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Persephone Version 2

I finished my second persephone scarf. Since I was offering it for publication, instead of fielding a million questions about a suitable substitute for the handspun yarn I used for the original, I thought a commercially available fiber would be good. Something that you could compare it to if you wanted to substitute or the like.

Judy first approached me with a request for the pattern to knit it up in her yarn, but since I couldn’t release it until after the 15th and I was in search of a yarn to work it up in, it seemed like the perfect coincidence.

Pattern: Persephone Scarf, available April 23rd as a stand-alone pattern through my store and as a kit including this yarn through the Ball and Skein store. Judy has pre-orders for the kit here.
Yarn: Ball and Skein Arbori (50% Merino, 50% Tencel), 1 skein (2 oz, and 350 yards) in colorway Purple Haze
Needles: 3.5mm (US 4) 24″ circular (any needle for knitting flat could be used, I just prefer the circs).
Verdict: The yarn is BEAUTIFUL with a wonderful sheen. It drapes nicely and the color has so much depth, mostly purple, with green, brown and smokey gray. The color shifts are subtle and remind me of a hidden lake at twilight, when the purple sky reflects off the water with the algae and rocks underneath.

Posted 15 April 2008 † Mim § Designing § Knitting § My FO's ‡ Comments (11) ° Tagged: , , , ,

Knitters are good people


Apparently I have crazy eyebrows….

So I’ve alluded to it, but didn’t give you all details, but I went to Denver at the end of March for Imbrium‘s wedding. The whole flickr set is here. I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures of the actual ceremony since there were professional photographers doing that, but it was BEAUTIFUL! I don’t cry at weddings and I cried, a lot. You could feel the love permeate every molecule of air in the room. It was small and lovely and fairly screamed the personalities of the bride and groom.

And their friends are really good people too. Just in case you were concerned. There wasn’t any inappropriate drunkenness and no creepy uncle hitting on bridesmaids. It was just perfect.

That cake was absolutely delicious! Mmmm…

M

Posted 14 April 2008 † Mim § Knitting § Travel ‡ Comments (12) ° Tagged: , , , ,

In which I return without reason.

Wow… I just sort of fell off the face of the planet, didn’t I?

I’ve been knitting, I’ve been working (really hard) and neglecting my house, which is really to be expected, considering my MO. But I have knit a lot.

In all fairness, I finished this pi shawl before I left for Denver (although I didn’t block it until I got back), but I have a strange need to present this stuff in chronological order.

Pattern: Pi Shawl by Elizabeth Zimmerman from Knitter’s Almanac (ravelry link).
Yarn: 2/4 Highland Tweed in Oatmeal from the closeouts many moons ago at Webs. I bought 2 pounds and used most of it for this. I’m glad I washed it before using it, as it fluffed out a LOT and was much easier to knit with.
Needles: All 4.5mm (US 7’s) in double points, 16″, 24″ and 32″ circular.
Modifications: Most of the shawl was done with concentric circles as outlined by EZ in the July section of Knitter’s Alamanac, but used the same diamond/lotus pattern that I came up with for my first pi shawl.
Verdict: It’s exactly what I wanted. HUGE, useful as a blanket and nice and warm.

Also, I owe you all a contest winner. According to Random.org’s Interger Generator, the winner is Nicole! Nicole, I’ve e-mailed you for your address.

M

Posted 13 April 2008 † Mim § Contest § Knitting § My FO's ‡ Comments (12) ° Tagged: , , , , ,

Pattern Release: Zephyros Shawl

Zephyros is the Spring Wind in Greek Mythology, the wind of change. Welcome the new life of spring with this clean-lined shawl. Solid enough to keep the chill off on a spring morning, but elegant and interesting to knit, with the wind theme echoed throughout.

Pattern now available for download through the MimKnits Online Shop. Thanks to the kit recipients for being patient with the errors. They should all be corrected now for this release.

Yarn Requirements: 950 yards of Jaggerspun 2/8 Heathers (light fingering weight). Sample is knit in Sylvan Green
Suggested Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4) 32” circular needle and set of 4 double points in the same size.
Gauge: 20.5 sts and 34 rows per 4” in stockinette after blocking.
Finished Size: 48” across the top and 29” down the back.
Techniques Used: This pattern uses the following techniques:
knit, purl, k2tog, p2tog, yo, placement and slipping of markers, p2tog tbl, sl1 k2tog psso, sl, ssk, psso, wrap and turn (explanation included), and a provisional cast on.

Click here to purchase.

M

This pattern release brought to you by The Raconteurs.

Posted 01 April 2008 † Mim § Designing § Knitting § Music ‡ Comments (9) ° Tagged:

Huzzah!

I managed to make it through a whole week of posting! And now to reward the hard work, today is random.

1. C and I have been renting Dr. Who, Season 1 through NetFlix. I don’t know what it is about British Television… is it just me or does it seem better to anyone else? I LOVE the series. We got pulled in because we got the first season of Torchwood on a whim and loved the humor and the plot lines plus a little bit of cheesiness.

2. I think I may need to buy a new printer. The HP Color LaserJet 1600 that I have to print patterns is giving up the ghost. When I print cardstock, it prints fine on the first pass, but then I try to print the opposite side and it keeps “jamming”. I put that in quotation marks because it SAYS it’s jamming, but no paper is jammed. It just can’t pick up the paper from the tray. It’s a bit curled from the first pass through, and if I make efforts to flatten it, I can get it to work. But that’s a lot of work. Plus I’d rather have a printer that does automatic duplexing so I don’t have to babysit the damn thing while it prints. I’m looking into my options. Dell has some nifty looking printers….. I have to sit down and price everything, plus price cartridges, etc… No matter what, it’s not gonna be cheap.

3. It just hit me that I have a lot of sock yarn. Granted, I’ve had a lot of sock yarn for quite a while, but I never felt it was too much until yesterday. I used to knit socks at an alarming rate. I was popping out at least 1 pair a month even with the other knitting I was doing, but now…… There’s only been one pair (and for someone else) since Christmas! I’m working on my Thelonious socks, but…. read on to #4 for more. The thing is, I’ve been buying sock yarn at the same rate that I used to KNIT it, so my stash of it has grown alarmingly. I either need to start knitting it faster or buy it slower, either way I think it may be considered a yarn diet. Ick.

4. The Thelonious socks are a strange creature. Because I have so much frustration and messing up involved with them, I’m sort of reluctant to show them in progress. Like if I do, then they’ll be real and then when I screw them up royally, I’ll have to admit it. Of course, I would admit it anyway… but that’s not the point.

5. I need to stop by the store on the way home from work to get a black toner cartridge. Someone remind me 😉

6. I’m reading another in the Hinges of History series by Thomas Cahill. That man is amazing. I don’t know how he manages to make non-fiction so much FUN! More on it later.

7. Don’t forget the contest!

M

Posted 28 March 2008 † Mim § Acquisitions § Contest § Knitting § Reading ‡ Comments (13) °

I think Spring is here

The tree pollen is out in full force (and my nose and sinuses won’t let me forget it), the bulb flowers are popping up their heads, and the days are turning progressively warmer. Today was the first day in at least 5 months that I’ve got outside with no sweater or coat, just a shirt, and been comfortable.

I find myself with thoughts of gardens and fresh produce, of leisurely strolls just to enjoy being outside. We’re heading into my very favorite time of year and I want to be savoring every moment. I always get rather dark and stagnant in the winter (although each winter has been a little better), so as the sun comes out and the days lengthen I try to peel back the layers of moroseness and ennui and feel the earth around me awaken. It’s amazing to be part of it. And to be so conflicted. I can feel it coming, even though it’s not here yet, and I savor the slow arrival and the minuscule changes. But I can’t wait… so I buy flowers and spend long periods just looking at them. At least now I have the ability to do them justice with pictures.

I’m thirsty for more! Show me your favorite harbingers of spring and come back here and leave a comment with a link when you have. I’ll draw a random comment for a yarn-y prize. Let me know about it by 5 pm MST on Tuesday, April 1st (this is not an April Fool’s Joke, I promise) and I’ll announce the winner, hopefully Wednesday.

M

Posted 27 March 2008 † Mim § Contest ‡ Comments (34) °

An actual knitting update, but with pictures of flowers

I really didn’t expect to get so many people de-lurking when I posted about birth control. It seems like there are a lot of women for whom artificial hormones are just BAD NEWS! I’m rather excited at the prospect of getting back to ‘Normal’, and being able to think clearly again.

I have been knitting some Thelonious socks (those are the ones I’ve messed up so many times) and I’m almost done with the cuffs. I have swatched and am just a few calculations away from starting my EPS, which should be nice since I will have a lot of knitting time this weekend. I’m a little nervous since I plan to steek it. So if I messed up on a calculation, I am kind of worried that I can’t go back and fix it if the yarn is in a million row-length pieces.

