Negative Balance in My Savings Account

One of the most recent requests from the mortgage people was a letter explaining the negative balance in my savings account. (Obviously we have not closed on the house yet.) Not only do I not have a negative balance in my savings account, it's IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE A NEGATIVE BALANCE IN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT.

When Chris and I set out to be homeowners in Baltimore City, we didn't anticipate what that would mean. I feel like I've been run over. I FEEL like I have a negative balance in my savings account, because wouldn't that be an awful feeling? Not only having no savings, but actually owing your savings account money?

The bright spot in this has been a last-minute trip to Stitches South.

 

There was Red Bull. There was Sarah from Cephalopod Yarns. And books. And working in the Neighborhood Fiber Co. booth. Nice Southern knitters. Learning about designing for warmer climates.

 

Speaking of Neighborhood Fiber Co., Karida, the artist behind the colors, has been working on the Baltimore Satelite Reef, doing everything from planning the installation to teaching middle schoolers to crochet. You can read more here, and if you have a few extra dollars to support community arts, there's a kickstarter page here. If there's a place for kickstarter, I think it's community arts. And the reef is going to be great. It's even got a little piece from me (not nearly as cool as the pieces a lot of those kids made, though).

 

 

And my cats miss me. When they sit like this, they're usually staring at me as I sit at our only table and work in front of the computer. They're my quality assurance department.

 

The gray suitcase behind them is Stuff I Have Given the Mortgage People (and my ball winder). Time to get home and add to that pile!

 

 

Primary

I've received the rights to the ebook I published with KnitPicks last year, Twentieth Century Graphic, and it's been cool reworking the designs in new colors, new yarns, and new sizes.

I intended this design, the Saturated Shawl, to be knit in primary colors and gray, but KnitPicks discontinued its yellow Gloss Fingering, so I had to adjust. But now, thanks to my awesome sample knitter Pat and The Verdant Gryphon, I have my dream shawl, knit in Verdant Gryphon Bugga! You can now purchase the individual pattern from the Verdant Gryphon here.

This is no timid triangle shawl; it's about 90 inches wide and 30 inches deep. You don't need to worry that this will look like a bib if you don't wrap it correctly.

This is going to be my statement piece this spring.

Interesting note: The black building behind me is the bodega nearest my current apartment. It's called Ace Grocery. It looks closed even when it's open. I have not yet gone inside.

Thoughts about Spring Knitting

Since I was old enough to choose my own clothes, I've had difficulty finding items I really like to wear in the warmer months. Usually I wear the same items that I wear in the fall and winter, minus the tights and hoodies and sweaters. Now that I work from home, when I'm not wearing my jammies I wear a variation of the same two or three outfits every day. If you've met me more than once, you know this. If you haven't, look for me. I'll be the one in the dropped-crotch pants or knee-length skirt, boots, hoodie, and handknit shawl.

This is true more than ever now that I'm living out of a single box of clothes in our temporary Baltimore apartment. No, haven't closed on the house yet.

Because I'm living in a warmer climate now, I'm designing some warm-weather knits. The first, knit in Miss Babs Yet and Habu Silk Stainless, is the Weathered Pullover:

Yet is a blend of Merino and tussah silk, so it's great for warm weather. As soon as I swatched it I knew I wanted to use it for a garment. I like using yarns that are more obviously suited to shawls for garments because I like fine yarns but hate knitting complicated lace. It's also a bargain. So much yardage for the price.

The pullover is reversible; you can wear the translucent panel created by the silk stainless as the back:

Or as the front (check out the skirt; it's one of my five favorite garments, purchased in Berlin in 2003):

Or you can omit it and work the panel in the same yarn used for the other side.

Interested? You can read more about the design here, and you can purchase the pdf pattern for $6.

I leave you with a picture of the Official City Pen of Baltimore.

Okay, not official, but these things are EVERYWHERE.