Feral

This cat was born in a patch of jade plants on the side of my house. I would see him walking past the back door, or stalking gopher holes. My interaction with him was limited to spotting him through windows and glass doors. Feral cats avoid human contact, so he'd run if he saw me.

I liked having this wild thing just wandering around out there. I never fed him or anything, it seemed like he was doing just fine on his own. I just left him alone. I never even named him.

A few weeks ago I found his body in the patch of jade plants he was born in. He must have died a while ago judging from the decomposition. I found this picture I took of him back in '06, a rare shot of him in loaf mode. Pretty handsome, eh?

I know he was just some stray cat, but I always regarded him as my little analogy. I can relate to being resourceful enough to survive, and living this simple life untethered by human connection, yet appreciated from afar. He was wild and free. To me that's a pretty awesome life.

Sell or Keep?

I'm somewhat up in the air whether this will be Reflect Bravo or not. This is the third try, after starting over for various reasons. What I've ended up running with is 180 stitches cast onto size ones which is a finer knit than I'd intended for the Reflect Series (Alpha was 152 stitches per row on size twos). The combination of restarts and this higher stitch resolution is cause for pause. It basically translates to more work, and ultimately a higher price point. My instinctive response in this situation is to just keep it for myself rather than price it high, but I haven't decided yet.

Cool It Now

Lots of blue happening around here lately. I didn't intend for it to happen, but there it is. Fine with me, seeing as San Jose is blazing hot lately. Duality Delta is coming along rather quickly in a navy cotton multi-strand. Delta explores the idea of symbiosis, where two different organisms cohabitate for mutual benefit.



Ever since I re-opened the shop my personal knitting has all but ceased with the exception of some leg warmers I've been working on here and there. I've wanted a pair for some added insulation on cold bike rides, but the one I finished so far has been handy for warming this ankle injury I got (wasn't used to the grip teeth on these new bike pedals I got, went thrashing around like an idiot, and twisted my ankle).

Anyway, want more cool hues? Check out these new additions to my stash:

Reflect Alpha

The Reflect series is a somewhat evolved form of Pyramid where a diamond forms in the central section. There are two differences: the stitch at the brim now matches the crown, and banding sections outline the diamond shape in a contrasting stitch. Within these new parameters I suppose Pyramid could still happen, but just under a new name.

In terms of fiber, Reflect will be where all the merino is at, as well as the higher-end shetland wools. If I ever get any appropriate colors, cashmere will be used on these as well. I hope to develop Reflect as the lightest knit weight in the best recycled fibers I can find.



Reflect Alpha was knit using a four thread multi-strand merino wool recycled from two different sweaters: a men's polo by Club Room, and a women's sweater from Banana Republic. Despite the different brands these thread weight yarns were identical in color and weight. I held four strands together to achieve the appropriate gauge and couldn't tell the two apart.

I still haven't decided which color merino to use for the Bravo. A cool charcoal gray, or a brownish warm gray? Hmmm....

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