I'm knitting on deadline (again). It's a mystery project for an upcoming book that I've been involved with from the start. It won't be published by my micropublishing company, so I'm just a contributor and mentor for the title.
With the way of these things (which I'm not completely in agreement with but respect), only hints can be released in advance. Thus: it's lace, and I'm knitting with Brown Sheep Burly Spun (spelled "Burley Spun" on the website and "Burly Spun" on the skein tags). Eight-ounce (227g) skeins—about the size of a paperback book. I'm going through yarn pretty quickly, even with that much in a hunk.
The trick of managing large-scale lace is keeping the tension loose. I tend to knit loosely anyway: I'm on 8mm (size 11) needles and a "normal" knitter would be on 9mm (size 13). Even at that, I'm consciously keeping my tension very relaxed in order to reduce stress on my hands and make it easier to work the decreases.
It's an enjoyable project, and it looks like I'll make the deadline easily enough.
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Ship date for Ethnic Knitting Exploration!
We finally got a ship date from the printer for Ethnic Knitting Exploration: Lithuania, Iceland, and Ireland, by Donna Druchunas. It is scheduled to leave the plant on 2/18/09. It will take between three and five days for the trucks to reach their two destinations—one warehouse on the East Coast and my garage (must make space here for 35 more boxes of books by the time the truck pulls up).
Then we redistribute from there: about 50 cartons will ship out immediately from those two locations.
It's coming!
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Spin-Off's new site
Spin-Off magazine, of which I was the editor from 1988 through early 2000, has a new website. It's about time it had its own space in the cyberworld. No great surprise to anyone who knows me, here are my favorite parts so far—reconstituted from the old site.
They've set the site up for social networking. That could be great fun, if I can find time!
Nah, you can say what it is. I told the publisher that some of the designers had shown works-in-progress on their blogs and that's fine. It's in the contract :-)
Posted by: donna Druchunas | February 07, 2009 at 06:03 PM
Excellent.
It's an exactly-right-size afghan made from one of Dorothy Reade's original lace patterns. I'm having a fine time with it.
Dorothy Reade had interesting ideas about lace, and there are some quirks in this pattern that are fun to explore. (There was also one error in the chart, easy to correct.)
Posted by: Deb Robson | February 07, 2009 at 10:36 PM
Save the Sheep was one of my very favorites, too. Maybe because I entered my Flying Geese scarf in it!?!
Posted by: Nancy | February 08, 2009 at 01:27 PM
So the afghan for Donna's new lace book, eh? How fun! It looks gorgeous.
And you've got the ship-date for Ethnic Knitting 2--yay! It's soon too. You'll have them just about when my memoir, Walking Nature Home, hits the warehouse at University of Texas Press. That's lovely synchronicity.... Congratulations having on another title close to hitting the streets!
Posted by: Susan J Tweit | February 08, 2009 at 02:03 PM
Nancy, I remember your scarf!
And Susan, I'm looking forward to your book--have been for quite a while--and to being part of its blog tour.
Posted by: Deborah Robson | February 09, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Aaah, Burly Spun. I made a rug pattern because the green/purple multi/handpaint spoke to me (it whispered "rug" when nobody else in the room could hear it).
When you step on it, you might as well have a zillion little tiny soft springs underfoot. It's pure luxury.
A friend made a coat from the same stuff. She loves the coat. It's warm and lovely.
I've also worked with Cascade Magnum, which accomplishes the same gauge. The Magnum is softer at first, but it pills more; I think Burly Spun is slightly felted on the outside.
Both are very nice, with their own strong personalities. There is something great to say for projects that actually make fat yarn look good.
(I want to do a pillow with some of my leftover Burly Spun sometime. For now I use it to demo knitting to large groups, on huge needles held over my head. MUCH fun!)
Wonderful stuff, you must be having fun!
LynnH
Posted by: LynnH | February 09, 2009 at 11:29 PM
Ohhhh, so that's where you've been! Enjoy the knitting, that looks like a lot of fun. (I want to touch that Burly Spun!) I too loved the Save the Sheep Project. It really motivated me to make an itchy Portland wool sweater. :) I still think I looked like a sausage in it, but I'm thrilled it even got a mention in that project. I've signed up to Spin-Off's new site but also wonder when I'll have the time to do anything about it!
Posted by: Joanne | February 11, 2009 at 05:37 PM
Joanne, I remember your Portland sweater also, of course! Getting your hands on Portland was a major accomplishment all on its own.
Two balls of Burly Spun to work yet (a pound).
Posted by: Deborah Robson | February 11, 2009 at 07:03 PM