Harmonious Queer Knitting Balance

For Every Good There is a Bad
When I learn a new skill and get good at it quickly, folks sometimes ask, "Is there anything you're not good at?"

The answer is obviously "yes."

I hate to admit it, but I'm awful at un-knitting rows. Especially when it comes to un-knitting lace. Not only am I bad at it, but I deplore having to do it.

I don't know how Marilyn and Ted do it, particularly when it comes to unknitting a row where there are K1TBL's (Knit One To Back of Loop) involved and undoing SSK's I also find troublesome. Often, un-knitting requires envisioning how the stitch was made, so the needle can be inserted in such a way as to un-make it. I'm usually good with visualizations, but not when it comes to this.

There, you have it, my long-kept, shameful secret.

Current Knitting
As you may have guessed, I made some mistake somewhere, and lost not one, but two stitches in my Celestine Shawl. I had to unknit three rows (two of them were lace rows, one was just a purl row), and it took me for-freakin'-ever to get it back to correct.

I've finished 142 rows on the stole. I'll post a progress picture in my next entry (assuming actual progress is made).

Something I AM good At
To keep harmony and balance at QueerJoe, I had to include something I'm good at.

I started spinning up some multi-color merino roving I bought at Rhinebeck last year, and it's coming out extremely well.



I'm spinning it as fine as I can, hoping to get a triple-ply DK or Sport weight yarn out of it when I'm done.



Overall, the yarn is coming out like a very dark, smokey tweed, even though the picture doesn't show the color overly well.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Ted asks, "Joe: do you and The T. Man (as Mar calls him) ever make duxelles with any of the mushrooms you hunt up?"

Sometimes, especially when he has small amounts of a few different kinds. Mostly Thaddeus makes things like risotto (my favorite with morels), or omelettes, or soups. He's quite a good cook, and knows how best to use a mushroom.

Regarding my Kirsty McColl reference, Kathy asks, "Do you know her song "In These Shoes"?"

That is the song I've decided I will do when I do my first drag-lip-synching number. I've practiced the song enough where I can lip-synch it perfectly, including the Spanish in case I ever have to lip-synch backup on this song for someone else.