Stasis Sleeve

An almost finished sleeve, however. After reaching about six inches I managed to get stuck on the sleeve. Not because of fit or design – but simply because I began the sleeve using dpns. After I finished the colorwork and began the increases I quickly came to have so many stitches on the dpns that things were perilous. A quick flip between needles and I could have easily dropped a stitch or ten. So I cautiously put the caps on the dpns and put the sleeve back in its project bag until such a time as I could shuffle through my circular needles.

This all occurred at Knitting in the Heartland in Kansas in April.The next few weeks were quick turnarounds from one event to another. My sleeve was stashed away. Steady progress was made on a DVD Sock. A silk lace Laminaria Shawl was finished. A Monarch Shawl was finished. All the while the sleeve remained in the project bag, virtually ignored.

Until – this past week late at night after working on the new Lafitte Shawl for hours I needed a wee break. I spotted the wonderful project bag my dear friend Jessica had given me. I unzipped it and pulled out the sleeve. I double checked the size needles I needed because not only had I forgotten about the sleeve itself, I’d forgotten what size needles I’d been using. Then I went in search of circulars in my needle stash and managed to find two size 3US needles of a nice length.

I’m now making steady progress on the sleeve and expect to have a second sleeve cast on before long. And if all goes well the sleeves will be joined by…no no we’re not going to talk about that. Sleeves, only sleeves. I’m not tempting the knitting mojo with talk of what comes after the sleeves.

The Lafitte Shawl is also moving along nicely. A few more repeats of the sweet little Yellow Top flowers and then I’ll move on to the next chart.

Two active projects. Not five, or six, or fourteen.

This is how I make steady progress.

Go figure.

The airy and delicate look comes from skinny yarn and a not-so-skinny needle, usually for lace I choose a size 4 or 5 US (3.5mm or 3.75mm) . Compared to knitting socks on a 1US (2.25mm) needle a size 4 needle feels quite comfortable in the hands. Of course if you’ve been knitting on a size 10.5 with chunky weight yarn a size 4 needle is going to feel like a toothpick. Everything is a matter of perspective.

Another trick to making a lace project look airy is aggressive blocking. I’m a fan of wet blocking and using wires and pins to stretch a shawl to the maximum. There is usually a little spring back once a shawl is removed from the wires, but the overall effect of aggressive blocking pays off with the utmost negative space between the stitches, which is what ultimately provides the gossamer effect of a lace shawl.

Since my last post my size 4 needles have been busy. I’ve got two finished projects, and a cast on to share. This is my second Laminaria, which is knit in Lost City Silk lace weight yarn in colorway Extra Virgin. Laminaria by Elizabeth Freeman is a pattern that is such a joy to knit that many people have several in their project folders on Ravelry.

Because I know knitters want details along with the pretty pictures the particulars are as follows:

Cast on date: March 13

Bind off date: April 25

Needle Size 4US

Yardage: 780

Another finished project is a small Monarch Shawl in lace weight paco-vicuna from Hickory Ridge Farm. While we were at Knitting in the Heartland, I was approached by Gloria and Don of Hickory Ridge to knit a sample project for their booth. The yarn is from Aurora, a paco-vicuna that recently died of old age.

For this Monarch I chose the Lace Hind Wing option and added beads while knitting both the Hind Wing and Fringe Charts. The original Monarch Shawl calls for sport weight and a size 7US needle, but with lace weight and a size 4US needle I was able to knit the Extended (larger) version of the second chart and even added several extra rows on the final chart and used as much of the yarn as possible.

This sweet little shawl is being shipped today to its home at Hickory Ridge.

The particulars are as follows:

Cast on Date: April 27

Bind off date:May 2

Needle Size 4US

Yardage: 260

Center spine 20 inches, wingspan 40 inches

Beads: Silver lined tortoise shell size 8

While I was finishing up the Laminaria in silk I was aching to work on a new design using silk. I’d put the Lafitte Shawl on hiatus some time ago because I wasn’t certain about the second chart. But I finally had the breakthough I’d been hoping for and knew just how to achieve the look I’d been wanting. And that “look” had to be in silk! So I’ve cast on a new Lafitte Shawl using Lost City Silk colorway Rumplestilskin.

