Thursday, April 09, 2015
Doing the Sock-Hop of Shame
ME: I am afraid to knit socks. There. I've said it.
SOCK GURU: (We all know one. Pick your favourite.): What are you afraid of? Failure?
ME: No.
SOCK GURU: Turning a heel?
ME: Nope.
SOCK GURU: Toe issues?
ME: Wrong again.
SOCK GURU: Sock yarn and tiny needles?
ME: No.
SOCK GURU: Asymmetriphobia?
ME: Huh?
SOCK GURU: Fear of asymmetrical objects.
ME: Don't care about that. The differenter the better.
SOCK GURU: Differenter? DIFFERENTER?
ME: I. Like. Odd. Socks.
SOCK GURU: There's only one other thing that comes to mind. Do you get ladders between the needles?
ME: GAH! {Weeping uncontrollably now}.
SOCK GURU: Have you tried pulling the first two stitches on each needle really snugly?
ME: Yes. Didn't work.
SOCK GURU: Sometimes, the "ladder" will disappear when the sock is finished and you wash it for the first time.
ME: As Richard Dreyfuss said in "What About Bob", "You know I can't live with that kind of ambiguity, Fay!!!"
SOCK GURU: Have you tried the "magic loop" method.
ME: Okay, you've got my interest... No. I haven't. But I'm willing to give it a go.
Stay tuned, Guru. Casting on with a 32" circular...
Monday, March 30, 2015
JOY IN ZIG ZAG
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in lovely complex projects that strain our brain and then along comes something that is so simple, and so much fun, it is like a breath of fresh air. Something that in its simplicity, calms the soul and renews our love of the craft, reminds us of why we love the craft and gives us the tool with which to draw in someone who may have thought, "Gee, some day I might like to learn to do that." This. Is. Such. A. Project. "Zick Zack Scarf by Christy Kamm. I love the way it looks 3-D in the photo. I love the feel of the garter stitch fabric the pattern creates. I especially love the fact that I can throw it in my bag, head out the door, and have an easy project to take out and work on when struck by the urge to knit (yes, this is a thing).
A good friend introduced me to this pattern. A good friend who has made many complex, lacy shawls. A good friend who perhaps saw this pattern and thought she needed a breather. Well played, you!
The pattern is free on Ravelry, here:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zickzack-scarf
If you decide to try this little jewel, please feel free to leave photos in the comments.
Joy in knitting.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in lovely complex projects that strain our brain and then along comes something that is so simple, and so much fun, it is like a breath of fresh air. Something that in its simplicity, calms the soul and renews our love of the craft, reminds us of why we love the craft and gives us the tool with which to draw in someone who may have thought, "Gee, some day I might like to learn to do that." This. Is. Such. A. Project. "Zick Zack Scarf by Christy Kamm. I love the way it looks 3-D in the photo. I love the feel of the garter stitch fabric the pattern creates. I especially love the fact that I can throw it in my bag, head out the door, and have an easy project to take out and work on when struck by the urge to knit (yes, this is a thing).
A good friend introduced me to this pattern. A good friend who has made many complex, lacy shawls. A good friend who perhaps saw this pattern and thought she needed a breather. Well played, you!
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zickzack-scarf
If you decide to try this little jewel, please feel free to leave photos in the comments.
Joy in knitting.
Sunday, February 09, 2014
In the Waning of the Day
In the Waning of the Day
Copyright Judith Somersett 2010
In the waning of the day when embers warmly glowing lay within my hearth
the stresses that had taken hold no longer seem to be so bold
They don their cloaks and quickly flee, and yield to wools enfolding me,
As I sit clicking, clicking, softly knitting
in the waning of the day.
In the waning of the day when all around me sleeping lay
No sleep can find me as I sit before the fire and quietly knit
My soul finds solace in the act, the quiet, lovely fibrous act of one stitch over, two left back
Wrap the yarn, take up the slack.
A sock, a hat, a baby sweater
End result? It doesn't matter
Just the act of quiet solace worry-free of come what may
in the waning of the day.
WHAT WAS YOUR CATALYST?
