Thursday, February 08, 2007

Pink

Only recently have I become aware that pink causes controversy among knitters. Pink's a love it or leave it color. One meme that made its way around asked a simple question: red or pink? I thought both. But most people had a definite preference. Red is red and pink is pink, and never the twain shall meet. I admit that I am not much for the two hues together, a little too Valentine, but separately, I love them both. In fact, my wedding dress was pink. I have blue skin undertones, therefore pink makes me look healthy and awake, so I am always open to a new pink garment.

A few weeks ago while browsing Webs, I found a steal of a deal on a bulky yarn that came in a lovely shade of icy pink. The yarn even came with a free pattern for a wide V-neck raglan sweater, just the sort of sweater I could use to showcase some of my beaded jewelry. I couldn't resist.

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Valley Yarns Sherburne in icy pink and Cascade Yarns Baby Grand Alpaca in fuschia.

I couldn't help but add a few skeins of the baby alpaca for a scarf. If the chunky alpaca doesn't get too fluffy, I will try it in a brioche cable scarf from the Winter 2006 Twists and Turns.

As soon as the yarn arrived I swatched for the sweater, and unlike my usual tendency, I had to go up rather than down a needle size.

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I'll be knitting on size 10.5 needles! Fast knit! Yay! As soon as the Landscape Shawl is blocking, the icy pink is on the needles.

To stay with the pink theme, I'm trying a new author for some very light reading, The Secret of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig. This is Willig's debut novel, which reviews have described as a swashbuckling, romantic romp. The story takes place both in present day and during the early 19th century. The present day heroine, Eloise Kelly, is a history graduate student researching British aristocratic spies during the Napoleonic Wars such as the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Purple Gentian, and the Pink Carnation, the most secret of the flower spies. The present day part of the story is in first person with self-deprecating humor and a chatty tone. When she starts to make some progress in her research, the story switches to third person in 1803 London. I'm not any farther than this first switch, but I am pretty sure the story goes back and forth. There is a lot of witty repartee between the characters. It is a fun story so far. There aren't going to be any insights into the human condition or humanity's place in the cosmos, but it's a nice bit of leaven during a rainy February.

Well, the Landscape Shawl is hollering at me from the knitting basket, best get to it.

Happy Knitting!

7 comments:

Brigitte said...

I *love* pink, and as much as a love red too - pink suits me better. I don't think I'd be able to choose between the 2 of them.

That book does sound like an interesting read!

Alison said...

You are so right. Red is red and pink is pink. I love both though I've tended toward pink because it looks really nice on me. But I've been on a red trend lately. I have some gorgeous red silk that is begging to be something from Victorian Lace Today.

Rachel said...

I just love pink, which is an unusual statement for me. When I was growing up, I HATED pink. I couldn't stand the shade. Icky!. Then, when I was three weeks (weeks, mind you) pregnant with my daughter, I started craving pink stuff. I would only wear pink, I ate pink food, you name it, I was pink. Needless to say, I was very relieved to find out a few months later that I was having a girl!

I still like pink, but I'm not (quite) so obsessive about it. I wonder if I'll have the color craving thing if I get pregnant again?

Jen said...

i too like both! that corset shirt that i am going to knit is going to be in a lovely shade of red.

i do love that icy pink. that might be the best shade of pink ever!

have a good weekend.
jen

Jae said...

Sometimes I crave a good read that isn't too mentally taxing or leaves me pondering my place in the universe. This sounds like it would fit the bill.

I'd comment on the red versus pink thing, except I'm neither. I'm all for blues, greens and purples.

Christy said...

I with you...I like them both. In my knitting, I lean heavily towards the red. However in my store bought clothing I lean toward light pinks.

Beth S. said...

I refused to wear pink for years and years, but then one day I noticed that I had amassed a closet full of pink shirts, and boom! a new era began. I like pink with brown very much, but also pink with green and pink with orange. It's a more versatile color than it gets credit for--there are so many different kinds of pink, from girly ballet pink to screaming bright fuchsia. It's a color with many moods.

But I couldn't answer the "pink or red?" question. They're apples and oranges, different, separate. I need them both in my life.