I am not a football fan. I am not a Vikings fan* (though I live in Minnesota). But even I am going to watch tonight’s game!! 
XXXXX XXXXX Hoping we win!
*Surly is a huge Vikings fan!
PS: Woo Hoo! Great game! 
PPS: Now the Twins just won a twelve-inning nail biter to become the Central Division Champs!! Again, I’m not much of a sports fan, but I can sure appreciate an exciting game!
Yes, I drove 6 hours (total, round trip) to see sweaters. None of my non-knitting peeps can fathom why anyone would do such a thing, but you — my people — will understand completely. These were not just any sweaters. These were Elsebeth Lavold’s knitwear collection at the Vesterheim Gallery — Knitting Along the Viking Trail. Special knitting friend Kathy accompanied me. We met Friday a.m. at 7 am and arrived at the Vesterheim, in total anticipation before 10:00. The exhibit did not disappoint:
We felt like kids in a candy store! It was breathtaking and wonderful and overwhelming all at once. I had brought along my copy of Viking Patterns for Knitting so we could see which designs were represented. Most were there. From the cover:
There were so many gorgeous sweaters, it is hard to pick favorites, but here are some that I really liked or recognized:
There were many more, but I have made this a long post already. I must give a shout out to a wonderful knitting store in Decorah, Iowa: the Blue Heron Knittery. It is located just a few blocks down from The Vesterheim. It is a beautiful shop, filled with gorgeous yarns and friendly people. We felt right at home and were made to feel very welcome.
After lunch and yarn shopping , we made one more pass through the gallery. I was so thrilled to be able to see these works of art in person and be immersed in the joy that is knitting. I left exhilarated, inspired and exhausted. And a special thank you to Kathy for being my companion on the journey — we laughed, we cried, we ate. What a great day!!!
Last May, I bought some gorgeous yarn: two skeins of Rhapsody from Artyarns. It’s a wonderful combination of silk and mohair (a strand of unplied silk and a strand of Kidsilk Haze or its identical twin) in an acid chartreuse green. Here is a photo Susan took of me eyeing the yarn before I admitted I to myself that I was taking it home.
I couldn’t quite figure out what to make with it as I only had about 500 yards. Then, two weeks ago, a knitting friend (Hi Phyllis!) reminded me of the moebius I knit a few years ago out of pale pink Kidsilk Haze and suggested that as a good use for my Rhapsody. (You can just see my pink moebius in the lower right hand corner of this photo of my stash of pink yarn.)
I didn’t want to use the same pattern (which is a good thing since I couldn’t find mine anyway). I decided to make up my own because I hadn’t been feeling frustrated enough lately. It’s tricky making up a moebius pattern because the knitting grows from the center out and the pattern in effect reverses itself. I did a lot of experimenting and ripping out, but I do like the results. It fits me better than Lucy; her shoulders aren’t quite broad enough to let it hang right. If I were to knit this same pattern again with this yarn, I might make it a little bit smaller in circumference. It did turn out larger than I expected, even after swatching, blocking, measuring. Le sigh. But I do LOVE the color of this yarn, and that’s the most important part of this particular project. I named it Topsy Turvy because the blocks pull in different directions and the pattern reverses itself.
Yogurtandgranola on Ravelry has offered up this challenge:
“My friend and I are collecting hats for the Simpson Housing Shelter to give as gifts on Christmas Eve. Details below, ALL knitters are welcome and encouraged to participate. Please contact me [Yogurtandgranola ] with questions. Thank you!
The Details:
Deadline: Saturday, December 5, 2009
Remember: Minnesota winters are COLD (how could we forget?). Being homeless in this state is a tragic thing (being homeless anywhere is a tragic thing) so having a warm hat to pull over your ears will go a long way towards keeping a person’s spirits up and feet moving in the right direction. To that end, wool yarn is definitely recommended.
The goal is 50 hats for Christmas. Think we can do it?
Thanks, Knitters. I knew you’d agree. 🙂
(And when we surpass 50–since we’re well on our way–we’ll partner with other shelters to share the love. So just keep ‘em coming!)”
Can we help them out? 50 hats in ~two months seems more than doable. Let’s start knitting!! Keep it simple and warm!
If you have a great hat pattern, please share the link.
Thanks, all!
PS: Check out the view from our window this morning:
Little Foxy here is very interested in the tree full of sparrows!
On Saturday evening, I was invited to a casual birthday party for a dear friend. That afternoon, I rooted through my closet looking for something to wear. It was a beautiful day, but it was a bit cool and we were going to be out in the country where the temperatures would be lower than in DC. So I wanted a sweater.
Looking for something else — although I am not sure what — I stumbled across something stuffed into the back of a shelf. It was one of those “I finished this but I’m not sure I’m happy with it” projects. I’d never worn it. The ends weren’t even woven in — a sure sign of failure. It was a cardigan designed by Martin Storey, called Plaza. The original design has these intriguing crocheted corkscrews dangling all over the deep shawl collar:
I actually made them, put them on, and then removed them. They were lovely in the design’s photo but on me: not so much. Anyway, out of curiosity and desperation I tried the sweater on. Hey. This doesn’t look so bad, I thought. I asked my husband; he liked it.
