Mossy Cottage Knits

The Adrenaline Kicks In

For those long-time readers who are members of the Cuzzin Tom Fan Club (you know who you are, Patti), and for those of you who want to see video of beautiful Mongolian art and music (and who have a computer that can run video without shooting sparks and shrieking like an R2D2 droid hit by enemy fire):

1. Turn off your pop-up blockers. They seem to interfere with navigation of the site I’m going to point you to.
2. Review steps 3 and 4 below and click here.
3. The GPB page behaves kinda wonky (at least for me) so, to get to where you need to go, click on some month other than May, and then click back on May. Some choices should show on the right-hand side. If that doesn’t work, try again.
4. Click on “Portals to Shangri-La: Masterpieces from Buddhist Mongolia,” and enjoy the 9+ minute documentary which includes segments showcasing our very own monk (plus the cutest miniature ger (yurt) ever, playing a supporting role).

While you're all busy trying to figure out how to run the video, I want to happily make good on a promise by sending a “howdy” out to Kimberly Turnbow of the Warm Woolies organization. Kimberly and I “e-met” last year when I asked her for permission to include a link to their Warm Woolies vest pattern on our list of suggested patterns for Dulaan, which she very generously gave. I received an email this morning from Kimberly this morning saying:

"I wanted to let you know that since January, Warm Woolies has sent 805!!! [Emphasis and exclamation-mark overkill mine. Ed.] pieces to F.I.R.E. as follows:

222 vests and sweaters

364 hats

187 pairs of felted wool slippers

12 pairs of mittens

20 scarves"

Kimberly, I can't do anything more except, in return, send you 805 thank you's. Or how about 1610 thank you's, 805 from me, and 805 from each of the Mongolians who will receive your items!

So, what is that slightly nauseating, slightly bileous, slightly burbly feeling in my stomach? I think it’s...why, yes, it’s panic! Panic caused by the realization that I have three sweaters on my needles right now, all destined for Dulaan, and only 40 days to finish the pieces, seam the pieces together, add various ribbed button and neck bands, sew on the buttons, box the sweaters up with 100 of their closest friends, and get them to Arizona. All of a sudden I feel great empathy for the R2D2 droid. Let the sparking and shrieking commence.

Project #1: The Staring Contest With Fate Sweater which has now had one sleeve sewn on three times despite much measuring, calculating, and matching up of carefully placed markers. Perhaps it was premature of me to moon Fate out the window of my car after I successfully finished knitting all the pieces.

Project #2: A Guideposts “Knit for Kids” Sweater using some forest green, slate gray and navy blue variegated Wool Ease. Curiously, everybody, from non-knitters to, er, pardon the pun, dyed-in-the-wool yarn snobs, is drawn to this Wool Ease. There’s just something about the richness and subtlety of the colors that is making people come up to me with great commenting and fondling (of the yarn, that is). Wool-Ease! Who knew?!

The Guidepost sweater is the simplest of the simple: two blocky, t-shaped halves (which—I can't help it—make me think of Tetris pieces) knit in stockinette and garter stitch and then sewn together (although this new extreme, “living life on the edge” variation I just found has—hold on to your hats—a ribbed hem. Can it be?!).

Of course, the new bold and adventuresome Ryan couldn’t leave well enough alone so here is one finished side showing the—oo-lal-la!—checkerboard pattern I threw in for grins.

A close-up of the checkerboard, which looks remarkably like all the other checkerboard ever knit so feel free to yawn:

When the two halves are seamed together, I’m going to add a folded cuff to the sleeves to cover the kind of lumpy-bumpy unfinished look of the edges. Oh, I’m just so crazy and wild and reckless! Can you stand it?

Project #3: The now-named Variation on a Theme Sweater which is, as I mentioned last entry, inspired by these colors, and which is, for some reason, going speed-of-sound fast. Here is the back, completed, and I’m lerving it.

Spark! Shriek! Spark! Shriek!

Posted by Ryan at May 22, 2006 01:57 PM