Tuesday, December 18, 2007

What was I thinking?

Hello, and welcome to Mad Angel's "What Was I Thinking" Gallery!

I finally got my shipment of vinyl sweater bags in the mail yesterday, and in hopes of Getting Organized (or at least starting to), I spent the evening going through my sweater chest. And, oh, the things I found lurking there!

Pictured below is Phoebe. She was about 8 years old when I began this sweater, knitting like mad while waiting for her at ballet lessons. I was dying to try my hand with mohair, and didn't have a whole lot of money to spend on yarn back then. I found this MONDO ball of variegated mohair at Fabric Place for about fifty bucks. I bought it because the label assured me there was enough for an entire sweater. Man, was there ever! I was so proud when I finished this, but no matter how many different articles of clothing I tried to wear it with, it just...wasn't right. It wasn't Me.

Phoebe is now eighteen and can get away with this. in fact, she's probably the only person in town who can get away with this. Better She than Me.


Not too long after I tired of Hairy Bargain Mohair, I took up handspinning. Now mind you, I did some very tasteful projects early on. A pretty Aran baby sweater for Daphne and a Christening set are the stand-out items from that era. Then I decided it was time to tackle something handspun for Me.

Ruh-roh, as my dear friend and co-worker Cheryl says.

It was my first visit to Halcyon Yarn in Maine. I was overwhelmed by the bounty there, both in handspinning fibers and yarns. Oh, good glory day! I wanted to be bold and adventurous, and I sooooo loved purple. Two pounds of the deepest, most luscious purple roving I have ever seen just sort of...fell...off the shelf and into my outstretched arms. That would have been fine, but then I spotted this vivid, sunshiney yellow. So not me, but such a pretty, lively shade! OK, I'll take a half pound of that, too. And I will Navajo-ply every inch of both colors, and I will knit...what? Oh, yes, a raglan roll-neck sweater with flappy wide sleeves and a flappy wide body, with wide stripes of purple interspersed with narrow stripes of yellow. Oh, my, yes...if one happens to be a Minnesota Vikings fan...which I am not. I was always strictly a Miami Dolphins fan back when Bob Griese and Larry Csonka ruled the day and won Super Bowls and stuff like that, playing a damn good game and no one needed Janet Jackson and her half-time boob flash.

But I digress.

I had been thinking of dismantling this sweater and making something tasteful in plain purple, but...there were so many ends woven in. And when I undertake to weave in ends, I REALLY weave in ends. So, imagine my delight when Phoebe plucked it out of the pile of sweaters on my bed and said, "Ooh, what's THIS? Can I have it?"

"Sure," I said. "It will save me taking it apart and re-knitting it."

Amazingly, like the Mohair Monstrosity, it suits her. And yes, if you click on the pic for a larger view, she does have a lip ring and is very proud of it. It wasn't my idea, and this, too, shall pass...or so I hope.


Phoebe also inherited a lot of blankets and shawls that didn't suit me, which were too nice to get rid of, and so I just kept them. Lots of mohair scarves, too, all of which "came with the house." Now I have room in the sweater chest for my more tasteful woollens, and sometime in the next couple of weeks I will also bag up the stash of yarns and things that have been living in my room in Rubbermaid tubs for the last couple of years. I find I am eagerly looking forward to having a floor again.

More Rory, this time from 1979, performing A Million Miles Away in the context of a power trio. I just viewed this whole concert on video recently. I had never seen it before. He was on fire. Utterly. Totally. Watch him!

A Million Miles Away

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