How did we get to this place called Fibre Frenzy? We knit because we love the craft. We knit because someone once told us we could make anything we wanted if we applied ourselves. To them, it was a chore, so why is it all of a sudden a release for this generation. I have decided that our parents and grandparents knit out of sheer practicality and purpose. It was necessary. They used string, cloth, old carpets, the list goes on.
To us, it is a hobby. We indulge ourselves with all sorts of yummy yarns and knitting tools because we can, because our ancestors gave us the facility and we developed it into a passion.
My mother could knit. She learned in school. It was a compulsory subject for little girls - what is up with that? They should have also taught the boys. My grandma knit. She used utilitarian yarn and taught me with that same scratchy fibre. I don't think she ever suspected what would grow from that seed but I hope she would be proud.
My mother was brilliant. She could finesse any pattern regardless of how complex. She made seven dresses in one year for herself, on impossibly fine needles, using boucle tweed. They were all gorgeous. However, she only ever worked on one project at a time and only had the wool for that one project. There was no such thing as "stash". She had straight metal needles, the kind that we eschew. We have tools now that would boggle our parents' minds. No fancy stitch markers, row counters, tape measures. Just the essentials. You only used circular "pins" to make items that straights could not accommodate. There was a right way and a wrong way to hold your needles. It was a second job.
My question is: what was the turning point from stark necessity to favourite pastime? Did our parents love it as much as we do but the social media wasn't there to tweet about it? There was no photographing your creations and showing them off to a network of hundreds of like-minded fibre zealots. The thought of a "Stitch 'n Bitch" group boggled my mother's mind. She would knit in the evening, after the dinner was done and the dishes washed and put away. She would stop at bedtime, regardless of how much or how little was left on the project. The thought of staying up past bedtime to knit was unthinkable.
So I welcome any comments or stories you may have to share on this subject. This craft we love. This hypnotic, zen art which helps calm and soothe our souls and relax us like no other art can. What was your catalyst?
Joy in Knitting
To us, it is a hobby. We indulge ourselves with all sorts of yummy yarns and knitting tools because we can, because our ancestors gave us the facility and we developed it into a passion.
My mother could knit. She learned in school. It was a compulsory subject for little girls - what is up with that? They should have also taught the boys. My grandma knit. She used utilitarian yarn and taught me with that same scratchy fibre. I don't think she ever suspected what would grow from that seed but I hope she would be proud.
My mother was brilliant. She could finesse any pattern regardless of how complex. She made seven dresses in one year for herself, on impossibly fine needles, using boucle tweed. They were all gorgeous. However, she only ever worked on one project at a time and only had the wool for that one project. There was no such thing as "stash". She had straight metal needles, the kind that we eschew. We have tools now that would boggle our parents' minds. No fancy stitch markers, row counters, tape measures. Just the essentials. You only used circular "pins" to make items that straights could not accommodate. There was a right way and a wrong way to hold your needles. It was a second job.
My question is: what was the turning point from stark necessity to favourite pastime? Did our parents love it as much as we do but the social media wasn't there to tweet about it? There was no photographing your creations and showing them off to a network of hundreds of like-minded fibre zealots. The thought of a "Stitch 'n Bitch" group boggled my mother's mind. She would knit in the evening, after the dinner was done and the dishes washed and put away. She would stop at bedtime, regardless of how much or how little was left on the project. The thought of staying up past bedtime to knit was unthinkable.
So I welcome any comments or stories you may have to share on this subject. This craft we love. This hypnotic, zen art which helps calm and soothe our souls and relax us like no other art can. What was your catalyst?
Joy in Knitting
Saturday, November 03, 2012
... And Owning a Cat Doesn't Hurt ...
Cats are marvelous companions. They instantly approve of everything you knit. They watch with intense interest while your needles click and clack and they wait with great anticipation for you to turn your back and leave your knitting unattended so they can fully investigate the quality of your yarn and covertly help you "wind" it properly. They think they are helping. To suggest otherwise would be to malign their good characters, to be sure.
I've often wondered why, when knitters are so ardent about their stash and projects, that they are almost always drawn to pets who like nothing better than to romp in said stash and tangle with it. Why doesn't a knitter go for, say, something less "helpful" like, oh, I don't know ... a goldfish?
Because, dear friends, and I'm sure this will come as a surprise, a knitter is always up for a challenge and you can't say to a goldfish, "Gill, will you wind this for me, please?"
