Yammering ninny

I keep saying I’m going to post photos, patterns, something, anything, and I don’t. I’ve been either knitting/frogging, reading, or engaged in mundane housework (exception was a hippie day off with one my coworkers – I’m not really a hippie, but she’s been under a lot of stress and needed to reclaim her hippie roots). Next week I’ll be co-presenting a couple of concerts…but I’m not going to write about that here. Just an indication that I’ll likely be no more attentive next week than I am this week.

I’m still working on MS3 – it’s getting easier as I get used to it (if I actually pin it out, it’s large enough to be worthy of a photo or two). Those #2 US needles are a little hard to use for those of us in the presbyopia age group. I need a Klieg light for my knitting at this point (where to put it in my postage stamp-sized apartment is another question). I’m pleased, though, with the yarn, the needle size, and the pattern.

I’m also working on the Halloween Mystery Shawl. That one is totally kicking my ass – much harder to get started than MS3 was (and I thought that one was difficult). The nice thing about KALs is that at least other people are struggling and offering tips. The mailings on the Yahoo! Group end of that have gotten quiet, as people are knitting instead of crying in anguish; I haven’t checked on the Ravelry end to see what the discussions are like there. I really need to get better organized so that I can keep on top of these things…or at least stay acquainted with them.

I’ll be spending some of the weekend with the Mater, so I don’t know how much knitting I’ll get done. I’m going to bring MS3 with me – since I’m having a somewhat easier time with it now, I feel a little more confident about traveling with it. If I decide to wimp out, I’ll bring my lace party scarf (or whatever the actual name is) from MagKnits. I’m almost done with it, so I could finish it up….heh, I’m already trying to talk myself out of traveling with MS3. Coward.

I’ve some vintage patterns and groovy photos from an old Spinnerin book that I want to post; I keep saying soon, but that may mean in terms of geologic time spans rather than the human lifetime. Note that, by groovy photos, I mean something similar to my “Groovy” and “Extra Groovy” – the sweaters aren’t quite as stylish (few designs could really compete with these), but the Spinnerin photos have a spirit that will complement the Groovy series well enough.

Until my next disorganized rambling that is totally lacking in useful information or entertaining images,

Best wishes,
Jane

Ravelry Rave

I got myself on the list to join Ravelry back in July, and I finally got my invite last week. I wasn't sure whether I'd actually like it; people have a tendency to think the most mediocre things are wonderful, so I had my doubts. But I love it! It's not a hassle to use, and real thought was put into making this thing useful to knitters. The tools for organizing projects aren't difficult to use or figure out, in fact everything on there is extremely user-friendly, so you don't have to spend 45 minutes trying to get something posted on there. I'm not the most tech-loving person in the world (for example, Library Thing is okay, but I'm not overwhelmed with its wonderfulness), but this is one of those tools that is really awesome and useful to someone who would rather knit than futz with a computer all evening. Ravelry - highly recommended!

Overpriced Swans

I rarely snark publicly (my closest friends hear my rants, but they recognize the difference between my venting versus my deeply-held beliefs); and I want to say that this is a very nice design, it really is. I would purchase it for $4 or $5 (comparable in price to Pink Lemon Twist, Bad Cat, or Goddess Knits, all of whom I've purchased from). But the designer is charging $25 for this design. I'm sure she was inspired by the fact that some folks were willing to spend $25-$35 for Triinu Andreasen's design (I admit I purchased early and bought it myself, I couldn't help myself), but Triinu's shawl really puts this one in the shade. I'm pretty sure I won't be spending that much on a single design in the next few years, but even if I did experience that lapse again, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't spend it on this.

I'm curious to know how many will purchase the design at this price; could be I'm just cheap (and poor), and it doesn't tickle my fancy enough to make me ignore my budget. For her sake, I hope most knitters aren't the cranky pinch-pennies that I am.

clipped from www.susanreishusdesigns.com