Knit PH at Prospect Perk: Dec. 13, 07

I registered on Ravelry.com today. I'm oficially # 70,517 on the waiting list. I'll have great things to share by summer 2009! The day started off with a Noreaster front it seemed to calm down the around 6:00. A few braves souls came out to knit. Eliza was already there having a bite to eat, I grabbed an egg salad sandwhich and joined her. I said "It's probably just us tonight." But soon after we were joined by new-comer Tim. He just got off from work in lower manhattan. Randy arrived, then Emily.



I ripped out the cuffs and hem of my grey sweater. Despite the wash n' block swatch, it grew about two inches in length. Maybe I should also test for "hang time" on a larger swatch? What do I make with 72 yards that look like grey Ramen? This time around I used a rolled edge instead of a folded hem. I switched from #8 to #3 on the ribbed hem. The five "rolled" rows are plain stockinete bound-off purlwise with a #8. It looks less "Sears Catalogue" this way.

Randy finished his first hat. He did a great job, all stitches were even and consistent. It's a simple stockinette cap with a rolled brim. I helped him close the top, he dropped a row of stitches down one side of the crown. His next project will be a pair of socks. Tim brought a set of #2 DPN and sock yarn to make wrist warmers. "Wouldn't gloves keep your hands warmer?" I asked. "That's what pockets are for." That made sense to me, I've never made a pair of gloves or mittens.

Eliza said she was thinking of buying Jane's spinning wheel. Her husband agreed that as long as it had re-sale value it was fine. Eliza said that it was very modern and beautifully crafted, made with Birch ply, but when not in use it quickly becomes a white elephant. My aunt Lili played the harp, she had a harp room. She married well they say — she had servant quarters, a pool, and two España raised ponds stocked with yellow angels and carp. Emily shared some thoughts on spinning.

One of my (many) white elephants was a Makita table saw that I got on sale for $600. Years later I sold it at a stoop sale for $75. The only thing I didn't make with it was lunch. I made benches, shelves, cabinets, flat files, a book binding press... more benches, benches shaped like cows, 8 foot benches, 4 foot benches, dove-tailed shaker benches... etc., the blue ones are still in use at the Community Garden on Union Street. Would it hurt to paint them now and then? Tim is a fan of Makita products, he works as an engineer. "Have you seen the demonstration of the touch-sensitive table saw?" Demonstrated with a raw hotdog, the blade comes to a dead halt if it encounters anything softer that pine. I blocked out that image all night. Makita also makes excellent routers too, I have an Eagle plunge router with a laser-guide.

April walked in and introduced herself. We all said hello AA style.
April: "Hi, my names April."
Group: "Hello April."
She brought a blanket pattern. Feather and Fan Eliza pointed out. April started casting on. "It's not for Christmas" she said. Yep, the season is upon us.

Eliza was working on a two-color Brioche scarf for her father. Briohce is also known as the Shaker Rib and the Beef Rib. Brioche is a spongy French pastry similar in flavor and texture to Challah bread. Although the word is French, I was told the stitch is British in origin — named for that deep spongy quality. Then again I was told this by a Brit, so go figure. Shakers were an industrious Chritian sect that left a legacy of inventive chairs, benches, and farmsteading systems, but they literally died off. Their religious beliefs excluded carnal relations. Is this why the dinosaurs died?