Oh, and, Q-tip? I KNOW you're not really asleep. You are lying in wait ...
Joy in knitting...
A Little Piece of String
Joy in knitting.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
HALLELUJAH!
It's a touchy topic that has been Cast About, pun completely intended, recently and a topic which interests me greatly. May we, or may we not, knit during church services with divine dispensation without fear of being put in an overnight pouch and FedEx-ed straight to Heck without passing Go and without collecting $200 for yarn. I'm putting the question to my faithful readers.
Personally, I am unable to sit for 90 minutes with my hands folded politely in my lap, listening intently to my pastor preach. Do not get me wrong. My pastor consistently gives wonderful sermons, well prepared and thought out and riveting to the max. The problem is mine. I. Cannot. Sit. Still. Call it impatience, or not having got past the Wiggly Kid Syndrome or just the fact that my heart rate increases if I am for five minutes or more without the means to knit. You can say what you like - I absorb more and benefit more from my pastor's sermons when I can knit one, purl two for every prayer request and reference to scripture.
All of this makes it difficult to drink my coffee (which I also must have in church). I have been known to pass my coffee to my hubby while I work an intricate cable, but I draw the line at having him hold out his hands with yarn wrapped around them while I wind a new skein into a ball. That's what my swift is for. And even my long-suffering pastor might raise an eyebrow at that activity.
My question to all of you is, if you do knit in church (and we know you do so don't try to wiggle out of it), do you attempt to hide it or do you just whip it out and start throwing? Do you resist the urge to cuss if you drop a stitch? Do you complain if they turn the lights down to project films onto a screen or do you say, "Ahem, helloooo, trying to KNIT over here?!"
I am expecting comments and replies to this post if for no other reason than to assure me that my eternal salvation is secure despite my inability to lay aside my knitting for 90 minutes of reflection and prayer. The clock starts ... now.
Joy in knitting ... and prayerful reflection ...
Judith (who is wondering if they would mind if I attach my swift to the pew in front of me...)
Amen.
Friday, February 24, 2012
WHAT DOES YOUR MOTHER SMELL LIKE
Okay, so it's NOT knitting-related but I was using my favourite hand cream this afternoon and the scent reminded me that my mother always smelled of Nivea. You know, the cream in the little blue jar. That is the one defining scent that brings my mother to mind with no effort whatsoever.
Isn't it funny how scents can conjure up the most vivid memories from childhood and why is that? Are they so indelibly etched into our brains that we carry them with us all through our lives?
Dear ol' Dad always smelled of Old Spice because, after all, if you grew up in the 60's, that was the quintessential gift that every kid bought for their dads for every possible occasion.
Mom's gone now but lives on every time I catch a trace of Nivea in the air ... and sometimes, I think she's close enough to touch ...
Friday, February 17, 2012
Monday, January 02, 2012
HATS for tiny GIRLS and BOYS
Recently, I learned to crochet. Well, I say recently - compared that to when I learned to knit more than half a century ago ... I only learned to crochet in the last couple of years and I was given a wonderful pattern for hats which are well received at local hospitals for their newborn population.
The latest bag ready for delivery, and the first bag of the New Year, is pictured here, containing 34 hats, 4 of which were made New Year's Day. So quick and easy.
I like to store them in those nifty plastic bags that sheet sets come in because the hospital staff can see what they're getting and it's easy just to slip a card or note inside saying where they are from and it keeps the hats clean and organized.
There is joy in knitting and crocheting and definitely warming tiny heads.
Recently, I learned to crochet. Well, I say recently - compared that to when I learned to knit more than half a century ago ... I only learned to crochet in the last couple of years and I was given a wonderful pattern for hats which are well received at local hospitals for their newborn population.
The latest bag ready for delivery, and the first bag of the New Year, is pictured here, containing 34 hats, 4 of which were made New Year's Day. So quick and easy.
I like to store them in those nifty plastic bags that sheet sets come in because the hospital staff can see what they're getting and it's easy just to slip a card or note inside saying where they are from and it keeps the hats clean and organized. There is joy in knitting and crocheting and definitely warming tiny heads.
