Knitting....but quietly

I know I am a very private person, and having a public/social job (sitting on a reference or circulation desk all day) I can be a bit peopled-out by the end of my shift. I don't want to talk or share or engage--its time to crawl in a hole and recharge! Maybe knit, maybe work a room escape game (darn you Jay is Games for the great game ideas!) or even try to go to bed before 12.

So now the blog is in the "its too much effort to be social" category. Sorry!

I still have love for the yarn. I am back to cranking out socks after a short hiatus. Nearly done: Anastasia socks in STR Mediumweight, Dutch Canyon. They are lovely; for the nearly first time with STR I am not getting pooling or flashing in the sock, just short bursts of color. Strangely enough, one sock did pool (but consistently, and it worked with the YOs.) The other is not pooling at all. Odd. And LOVELY.

Just begun: Firestarter with YarnAhoy's Sweethearts. This is a lovely dye job by friend and fiber artist Manasi, who now it seems has dropped out of the yarn business to pursue photography and other artistic ventures. I wish now I had bought more of her yarn! My favorite pair of socks were made from her yarn; they are a simple lovely BRIGHT green with gentle stripes of greens in them. The yarn is strong and they fit perfectly. Firestarter looks fantastic in this yarn.

Shocking as well; I am doing these toe up, magic loop on Addis! These are three things I have almost never done in socking. I do not like the way the metals scrape together, so I never knit with metal needles. I find toe-up frustrating, and was never happy with my short-row heels. Plus, Addis? No point!

But after I forced myself to learn Judy's Magic Cast On, and then had a somewhat successful heel on the Anastasia socks, I decided I could try toe up again. Plus, how better to beat the "more of the same sock" blues than to change it all up again.

It worked!

I finished the Gathered Pullover from IK and it looks great; I wear it all the time (alpaca is warm.) I have only enough yarn for one more sweater in the stash--Silky Wool. Hoping that the new IK will have a lovely light sweater for that yarn.

Or....I'll just have to buy some yarn! Awful.

SHOCKING!

I cannot believe I have not posted since JULY. Criminal.

I did loads of stuff!

I made a vest for a 12 year old boy for Afghans for Afghans. I used leftover/stash Patons Classic and Cascade 220--it turned out great! The Yarn Lounge was doing a single large shipment so I dropped it off there.

I made some booties for a new baby.

I bought loads of Harry Potter yarn and started socking right away. These have a random traveling cable that I really love. Go Tonks!

I finished one sock for FaveSpouse--random traveling cables again--and started another.

I have been working on the sleeve to the Braided Pullover from Fall IK; I am having difficulty purling in the round. For the first time in my life I am getting LADDERS! Ugh.

I think I will have to rip. But as EZ says, "Knit on!"

Knitting.....

I finished one of those itchy projects last night--one of those projects that you do not really like working on, but that you slog onward for other reasons. It must be finished! The itch to complete must be scratched! even if it bleeds.

I have some mixed issues with my stash. I like having a choice of things to work on next, and a stockpile of yarn for lean times (whether it is lean in $$$ or lean on time for yarn shopping.) BUT I do not like the feeling of being obligated or bound by my yarn, or tied to past choices. Sometimes I chose the wrong yarn, or I just do not want to knit the object any more. And then the stash becomes the stash of OBLIGATION. The stash that must be knit before I get to the good stuff.

This itch appears periodically, the itch to git 'er knitted, to finish up some part of the yarn collection. I recently knitted a huge grocery bag (raveled here) that ate most of 8 skeins of Cascade 220 but that was not enough. Must knit more!

So I took the Hemp (raveled here) that I had bought at MDS&W in 2006 and made a Moderne Rug. Its based loosely on Mason Dixon's Moderne Blanket, though I just used the log cabin technique, made it asymmetrical, and alternated different colors for variety. It looks homey but good. I am very glad I never tried to make a sweater from this; it is super scratchy and full of knots. But as a rug it can have a life and be free of the stash.

And mentally I can also be free. Except I may still be itching. What will I scratch next?

WWKIP Day!!

The Yarn Lounge hosted World-Wide Knit In Public Day--and I actually got out of the house! Sis watched the crew (I had done the same for her in the morning) and I had a couple of hours to be a non-lonely, in person knitter!

First I saw Susan, who I knew from my petsitting days (hey Spike!) and now Ravelry. She was bravely knitting in the sun on the sidewalk. Brave move in the heat.

Then I walked in to see the Happy Stasher herself knitting furiously and deciding what to stash next. Green or blue? Organic cotton or Cotton Fleece? Lou is to yarn as Jesus is to The Little Children--she loves them all. "Come to Lou, little skeins! You all have a happy, safe home in my stash! I will protect you and love you--come to mama! "Lou is acually adding a stash room--an entire attic craft room--to her house. I have seen it in person and it is beautiful. It will have shelving and closets and workspaces for knitting and scrapbooking. When it is complete I have promised to help Lou organize and catalog it all--I want to enter the whole thing on Ravelry. She is going to need a Flickr Pro account.

Lou's stash is certainly a stash that would bring smaller collections (like my own) to its knees, begging for mercy! Truly the mega-stash. Monster Stash.

