A Knitter Without A Posse

Sometimes I feel like the only knitter in the universe without a group of knitter friends. I don't know how many of us lone knitters there are out there, I'm guessing a lot?

I just sometimes feel a little lonely while I slag away on my current WIP.

I hit up Abuelita's today and while they're super friendly when you go in there (and it was ungodly hot and humid in there today... or maybe it was just me?) there's always those ladies sitting at the big table chatting away about this or that. I browsed the books near the big table and while trying to find a book I liked, I overheard the conversations and I couldn't help but think, "why can't that be me?"

Then I have my days where I don't want to be bothered. I haven't decided yet if it's that I don't want to be bothered by non-knitters or just don't want to be bothered at all. Recently I've found a way to have my lunch during my work hours, then when my lunch rolls around at 1:30pm (we're on fixed lunch schedules and I'm last on the list and typically starved by that time) I can just relax and knit.

Since my job is pretty stressful at times; I mean I'm the brunt of the blame when a messenger does something inappropriate or if a customer's deposit goes missing (later to find out the dumbass bank was the one that lost it not the armored truck service that picked it up and delivered it). So I get paid to get crapped on by the general public and I find my mid-day solace with my knitting.

Then I head to the lunch room. The office building I work in was so kind as to offer up to all of us a pool table, cable tv and some nice big tables to sit at. Unfortunately they refuse to clean those tables regularly so I spend a good portion of my lunch wiping down my work space so as to not end up with someone's greasy whatever all over the bottom of my purse and/or knitting bag.

Then there's the inevitable... the non-knitters or the "I knit something once a hundred years ago and never finished it but now I'm going to drone on and on about how I should do it again, but I never have any time for that kind of thing, but oh will you teach me?! I promise I'll never bring in supplies but I'll beg you to teach me every chance I get!!"

I have to tell my story over and over again, yes I learned to knit as a young-un of about 8 to 10 years... yes I love knitting, no it doesn't occupy every ounce of my day, yes it's easy once you get the hang of it, no it's not impossible to learn, yes you have the patience you just have to try.. blah blah blah

BLAH!

I just haven't gotten to have that experience yet with a gaggle of knitters cackling on about this or that (which to me sounds like a hugely splendid idea). Those who do the work and don't make excuses... time, patience, etc.

They... just... knit...

AND DON'T BITCH... unless they decided to get one of those ungodly patterns that seemed like a good idea at the time...

I just feel as if I have a personality that doesn't necessary click with the knitter type and believe it or not I'm also painfully shy. I have been for my entire life and while I do warm up to folks pretty fast, I know there's some that think my "quirks" are bordering on psychotic... (Don't get me wrong I pride myself of my weirdness, it's what separates me from the rest... but in a group situation I don't want to be the one who everyone gives the pirate eye to)

So I guess for the time being, I'll remain as a knitter without a posse... I have my podcasts and listening to Brenda Dayne I guess in a round about way makes it feel like I have at least one person to knit with...

Thank you for listening to the "Woe Is Me Hour" you may resume your normal lives now.

Oh! And both baby blankets are done (ok one needs finishing but I'll be doing that during my lunch hour)... the girls aren't due for another 2 months... I'm so freakin' thrilled that I'm ahead of my game... I didn't think I could make it happen.

Now I'm finishing up the socks that I started for Chris last winter... I'm almost done with number one. Yippeee!!!


see more dog and puppy pictures

Food for thought...

..so for some odd reason I decided to Wiki Elizabeth Zimmerman. I've only read a snippet of one of her books and I honestly don't remember which one. I happened to be browsing the bookshelf at Unwind many moons ago and poked through a few pages.

I know her name is thrown around willy-nilly just about everywhere that knitting is discussed. I've just never really taken the time to follow her or join the cult of followers who have knitted her many famous patterns.

Anyway...

The first section on her Wikipedia page states

"Though knitting back and forth on rigid straight needles was the norm, she advocated knitting in the round using flexible circular needles to produce seamless garments and to make it easier to knit intricate patterns. She also advocated the Continental knitting method, claiming that it is the most efficient and quickest way to knit. During World War II, German or continental knitting fell out of favor in the UK and US due to its association with Germany. Most English books on knitting today are in the English or American style. Elizabeth Zimmerman helped to re-introduce continental style knitting to the United States."

