Monthly Archives: September 2009

I have a lot of sock yarn.
A LOT.
I have sock yarn in stripes, in shades, in solid colors.
I have Gradience sock yarn, small skeins whose colors evolve and change.
I have soft sock yarn and scratchy sock yarn.
Sock yarn I bought because the profits were for a worthy cause.
Sock yarn that captivated me while on vacation.
Sock yarn I received as a gift.
Sock yarn I bought as a gift but couldn’t part with.
Expensive sock yarn made from unusual fibers.
Cheaper sock yarn made from basic Model A sheep’s wool.

I own no fewer than ten books of instruction
about how to knit socks.
I have, in addition to all the patterns in all those books,
dozens of patterns that I’ve downloaded, printed, and
placed behind the “Socks” tab in a binder.

What I don’t have is a single pair of hand-knit socks!
I’ve never even worn a pair of hand-knit socks.

I do have one pair of half-knit socks,
that I started about two years ago, for my daughter.

What’s up with this??

I’m going to define “winning the lottery” as
“suddenly coming into enough money to do whatever I want”
because, as long as this is a fantasy, why not think big?

First, okay, I’d do all the boring stuff,
pay off all our debts, pay the debts of my nearest and dearest,
and invest enough of the lottery winnings to live on.

Next, a private jet, because I’ll be traveling and
public airports are no fun.

I’d also buy a little real estate, such as –
1. A victorian house next to the Panhandle park in San Francisco.
2. A charming old cottage about an hour inland from the Riviera.
3. I’d also buy 45 acres right here and build a comfortable,
(but not fancy) house with lots of porches.

Then, I’d start Doing Good. Lots of Good!

I’m looking for a cardigan pattern that:

1. Has a rounded, not vee-neck, neckline, but
2. But doesn’t have a neckline too high or tight.
3. Has conventional, not raglan, sleeves.
4. Is knit in pieces and then sewn.
5. Has a little ribbing at cuffs and bottom edge.
6. Has some bit of interest – lace, cables, a pattern.
7. Does not have bobbles, nups, or other big bumps.
8. Is neither cropped nor down to my butt.
9. Has sleeves that are not super-tight, but
10. Does not have big, floppy bell sleeves.
11. Is pretty.
12. Is knit in fingering, DK, or worsted yarn, but
13. Is not knit in chunky yarn.

This search started with my wish to knit a sweater from this:

Look! It’s a Unique Sheep colorway and it’s named after me!
But, now I wonder if Luxe yarn
is too fine for a sweater, as fingering weight sweaters
I find are either for babies or lacy summer things. Hmmnnnn

Nominees:
Georgie by Sarah Dallas:

Photo found on Ravelry

When I learn how to design knitted lace, I’d like to
design a shawl inspired by “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

The book does have a character with a dragon tattoo,
but other elements inspire me:

Water … Ice and snow … Islands … bridges … sailing …
many rivers to cross … the flow of the past into the present.
The plot weaves stories of past and preseent crimes against women,
financial skullduggery and personal relationships.
Lisbeth Salander is the girl of the title, with a dragon tattoo.
She plays a role in all the intertwined narrative threads.

So. A shawl?

I imagine a central motif with serpentine twists,
running from the back of the neck to the bottom.
It would look like both a body of water and a dragon’s tail.
Spiraling off of the curlicues and S curves of the central design
would be other elements suggesting islands, bridges, waterways.