I absolutely love this colorway, it’s bright but not just a pure sunny yellow. The gold color has gentle undertones of brown that will make it easy to wear with blues, reds, greens and even purple.

Skinny yarn – and needle size 4US – 3.5mm, naturally.

I’ve been wearing my silk Aeolian a lot lately and have been eager to finish the green silk Laminaria that I cast on in mid-March. The joys of knitting with silk lace yarn are many. It has a luster and sheen that beads and light play upon beautifully. The way it moves gently across my Knit Picks Harmony Wood needles is smooth and soothing. And those are just the highlights of knitting with silk – wearing silk is even a more heady experience!

With all of this in mind last week I began devoting as much time as possible to the Laminaria Shawl. It’s not a terribly difficult pattern and I’ve knit one before but it’s not a project I can work on our booth at fiber festivals or in social settings. It is, however, perfect for knitting in the van as we travel.

As Christopher drove our van, loaded with yarn, south to the Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta, I knit. For hours. And hours.

I employed the tricks many knitters use when working on an epic project such as “If I knit two rows I can reward myself with a few minutes on Ravelry or Facebook”. This tactic worked nicely while I finished up the six repeats of the Blossom Chart. But once I began the first Border Chart I knew I had to really buckle down.

Although I couldn’t work on the Laminaria during the festival because it required concentration, I did manage a few rows in the evenings at the hotel. By this time I was timing how long it took me to knit a row. I was putting in about 25-28 minutes per wrong side rest rows, slightly more on the right side patterned rows. Of course, this kind of obsessive knowledge starts knitting math to whirl around in my brain. I began calculating the remaining hours that must be devoted to finish the project. I’m never quite accurate when I start that kind of crazypants thinking but it’s unavoidable. I can’t stop myself.

As soon as we loaded the van and left the Coliseum in Seguin, TX I picked up the project bag and started on the Laminaria again. In my deluded mindset I imagined that I could finish the shawl by the time we reached home the next day. I’d done the math, right? I could do this. Of course, I hadn’t factored in bathroom stops, meals, dropped stitches or any other type of delay.

So when we hit the highway I had a goal in mind. But along with that goal as I knit a barrage of other thoughts tumbled around in my noggin as I kept my head bent to my task and ignored the scenery whizzing past. Well, I assume it whizzed past. I didn’t really take note.

For example:

Which dark chocolate is better? Ghiradelli or Godiva?

Good grief, will I run out of yarn?

Why has my right eyelid been twitching for a week straight?

I hope Hillarey is eating right in New York.

I wonder if I can find more tuberroses to plant?

What inspired Jack White to write the lyrics, “ I want love to walk right up and bite me, grab a hold of me and fight me, leave me dying on the ground?”

Maybe I should have used beads with this shawl, they would have looked great.

When we get home will the farm dogs pout and ignore us to show they missed us?

Chris is a really good sport considering how much time we devote to yarn.

Should I knit my next big shawl in the silk colorway Rumplestilskin or Cerrillos? Or maybe Santa Fe Sky?

There is not a single song on Bruce Springsteen’s new Wrecking Ball CD that I don’t love.

A big raw spinach salad sounds good about now.

Are we still in Texas or have we entered Oklahoma?

This shawl is going to be fabulous.

I miss my little girl. I should stop thinking of Hillarey as my little girl since she’s 27 and taller than I am.

Why in the world did I start a 900 page book with all this knitting to do?

I wonder if the Baggalini purse I ordered has arrived yet?

Boulevard Chocolate Ale is really good. I wish I could find a case to buy.

When is my next knitting group night?

Maybe I should buy a pair of girlie shoes.

