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The knitted doily mandala. I think it’s pretty but the sun ray effect disturbs me just a little, the offset of the rays seems like they should be more a little more pronounced. I do like the overall look of it though. Grafting the join doesn’t leave it completely seamless (I expected that) but it’s not obvious, it takes some close inspection to find the extra row.

I keep looking for other 2-needle doily patterns, and have found a few but most of them are quite large, vintage and require very fine steel needles. I have no rational reason for avoiding the double pointed needle variety of knitted doily, I just like the way the 2-needle variety grows it’s own lace trim as it’s being knit. I’m enchanted by the process.

I’m also trying to figure out how to make the kids some interesting advent calendars for the days before Christmas. When I was little my sister and I shared one that was made from cardboard tubes, glued together in the shape of a tree. Each tube was closed off by a bit of white fluff with a shiny star sticker. It was painted green all over and had glitter wrapping around it. Of course, we always peeked to see which ones had the best candy or toys and planned accordingly.

Poor little Josey has had the cardboard advent calendars with the weird tasting chocolates. It’s very sad. I made a matchbox advent calendar one year, but realized as the glue was drying, that I wouldn’t be able to put the cool toys or larger bits of candy in it.

I know that having one’s little advent calendar is not a requirement. It’s just one of those small things that makes the holidays a little more fun.

My first knitting project was a bag. I was 23. I had just learned how to knit and wanted to knit myself a pretty handbag. I did. It had yarn overs. It had beads. It was a vintage pattern from a friends ancient Godey’s magazine and it told me to turn at the end of each row. I felt pretty accomplished when I was done.

Learning to knit in an ivory castle isn’t easy. I had my Mary Thomas’s Knitting book and the DMC needlework encyclopedia. I knew no knitters that would teach me, being dyslexic and left handed, I suppose pretty much everyone in my family figured I would be consigned to rectangular items or eternal frustration.

The first modern pattern I used confused me, mostly because the word “turn” was not at the end of every row. So I’d actually knit from left to right English style, and then right to left in continental. (Remember, I’d *never* actually seen someone knit by hand in person, only on machines.) I never felt that purl stitches were harder than knit stitches, and started doing intarsia wondering why it was described as being so difficult to follow a chart.

I knit a plaid patterned baby blanket, the front facing me the entire time. It was easy.

So then I was invited to a shindig with some coworkers, a few were also knitters, and that’s when they noticed that I wasn’t turning my knitting unless told to turn by the pattern (as in the reduction stage of a sock heel.) That explained why some written stitch patterns just didn’t work out when I was knitting them, and it was a huge “ah-ha!” moment for me.

I’ve settled into knitting continental style, left handed, much to consternation of a few people that insisted since I know how to knit “the right way” that I should adapt to take that style completely. My crochet tension has alway been managed by my right hand and that is the most comfortable way to manage tension when knitting. I do enough stuff right handed, I shouldn’t be forced to be in reverse all the time.

Anyway, this little bit of back story is why when someone asks me a remedial question, I don’t laugh hysterically or poke fun, because sometimes a very basic bit of information can overlooked or misunderstood. Secretly, I might be tempted to suggest to certain people that they not be allowed to use the internet unsupervised, but otherwise I’m well behaved about it.

Speaking of remedial. I have knit some potholders from cotton, in garter stitch. Yes, I still think cotton is a stupid choice for potholders because it has no thermal resistance and is flammable, but it’s a calculated risk and the yarn is very pretty. Pretty wins. I need more pretty in my life. I will soak my pretties in alum solution as a safety measure, fire is pretty too, just in it’s proper place.

If you are planning to attend the holiday craft shows, it’s time to get on the ball. They are a month away, more or less, which means at this point in time you still have a little temporal space to get ready, gather everything you need and elicit promises from trustworthy friends.

The short list of what you need to take with you will vary. Table, table coverings (and please, please, if there’s anything good and holy in this universe, please avoid being burgundy and hunter green– those are the holiday camouflage colors, don’t camouflage– it’s counterproductive), display pieces (not your product but things like racks, boxes, vases, shelves, and steps upon which your product is displayed), a vignette set up (this shows either your item in an interesting setup, or what it might look like in it’s new home), chair (and if the chair is ugly or uncomfortable, a chair covering device), signs, extra price and hang tags, business cards, and baby wipes.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget the goods, take whatever you think you’ll sell and double the quantity.

