Knitting in Public

I don't see it much. If there is someone knitting(or crocheting) while waiting in line at the market, post office, or waiting for a table at the neighbourhood restaurant its usually me. So I was surprised yesterday to see an older gentleman sitting in the library knitting away on a Christmas stocking. It just made me smile.

Try, Try Again

I said I was through with socks but I couldn't let a sock defeat me. I ripped the first one (well, Dave did it for me) and I started over. This one is shorter and wider. I tried it on and figured I could wash it to make it smaller so it would fit my mom. Or if that didn't work I would just find someone with feet bigger than mine. No problem...except I realized that I don't have enough yarn to make a pair. I admit defeat.

Something to Think About

*Warning: This a rambling, work-in-progress, self-help kind of post about my work-in-progress life. Feel free to skip it if internal struggle and reflection make you queasy.

"I have nothing to show for my time."

As I was scanning the last post this phrase caught my eye. Take it out of the knitting context, apply it to my life in general and it is appallingly true.


Do we go through the everydays of our lives and just be? Or do we attempt to leave a mark on the world, however small? At one point I would have said yes, my time is being well spent. I would like to think that I was making a difference in the lives of my two beautiful nieces, being in their lives and interacting with them everyday. Now that I have moved away I wonder if they even think of me, did I have a lasting influence?

Lately I've been thinking about charity. I have oodles of spare time and yet, what do I have to show for it? I could be spending my time/money working toward making a difference in someone's life. A monetary donation or even making hats, scarves or blankets for those less fortunate than myself. (That sounds so condescending. Less fortunate than myself. How about those in need? Everybody is in need of something) The questions that go through my mind are: Would I being doing it to help others? Or would I be doing it to make myself feel better? Kind of takes the shine off doing good deeds when you do them for selfish reasons.

A few days later...

While charitable acts are a quick feel-good fix, a sense of self-worth needs to be present in everyday life.

In my case it boils down to learning to accept and be happy with who I am and where I am in life.

1. Dave - absolutely the best thing in my life; I need to stop worrying that one day he will wake up and decide that he doesn't love me anymore.
2. Work - I enjoy my job; I like working part-time so I can be home when Dave gets home; I like the flexibility in my schedule so we can take off on trips when Dave gets the travel bug; I wish it paid more but it pays my bills(most of the time).
3. Education - I was close to graduating from the local community college when I got married and moved away. I'd sometimes think about going back to school but I'd come up with reasons not to - I have a hard time doing things alone (I always took classes with friends), it was too expensive, I didn't know what I wanted to study. Now its almost 20 years later and I've finally realized that the only reason I kept thinking about going back to school is that because people kept suggesting that I go back to school I'd come to believe that I was a failure because I didn't have a college degree.
4. Career - which is not the same as 'work'; you need a career to be successful, right? And you can't have a career without a college degree, right? A career should set you up for financial security and provide for retirement, right? Another area in which I have failed perceived myself a failure.

I've never been very good with New Year resolutions and I've always resisted writing down goals. I'll make an exception this time.

I will work on...
I will try...

Ah, screw it.

A good friend told me "You have to move on past your self created walls of inadequacy, and have faith that you can do things."

That's what I'm going to work on.

That, and winning the lottery.

Stepping Away From the Knitting

Knitting has taken over my life.

I haven't read a book in ages -unless it had to do with knitting.
I haven't been doing my crossword and sudoku puzzles.
I haven't been doing households chores. (Okay, scratch that one.)
I daydream about matching up my stash with patterns.
When I need to go somewhere I stand in the living room staring at the floor, trying to think of what knitting project I can take, even if I know that there will be no time for knitting.


It seems like I knit everyday but don't have anything to show for it. No socks, no sweaters. The hat and scarf I've been wearing lately were made last year. I have nothing to show for my time and yet I get nothing else done. It's time for a little self-intervention.

I will finish the pink socks.
I will not start another knitting project until I finish reading a (non-knitting) book.
I will not start knitting up yarn unless I have a clear project in mind.
I will take up my crochet hook again.
I will start to cross-stitch again. (Maybe even finish a few of the UFOs in my stitchery stash.)

My life will be enhanced - not dictated - by knitting.

Today's Lessons

1)You can always change your mind
2)There's nothing wrong with changing your mind.

