Seesaw

One of the things I love about living in Glasgow is that you can walk through a park on a perfectly ordinary afternoon and suddenly you are in the middle of King Lear. I should really make a point of buying tickets for Bard in the Botanics and I think I might opt for Twelfth Night now that I've seen quite a chunk of Lear. One of the things I do not love about living in Glasgow is marching season. My bus was caught behind a march the other day and I had plenty of time to think about sectarianism in Glasgow. It truly saddens me that people choose to fuel divisions within a community rather than challenge long-held prejudices and sectarian behaviour.

This is Glasgow life. A constant see-saw of good and bad things. Thankfully the amount of good things happening outweighs the bad things.

Autumn/Winter collections from various yarn companies are beginning to show up around the web.

I am slightly underwhelmed by the Drops collection and can only really see myself making ac-018 (don't you just love the fetching Drops names?) although the ee-324 is very cute novelty pullover.

The new Rowan Autumn/Winter collection have been leaked, and I enjoyed Rowan 48. The Alisa stole is beautiful, the Inga cardigan looks quite Scandinavian (and I mean that as a compliment - imagine it in monochrome and styled with minimalist clothes and accessories. Wowza.) and I love, love the Lidiya dress. Being much more mindful of my queue, though, I am mainly torn between between Rowena (on the left - I already have a commercial black pullover very much in that style) and Vera. I will need to see the magazine in real life before I decide which of the two pullovers I will end up queueing. I also have my beady eye firmly fixed on Rowan Lima for a winter project, so I hope there'll be some fabulous pullovers or cardigans for that yarn.

Not that I am doing much knitting at the moment. I have bought a new wrist support for my poor wrist, so hopefully that will help its recovery. I have completed swatching for a scarf pattern I'm going to write up later this summer (no previews, sorry). I have also knitted a few rows on my 4ply cardigan, but small needles are proving quite painful to hold.

Hold on, though, for a finished object. I finished it some time ago but could not post anything until it had been gifted to a good friend.

How To Choose A Yarn

This is one of my favourite topics: how to choose the right yarn for your project. I'll try to be brief! Bells recently wrote about knitting a cardigan in laceweight yarn and how disappointed she was when it quickly began looking worse for wear. Is it possible to knit a durable garment in laceweight, she wondered? My reply:

I think it is not so much the weight of yarn as the fibre content.. I’d be wary of knitting a garment in Malabrigo Lace, Sock AND Worsted, simply because of the way their merino yarns are constructed (maybe the sock less so but def the lace & the worsted). You’d want a relatively tightly spun lace and preferably in longer fibres than merino.

In other words, when you plan a project you need to take several things into consideration when you choose your yarn in order to avoid disappointment or a garment falling to bits. These should be your main considerations:

• Weight (lace, 4ply/sock, sport, double knitting etc)
• Construction (single ply, 2-plied, chained etc)
• Fibre (cotton, alpaca, merino, blue-face leicester, bamboo etc)
• Care/Maintenance (machine-washable? dry-clean? hand-wash? defuzzer?)
• Price

Two examples:

1. Baby Cardigan. The pattern will tell you a gauge which indicates which Weight you should use. Typically this would be a fine weight like 4ply or double knitting/light worsted. Then think about Fibre: you'll be wanting something soft, so merino would be a great choice (as would blue-face leicester). However, Care/Maintenance tells you that while that Malabrigo Worsted might be the softest thing on earth, it is hand-wash only which isn't a great choice for something that will get drooled on 24/7. It will also start to pill very quickly (it's basically a 2-ply disguised as a 1-ply - that's Construction) and new mums will not have the time to defuzz that baby cardigan before they leave the hospital. You should probably opt for something sturdier, but still soft. Price? That will determine whether you'll end up with a soft acrylic or a soft merino-blend. The choice is yours, but whatever you choose, you will end up with a great baby cardigan.
2. 4-ply Lace Cardigan. You have already been told by the pattern which Weight to use. You should also look at the recommended Fibre as it will tell you whether the cardigan is designed to be drapey (i.e. silk, alpaca, cotton) or to keep its shape (wool, linen to some degree). If you want to turn a 4-ply cotton cardigan into something you could wear during the winter, you would look for an alpaca 4-ply, for instance. If you will be using the cardigan a lot, you'd want a fairly sturdy yarn (high twist, maybe even cabled - again, use your knowledge of Construction) in a robust fibre (something like a Shetland or an Icelandic 4-ply - or a woolblend) whereas a statement piece could be done in a more delicate yarn (silk, pure merino). Here Care/Maintenance is also important as a soft, delicate yarn invariably will pill more than a rustic yarn. Price is naturally also important.

