Support the Harlot

We don't like to get into politics over here at Baad Medicine Industries and we don't like to ruffle feathers (both J. and I are HUGE conflict avoiders).

However, I need to make an exception here - there is some nasty stuff going on the Internet right now - to our hero the Yarn Harlot. I would just like to give her a little show of support from our piece of the 'net.

Baad Medicine loves their Harlot!!

We're not diffusing a bomb here....it's only knitting*

It's hard to even know where to begin with this story. I could give you a blow by blow report of every day's events but that really isn't that exciting to anyone but me. I could tell you everything I learned, but again, not that exciting to anyone but me.

So, instead I'll pick my top 10 moments to try to give you a glimpse of the retreat. And don't let the word retreat lull you into believing it was in anyway relaxing. Because it wasn't. It was busy. And exhausting. And mind-expanding. And exhausting. And all in all amazing.

1. The Harlot. By far, the best part of the retreat. I cannot even explain how fabulous she was.


2. The Harlot telling me that she was "obsessed" with my sweater and that it was "wicked awesome". Seriously?


3. Meeting fabulous knitters who have ridiculous things in common with me. Freaky, really.

4. Learning that I know more than I thought, but that I also know so very little.

5. Being in the company of iconic knitters who have shaped the way we knit today from how they have knit historically. A history lesson and knitting lesson all in one.


6. Chatting, laughing and enjoying the company of the goofy Amy R. Singer.

(I'm wearing my Tuscany shawl that was designed by Amy)

7. The Norwegian purl. Go watch the video. It's crazy weird.

8. Being inspired to increase my knitting speed. Watch this lady. She knits about 125 stitches PER minute. That's 2 stitches a second. That is more than 3 times as fast as me. I only dream.

9. The food. I ate waaaaay too much. Pasta, poutine (yes, poutine - try explaining that to the Americans), bread pudding. YUM.

10. Three signed books. A keepsake forever.

I could not have asked for a better time. I feel re-invigorated and re-focused (even though I have about 5 things on the needles right now - the Harlot says this is actually a good thing). It has also reinforced my love of the craft and the community. Ahhhh....knitting with knitters as obsessed as you for 3 days....memorable.

*the Harlot's mantra we kept repeating on Friday as she was kicking our arse with ridiculous techniques.

Things you don't know about T.

So J. and I have been at this blogging thing for a few months. I figure all you really know about us is that (a) we're obsessed with yarn, knitting and knitting related people (like her and her and her) and (b) we spend far too much time (and money) on knitting.


I thought I'd like to deepen the pot. Make myself seem less self-indulgent and more 3-dimensional. I thought I'd let you in on a few, more meaningful, parts of my life.


1. I was somewhat athletic, at some point in my life. I was actually recruited by 3 colleges/universities to play basketball for them (I didn't play for any in the end).


2. This post makes me laugh. I'll be bookmarking this.


3. I have very eclectic music taste. On my iPod, I have the following: Hall&Oates, Jack Johnson, Coldplay, Back Street Boys, Neil Diamond, Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, Chilliwack, Def Leppard, Everclear, Fergie, Gin Blossoms, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Joni Mitchell, the Killers, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nellie Furtado, Regina Spektor, U2 and my ultimate favorite, Rick Springfield. There are many others, a lot of which I won't admit to in public.


4. In my job I've been referred to as "highly-organized" and "driven"; more recently, I was referred to as a "key researcher". I relate to none of these labels...not even a little bit.


5. I love taking the boys to the park; I hate engaging in small talk with other park moms. It relates to my abhorrence of small talk in general.


As you can see, I'm much more than just a knitter (maybe not as deep as I had originally hoped). Far more than that. Anyone else want to share some nugget about themselves? Something few other people know about?

First Sock Mojo*

My office mate is a relatively new non-scarf knitter. I think the fact that she spends most of her day in very close proximity to me is becoming evident.

This is now how she spends her time. Note the sock has a turned heel, in a contrasting yarn - not sure how she accomplished that task while drinking all that beer.

And this is her first official pair of completed socks. Made with love for the love of her life (who's also a movie star - check out the referee in the clip).