I bolded that section because I thought it was funny (not "ha-ha" funny, but make me turn my head to the side and say "huh?" funny). Women (and men)changed their style of knitting because of a war?

Well, more than just a war... because of it's association with Germany, famous for the Nazi's and the horrid things they did to people.

It's so odd how we change our craft based on social issues. Even the victorian women held their needles to appear more lady-like**. I mean heaven forbid you accidentally showed a little ankle flesh and held your needles wrong... you heathens! ;)

So I wonder, what social trend brought knitting back? I mean with so much clothing readily available (Why make socks when you can buy 10 dozen for a dollar???), with everyone advancing technologically, why the sudden compulsion to make things? For so long it was "poo-poo'd" and looked down upon.

It came back before the economy collapsed, before we went to war in the Middle East (again). So what?
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On a side note... I got paid today and raided the hell out of Unwind after work. I also ordered some yarn from Webs. They're having big sales so I decided to add to the stash. I had a bad day at work too.. something about those yarn fumes totally revived me. I walked out of the store with a renewed feeling...

First we have some Lorna's Laces in Iris Garden, Cedar, and Chocolate... then some Noro Chirimen and Taiyo.. I'm going to be making the Noro Scarf out of these. Since they're different weights, it'll be neat to see the same pattern in a bit different scale.. Oh I just love these colors!!! I also gave in and picked up a copy of the Norah Gaughan Volume 3 for Berroco. You saw a lot of their patterns in Interweave Fall and Winter 08. I think they were also the cover shots for Fall 08 Webs Catalog? I fell in love with a few of the patterns right away, so I've been drooling for months and just decided to buy the patterns and eventually get around to it... LOL.



From the magical folks at Webs, I got some Lily Chin Gotham. Just enough for a little sweater for my neice. It won't be due till next February, but there's no harm in planning ahead right?



For now, back onto baby blanket number 2...

**Sorry for the blatant Yarn Harlot photo on that link. She's the only one I could think of that knit that way and I couldn't find another picture of a set of hands knitting in that style.

Should I Go For It?

I swear! What is it with babies and weddings lately???

First off, two girls in my department are having babies and now... one is getting married!!

I'm one baby blanket down and starting blanket number two, but now I'm debating a wedding gift.

I know I've been saying that I'm going to WIP-bust and get some stuff out of the way, but... you know how it is... inspiration rears it's fugly-ass head again...

That gift would be a wedding shawl. The only problem is I haven't really heard much of the details of the wedding yet (after all she just got engaged last weekend). So I have to dig and see if she's going to do a more traditional wedding or if this is going to be more casual. Either way I could just make the darn thing and hope for the best.

Then there's the whole thing of picking a pattern and getting started... I'm not a super fast knitter like some seem to be. I could turn out a a baby blanket (approx. 33" x 25") in about 2-3 weeks. So with a shawl, and this girl is about 2 pounds soaking wet - skinny, I know it wouldn't have to be a ginormous shawl either, I could probably get it made in time.

I'm so obsessive, "is it the right pattern?"

"will she like it?"

"what if she doesn't like it and I've ruined her marriage forever!?"

Yes, I go to those lengths thinking I can ruin a marriage by giving someone an ugly gift...

Of all things I've wanted to knit a wedding ring shawl, you know, one of those shawls that's knit out of super fine yarn that's so light and fluffy (it put's spiders to shame is so thin!) it could pass through a wedding ring with ease? I think that's a little too advanced for me at the moment.

I have at least 4 months to come up with something...

I've started to scour Ravelry and I've been eyeing that new book Knitted Lace of Estonia. Mostly because Ms. Harlot and Mr. Habit have been blogging about it (and I like what I see).

I've noticed lace knitters don't like to offer up their patterns for free as much as "regular" patterns (i.e. non-lace). I wonder why? (Could it be the fact that they put in 1000 pain-staking hours of knitting and designing one shawl - I won't offer the fact that sometimes, just sometimes that there's a HUGE mistake in their pattern, but that's ok I can forgive them).

