Here we go...

Hi! I haven't posted in over two years, but I am still knitting occasionally.

 I took a class from Amy Herzog in 2011 and then a class this month from Stephanie Pearl McPhee. Both classes have really challenged me to take a more serious look at my knitting and I find myself eager to learn more. This specifically applies to technique. I am a perfectionist in most areas of my life. I don't wear that as some kind of badge of honor, in fact I often wish I could just -stop- being a perfectionist, but that hasn't happened yet. I find myself often repeating the phrase "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the GOOD (or good ENOUGH)." Oddly enough, this tendency has never kicked in when it comes to knitting. I routinely leave mistakes in my knitting, especially if they are not very obvious. I don't usually worry too much about if I am doing something the "right" way, as long as it turns out (mostly) like it should.

Now, I don't really want to suddenly become a perfectionist knitter or to focus on technique to the exclusion of relaxing enjoyment. BUT, I do want to learn more technique and more about how I should be doing things. These things don't make for more stressful knitting - they make for accomplished knitting. As long as one leaves room for the growth and the mistakes, it doesn't have to diminish the enjoyment at all.

 In the pursuit of this, I think I need to start knitting more regularly. I tend to knit for a while, then I might go four to six months without a single stitch. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it doesn't make for improving one's craft.

 I also want to reach out a bit more to this knitting community. That's a bit harder for me as I am naturally shy with people I don't know. So the idea of commenting on the blogs of strangers seems...odd. But I'm going to give it a try.

 So here goes the blog, again. :) I am hopeful I can keep up with it. I was inspired by the blog of http://mysistersknitter.typepad.com/ because it seems like she only posts on Sundays. She has a lovely blog, I only recently stumbled on it but I am already hooked. So I feel like it might be possible to have a blog even if I can't blog 5 days a week. I'm hoping this will both hold me a little more accountable for knitting more frequently and also help me to connect with other knitters in the larger community.

So if you're reading, thanks! I hope you'll check back. :)

Knitting Again

*taps mike*

Is this thing on?

I'm thinking of posting again, now that I'm at least semi-consistently knitting once more. At least I'm knitting more often than once or twice a year. And I've got a current project and yarn on the way for another, so I think that qualifies.

Anyone still reading?

Saying Goodbye to November...

November has been a good month. I was able to spend an early Thanksgiving with family at the beginning of the month, which was very nice. Then, for the actual Thanksgiving, my husband and I had a nice, relaxing holiday together. We aren't traveling during the holidays this year, which has resulted in a season that is more quiet and slow-paced.

I haven't knitted much this month, although I'm hoping to pick up the needles again soon and work on the Tilted Duster. I put the socks aside shortly after my last post, and I haven't picked them up again. I think deep down (VERY deep down) I know that I don't have enough yarn to finish the pair, but I'm completely unwilling to rip them out and start over. So, for now, they wait.

In the meantime, I picked up a cross-stitch kit ( a couple of them actually) at Michael's this weekend. I used to cross-stitch when I was much younger, and I hadn't really done any of it in years, but lately I've been feeling in a bit of a rut with the knitting and I wanted something new, something different and yet familiar all at the same time. So for now, I'm working on the cross-stitch (it's of an angel, fitting for the upcoming Christmas holiday). I'm thoroughly enjoying it and have found that it's very easy to pick up again.

I also had a Borders coupon to use and so I bought Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I specifically bought it for the stuffed elephant pattern, Peanut. Looking through it, I think Peanut will only be the first of many projects I make from this book.

November is on its way out and I'm looking forward to December. Hopefully I will have more projects to show (with pictures) next month.

Knitting Fast

So we've all heard that if you knit really fast that you won't run out of yarn, right?

I think I'm going to test that theory.

I'm working on a pair of socks (currently on sock 1 of 2, almost finished with the heel flap - the socks are worked top down). The pattern is New England socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. I'm using one skein of Socks that Rock Lightweight (approx 360 yards).

