2KCBWDAY4: Where Are They Now?

 

Prompt: Write about the fate of a past knitting project.

I give quite a bit of my knitting/crochet away, but I keep a lot, too. One of my oldest projects is one of my favorites. I completed these Cable Rib socks in February 2007. This is when they were brand new…


Four years later, where are they now?
Right here.


Believe it or not, they’re still around, but no longer in such pristine condition since I’ve worn them who knows how many times. The bottoms are thinning, the yarn is looking a little worse-for-wear.



But four years? I’m quite happy with how long they’ve lasted. They’ve accompanied me on many chilly mornings and nights, whether I was on my way to make coffee or cozied up on the couch, reading a book. I've knit one other pair of socks out of Regia Silk and they were for my husband. He doesn't wear his socks nearly as much as I wear mine, so his will probably last twenty years.


 Slipping these onto my feet was never a disappointment. Four years later, I still love 'em.

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2KCBWDAY3: Tidy Mind, Tidy Stitches

Prompt: How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised?

When I first thought about my yarn organization, I didn’t think I was doing such a good job. This is part of the reason I began my Binding Off challenge – because I had so many projects lying around, I wasn’t always able to use the needles I needed because they were in the middle of a UFO.

However, in looking things over, I’m a little more organized than I first thought. Unless needles are in a project, I know where they are.

Straight needles stay in this needle case.


Double-pointeds stay in this case, which I bought as a paintbrush holder, I believe – I used the 3D paint to add the numbers. You can see I have more size 1s (2.25 mm) than anything else.


Circular needles live in this case in my closet (next to an old pink dress that really needs to go).


All yarn is in one of two places. I have a bin strictly for soft acrylic for baby charity projects and the rest is in my cedar chest (which was bought for the sole purpose of yarn storage – that was my first indication that yarn and me was gettin’ serious).


All in all, a better system than I thought at first, but it took some trial-and-error (and tons of hours scouring the house for necessary items!) before I got to this point.

As for current projects -- I have a...phobia...about them mixing, which is why each one is assigned to its own basket or bag. When I first began knitting and was rather monogamous, this wasn't a problem, but as projects began to multiply, so did the number of containers. This wouldn't be an issue if knitting bags/purses/baskets weren't so expensive! Baskets are my favorite, so I have several of them in various rooms, as well as a bag or two. Not a perfect system, but it works for me.

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2KCBWDAY2: Skill + 1UP

Prompt: Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year.

This is an area where I’m lacking and honestly, I don’t think I’ve progressed much in the last year as far as skill. This is partly due to the fact that last year, I just didn’t craft that much (as a result, I didn’t blog much, either).

One of my biggest advancements is probably letting go of a certain degree of fear. That’s probably the best skill I acquired and I have an understanding of Elizabeth Zimmermann to thank for that. I finally let go of being such a slave to patterns, which led to me creating these socks.


Last year, I would’ve searched frantically for a pattern for six year-old feet and if I never found it, I probably wouldn’t have knit them. But now, I know I can make a pattern for pretty much anything, as long as I’m willing to work out the calculations.

I guess I would say my knitting skills are intermediate -- I'm reluctant to say I'm advanced because with the exception of lace, I haven't really tackled anything I find difficult, like steeking. I may always be intermediate and I'm actually okay with that.

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It’s Blog Week! 2KCBWDAY1: A Tale of Two Yarns

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week has begun! All this week, I’ll be taking part and I plan to post every day. Yes, every day! You will be sick and tired of me by Sunday, for sure.

Prompt: Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.
 
Yarn #1: Noro Kureyon, which I’m using for my Lizard Ridge Afghan.
 
I’ve heard complaints about this particular line of Noro, mainly about feel, but I have to say that I love it. It’s not the softest yarn I’ve used, but I think that’s part of the appeal for me. Sure, I love soft yarn as much as the next knitter, but…the feel of Noro through my fingers and across my hands really reminds me that I’m working with wool, and I love working with wool. When I knit with Kureyon, I think of sheep and shepherds and outdoors. (This is usually the time I start fantasizing about raising sheep, until I remember that large animals scare me.)

I find bits of – I don’t  know – straw or grass sometimes in the skeins and I don’t mind that, either. I pick it out and keep knitting. Plus, I find it interesting that when I think about this yarn, I don’t think about the colors first, which are amazing; I think about the tactile factor.

Yarn #2: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Yarn.

 
I haven’t actually used this yarn, although I’ve had these two skeins in my stash for over four years now! I can’t believe it, either, especially because I’ve heard so many raves about this yarn and I’ve knit plenty of socks with other yarn since buying the Lorna’s. I think maybe I’m waiting for the “perfect” sock pattern; perhaps I feel anything less than spectacular isn’t going to do the yarn justice.

Fortunately, yarn is patient.

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Silver Linings All Around

Last week was “one of those weeks” where I really wished Life had a Rewind or Do-Over button. Lacking one of those, I muddled through somehow, glad to see a silver lining in this week. Like the Dimpled One learning to ride a bike without training wheels.


He’s a very cautious child, which is ironic, considering that he’s also my most…challenging. We finally stopped asking about the training wheels and just took them off and made him learn. Within an hour, he was zooming along with a big grin on his face, which just made me smile like a big goof and feel like I was watching a Hallmark commercial.