I had a discussion with a recent JMU grad (Becky?) about her HUGE yarn score of high quality wholesale yarn from the fiber studio at JMU. Fabulous!

I met Brandy, author of The Purl Parables, in real life. Tell me, what is the ettiquitte for meeting online friends in person without being a stalker? As in--love the blog, the shawl was amazing (so true! check it out!) I've commented a few times, how are you? In classic Me style, I said nothing. I am so rude. Its not intentional, I'm just so clueless.

At The Yarn Lounge I did some browsing; I had brought in enough food to qualify for a discount (bring in 5 things for the food bank and get a 10% discount! good idea). I am really trying to knit creatively from the stash right now....and I have been struggling with what to knit next. My RavQ is full but nothing is dying to be made. Maybe all of my serial knitting (socks, BSJ) has killed my creative spirit. I am still making the same patterns over and over.

I have swatched for a top down cardigan; I've never knitted my own design before. I like the same styles over and over, and my body shape does not change so I know what suits me (and what doesn't). I am hoping a top down in SOCK YARN will work, set in sleeves, knitted on larger needles to make 4-5 stitches/inch, like Tempest. The Ellen's Half-Pint looks really good in the swatch....

The Lone Knitter

I noticed today that I have knitted alone (but rarely lonely!) for more than a month now. Maryland was my last outing with the sticks...but what an outing it was. I work in the library of a local community college and my shifts include two weeknights and some weekends; these erases some nights of knitting in public for me as well. But I continue to knit, me, the TiVO and Doctor Who.

I finished a pair of socks for FaveSpouse and I am now at the end of the Noni Green Earth Grocery Bag with just a part of the handles to complete. A flower washcloth is in the works for BoyWonder's teacher; my Charlotte Shawl is stalled.

BUT I have also been doing a bit of sewing. Sewing is kinda fun when it goes well--and I love using my vintage machine (my mom made her maternity clothes on it when she was pregnant with me!) but my skill is pitiful and I often get frustrated. Still, you can make an item in a few hours, or an afternoon....try that instant gratification with knitting! In an afternoon all you can make is a dishcloth, or a flower pin.

Sunday I made myself a pair of pajama pants--I love them! They are short--like capris-- and very light, perfect for summer (and for impending Cub Scout Camp) and I hope to make more of this pattern. I always need pajamas--as do my family! and the pattern is multisized, from teens to adults. I have been to both of the Local Quilting Shops (that I can find) and the one I gave a chunk of money to was Quilting Adventures. I bought the patterns, notions and fabric for the pants, one little girl dress and a baby quilt. Whoa! They have a blog and a website, and have been very helpful. My dad's girlfriend (a quilter) suggested them.

BUT I am not yet going to the dark side....!

A tale wherein our knitters nearly get stranded, but conquer failing technology and reach the emerald city of YARN!

The day dawned brightly on our three knitters as the set out...... enough of that silliness!

MDS&W was a MONTH AGO and I have not posted my fun pictures. As you might imagine, the trip was FUN and VERY INSPIRING. The three of us, Melanie Lou and myself all set out on Friday, packed easily into Lou's Subaru, which was outfitted for bad weather and knitting. First, the a/c went out, then the temperature started climbing. We pulled off before it made it to the red and the mechanic said--Don't drive it! And he suggested a friendly car vendor down the road.....

...who were able to outfit us with a red yarn-buying transport machine!
We set off again to the north and made it safely, but hungry. We took care of that problem....

We met new friends and old, and I even connected IRL with internet friend Jane.

And took a stalker-like picture of the Rainey Sisters (I love their blog and their knitting is GORGEOUS!)

We bought loads of yarn. This trio could be on Sesame Street.....which one is bigger?

Melanie's targeted stash of beauty.....

Suzanne's stash for a rainy day....

Or Lou's purchases which can be seen from SPACE! (Lou and I actually had to stand on chairs to photograph the full beauty....it completely covered the BED!)

We went to the Ravelry party and I ran into a friend who I have not seen for 10 years (at least!) Susan has always been a knitter, but she picked it up again recently. Cheese!

I really do still knit.....

...I just don't blog about it!

I have been on a serial-knitting spree, knitting the same items over and over. I am now on my 15th sock of 2008 (mostly simple patterns) and have just finished my fourth (4th!) Baby Surprise Jacket of 2008.
This one is for a mum I have never met! But she is also a crafter (she quilts) and will understand it.

All of the BSJs have been in either Louet Gems Sport (good yarn for this, machine wash and dry) OR Dream in Color Smooshy (also superwash.) The skein of Smooshy made one jacket PLUS about 2/3 of this one, combined with the Louet Gems. Great value and really lovely.

A shot of the mandatory tag...
One BSJ was sent to friends in Edinburgh who just had their first child; another went to a cousin who had their 3rd--this one a girl! For her I knitted the jacket in white and pink, wrote out her entire name on the tag (Rachel Rose) and knitted and attached a rose to the lapel. I did not get to go to the shower but I heard it was a huge hit.

One jacket is going to my SIL, who is due in May. Her husband has been going through chemo, and they have a super-active 3 year old, and she works outside the home, and the hospital is two hours away........her life is very stressful now. I hope the jacket brings some small measure of happiness. We all need a bit of happiness.