Rowan Alpine Big Wool Shrug

The new Rowan fall knitting magazine "Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine No 42" is so yummy that I have abandoned my needles for days just to salivate all over it, lest I should felt all my hard work!

I fell in love with the Alpine Shrug, probably because of the design on the back, which reminds me of the very best time I ever had with my mother visiting the Zugspitze in Germany, one of the loveliest mountains on earth. My mother died a few months ago. As she lay dying we reminisced about that wonderful trip, recollecting how we sat at the base of the mountain and ate freshly caught trout, and drank dark German beer; how we went up the mountain on a "sailbahn" right before the first snow of autumn; how we stood atop the mountain glacier, marveling at the gray clouds rolling in under the cobalt sky; how we barely made it down the mountain before the snow blanket fell heavily atop and all around; how we bundled up in our new Loden coats in the crisp following morning. It was this very time, in October, in Southern Germany. For many years after that trip, I have awakened at night awash with a cool, refreshing dream of that mountain, my best dream ever!

View from the Zugspitze looking north toward Germany. Notice Eibsee in the middle and the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the right
Picture: John C. Watkins V

View from the Zugspitze looking south toward Austria. Notice the gold cross in the left foreground marking the highest point in Germany.
Picture: John C. Watkins V

And so, I shall knit the Alpine Big Wool Shrug in Rowan's new color for Fall, "White Hot," for it reminds me of that first Autumn snow on the Zugspitze.

Norwegian Purl

This is a variation of the Continental Purl stitch taught to me by my mother, who was from Germany, but had a Scandanavian knitting instructor when she was a girl.

Most continental knitters hold the yarn behind the work for knit stitches, but bring the yarn in front for purl stitches. In the Norwegian purl stitch, the yarn is held in back, just as for the knit stitches.

Knitting pals who have observed me make the Norwegian Purls usually are aghast, thinking I am going through too many gyrations for each purl stitch. Yes, the Norwegian Purl does require more steps to execute, but it’s fast and easy, if the yarn is held just right.

The Norwegian Purl eliminates the need to move the yarn from back to front and back again after each knit and purl stitch in the same row, so it is fast when doing ribbing, or any other combination of knit and purl in the same row.

Here is a great video illustrating the Norwegian Purl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE1u5rmqrH8&mode=related&search==

Knitting with Hempathy

I want to learn how to knit lace!

For my first lace project I am making Susan Pierce Lawrence's Branching Out available free on knitty.com. I decided to use Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy, 40% Hemp, 40% Cotton, 20% Modal in Sage.

My 15 year old daughter, taking Sophomore biology, had to teach me about Hemp. It is, in fact, related to marijuana.

Hemp "Cannabis sativa,"

Koehler's Medicinal-Plants 1887

Here is a little geo-political lesson:

Hemp will grow in most climates, as it requires only moderate water, little fertilizer, and is relatively pest and disease resistent, minimizing need for pesticides and herbicides. Hemp has a short growth cycle of 100-120 days making it an efficient and economical crop. Where hemp is grown, it has become a valuable and environmentally friendly crop. However, the FDA has banned industrial hemp cultivation because it is erroneously confounded with marijuana. In fact, industrial hemp and marijuana are different breeds of Cannabis sativa.

Hemp for textile was widely grown in the US until the end of World War II, and made into parachutes and American flags. With the advent of synthetic fibers, manufacture of textiles using hemp, along with other natural fibers, such as cotton, declined. Finally, the FDA forbade growing all hemp products, and banned import of hemp in 2001 when the new administration took office. American farmers are lobbying for permission to grow hemp, as crops are economical and have a positive ecological effect on other plants.

Hemp is warmer, softer, more absorbent, extremely breathable and significantly longer lasting than cotton. It looks like linen, feels like flannel, and wears two to three times longer than most other fabrics. And OOOH does it drape beautifully when knit into a lace garment!

So, I shall knit my first garment from Hempathy. Pictures soon . . . .I promise!