Knitting in the Car

Expect many more posts like this as we delve into the holiday season. "Knitting in Line at the Store" "Knitting While Walking Down the Street" "Knitting in the Shower" things like that.

In an effort to maximize all possible knitting time I took my knitting on 2 road trips this weekend (I was not driving of course). On Saturday I knit for about an hour while chatting with a friend in the car and had absolutely no problem whatsoever.

Sunday I knit for awhile while chatting with a friend and got totally nauseated. I guarantee it was not the difference in friends :) I will admit to being slightly hung over Sunday, so perhaps that was it, but have people had knitting-related car sickness before?

Pros and Cons of Multiple Projects

So, I am currently working on 3 projects: an Irish Hiking Hat, the Stupid Lace Scarf that Hates Me and the Hunter Socks.

I like the variety of having multiple projects going, but I find I never get into a good groove with any of them and they all seem to be going very slowly.

I am resigned to not finishing that Lace Scarf in my lifetime, but the others are really plodding along.

I don't know if it is a result of not enough knitting time in general or because I don't really get on a roll with a project so that I can knit faster. It is as if I am starting over each time I pick up a different project. Perhaps that will change when I am a more experienced knitter, but in the mean time, I feel behind all the time.

Knitting for Boys

I don't mean "Boys Knitting" as I have absolutely no problem with that (unlike the woman who accosted my friend Jimmy on the train one day and told him knitting was a woman's craft) I mean taking the time and effort to make a handmade item for the oafish sex.

Some men truly appreciate handmade items and treat them with the love and respect they deserve, others leave them on the floor of the bathroom wrapped in a wet towel until they smell like last week's old cheese.

I am going out on a limb and making a pair of socks for my brother. This was met with awe and confusion by my mother who asked very politely if I remembered what my brother was like. Now distance does make the heart grow fonder, but I know my brother is a big boorish brute of a man, but here's the thing: he asked. Nicely. He asked nicely and with sincere interest in my craft that I knit him a pair of socks for Christmas.

So, I have cast on:
and started a very simple, very wearable, very washable pair of socks for my brother. The yarn is Lambs Pride Super Wash so it is both washable and sturdy and warm. The colorway (which I love) is called Rootbeer.

It is a very simple 2X2 rib that looks ridiculously tiny, but has a nice stretch that looks natural and meant for an adult male foot.

I don't know how long these socks will grace the planet before they end up left by the side of some fishing pond, but my brother asked. Nicely. And I can't say no.

Progress Thy Name is Patience

This is by far the furthest I have gotten on the Stupid Lace Scarf That Hates Me. How did I do it?

Very slowly.

Each day I do 4 or 5 pattern repeats (8 or 10 rows) and I count the stitches each time. At this rate I should have a full length scarf by Memorial Day, but it will be done and done correctly!

Knitting has taught me many things, not the least of which is the true meaning of "a stitch in time saves 9."

Irish Hiking Hat and Scarf

So I wanted to learn how to cable and a friend at knitting group showed me the basics and it really did seem as easy as everyone promised me it would be. I was going to do some practice cables, but decided to jump right in to the Irish Hiking Scarf (which is apparently a popular pattern for young cablers like myself).

Once I got rolling someone at knitting group mentioned there was an Irish Hiking Hat pattern as well and I got all over-excited (as I am prone to do) and started on that too (here is a solo shot of just the hat):



and loved working with cables!

Now the end result of my impulsive hat-making was that my scarf is much shorter than I would have liked (I only bought yarn for a scarf and then took some to make the hat), it is a suitable scarf length, but I tend to prefer longer scarves. Also, the hat doesn't actually fit my ginormous skull...

So, we are chalking this up to practice and I will donate this set to charity, it is perfectly functional and fashionable, but not quite perfect for me or a gift.

While working on this set I found a pattern that was adapted from the Irish Hiking pattern, but is reversible! It is called the Palindrome Scarf (and hat!) and I believe that will be the gift project I will be starting soon for various Christmas gift recipients.

Oh, and this came in the mail yesterday:

So much yarny goodness!

Stupid Lace Scarf that Hates Me

Pretty, yes? It is very pretty and it is very nice yarn and I bought said yarn and got the demonic pattern on a very nice rainy day in Portland, ME with knitting friends... BUT... I have frogged this scarf 4 times due to unexplained phenomena that would have Mulder and Scully scratching their heads.

I am a new knitter and I make lots of mistakes, but I have been proud to learn how to fix many of them. I can unknit and pick up dropped stitches pretty well, but this pattern has had me in a tizzy.

There are yarn overs and pssos and I have been comforted by more experienced knitters that agree that those two things make dropping and adding unwanted stitches very easy.

I am giving this one more try and when I finish it I am going to lobby to have it displayed at the Smithsonian.

Holiday Knitting Part 1

My family has a tendency to overdo the holidays, seriously overdo. Every year we say we are going to cut back and every year it is a maelstrom of gifts to both give and receive. I love presents as much as anyone, but it does become quite stressful.

The economy is forcing us, as a nation, to scale back and I am going to try to do the same with gifts this year. As you know, a handmade gift is not often less expensive, but I feel it is a greater value for the money spent and it comes with a whole lot of heart.

This doesn't mean I won't be frantically purchasing fine-smelling body lotions and books, DVDs and adorable clothes for my little nieces, it just means that nearly everyone will be getting a handmade gift this year.

I began considering what I was going to make (I have only been knitting for 8 months, so my repertoire is limited) back in early summer and kept promising myself a spreadsheet of details: who, what item, do I have the pattern, yarn in the stash, needles, etc. Well last night I sat down and got as far as writing a list of names of people getting handmade gifts and while it was a small step towards my grand color-coded spreadsheet, it did make me feel better.

September is an amazing time to stop and regroup, buy new pencils and notebooks and start fresh. I hate the fall, everything dies after all, but having a good list of projects to work on will get me through those increasingly dark days until the twinkle of holiday lights start to brighten up the place.