I started knitting almost two years ago. From the beginning I knew that I wanted to learn how to knit socks. After all, that's what knitters do, right? Yes, I made the Cabled Socks but those don't count. They aren't sock socks. They're more slipper socks. I wanted to make socks that you could actually wear with shoes, the kind of socks that had millions of little stitches and cool patterns and colours. You know. Real socks. So I decided to make these for mom (because as much I love the mix of colours I would never wear them. Well, probably never. Or possibly never):

They're supposed to be ankle socks. (Actually, not even up to the ankle. The ones that sit just under the ankle - what are those called?) Leg looks a bit too high for anklets doesn't it? I also knit into the back of the stitch instead of the front. Why, you ask? I don't know. I just did. Now my stockinette is not straight, my stitches are really tight which makes it harder to knit and makes my hands hurt. I telling myself that I'm almost done, I'm almost done. But I'm not, am I? I haven't even got to the decrease for the toe yet. And I can tell you now - I am NOT knitting a second one. One more for the rip pile.

And then there is this. I love the yarn though it does make for a thicker sock. The ribbing adds a little interest. I'm almost to the toe decrease. I will make the pair because they're meant as a gift (yes, the other ones were going to be a gift too but she's getting an afghan. Someday.), but its going to take a long while. Why do socks take so long to knit? (Other than the fact that I wouldn't see any progress at all so I'd get discouraged and put it aside. I know that can't be the only reason.)

I have changed my mind. I don't think you have to knit socks to be a real knitter. Knitting socks is tedious work that numbs my brain and makes my hands hurt. I don't want to knit socks. Although it might be better if I try a lace pattern?

Shawls are nice. I haven't tried a big lacy shawl yet.

The birthday blanket isn't going to make it for Christmas either.



Sorry Mom.

Unfinished... Never to Be Finished

After almost a year I finished this throw last night. It was more WIP than UFO*. Well, maybe more of a 'little something to work on while I'm watching tv and I don't have anything on my needles right now'. I've finished it and will be sent off as a Christmas gift.

*Work in progress, unfinished object

I really need to figure out how to use the zoom lens. Anyhow, behold my tank top. I bought some yarn because it was on sale and I loved the colours. (100% Egyptian cotton) They only had one skein. You can't tell but there are no straps. Did I mention that they only had the one skein? Can you see the safety pins? I wanted to see if it would fit. It goes around the body but it is way too long. Guess where I'll be getting the extra yarn for straps? So this has been sitting in the bin for ages waiting to be ripped back to a pile of yarn. Maybe I'll have Dave do it. It seems less painful to have someone else rip out all your hard work.

This is Jenna's blanket. When I found out that my friend Heidi was pregnant I decided that I was going to make a baby blanket. It's about a third of the way done. Jenna will be 11 years old in December.

I'm pretty sure this yarn will be recycled into something else...

In Knitting News

I made this hat from this book. You can't tell from the picture but its bright pink, almost magenta. Its not the yarn called for so its a bit on the floppy side.

I made the Yarn Harlot's (Check out her blog. She's got a great sense of humour that even non-knitter's will enjoy and if you know a knitter it might help you understand her/him a little better.) "An Unoriginal Hat". Different yarn, different needle size, didn't swatch. Am I surprised its too small? Also didn't notice where I messed up in the cable until after I had sewn up the top. Still debating whether to rip it or not. Dave says you can't really see it, but I know its there. *sigh*

Happy Black Friday

I am in the perfect spot for the busiest shopping day of the year - at home. We may venture out later in the afternoon to get Dave a haircut but we'll stay well away from the malls. Well, I might run into one store while Dave's in the chair. I'm still trying to find something to wear to tea tomorrow. (One of the historic houses is putting on a "Dickens Tea" tomorrow afternoon. One of my coworkers volunteers at the house and tells me that they lay out quite a spread, including figgy pudding. I've always wondered what that was exactly. The house will be decorated for the holidays, there'll be music - her daughter has been hired to play the violin, and my coworker will wander the rooms reading passages from "A Christmas Carol".)

I had a couple of outfits in mind, but I no longer fit into them. Had I lost the weight he said I would by all the walking he was going to put me through in Europe I might have been able to appear somewhat stylish tomorrow. (Honey, you walked me until my legs were ready to fall off but guess what? I'm still fat!) As it stands now while Dave will be quite dapper in his suit (and ladies, he does look fabulous in a suit...) I will probably end up in some drab skirt/blouse combo looking like his pity date. You know that couple you see where you think to yourself, "Wow, he is so good looking! She must have a great personality." That's us!

In the past couple of months I haven't had much luck with shopping. While in Europe last month my major purchases were pyjamas, and glass art. I wanted French lingerie, Italian leather goods and jewelry. I couldn't find anything I wanted to buy. Huh?? This month is more of the same. The local Brit shop has never heard of Toffee Waffles. The boots I found in England but didn't buy because they would be cheaper at home? Can't find them in the stores. Can't find a velvet jacket. I don't like buying shoes/clothing online because I never seem to wear the same size designer to designer. I know it doesn't really matter in the larger scheme of things (except the Toffee Waffles - if you've had them you know) but it feels good to get it out.

