Knitting on the Train

I have been at my job for a week now, and just in case you are wondering, it is going very, very well. I could tell you all about my job, but that would not be a good idea. I could also tell you that my work is very secretive and involves national security, but that wouldn't be true. I could tell you that I am working with highly sensitive materials that could cause world-wide destruction, but that also wouldn't be true. The truth is that my job is very routine, working in a small law office. Unless I tell you something really, really exciting about my job, just assume that it is rather boring to write about.

One of the pleasures of my new job is that I am riding the Light Rail into downtown Denver. For a city in the middle of the country, Denver has a wonderful transit system, especially if you work downtown. I am able to get on a train and less than 35 minutes later, I get off the train, walk two blocks and I am at work. I get to spend that time reading, listening to the radio, and knitting whizzing by the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the street next to me. 

In the short week I have been riding, I have discovered if you want people to talk to you on the train, knit. On nearly every ride to and from, the person sitting across from me has mentioned my knitting. 

• If the passenger is a woman, she first tells me she likes the colors (I am still working on my yellow, orange and pink shawl shawl) or asks what I am making. If she is knitter, she tells me what she is working on, or that she wants to get back into knitting, or where do I buy my yarn. If she is not a knitter, she always says she wishes she knew how or is intended to learn soon. 
• If the passenger is a man, he says his wife, his mother, or his grandmother is a knitter.  They go on to describe the hat, the afghan, the scarf, or the sweater she made for him. You can tell by his face that his memory of his mom or grandma is especially sweet. Maybe that's part of the gift of knitting.

I have always encouraged knitters to KIP (Knit in Public), not just to bring more visibility of knitting, but also to enhance the magic of knitting. I see a lot of people watching me as I knit. It's the same view out the windows every day, changed only the rain, snow or sunshine of the seasons, so I find eyes resting on my hands as I run the changing colors of my self-striping yarn through my fingers and looping around my needles. 

I have also learned that if I don't want to talk to anyone, read a book.

Carmel Jacket - progress

Carmel Jacket by Caron
(Pattern link at bottom
of post)

I am working on this jacket and am really loving how it is turning out. However, I changed the pattern. One of these days, I will actually follow the patterns word for word. I have this wonderful yarn from MadelineTosh in a luscious dark blue. Since it is a lace yarn, I altered the pattern to add more stitches and I also used a large needle so it would be lighter. I am never cold, so the light yarn and construction should be perfect for me.

http://www.naturallycaron.com/projects/carmel/carmel.pdf

I just joined the sleeves to the body of the sweater, so I am at the underarms. Now that I am a couple of days from finished it, I am fired up to proceed!

The body of the sweater is done.
Just about to add the sleeves.
The color is much darker than this picture.

This color is closer to true.

Back to the needles, blazing away!

More Changes ...

Things seem to go so slowly and then change and change and change.

Working on my cowl

I started a new job last week and then I was offered another job. I must have sent out over 200 resumes and didn't hear anything for weeks. I have a total of five interviews and was then offered a seasonal job with a 38-mile commute. No benefits, no holiday, sick or vacation. So I took it. I was beginning to think that nothing would happen and this was better than nothing. 

I hated the commute. Even with CD books, all I could think of was how much wear and tear this job was causing my precious Prius (I really love my Prius). I traveled on three different interstates, fighting the traffic and sunshine slow down. The job was actually kind of fun and if was closer, I would have been happier.

So when I was offered a job at a law firm downtown (I have 22 years of experience as a paralegal), I had to take it. It is twice as much money, shorter commute, benefits -- and it's downtown Denver! I have worked downtown before and always enjoyed it. But now, I can also take Light Rail. The train stop is only one block from the office and the time on the train is my own. I can knit, or read, or knit, or listen to music, or knit, and when nothing else is going on, I can knit! It will actually take me longer to drive to the train station than it will to ride the train downtown. And downtown Denver in the summertime is magical -- the street performers, sidewalk art shows, great lunch places, people watching.

I felt bad about leaving a job I was only at for one week until my friend pointed that it was a temp job and they wouldn't hesitate to lay me off. That made me feel better. So I have a couple of days to knit at home before packing my knitting bag to step on the train. I am working on my Carmel Jacket, so I will post some work-in-progress photos in the next day or so.