Designers can generally be trusted to make most of the decisions for you when they write their pattern, but sometimes even they make a poor decision and opt for a pretty yarn which may not suit your purposes (i.e. the pattern is written for delicate cashmere, but the actual garment is a practical cardigan). This is a pitfall for many very experienced knitters.

Notice how I haven't even spoken about colours or how the fibre feels against your skin? That is because I believe you need to have narrowed down your yarn shortlist before you start looking at those pretty, pretty colours or before you start stroking those soft hanks. Most knitters start with a colour before they start thinking about more technical stuff, but, really, would you buy a car just because you liked the colour? Be smart about your purchases, dear readers.

Finally, I know that you might not feel you're "smart enough" to walk into a LYS and find the right yarn based upon the criteria outlined above. This is why LYS employees are suddenly your best friends. They (should) know their yarns and be able to assist you in an honest, friendly and knowledgable way. Explain exactly what you are making, have your pattern's gauge/needle-size on hand, point out who you are making it for (this is more important than you might think) and what your price range is. It'll help them help you.

I don't know if I have been brief here, but I hope this has been helpful. Any comments or queries?

Love Spreads

Life is good when the sun is out and you have the day to yourself. The postman brought me the Spring/Summer edition of the Rowan International newsletter and I read it whilst surrounded by buttercups, daisies and playful squirrels. Later, when the sun disappeared, I went to the local Polish deli for rye-bread, tuna pate and buttermilk. It made for a delicious late lunch. I also found two beautiful tweed skirts in a charity shop along with an old, old knitting magazine. Total cost: £3. Yes, it has been one of those days today. One to savour.

I need a tiny pick-me-up, actually, because I have been struggling with wrist-pain following yesterday's knitting group. The old ice pack came out again as did the pain killers. I have been able to crochet without too much bother, so I am wondering if the small knitting needles are exacerbating whatever is wrong with my wrist - I am using 2.5mm and 3mm. Presumably it would do my wrist good if I swapped my usual Continental style for the English style, but as I am working with cotton, I am worried about any change in tension.

ANYWAY. Today has been a lovely day.

And that is even before I mention that a girl in winter has given me a pat on the blogging shoulder. Basically, it is one of those spread-the-love things where someone says "I love reading your blog, have this virtual plaque, think of ten random facts about yourself, and then mention ten blogs you love reading."

I'll give you six factoids, though, because I'm really dull.

1. I have two of my own designs on the needles at the moment. One is a sock pattern and the other one is a beaded scarf. I plan on releasing the patterns. 2. I think in colour and suspect a mild form of synaesthesia. 3. I cannot wear high heels thanks to hypermobile feet. Well, okay, I can, but I'll be limping the next day. I have inlays for my (flat) shoes which ensure my feet are kept steady throughout the day. Thankfully I don't need to wear the inlays constantly. My podiatrist once told me that had I been born in Russia, I would have been part of the State Circus. Thanks. 4. I identify as a Secular Humanist which sometimes makes people think I'm a big fan of Richard Dawkins. I am not. He veers far too close to fundamentalism for my taste and I find him decidedly off-putting. 5. When I say that my style is "vintage-inspired casual", I really mean "perpetually student-ish". I still get asked for student ID in shops despite being in my mid-30s. 6. I once appeared on a Danish quiz show and then travelled around New Zealand on my winnings.