Dress code. Be yourself times 10. Trust me– being louder, sexier, fatter, shinier, or brighter is to your advantage. Part of what sells product is getting it noticed. The way you dress should go somewhat with your product style, so if you are selling calico topped jars of beans and jellies, go ahead and wear a calico dress or a sweatshirt with a matching calico applique. If you have somewhat retro or mod styled items, match it with an outfit that speaks of the era. If you make wild and pink and pretty, wear wild and pink and pretty.

Sure, products should speak for themselves, but it’s hard for them to be heard above the noise of a g’zillion other products, so you’re going to have to do a little speaking for them. Get used to it. Practice your banter. Talk to strangers in the grocery store, start inane conversations in the line at the bank, wish people a happy day. Banter is important, it will sell your stuff, practice it ahead of time so that you’re comfortable using it when the time comes.

As a side note, if you have children attending with you. Dress them up in outfits that match yours. Even if it’s a vest over a t-shirt (sew it in place at the shoulders so it’s hard to ditch) make the kids something in the same hard-to-miss fabric as your clothes. Matching outfits will make it really obvious that the child belongs to and with you, the cutesy part of it isn’t at all over-the-top for a craft show, but really, it’s a cheap effective safety measure.

Okay, end of my public service announcement. Back to the regularly scheduled blogging.

I’m going to propose that we stop referring to round lacy things as doilies and start calling them knit or crochet mandalas. I like the way that sounds. Doily just doesn’t cut it for me, it doesn’t sound right, it sounds like a frippery. Mandala, on the other hand is fitting.

I don’t meditate while knitting, knitting is my meditation. My meditation does not lead to frippery, all ego in place, it just doesn’t.

Philosophical waxing aside, I have discovered that I truly enjoy knitting the second version of the Sun-Ray Doyly Mandala in my hand spun cotton 3-ply far more than I did in the original version.

First, it’s amazingly soft. Admittedly, everything is soft when compared to cheap pearl cotton, but this is truly super soft. Not as soft as cashmere, but incredibly soft.

Second, did I mention it’s really soft?

Third, it’s just such an enjoyable little knit. The pattern is straight forward, easy to follow and so nice looking (and feels really soft in this yarn) that I really could knit several in a row without hesitation or fear of burnout.

I had my first day of my first class today. The very not-so-intimidating BUS105. Classes are through live chat sessions, and scheduled on central standard time. I’m pacific standard time, so I figured out that a 10 am class would actually be 8 am for me. Woke up an hour early, started the day right, got into the classroom and was really the only one there besides the instructor.

So I know I’ve said it before over other things, but this is a sign the world is ending. When not only am I prompt, but even the instructor was a few minutes late– it’s the apocalypse, clearly an omen of the impending destruction of the planet.

There I am in the virtual classroom, with only the instructor, and he asks me “Do you have any questions?” Of course. I always have questions, but they aren’t always relevant; these questions happened to be relevant and I’m actually really glad I had the time to ask and get the answers (since without those answers it would have made it hard for me to finish my first assignment.)

All in all it was pretty good. About 20 minutes into class a few other students showed up (which probably kept the instructor from going insane with my questions.) He keeps calling us (the class) “TEAM” with capital letters, it’s an acronym, I know that; still doesn’t stop me from wanting to call him “Coach” in return.

I actually knit something, as kind of a practice run. The Sun-Ray Doyly (sic) from Mary Thomas’s Knitting Patterns. This is from a cheap crochet cotton that I normally use to tie up skeins of yarn with before washing them. I’m glad I had it on hand though, because I really did want to see how this pattern knit up. I did not bother with the final seam or blocking, I am bad. (I’m also sorry for the horrible picture, I will retake it when I have fresh batteries for the camera.)

I think when I use my hand spun, I’ll use a provisional cast-on and graft the first and last rows together to minimize the seam, I understand it won’t be completely seamless but I think it would work better. (Yes, I know it’s recommended in the book to do it that way, but I didn’t read that part until after I’d finished knitting the doily.) There’s a couple other vintage patterns I’d like to try before deciding though.