Well, it was a casual party among friends. Why not? I wore it and got lots of compliments on it. So although it may not be my favorite sweater, I’m putting it into the rotation. And here it is:
I am so excited — my yarn arrived for this:
Dale of Norway 10903
My husband looked at the picture and, after a very pregnant pause, said, “That’s a ‘different’ sweater.” In Minnesota, that means ugly. Okay, dear, then you don’t have to wear it. He said the same thing when I showed him the yarn for Henry the VIII. It was going to be for him, but when I got that reaction, I made it for myself and called her Henrietta!
Here is the yarn kind of laid out like it will be in the pattern:
Daletta by Dale of Norway
I purchased the yarn from two sources, but I would like to highlight one of them here: Mary Ann Stephens, known as twostrands on Ravelry (who also moderates a group by the same name), is fantastic to work with. So sweet and accommodating. When I told her I wasn’t sure about the blue, she put together photos and some yarn samples for me to decide on the color. She is also notable for her designs — two of which are in the public eye at the moment: Amaryllis Mittens (mentioned in Yarn Harlot’s mitten hunt and now available as a Ravelry download), as well as the Sleepy Monkey Baby Blanket from the Spring 2009 Twist Collective.
Coincidentally, my knitting peep, Kim, just finished said blanket last night — at least she SAID she was going to complete the very last few sts of i-cord bind off when she got home 😉 . Small knitting worlds collide. Mary Ann handles everything Dale, so if you need patterns, yarn, tutorials on Norwegian steeking, help with project questions — she will do it all!
Anyway, I love the yarn and hope to get to it soon, but as you know I am sewing up a storm and have a deadline. It is unnerving to have a deadline with such dire consequences: if I don’t get it finished, I’ll be naked. If I don’t get it right, I’ll look stupid. No pressure! 
Dear MKG,
Thank you for a wonderful evening! I completely enjoyed tonight’s program: people brought their knitting entries from the Minnesota State Fair and shared the judge’s comments, back stories, etc. The meeting lasted until 10 pm because so many people had brought items. I am constantly amazed at the quality and complexity of the knitting and humbled to win any ribbons at all!
Did any of you see this dress? Victoria shared the link in a comment, and I was blown away! Drew looks absolutely stunning and the dress is amazing. The bodice looks like a tattoo! Is crochet sexy? You bet, but who could create this??
Ahhh, fall is in the air and I am loving it! Well, it is actually really hot today, but still. The Vikings are playing football and school has started, so that constitutes fall for me.
I am cobbling together the yarn to make Dale of Norway 10903 (catchy name, huh). I linked to WendyKnits blog because that is where I saw this pattern many years ago. I have loved it ever since and had it in my “I’ll get to that one someday” queue. Well, that day has arrived. The yarn hasn’t! I am going to make it as a cardigan and have changed the blue to one that is a bit darker. Now I will wait patiently for my yarn and dabble in other things. I. Will. Wait. Patiently.
In the meantime I am trying to get my SewJo back (sewing mojo 
). I have an event to attend in 2 weeks. It is a gala. Old ladies in prom dresses. I do not own a prom dress and never did. I am not the evening gown type. So what does a dud wear to a gala? I am going to wear a dressy suit. I bought some drop dead gorgeous gold/brown/black brocade for the jacket and some silky black for a longish dress to go underneath.
Of course, the beauty cannot be captured — elusive as a butterfly!
I have done the cutting and now must start the sewing. Woo Hoo!!
PS: in response to Julie — Dale of Norway 10903 does not have an official name. Wendy (of WendyKnits) named it Frida to give it a name. But if everyone calls it Frida because Wendy named it, then I guess it has a name!
This guy looks nice enough, doesn’t he? Would you suspect him of being a stalker?
The other day after work, I went screaming into the Target parking lot, exited my car, and this very nice looking man said, “I was following you.” My first reaction was to flip my hair back and say, “But of course you were.”
Actually, my first reaction was one of stunned silence. But it seems he was only interested in my license plate — his wife owns Blue Sky Alpacas Yarn! He was surprised to spot a yarnee so blatantly adverstising her passion! He took a picture of my plate and it ended up on Twist Your Stitches. I love Blue Sky Alpacas yarn, have used it frequently and recently, and also just made a sweater from their pattern. And, yes, I know my car is filthy!!
I took HIS picture because I fortuitously had my camera in the car. I had been stalking my own prey! There is a posse of turkeys that inhabits the nature area near my home. Almost every morning I see them gathered in a particular spot along the roadside. So, I brought my camera along to capture them. This particular morning, however, they were not in their usual spot, but in a yard right by my house. Screech!!!! I slammed on the brakes and jumped out to get my shot.
They are so huge and so um, unattractive (?) in a beautiful sort of way.
I also have been doing a little knitting. I stumbled upon the Log Cabin Dishcloth pattern and made one up — nice pattern, quick knit, but mine looks a bit wonky:
Hope you are having a great Labor Day celebrating the end of summer.
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