They are pretty impressive for a first pair of socks. Supposedly they even fit her movie star honey. Wow. First pair of socks and they fit. She's got some sock mojo.

(*this term is openly plagiarised from the Yarn Harlot - I plagiarise it with true admiration)

If you're looking for advice about affairs, you've come to the wrong place

J. and I are just new to the land o' blog and we still have lots to learn. But I have learned something new - How to figure out how people get to our site. Lots of people find us through the Hanami Knit-a-long site, but some come via Google searches.



Some of my favorites:



1. When to know the affair is over - this one kills me - can you imagine someone googling this in the first place (if you're googling that, that's your first clue it's over). Then to think they're going to get some great advice, and they learn that it's merely an affair with some yarn. How disappointing....

2. Managing yarn - yeah, and you came to our site? seriously. Don't look to us to help you with that. You've got big problems if J. and I are your only help to manage your yarn.

3. "Cookie A." lace - yes, J. has extolled her love for Cookie. Now when Cookie googles herself (come on, we all do it), and Baad Medicine comes up, she'll realize she has potential stalkers out there (yikes - hope the Yarn Harlot doesn't find the site....).

Expanding my Yarn Universe

Up until recently my knitting circle consisted of J. and me. That's it. It was good - we shared patterns, ideas, thoughts on different yarns, websites and the usual things you would discuss with a knitting circle. But the loop was pretty small. There is only so much the two of us know (I mean really brilliant and all, but we aren't all knowing).

Then J. came up with this idea to go to a Stitch and Bitch. She googled SnB and found one that met in a nice little coffeeshop not too far away. So we went.

Wow.

There are knitters out there as crazy as us. I know our husbands don't believe it, but it's true. There are people who know what we mean when we say yarn diet or Handmaiden or Knitty or Yarn Harlot. They know these words with no explanation. They understand the pain of waiting till next month to buy more yarn. They understand how frustrating a piece can be that you want to throw it away and never look at it again, but you keep at it.

We went again last night and got to see so many amazing projects. A shawl from Victorian Lace Today, a 'cursed' sweater from Knitscene, a scarf made with beautiful Noro. Someone brought a new book they'd just bought so we could all peruse it. Seriously, this group is good. They got their knit-on.


I'm still attempting to finish JW's Father's day socks. He is aware of their existence which means I can actually knit them in his presence. Also on the home stretch of Rusted Root - hopefully I'll reveal it soon.

Next on the list...figuring out what to do with this. It is by far my favorite yarn in my stash. J. picked it up for me when she went to Vancouver for her half-marathon. Does she know me well or what? This yarn (Koigu KPPPM) has all my favorite colors. I need to really do it justice - just not sure how....

Love for the Harlot, Part 2

I love the Yarn Harlot. Seriously - my love for her has no bounds. Did you see her post about Steeking? Honestly, the thought of me taking scissors to my knitting would require more than a shot of Glenlivet. I think I would need some good drugs too (the benefits of being a pharmacist!).



I remember sometime last year (of course I can't find the link for you to see it yourself...) she did a post on fixing a cable that was turned the wrong way. You can not even imagine how amazing it was - it was like magic. Maybe she should be called the Yarn Yoda. Or Knitting Sorcerer. Or Sticks and String Shaman.



J. and I have plans to meet the woman herself. Sometime, somewhere it will happen. And we will bask in the glow of her DPNs.

Random Thoughts

Taking a page out of the Yarn Harlot's book and I'm just going to be putting down random thoughts today.

1. My husband has confiscated the camera - he keeps taking it to 'work'. Not sure if this is actually true or if he is trying to curb my blogging. Therefore, no camera, and again no pics from me.

2. I am doing my first big run on Sunday - 10K. I've never ran a race longer than 5K - I'm nervous and excited. If there was only a way I could combine knitting with running - however, think it's far too dangerous. Will just keep listening to knitting podcasts instead. Cast-on got me through Sunday's 8.5K.

3. Had to frog my husband's Father's day gift. Two mistakes in cabling. The one I could have lived with (twisted cable) but then I lost my spot and started on the wrong row - couldn't live with that. So, starting that over.

