La Sirena

Shades of Vermillion

Spring is ablaze in the garden

   

   In the fields

Snail shells cling to bare rushes

against a lush landscape, crowned with flowers, a new dance is born.

More Purple Knitting

The color is bit off in the picture, it is supposed to be:  "dusty lavender", but you get the idea.  I'm on a purple jag.  I was having so much fun knitting the central lace pattern from Sweater babe's Lush and Lacy Cardigan that I  had nearly completed the back by the time I remembered I was supposed to decrease for the armholes a few inches back.  Oops.  Backtrack about 2130 stitches (don't ask me what perverse compulsion led me to calculate this since it took less than 5 minutes to rip and re-insert needles) and knit forward a couple of hours and voila! I now have a back with appropriate armhole shaping. 

Korsnas

I think I could stare at this image all day.  These will definitely be going on my wishlist and once they are finished I will be sure to find an excuse to carry about lots of talavera pottery, (and take pictures to post of course).

The pattern for these stunning fingerless gloves and a wonderful article on Korsnas knitting and crochet work can be found at http://www.black-purl-magazine.com/

Purple Socks

Garter Heel Socks by Susan Lawrence from The Ultimate Sock Book, knit in Knitpicks Essential Tweed Sock Yarn.  This was a most satisfying knit and I could definitely see myself knitting these in other colors, like charcoal gray perhaps.  My yarn overs are slightly more prominent in one sock than the other, looking a little bit like I've got a run in my stocking.  I'll have to see if I can fix that with some blocking. 

My favorite part of these socks?  The garter stitch heel of course!

Quilting

This pattern, in the February 2008 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting, looks like a promising match for my pre-cut squares from the Houston International quilt show.

So my design team and I set about selecting fabrics for what knitters would call a "swatch", the pharmaceutical industry might call "proof of concept study" (that is if I had hundreds of people doing it in a controlled environment) and a quilter might call a "test block" (I made that up, but it sounds plausible).

First there was cutting, (did I say pre-cut?..we still had to deal with the background fabric) which though I had all the right tools, I still managed to find all the wrong ways to do.  Including the one shown: not maintaining even pressure on the rotary cutter all the way to the end of the cut.

Then on to sewing:

There are so many steps in which precision can run awry in quilting and precision and I were never the best of friends. Even if you managed to get the cutting straight, there is still the challenge of sewing straight, and arranging your pieces and faces and seams correctly, in this case in opposite directions for each pieced row.  My husband walked by as I sat at the machine and said, "you know you have to iron the seams before you start sewing if you want everything to align properly." 

But after all, this was only the test, and despite a multitude of subtle and not so subtle flaws, somewhat smoothed over by the iron at the end.  I'm still proud.  I now have the beginnings of a quilt. 

The Joys of Spring

Colorful schoolwork

A new found hobby, courtesy of a Great-(in both senses of the word) grand-mother.  Note that the fearless five year-old did not hesitate to jump into colorwork.  She was very hesitant about the idea of posting a photo of a work in progress, but relented with the condition that she be the photographer.

Remember the smatterings of yarn we dipped in the Easter Egg dye last year?  I didn't really either, but figured it was high time I should.

And last but not least.. a work in progress from the garden

A little bit hideous

I present to you a finished pair of socks,  knit in self-striping "ONline" sock yarn in the Sierra color-way.  Seeing the finished product, there is something about them that is, well, just a little bit hideous (the colors in the picture below are more accurate).  Perhaps it is just the season.  I think these socks would look lovely under a brooding sky.  They seem well suited to walk the misty moors; to scale craggy mountain tops; to inch closer to the fire and pull a blanket close around the shoulders.  In accordance with Murphy's law, or perhaps just my own fickle nature, I completed the socks in just in time for Texas Spring.  I think the socks may be destined for Afghanistan.

In the meantime, I learned how to make a short-row heal.  The right way (on the right) and the wrong way (on the left, with all the holes before I seemed them shut. ) 

Miscellany

A crochet swatch that is thinking of becoming a yoked cardigan.  It has not entirely convinced me yet.  The yoke pattern is from Lionbrand. The yarn is elann.com's Adara.

The embroidery on this apron has been finished for over year, but I just finished the border and ties yesterday  I didn't use any darts, so it wrinkles a bit.  There is something about machine sewing that begs procrastination for me.  I think it is the fact that it demands that I set aside both space and time.   I can't just pull out the sewing machine on a park bench, or  look up at movie or my daughter's newest dance moves between stitches (though perhaps with strategic placement of the machine and more practice, this could be arranged). 

This project was born of my daughter's inspired observation last year in Mexico, that the traditional embroidered tortilla napkin would make a wonderful apron.  She chose the Asian hello kitty motif, I chose to do modified red-work and edge with a 30s print instead of the more traditional crocheted edging (to save time, LOL).

Sisterly Knitting

Before launching on superstitious tangeants, there was knitting (and crochet).   I did a bit of both while in Mexico, but did not get the camera back until earlier this week.

Here is the work on a white cabled vest for my sister (still waiting on a picture of the FO from the recipient).  You will note the fine workmanship my sister-in-law graced on my nails (alas, the picture's a bit blurry).   

My other sister kindly presented me with two skeins of variagated yarn, and the proposal that we make eachother something with it by the end of the week.  She requested armwarmers.  This was my opportunity to try the magic loop method (knitting in the round on one cirular needle) while she whipped up a crochet hat.  We were both pleased with the result.

I like the magic loop method and would use it again, especially when caught without drop-needles but don't expect to be converting entirely to circulars anytime soon.

PS: There are some new additions to the FO gallery as well, (both in 2007 and 2008).

Ex Voto

An exvoto is a votive offering in thanks of miracles received.  The term comes from latin meaning "in (or out of) promise or vow."  Exvotos have been around for thousands of years and can take many forms.  In Mexico, exvotos are small paintings on tin, illustrating miraculous near-misses: accidents avoided, illnesses healed.  They often bear an illustration of the catastrophe itself, some short text explaining the miracle received and an image of the Saint believed to have facilitated the miracle.  These are then left at local shrines or churches.

Above is my own small exvoto, not painted on tin, but merely a simple index card.  I give thanks for the safe passage for myself and all the other passengers involved in what could have been quite a calamatous crash on the dark and rainy night of Feb 10, 2008.

The small silver car at the bottom, is a milagro (miracle) also offered at churches by suplicants and greatful devottees.  It was mere coincidence that it was still lingering in my coat pocket the night of the crash.