I’m a very lucky person.

Am I crazy to think I can finish this shawl by the time we get home?

Those are just a few of the thoughts that whipped into and out of my mind as I knit on the way home. Turns out I was crazy to think I could finish. As we pulled off Highway 51 onto the first of three blacktop roads to our farm I completed row four of the final border chart. Eight rows and the bind off remained. If I hadn’t become obsessed with the crazy math that had me imagining I could finish I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far in the project.

I spent most of Wednesday knitting and finished the Laminaria. Off the needles it looks like a big puddle of green seaweed. Not terribly impressive for countless hours of work and approximately 800 yards of gorgeous silk. But as an experienced lace knitter I know the next step is when the real magic happens. Blocking a shawl is the type of transformation that can make a puddle of yarn into a stunning garment. Seeing a project stretched out on blocking wires is almost as exhilarating as wearing it the very first time.

The puddle is currently soaking. The foam boards, blocking wires and T-pins are ready for magic.

So am I.

The possible sweater is the Stasis Pullover by Leila Raabe, designed under the Brooklyn Tweed banner. Stasis is a lovely pattern with simple two-colored stranded work at the cuff, the bottom of the sweater, and around the yoke. It’s knit in the round from the bottom up. No seaming. If I were to knit a sweater, I’d prefer to discover it doesn’t fit before I sew the pieces together. I’d further prefer that it does fit.

The possible yarn I would use for this sweater is the Lost City Knits Local Llama Fingering weight. I’d choose the cinnamon/faun for the main color and the black for the colorwork motif. They go nicely together and are very soft. The gauge is right too.

This is all theoretical you understand. My history with sweater knitting is not great and while some of the fault could be mine I think as much of the blame must go to the knitting gods. I’ve chosen patterns badly before, ‘tis true. I’ve chosen one design that nearly every knitter in Ravelry had problems with, one design that simply didn’t look good on my body, and one that called for discontinued yarn, although I found a substitute. This last design has a few issues with construction for what I would consider a normal body type. It’s in a basket somewhere, waiting on more alterations that will make it fit. Or waiting to be frogged.

Okay – maybe it wasn’t the knitting mojo that failed me but my own decisions. So for now, let’s just say that I’m possibly knitting a Stasis Pullover. Or maybe we could just agree that I’m knitting the first sleeve of a Stasis Pullover.

Why pick up a sweater (possibly) at this time of the year? Two reasons. I want a new sweater to wear next fall, maybe by the time we go to the Walnut Valley Festival in September. A sweater I’ve knit and that fits nicely would be good for a week spent camping and listening to folk and bluegrass music while selling yarn and talking to  knitting friends.

The other reason is that the Stasis Pullover (if I were to knit it) has miles and miles of pure stockinette. There is only a bit of simple charted colorwork. Stockinette is pretty mindless knitting that I can pick up and put down without fretting too much about keeping my place while talking to customers in the yarn booth.

And there will be plenty of talking to customers in the coming months, starting this weekend. Friday we’re leaving our farm and driving to Lenexa, Kansas for Knitting in the Heartland hosted by the Sunflower Knitters Guild. It’s going to be good. I just know it. Heck, Franklin Habit will be there! I’ve taken classes with Franklin and he’s charming, witty, and talented.

If you’re in the Kansas City area, come by Knitting in the Heartland. Stop and say hello and fondle some yarn. But don’t ask about the sweater I’m knitting. A sweater is just a future possibility. For now, I’m just knitting a sleeve.

As knitters we understand advance planning. It takes weeks and sometimes months to knit a project. (Some would say years but let’s not talk about languishing projects, okay?) While it may seem odd to the non-knitter that I’m releasing a new mitten pattern in late spring, we knitters know that if we want to have new warm mittens to wear at the first cold wind of autumn we need to knit those mittens well ahead of time – like in spring or summer. As with socks, mittens are a good small portable project. If you have the yarn balls in a project bag or in a simple bowl at your feet then nothing hot is resting on your lap because the mittens are small.

