BTO: Binding iT Off

I'm taking a page from the fine philosophers Bachman, Turner et al and making my new life motto TCB: takin' care of business.

So far though, it's more like TCK: takin' care of knitting. About a week ago, I tired of the glut of half-finished and orphaned projects I had kicking around and decided to finish them all. First up, the most tragic knit of all: the Arctic Diamonds Stole.Started at least two years ago, this stole had an unfortunate run in with a leaky container of tomato soup. Instead of spot-treating the stains immediately, I hid it away in frustration. I am wise. I was wiser still in using extra braces elastics as stitch markers, because the rubber quickly degraded and added more, if also more regularly spaced, stains. Yee haw.
I forged ahead anyways and managed to get some of the stains out. I'm willing to accept the finished project, but only with some DRAMATIC FRINGE. At the rate I'm adding the fringe though, it will be another two years before it is complete. Oh well. Think of the DRAMA.
Next: My January Aran is getting sleeves! Consider it a belated 100th birthday shout-out to Elizabeth Zimmerman. By the way, that is a Penguin of Perseverence my Dad bought for me at a street fair. I look to it for inspiration.

Stole Half Full

I finished exactly half of my stole,
To knit is much better than to tole,
Fewer noxious fumes-
I don't even need to leave the room.

Look! At what I made,
Decorative achievements only fade.
I could wear this as a hat,
I could even put it on my cat.

Please be sending me my poetry award tomorrow, thank you and good afternoon.

Trauma and Lace

Well, let's just forget that week ever happened, alright? I'm still in recovery. Right after I had to write three essays in a week, I had to write three exams. Granted, it's my fault for not being more... studious and better at time management. But still, it was traumatic. I'm not even on solid foods yet, unless really dark stout ale counts. The other plan was some therapeutic sleeping in, which was ruined when my friend called from Boston. At 6. Because he was bored. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Helllllarrrrrggh.
Josh: Hey Protagitron, it's Josh.
Me: Wha? Ish six! I KEEEEEL YOU. [pause] How ish Boston?



Well, I'm feeling a little less homicidal now. I have yet another exam on Monday, and then a week off until my final exam on the 28th. I'm ignoring Monday's exam, however, and concentrating on my knitting, which was sadly neglected over the past few days. I love knitting this stole, since the lace is just interesting enough to keep things interesting while also being simple enough to master. I haven't seen any mistakes in the pattern yet, and it's turning out nicely. I'm hoping I'll have enough yarn left over to add some dramatic fringe. I think the stole needs sweepy fringe. Until I'm finished though, I'll just hold it up and pretend I'm a spider with a web.

All Wrapped Up

Today, in the continuing adventures of My Major Kicks Your Major's Ass, I got to go to a mall to do some research. Too bad I picked what might possibly be the most depressing mall in Montréal. Décarie Square is a mall on life support. It's most notable feature is that it's home to the Dollar Theater. Actual cost of admission: two dollars. It's one of those places where most of the chains have moved out, except for Winners and a single brave Ardène's. There isn't a Sears, at the Décarie Square mall- there's a Sears Liquidation Store. The units that aren't empty are rented out by local operations, like the Cell-Tec store or The Handbag Two. No, I am not making those names up. I was particularly taken with Quelque Hose, a store which sold well, hosiery. The store must have been forced to diversify after it was named, because it also sold greeting cards and novelty t-shirts. In the corner, a machine labeled Animaland swirled stuffing in a glass box, rather like a popcorn machine. You could stuff your choice of toys, although from pig to dog they all looked as morose as the mall's paint job. I almost bought a couple of tights and a teddy bear just to salute the store's punnery though.

Now I'm back from the deadlands of consumer society, and getting the taste out of my mouth by pouring over knitting patterns. I want to make a stole out of some lovely dove gray Zephyr I picked up at the Stitch Niche over reading week. I don't want the patterning to be overly traditional and fussy- it has to be either eccentric or geometric, because the dress I have in mind for it is a cute flowered halter dress that walks the line between a touch of retro and time bandit from 50s suburbia. There's a crinoline, for god's sakes. The top contenders are (all pictures c/o the pattern sources):
Hanami Stole, Pink Lemon Twist

Stole Notre Dame, Birgit Freyer
Cobweb Lace Stole, Michele Rose Orne
Arctic Diamonds Stole, Donna Druchunas
Who will be the victor? I don't know- I have a purple cardigan that needs blocking.