W(h)ine All Around

Hello knitalongers (and mere observers too)!! I brought the w(h)ine this week because we are going to need it today. This past week has been a doozy. So, pass the w(h)ine around, there is enough for everyone...and Scotty Jill, don't worry, I brought a whole bottle just for YOU!!

This week we have two new members, one official and one not so official. Our official new member is Cable Julie (I gave her that name!) As you might have guessed Cable Julie is knitting a challenging cabled sweater...and part of the challenge for her is FINDING THE PATTERN, for she lost it, or part of it, or something like that. Our next not so official member is Judith. I say she is a not so official member because she has not officially declared her membership in this knitalong. Judith left me a nice comment saying that she was (silently) kniting along with us on a lovely lacy sweater named Georgia from Rowan 28. So, since she was knitting along with us anyway, I thought I would add her to the list. That said, let's give them a great big round of applause for having the courage to join this merry band of knitters. ONWARD KNITTERS!

Now, to the good stuff, the stuff we all get together for each week...
THE W(H)INE. Here is my w(h)ine...I have been working like a madwoman, day and night, night and day. So much so that I forgot I had tickets to this and missed it! So much so, that last night I ate peanuts and a Three Muskateers bar for dinner at the office. So much so that I HAVE HAD VERY LITTLE TIME TO KNIT, except, of course, for this:

My OTHER sweater for this knitalong, the Bed & Breakfast Sweater, also know as the "Cable Gauntlet." Now, let me state for the record that knitting cable after cable after cable is no way to relax while knitting. In fact, when a person is in a v. hyped state, such as this curly haired knitter has been, it is downright UNRELAXING. I won't tell you how many times I had to frog back a row or two because I was so tired I misread the pattern (Rowanette Heather, did you put a hex on me or something?). What I will tell you though is that even after repeated frogging, I kept knitting. Yep, I chugged along with what little time I had, bleary eyed and determined to move this cabled sweater forward. A closer look at the cable pattern is here and here. Oh...and I also FINISHED, the back for ELFIN, my PRIMARY sweater for this knitalong. I tried to cast on the first front piece, but couldn't muster the energy to do so. Ok, that's it, I have said my part for today...someone pass me another glass of w(h)ine. Who's next?

House of CurlsandPurlsNYC: Vintage Collection: Crochet Division

Drumroll please!! The House of CurlsandPurlsNYC is proud to present another piece from its Vintage Collection:Crochet Division:

The Scallop Scarf!! or The Scallop Shawl!!, or both...I am not really sure. Christmas came a bit early for me this year when I found this is scarf...it is the handiwork of my mother, made a long time ago. I came upon it last weekend in the house that I grew up in. I have no idea when it was made, what pattern it came from, or what yarn was used to make it. All I know, and care to know really, is that it is a very beautiful, graceful, and snuggly creation that I can now call my own.

My mother taught me how to crochet when I was a little girl, way back when yarn selection was limited mostly to varieties of acrylic. I know how to do some simple crochet stitches, but nothing as complicated as the pattern that my mother used in this scarf. Have a closer look here and here as well. Pretty, isn't it?

In addition to this scarf, I found some other crocheted items which I will share with you, dear readers, another day. I also found some handwritten patterns that I think my mother designed herself and, if there is an interest from any of you, I will post them here.

Now, I spent most of the weekend burrowed in my apartment catching up on a big project I have going on at work, working way too long and hard and very feeling sorry for myself. Fortunately, I had this wonderful scarf wrapped around my shoulders, providing me with the constant warmth of a mother's love and the strength to carry on.

Keep your fingers crossed that my work project gets finished this week without too much stress. I need some down time...to relax, think, and knit.

Handmade Buttons!

Big thanks to Kim over at Gibknits for the handmade buttons!! She is the graphic brainchild behind these sweet little buttons, as well as some v. cool animated buttons that are adorning many a blog these days in order to promote a new knitalong! Kim has ever so generously put out a bevy of button beauties free for the taking over at her Idaho blog home, so if you haven't done so already, stop by and take a look.

These handmade buttons have given me an idea...instead of recruiting new knitters, I am going to start recruiting crafters into designing handmade buttons! Not blog buttons, but real buttons, the kind knitters search for to adorn their sweaters and vests and other knitted objects. In the face of the demise of Sheroo Beads, the best, best, best place for buttons in NYC, this city is in need of a new and eclectic button purveyor, especially if the buttons are one of a kind beauties.

