Spring

Spring has definitely arrived here in the water-logged Pacific northwest.  All the tell-tale signs are here.   The robins have returned.  Ostentatious daffodils scream "yellow" from every flowerbed.  Hipster bike couriers have taken scissors to skinny jeans in an effort to pull off some sort of skinny-short-bicycle-jean abomination.  Every so often, the sounds of Django Reinhardt can be heard at high volumes from pasty-complected gentlemen wearing hand-knit berets with the tops down and the heaters turned up in their convertibles.

I love spring.

Spring is also school and charity-auction season around here, and there are no shortage of invitations.  So far, Mrs. TSMK and I have only bought tickets to one such event - the auction for our oldest boy's school.  Like every year, they've asked for parents and local businesses to donate items to the cause.  You can probably see where this is headed.

The last time I donated something to this event, Mrs. TSMK bought it.  This year, I purposefully made something in a color she doesn't typically wear - thinking that perhaps we won't once again engage in what seems like a form of charitable masturbation.  But who knows.  Spring makes you do funny things. 

The pattern is a slight variation on Susan Dittrich's Pinkerton Shawl, found in the current edition of Interweave Knits, and I've done it in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light.  I love to knit this yarn, and enjoy the feel of the finished fabric.  It is very soft.

For anyone local who feels the need to bid, the auction is this coming Saturday at the Kiana Lodge in Suquamish.  I suspect there are still tickets to the auction available.  Please come, bid early and often (and outbid Mrs. TSMK - who is waffling on whether she'd wear this color).

And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find my Django Reinhardt cd.  Spring is calling.

~TSMK

The School Auction

A few months back, my oldest son's elementary school had its annual auction. In years past, this event has received tremendous support from the local business community. With the general condition of the economy this year, however, business donations were down, and the PTO was leaning on parents to donate handmade items, services, or anything else that might be of value. After some thought, I decided that I would knit something. I ultimately decided to make Kieran Foley's excellent seascape stole (found on http://www.knitty.com/ and also at Kieran's own website: http://www.kieranfoley.com/knit_lab_seascape_stole.html).

Along the way, the PTO began putting together the auction program, and needed information for the item. Although I've been known to knit in public, my hobby isn't widely known, so we decided to list the item as donated by "the {TSMK} family."

The big night arrived, and the stole was one of the silent auction items. This was the first piece I'd prepared for something other than a simple gift (although I'd gifted it to the PTO), and I admit I was pretty nervous. I was horrified that the stole would be viewed poorly, wouldn't get any bids, etc. After initially looking at the stole and the bid sheet to make sure everything was correct, I tried to stay away from the table.

The silent auction closed, and I wandered over to the table to see how things had turned out. It turns out that the stole had been the subject of a minor bidding war between one of the other parents and. . . TSMK's wife. Yes, that's correct, I knit the stole to donate to the PTO, only to have Mrs. TSMK buy the item. Too funny. -TSMK

Here is my finished version of the Seascape Stole - done in Kidsilk Haze: