Remember the Green Shoes?

Remember those green Birkenstocks I was moved to buy because of the green (actually yellow-green) stripe in the Volt shawl that has consumed my life?

They are from a previous year, discontinued and almost impossible to find unless you have short feet. Mine are long. When I couldn't find them at the usual online sites, I Googled them. I usually find what I want on Google on the first, maybe second page. For the green Isis sandals I went all the way to page five before I found them listed in my long, narrow size. I ordered immediately, thanked my lucky stars that they were discounted to less than half price, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Much to my dismay and after the confirmation email, I received an email of regret. The shoes were no longer in stock after all. Boo-hoo! How disappointing. Was nothing related to this shawl going to come out right without a big hassle? Was it a sign? I already knew that the green of the shawl was more yellow than the green of the shoes, but that was okay. No need to be too matchy-matchy, right?

The shawl is finally on the right track and on its way to the fast track. I needed the shoes to keep up my good luck. I turned to my never-failing source for everything--eBay! The few available were not my long, narrow size. I put in a request to be notified if a pair were listed and within a day I was notified of a new listing. The size in the listing was my length but "medium" width. The description led me to believe the shoes were actually narrow width. Every Birkenstock connoisseur/collector knows the filled in footprint in the footbed means "schmal" or "narrow." (An outlined footprint means "normal" or "regular.") A little emailing with the seller, a bid high enough to win and I am now the proud owner of the green shoes at one third (including shipping!) the retail price.

Volt is moving along. I have the rhythm of it now. Following my knitting guru's lead, I switched to Addi lace needles. They are wonderful! Fast, pointy, slick tips with a little drag on the shaft and non-glare when under lights. Perfect!

I bought green nail polish when I knew the shoes were on the way. In the late summer if you see a stylish, older woman on Cape Cod or in Philadelphia wearing black cropped trousers, a white shirt with the Volt shawl thrown over her shoulders, green ankle strap Birkenstocks showing a green pedicure, it will be me.

Bona Fide Knitter

The Volt Drama Continues

Here I am about to start my first green stripe on Volt and drama rears its ugly head again. But more about that later.

It's April 1! The window wabbit takes a last look at the green yarn stash that resided there all of March. Time for some Spring colors he thinks.

After my rant about the length of time it took to get the Isager yarn for Volt from knitisager.com, I never mentioned the great little gift I received with it.

The little pouch is a Chico Bag.

It contains an attached, generous-size project bag. And when not in use, you just stuff the bag back into the pouch which is always inside the bag. Neat-o!

Now about that Volt shawl that might be a Volt scarf . . . Yes, it seems small to me. My gauge is a little off. Enough to go up a needle size and start over? I don't think so. I don't know what happened. It could be that I was tense and knitting tight. I'm half finished the black section and I've used half the ball of yarn. I certainly don't want to go up a needle size and run out of yarn! So far the plan is to knit on and when finished, block it into submission!

This has become quite a project! I had to reorder KnitPicks needle tips when I couldn't find the wooden ones I have, then reorder again when I decided to switch to nickel plated and couldn't find those either. And with all the snag-free stitch markers I own, I had to order more--ones without black wire so I would stop knitting them into the fabric--one bead ones for row 1 and two bead ones for row 2. Clever?



I've just ordered more in a larger size so I will stop losing them in the fabric, in my lap and on the rug.

When my knitting guru speaks, I listen. The Scarlet Knitter told me she sometimes prefers Addi lace needles for their nonglare shafts. So I have two of them on order, doncha know--one for Volt and one for Dawn (for which I already have the yarn . . . shhhh, don't tell anybody). Too bad I didn't consider going up a needle size before I ordered those Addis! The Fine Line, the pattern book by Grace Anna Farrow really hooked me hard. Now if only I can get Volt onto the optimum needles with the optimum stitch markers which make the knitting easiest . . . and the right size.

Stay tuned . . .

Bona Fide Knitter

Third Time the Charm?

With four rows complete and a stitch or so off, I left the work on the needles, cut the yarn and with new needles cast on for the third time. How could one reasonably easy pattern cause me so much trouble? I have a list of reasons: (1) number of stitches, (2) counting, (3) different dec and inc than those that are second nature, (4) black yarn and stitch markers with black wire (5) and having mumble, mumble year-old eyes, (6) Addi turbos with blunt points, (7) wooden KnitPicks with too much drag, (8) . . . I think those seven just about sum it up.

