April 26, 2006

Bush Ice Cream and a Caribbean Breeze

Back in the early 90's, the summer after Hurricane Hugo, my cousin and I spent the summer in Montserrat. After a year of endless exams, monotonous work and the constant rush of New York City, we were in dire need of a break. One of our favorite past times was going into town to run errands for Granny. That gave us time to hang out at the circle and meet with our friends. We would get teased because one of the things we had to have was "Bush" Ice Cream . . . better known as pistachio. Sitting there on the giant tree that was felled by Hugo and eating that homemade ice cream under the endless blue sky was our little taste of heaven ... and New York was light years away. When I initially decided to knit socks for K, I had a hard time choosing yarn. Color really moves me and nothing seemed right, until I saw Artyarn's Supermerino #140. The craving for pistachio ice cream and a Caribbean breeze hit me hard. Still riding on my high of working with the yarn from knitting Thuja, I immediately scooped up 3 hanks. Then, I steered the car towards Utica Avenue to pick up a pint of Pistachio. On the ride home I tried to think of a pattern I would use. I liked Thuja but I wanted to do something different. The Jaywalker was cool but I would have to adjust it for the yarn. This is what I came up with:
I call it the Runway Sock. The chevron and feather pattern reminded me of an airport runway and thus had me thinking about somewhere far, far away. The pattern is very simple and it is a quick knit. The only thing I would probably do over is the cast on. I casted on using a cable cast on. I love the neatness of the edge. I felt the long tailed cast on would be too bulky and I didn't like it too much in doing Thuja. However, it provided the stretch . I won't change the cast on for the partner of this sock but I will make a mental note for next time.

April 15, 2006

Thuja Love


Project : Thuja from Winter Knitty
Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino #130
Needles: Bryspun 5" sz.5 DPN's

I have to admit, I really enjoyed knitting these socks. At first I was a little hesitant because of the weight of the Supermerino, but I have to tell you, when I tried these babies on . . . my feet were in heaven. The softness of the yarn makes for an incredibly plush sock that you would not want to take off. Mama is going to love these.
Part of the enjoyment is due to the needles I used. The pattern called for size 6 double pointed needles. I already had a pair of sz. 6 Lionbrands , but I don't like them. They are just too stiff and too long. So while cruising one of my local yarn haunts I came across Bryspun's five inch double pointed needles. Knitting Nirvana y'all. I have never been so excited about finding the "right" needles before. It may sound a bit crazy but it made all the difference in knitting these socks. I especially like the points. No split strands! Once I cast on, it was a breeze to knit.
Once these were completed, I had planned on making a pair for my cousin. However, I am rethinking that. I don't want to get bored with the pattern. So, I have been working on a spinoff of the Jaywalker sock to use with the Supermerino yarn. I have a few kinks to work out, but I will definitely keep you posted.

April 06, 2006

Passing in Brooklyn . . .

Time: 2PM'ish
Place: LYS - Roxy Yarns
Scene: Cozy yarn store in Brooklyn advertising 30% off all yarns. Customer 1, a
fantabulously stylish woman (okay, I had on my sweats and looked like I had
been playing tag with a bunch of five year olds)
perused through the bins and
Customer 2 walks in and looks around.

Owner: Hello. How are you?
Customer 2: Good, good ... and you?
Owner: Good. Just a reminder, all yarns are 30% off.
Customer 2: Really? That's good to know. I am looking for something to make for a little girl. This poncho is soooooo adorable. Did you make the samples?
Owner: No, I rarely make anything for girls since I have three little boys.
Customer 2: So, who makes your samples?
Owner: They come from the manufacturer to show how the yarn knits up.
Customer 2: Nooooooo
Customer 1: Really . . .
Owner: Yea
Customer 2: Are you serious?
Owner: Yea, why?
Customer 2: I just came from another LYS (she refused to mention the name) and I saw this same sample hanging from the shelf. I asked the woman about it and she told me she knit it herself.
Owner: She could have
Customer 2: At first I believed her but now looking around I see you have the same samples as she has. There's no way she could have knit the same exact samples.
Owner: I doubt it too. Not the same exact samples.
Customer 2: I'm not going there again. Now I know why she said she couldn't remember the pattern.
Customer 1: Wow (head shaking).
Customer 2: Can you believe that.
Customer 1 and Owner: Yea.

