That Which is Old is New Again

It must be old . . . when was the
 last time you paid $1.00 for
an entire pattern book?! 

One of my Monday Night 'knitting ladies' recently brought in some patterns she no longer wanted for me and the other knitters in the group to go through. (thanks Mary!). Tucked in the pile I found what I can only think of as gems. Two pattern books that have to be from the 1950's. At first I looked through them and smiled. I chuckled at the hair styles and the outfits. Then I thought of the items that were probably knit from these pages. . . cardigans for a husband, socks for a soldier, booties for an expected baby . . .













As my mind created all kinds of scenarios I started to look closer at the photos.

Hey wait a minute . . . I think I like that gray one . . . if I made it to be worn oversized and added to the length . . .

I mean really . . . it's cables.
Cables never go out of style. Right?












I think I may be too lazy to knit gloves . . . but I love mittens!! Look at these . . . cables again! Wouldn't they be great in alpaca?















Could it be true that the old comes back into style? 

Here's something that never goes out of style. Can you see it on the bottom of the left hand page? Squint and look close. "Be sure your stitch gauge is correct."
See, it is true! Some things just never go out of style!


Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Monday Night Knitting Group

I came home from 'Knitting Night' last night and could not wait to sit down and break out my needles. The night seemed to just fly by . . . there were quick lessons on how to pick up stitches under the arm for a sleeve, how to seam, pattern reading and more! 

But the projects always inspire me.

Take a look .  .  .






Joy finished her cable scarf and has started another scarf for a friend that 'loves purple'.
(I think she'll love this!!)

Katherine is working on a cardigan in this beautiful shade of green.



















Linda is making this shawl out of Noro. (You can spot Noro yarn at a glance, can't you?)

I think this would look great over a winter coat on a dreary gray day.










Lizzie was nervous about running out of yarn so she is doing the sleeves in a different shade of purple. She'll tie in the original color at the cuffs. 

I love it!!















Andrea joined us and is making a cowl out of alpaca yarn that is so soft you want to grab it and rub it against your cheek. (I didn't . . . but I did keep touching it!)




















Nancy's grandson is going to love this!!











It was a night of Christmas stockings. Peggy finished her two . . .

















and Audrey finished hers!

Martha is making a scarf from yarn she spun herself!! So SOFT!


(It would look great with my coat, but she didn't seem to want to relinquish it.) 

Janet is wearing a sweater she finished and she is working on a baby blanket. 
















Aren't they inspiring?!



They are all shy though . . . they made me look like a bad photographer. Did you notice the heads are all chopped off?


Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

From the Library's Shelves

Just in case you are in between projects and you think you might like to 'read a magazine', check this one out. . . there are some cute neck warmers, scarves and hats. There is also a tank top . . . but since it is knit in lace weight yarn with a yardage of 1250 . . . I'm not sure if I would consider it a 'one skein' project.

You be the judge. Check it out.











click here to place a hold









Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

One Skein projects = Magazines

Have you ever read either a really thick book or a book that grabbed you so much that when you finished reading it . . . well, you weren't really finished with it? The characters stayed with you, maybe haunted your thoughts a little? After spending so much time with the Outlander series, I have found I have been filling my reading time with magazines, a little non-fiction . . . and by a little I mean skimming about the Roosevelts. But I can't quite commit to the Bully Pulpit or No Ordinary Time . . . even after watching the Ken Burns series!)

 

Just in case you can't make it
 in to the library to see it.

I have found the same to be true with my knitting. I have finished Judy's sweater (make sure you come in the library to see her wearing it!), and I can't quite decide what to start next. I've dug all my pattern books out, I've been surfing through Ravelry . . . I don't know . . . nothing is grabbing me. Should I felt something? Pullover? A Nora Gaughan?

While I have been pondering, I have been working on quick things - a couple of cowls and a pair of fingerless gloves. 







Hmm . . . Those quick one skein projects . . . perhaps they are the knitting equivalent to magazines?


Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

I'm Done With Jargon

I grew up being the daughter of a nurse, which meant it was really hard to stay home sick from school. It also meant I had an 'in' when I went looking for a job in high school. I spent summers as a 'unit clerk' at the Jordan Hospital picking up some of that medical jargon and those abbreviations that mystifies so many. I learned about taking Tylenol PRN, being NPO and taking pills c food. 

Working in a library I quickly discovered it wasn't just the medical profession that talked as if everyone knew what they meant . . . when it's often only the staff that does. We mention Overdrive and Zinnio . . . when people really just want to know if they can put a book on their Kindle or a magazine on their iPad. We talk about books that are protected . . . not realizing the patron across the desk may be thinking "but I would protect any library book I took out". ILL's, bib records, databases . . . the list goes on.

I've decided to make it my mission to stop using any of these jargon-type words. No more calcium bid . . . I'll take it twice a day. No more serials . . . I'll read a magazine, thank you.

I am here to confess.
This is only 1 bags worth. . .
(and I forgot I had that aqua cotton).

Enough of that.

My real problem is my stash. Since summer is over I went to put my fan away . . . I keep it under the eaves, with . . . you guessed it, my collection of yarn. Well somehow, sometime, something happened. It's like it multiplied of it's own volition. It left the nice plastic bins that held it organized by weight and color and egads . . . what a mess. There is even a yarn barf in there! How did this happen? Where did it all come from? WEBS? My LYS?  


There are hand-paints mixed with hand-spun. Fingering, Aran, superwash, cotton and mohair all mixed in together. Some in hanks, some in skeins, some with patterns. An EZ pattern randomly found at the bottom of a bag. I have a lace UFO languishing because I missed a YO and since I was too lazy to use a lifeline, it needs to be tinked back. . . . if not even frogged. Who wants to fix that when I have a WIP on DP's with Manos? In fact, as I looked around I realized I may be closer to SABLE than I thought. Oh no, I just had a thought . . . do you think my Ravelry profile is just as bad?

I guess my next day off will be spent organizing. Hmm . . . by weight, by color? How is yours organized? 

Oh. Wait a minute. You do know what I'm talking about, don't you? There isn't a knitting jargon . . . is there??

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.