Rocket Science

Space Is For Knitting

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Location: Rural Midwest, United States

Sunday, April 06, 2003

Here's my Household Hint for the day: if you own the Super Fabulous Humongous Knitter's Knitting Bag DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT dry it in the dryer, particularly if you value it for its humongousness.

I didn't tell yesterday about my used bookstore finds. I bought Barbara Walker's Charted Knitting Designs ($9.50). This is the hardcover 1972 addition and I think it may be from a school or library because the dust jacket is covered in plastic. This book has a bunch of mosaic blocks and interesting "picture" lace patterns (like filet crochet, the open spaces form pictures like flowers and bats.) And then there are CABLES and cool 3-D stuff like a turtle and a candlestick and a SPIDER. The other knitting book I bought is one I hadn't ever heard of: Knitting from the Netherlands -- Traditional Dutch Fishermen's Sweaters ($6). There's a lot of history in this book. Apparently, for a time in the Netherlands, fishermen sported sweaters that are similar in form to Ganseys. There are LOADS of old photos and what is essentially the same basic square sweater pattern again and again with different knit-and-purl texture patterns forming the design.

I wonder if there is ANYWHERE online where I can find the gauge of Rowan Denim both Before and After shrinking. I bought some denim yarn to make Core from the Rowan Treasury but I think the shrink factor is different for the Rowan versus my denim. It may be worthwhile to buy a ball of Rowan and make two swatches to compare. I also wondered about pre-shrinking my denim and then using the Rowan Cotton instructions. I guess I’ll know when I swatch. (I should have that on a T-shirt: I’ll Know When I Swatch.)

Here’s how you know you live Way Out In The Country: since the onset of Wet Spring, I’ve been having a terrible time getting and staying online. When I pick up my phone I hear a crackle so loud I almost can’t hear the dial tone and, to the computer, this interference is enough to break the connection. It happens because IT’S DAMP. How Green Acres is that?