Now imagine the next sentence in big pink sans-serif letters across the bust of a Photoshopped Hollywood Starlet: Ten Fabulous Bloggers You Need to Add To Your Feed Reader Right Now:

• Drop Stitches, Not Bombs - clever and stylish Italian woman knitting her way across Europe (although mainly UK-based)
• Bellsknit - Bells in Australia has a way with words, yarn and food. Gorgeous photography and great sense of humour too.
• Thrums - a recent find. New York-based woman who reads, knits and observes people.
• A Friend to Knit With - the photography is just stunning
• Feather & Fan - the brilliant Orata's blog filled with her own designs and travels.
• Ms KnitWit - I really like how she captures the extraordinary in ordinary life in her photos. Also: smart, funny and crafty.
• Roobeedoo - Someone else who has been transplanted to a life in Scotland. She's a reader, a crafter and very human.
• Academia Nuts- I'm privileged to call her a friend. You should see her knitting projects too.
• Anarkistens (ægte) Kogebog - Danish food blog. The funniest blog I've read in a long time. And she's all about using 12thC recipe books in her kitchen. Respekt dér.
• Petra O - a Swedish craft blog which is hugely inspirational with its beautiful photography and distinct style.

I Need Distractions

My great-grandmother's bedspread/blanket arrived today. Every single square was knitted individually in moss-stitch and then sewn together before she picked up stitches, knitted an edge, cast off, and crocheted a decorative edge. (So much work. I can deal with the huge amounts of mustard yellow in the spread, in other words.) I wonder if I should drape it over our sofa.. We live in a rented flat, so some of the furniture is not exactly to our taste (particularly the pink-yellow chintz sofa).

Thank you for the comments on Becoming Less than a Magpie. After writing it, I went straight to Ravelry and started weeding out my queue. It has gone from 247 patterns queued to 77 projects queued. It feels very liberating. I know the new autumn/winter collections will be hitting the web soon, so I am prepared to see my queue get a bit longer, but I am keeping the following self-imposed rules in mind:

• Will it flatter my figure?
• Will it work with existing items in my wardrobe?
• Do I already have similar objects in my wardrobe?
• Will I get any use out of it?

In other words, I will assess concrete things like gauge and shape as well as abstract things like style and wearability. Also, I will no longer be queueing fifteen patterns when one well-chosen pattern suffices.

Style is quite abstract, isn't it? I am not fashionable (although for one brief month back in 1995 I was outrageously trendy) but I do think a lot about style. Being Danish I have grown up with a certain Nordic aesthetic - you might best know it from countless IKEA catalogues. Scandinavians like their simple lines, plenty of light and very little nonsense to their architecture/furniture/designs. A typical Danish knitting design would be something along the lines of Topstykke, Duet or Granite. Plain knitting with a little twist. On the other hand I have never been a very good Dane and I turned into an bit of an Anglophile when I was very young, cue the love of tweedy things with cables and fair-isle (or, in other words, everything Rowan). Add to that, an uncompromising love of Modernist art and design (and that pesky Scandinavian mid-century modern influence) and that is pretty much where "my style" is at.

See why my queue has shrunk so much? Yeah.

Now I'm off to wave a tiny Danish paper flag about. The Danish football team is playing their first World Cup match today and I'm slightly worried as they are meeting one of the top contenders, Holland. It is going to be tense and I still cannot knit.

Becoming Less of a Magpie?

The Football World Cup has begun. I'd be happier if I could knit my way through every match, but my wrist is still bothering me. A colleague recommended arnica gel as a possible short-cut to future happiness knitting. I am not one for herbal remedies, really, but I get twitchy if I have nothing to occupy my hands. During my "downtime" I have been doing a lot of thinking. Yet another fantastic Cargo Cult Craft blog post sent me thinking about the things I create and why I create them. This spring I made Millbrook, a lightweight cardigan, and it has turned out to be one of the pieces I reach for again and again. I want to knit things I will actually wear and I think I need to be far more discerning about what I chose to make. I think I have been a "magpie knitter" in the past - making things just because I thought they were really, really shiny rather than because I needed them.

I love knitting triangular lace shawls which I wear as scarves - but do I really need more than four or five? Instead, perhaps, I should look into knitting fine-gauge lace cardigans and pullovers, because a) I will wear them and b) they fit with the rest of my existing wardrobe. Fine-gauge lace cardigans and pullovers will provide the challenges I love in my knitting, and while they may take much longer, they will actually see some use rather than languish in a drawer somewhere. I'm thinking along the lines of Geno, Arisaig, Shirley .. but pattern suggestions are very welcome. My queue is long, unwieldy and does not contain many realistic knits. I am looking for winter-appropriate patterns as well as more summery knits.

