Celt’s Vintage Crochet is Gone (Well, Mostly)

I used to stop by Celt’s Vintage Crochet  every once in awhile to check for updates to this fascinating archive.  Lots of crochet patterns, and some knitting designs, from early 20th century publications.  And you could browse through them and print them out “free, gratis, and for nothing” (apologies to Alice Beer). Sadly, the owner has decided to close the site.  You can read about her reasons here.

This was the site where I found the Hemlock Ring pattern that Jared Flood used as the basis for his gorgeous blanket.

All is not completely lost, though.  The Wayback Machine has archived a December 2007 version of the site here, so you can still see most of what was available there.  Print out your favourites while the opportunity exists.

 

Goodbye, 2008

Don’t let the door whack you in the butt on the way out!

Personally, I thought the first bit of the year really stank.  In April, I had my first real-life trip to the hospital by ambulance, and subsequently lost all faith in my family physician.  Other small disappointments left me feeling a little down for awhile. 

Thank goodness for quilting.  And knitting.  And jewelry-making.  I could go on.  There’s no better therapy than putting your hands to good use, I think.  The projects I enjoyed the most were charity quilts, and so I have decided to do more of them this year.  That’s step 1 in my plan for a joyful 2009.  And joy is my wish for all of you, too.

 

Page 56

Kathleen Taylor’s blog has an interesting meme today:

Page 56 Rules:

*Grab the book nearest you. Right now.*

Turn to page 56.

Find the fifth sentence.*

Post that sentence in the comments, and if you like, on your blog with these instructions.
Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Here’s mine:

“Don’t even think of squandering them.”  From “Refuse to Choose!” by Barbara Sher.

She’s  talking about how a specific type of person has a “valuable eagerness to explore what’s new and an ability to be fascinated where too many people see nothing at all.  Those are gifts.”  It’s an exhortation to  commit to everything that interests you.

What’s in the book that’s closest to you right now?

 

Another Work in Progress

The last time I knit a sweater for myself was before Denis and I were married.  That’s more than 16 years!  It was knit with a cotton and silk blend yarn that I had to mail order.  The pattern was from Vogue Knitting, an off-white pullover with flower and vine shapes knit separately and sewn on the front.  There was a textured design knit into the sweater front that looked like a vase.  I loved it.

Clearly, large knitting projects don’t thrill me.  I like socks, scarves, shawls, not only because they’re small, but because they don’t require careful fitting.  Recently, however, I fell in love with some aran alpaca by Fleece Artist and it needs to be a sweater.

The colourway is cedar, and it is darker and greener than my flash-happy camera is letting you see.  This will be a cardigan, from a Berroco freebie called Solaris.  I’m already nervous about having enough yarn, but that happens every time I cast on

I am also knitting from two different skeins.  If all the skeins looked the same to me, I wouldn’t have bothered, but some are noticeably lighter than others.  I had visions of a goofy-looking cardigan with one pale sleeve (hey, look, she ran out of yarn and had to substitute something that didn’t match).  I knit two rows from one skein and then two rows from the other, and so on.  I was concerned that it was going to look too stripey, but I like the effect.

 

Denis Won’t Try the Sweater

I’ve finished the collar and mattress-stitched the side seams, with minimal ripping out and resewing.

I don’t love the sewing of seams, which is weird since I spend so much time sewing quilt blocks together.  Because I want to avoid more seaming, I decided that I will pick up stitches around the armholes and knit the sleeves in the round, from shoulder to cuff.  Bonus:  Denis can try on the sweater before I bind off, so the sleeve length will be just right.  He’s a tall man with long arms, so I suspect that the 18 inches of standard length will not do.

I can only guess at this point, though, since he refused to try the sweater on last night.  I can’t understand why he doesn’t want to put on a thick, silky wool sweater in the middle of July, can you?

This morning I took some time to browse the aisles at Michael’s, and found an interesting sock yarn I hadn’t heard of before:

Patons Stretch Socks, a soft blend of cotton, wool, nylon and elastic.  This colourway is called “Sugar”.  Once I have finished with the sweater sleeves, I’ll knit myself a pair of toe-up socks with this.  For now, it will snuggle with the rest of the stash.