Climbing Rose Mitten in cream and gray

With that in mind we’re pleased to offer a new pattern and kit! The Climbing Rose Mitten  Kit includes two skeins of our new Local Alpaca Llama Fingering Yarn in natural colorways (80% alpaca/llama blended with 20% wool). The sample here is knit using cream and gray. And I’ve also knit the pattern in cinnamon and black. The skeins are good sized at 300yds each and you’ll have enough yarn to knit two pairs of mittens! Someone is likely to see you knitting these and ask for a Christmas gift, and you’ll have enough for that second pair without worrying about buying more.

Climbing Rose Mitten in cinnamon and black

This stranded colorwork mitten depicts an heirloom rose and a chain link fence typical of neighborhoods in the 1960ʼs. One of my earliest memories is of digging in the ground beneath one of my motherʼs fragrant climbing rose bushes. I hope youʼll find digging your needles into the stitches of these roses as enjoyable as my memory of digging around the roses of my youth.

This was to be our last getaway for fun before our busy season takes up all of our time. There will be plenty of driving to and from shows in the coming months, but this was to be a road trip for its own sake. Plus, Hillarey is an intern in New York. Actually that’s the real reason for all of this.

Our first night was spent hanging out with a friend of Christopher’s from high school and we had a good time in the Soulard district of St Louis. Early the next morning we were back on the road though.

On the second day on the road I finished the Bittersweet DVD socks. The plan was to finish these first so I could wear them on the trip. They fit perfectly and I did wear them several times under boots on cold days.

I’ve had numerous requests for the DVD Sock pattern. The pattern – or recipe if you will – is almost ready for release. Check here later this weekend for a notice and a link to download it for free.  Edited to add the LINK to the new DVD Socks pattern!

Our next big stop was in Tivoli, New York. Last year we had four cross-country bicycle tourists stay with us who had recently graduated from Bard College in upstate New York. We had a quick surprise reunion in Tivoli, NY with Paul, one of the bicyclists. Here Paul is posed in front of the Tivoli Bread and Bakery with his lovely girlfriend Leora. As we drove away I told Chris that I think we’ll see Paul again someday. Maybe it’s wishful thinking but I’d like to keep in touch with him.

After completing the Bittersweet Socks I picked up the Climbing Rose Mittens with the goal to finish the second mitten. These are knit in one of our new locally-raised yarns that will be available soon. The sample of Climbing Rose is knit in soft cream and medium gray natural colors of Local Alpaca Llama Fingering (80% alpaca/llama 20% wool). (pattern and kits coming soon!)

We drove south after leaving Tivoli. The lovely rolling hills of upstate New York gave way to traffic before long. One panicky misguided turn in Queens sent my heart racing. A few quick maneuvers and we were on the right highway again heading to Long Island to see Hillarey.

This is about the point where my camera was forgotten. Yes, really. Our stay with Hillarey was hardly documented. It was however, wonderful. I don’t, as a rule, worry too much about Hillarey. She’s level headed, smart and can take care of herself quite well. But I do miss her.

For train trips into the city I cast on another pair of DVD Socks, although I didn’t get very far on them. This photo shows the small progress made on the first sock in colorway Bourbon Street. I’ve always been a fan of green and purple together and the subtle striping is nice. I’m generally getting two rows of purple followed by one of green. (The color in this photo doesn’t quite show the colors right, the purple is really purple!)

On the second day in New York City we rode the train into the city to visit the Museum of Modern Art. Having an art student as your guide is great, especially when that art student is interning at a gallery whose artists’ work appear on the walls and in installations at the museum. It’s like getting the insider’s tour.

Throughout the day Hillarey showed us around New York. We wandered the Garment District peeking in shops.  We people watched too. I spotted this sign and thought it’d be a good home away from home for my friends the Beerknitters.

