hanna birke

socks finished

this week i finished the Riff socks i started last spring for my husband.  they're already in use and he says he likes them.  half way through knitting these i read that knitting socks at a tighter gauge helps them last longer so i went down a few needle sizes for the second sock.  i'll report back and let you know if the tighter gauge sock holds out longer until it's mending time.  

 tomorrow i'll package up the sweater for my daughter and mail it off to her - along with some lavender i grew this summer.  if time permits i'll also swatch for the next knit - more about this next time i post.

one of the things i've found with writing down the happy moments is that patterns emerge -  a lot of the happy moments involve water and/or birds.  

here's a moment from last thursday morning when i stopped by the beach before going in to work.

"the sun is coming up and the tide is out.  i follow the path down to the beach, over some logs and on to the smooth beach stones to stand still half way between the tide edge and the logs.  it's cool and a bit windy.  gulls and crows fly over to me and because of the wind hover for a few seconds over my shoulder.  they feel quite close, not quite close enough to touch but close enough that i have a strong sense of their presence.  probably they've come to see if i have food for them and i don't.  but i also feel welcomed back to the beach by these birds."

last weekend we went down island to visit my mother and also to hang out in the bookstores.  i bought THE UNFOLDING NOW by A. H. Almaas.  it wasn't a book i went in looking for but i've read and enjoyed one of his other books.  the first chapter is called Loving The Real - and the chapter title alone sold me on the book.

here's a quote from the first chapter.

"Reality is not what is usually reflected in our minds.  Reality is much cleaner and simpler, and in comparison to the noisy world of our usual inner experience, so much more settled and at ease."

the photograph above was taken 2 weeks ago with a plastic disposable camera.  on my lunch break i try to walk down to the water even when it's raining - as it is here.  i'm 2.5 hours from a photo lab - so if i want to use film cameras i either have to develop my own film or save up exposed rolls of film and get them developed when i go down island every few months.  my plan is to unpack my Zero F pinhole camera tomorrow and load it with a roll of film.  and then order some more color developing chemicals and do the developing myself.  wish me luck.

almost finished

i say almost because i'm only half done the belt for this adaptation of a Shiri Mori sweater for my daughter.

i hope she'll like the sweater.  because i'd changed the stitch patterns and a bit of the shape i had my doubts about whether i could pull this one off.  but it looks nice and it feels a warm hug when it's on so i'm calling it a success.

here's a photo showing some of stitch details.  the sweater called for 5 different stitch patterns.  i was worried with all those stitch patterns that the sweater would end up looking a bit busy but the seed stitch i added for the collar seems to calm the whole thing down.

now i'm keen to knit something for myself but i'm not sure what.  i've been rummaging through my yarn and swatching ... nothing is feeling quite right yet.  

a commenter on my last post asked how the move went and how life is here. 

i had a feeling things would be challenging here and for the first few months i ended up in tears at some point each day.  the frustrations pushed me to reexamine some of my early training and also to take a closer look at the new Positive Psychology.  in the last 3 months i've read LEARNED OPTIMISM by Martin Seligman, POSITIVITY by Barbara L. Fredrickson and BLUEBIRD by Ariel Gore.  i've also been re-reading my books by Sakyong Mipham (TURNING THE MIND IN TO AN ALLY and RULING YOUR WORLD).  i haven't returned to serious photography and i hadn't done much drawing.    

i did start keeping a handwritten journal again though and this week i read an interview with the artist Richard Serra in which refers to handwriting as a form of drawing. it was nice to think that the act of forming letters and words in a journal could be seen as expression.

i think it was in one of my Sakyong Mipham books that i read - 'there will always be something to complain about'.  this hit me hard.  i think i've complained too much in life and i'd like to see if i can gently nudge my thinking in a more positive direction.

in preparing to write her book BLUEBIRD Ariel Gore asked 10o women to write down each day the moments in which they were the happiest.  i've started doing this - not every day - but a few times a week.  this blog doesn't get used enough by me and i'd like to reclaim this space to record some of those happy moments as well as some of my thinking as i continue to try to build a more positive outlook.

here's a moment of happiness i recorded in my journal a week ago.  

"Today I walked a 10 year old boy home from my office.  He was in a good mood because he had a new toy and new boots and enough to eat that morning.  It had been storming for 2 days and there were puddles in front of his building.  He was splashing in the puddles and enjoying his new boots.  At first I was avoiding his splashes, trying not to get my shoes and jeans wet but then I decided to splash too.  It was fun.  And fun to do it together.  I felt free, like I was really letting loose.  The splashing got us both laughing and as we walked toward the building I thought gosh I've been so heavy lately, I'd like to lighten up, maybe I don't have to hold on to my responsibilities quite so tightly."

 

Gossamer Stars Wrap

So far 2010 is going down as my least productive knitting year.  It's mid June and this Gossamer Stars Wrap is my second finished knit of the year.  

At this rate I could end up with only 4 or 5 finished knits this year.  Truth be told, I miss knitting.  Another truth be told I don't seem to be able to sit and knit for long hours right now.  This second Gossamer Stars - knit from Habu Bamboo A-155 again was knit a few rows at a time over the last 10 ten months.  

 

The details on it are - 2 strands held together - size 5US (3.75mm) needles - 22 inches wide and 76 inches long.  I sewed small silver pieces on the ends to give it a bit of weight and sparkle.  

Funnily enough the bits of silver were bought years ago in a bead shop in Encinatis CA - just down the block from where Kat and I had lunch together last November.  The wrap would be perfect for a walk along the beach.  

A sprained wrist has slowed my progress on the Ardent Jacket.  The twist stitches were particularly troublesome to my wrist while it was healing - but the wrist seems on the mend now and I've resumed working on the back of the Ardent Jacket.  

I promise not to turn this into a book blog but think I will share my recent/current reads again.  I just finished The Happy Return by C.S. Forester and am now reading Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler.  I loved the Captain Hornblower character in The Happy Return.  The Richler book is not quite as straightforward as the Happy Return but it's still fascinating. 

 

Ardent Jacket progress

Thought I'd provide a progress photo on the Ardent Jacket.

I'm knitting both sleeves at the same time on separate circular needles.

I've finished the Trellis pattern on both sleeves and it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it might be.  Kat suggested highlighting the stitch chart so I could easily see the left and right twist stitches.  Purple for left twist, lime green for right twist.  Worked like a charm.

My other worry about that Trellis stitch is how it would look with this fine, non-tweedy yarn.  But I think it turned out nicely. 

Driving home from work last week I noticed the bark on some of the trees in my neighborhood looks very similar to the trellis pattern.  Good to know I'll fit right in with the trees in my new sweater.  :)

If anyone is interested in a non-knitting book suggestion I just finished Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.  It won the Booker Prize this year.  If you like hefty historical fiction and strong characters you might enjoy this one.  I loved it.