Chat Back for January 1

Responding to comments left since the last time I did Chat Back.

Kellie asked . . .

Have you ever thought of writing up your patterns and offering them for sale on Ravelry?

I have noticed a lack of gansey patterns available and wondered why there aren't more. Maybe I'm just out of sync with current fashions and trends. The patterns I see in current knitting magazines would support that theory.

When I knit a gansey, I pick a background stitch, cast on, and pick the next level of stitch patterns as I go up the sweater. Few notes are taken except on scrap paper to do gauge/measurement math. For me, this is fun.

Writing everything down, test knitting, calculating different sizes, etc is very time intensive work. I don't want to ruin my hobby by turning it into work.

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Judy S. asked . . .

What is your source for the designs, or are they original? Have you seen the Advent Calendar scarf pattern? I thought of you when I saw it.

I have a collection of stitch pattern books and a big part of the pleasure of knitting a gansey is searching through those books. When looking for a gansey stitch pattern I know how many stitches and/or rows are needed and what shapes might go with what I've already knit.

The Advent Calendar scarf is gorgeous. My knitting plans book is full right now, but the scarf is in the back of my mind as something I would love knitting. It would be a super fun knit with all the different stitch patterns.

Did you see the one knit by Kathy in Iowa? So lovely!

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NMjewel asked . . .

Hmmm, and the gansey, and PJ's... Aries??? AND your profile photo. If I was a bettin' gal... You aren't Aries by any chance?

I was born under the sign of Capricorn and fit the Capricorn profile pretty well: Practical and prudent, ambitious and disciplined, patient and careful, humorous and reserved.

Your question had me Googling "Capricorn colors", which turn out to be dark green, gray, black, and brown. Nothing about Clifford red, which just validates my low opinion of zodiacal types and horoscopes.

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Dorothy and Beadknitter asked . . .

Have you tried looking for the yarn on Ravelry?

Yes, looked there first. I didn't see any stash with enough Hot Rod Heather for a sweater.

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Judy asked . . .

And I'm wondering, could you feel the earth quake?

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake centered in Indiana had Kalamazoo residents and others in southern Michigan feeling the shake Thursday morning, but I didn't notice. It happened around eight am, which is a busy time around here with the first dog walk of the day and doggy breakfast being served. It's very possible the earth shook a little and I though it was just an excited canine.

Mom in Kalamazoo, who has quiet mornings, did feel it.

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Kathy asked . . .

Did you design the hat pattern? It is very pretty.

Thanks. It was a design of convenience.

I didn't set out to knit a hat. The goal was to knit a round swatch Elizabeth Zimmerman style. I wanted to include some stockinette and some cables and some ribbing to see how the yarn knit up. And, it knit up into a hat with cabled ribbing.