It was cold, and a wet cold at that. Another result of hasty clothing choices had me walking the streets of New York trundled in a cardigan instead of a coat. ::shrug:: I did at least have a pair of mittens and a shawl to tie around my neck.

Hillarey located several very cool button shops for us to visit. That’s something I love about New York — there are SO MANY PEOPLE that someone can set up a button shop and there are enough people to keep him in business. My favorite was Tender Buttons. The shop was a small narrow space with one long wall filled with boxes holding a bizillion buttons of every size, shape, and make imaginable. I was giddy with delight!! I could have spent hours in this shop, and hundreds of dollars too. But I restrained myself and brought home only two different types of buttons.

The next day we pulled away from the house where Hillarey is living on Long Island and headed south again. There were no tears when we left. There was laughter though, along with a deep and satisfied feeling that my little girl is doing well. It’s strange that my missing her is soothed by knowing this. Maybe it’s what happens when mothers accept that their children are no longer theirs, that they are their own person. She’s not my little girl anymore, she’s a woman in her own right. I knew this already but seeing her in her element made a strong impression. My daughter is an artist living in New York. That makes me both proud and happy. She’ll be home in the late summer for her last semester at OSU. It’ll be good to have her back, whether she stays in Oklahoma or not.

Our next stop was Philadelphia and several nights with a friend of Christopher’s from college. Hillarey had told me about Fiber Philadelphia, which is a city wide event hosting art exhibits all related in some manner to fiber. It was extraordinary!!! At the Crane Gallery there were numerous small exhibits and after the first few photos I slipped my camera in my purse and just strolled through the different galleries staring in wonder at the fabulous creations.

My favorite installation was at the Moore College of Art and Design downtown. Shizuko Kimura sketches intricate portraits and nudes using silk thread on panels of loosely woven muslin. The detail of these sketches was astonishing! Please click the link above to see examples of her work.

Art museums and exhibits are incredibly inspiring. One never knows exactly where ideas come from. Taking a bit of what we see in one work of art (or image of nature) and twisting it in our own way with our preferred tools and our personal skills, then combining it with something else entirely can yield a whole new creation. I made several sketches on this trip and I hope that at least one or two becomes a tangible project at some point.

Our stay in Philadelphia was short but a lot of fun. Our hosts built the most amazing bonfire I’ve ever encountered. We ate well, and had a good time visiting.

Philadelphia is a little less hectic than New York but still I was ready to come home. Big wide open spaces called to me. I missed my dogs and I missed working in my studio.

Having finished the second Climbing Rose Mitten on the way across Tennessee I knit lace. The Torreyana that I’d cast on weeks ago had stalled due to lack of interest. Before we left the farm I’d frogged the green silk and grabbed the pattern for the Laminaria Shawl and put both in a project bag. The new silk Laminaria quickly grew as we traveled. The little Star Flowers are addictive and fun. I even finished the Transition Chart on the road.

As we drove westward our farm was being hammered with a band of thunderstorms that seemed on radar to be hovering over Oklahoma and Texas. As we got closer we began to worry about actually getting all the way home. Clear Creek bisects our farm and in a storm of this magnitude it tends to flood. By the time we reached Arkansas we were pretty much assured that we’d not be able to cross any of the three roads into the farm. We instead headed to Chris’s father’s apartment in Tulsa. Not exactly like sleeping in our own bed, but a close second.

On Wednesday morning we bought groceries, still unsure that we’d make it home. Chris drove one of the back ways into the farm which we thought would probably be our best bet. We made it and I felt an enormous amount of relief when we finally pulled onto the property. I love traveling but as Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.”

This time our guests were four women, Jane, Stephanie, Jeanie, and Chelsea who are riding across the US promoting bicycle safe routes. You can read about their adventures and their mission on their blog Ride America for Safe Routes.

The four arrived in the dark after a long haul from Fayetteville, Arkansas on a cold and rainy day. I wish I’d taken a quick photo of the socks, shoes and gear that surround our wood stove within a few minutes after they pulled in. But I was in the kitchen whipping up a goodly amount of food. Food is fuel when you travel by bicycle and must be replenished – in large quantities – and often!