4. Finally finished winding up my yarn for the Tuscany shawl. All 1000m of it (or as my husband kept saying "you have to wind up 1K full of yarn???"). Then J. reminded me that not only was I winding a kilometre of yarn, but I'd knit a kilometre of yarn. Then it got me thinking of how many kilometres of yarn I've used in my life....scary....

5. Going back to work soon - so will need to come up with some good transportable projects to take for lunch (can you say socks!). I've never really knit at work, but think I'm going to start. Might help keep me sane (or at least on the train to the village of Sanity).

Think that's it - nothing of importance but all important to me.

Love for the Harlot

There are so many knitting blogs out there. People sharing pictures of their masterpieces, problems with patterns and just being part of a greater knitting community. Any blog out there that contains lists of "favorite sites" ALWAYS includes the Yarn Harlot. Why? Why are we all drawn to this person?

She has been described as the "rock star in the world of knitting". I know J. and I think so - if there were posters of her, we'd have them pinned up in our locker. We discuss her blog postings regularly, we were completely disheartened when we were unable to watch her on Knitty Gritty (don't get this in Canada) and we dream of the day when we can see her knit in person. I saw her knitting one time on CBC - she was discussing KWB and knitting at the same time. I was AMAZED. I called my husband into the room and was excitedly spewing "look at her knit, can you believe that; I've NEVER seen anyone knit so fast. Look at her knit". It was truly like watching a master. I was mesmerized.

I think what draws me to the Harlot is her approach to knitting. She is obviously obsessed with knitting (as am I) but she isn't, or at least doesn't seem to be, obsessed with the "rules of knitting". She ad libs; she takes chances and she makes mistakes; she is serious about knitting but doesn't take everything regarding knitting too seriously. So refreshing. So real. This is what is enticing and enthralling about her. When I grow up, I want to knit like her.

So Ms. Pearl-McPhee - J. and I salute you for all you stand for and all you do in knitting. Thanks for showing us the way.

Knitting as Anarchy

So, I got some new yarn the other day from KnitPicks. Never ordered from them before, and J. and I were intrigued by some of their yarn so we sent in an order. We both ordered some CotLin (at $2.49/ball we had to try it). J. has great things destined for her yarn (she's attempting to create a pattern...very exciting). I ordered 2 balls to do a hand towel set for my mom. J. had knit me some lovely handtowels for Christmas and I was inspired - what a great gift idea. You don't need to worry about size (and therefore gauge, which as previously discussed I'm opposed to) or colour because they won't be worn.


I took out my newly borrowed copy of Stitchionary from Vogue Knitting (J. has it on hold from our library and was surprised to see it on my coffee table...are we on the same wavelength or what???). There are MANY fun stitch designs in there. I started off with a fancy garter rib, but after a couple of attempts frogged it. It just didn't look nice with the garter stitch border, which is necessary to keep the towels lying flat on the towel holder. Also it required a whole row of K2tog which kind of annoyed me ... for no particular reason other than it seemed like a lot of work. So I decided to move on. Now I'm trying a different stitch repeat (small mock brocade pleats). Seems a bit better, but looks a little 70's-ish to me. Any thoughts from anyone else??

As my first real attempt at designing something myself, it's a good project to start with. I've only frogged it twice and it is knitting up quickly.

The traditionalists (or the good knitters) out there may suggest I should have gauged it first and that would help with deciding what to do. J. suggested that I was swatching, which I balked at. No way, me swatch?? Honestly. So why am I so anti-swatching? I am not really sure. I know there are no "knitting police" (as the Yarn Harlot specifies quite nicely in "Knitting Rules") making me swatch. I know that even if you do swatch, the pattern may not work out for a variety of other reasons. I know that swatching can save you time in the end, even though it takes more time up-front. I know that swatching can help you to better understand your knitting style. Still, I don't know why I'm so anti-swatching. I think it may symbolize to me a knitting rule. Something that should be followed by every good knitter (or at least by knitters who make wearable objects). I think that there are so many other "rules" in my life that I don't want to have to follow any in my knitting. Knitting is the one thing that is total anarchy in my life (some may argue this....after meeting my 3 year old....); and I like that.