Enjoy the weekend!

Wednesday: Amendment to THE RULES

Its Wednesday knitalongers, so gather up your knitting and please settle in. First off, if I have forgotten to introduce anyone who wants to be a part of this wacky group, please let me know (again) who you are and I will add your name to the list. Please note, new knitalong members are responsible for bringing snacks and beverages, in part because Ulrika is sick of making chocolate muffins and the NYC Liquor Authority won't let Scotty Jill pass out beverages anymore without a liquor license. More importantly, I need to announce the latest amendment to the THE RULES, which reads as follows:

Amendment 11.19.03: Knitters may, at any time during the life of this knitalong, plus 21 years, knit ANOTHER sweater/ jumper concurrenty with the sweater /jumper he or she originally agreed to knit, PROVIDED the additional sweater/jumper is more difficult, time consuming, or otherwise distracting.

That said, I present you with this, my OTHER sweater for this knitalong:

Yes, it's the Bed & Breakfast Sweater from Intervweave Knits!! There is no getting into the zen of stockinette stitch with this sweater folks, just cables galore! Who needs to worry about Kid Silk Haze RUFFLES when I have more cables in this pattern than the Coney Island Cyclone has scary bends and turns! If you don't believe me, have a closer look here.Talk about thrills and chills!

Truth be told, this sweater is great fun to knit...and I am glad I did not wait to start it!! If all goes well, I feel a Lady Voldemort sweater/jumper in my near future.

Now, so that you don't think I am a fair weather knitter who completely abandoned Elfin just because I came upon another pretty pattern and some new yarn, have a look here:

Elfin, The Sweater, alive and well and living on US 5 bamboo needles!! As you can see, the back is almost done, complete with requisite funky shaping!! (Rowanette Heather, please don't freak out!! I said DONE, not FINISHED!!). The colour in this picture is true to the colour of my yarn, my tweedy, purple delicious yarn. Kid Silk Haze ruffles, here I come!!

Ok, enough about me, let's talk about you....what do YOU think about ME??!!! The Whine Lines are now open!

My Awd Hat

This poem was written in 1867 and comes from the pen of Thomas Blackah. The hat? Ahh, the hat comes from the House of CurlsandPurlsNYC and is made from some of my new (and old) favorite yarns: Tahki Shannon (the multi!!!), Noro Iroha (orange and blue!!!) and Cascade 220 (the smattering of red!!!). Tahki Shannon is a wonderful, cuddly, beautiful and nice to work with yarn. It consists of several colours stranded together and each colour just POPS as it is knitted. I seriously have a crush on this yarn, so much so that I may have to make more than a hat out of it. The hat is a gift for my friend Larry, who called me during his business trip to Portland, OR to tell me how much he LOVED knitting. What's not to love? And as for me right now, I LOVE this hat!

(Not So) Simple Gifts

I have (another) confession to make. I LOVE receiving gifts...always have, always will. Doesn't matter how big or how small, I just love getting presents, gifts, pressies, cadeaux...you get the picture. This confession, of course, leads me to this:

This, dear readers, is a gift from one of my best pals, Mason Dixon Kay, some v. beautiful
and beyond fabulous Bouton d'Or Flocon and Orlov!! Different yarns, identical colours! Not too long after her return to NYC from Italy, the land of my ancestors, and France, Mason Dixon Kay paid me a visit with an ARMFUL of pressies. It is a joy to have her back, with or without presents....BUT, the presents really made my heart sing. With this Frenchie yarn in my possession, NOW I feel oh, so Beckyish. Better yet, this yarn will be knit into a scarf (and maybe a hat, too) that will to go ever so perfectly with my Bed and Breakfast sweater.

The postman rang, not once, but twice this week here at CurlandPurlsNYC. The first ring brought some incredibly luxurious soap and comforting soup from dear friend and surrogate brother, Johnny Homework. The second ring brought this book from Lantana Rene:

My very own copy of Tudor Roses by Lady Voldemort!! With this gift I feel like I have just registered for Advanced Placement Knitting...with the hopes of knitting for college credit not only"Elizabeth I," but also "Mary Tudor."

Now, even though the House of CurlsandPurlsNYC is in mourning, it is surrounded by friendship and love....and knitting. And in times like this, it doesn't get better than that.

