Letters
Giftalonging! How’s It Going?
Dear Kay,
How’s your Giftalong getting along? Mine is now in that sweet spot where I’m on Chapter 20 of Moby-Dick, and I’m halfway into my Breton Cowl.
By the way, Moby-Dick Big Read continues to be amazing. If you’re still on the fence as to whether you need to get in on a 135-chapter audiobook read by 135 different readers, well, c’mon. Our group read over in The Lounge is getting under way. We are so much smarter than we were in high school! This book RESONATES now. It’s not hard. It’s funny, and tender, and surprising on just about every page. Unlike in high school, I’m hanging on every line.
The Herman Melville Society is not paying me to say this. (Runs off to see if there is such a society.) (Aha: there is.) But The Melville Society is welcome to come jump in anytime. And pay me.
If you need a synopsis, up top is Stephen Colbert getting a two-minute lesson in Moby-Dick from Melville scholar Andrew Delbanco. While on a roller coaster. Many thanks to Amy Schwartz for sending along this hilarious thing.
A Flange, a Flap, a Welt
This Breton Cowl, from Field Guide No. 1, has exactly four moments of drama: the rows where you make the contrasting stripe turn into a three-dimensional little poke-out. The pattern calls it a welt, but welt is right there with bruise in my book, so I’m going with ridge.
On Ridge 2, I have found my rhythm for this.
You knit along in the Shibui Drift (the purply Velvet), then you shift to Raspberry (the Shibui Silk Cloud). Seven rows later, you screw up your courage, and you reach your right needle down six rows on the wrong side to pick up a purl bump. You stick it on the left needle and knit it with the next stitch. Before you know it, you’re . . . making . . . a ridge.
A sheeny, shiny Silk Cloud ridge.
This is about all the drama I can handle at the moment.
This, and the sailing of the Pequod.
Love,
Ann
You say potato, I say potahto…
I’d call that a tuck (and yes, I’m with you on welts being bruises…!). 😀 It’s looking gorgeous Ann!
Haha to the clip! Wearing sports coats! And the professor, staying so cool even though he says he is terrified! Made my morning.
My gift along is not really happening as I am behind in my commitment to make husband a sweater for his birthday/Christmas/Hannukah gift, and I am only half done. And there is a new niece due to be born in three weeks, and her baby goft, a sweater, is being attended to in the spare little moments. There are few of those as i have a houseful of visiting family. Little is getting done.
I am one of the strange ones who actually has read Moby Dick twice, but not since college, and that was 1968. I haven’t started it yet, but I told my husband about it, and he is listening along quite happily. I have not yet told him about the discussion pages, but that might happen.
The cowl is gorgeous. As for Christmas knitting, one pair of Maine Morning Mitts and a doggie coat to go.
My BFF’s wife loves Moby Dick so much that they pack up their baby every year and attend the annual Moby Dick Marathon at the New Bedford Whaling Museum (or as we call it heeyah in Bahstin “New Bedfid”). Anyone can sign up for a stint in the read-aloud during the weekend and they usually sign up for a few. The things we do for love. I shouldn’t point fingers: she’s so dear to me that I actually designed and knitted her a Moby Dick themed baby blanket. Imagine explaining that WIP to strangers on the subway. Here it is: (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/honeybee33/moby-dick-under-the-sea-spectacular-baby-blanket) — I was gonna embroider a tiny little harpoon trailing out of Moby’s mouth but at the last minute she nixed it, so she does have bounds of propriety after all.
Yes, wonderful! I get why your friend didn’t vote for the harpoon. It could be that when “Baby” hits adolescence, a harpoon would be perfect…
Or you could just take the easy way out and make a sweater with whale buttons: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/MayasMom/garter-ridge-baby-cardigan
Of course I clicked onto your project page right away. Well done, you!
Well named as it really is spectacular!
Thanks for that video clip! The cool prof, and able to answer when terrified. That really shows some mastery of a topic.
As for the gift knitting, I guess it is out of control, so normal status: I made my packing list for a two-day, T-day trip, included 3 projects and then realized I forgot the one that needs to be in the mail first (like two weeks ago).
I love that we are smarter than we were in high school. I can’t wait to order my Breton kit. Just waiting for thanksgiving to pass. The welt idea scared me at first but Kay made it look easy. Are you doing them like her? And I can’t wait to hear Mobby. As soon as Thursday is gone, I am into everything.
My gift-making will be on hold over Thanksgiving, when some of the givees will be here so I can’t knit in front of them. I’m well into a cowl kit I bought and I’m quite dissatisfied with the yarn, which is full of splits and lumps. I bought 3 kits. And, who knew? The other kit (different pattern) I bought came with Madelinetosh yarn which is, of course, fabulous. I’m finishing this one, and may keep it for myself, and then maybe see if I can return the others.
I am loving doing my knitting as suggested in the earlier post about the knitalong–I’m shopping in my stash, finding yarn that speaks to me, knitting something with it, then setting it aside. As I frequently only have 1-3 balls of something, this is bringing a lot of hats and cowls into the world. Currently working on the Soda Shoppe Bonnet and learning how to use Judy’s Magic Cast-On to knit back and forth to create a “pocket” (aka the top of a bonnet). Fascinating construction. (P.S.–My daughter’s new-to-her fairy wings have elastic straps to keep them on her back…as she was reluctantly removing them last night, one of the straps streeeeeetched and HIT her cheek. THAT caused a welt!!)
My gift along is about done and my most urgent WIP is my unfinished Saturn Cardigan by Hilary Smith Callis – which has welts! I discovered, after finishing one sleeve that it is a tad tight around the upper arms. (Hilary did not anticipate the dreaded upper arm plumpness, nor did I.) So, must unravel back to the first decrease and adjust.
Ok, that Colbert clip just made my day. (I actually feel a little queasy from watching it, I am suggestible that way). Love.
I listened to Moby Dick on Audible.com a few years ago. Still not convinced it is the Greatest American Novel, but then I prefer police procedurals so I may not be the best judge. I do agree that making a wel–, er, ridge, is just the right level of excitement.
Love Stephen. Hate Roller coasters, but loved the clip. I also love how you described the hey-I’m-actually-doing-this! moment. “Before you know it, you’re . . . making.” I am not listening to/reading Melville, but just began listening to the Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, after having read it several years ago. (I personally think that Pratchett is closer to Melville than Dan Brown, but have not read The Da Vinci Code to make sure.) I am doing no holiday knitting for anyone with the exception of a scarf for the Red Scarf Project. I am weeks-deep into a textile which is sort of holiday-related, though. It was meant to be part of my Halloween costume, but I punted with some sewing rather than knitting for Halloween, (I know!) and am now going back for a do-over, and to get it finished to submit in a (gulp) show. Oh, the other holiday part is that the deadline for submission for the piece is December 27th. Fingers crossed that I finish it by then.
My urge to gift a long is usually pretty low for the Christmas season, but , I’ve had a request for felted oven gloves. I have a pair I made that are the best-I don’t feel any heat at all wearing them. So at least a pair of oven gloves and my husband wants new slippers.
How do you make these? Sounds interesting
I decided to read Moby Dick a few summers ago, coincidentally at the same time that the Big Read was available. I combined actual reading with audio while walking, or knitting. or weeding…Tilda Swinton’s opening had me swooning.
When you finish Moby Dick, you might want to balance it out with the view from the shore…Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund. Beautiful story. In this era of glued to our tech and now now now! Naslund captures the pace and culture of those dependent on the sea.