Monday, September 18, 2017

Cats forever



Hi you all!
For days, I have been hunting for a perfect, quiet time to sit down at the desk and share some of the things I have been making and to share pictures of them… To find the right mindset, to gather thoughts, to collect right words has been almost impossible. There never seems to be long enough stretch of time for that. Today I realized how long it has been since I updated the blog and decided just to gather up some words and then hit publish. I do realize why Instagram is so popular, there the word count is smaller, but then again, there should be really good pictures. I seem to be lacking both. Small part of the problem has been the fact that I have been mostly making more cats and it feels like I have said enough of them already.

As always, I have treasured each one of your comments. Thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart. xxxxxx
I was searching for some inspiration about cats the other day and came across Dr Seuss’s Cat in a Hat movie. I watched it and I really liked the tiny bits where the teller read the book. I loved the rhymes, I need to get a copy of one of his books. I don’t think they have been translated into Finnish. I searched the Lapland library database and found one book and ordered it. 

While talking about books… I find historical mystery books quite entertaining and I listened to C. J. Sansom’s books some time ago. I was lost for a bit what to listen to next. Last week I bought D. K. Wilson’s The First Horseman and am quite happy again to roam around the dark alleys of the Tudor times London while knitting soft kittens. It might seem a bit strange for me to be enjoying something like that, but there is knitting connection there… AliceStarmore brought these Tudor (Roses) women into my life. Then I had to find some reading around them, that lead to Alison Weir’s books and Hilary Mantell’s Wolf Hall and then to Renaissance English History podcast. Now that I know more (which is still quite little) of those times and the real personnel, it is easier to read the fiction and it becomes more interesting. Tudor times aside, enough good words cannot be said of CraftlitAt the moment Heather is explaining and picking apart and pointing out interesting things of The Count of Monte Christo by Alexander Dumas and I am truly enjoying it too. I am not caught up yet but making a good progress. What could be better than to have a good book in the ears and an interesting knit/crochet/sewing/drawing in hands.
There have been more cats… The house is getting crowded little by little and the words “crazy cat lady” might just be very fitting nickname for me. In a way, I have enjoyed staying loyal to one design. Often, my mind rushes into something new and I drop the first idea without really considering it or taking the time to explore the theme for more. Some time ago I read from somewhere that if you want to design, I think it was to design, something, draw 100 pictures first because it is only after the first 100 are out of your mind, you come up with something unique. I have a long way to 100 cats, so I might just keep going.
I have played with yarns and I made one cat using yarn held double, I think my yarn is Jamieson’s Spindrift, but I am not sure, as I got a bag of very little balls without labels. I used several different shades to make this one; when one tiny ball was used up, I added a new little ball.
Then I made two as if they were using onesies, as I wanted to embroider something, but the little dots were the only design I could think of (the pink cat).
The one I am making now, has two strands of Jamieson’s and one strand of silky mohair and the feel is again very different. Using different yarns for the bodies has been interesting. Some yarns just flow into stitches, round up to fill the space and are soft to touch, while others have their own minds, feel odd, have no interest in turning into soft cat bodies, it feels like their stitches have corners and would like to keep their straight form, never to become curvy stitches. I found some black yarn in worsted weight from my stash last week. I must make one black cat, since Halloween is just around the corner and it would be very fitting to have a black cat.

How far into the fall or spring are you (Hello dear friends there Down South!)? My morning routines don’t include building the fire yet, and I have not been lighting the candles, but this week I am going to buy some when I drive to the town to buy groceries. There have been few walks when I have been truly freezing and then few when I have been too hot, as the weather is different from day to day. Dressing up just right seems to be impossible in this time of the year. But, I have used gloves and a hat few times already.
The fabric work continues. I have been quilting here and there. There are days when I quite like my stitches and am proud of them, then there are days when the stitches come out wonky. I know why this happens. I can knit more or less the same gauge; my state of mind does not seem to affect the quality of my knitting stitches as much as it affects the quality of my quilting stitches. I need a peaceful mind to be able to quilt, if I am in a hurry, all goes to pieces. (This quilt in progress had fallen off the chair to the floor and I found him sleeping inside. The batting is wool and it must be cozy and warm, perfect for an afternoon nap.)
Fall would not feel like fall without socks on the needles. I am knitting plain socks (2mm dpns, 18 stitches per needle to start with, long ribbing k1tbl/p1, 50 rounds, then plain stockinette for 60-80 rounds at the same time decreasing down to 16 stitches per needle around the ankle, heel flap for 30 rows, normal heal turn, then decreasing to15 stitches per needle around the foot, plain stockinette until toe decreases, and finishing with grafting the stitches) out of Austermann Step.
There is no name for the color, just humble number 309, mixture of greys. This might be discontinued number. My left hand (around the knuckles) still hurts from the fall last spring when I hold small needles for a long time. I seem to grab my needles as if they were my lifeline. Last night I switched to 2mm wooden needles, they break easily and I cannot hold them quite as tightly and this seems to help. I just need to concentrate all the time that these needles won’t stand any stress.

