sts. Next row, purl. Repeat these two rows until 20 sts remain.
Knit straight for about 8 in. BO.

Tail:
With larger needles and bulky yarn, CO 10sts.
Knit 8 rows of garter st. At beg of next 4 rows, decrease 1 st each row, while maintaining the garter st. BO the remaining sts, leaving a long tail to gather the sides of the tail, making the tail like a little upside-down bowl.

Hooves(Make 4):
Using smaller needles and the darker yarn doubled, CO 4 sts.
Row 1: K1, M1, k2, M1, k1
Purl all even rows(wrong side).
Row 3: K1, M1, k4, M1, k1
Row 5: Knit
Row 7: K1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1
Row 9: K1, k2tog twice, k1
Row 10: BO all but the last st, leaving the st on the needle.
CO 5 sts. You should have a total of 6 sts now on your needle. Knit straight until piece measures circumference of hoof base. BO all sts, leaving a long tail. Use the tail to sew up the seams. The hoof should resemble a little cup when all sewn up.


Finishing:
Note: the purl side of the lamb torso and legs is the outside to give it that “sheepy” texture. All other pieces have knit-side-out.
Sew up seams starting with hind legs. Attach hooves at same time and stuff as you go. Sew on the tail. Sew the head and ears to the torso, leaving a hole under the chin in which to continue stuffing. After the lamb is sufficiently stuffed, stich up the hole. Sew the eyes on using sewing thread. Using black yarn, embroider the nose. Use the ribbon to hide the neck seams.

Have Knits, Will Travel

I recently gave my sister a ride to a pre-natal appointment and then spent a lot of time in stop-n-go traffic, trying to get back to work. How do people do it? Why would they rather drive, when they could be sitting on a bus or light rail train, reading or catching a few more precious minutes of sleep, or in my case, knitting. While sitting in my Zipcar, waiting to move a few feet forward, I longed to knit, read, anything but sit in traffic unable to do... anything.

So, I have come to the realization that riding the bus supports my knitting habit. So does watching TV. After all, if I'm knitting, I'm not wasting time. I'm being very productive with my time. I'm catching up on the shows or movies I enjoy, I'm relaxing and I'm making something useful as well.

And knitting protects me on the bus. If I'm using double pointed needles, I find that people are a little afraid to ask what I'm doing. After all, those thin pointy sticks might fly across the aisle and hit them. If I'm working on lace or anything with a pattern really, after an initial questions as to what I'm making, most people leave me alone after I make an elaborate show of concentrating on the pattern.

What they don't know is that knitting can be mindless for me, in the best way. I may look like my entire life's outcome is wrapped up in the next stitch but really, my mind is wandering to what I will make for dinner tonight to ideas for what I'll knit next while my fingers fly and I usually arrive home, feeling a bit more rested than when I left work and ready to maybe, just maybe, clean my house. For a few hours at least, until my favorite show comes on.

Con te partiro...(Time to Say Goodbye)

Yesterday was a wonderful, amazing, historical day. All of the TVs at work were tuned in and the break room at work was full during the oath and speech. To see all the people gathered and to here the stories of crowds, TVs in McDonalds, cars pulled over with the radios cranked up so that everyone could hear. It’s hard to describe.

I will freely admit, I was much more interested in the ushering in of our new president than the leaving of the old. After all, there was more history involved with Obama being sworn in. I didn’t particularly care to watch Bush get into his helicopter and leave. I was over it, done, fini. I wanted to watch the parade.

But then, last night, I was flipping channels on my TV and caught the tail end of a video essay for the News Hour with Jim Lehrer. An essay about the transfer of power, curtain calls, and the importance of saying good bye and it made me think. It made me think about things I don’t always want to think about.

You see, I don’t like saying goodbye. I spent my fifth grade year afraid to make friends because I knew I would have to say goodbye before the year was done. Don’t make friends, don’t say goodbye, don’t get hurt.

Goodbyes can hurt, yet they are so important. I didn’t want to say goodbye to my dad’s parents. I wanted my last memory of them to be one where they still knew who I was. But my parents, in their wisdom, insisted and I went and it was hard. It was hard seeing my grandmother so frail, hard seeing my grandfather talk to the air. I cried and wished I was elsewhere. Less than two weeks later, Grandmother died. Grandfather followed a couple months later. I felt relief but I had been missing them for a couple of years already. Going to see them only confirmed that the frail shells sitting in front of me were not my grandparents. They were ready to go, ready to say goodbye. And it was saying goodbye that released me, that allowed me to grieve honestly, with little regret.

Goodbyes are the natural conclusion of things. But they can also be the beginning of something new. The important thing is knowing when to say them.

Now you see it...now you don't

My office has a secret Santa gift exchange every year and this year, I drew one of the partners' names. Now, this is a man who, if he wants or needs something, he just goes out and buys it. In other words, almost impossible to shop for.

I have a secret weapon though. I know he is a huge fan of the UofO Ducks and I can knit. So, I had this brilliant idea. I would knit him a scarf in the school colors. But that by itself is too boring so I'll try something I've never done before. Illusion knitting.

Illusion knitting is a technique using a combination of knit and purl stitches to create a hidden pattern. When you look at it straight on, all you see is stripes. But look at it from the side, and you'll see something different. Usually, that something different is a geometric shape but I decided to try an actual message. "Go Ducks"

The designing of the pattern was simple but time-consuming. It involved staring at an Excel spreadsheet for a several hours as I laboriously spelled out Oregon and Go Ducks, using a cross-stitch alphabet pattern. Then separating the rows and offsetting it so that the purl stitches of each row would offset the other rows. Finally, that was completed and the pattern printed.

Then on the the easy part, I thought. I knit up a gauge swatch so I could figure out how many stitches to cast on(~330) and then cast-on using a backwards loop. I knit every green row and use Stockinette for the yellow, switching every other row. But then came the words.

Oh, the process itself isn't hard but it does require a lot of concentration. I thought I was doing great, the stripes were working beautifully and the words were slowly appearing in the scarf. I was several rows into the words when I realized...the words were backwards! I had been reading the pattern right to left and I should have been reading left to right.

I did my best to keep a smile on my face as the words I had worked on so painstakingly for hours disappeared in the few minutes it took to frog all the way back to the row before the pattern began. Oh, the knit-manity!

I see the moon and the moon sees me...

I can't see the man in the moon. I never have been able to see him. Sometimes, if I squint my eyes, I think I can but the harder I look, the more I see the rabbit in the moon. Now, I always assumed that it must be because I grew up in a country that has a rabbit in the moon, not a man. And, when I looked it up, sure enough, the rabbit in the moon is most common in East Asian folklore. In China, the rabbit is the companion to Chang'e, making the elixir of life for her. The story I was always told, which is common in Japan and Korea, is that the rabbit is pounding mochi.

Now, here's the interesting thing. The rabbit also shows up, all the way on the other side of the Pacific, in Aztec mythology. Tecciztecatl, the Aztex lunar deity, could have been the sun god, but was afraid of the sun's fire. He refused and, in the form of a rabbit, was thrown into the moon. How's that for a punishment?

Personally, I find the rabbit in the moon much more interesting than the man in the moon, so I'm not terribly disappointed to see the rabbit. And, it provides a link to childhood, one of the few I can revisit easily and often. Well, as often as the Northwest sky allows.