03.13.07
Posted in Knitting, Subway at 4:58 pm by delipics
I am in such a grumpy mood. I’m sleepy from the time change. Work is overwhelming. I ate too much for dinner last night and I’m still suffering from it (hello Tums). Then on the subway, two people tried to squeeze into the middle seat (not at the same time) between me and some sleeping guy who was sitting with his legs wide open (I won’t even go into men and the spread legs thing). One woman actually half sat on me in her desperate attempt to situate herself into the seat! What the @#$%^?!!!? I mean really, what was she thinking? I should have pulled out my knitting; maybe the needles would have scared her off. Grrr!
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10.06.06
Posted in Knitting, Socks, Spinning, Subway, Travel, Weaving at 3:57 pm by delipics
As for knitting in the world of Delica’s Yarns - not a whole heckuvalot going on. Very hectic days means very tired me. I sneak in a couple of rows on my Kauai Blue Socks on my subway commute in during the mornings; evening commutes seem to be more crowded, no elbow room for knitting. My other WIP, for the L.A. baby, has hit a snag. I realized there was going to be a huge gap in the underarm, so I consulted Alex and she said I should pick up stitches as one does for picking up stitches when knitting the gusset on a sock. Lastly, spinning has been very badly neglected. Tomorrow I’m going up North to visit a friend so I hope to get a substantial amount of knitting done on the train ride.
I have to go pack now. One thing about trains, I don’t have to worry what knitting paraphenelia will pass or not pass through the security check-in.
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07.16.06
Posted in Fiber Artwork, Photos, Spinning, Subway, Yarn at 6:09 pm by delipics
I’ve been religiously watching Miss Marple on Mystery these past Sundays nights. It has the most charming knitting-themed opening to the show during the titles/credits. Love Miss Marple - she pops into the yarn shop to purchase a bit of wool in between her sleuthing adventures - even when she’s interviewing a suspect she is winding a ball of yarn - and she must knit while she reveals the murderer.
I’ve got that wonderful been-to-the-beach sleepy feeling. (The NYC subway system is remarkable. I can take mass-transit to the beach!) My muscles are tired and I feel sun-soaked. I thought about bringing my Sweet Pea Shawl to be beach, but I did not - actually a good thing because it was sweltering - too hot to crochet. I would sit for about 15 - 20 minutes then run back into the ocean to cool off. It was too hot to even take a nap.
Saturday was my fiber day. I started making another fiber artwork piece. I haven’t crocheted in a while so I took breaks to spin, which is how I finished spinning the fine mohair top.
The skein on the top was hand-carded with my dog brush. The skein on the bottom went through the drum carder. Definitely the bottom skein is more even, but I like the experience of hand-carding, even though it does take longer. At last week’s Spinning I class we learned how to use all these different tools - the drum carder, the hackles, and the English comb. Here is how the fine mohair top looked before it was spun.
I could get addicted to the drum carder - blending different fibers together or blending different colors of fiber - one of these days I’ll have the extra cash and the space to do it.
I also put in half of my merino / tencel blend into the drum carder. The other half I will hand-card.
I did one more yarn-related task. A while ago I decided to recycle a sleeveless turtleneck DKNY top that I never wore anymore. A bit of a disaster - on the right is some of the yarn that is horribly tangled. But the rest of it I finally washed and hung out to dry, using a metal spatula and slotted spoon as weights.
Will I ever de-tangle the rest? Well . . .
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06.27.06
Posted in Photos, Spinning, Subway, Yarn at 6:36 pm by delipics
My third handspun skein, a blend of merino & kid mohair –
I did not use the whole 2 oz. of fiber I bought so I am curious to how much I actually have here. I am wondering if part of the reason I did not use all the fiber is my spindle is not light enough? I may have to do a little shopping around for spindles.
At Spin Out I met two spinners whose spindles I liked, one from Simple Market Farms and the other from Made By Ewe. I also covet my spinning classmate’s Golding spindle. Any other recommendations out there? Not sure what I should be thinking about when I buy the next one. I know I would like something smaller than my Schacht Hi-Lo so I can carry it in my purse, you know, in case I want to do a little spinning in public. I wonder how that would go on the subway?
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06.21.06
Posted in Knitting, NYC, Socks, Subway at 7:04 pm by delipics
That was the comment from a cute little girl who I talked to on the subway about my sock knitting.
Little Miss Cutie (maybe about five years old) walked onto the subway train, saw me and all my pointy sticks, and her eyes widened so big! She sat down (with her mother) and started talking to me. I turned off my music and pulled out my ear buds, ready for a kid chat. I learned that her abuela also knits but she only uses two needles. Abuela has knit for her two hats and a blanket when she was little.