This is all for now. Hope you are well,
Wool with you, as always,
Lene

15 comments:

  1. Your kittens make me so happy! Just love them. We had a touch of Fall weather and then this past weekend it was very hot and humid again. But, leaves are beginning to turn and I stocked up on some candles for dinner time.

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  2. Anonymous00:42

    I have been reading your blog for a while and I so enjoy it. I love your knitted cats. I too knit and I have been on a sock marathon for a while. I am delighted to see you quilt. I quilt but I have some issues and for months my sewing and quilting sat there. This past weekend I put borders on a block I want to finish. It felt like such a huge accomplishment. I am in London, Ontario Canada and I like your updates on your weather. It sounds like a wonderful place to visit. We are in autumn now and we have some warm days like today and then it can get quite cool. It is a warning to us winter is coming. Keep on blogging, knitting and quilting!!! It is very much appreciated. Marion

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  3. I enjoy your blog whenever you decide to write.

    And the kittens make me so very happy - they each have their own personalities!

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  4. Your cats are adorable, as always! I live on the south-western coast of Canada and we have come to the time of year when you need a sweater in the morning and you regret it in the afternoon.

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  5. You put into words my exact challenge! "To find the right mindset, to gather thoughts, to collect right words has been almost impossible. There never seems to be long enough stretch of time for that." Yes! So I have been using Instagram (and your photos are definitely good enough for IG!) as "bite-sized blog posts," but it's a poor substitute.

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  6. Amen to the "find the right mindset..." Your kittens are delightful!

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  7. What a pleasure to catch up on your life and the change of season. Always wonderful commentary and pictures. Thank you!

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  8. Love the pink onesie!

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  9. Having a short break at Phillip Island (Victoria, Australia, an hour from home in Melbourne). Phillip Island is home to a large colony of Little Penguins, a famous tourist attraction. The heater is on, the sky is still grey and I'm wearing my favourite handknit cardigan. In short, it should be spring but it feels far away still. I love seeing each cat being created off your needles and feel you are far from running out of inspiration for each one.

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  10. Your kitties are a work of art. I enjoy every photo and word written about them. In Nebraska, we are having warm September weather. A couple of nights the temps have dipped into the 50's so crisp October is not too far away. Keep stitching and writing. I so enjoy your making.

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  11. Love your work and truly enjoyed your post today...

    Suzanne

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  12. Oh, I do love your cats! Both the knitted and the one sleeping in your quilt (or does he think you are quilting him a bed?). The dotted pink onesie is ridiculously sweet, and I am excited to see 100 of the little guys all together. Such a purring they will make!

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  13. I just can't get over how cute all of your little cats are!
    Keep them coming :)

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  14. Greetings from Nova Scotia. I enjoy your blog very much. I have been thinking about the cat faces. When a cat looks at you, and does a slow blink, it is a friendly greeting that means that they like you and feel no threat. That is what your lovely cat faces mean to me.

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  15. I've been knitting socks too, after picking up a lot of yarn at a great sale. So far, two pair for me, one for my husband and one on the needles and a pair for my stepson's birthday. I have always done toe up socks on double points, using short row heels and toes. (I can do traditional socks, but I've memorized doing the short row style). I decided to try something different, so I tried using two short circulars on a sock. Then I tried magic loop again. I really like it! And I learned how to do German short row heels and toes, which I like even better than the wrap style. I'm having a lot of fun.

    Love the kitties and hope that you'll post a pattern for them someday. It's finally fall here in Washington state. And I'm dealing with a new dog, a 7 year old springer spaniel that did not like his owner's new baby. He is a sweet dog, but jealous hearted. He is starting to fit in after a couple of weeks. I hope you'll post pictures of your pup in the next post.

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