Back to the needles.

All Good Things ...

Well, on Monday, I return to the work force full time away from home. For the past couple of years, I have worked from home as a freelance writer. However, I spent more time seeking clients than actually doing the work.

I love being at home working and I will miss that. The best days were the snow days when the rest of the working world was struggling with white-out conditions and slippery roads, and I could stand at the window in my woolly sweater and comfy socks, drinking my hazelnut coffee.

I spent my days staring at my computer screen with my mean little kitty next to me was one of the pleasures of the day. Neko had to be near me at all times, but I was not allowed to pet him more than one or two strokes --  not unless I wanted him to chomp done on my hand.

Hmmm.... maybe I won't miss him that much.

More Snow, More Birds

March is the snowiest month in Colorado, and today is proof. We are in another snow storm -- the kind I like so much. We have about 10 inches of snow so far with a little more on the way.

I never get tired of watching the birds devouring the seeds in the feeders. There must be over 50 birds hanging out at our feeders this morning even though they are being blown around by the blizzard.

So I sit here and knit with my kitty in my lap making a hat and working on my sweater. I will so miss winter when it's gone.

Back to the needles.

Let Sleeping Cats Choose Their Spot

 

This is the bed I made for him.
He slept in it for about three days

My cat Neko never seems to sleep in the same place more than a couple of days. I have purchased adorable beds and rugs over the years for him, but all these items are gathering dust in the store room. I have knitted and felted elaborate    cat beds and pads. He will sleep on them for a day or so, and then he crawls under the piano for the next set of naps.

Although we got Neko when he was 14 weeks old, I think he learned some valuable survival skills before he came to his forever home. He must have been feral for awhile because there is no other explanation for his behavior. By sleeping in a different place every night, no human could find him and pat him and rub his back. 

These skills help him in his current home environment. He can hide from my brush when it is time to groom his fur. He can avoid the clippers when it is time to do his claws. He can disappear when I want to hold and cuddle him. But he is still close enough in case someone opens the refrigerator to dispense food or a back door opens in hopes of escape. He has a pretty nice life.

"Piles of clothes change frequently.
This is a good place to hide."

"You know she makes all these
yarn things just for me."

"Nothing like a sunshine
puddle for a nap."

"Yes! Clean laundry basket!
You never know when
 I will hack up a hair ball."

"Someone needs to take that camera
away from her."

"Another laundry basket. Yay!"

"When I get tired of sleeping,
I can always scratch my bed."

"If I sleep by the back door,
maybe someone will accidentally
open it and let me out."

"Can you get go away and let me sleep?"

"Boxes are always appropriate."

"Black goes with everything."

"Which basket to sleep in?
Don't worry, I'll get to both."

The Stephanie Hat

I usually try to buy my yarn at my local yarn shops but every now and then, I go to one of the chain craft stores. I came across this trendy and quirky yarn that is actually four different types of yarn. It is a bulky yarn so I used large needles and I love how it turned out. I ended up purchasing a second skein in a different color to make another.  I only needed one skein to make this hat, and in fact, I could probably make a second hat with what is left over. I haven't tried yet.

I did manipulate the yarn a bit. For the purple hat, I started the cast on with the non-fuzzy yarn. It made a nicer ribbing along the bottom than the fuzz. Also there is a strip of metallic yarn. I doubled up the yarn at this point giving this row a little more body. The sparkle and dazzle still appears through the fuzz.

The lace pattern I used in the pattern doesn't show up very strong, but it makes a lighter hat. If you want a denser hat, you could do a solid stockinette stitch for the body of the hat instead of the lace. Here in the Denver area, we have more warm winter days than cold ones. Temperatures stay mild between the 40's and 50's so a lighter hat is ideal. We save the warm hats for the mountains.

Materials:

1 skein Red Yarn Boutique Magical Yarn 1 skein; 93% Acrylic, 6% Wool, 1% Metallic Polyester, 3.5 oz. (100 g), 190 yds (174 m) . Colors: Fortune Teller (purple) and Wizard (green)

Size 11 (8mm) 16” circular needle

Size 11 (8mm) double pointed needles

Stitch marker

Yarn needle

Gauge: 2” = 6 stitches

 

With circular needles, cast on 54 stitches. Place marker; join being careful not to twist the stitches.