I tried to explain why I was knitting with four needles. I told her I was knitting just like her abuela but I needed four needles so I could make something round, not flat. I knit a section so she could see how it worked. I held the sock next to my foot but I could see she still did not understand. So I put my hand through the sock. That is when she told me I could make a puppet. She was absolutely right, I could make a puppet, and Little Miss Cutie was in a puppet show and she told me all about it.
This encounter is one of the reasons why I like to knit in public.
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06.07.06
Posted in Cleo, NYC, Subway at 3:57 pm by delipics
People have this idea that New Yorkers are rude or unfriendly citizens. While we New Yorkers might not say good morning as we pass each other on the sidewalk (How can I say to good morning to over a million people?), we will help each other out in a crisis. My story is one more tale to belie the New Yorker stereotype.
My yarn begins with the Monday morning subway commute to work. There are many situations that can happen on the subway. One of them is the “sick passenger,” and approximately at nine a.m., that was me. Luckily, my good samaritan was on the A train with me. I had fainted because of sudden, acute abdominal pain, and this man, a complete stranger, helped me out of the subway and took me to the emergency room. He distracted me with humor and he stayed until one of my friends came to the hospital. My friend stayed with me the whole time I was in the emergency room. A second friend arrived later and both of them made sure I got home safely.
I am better now and have been recuperating at home. This event was so stressful I have not knit or spun any yarn. I would look at my unfinished sock or the baby project and just not feel up to it. Cleo is keeping me company on the couch, watching reruns of sitcoms. All my friends, family and my worried boyfriend have been calling and checking up on me. I am thankful to have such caring people around me. Thank you D and J - I had never been in the emergency room before and I was glad I did not go through it alone. Thank you Alex for bringing me chicken soup and cookies.
This whole thing has made me think about how life can take you by suprise. Everyday we get up and we do our mindless routines — like the morning commute — certainly not expecting to become sick while riding on the subway.The most I had hoped for that Monday morning was an empty seat so I could knit a couple rounds on my sock . As my good samaritan put it, “I was sitting there for a reason and you were standing in front of me for a reason.” When the time comes for me to return the favor to a person who needs help, I hope I can rise to the ocassion and be just as kind and selfless as my good samartian –thank you thank you thank you!
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05.29.06
Posted in Knitting, Spinning, Subway at 12:49 pm by delipics
Knitting shows up in the funniest of ways . . .
Today I decided to take advantage of the Memorial Day Sale. Now I don’t know about you, but when I need to buy something I do not wander around - I go with a mission. I like to go in, find what I need, and get the heck out of there. I also go early to avoid the crowds. But for all my tactics to shop as hassle-free as possible, you cannot always avoid THE LINE.
On the 5th floor of the Macy’s Herald Square there were two check-out counters open with a line of women snaking out of the confines of the rope. I shuffled back and forth across the floor, trying to gauge which line may go faster. It was hopeless. Who was I kidding at a Memorial Day Sale? Eeny,meeny, miney mo and it was the line to my right.
I made my way to the end of the line, resigned to a long wait. Male companions stood patiently to the side as they waited for their respective partners. Other people muttered under their breath, “This is ridiculous!” or sighed dramatically. It was then the lightbulb appeared over my head, “I know, I will take out my knitting!”
As I went out the door this morning, I grabbed my sock that I started yesterday. I figured I could put in several rows on the subway, and so why not knit more rows while standing on line? I hooked the hangers of my purchases onto my bag and pulled out the double-pointeds with the Koigu on it. I happily knit while waiting and the line seemed to go much faster because of it. I also like to think I gave everyone else a welcome distraction. At least they had something different to watch. What is she doing? How can you knit with four pointy things?
Other fiber news this weekend:
- Continued spinning the alpaca/silk mix. I am learning not to fight the fiber. I originally was trying to spin it like a DK weight but it was not coming out the way I was hoping. I decided to listen to the fiber and I let it do what it wants. Now it looks more like a baby weight.
- Yes, finally started knitting my first sock! I kept reading the pattern and feeling intimidated. I would walk around the Koigu, giving it a wide berth. Finally got over my apprehensions (mostly irrational ones, such as,”What if I mess up the Koigu?”) and cast-on while watching Serenity on DVD.
- Fiber Geek Alert - while watching another DVD, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, I realized how fiber obsessed I am. Anytime the characters showed up wearing something knitted, I took a closer look. Lucy had on an adorable knit hat when she and her siblings were boarding the train and of course, Mr. Tumnus had on a knitted scarf. It’s an illness, I tell ya.
- Speaking of KIP - World Wide KIP Day is June 10th Thank you Juuli for alerting me! Anyone from Brooklyn or NYC going?
And why no pictures yet? Because my camera got left behind in the band’s car! I think it had a good time touring Texas, but now I have to wait for it to come home.
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