Fragments of Kodachrome: "The Greens of Summer" - gardening

"Wear-Your-FOs-to-Work Day"--And Dammit, Be Proud!

noreply@blogspirit.com (Kodachrome Fragments) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 19:23:58 -0500

Please note: This post has been cross-posted at kodachromeknits.blogspot.com and I recommend reading the post "over there" as the photos appear much more clearly. Thanks!

The other day, KnitandTonic wrote about how she never (or rarely) wears any of her finished items. When I read that, I felt really quite sad and disappointed. If her FOs aren't worthy of hitting the street, then whose are? Then many of you wrote into her comments section, noting that you too don't feel that you can wear your knitted garments out in public. Again, I felt that this was really too bad.

Thankfully, many others wrote just the opposite--that you wear yours with pride. Certainly, I feel a real joy, for instance, when I notice that Carrieoke is wearing one of her FOs to work, and that she even takes the time to photograph herself in her office washroom. Or that she even wears them out in the evening. This is the type of moxie I like to see in the knitting community; not shame, but pride in what we do and what we create.

So today, I broke out Orangina and wore her to work. All Day! And not one person looked at me in horror, or as though I were poor, or as though I were a "sad, old woman," or as though I were some freakish, bag lady. In fact, I thought I looked pretty good.

But I have to admit, had someone said, "Did you make that top?", I probably would have felt a mixture of embarrassment and pride, trying to figure out whether or not the question was a compliment or an insult. But just for a second would I care. And then I would get on with feeling good and enjoying what I can make with my own hands, a bit of string, and two good sticks (or in this case, a circ.). Oh, and of course, let's not forget Glampyre's great pattern, as well!

Pattern: Orangina, by Glampyre, XS

Yarn: Rowan 4-Ply Cotton (Ripple), 3 skeins

Needles: US 3 24' circular

Modifications: I cast on for the XS size, minus 18 stitches, so I could make an XSS. I'm not an XSS but as many have pointed out, this pattern knits up a bit loose otherwise. I took much of my modification advice from Domesticat, whose version of Orangina really inspired me to make this top.

And for those of you who feel your knitted items just aren't beautiful enough to wear out of the house, I leave you with this little beauty, found outside my door today. I once thought portulaca plants were ugly, and despaired when my mother would plant them in mass quantities about the yard. Guess what? I now love them and think they're just so pretty.

Just like I've come to feel about my FOs.

So hey, when should we declare the International "Wear-Your-FOs-To-Work" Day?

Damn It!

noreply@blogspirit.com (Kodachrome Fragments) — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 17:20:00 -0500

Where did May go?

Between writing like a madwoman all day (I'm so trying to get this dissertation done!) and working to complete Orangina and Morph/Kate the Cat at night--all while INDECISIVELY trying to DECIDE on the Amazing Lace Final Details--I have managed to miss posting my FINAL GREENS OF SUMMER. I've also been remiss about getting the final greens posted because, for whatever reason (my ignorance, probably), I've been unable to upload any photos to my posts and so I've just deleted them.

But darn it, I think (while taking a break from said dissertation) I've figured out what was going wrong when posting photos. And so whether you like it or not, and whether it breaks all rules of PROJECT SPECTRUM, here, damn you, are Kodachrome's last "Greens of Summer" and "Greens of Home":

It would never really be summer, of course, without the greens of the ball fields. (Go Tigers!)

And without the greens of backyard ponds...

And how I loved spotting Greens about our house.

And one of my favourite teapots:

And of course, when sipping tea,
one must be reading...

...in one's favourite thrift-find chairs...

And while doing so, the dog, of course, is at my feet...

--ok--he's obviously not green :)

"The Greens of Summer"

noreply@blogspirit.com (Kodachrome Fragments) — Fri, 19 May 2006 10:25:00 -0500

Ah, Paul Simon, the Nikon Camera, the Kodachrome...

Ah Project Spectrum... I guess the month of May was a fitting time to enter blogland as "Kodachrome: The Greens of Summer," given that this month's color is green.

Yes, I'm a late joiner, but there's no time like the present, they say. Therefore, to catch up on this month's color green for Project Spectrum, I'm going to show just a couple of our emerging garden's 'greens of summer,' followed by a couple of the greens of my knitting basket and sewing basket. Lots to come here folks in the days to come, as the kodachrome is finally being "developed" today.

And the green of the dining room table:

The green of the KeyLime Pie I made for Guido's (the SO's) birthday.

The green of the Lace Leaf Scarf from Scarf Style that I made for my mother this past Christmas:

And the green circles of the Kitty Pi I made last year:

More recent knitting photos to come later today. Je vous promis!