April 01, 2006

Living ...

Yep, I did it again. I changed my design. I needed to brighten things up a bit and get in a "Spring" mood. I haven't been blogging lately, but I have been here in spirit. It almost seems like I have been sharing my thoughts, until I sneak a peak at my journal and realize that the conversation was just in my head. Simply put, knitting has taken a backseat to everyday life.

For the most part, we have been dealing with the prepubescent angst of our son. He is a generally a good kid with a great sense of humor (he used to sneak and watch Seinfeld reruns after he thought everyone was asleep). However, lately he has just been feeling his oats. You see, although Mali is a great kid, and does very well in school, he feels that in order to "fit in", he needs to act out like some of his friends. It all started when he was chosen to join the National Junior Honor Society. He was one of three kids chosen out of his sixth grade class. He was so excited about this accomplishment, we could not get him to go to bed. He was nervous about the induction ceremony, his speech and what community service he would have to perform. When we dropped him off to school the next day, we promised to fine tune his speech when he came home. Two hours later, the phone calls started. First it was his Social Studies teacher. Apparently, Mali was acting out with his friends and received detention for his antics. Next the principal called and exclaimed that although Mali is a great kid and a "wonderful" asset to the NJHS, he could not condone his behavior ( it wasn't the first time either) and therefore had to recall his acceptance. After that, I went numb.
Later on that day Mali called me from school, crying. He had just finished speaking with the principal. He couldn't even get on the bus to come home because he was too ashamed. He pleaded for me to come pick him up , so I did.
The ride home was hard. I wanted to knock his behind into next week but he looked like he was doing a good job of beating his own self up for letting himself down. After one of many tearful episodes in the car, I asked him why. What he said nearly broke my heart. He said that he wanted to show his "friends" that he was still "down". Apparently one of his friends started calling him a nerd and telling him he thought he was better than everyone because he was "smart". I tried my best to explain to him that he should not have to make an excuse for him liking math, science and art. If his friends were really his friends, they would accept him as he is. Somehow though, I felt my point was lost upon him. I needed some clarity because I felt like I wasn't "getting it". The following day, my husband and I struck up a conversation with our neighbor. His children attend an Afrocentric school (Ausar Auset) and my husband was (is) toying with the idea of switching schools for Mali. He really broke it down for us and I will try to explain. Basically, Mali is in survival mode. We live in a society where being smart is looked down upon for black boys and being a rapper, basketball player or pimp are the icons for success. Now as warped as it may sound, all you have to do is turn on the television. Almost every music video shown on BET has a rapper donnin' the latest gear and blingin' his grill while half naked girls gyrate in the background. How many NBA players are drafted right out of high school with million dollar contracts? Why are the Vibe awards amongst one of the must see award shows of the season but very few have heard of the Trumpet awards? ... and don't get me started about the Oscars. I began to understand why my boy is in survival mode. Although I can control what he sees and influences him, I can't account for other people's children. So, I had to switch gears. Usually in the summer, I homeschool Mali. I try to teach him what he is not being taught in school, about OUR history and OUR accomplishments. I needed to go back and show him the positive images and reinforce that his mind is his greatest asset and that he could lead by example. So for now, he is reading The Pact. It is the story of three teenage boys from the streets of Newark, New Jersey who made a pact: They would stick together, go to college, and become doctors. I also have him doing research on he Great Kings and Queens of Africa. As for my husband and I, we are reading The Warrior Method ... again. Falling through the cracks is not an option. However, I am going to need a whole lot of patience and prayer ... with a little knitting therapy thrown in on the side.