Arcadia and ancient projects

Last night we saw Tom Stoppard's Arcadia at theatreworks in Mountain View. It's deep & multilayered, like all the Stoppard I've seen so far, but also beautiful and emotional. I was just weeping at the end. Boo hoo. Great, great text and very well performed.

... which explains why my knitting progress is minimal. I've done scattered work in the last few days to clean up the many, many WIP/doomed projects:

• Charlotte is still lying fallow until I decide if I'm going to knit another repeat of the pattern.
  
• I sewed the one finished sleeve onto the Swan cardigan to check the fit on random models at work. I've got 6" of 18 on the 2nd sleeve.
  
• Finished the turtleneck of Wendy's sweater, just seams left
  
• Crocheted 4 string ties for the Florella baby set.
  

I'm itching to get Swan, the turtleneck & Florella finished, washed & shipped. I need to reduce the doomed objects quotient (DOQ) so I can feel OK about moving on to the ASA socks. :-) Who thinks I can have them all done by Sunday night?

Charlotte & the socks

Charlotte's web : cast off last night, but the finished length (unstretched) is only 22". I am supposed to have 24. I am thinking of un-casting-off and knitting a few more rows, maybe even another repeat of the pattern. While I am stewing over this decision...

I have been looking into "A Step Above" (ASA) entrelac socks from Knitter's 75. So. In a fit of "must have them", I bought yarn for these socks on Sunday. But the yarn I bought is not showing the pattern well. I am knittng a test triangle and it's just not looking good. I think the best yarn for these socks would have color run lengths of about 6 inches at a time. I have a bunch of yarns at 20-30-50 inch run lengths and this new cotton yarn which alternates 6" of purple with 1" of red. The color is also muddied by the use of a white thread to make this a tweed yarn. So I'm thinking about a quick run to the yarn shop... though of course Charlotte & the unfinished bedjacket, baby sweater and other baby sweater are calling.

And so we come to discipline. I will knit with what I have tonight. Tomorrow maybe I'll go to the yarn shop.

Today my friend Frank sent me a copy of the "Person Paper on Purity in Language" by William Satire - a satirical essay written by Douglas Hofstadter and first published in 1983. Read it & let me know what you think: http://angelfire.lycos.com/rebellion/personpaper

Knitters 75 - must have those socks

On Sunday, Janice had a copy of the Summer 2004 Knitters #75 at S-n-B. I really liked the patterns for using self-striping sock yarn in entrelac, especially the Step Above socks! I have some glaring bright yellow & red Lorna's Laces sock yarn. I've never done (or much cared for) entrelac, but this is quite a cool design.

Also yesterday I bought a copy of INKnitters, which I haven't even cracked yet, because of a latent desire to do shadow knitting. I've been looking for motifs other than the alien head in the Stitch-n-Bitch book. I'd never even heard of this magazine until yesterday. Weird.

Progress on Charlotte was essentially negative yesterday. Knit 2 rows in the evening, figured out I'd repeated a row too often and had to un-knit everything I'd done. Boring! But I'm back to where I started now, so onward & upwards.

Knitting meet up - they came!

10 knitters showed up last night to what we think was the first knitting meetup in Santa Clara County. Several of the SJSU SNB'ers were there and some new folks as well: Laura, Christina, Janice, Jenn, Mackenzie, Ivy, Jerri, Jessica, Liz & me. I remembered to grab nametags before the event, so we all got a fair shot at learning the other knitters' names. The Barefoot Coffee Roasters was a very comfortable place and the manager was very accommodating to the meet up group, including printing a table tent for us and finding us a more comfortable location. Unfortunately, Wednesday is Open Mike Night and the music was a hair too loud for pleasant conversation. We're investigating other venues for the next meetup. Most everyone said they would come again. Next chance: July 21.

And I made some progress on Charlotte. Just 30 rows left! The last color is integrated - a subtle purple/lavendar/brown/ruby combination barely visible at the point of the triangle:

Wendy told me last night she thought the "color development" was perfect, so maybe I'll get brave enough to cut the yarns & stop thinking about ripping it out. In thanks for her kind comments, I worked on the turtleneck of her long-overdue Christmas present. I did 2.5 inches last night, so half an inch more and that sucker is off the needles. I'd love to finish it this week and wash it when I'm washing Charlotte. And the baby Florella set.

And Rebecca stopped by last night with yarn she bought for her first project - a Beach Beanie hat from Knitters 74. She had a yummy Anny Blatt angora in orange/turquoise/raspberry/brown shades. I think it will make a great hat. She did the cast on and most of the first row before turning into a pumpkin. I am *sooo* happy that she is plunging into knitting. It's great to have something that draws us together regularly, hurray!

I found the blog of one of the SJSU stitch-n-bitch participants, Janice. I totally admire her dedication, she's able to write daily! Some day I'll be that cool. Here's here stuff: http://knitflix.blogspot.com/ She also posted an interested link to the SJSU SNB group today - How to become an expert knitter, an online book. I've read the intro & chapter 1, so far all great advice on how to select, knit & finish a great-looking garment.

Video report: Last night we watched 3 episodes of Magic Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. It reminds me strongly of FLCL, which we loved. Moving the action from one version of the shopping center to another allows them to make fun of something new each episode. So far, we've mocked D&D-based video games and Giant Robot Anime. Next episode looks to be set in China... poking fun at kung-fu movies?

Charlotte's Web could never be doomed

Wow, this has been a fun two weeks! I taught a friend to knit on June 2nd and she's totally taking off - got a knitting book and taught herself a few stitch patterns based on having learned knit, purl and knit to together from me. So encouraging after the week of doomed projects.

The yahoo Knitalong group is doing shawls, so I pulled my 5 skeins of Koigu KPPPM and the Charlotte's Web pattern out of the stash and started on Friday. I knit on our way to Half Moon Bay Friday night, in the car Saturday and at the SJSU Stitch-n-Bitch on Sunday. This is a good antitidote to the doomed projects, since gauge doesn't matter as much and it moves very quickly in the beginning. Progress photo:

I met Emily, Laura, Janice and Jenny at the SNB group in Campbell on Sunday. It was really awesome to finally meet some other knitters! I saw some very pretty projects in progress.

Now I have to quit writing & pay attention to My Neighbor Totoro, which is new to me and looks gorgeous. More soon, as Charlotte progreses.

All my projects are DOOMED

Existential crisis day.

Swan: I thought I was knitting with size 15 needles, but now I'm not sure. They might be 13's. And the sleeves are coming out at a very different gauge than the body (should be 7 sts/4 in - now coming out 8.5 sts/4 in). So the sleeves are narrow and are taking much more yarn than called for in the pattern. Also, the gal I was making it for delivered her baby on Sunday and is no longer on bed-rest. I've got the body plus one sleeve finished. I think I have enough yarn to finish the 2nd sleeve. So.. should I keep going?

Myosotis: The whales are still stuck at the water line. Some of the intarsia on the first bit looks wobbly. Should I keep going?

Wendy's mohair T-neck in Tahki might not be doomed, just stalled. Needs another 3.5 inches of neck and seams to be finished. Maybe that's what I'll take on the road Thursday when we drive to Ashland for the weekend.

Knitting class at work today: just me and Angel, the newest knitter. 10 other knitters did not show up. I think I made a huge mistake by not having projects & yarn picked out for them at the beginning of the classes. I'm not sure how to get the energy back. Should I keep going?

Bleah.

Movies this week: American Splendor. Underworld. Men with Guns.