January 12, 2004
ManLand - Part II
I hesitated about posting about my opinions about ManLand lest My Dear Readers think I was going to wax all political and “battle of the sexes” on them but, based on the comments I received, ManLand is a place familiar to many Dear Readers! Brave Debra says she used to work there, Straight but Sassy Anne says she gets a kick out of "butching it up" when she goes to ManLand just to unsettle the men, Smart Vanessa reaffirms that what you wear into ManLand is supremely important and that open-toed sandals, loose clothing and dangly jewelry are an invitation to a snubbing, and Poor Fran is on the verge of having to make a long trip into ManLand to get her property surveyed. Good luck, and Bon Voyage, Fran! Send a postcard!
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This weekend I learned that you can draw amazing parallels between woodworking and knitting. First, just as each knitter has an LYS (Local Yarn Shop), TMK now has a LWS (Local Woodworking Store). Notice the subtle difference: Yarn is sold in a “shop” or even “shoppe;” wood and mantools are sold in a “store”—something you need to know if you're going to go to ManLand.
Secondly, after just a week or two of dabbling, The Mysterious K already has a stash, consisting of some MDF (“yarnspeak” translation: 100% acrylic, chunky weight), thin pieces of poplar (translation: 50% acrylic, 50% wool, fingering weight), hemlock (translation: 75% merino, 25% cashmere, worsted weight), and molding (translation: self-striping sock yarn).
Thirdly, TMK already has three UFO’s: her bookholder (translation: knitted tote), a shadow box for her antique wooden typesetting letters (translation: chunky weight lace scarf) and the molding in her bedroom (translation: a long, skinny stockinette scarf). In TMKs defense (and because she was curiously miffed when I teased her about having UFOs, even though, in KnittingWorld, they are a badge of honor), she has concrete plans for getting all of these finished in the next few days.
And here, a picture of the bookstand, TMK's first woodworking effort!
Knitting Knews
This weekend I continued working on the Catalina sock. This is my second pair of Fixation socks, and this time around I noticed how “sticky” Fixation is. In fact, I found myself developing quite the bulging biceps (and potty mouth) trying to slide it up and down my bamboo dpns. The solution? Metal dpns. Aaaaahhhh….. Smoooooth…..
Here is a picture of the sock, three-quarters done. (Little did TMK know her new $900 recliner was actually going to be a $900 leather backdrop for my knitting projects.)
A closeup of the lace effect of the stockinette ladder stitch and how it would look when worn:
Dye Garden Dyegest
I’m reactivating Dye Garden Dyegest just for this entry since there has been some mild activity in this area.
Since I had some coreopsis smelling up my freezer (all my frozen foods now taste like slightly old, moldy flower petals), I thought I would do a little mid-winter dyeing. My Dear Readers may remember this picture of coreopsis-dyed yarn with an ammonia afterbath that turned the yarn a beautiful spicy carrot color:
Here is the new swatch of coreopsis-dyed yarn without the ammonia afterbath. It’s a beautiful gold color, perhaps not quite as bright as the picture shows, but close. Really lovely!
TMK and I also spent some time this weekend cleaning up the old dye garden in preparation for next year. And, thanks to advice from the natural dyeing Yahoo group I belong to, I now have a source for my indigo and the Hopi Sunflowers we may decide to grow next year. Time to go online!
This may be the stupidest question ever, but do you have any recommendations on a basic book on how to grow something? Like, for idiots with Black Thumbs of Death? A group of friends and I want to incorporate planting seeds into our celebration of Imbolc next month, but none of us really know anything at all about growing a plant. :D I thought I'd ask here, because I've tracked your dye garden digest for a while. And you're nice, and won't laugh (too hard). Also, what's special about Hopi Sunflowers?
Yay TMK on the lovely bookstand! [Croc Hunter Voice] Gorgeous! [/chv]
Pretty pretty sock! New sock yarns are on the list for the next trip to the LYS. I turned the heel on my first sock last night! *is proud*
Posted by: perclexed on January 12, 2004 12:50 PMManland!!!!!!!!!! Of course we all know it, but I had never heard it called by a name before. And Manland is perfect. I'm afraid I take the easy way out and get a man (usually dear husband) to cover for me in Manland when I can--not because I can't deal with the wackos in Manland, but because it's easier, and as I get older, I crave "easier" more often than not. Besides, I live with the guy, and why shouldn't he run interference with other Men in Manland? My biggest Manland hate I reserve for the car repair shop and the insurance salesman. (Notice it's car repair "shop"--like yarn shop? I shudder to think there's any similarity...) Anyway, your knitting is humming right along, Ryan, although I reserve my greatest compliments for TMK's first wood project--which is stunning. Anytime she wants to make more and sell them to your dear readers, let me know! Mary
Posted by: Mary on January 12, 2004 12:53 PM(longish)
Perclexed, being an information and trivia junkie, there is nothing I like more than stumbling across a word or concept I have never encountered before so I thank you for “Imbolc.” I was compelled to do some quick Internet research on the topic and was enchanted with what I learned! For the enlightenment of other readers, according to the web sites I visited, Imbolc means “festival of the lactating sheep,” is celebrated at the beginning of February, is dedicated to the Celtic Goddess Brigid, and is a celebration of midwinter, the return of the sun, and the potential for life, birth and growth. A more familiar name for this celebration is Candlemas and, according to a couple of sites, it is also the same day as Groundhog’s Day. I know there is much more to it than this but am I even close, Perclexed?
As for a beginning gardening book, Perclexed, there IS a Gardening for Dummies book. Here is the URL for it: http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesTitle/productCd-0764551302.html. Also, TMK is a very experienced gardener and has taken many botany classes, so if you have any specific questions, let me know and I’ll pass them on. Or I probably won’t even have to ‘cause we all KNOW she reads these comments! (As for being laughed at, if knew how horrible my cooking is, you wouldn’t feel so bad.)
And congratulations on turning your sock heel! Isn’t it an odd feeling to follow those strange instructions and then see the heel actually turn out looking just the way it’s supposed to?
Ah, the luxury of sending the husband to ManLand, Mary! Sometimes we have no choice but to send TMK out in the role of “pseudo-husband” but it’s not the same. Sometimes even SHE gets chewed up and spit out!
TMK says thank you for the compliment about her bookholder. As for peddling the bookholder, she says she's not ready for prime time yet... ;-)
Posted by: Ryan on January 12, 2004 02:08 PMOoo, ooo, I can be helpful!
Perclexed: My husband and I once started a garden from scratch. Our bible was _The Garden Primer_ by Barbara Damrosch. It's a good basic gardening book covering soil prep, tools, vegetables, and fruit.
Ryan: It looks like you're planning to grow regular indigo instead of Japanese indigo. Does your green house extend the growing season enough for regular indigo?
Melinda
Posted by: Melinda on January 12, 2004 04:41 PMsandalwoman wasn't snubbed by the woodturning teacher. i just thought she was an idiot.
love the wood/knitting comparisons. i also get turned on my wood, maple burl being my fave. tmk did a great job!
Postcard from Manland: (I'm the girl who needs a property-line survey.) I've spoken to three Manland surveying companies so far on the phone, and they have all been nice and have not treated me like I'm two years old. Only one was a bit gruff when I said I was going to call around for other estimates. No biggie. I'll keep you posted. :-)
Posted by: Fran on January 14, 2004 05:33 PM