Now I have to be nosy and ask around some general questions and such so I can dig and find out what the bride is planning.

Ah the joy of gift giving... or should I say the joy of losing hair and sleep stressing over a gift?

What do you guys think? Any ideas, opinions? I'm open...

I'm trying

I'm trying to blog more often, now that I've re-found my knitting passion. Oh and I keep changing my blog layout, sorry!

The blanket is coming along swimmingly, but I'm dealing with a little pain from it too. Whenever I'm out of practice, I have to re-exercise my arms and back to learn to deal with the repetition. It never works, but I like to imagine that it would.

I have been trying a few more stretches and exercises, as well as stopping to take a stretch every now and again, but I'm on a roll and don't want to stop as often as I should.

On top of all that my job is to just type, type, type all day at work, so on top of the repetition with the project, I've got repetition at work. I'm scaring myself into thinking I'm going to repetition myself into having my arms cut off one of these days! I wonder if I could learn to knit with hook hands?

The silly thing is that when I went to pick Chris up from work the other day, I was waiting in the car and found that it was the only comfortable spot I could find to sit and knit... go figure!

So once this sucker is done, I have one more to do. It'll probably be the same colors but maybe slightly different, not so many color changes and that makes for less weaving in later (bonus!). Plus I don't want to give both the girls identical blankets - though I keep hearing that little voice saying, "what if you give one a certain design and the other another design and they end up hating them and switching?"

It's so tough when two people you work closely with are pregnant at the same exact time!

I've planned on my summer (read: HEAT) knitting. I'm going to finish up a pair of socks that I'd started for Chris and I'm also going to finish the Rona Lace Shawl. No more projects until those guys are done!

I also decided that I'm finally going to make my sweater, the Bombshell sweater from Big Girl Knits. I've been pining over this sweater for probably more than 2 years and I've been scouring the internet for the perfect yarn, but nothing has jumped out at me.

Since it's a short sleeved sweater and I live in southern California, all I've been able to find is wool, wool and more wool. Well, 90+ degrees and wool just don't mix. I'd had a bad experience with some cotton years ago, which I won't go into, so I've been having a hard time trying to find the color I want, along with the fiber I want. So I've put it off and put it off and put it off, but I think I'm coming around and I've found a few leads. This sweater just might get made!

I've also done some organizing in my sewing room. I've ditched some yarn (cheapy Red Heart style). I would have given it away but it's got some sort of sticky substance on it, kind of like old grease on a dirty kitchen stove... It was handed down to me some years ago and I never did anything with it... I picked it up once to play and that's when I discovered the "stuff" on it... I'd put it in a bag with some other half-used crappy yarn but I'd never done anything with it.. now I've finally thrown it away...

We also bought new tubs since we're recently having a moth problem (the little buggers keep sneaking in the house!!!). I used to keep my stash in these rubbermaid style drawers but with time, the drawers would slide out on their own. They'd be on a flat surface so I have no clue why they would slide out like that. But it left just enough gap that I was worried... Upon moving my stash I didn't see anything suggesting an infestation, but I'm going to slowly but surely freeze what I have and kill off any potential invaders.

Going through my yarn however brought up some stuff I'd forgotten I bought. Tons of sock yarn (yummm). My brother in law's girlfriend had "gently suggested" I make her a pair of socks... the conversation went like this...

Me: Yeah I knit, I knit all kinds of things. This is a pair of socks I'd started for Chris... ::holding up sock in progress::

Willow: Ooh really? Well, I wear a size (enter number here) shoe... ::big grin::

So I guess she wants me to knit her a pair of socks. LOL! She's so sweet I don't mind actually. I just have to be sneaky and find out her actual shoe size and what colors she likes.

Out With the Old...

In with the new...



We finally got ourselves a new living room set. Most of our furniture is hand-me-down or forced-loaner material. And by forced loaner I mean the brother in law moved and couldn't take his vintage worth something furniture when he moved up north so we were left with it. We also can't throw it away or sell it off because he wants to keep it, eventually... It's nice stuff but we have to work around it rather than be able to choose what we want. It's ok though I don't mind too much.