This is a view inside the support vehicle – commonly called a SAG wagon.

The day before the ladies had apparently ridden through some debris from car/truck blowouts. The photo below shows them cleaning chains and going over tires with tweezers to pick small bits of steel from steel belted tires out of the bicycle tires.

Here we have the Road Warriors – posing for a quick photo before starting their ride for the day.

Our dog Martha waddled along behind the riders for a few minutes before they left the property.  I’m not sure if Martha was jealous of the adventure or sorry to see them go. Like me, probably a little of both.

Have a great ride ladies!

……………….

Chris and I will be leaving the farm for twelve days while we drive to New York to visit our daughter Hillarey who is interning at an art studio and gallery. If you place an order in our absence, it will be shipped promptly upon our return.

Don’t forget about signing up for our Lost City Knits March Madknits NCAA Basketball Pool! 

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]]> http://lostcityknits.com/2012/03/10/ride-america/feed/ 0 http://lostcityknits.com/2012/03/07/march-madknits-ncaa-tournament-pool/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=march-madknits-ncaa-tournament-pool http://lostcityknits.com/2012/03/07/march-madknits-ncaa-tournament-pool/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 01:48:22 +0000 cdykes http://lostcityknits.com/?p=3294  

 

 

 

Announcing the First Annual Lost City Knits NCAA Basketball Tournament Pool! Yes, March Madness hits Lost City, too, but here it should be called March MadKnits.

Anyone who is interested in yarn is welcome to enter, because we’re going to pony up winner’s choice of a skein of our PathWays Sock Yarn, Oak Barn Merino Lace, or Lost City Silk. Silk? Yeah, you can choose silk if you win. ESPN does not let you win silk.

We have a dedicated website to keep track of scores, which can be found at www.pickhoops.com/lostcityknits. It’s an easy website to navigate, even if you’ve never entered a pool before. You can sign up anytime using the password lostcityknits when prompted. There isn’t much to do there right now because the official brackets won’t be decided until Sunday night. So right now you can sign up, design your jersey, and take the meaningless polls I spent too much time on this morning. There’s already some trash talk going on. Get in on that, too.

Then on Monday pick up a newspaper for the scoop on possible upsets, read up a little (or not at all) and fill out your bracket online. Be sure and pick some upsets. A fair amount of higher seeds always lose, and that uncertainty is the beauty of the tournament pool. You can choose based on your intimate knowledge of college hoops, three point shooting statistics, a coach’s reputation, geographical loyalties, mascot preference, or jersey color. It doesn’t matter. OK, it matters a little, but anyone can lose at any time.

Denise and I are leaving early next week for a road trip to New York City to visit our daughter Hillarey, so we’ll be updating from the road for the first weekend of the tournament.

Now let’s get out there and have a safe pool. And remember…through the hole, around the needle, onto the other needle…nothing but knit.

Chris

 

 

 

Stalagmites in PathWays colorway Pot Bellied Stove

The DVD Socks are completely rocking the bright orange and rust of the Lost City Knits Bittersweet colorway! I took these to Beerknitting last week and they were bright enough to knit in in the pub!

DVD Sock in PathWays Bittersweet

The new kid on the block is a pattern-in-the-works featuring a local alpaca/llama/wool fingering weight that I’ll have up in the online shop before long. The first two naked – as in undyed – colorways that returned from the mill are white and gray. The second mill order should arrive sometime in March and will include naked brown, faun, and black. The patterns and the yarn will be available as kits, as well as sold separately.

The working name for the new mitten pattern (and hopefully the hat to match!) is Climbing Rose. On the top side of the mitten you see a white yarn background with an old fashioned rose in gray yarn flanked by chain links from a fence.

Climbing Rose Mitten

On the palm side the background color is gray with the chain links in white. Obviously, the thumb will be added after I finish the hand.

