A Noro color tutorial (how Mr. Noro determines his colorways)

Have you ever wondered how Mr. Noro comes up with his fabulous color combinations? Have you ever wondered why he takes a string of delightful colors, and throws in that particular shade of lark's vomit? How does he do it? Where does he get the inspiration???

I've wondered for years. A few minutes ago, I was on the phone discussing Niji, a discontinued frothy bit of mohair and wool that came in the mail this morning. I looked down at my kitchen table, and saw a make-up bag and hankie, the remnants of a parcel my cousin sent me two weeks ago.

Oh.

Ok, I totally get it now. Gomenesai, because I couldn't see it earlier. I feel like a wonkin' idiot. Someone in the family tree is gonna disown me. Here's a scan of the bag, a hankie, and a scarf that my mom gave me years ago. Do you see what I am trying to show you? They're just textile palettes. That's all.

The only thing that's wrong, that's not a direct copy, is that his proportions are equal. The particular shade of lark's vomit (aka mustard) that serves as an accent on the coral scarf, for example, actually has equal footing to the coral, grey, navy and green in his yarn. Which is why it seems like such a vast expanse of that color. Because it is.

A pregnant pause

All right, here it is. It's cute enough. I am a leetle worried about the sizing. As in, it may be too tight-especially in the arms. So worried, in fact, that I decided not to sew on the buttons, and figured I would just tuck them into the package. I'll mail it tomorrow, and hope.

Yarn used Berroco Mosaic (railroad) and Elann Bag Wool (single ply bulky). 1500 yards.

Need another opinion

I am trying hard to finish up UFOs. I ran across this, an entrelac sweater started last October, in Austermann Inverno. I figured out where I was, sat down, did a few squares, and really looked at it.

There is no way the front will match the back. Given entrelac's tendency to spread, the front is a good 5" wider than the back.

It's kind of....quiet. Misty. Do I really want such a serene sweater?

I was a little worried. I started the project based on yardage, and a little nervous, because I know I need to reknit the back to fit the front. I wasn't sure I had enough.

Then I saw my big ball of Berroco (mumble becauseIdon't remembertheyarn's name ..crap... Mosaic Iusedonthe cardi) Optik, that I salvaged from something else I frogged last week. And it just might look really good with the Inverno.

In order to do that and have it come out looking ok, I would have to take it back 2 tiers, and then add in a total of 2 tiers. I have 6 of 10 done.

In the meantime, more Inverno has surfaced. So running out of yarn is no longer an issue.

What do you think? I am standing by to listen. (Actually, I am sewing buttons on that last cardi, but you know...)

Breakfast for dinner

Shit, that woman is lazy.


I know, I know. I just talked about Eggs Benedict a few weeks ago. They are wonderful. You can imagine my longing, my drive to make something equally, magically, as good from almost nothing. It shouldn't surprise you that this recipe caught my eye. The tag line was irresistible:


If you slow things down a bit, you can turn scrambled eggs into something spectacular: Cooked very slowly, and stirred constantly, scrambled eggs can be a dish that's creamy, rich and luxurious enough to serve as a first course at an elegant dinner.
Try it once, and you may never do the quick scramble again. Try it twice, and you'll never fret again about a brunch menu.


Once you serve that recipe to people, you'll never have guests again. You won't even have any friends.


Mine came out like softboiled egg paste. DH didn't go for it either, and in the amount of time it took to prepare, I could make chicken or something. I was so flummoxed by the egg nastiness, I surfed to Cook's Illustrated and wrote the editors to ask about that recipe. Could that method ever work? I'll let you know if I hear back on that.


I love Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country. Unlike a lot of recipe magazines, they focus more on the method (the right cut, the right temperature, to salt before or after?) than the recipe (1/4 tsp of gnat's wings, and a core from the Golden Snitch). Recipes I have. Teach me how to cook! I am a much better cook than I was 10 years ago, and I will credit both of those publications. And right now, Cook's Country is looking for recipe testers.


Several months back, I was leafing thru a Taste of Home, and guess who I saw? It was Gracie! She was a field editor. I was stunned-I've been buying that magazine for years & she's been in it for years! And I was a little in awe, because that magazine packs in some serious yumminess. So when I saw Cook's Country's blurb, I signed right up, so I can be just like Gracie. And maybe not have any trouble coming up with what to feed DH-THAT'd be nice.



I am almost done with the preggo cardi. It needs a bath and buttons. I can sew up the baby cardi, and mail both to DD this week. Elann has SERIOUSLY beat my butt this week-it's been multicolored yarn fest, and I need to finish a few UFOs. Look at that Noro Niji! How could I turn my back on it??!! I spent so long on that lace cardigan this year that I am really itching to crank some yarn.

Nom, Nom, Nom!

Gracie nominated me for this award. Which means I have to perpetuate it, but hey, what the hell.


So here are the details-

Please take accept this award from me and ...
1. Please put the logo on your blog.
2. Link the person from whom you received your award.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put the links of those blogs on to your blog.
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them!

So let's see-Jean, Lib, Benne, Marie, Lisa, Enid and Joan.

Whoa-I gotta come back to this later. Spotty internet due to weather.

There will be a point deduction-

It was a good idea, but I didn't really want to reskein a sweater's worth of yarn. Soooo I tried it without skeining.

Baaaah.

Now I HAVE to reskein everything, because I have to redye it.

At one point in the process, all the yarn was in a blue bath. I expected the dye to migrate more, instead of just hitting the fibers and glomming on.

I used our favorite blue raspberry koolaid. I think I will go buy some big girl dye to throw on top of THAT.

I don't think I can make the colors worse

What would genius do?

I found a whale of a sale on this yarn. The reviews said it was WONDERFUL yarn. The price was great. I couldn't quite make out the color. I didn't think it could be THAT bad.

The yarn came in today~all the reviews were spot on. I, on the other hand, was WRONG. The yarn is every pastel under the sun, and they all cancel each other out, leaving a murky, muddy mess.

I could dye it. There's a fair amount of rayon tucked in with the animal fibers. I could add another strand and carry along. Either way, this yarn needs a personality makeover. (For a lazy woman.) Right now, I have two possible solutions: stb or pra. I abbreviated them, because I want to hear what other people think.

Colors in the yarn: mid orange, pastel yellow, blue, green, lilac, pink.

What is your solution?

ETA: Be specific! Please tell me what color would you use!

Reknitting

It doesn't look like this anymore. After finishing the collar and all the hems and bands (one big circle), I bound it off, took a look, and thought yuck. I knit it up using a fairly big needle, in keeping with the lace at the bottom hem, and it just wasn't good! It was floppy and unsatisfactory. So I ripped out ALLLLLL the ribbing, went down 3 needle sizes and cast on again. Wish me luck!