After more than 6,300 stitches (which includes the crocheted provisional cast on stitches) and a week and a half of time (which includes weaving a seven foot triangle shawl), I finally have the right formula. The false starts were practice which served me well.

Picture this: headgear with magnifying lens, Ott floor lamp even during the daylight hours, KnitPicks nickel-plated circulars, thin pink (for knit rows) and blue (for purl rows) stitch markers, 3x5 cards with pattern and stitch count and a Post-It note for keeping my place.





For the first time I finished a fifth row of the pattern and can actually see the points taking shape. Maybe before long I can remove my security blanket--the stitch markers. But for right now, I'm in Volt heaven. I am on my way. The third time is the charm. knock on wood

Bona Fide Knitter

Volted

I didn't realize how many interruptions I have until I cast on for Volt! It's day three dawning and I have the cast on and only four rows completed, count 'em, FOUR!! And count 'em fast because I'm gearing up to tink that fourth row. I came up with an extra stitch in there somewhere along the way.

Setting up this pattern is a counting nightmare. "Nightmare" for me because I can't count to 25 without an interruption or distraction, even on so-called free days. Sheesh! I've never counted so much in my life! When rows 1, 2 and 3 came out perfectly though, I thought I had it licked. By row 3 I'd even placed markers in the pattern so that recounts didn't have to begin at the beginning of the row each time. My confidence led to my downfall.

So this morning I will tink the last row hoping I will uncover where I went wrong. There hasn't been enough fabric created to spot a mistake by just looking. It does not help that I'm working with black yarn and that the Addi needles I used to love seem to have such blunt tips now that I've been using KnitPick needles exclusively for the past few years. I will tink with sharp-pointed KnitPicks Harmony needles and continue from there by either keeping the work on the KnitPicks wooden needles or switching to KnitPicks nickel-plated when they arrive, probably tomorrow. If need be, I will frog the whole thing (two days work!) and start again--or just consider those rows a swatch and start over. It doesn't bother me much. It will be easier the second time around and I love the process.

Bona Fide Knitter (or Tink-er)

At Last!

At laaast . . . my yarn has come along. My waiting days are over. And life is like a song. Oh, yeah, at last. The skies above are blue . . . da da da da da da . . . I'm singing like Etta James. Can you hear me?

The Isager kit for Volt arrived late this afternoon. I'll enter my new project on Ravelry and make yarn cakes immediately. After that I might accomplish the cast on before the night is over. If not, tomorrow is a free day and I will cast on and knit, knit, knit, knit, knit! Oh, yeah, and purl too.

Bona Fide Knitter

Near Tears Here

The window weeps.

The swift awaits.

My Isager yarn is in HARRISBURG, scheduled for delivery MONDAY! I am in PHILADELPHIA wanting to get started SATURDAY! Why oh why couldn't it have been shipped USPS Priorty Mail instead of UPS which takes FOREVER!!! @&*%! @&*%!! @&*%!!! I could cry! Today is the type of chilly, rainy Saturday just perfect for marathon knitting. With a new book in my iPod I could have made great strides knitting Volt from The Fine Line.



So instead I bought a pair of Birkenstocks to go with the shawl I can't even start yet.

Don't ya just love 'em?

Bona Fide Knitter

Isager Yarn Where are You?

It is Friday. I has been a week since I ordered the yarn and it was "dispatched." Did they send it from NM via Pony Express?!!! I am soooo ticked. And that's putting it mildly. My life is on the suck side this week and my excitement over Grace Anna Farrow's designs and starting the Volt shawl has been the glue holding me together.

...deep breath... ...deep breath... ...deep breath...

Okay I'm sucking it up and moving on. The Harmony interchangeable US 4 needle tips and matching set of dpns arrived today. But now I'm thinking I should knit the shawl with nickel-plated needles. Guess what, the US 4 tips are not in the case. Give me strength!!! However, I do have some Addi Turbo 4s at hand, and a size F crochet hook for the provisional cast on is right here as well.

Anyway, by the time the yarn is finally in my hands I will probably have found all my missing size US 4 KnitPicks interchangeables.

Right now a glass of wine and some inches on a second sock. Then to catch up with a couple of episodes of Project Runway and this rainy, windy, not such a good March day will be a wrap.

Bona Fide Knitter

- - - WAIT! I hate to end on a low note. Here is something to smile about. At least they always make me smile. Like someone who started a Fickr group said, "There is something about a sailor suit."