Uhm, I Meant to Do That?

I could have sworn it was washable wool. Apparently not. My lovely cabled socks are now shrunken and semi-felted.

Is it sc(oh)ne? or sc(ah)ne?

Either way, while in Ireland we had the best scones I've ever tasted. At Clontarf Castle to be precise. We had just arrived in Dublin (took the red-eye from Washington DC), and were looking forward to breakfast. Oh course, they had just finished serving. We were told we could get a light snack in the lounge. Tea and scones, heaven! The scones were large and fluffy and piping hot. So good. As a result, when we had afternoon tea at the Dorchester in London and The Pump Room at the Roman Baths in Bath we couldn't help but compare the scones and be just a wee bit disappointed.

Spanish Chocolate

While we were in Madrid we sampled their hot chocolate. (I know... I'll try to get Dave to blog the trip in the next week or so.) Anyway, this chocolate is so thick that a spoon will stand up in it. You get a hot chocolate and some churros for dipping. Yum! Dave was missing the chocolate so he found a recipe online. I think we'll be having hot chocolate a few times per week...

Solitary Crafter, Even Online

I figured it was time to start meeting people who knit and crochet so I wouldn't feel so isolated. The problem is that I'm shy. Walking into a LYS to introduce myself and ask if they have a knitting group is just not going to happen. So the perfect solution? The Internet of course! I joined Crochet Me and Ravelry so I could interact with others who share my interests. It was going to be great! I was going to make new friends! I was going to have people to support me when a project wasn't going right or was just taking too darn long!

Funny thing timidity. It doesn't go away with anonymity. So I cruise through the forums, peek in on discussions, and envy the camaraderie. Then I turn off the computer, curl up on the couch with the latest project and work away in solitude.

Home At Last

Our trip to Europe was fantastic but it felt so good to sleep in my own bed! Having come down with a cold in Madrid, I was ready to come home.

Dave is now sorting through the 400+ photos so we can share them. He took some fabulous scenic pics but he needs to work on his people pictures - or find a better model! :D

I finished the other cable sock. Twice. I made the novice mistake of not checking my progress and my sock was half as long as the first. So I ripped it all out and started again. I got to the end and realized that I had forgotten the instructions on the bind off so I improvised. Then I realized that I had forgotten to pack a tapestry needle! *lol* Oh well.

My first sock!

With cables no less! (The pattern is in One Skein by Leigh Radford) They're not perfect and I can see every flaw but not bad for a first try. Now I just have to find time to finish the mate.

Actually, I did attempt socks once before. They were the tube type so no challenge with the heel flap. I decided I would never wear them so I turned them into wrist warmers. I still don't wear them.

Tomorrow we're off to Europe so no new posts for a month or so. (Like I'm usually really prolific in posting... *rolls eyes*)

Happy October!

10 days and counting

She can knit and crochet but can she sew?

I bought some slacks for the trip and of course they're way too long. This is what happens when you have a petite height but a not-so-petite body. Gotta buy the fat girl clothes and have mom do the hemming. Dang, should've bought them when she was out here last month. Oh well, how hard can it be? Famous last words...

I finally finished mom's shawl. It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it but frankly, I just ran out of time. Now I'm on to a hostess gift. I wanted to make a pair of socks but was persuaded to make a scarf instead (more likely to finish a scarf in time). I think I'll try the socks anyway. I'd like to move beyond scarves and hats and baby blankets. Thank goodness Michael's is having a sale. Hard to believe but out of all the yarn in that huge stash I have there is nothing suitable for socks.

29 Days til Lift-Off

I need to plan what to pack (which means I need to go shopping because I don't have anything suitable for the trip). I need to make a list of things I would like to do and see in Dublin and England. (We haven't yet figured out where we're going after that.) I need to print a list of addresses for sending postcards. I need to clean the house. However, I can't do any of that until I finish the shawl for my mom. She wants to wear it for Tanya's wedding next month so I need to get it into the mail by mid-September. I'm not quite half-way finished on the length and I think its going to need a border. On the plus side, I get a break from the afghan (see previous post on cursed knitting).

Europe - Here I Come!

Well, okay, not until October but at least now its official. I received my passport in the mail today! I'm bouncing around the house (literally), willing Dave to answer his phone so I can share the good news. Does he answer? Of course not! I've been plagued with nightmares of my passport not showing up in time; Dave having to cancel the trip; even worse - Dave going without me. Thoughts Dave finding someone else to share the castle room with... yeah, like I was going to let that happen.

Nightmares can now fade away and leave me in peace. I've got my passport and it's all good.