Work a 3x3 rib (K3, P3) for 1½”.

Row 1: Knit.

Row 2: K1, K2tog, yo. Repeat from * around.

Repeat these two rows for about 8 inches.

Crown:

Switch to double pointed needles when necessary.

Row 1: *K1, K2tog. Repeat from * around.

Row 2: Knit.

Row 3: K2tog around. Continue K2tog until you have 9 stitches left.

Cut yarn, leaving an 8” tail. Cut yarn, thread through the remaining stitches and secure tightly.  Weave in ends.

Okay. Back to the needles.

More Lace!! It's Taking Over!

Lace reminds me of clouds!

I am still on my lace kick, making two shawls at the same time. The colors of these yarns are striking so it is very fun to knit. The colors change as you knit; one is lavender, pink, and light blue; the other is pink, orange and yellow. It's a basic and simple lace but it makes a wonderful fabric that looks a lot difficult that it is. It is just stockinette with every other knit row of yarn over and knit two together.  You also increase four stitches with every knit row.  I'll write up the pattern once I am done with one of the shawls and have blocked it.

It's a great pattern for travelling because it is simple and elegant. I use circular needles because then I always have all my needles without checking. More than once I have thrown a project in my knitting bag, only to find out later that I either forgot to pack to the second needle, or I lost it somewhere along the way.

Not that I am getting to travel much these days. Still looking for work, so I am getting a lot of knitting done. Seems like when I have time to travel, I don't have the money, and when I have the money, I don't have the time. I spend a couple of hours each day checking the ads online and applying to jobs while trying to 'hide' my age so they will at least take a look at my qualifications first.Then I spend the rest of the day knitting Alas.

The yellow strip is coming up next on the pink shawl.

The Tiger in my Dreams

I think I need someone to interpret my dreams.

I have a recurring dream. Well, actually, not really a total dream, but a visit in my dream. About once a month for as long as I can remember, a tiger visits me in my dreams. She is not the subject of my dream, but more of a pass by. There are some consistent points about this dream.

- She often just walks through the dream with no reason. The story of the dream doesn't stop, nor does it acknowledge that she passed by. It's like she is trying to remind me of something.
- Sometimes she appears outside of the place in my dream as if to warn me not to come outside.
- She is not dangerous. I am not afraid of her nor is anyone else in my dream.
- A couple of times, she is on a leash being held by a high-fashioned woman. There was even one time that the woman had two tigers on leashes.
-  I had these visits my entire adult life, so it doesn't have anything to do with Neko.
- Occasionally the dream is about the tiger herself, but I don't remember any of the stories.
- I think she appears so often because she is trying to tell me something. Something that I am forgetting to do.
- I have a feeling of comfort when I see her. That's why I don't think she is a warning of any kind.
- I do seem to get more visits and more detailed visits from my tiger when I am in a state of transition. I am looking for a job and worried that I am not getting much response from employers.

Since my dream tiger is a cat, it has to have something to do with my love of cats. I grew up on a farm and was surrounded by cats. They were known as common barn cats, and our cats actually lived in the barn. They was very affectionate and loving animals. If you sat down on the ground, you would covered and rubbed by dozens of cats. In fact when I was 10, I counted 56 cats on the farm and every single one was named. Since it was a dairy farm, Dad would pour milk into pans for them. He would also cut open a large bag of dog food for them to feed on. Obviously, I never saw a mouse the entire time I was growing up. The birds also stayed away from our barnyard.

So, if anyone knows why a tiger is visiting my dreams, I would welcome any theories.

Lace is my True Love

If I had to choose only type of knitting, it would lace. I love lace in extra fine wool yarn all the way up to bulky. I am especially fond of self-striping yarn. I am okay with variegate yarn, but I love the change of the yarn as I knit along. As I am working on one color, I so look forward to the next one. The purple shawl in this picture is different shades of the same color, but I love then the colors change completely like they do in this scarf.

I designed the yellow and pink scarf design, but I haven't written up the pattern yet. I guess I should put that on my "to do" list.

Meanwhile, I am making another shawlette in shades of lavender and blue. I better get back to my needles since I have time today to work on it.

Back to the needles.