Who I Am

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She sits amid penguins and knits and knits and knits.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Whoops, I Fair Isled Again!
I seem to be a glutton for knitting punishment.I made it halfway through the evening of the 17th and I had to knit again. Yes, my arm still hurt, but not as badly. I figured that I could knit on what I consider large knitting needles without pain. That would be US size 8 which are 5 mm.

I started to thumb through my considerable stash of patterns for something in the right needle size and I found this pattern.


Knowing that I have an aversion to knitting Fair Isle, I still rummaged through my stash of yarn and grabbed my needles and started. Its not that I don't like the look of Fair Isle, quite the opposite. I think it is really lovely. I just don't like doing it. Well, I didn't used to like doing it. This is the fourth Fair Isle project that I have knitted and I didn't hate doing it . It didn't take me forever to do it. I almost liked doing it.

Just think, in another few years I might even love doing it.

I like the way it came out.


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Knitting related injuries.

I hate it when this happens. My arm hurts and I want to knit. Its not that I can't knit when my arm hurts. I can but I know better. So I will have to not knit and just sit here and peruse patterns and Jones after yarn.

One of the reasons that my arm hurts is because I pushed myself to finish these socks.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/PATTspringforward.html

I am fine when I am working on the first sock, but then I get impatient to finish the second one. I guess it is the dreaded "Second Sock Syndrome" with a twist. A combination of boredom with the pattern and anxiousness to have another pair of socks. So I knit longer than I should, shrugging off the twinges of pain. )You would think that I would learn, but no, it happens at least once every few weeks.)

I have a thing about socks. I don't think that there is a thing as too many pairs of hand knit socks. It probably stems from a lifetime of ice cold feet. It doesn't matter if it is 115 degrees, my feet are still cold. I never understood the allure of hand knit socks until I started knitting them. Once you wear a really good pair, made of quality fiber you will dread wearing one size fits all, pre-packaged, store bought socks.

I am sure that there are some really great socks out there, made of silk and Pima cotton and merino. And I am sure that they cost less than what I pay for the yarn to knit a pair. (Yes, I have been known to pay $25 for yarn for one pair of socks, but it was Alpaca and Silk and Merino wool and it was Handpainted and sooooooooo pretty and soft. Sigh. And it wasn't even for myself. But I digress.)

The urge to knit is telling me to go cruise the web for luscious yarns. Ciao for the moment.



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Why do I do this to myself?





Here is the deal, I love to knit but I hate to do the finish work. Weaving in the ends, doing seams and all that stuff. So, why do I insist on knitting things that have a kerbillion color stripes with two kerbillion ends to weave in?





It must be self punishment.

I love the look of the items when they are done, but halfway through the item it hits me that I am going to have to spend just about as much time weaving in ends as I spent knitting the thing.

I finished knitting a "Scrap Hat" like ten days ago and it still has a snot load of ends to weave in. I have made two pair of socks and started another hat since I finished the striped hat. There the poor thing sits, on the table, goading me in its unfinished state.

I will eventually finish it, as I won't be able to sell it at the Craft Fair in
December if it isn't done. Looks kind of nifty from the front.