Another silver lining: disaster averted where my shawl is concerned. Girasole and I are going through a battle of wills right about now and it almost won – there was a moment, when I realized I’d missed a yarn-over two rounds below, where I almost gave in. I almost screamed said “Okay, you win. Happy now? Are you??” I’ve been through a lot with this project, even with lifelines. (Some of you observant folks may wonder why I’m not working on what I said was the Binding Off project du jour, the cable cardigan. Your guess is as good as mine. Let’s move on.)

Instead of losing it, I turned to the Internet and found a way to fix a missed yarn-over. And it worked! Crisis averted! Shawl continuing! Exclamation marks abound!!!


You can't see so well in this photo, with all the 640 stitches scrunched up on the needles as they are, but there's a yarn-over there that wasn't there before.

I’ve waffled a lot this past week about whether or not I’m going to take part in Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, which begins Monday. I finally decided to give it my best shot – I’ll either post every day or not, but I’m going to try and have fun with it.

Happy weekend, all!

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So Nice, I Did it Twice

Oops, three times…


Whoops, make that four.


The first Op Top was completed last year for #1 Girl and as I discussed before, some family members loved it and asked me to make some for them in other colors. So I knit three more and man, am I ever happy to be done! The two-color knitting was really beginning to get hard on my hands because I knit with both hands when doing colorwork like this. I don't knit Continental so my left hand isn't used to it -- with the awkwardness, it often makes that hand uncomfortable. I know the solution is to practice more, but three hats later, I think I've practiced enough!

Green/white
Yarn: Liberty Wool in Bright Olive; Berroco Vintage in Mochi

Black/white
Yarn: Liberty Wool in Ebony; Berroco Vintage in Mochi

Brown/tan
Yarn: Tara Tweed in Brown and Natural
Needles for all: US size 5 and 6 (3.75 and 4 mm)


I do like this pattern (Rav link)…it’s easy and so many color combinations are possible.



But again, I am glad to be finished! Only one person asked for a one-color hat and I could kiss her right about now.

P.S. Thanks, all, for your insightful comments on my last post. I felt like I opened a small can of worms, though, and didn't want to make anyone (especially lurkers-- **hi, lurkers!**) feel badly in any way.

Currently on the sticks: Red hat

- One color.
- Lace with worsted weight.
- Red.

Ah, bliss.

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A Little Give and Take

Well, I had a post written up and in reading over it, I didn’t like how it sounded. I didn’t want it to sound accusatory in any way, so here’s the rewrite. I'm going to keep it short and sweet.

I read a number of craft blogs and even when I know the blogger isn't able to reply (because she gets hundreds of comments), I still comment much of the time. Blogging is, in my opinion, more of a give-and-take medium than say, reading the newspaper. Unless we turn off comments or make our blogs private, I think most of us appreciate knowing that someone out there is reading. If they comment, even better.

When someone takes time out of her busy day to comment here, I either (a) reply via email or (b) visit their blog in turn and comment. Sometimes, a blogless someone will comment and I don't have an email, either, and I feel bad that I can't say "thank you."

So...what would you do if you read a blog and commented several times with nice things to say and the author never said a simple "thanks"? I'm not talking about a blog with hundreds of comments -- I mean your basic run-of-the-mill knitting blog with pretty photos and a handful of comments per post.

I'm curious to see if you'd keep visiting and commenting? Or if, like me, you'd find other blogs to read whose authors, even if only once-in-a-blue-moon, send a simple thanks or comment your way? Do you feel that it takes "two to tango" when it comes to blogging? I have to admit that I do, but I'd like to hear what you think. Is there anyone who feels that they blog, more or less, in a vacuum?


Well, this picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post, but I can't leave you picture-less, can I? I'm looking forward to finishing this and blogging about an entire set (you've seen peeks) next week.

Happy weekend, all!

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Patiently Waiting

This unassuming little tree, with its first buds budding…


…will one day bear peaches for us. Peaches, in my own backyard! When Weedinator bought this tree for me, I was ridiculously over-excited. So you can imagine how over-the-moon I was to get a wee lemon tree,too.


In return, I’ve promised to not touch his flowers – they’ve been known to die with one glance from me.


Spring really is coming.

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Today Was a Day to…

: : Sit outside with a book and knitting project. Yes, outside! The temperatures were in the 70s (20s Celsius) and it was a beautiful day.
: : Watch Weedinator ready the yard for planting flowers. Yes, watch him, not help -- he knows I have the blackest thumbs in the world.
: : Recover from a Thursday night outing to benefit the school, full of go-cart racing, laser tag playing, running after boys too excited to sit still and eat, roller coaster-avoidance and mini-golfing.
: : Let huge amounts of time go by with an I Spy book. Truly, a lot of bang for the buck.

Lastly, it's almost time for Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, hosted by the very talented Eskimimi Knits. I'm taking part this year for the first time and you know what they say -- the more, the merrier. So if you're interested, please click the image for more information and think about joining in.


The prospect of blogging for a whole week straight makes me kind of nervous, but I still think it'll be fun.

Happy weekend, all!

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