So I'm working on the first sock last night, about the begin the heel flap, when I happen to look at how much yarn is left from the first of the two separate balls that I split the skein into. It's not much. I become a little concerned so I check the yarn requirements of that pattern. This is something I should have done before I started knitting. The pattern calls for 3 skeins of Koigu yarn, approx 525 yards. Of course, I don't know for sure that three complete skeins of Koigu are needed - it could only be part of the third skein. Still, there's quite a big difference between 360 yards and 525 yards. So far I've cut out one repeat of the pattern, because I didn't want an 8 inch leg, I wanted a 6 inch leg. So that's 2 inches for each sock. Also, I'm using US 1 needles instead of US 0.

Will this be enough to make a difference? I have no idea, and I'm thinking of using contrasting yarn for the toes to also help account for the difference in yardage.

It's an interesting dilemma and we'll just have to see how it turns out.

So it's already October...

Whoops!

I haven't posted in a while (pretty obvious from the fact that September came and went already), but the weather is starting to cool down a little and I'm knitting again. Of course, the weather is just teasing us really, since we're going to have some 90-degree temps next week. Ah well, November is right around the corner!

In the meantime, I've started my first sweater! This is the big project that I mentioned in the last post. I'm making the Tilted Duster from Interweave Knits Fall 2007 (it's the cover pattern). I'm using the same yarn and color as pictured (Berroco Peruvia in the color Purpura). So far I love it, but I'm only part way through the back. Still, the yarn is nice, it's a pleasant change to be knitting on size 9 needles (instead of my usual size 1) and I'm almost (not quite) getting gauge. According to my swatch I had stitch gauge but not quite row gauge. I choose not to worry about this. I'm short anyway, and the duster is long, so if I don't quite have as many rows as I should, I think it will all work itself out.

It's October and that means Socktoberfest. Yet, I'm not sure I'll participate this year. I love knitting socks, but since socks were all I worked on for months this year, I'm feeling a bit of burnout and I'm just not sure I can knit socks right now, especially on size 1 needles. But we'll see. I do have some Collinette Jitterbug yarn in the color Monet that I'm itching to see turn into a simple stockinette sock, so I might just get that started some time next week.

Until next time (hopefully before the month of October is gone), happy knitting!

What to knit next?

I haven't felt like knitting much lately. Or rather, I haven't felt like knitting any of my current projects. There are a couple of projects I would like to start or pick up again, but I either don't have the needles or can't find the pattern.

I ordered yarn online yesterday for my next major project, but it turns out the yarn won't arrive for some time.

Going through the yarn stash, I realized I do have yarn, needles and pattern for a project that I thought about starting a long while ago, but somehow forgot all about it.

That pattern? It's Birch by Sharon Miller from Rowan Knitting Magazine, Number 34. I started a swatch last night (using Kidsilk Haze, although the shawl itself will be knit from Kidsilk Spray). I've already had to rip the swatch out - I was on row 3 and already there were errors. So I'll swatch again. The pattern calls for size US 8 needles, which is what I'm using to swatch, but even after three rows I'm not sure I like the look of it. I think I'll do a second swatch on US 6 also, if I ever actually finish the first swatch. Then I'll decide which I like best, after blocking them both.

I think I'm also going to start a sweater. I bought the yarn for it on sale well over a year ago, and I just need to pick up the needles for it. It's pretty much all stockinette, so I think it will make a nice contrast to the complexity (yeah, I'm a new lace knitter) of birch.

These two projects should keep me knitting until the yarn for my next project arrives. Also, I still have numerous socks on the needles - although I've found I need a break from socks (really, I need the break from the tiny needles).

Sockapalooza Socks... for me!

My Sockapalooza socks arrived a few days ago and I wanted to dedicate a post to them, because they are wonderful!

Let's start with a picture, shall we?



The yarn is Claudia Hand Painted (one of my very favorite yarns) in the color Sea Dreams. This yarn is so soft. And the socks are so cozy. Here is a photo of me wearing the socks.


The socks are very blue in the photographs - but there is a lot of green too, and the two colors looks great together. Cynthia knit these socks using the "Crosshatch Lace Sock" pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. The pattern is really fantastic and here is a closeup:


The color is off in the closeup photo - the first two photos are more true to color. But I think this photo gives a really good look at the stitch pattern.

There were also a few knitting and chocolate goodies in the package as well. :) Thanks so much Cynthia!