So good in fact, that I almost forgot about the moron trying to change lanes. Honking her horn to tell me she NEEDS TO GET OVER - NOW!! Fine, 'go ahead' I gesture (not that gesture). And what does she do? Move over another lane to make the off ramp? No! She stays in my lane! She HAD to get over because she was in a lane that went... the same place my lane was going...at a slower rate than the lane she left (read that as 2-3 mph). And to top it all off, she refused to let in any cars that were trying to merge from the right! WTF?! I felt better after a car came alongside her and the driver chewed her out for being rude and stupid. My thoughts exactly.

Lights Out

Friday night we had a whopper of a thunderstorm. The intersection flooded again, we had water half-way up the walk. A couple of lightning strikes that seem to hit in our front yard and there went the power. Not the city, not the neighbours. Just us. *I've been meaning to buy a battery operated lantern for some time now. It's now at the top of the shopping list.* Dave reported the outage around 7:30 and the power company came out and fixed the problem some time after midnight. I know because I couldn't sleep (no a/c) and I noticed the bright flashing lights outside the bedroom window. We weren't looking forward to dark, cold showers in the morning. In my head I was already lining up a hotel for the next night.

The New Pick-Up Truck

You're heading to the local DIY store. You're thinking about putting down new flooring. Which vehicle do you take? Her Jeep Cherokee or his RX-8? Yep. Luckily there is a backseat, sort of, in the RX-8.

I left the house this morning and noticed that the plant on the porch had blossomed. With all it has been through I'm amazed it is alive, let alone in bloom. I'm not a garden type person. I don't water it. Its been out in the frost, in the baking sun; its been knocked off its perch, out of its pot. Maybe I should just stick it in the lawn and see what happens.

It's Sunday already

I still have a case of blogger's block.

Topics to think about:
the abundance of ugly cars in this area (you PAID somebody to do that?!)
squirrels in the walls
making plans for July 4th

Have Passport, Will Travel...Hopefully

I sent in my passport application today. They're projecting 10-12 weeks for processing so I should have my passport mid-September at the latest. We're supposed to leave for Europe at the beginning of October. Cross your fingers.

In knitting news - I've made the back of a tank top and am coming to the neck shaping and straps of the front. I'm also nearing the end of the skein. :( I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have enough yarn to finish. I haven't decided what to do yet. Maybe I'll work on something else for awhile.

Cursed Knitting

Is it possible for a knitting project to be cursed? I'm starting to believe so. I made the mistake of asking my mom what she wanted for her fifty-ninth birthday. An afhgan. My first thought was "Do you know how long it'll take me to make an afghan?!" Okay, I've only been knitting for a year or so but I guess it's time to move away from scarves and hats.
I picked several different fibers for variety in colour and texture. I finally settled on a stitch pattern. All I needed to do was cast on and knit it up. Riiiiiiight...
Being a novice, used to using only garter and stockinette stitches, how am I supposed to know that there is an error in the feather and fan pattern I am using? It only became apparent after finishing four rows. Four rows of two hundred some-odd stitches. Yes, I know about swatches but I figured with gauge not being imortant, well, you know. After cruising online for inspiration (a big thank you to all the knitter's out there who post free patterns!) I found a shawl that fits exactly what I had in mind for momma's afghan. Just figure out how to make it wider and I'm good to go! Riiiiiiight...
I made a swatch (go me!) to see which fibers and colours worked best next to each other and checked that the pattern would work this time. I figured out which needle size would give me the openness that I was looking for and cast on. Two rows in and I had a shortage of stitches. I tried to unknit the row and ended up ripping out the whole thing. Cast on again.
What else? My sweetie caught his foot on my yarn and dragged stitches off the needle; the screw came undone for my interchangables and the cables slipped out the stitches; more dropped stitches and extra stitches. I finally made it to the fourteenth row. I had an extra stitch so I did a decrease (which probably skews the pattern). At the end of the row I'm now short a stitch. Huh?
I'm not worried about finishing on time as I've got a few months. What I'm wondering is do I really want to give this aggravating project to my mother? I recently knit a lap afghan(see photo) for a friend who is going through a difficult time. It may sound strange but I tried to knit into it positive thoughts and good vibes hoping that would transfer to my friend. Using this line of thought this afghan is full of bad feelings, frustration and probably a few four letter words, to boot! Momma doesn't deserve that.
Maybe I should just bite the bullet and start all over again. After all, its only two thousand one hundred four stitches. Give or take a dropped stitch or two.

Post originally created 5/20/07

Baby Sweater

The first sweater I've ever made. :) It turned out more dense than I thought it would and it isn't the best colour for a baby, but since I just wanted to see if I could do it I used stash yarn, not paying too much attention to gauge (better too big than too small). I'll send it off to my nephew and they can use or not. At least now I have hands on experience in finishing a piece. And I discovered that I need more practice in sewing seams! :P