Berroco's "Bonsai" a review

I had an idea to make a pattern for a new handknit top. I went to Knitterly in Petaluma and chose a couple of yarns to make swatches so I could see if either were suitable. I quickly determined that neither of the yarns were going to be perfect for my idea, but as I knit the swatch with the Berroco "Bonsai" I was inspired to design another top; a simple tank with little shaping, garter stitch edges and a fancy cable going up the front all the way to the V-neck, where it splits up and forms both sides of the front neck border. Sweet! The pattern is being written as I knit along, and I will make it available soon. 

What pleases me about "Bonsai" is its lovely luster, silkiness and fabulous drape. It's not such a thin yarn that I have to use little needles, in fact it knits up quickly on size 7 needles, with very even looking stitches. I think its fiber content; mostly bamboo with a little nylon, is going to be a cool fabric without requiring a lot of fuss. It is handwashable in cool water and dry it flat. Berroco says "Inspired by the rhythmic markings on a bamboo tree, our ribbon yarn is made from cellulistic fiber derived from bamboo. It is woven into a narrow ribbon that is wrapped with a delicate nylon for a touch of high sheen. It's dyed in 9 exquisite shades." Well rhythmic, cellulistic, exquisite it is!

"Bonsai" is a silky yarn and so it comes with requirements; Use wooden needles, or at least plastic needles with a little drag to them, because this yarn slips and slides off of metal needles. You don't want to be losing those precious stitches! Take care of your hands and nails while working with this yarn too, because rough skin or the littlest rough edge on a nail can catch on this yarn, creating a potential for a snag. SNAG is a four-letter word!

Anna Hallquist

My intention:

Knitting is a passion of mine, so I'm pleased to announce that I am equipping myself to design, compose and publish my knitting patterns. In addition, I plan to write knitting and crochet product reviews and post them on this blog, at least until I develop a name for my business. Once a name is given to my activities, I'll move to another blogspot with that name, hopefully.

I bought a little Mac Powerbook this weekend from the Apple Store in the Santa Rosa Plaza. Knowing what I wanted before I went to the store made it easy and fast to choose. I had thought I would want the 17", but after comparing the heft with that of the just-as-powerful 15", I chose the 15". I chose a cute, pink padded cover for it, picked up a free, little green Nano for Honey, and came out with a smile.

I ordered some publishing software online, but the package is embargoed until Tuesday, when I'm told it will be available for download.

Look for me on Ravelry!

Anna

Striving for Beauty

My Lord says we must strive for beauty in order to evolve, and we want to evolve as humans, or we'll die out. To complete the evolution of mankind, we must become perfect. Letting go of the ego and living with presence, love and kindness assists us on our trail upwards.
To choose beauty always--the genuine Beauty of the spirit rather than the more common "beauty" of seduction--is a challenge, not a struggle. If you are struggling with Beauty you are doing something wrong. Intuition is used, rather than intelligence, to make choices and decisions that uplift the spirit.
How will you know intuituon? Intuition speaks to you through your gut, you feel it in your solar plexus. Intelligence, when it's being applied toward a concrete goal is a benefit for us on Earth, but when it's not engaged in accomplishing a goal, the incessant chatter of the ego arrives in the dialogue of the mind, polluting thoughts overtake our psyche, and often we choose to act wrongly and justify our actions with rationalizations.
Eckart Tolle wrote about evolution in his book, "A New Earth." A rock, as it has completed its evolution (obtained perfection), becomes a crystal. No two crystals are alike, but they are all perfect and beautiful. As plants complete their evolution, they flower. As certain reptiles evolved into birds, they achieved perfection and became beautiful.
As I write this, blue jays outside in the "science fiction tree" are busy feeding their chicks. (Albert and I have come to find the name "science fiction tree" appropriate for the tall, leggy plant in the garden, which we have failed to identify, and which looks like something out of "Star Trek.")Their fantastic, iridescent-blue plumage shimmers as they hop down to the ground to find grubs. They are truly beautiful. And that blue is out of this world!
What does "Strive for Beauty" mean to me? It means I am careful to always ask myself: "What is my motive in doing _____?" If, when I choose to wear lipstick, I find my motive is to get a desired effect, such as attention from my boss, then putting the lipstick on becomes an act contrary to Beauty. But if I find that the motive to wear lipstick comes from a feeling of Beauty, then putting the lipstick on is uplifting for my spirit. Of course, I must be careful in checking the ingredients of the lipstick to avoid polluting this body.
Even the most scarred and misshapen women have Beauty. With careful choices, and practice, Beauty is manifest.
Like wise, when I am making, and that is my verb, "to make," I strive always to make things of Beauty. Whether I am painting, knitting or cooking, to make beautiful is synonymous with making perfect.
Don't fear perfection! It will be your salvation!