I bought a bunch of beautiful fringed tulips this weekend… there are 4 more pictures you can see in my flickr photostream if you click through the picture above.

M

Posted 26 March 2008 † Mim § Knitting § Photography ‡ Comments (4) °

Pattern Release: Aspen Grove Shawl

The Aspen Grove Shawl is now available for purchase and download in the store.

The shawl is designed in 3 parts. Each of the 4 repeated wedges of the shawl begins with a gathering of leaves, then moves downward into the twisting, odd trunks of the aspens, culminating in the feather and fan edge, which reminds me of the strata of decay on the forest floor, shot through with the communal roots of the aspens above.

See the store for more info.

M

Posted 25 March 2008 † Mim § Designing § Knitting ‡ Comments (7) °

DONE!

Dear Hormonal Birth Control,

While I have loved your ease and reliability, your trustworthiness and simplicity, I am sad to say that our relationship is at an end.

We had the wonderful first stages, where I realized how nice it was not to worry about accidental pregnancy if I only took your tiny little pill routinely. It wasn’t hard at first, but then I was loosing days and finding myself backed up on pills and the reliability fell through the cracks.

I decided that maybe a less memory crucial form was in order and switched to your patch variety. While you left a sticky residue on my skin, things seemed to be going smoothly until I realized that there were a whole 2 or 3 months that I couldn’t remember at all. Clearly something was up. About the time I realized the memory lapse, the company that makes you announced that ‘oops’, the dose stated on the package wasn’t really the EFFECTIVE dose since the hormones were absorbed differently trans-dermal than when ingested. So in effect when I thought I was getting a fairly low dose of hormones, I was really getting 3 times that many. Which explains the lost time.

So in my quest for something that would work, I turned as a last resort to the NuvaRing. I have LOVED the NuvaRing, loved that I could extend my cycle to be one full calendar month instead of 28 days. I have loved not having to think about it except for 2 days a month. When to take it out and when to put the new one in. But seriously…. STOP MESSING WITH MY BRAINS! I have finished only one book in the 5 months with the NuvaRing. ONE BOOK! That’s unprecedented for me. The sock I’ve been working on has been ripped 3 times because I just can’t keep the pattern straight even though I AM LOOKING AT THE CHART. My mind wanders and I have a hard time concentrating, and the iron deficiency is just adding insult to injury. So we’re through. No more. I want my wits back. I want my creativity, I want my umph. And I want to be able to loose this extra weight I’m carry around that you seem to like so much.

So farewell hormonal birth control, farewell chemical induced ennui. I hope you have a good life… with someone else.

And don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

Love and Kisses,
Miriam

Posted 24 March 2008 † Mim § Totally Random ‡ Comments (30) °

Movie Meme, Part the Second

I’ve added the second clue for the ones that went unrevealed. See if that maybe helps.

1. “By the way, this thing? Single gayest thing you’ve ever done.”
Clue #2. “Talking monkey, yeah, yeah. Came here from the future, ugly sucker, only says “ficus”.” YAY! Heather got this one, which is Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang

2. “Audiences know what they expect and that is all they are prepared to believe in.” Star got this one. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. And Happy Birthday to Gary Oldman!

3. “These guys are as mad as a bag of newts.” Lynn guessed Brother’s Grimm and she’s spot on.

4. “If I was gonna shoot you, I’d shoot you in the face.”
Clue #2. “You don’t even know the meaning. Its just a vestigial word for a feeling you’ve never felt.” Jim got this one! It’s one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time, Equilibrium.

5. “We already run the misfits outta our country. We sent ’em back to England.” Margene got Quigley Down Under.

6. “He was always a rather stupidly optimistic man.” Barbara Kay guessed right with Clue.

7. “Not for the life of my mother! Even if I knew who she was.” Katinka got this one right, Ladyhawke is one of my favorite movies!

8. “Come and get it! It’s a running buffet!”
Clue #2. “WE’RE NOT USING THE ZED WORD!!” Mischa guessed Shaun of the Dead, which is absolutely correct.

9. “Doctor. Doctor! Doctor! Doctors… in the hallway…”
Clue #2. “There is a menu correction, okay. We will now be serving baloney sandwiches.”
Paula guessed this one with Muppets from Space.

10. “What, like you tripped and she fell?”
Clue #2. “I wasn’t asking for the time, I was just saying… there was a time.”Sandra got this one! Lucky Number Slevin

Posted 22 March 2008 † Mim § Memes § Totally Random ‡ Comments (8) °