Susannah at CCC makes a great point about realistic wardrobes. I find my wardrobe is very geared towards "vintage-inspired casual" but I struggle when it comes to dressing up. Recently a good friend became engaged and I had a moment of panic, because I have nothing I can wear to a wedding. Fortunately the wedding is some years away, so I have time to find a solution, but it was an eye-opener. I tried on this dress (I liked the silhouette), but I am struggling to see how a party dress fits into my lifestyle. Weddings come around every five years or so, not every five weeks. Susannah's point about realistic wardrobes comes in handy here. If I did have a realistic approach to clothes-shopping and -making, I would have a little shift dress I could pull out whenever an occasion arose. I would have matching shoes and a little handmade cardigan.

Another thought-provoking blog post about clothes and bodies come courtesy of ProjectRunGay. I know, I know, but their fashion recaps of Mad Men has been hugely enjoyable - and I don't even watch the show! This post about "Joan Holloway" (aka our Mrs Reynolds' Christina Hendricks) was a particular favourite of mine because I have a similar body shape and took a lot from how Mad Men's costume designers dressed Hendricks. I might be able to apply some of the logic to my own clothes. In a realistic way.

PS. I wholeheartedly recommend the Glasgow Boys exhibition currently on display at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. I think it will become a touring exhibition, so keep an eye out if you are in the UK. I was particularly taken by George Henry's Symbolist landscapes and Japanese watercolours as well as Arthur Melville's impressive watercolours.

Books 2010: Scarlett Thomas - Our Tragic Universe

I am reading a lot at the moment. Scarlett Thomas' latest novel fell into my lap at the local library and I was happy to take it home with me. I am equally happy to take it back not having spent any money on it. Let us recap what happened last time I read one of Ms Thomas' books:

I do not know why I’ve read three Scarlett Thomas novels because if you take away the colourful packaging of a) metafiction (“The End of Mr Y”), b) anti-consumerism (“PopCo”) and c) popculture (“Going Out”) you get pretty much the same novel. New Age health solutions? Check. Schrödinger’s cat? Check. Main protagonist being into her math puzzles? Check. Slightly deviant sexual orientation painted in a fairly vague way? Check. C-category drug use? Check. Vegetarianism or some variant upon it? Check. Internet featuring heavily? Check.

But I still like her novels (..) even if they feel like a Linda McCartney meal. You know, easily digested vegetarian fare with a touch of celebrity to it?

Our Tragic Universe? It reads like a diluted version of the above padded with Narratology for Dummies, Tarot cards, jam-making and pages about how difficult it is to, er, knit socks. Everything falls into place once Scarle Meg figures out how to knit socks on double-pointed needles. I wish I were making this up.

Okay, a more sophisticated approach:

Clearly Our Tragic Universe wants to have a plotless plot or even be that paradoxical beast: an approachable antinovel. Whatever plot it has, it revolves around our protagonist attempting to write a hip, Zeitgeisty novel without a plot. Ah, funnily enough the novel itself mirrors the non-existing novel within. So far, so refreshingly clever (or depressingly metafictional, depending upon your mood). Sadly, Scarlett Thomas knows how to do this intellectually (we know this because the books bangs on and on about the theories) but her novelistic chops let her down.

Our Tragic Universe is a mess, and not even an entertaining mess.

Scarlett Thomas thanks Andrew Crumey in her notes. Crumey writes the sort of novel that Thomas thinks (or wishes or pretends because her books are all about pretending) she is writing. Go seek them out. I'm currently thirty pages into David Mitchell's number9dream - he is that rare beast: an author who is a chameleon but also is constantly himself. Mitchell does marvellous things with narrative structure and is essentially a storyteller at heart. Another author I would recommend you read instead of spending time/money on Our Tragic Universe.

(Our Tragic Universe is actually worse than my other recent read, Julia Quinn's Splendid, which is terribly sad because Splendid is set in Regency London and has characters slipping  in and out of 1990s Valley-speak.)