We did however (as you can tell) need a new couch. The one we had again was a hand me down and unbelievably painful to sit in. It was beginning to sag very badly and the cats had their way with it and tore the hell out of the corners. The previous owner's cats did a number on it as well so ours aren't 100% to blame.

So we were off on a mission to find something the cats couldn't totally beat to death and something that fit with our personal style (we're really into that 50's-60's retro Hawaiian/tiki theme).

I have this developed hatred for Ikea but the price is right and as it turns out, they had what we want. We got two end tables, two foot rests, a sofa and a rocking chair for just over $500. I couldn't even get a decent couch by itself for that much anywhere else!

The corners are wood so that the kids can't use it as a scratching post, the cushions are removable and washable so fur will stick, but it won't stay forever. On top of all that I've been knitting in the new chair and my back and butt don't hurt!!! That was a key feature...

The other couch was sagging at the back so your butt sank into it and you were folded in half practically. I was in so much pain last weekend I couldn't move right for 2 days (excessive knitting, sunburn and just general over-worked muscles from washing the car by myself).

But this is what I've been working on...



I feather and fan pattern baby blanket I found on Ravelry. There will be eventually 2 of them, one for each girl at work. My boss is sooo jealous... she knows how to knit and brags that she knows how but yet she never picks up the stix. She claims she's just soooooo busy with life and just never has the time for it... but a real knitter knows that you can make time for it.

It's just so funny how she keeps telling me that it's such a sweet gesture and she never would have thought about it... so bossy boss, IN YOUR FACE! :P

I'm so glad the people I talk about don't read this thing. LOL!

Hell hath no fury like knitting scorned...

Dear Knitting,

I would like to apologize. No, I would like to deeply apologize for leaving you all these months. For stashing you in a bag in the corner or on the shelf next to the couch where you sat, a few rows completed, staring at me doing nothing (when time permitted). I gave you the occasional glance back desiring to pick you up and work you, but alas the television was more important in those few fleeting minutes.

It was easier to ignore you, even though you stared at me with those sorry looking stitches. At one point you were even crochet until I got fed up with looking at what you had become. I so mercilessly took the scissiors to you and threw away the offending crocheted piece (it was so awful I couldn't bear to frog). Then I let you sit there, with your sock brother in tucked away in his GoKnit Pouch.

Heck, you even had to endure a long distance relationship with Carlos's Scarf, which was tucked away in a bag at my desk at work! You thought he'd never return...

Until recently.

My renewed love for you has overwhelmed me. I've spend almost a solid 24 hours catching up on my projects, catching up on podcasts and television shows of the knitty variety. I've ignored Chris and forced him to cook for himself. I made him go get the Sunday doughnuts so I could have peace and quiet just with you.

However, I'm now feeling your scorn...

First, Clyde hooking me in the back with a claw tearing away what only feels like 12 inches of flesh (it's really maybe a quarter inch). I've never before had to struggle so hard trying to get her into her carrier to run to the vet for her post-op suture removal and once-over.

Then washing the car. Now, I can't say you had everything to do with this, but I know you had some involvement. I spent two loving hours out there washing "blue" down. Two loving hours away again from you, Knitting. Two hours in the most perfect weather, not too hot, not too cold and just enough breeze to make life seem perfect.

However, I did not wear sleeves, a hat, or sunblock. Now I'm red as a lobster knitting, and I know you're snickering at me.

What you did not know was that I was thinking of you the whole time.

So I've spend many hours since then turning you into a baby blanket that will eventually go to Alicia or Lisa. They'll wrap their newborns with you and give them love and warmth.

So why have you sunken the final nail in the coffin? I'm so sore I can't see straight.

My back aches from endless hours with you. I only took the occasional stretch break, potty break or dinner break. My arms are so sore and my fingers tingle. My shoulders burn and my legs are stiff.

You've humbled me. When I found that I had lost a stitch somewhere, I've learned I should never leave you again, I'm am but a lowly knitter and you are my knitting. I should hold you high and remember that one little stitch could mean the life or death of this piece. My sanity lies in you and I won't ever forget that again.

Sincerely,

Ann