SEE, THIS IS WHY I CALL HIM "IVAN THE SQUIRRIBLE"
Our squirrels are VERY bold. There is, quite frankly, no way of discouraging them from thieving the bird food when they set their little pea brains on that very task. The picture above is how I found him when I walked into my kitchen to make a cup of Rosie Lee this morning.
Today, it seems, Ivan decided it would be a good day for a suet breakfast. Clearly, this particular rodent's list of new year's resolutions did not include leaving the birds' food alone.
Now, normally, I would not be put off by this blatant display of gross disrespect, but I DID give him a good 3 minute grace period munching on the suet so I could photograph the dirty deed before pounding on the window so I think he ought to be grateful. This was very rude, I think.
After jumping from the illicit feast to the window sill and over to the fence where he furiously scratched himself and spun his tail while "regrouping", he decided he was still not full.
This is Ivan coming back for more. It's a good job Q-tip was too busy chewing my Addi Turbos to notice this little mini-drama.
Crafty Squirrel: 1
Irate Woman: 0
He wins the battle - I'm still fighting the war.
Our squirrels are VERY bold. There is, quite frankly, no way of discouraging them from thieving the bird food when they set their little pea brains on that very task. The picture above is how I found him when I walked into my kitchen to make a cup of Rosie Lee this morning.
Today, it seems, Ivan decided it would be a good day for a suet breakfast. Clearly, this particular rodent's list of new year's resolutions did not include leaving the birds' food alone.
This is his commentary to me after pounding on the window to dislodge his hairy butt.
SPEAK to the TAIL!
SPEAK to the TAIL!
Now, normally, I would not be put off by this blatant display of gross disrespect, but I DID give him a good 3 minute grace period munching on the suet so I could photograph the dirty deed before pounding on the window so I think he ought to be grateful. This was very rude, I think.
After jumping from the illicit feast to the window sill and over to the fence where he furiously scratched himself and spun his tail while "regrouping", he decided he was still not full.
This is Ivan coming back for more. It's a good job Q-tip was too busy chewing my Addi Turbos to notice this little mini-drama.
Crafty Squirrel: 1
Irate Woman: 0
He wins the battle - I'm still fighting the war.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Blimey! Roots have invented a #knitting camp chair with #YAR... on Twitpic
Well it's about time, I say! Roots have finally made a camp chair for knitters, complete with yarn holder. What took them so long? Knitters rejoice!
Well it's about time, I say! Roots have finally made a camp chair for knitters, complete with yarn holder. What took them so long? Knitters rejoice!
Friday, September 30, 2011
This is a video I stumbled upon on YouTube and thought I would share. It seems that some folk think I am the star in the video. Although the person in this video is, in my humble estimation, a mechanical wizard with her fingers, I am not she and she is not me! I appreciate her efforts, though, to share this talent with the world and I am just providing friends who read my blog with a sample of some of the talent available on YouTube and elsewhere on the WWW. Enjoy!
Here's the work in progress! I'm getting excited just thinking of it. Keep your hands warm AND end up with a finished product. Life is good.
Here's the work in progress! I'm getting excited just thinking of it. Keep your hands warm AND end up with a finished product. Life is good.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Cat Bordhi - Part 1: wrapping & turning, concealing wraps
By far, the very best demonstration of wrap and turn I have seen. Thanks, Cat Bordhi, for publishing the informative and very helpful video!
Monday, November 08, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Startitis Strikes Mississauga Knitter
I am sick with a terrible case of Startitis. If left unchecked, this can lead to a chronic case of Finishaphobia. I've already got some of the tell-tale symptoms of this ghastly malaise. I have currently on the go - a pair of socks, no. 1/2 and I'm not liking the chances of casting on the second - this is a whole other illness - "Onesockitis" - I have a hat in modified rib which I really like, but it's boring. So much yarn, so little time and I want to use it all! Bless me!
I am sick with a terrible case of Startitis. If left unchecked, this can lead to a chronic case of Finishaphobia. I've already got some of the tell-tale symptoms of this ghastly malaise. I have currently on the go - a pair of socks, no. 1/2 and I'm not liking the chances of casting on the second - this is a whole other illness - "Onesockitis" - I have a hat in modified rib which I really like, but it's boring. So much yarn, so little time and I want to use it all! Bless me!
Friday, October 15, 2010
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