Connections

We had a meeting of our knitting group, Girls with Purls on Sunday. It was a planning meeting for 2008. After we planned events for several months of the year, we ate a bit and knit a bit. We talked throughout about our lives and our knitting. Someone made the comment that we shared alot more about our lives when knitting. Somehow, it was easy to open up to each other. I think it goes beyond the fact we have knitting in common. With needles in our hands,we talked about families, careers, joys and disappointments. I am amazed at the capacity that knitting has to help me adjust the distance between myself and people or events. On occasions like Sunday, I can share details about my life without hesitation, bringing me closer to people I want to know better. I also use knitting to create some space between myself and others. Space to listen, consider what is being said thoughtfully and NOT respond unless it is constructive and necessary. Knitting - it's good stuff! In light of all the resolutions abounding on the knit blogs, here is my knitting Top Ten. In 2008, I want to...

1. Knit one pair of socks each month, in keeping with Ravelry 2008 sockalong.
2. Choose knit projects carefully, whether for myself or others.
3. With each new project, learn at least one new thing.
4. Knit the Modern Quilt Wrap (kit was a Christmas present but is back ordered).
5. Start CeCe sweater by February 1 and complete by April 1, 2008.
6. Knit a lace project with Cashmere.
7. Manage Stash!
8. Resist the urge to buy every knitting book published.
9. Learn Fairisle knitting.
10. Enjoy every knitting moment.

Comparative Lace

We all took comparative literature in college, this is the lace equivalent. My knitting group is having a knit along of the CeCe Sweater. Reading the pattern, I was a bit anxious. At one point in the sweater we will be decreasing and maintaining the lace pattern. Never having knit lace before this sounds a bit ambitious for me. In order to prepare, I bought a simple lace pattern and a ball of lace weight. Went home and knitted a few inches and quickly discovered this was a long term commitment. Went back to Cozy, a LYS in Durham, NC and bought 2 skeins of LaGran Mohair in this lovely seafoam green. Found another 3 skeins at Great Yarns, a LYS in Raleigh, NC and started knitting. It is now about six feet long. I think this is the perfect first lace project, it is a pattern by Margaret Urban copyrighted in 2005. Margaret teaches knitting at Cozy. The pattern is called "Shawl and Scarf in Vine Lace, it is a four row repeat and if I can do it anybody can. I hope to finish it this weekend and wear it soon. Adventures in lace, who would have thunk it!

Curbing My Enthusiasm

I visited a new yarn store on a recent afternoon. The Hillsborough Yarn Store, in Hillsborough NC of course. The owner was very nice and welcoming and the yarns lovely. She carried many of the Debbie Bliss yarns, which I love. Long story short, I bought a few things. Three balls of baby cashmerino in a pale gray for cabled socks and a nifty little kit with a skein of yarn, hand milled soap and directions for a bath mitt. Did I need these things? Absolutely not, I wanted them though. I once fancied myself a stashless knitter and then promptly developed a whole system of rationalizations for buying yarn. You know the drill... sock yarn doesn't count, yarn for gift and charity knitting doesn't count etc... I am trying to control the amount of yarn amassed and the number of things on my needles. There is a point when the excitement of new projects and yarn overwhelms me. I need to limit myself so I am fully engaged, excited with the promise and possibilities of future knitting. My system is to limit yarn into what will fit in the bins pictured and limit my knitting books to this small cabinet. It is a challenge though, especially the books. I am trying to finish the three WIPs listed at the top of the blog as I am due to get my yarn from KnitPicks anyday f0r my daughter's CeCe sweater.

Getting Started

Having enjoyed the blogs of others I've decided to join in. It is interesting, I have felt like a voyeur at times, being welcomed into the knitting lives of strangers, having them share the highs and lows of their lives in stitches while sharing nothing of my own. My knitting life has blossomed from a sometimes pastime into a daily necessity. It smooths out the rough edges of the day, the little things like traffic, obtuse co-workers, bad coffee etc... It also has the power to ease the big things too, cancer, the unexpected death of a friend, etc... I tell my husband, yarn is cheaper than therapy. I think it also keeps me from engaging in random acts of property destruction and violence when life gets messy. Bottom line it is very important to me and that is not easy for non-knitters to understand. Hence the beauty of knitting relationships, be they real time, real body or net based. Onto the knitting, I have the hardest time figuring out when I am being obsessive and when it is reasonable to frog my work. I am currently working on a pair of socks for my son. They are lucky Vegas socks for him to wear for his first trip to Vegas later this month. Love the yarn, it is "On Your Toes" by Kertzer. This is a 4 ply sock yarn with Aloe Vera 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. The problem is... I like to knit both socks simultaneously and they don't match. This is usually not a big deal as the colors are not in such big blocks. Think I definitely need to start over on the second sock. Oh well.