Frolics and Detours

This is a quote from a very famous legal treatise on Torts regarding the theory on something called "frolic and detour":

"In 1834 Baron Parke utter the classic phrase, that a master is not liable for the torts of his servant who is not at all on his master's business, but is going on a frolic [or detour] of his own." Prosser on Torts, 4th Edition, p. 461.

Well. knitalongers, I am NOT sorry to say that I have gone on something of a frolic and detour of my own insofar as the Fall Sweater/Jumper Knitalong is concerned...as evidenced by this swatch, sitting prettily before you. Rest assured, Elfin, my sweater of choice for this knitalong is alive and well and growing in leaps and bounds on US 5 circular needles, but I just couldn't help knitting up the swatch that appears before you. It is some of the most beautiful, softest, cuddliest cashmere yarns I have ever seen...in a radiant shade of blue that is not done justice by my photo. This swatch,
dear readers, is my very own knitting frolic and detour....and since I am the master of this knitalong, no one is responsible for my knitting actions but me!

The yarn comes from School Products here in NYC, one of my three LYS's (the other two are Yarn Connection, owned by my friend Jane, and Downtown Yarn, owned by my friend Rita) The yarn at School Products is v. special and unique. It is the Century 21 of yarn stores. Better still, its selection of cashmere is to die for....as evidenced by the cashmere I bought to knit up the Kathy Zimmerman Bed & Breakfast Sweater. I am fairly confident that no one else will have this sweater in this yarn and colour but me and I LOVE that. I need cuddly and beauty in my life now, is there anything wrong with that?

So, there you have it....I am knitting two sweaters at once, as well as rolled watch caps. And I now have the flu, did I mention that as well? Maybe that explains my knitting madness. Who knows? Who cares? Not me!!

Of course, I know that I am not alone in this frolic and detour thing...Emma and Becky are knitting Bonne Marie's Bucket o Chic. Mason Dixon Kay is on a real international frolic, leaving Mason Dixon Ann to explore some unsupervised colour knitting by "the unmentionable one." Don't even get me started as to what Polly and Kristine are up to. Ditto for Rowanette Heather. So 'fess up, I have, now its your turn...what has been your frolic and detour during our happy and ever so alive knitalong?

Taking Care of Myself

Many thanks to all of you for your kind words and condolences, they were a comfort to me. I am v. lucky to have so many kind and loving family members and friends. I will reply to all of your emails...just give me some time.

I am doing what I can to take care of myself...savoring memories, feeling all of the emotions that come to me, and most importantly, staying strong. Over the weekend when things settled down a bit, I took to knitting rolled watch caps in Rowan Felted Tweed, Tahki Shannon, and Noro Iro for people who asked for them. In the little time I have had to knit and be alone, these projects have been a small comfort to me. Have also decided to go out and buy yarn for the "Bed and Breakfast Sweater," although I plan on knitting it in cashmere, for that kind of sweater should be in cashmere...comforting, cuddly, soft, and luxurious. My Dad would not have it any other way.

Now, I know its not Wednesday but since we missed last week, I would love to hear how all of you are doing on your knitalong projects. My Elfin knitting was with me as my family and I shared our final hours with my Dad. So, speak up, tell me how you are doing, and don't forget to make me laugh....I need some laughter right now.

And Always Will

Ronni in her Hanne

Hanne Falkenberg that is!! Meet Ronni, the newest curly haired girl and knitter friend of CurlsandPurlsNYC. Isn't she lovely? In this picture, Ronni is modeling one of her newest sweater creations at Stitches East. Ronni's sweater, a Hanne Falkenberg design more formally known as "Tokyo" was purchased as a kit from Sommerfuglen in Denmark. Beautiful work, don't you think?

As for this curly haired knitter, colour knitting is a bit intimidating, although this little number from Hanne Falkenberg could make me face my colour knitting fears. Right now though, I am deeply into the zen of stockinette stitch in Rowan felted tweed and dreaminging of kid silk haze ruffles, superwash wool cables, and itsy bitsy baby sweaters. Sigh.

Marathon Sunday

At 10:00 am (or v. close), TENS OF THOUSANDS of runners from all over the world will be making their way across the Verazzano Bridge as the New York City Marathon gets underway. It's a GREAT event, one of the best that NYC hosts....and I speak as both a devoted observer and former well trained participant. This year I'll be watching on the sidelines while knitting in my apartment!! Have a good race runners!!