Climbing Rose Mitten – palm

I love the new fiber for these! I requested a little merino wool to be added to the alpaca and llama to give a little more bounce and tone down the halo. Mittens made from alpaca and llama are going to be incredibly warm!!

The samples you see above are the medium size and measure about 8 inches around unblocked. I’ll be knitting a pair for myself in the small size using two of the yarns that come in the second mill order. Maybe I’ll combine the natural black with the gray – or maybe the faun and brown.  I’m not sure – but I can’t wait to see how the other colorway options look!

I love a good thick novel, but I also have recently found that I love a good thick book of letters. A few weeks ago I finished My Faraway One, the first collection of letters exchanged between Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Steiglitz from 1915 to 1933. There are well over 800 pages in this fascinating doorstop of a book which took me exactly six months to read. The letters begin early in the relationship of Steiglitz and O’Keeffe and include the letters sent during O’Keeffe’s first few visits to New Mexico.

There were times I felt much like a voyeur reading these very personal letters. They provide a good insight into a complex relationship and marriage with corresponding ups and downs, closeness and betrayal, from the participants themselves. What the book also does is offer the reader insight into of the art world and the couple’s interaction with influential figures such as Marsden Hartley, Paul Strand, Diego Rivera, D.H. Lawrence and Mabel Dodge Luhan. And I enjoyed O’Keeffe’s descriptions of what was going on in her life as she worked on pieces that I’ve seen in museums from New York to Santa Fe.

I’ve been a fan of O’Keeffe’s work for some time. My visit to Taos and Abiquiu years ago tremendously impacted my life. This book is the first volume, and there is no doubt I’ll collect the other volumes as they are published.

Currently on my nightstand is Lonesome Dove, another thick book (960 pages in a mass market edition). Like many people I have associated Lonesome Dove primarily with the mini-series of 1989. This association is common but the mini-series does not do justice to the Pulitzer Prize winning novel. My copy is old, its cover a bit brittle, and now tattered as well from being shoved into my purse on overnight trips. Lonesome Dove is a classic tale of aging and longing for one last adventure. Both Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae were Texas Rangers in the days when being a Texas Ranger meant fighting Indians, visiting whores, and saving settlers. It’s also a tale of love, friendship and the end of the era of wild buffalo herds.

This epic novel is incredibly well crafted. The sentences are beautiful and drew me to savor and reread descriptions of prairies and rivers. The insights into the personal relationships between Call, Gus, Lorie, Newt the youngster, and the rest of the Hat Creek Company as well as descriptions of the fears and bravado of the cowboys moving the herd of cattle from Texas to Montana are what make this novel worth reading – even if you aren’t a fan of westerns.

With all of the reading I’ve been doing the past few months it feels as if I’ve gotten less knitting done this winter than in winters past. I’ll finish Lonesome Dove this week and the books waiting on the night stand are slimmer volumes.

I’m having such a great time dyeing the new PathWays Sock Yarn that yesterday I cast on not one but two new socks. Below is the very beginnings of Cookie A.’s Stalagmites in colorway Pot Bellied Stove. If you have not flipped through the new Cookie A. book Knit.Sock.Love be sure to pick one up at your LYS or local bookseller. The photography alone is worth the cost of the book, and you’re sure to enjoy the patterns which range from quite simple to more complex patterns. My Hederas were simple, but Stalagmite’s going to be one of those complex patterns with numerous charts and a different sequence of charts for each foot. This one is great for people who are construction geeks!

Because Stalagmite is complex I’ve also cast on one of my simple DVD socks. If you’ve read this blog for a while you’ll know that we don’t have television reception, but we do enjoy Netflix DVDs. I call my basic toe up socks DVD socks because they’re so mindless I can knit on them while watching DVDs in the evening. Here we have the toe of my first sock in colorway Bittersweet, named for the berries that are often used as autumn decoration. I love the ranges between orange, rust and red.