Work in transit

Whoosh!
Where did my home week go? I guess there is a reason why I usually need two weeks to do two weeks' worth of work, errands and house stuff. Not to mention knitting.

I was going to write a long entry about my works in progress and the latest cool secret pal stuff (a lovely hair band in self-patterning American flag yarn, three cute fabric-covered pins in shades of blue, Mexican "hot chocolate" chocolate and another very "me" card with Wendy the sheep) with tons of pictures. However, my ailing camera didn't think that was a good idea. It took about three crappy pictures, flashing or under-exposing at will (yes, I do know how to use it) and then died rather unceremoniously. Whatever. I've had it. This time I'm getting a new camera.

The Garnstudio cardigan is inching along on both sleeves.

What did I tell you about the crappy pictures?
I really want to wear this (did I mention that I love the Garnstudio designs? Clear, no-frill designs for stuff I would actually wear. And plenty of sizes, too.) but the plain stockinette sleeves haven't held my interest for long lately.

Not when I'm in love with Seasilk. Boy, is that yarn beautiful!

This (I'm not even going to comment on the quality of this picture)

is one half of a rectangular shawl. I'm knitting two halves to be grafted in the middle because of the directional pattern. The ivory hues of the yarn are so gorgeous (please scroll back two entries for a better idea of what it's like) that I wanted a pretty substantial lace pattern that would show off all that gorgeousness. And I wanted it to look like just "a piece of lace", so it's one pattern all over, ostrich plume with a narrow seed stitch border, instead of a combination. My two skeins are going to make a very generous shawl, and I can't wait. Go and get yourself some Seasilk, you have to see it in person.

Here's another WIP with a better picture, because I took it a while back and forgot to post it.
This is going to be a bag made with two lovely secret pal gifts, inspired by Noni' "In the sculpture garden". Inspired by, because I'm basically just using the colour combination (sorta) making everything else up as I go along. It's going to be roughly the shape of the crochet bag I made a while back, with the handles my SP8 sent me. And I'm not sure what colour the felted flowers will be. I'm going to felt it by hand, because I'm a scaredy-cat :o). The swatch I felted worked beautifully, and the fabric is solid but still unbelievably soft.

I succumbed to the lure of Lang Silkdream. It was just stronger than me. Soft, shimmering silk/merino at less than half the price of Lion and Lamb. I'm only human.

So, yeah, I'm the last person on earth to knit Clapotis. In Silkdream in plum, dark red and rosé. I'm loving every single stitch of it.

I've put the blue crochet not-a-hoodie-anymore aside, because with our heatwave it felt as if I was buried under tons of fiber when I had it in my lap to knit on the ribbing. But I want to work on it, because I think it could be something really nice and wearable after all.

And I can't say anything about my last WIP yet, because it's for my One Skein Not So Secret Pal (hi Claudia). But I will say that getting to know her and her blog has inspired me to look at and think about Japanese arts and crafts, and that I've learned a little something along those lines specifically for this project to thank her for opening this world to me through her blog.

Well, I'm off to pack my knitting and head for the sheep pastures of Lower Saxony. But before I go ... it seems to me that I've been whining a lot on this blog lately. Yeah, things are rather on the rough side right now, and what with all the little everyday things it's hard sometimes to remember something that I do want to remember always, because it is one of the few things I believe in with all my heart. So I'll leave this post be with a few words by my favourite spiritual writer ever.

Joy and Sorrow

Then a woman said, 'Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.'
And he answered:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Some of you say, 'Joy is greater than sorrow,'
and others say, 'Nay, sorrow is the greater.'
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board,
remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.
Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.
Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.
When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

Kahlil Gibran