You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March 2007.
Okay – the glitch is fixed, the pattern page is up and running, and everyone can rush over to The Downloadable Mindful Knitting Pattern Collection at www.tarahandknitting.com. The collection will really and truly grow to a collection (ie – more than one) in the next week (ie – as soon as spring break is over and I get a little bit of my time back).
It’s snowing here once again. Big spring snow, you know, the tree limb snapping kind. Typically March is the snowiest month in Colorado – but this one’s been really mild (70’s!). I guess it’s trying to sneak in a little bit of snow real quick before Sunday. In like a lamb, out like a lion. Great knitting weather. Here’s today’s What’s On My Mind:
It’s worth a click to see it big!
PS to CJ (Carla) – thanks for you comment – Good to be in touch – I left you a reply in the comments.
Aside from the weather, our other big news in Metro Front Range Denver/Boulder is that we got HARLOT – Steph is coming to the Tattered Cover next week. Can’t wait to see her – (PS to Stephanie – I promise to find you some of the best beer we have to offer in these parts (and Denver knows its beer) [and so does Boulder!].)
Well- we got really close, and we’ll be back on the proverbial sheep soon . Technical difficulties. I’m having a kink or two to iron out in the ordering system. But have faith, we’ll be ready with even more patterns in the next few days – and you can still preview the Tiger Lilly at http://www.tarahandknitting.com/patterns/patterns.htm.
Meanwhile, work work, knit knit, Zane Zane. I’m plugging away on a new book project using Harrisville Traditional Highland Worsted.
I’m enjoying how it knits up a lot. It softens and responds to steam blocking like a dream. Can’t wait to see how it wet blocks. Sneak Peaks to come. Meanwhile – knit knit yelling toddler, gotta go.
Wow – the first of my Mindful Knitting Downloadable PDF Collection – Tiger Lilly in O-Wool – is ONLINE at http://www.tarahandknitting.com/patterns/patterns.htm
I am really pleased with the format, and the method of purchase and download – Payloadz. However, for some reason I thought these things would just whip themselves up and I’d have the full collection on line in a jiffy.
Well a jiffy is a bit longer than anticipated – so it’ll kinda be like a little game we can play. I’ll upload the patterns as they are ready, and and you can check back every few days to see what’s new at http://www.tarahandknitting.com/patterns/patterns.htm. As John Lennon once sang “A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”
So here’s what’s on my mind:
Quite a beauty, eh? A muse in the form of a 32″ square piece of exquisite Japanese Rayon. Where shall we go together?
And this:
Two skeins of my most favorite shade of Mostly Merino (sage) that I bought from Margaret (Klein Wilson) at our just finished Mindful Knitting Retreat in Vermont a couple of weeks ago [has it been that long already?] This color sings to me. It calls me to diversion.
I am always so easily distracted when I am working on a project that is for a book or a publication. It is such an intense process to conceive, develop, knit and present bunches and bunches of pieces – that there is always a pair of socks or a hat whispering in my ear, or tugging at my sleeve. Alas, I have started a few socks now and again – maybe even finished one (but rarely both). And do I ever want to knit these little things when I don’t have projects in the works for publication – no. It seems to be some sort of ritual game that the yarns play with me when I can’t have them – tricksters those fibers. Don’t we love them?
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.
You know, there are so very many Irish sayings and proverbs – every year around this time I start looking them all up – and there’s the usual “May the wind always be at your back – may the road rise to meet you” stuff, and “a good run is better than a bad stand.” This goes hand in hand with “many a time a man’s mouth broke his nose.” – Then there was my great grandmother’s one – when she would get frustrated with all the kids and grandkids running her in circles, she was known to have said – “Blessed be, stick a broom up me arse why don’t you and I can get some sweepin’ done while we’re at it.”
So, I was telling a friend of mine that when I was researching Aran knitting I came across another that stated “. . . and may a red-haired woman not wander across your path.” “How’d we get such a bad rap?” I ask her (this is where my husband usually sniggers), and my friend says to me – “I guess you’re just too damned distracting.” I’ll take distracting over a harbinger of danger anytime – even if to the occasional guy named Bill they are the same thing (I love you sweetie).
So, this is Jack
And this Saint Patrick’s morningn day starts out with me baking yummy Soda Bread and telling Jack that for a brief moment of time – perhaps half hour, no maybe ten minutes – we considered naming him the Irish version of Owen (okay, I considered it). He asked why we didn’t, and when I told him it was spelled “Eoghan” and his dad thought his life would be miserable with every kid and teacher trying to call him “Ee-oh-gu-han” that it would just be more kind to go with Jack.
I always knew I’d have a son named Jack, named for my grandfather, John Henry O’Brien, named by his father, Henny O’Brien. So Jack is going around all day saying, “I wish my name was Eoghan, can we change it? I want to change my name to Eoghan, that’s cool.” I have been reminding him that Jack Manning, named for a Jack O’Brien no less, is just about as Irish as it gets. Yeah, well . . . “Eoghan” is off playing with the boys down the street. And, as you might expect, Teamhair cniotáil (Tara is knitting).
Slainte! – have a pint for me won’t ye now?
It’s not goodbye – I’m sure it’s see you later. The 2007 Mindful Knitting Retreat in VT wrapped up on Sunday, and I am indeed glad to be home, back in MKRCC – Red Bed. It was a bit of a shock when upon landing the pilot announced that at 9 am on Wednesday morning the current temp in Burlington was minus 17 degrees F (again, my great respects for all my Canadian pals, and some kind of twisted jealosy at all the sweater ops.) Back at home on Tuesday, we may reach a record high of 73 degrees F. I love Colorado.
I also love my Mindful Knitters – and here we are – most of us – less those who needed to run off to catch early morning flights – each of us modeling a Mostly Merino garment.
And, for my 2006 Fall allumns – here is the photo you have all been waiting for -
I swear, I only ate one this year.
And – one of our lovely acheivements, our charity hats – by newbie two-handed knitters using Vermont Organic Fibers’ O-Wool - looking a lot like edible little cakes of some wonderful kind.
Thanks to all of you for your comments and questions – I will reply forthwith. I am still at the tail end of the yuck I tried so hard to fight off, which hit its peak around Saturday evening (again, many thanks to Julia the Nurse for your concern and medical advise!).
I would love to hear from Mindful Knitter Allums, and I would love to hear more from all of you who have enjoyed the knitty collumn.
The downloadable patterns are coming, and will be online by the end of the week, so please do visit the website – tarahandknitting.com – for a browse.
Love to all my new Mindful Knitting friends and those MK friends whom I have yet to meet. I send you some springtime – live from Boulder, Colorado.
