Broadening and the "Knittiversary"

I am fast approaching my 2 year "knittiversary", October 27th to be exact - and as this milestone approaches I think about how much knitting has broadened me as a person - I know a lot more about how to mess with things on the computer, I have communicated with people I have never met and will probably never meet in person, I can look at a sweater at the store and analyze the stitch pattern and design, and last but certainly not least, knitting has brought about a significant broadening of my hips - and other areas as well. I'm not complaining or blaming my precious yarn and needles for the state in which I have found myself, but there is definitely a correlation I think. Going to the gym, for me, only happens(happened) late night - once knitting came along, well you know - late night is when I can pick up the needles without immediately having to put them down again because a small person needs their bottom wiped or their doll found or their sibling to stop copying them - and the soothing nature of the fabric through my hands and the mental engagement of trying to tweak a pattern just so - much more alluring to me than going and getting all sweaty and sore and having big bulky men and svelte, tan and toned women smirk at me in my frump-mom workout clothes trying to operate those machines like I know what I'm doing.
And well, I just WANT to knit - I need to exercise but I don't WANT to - I wonder how many calories you burn flapping your arms in despair over some dropped stitches -or how many muscles you use to wind a ball of yarn? Apparently not enough.
So, as I approach this anniversary, I am glad indeed that knitting and I have found each other - for just a small bit of sanity, a place to learn creativity, and virtual community. I am not so glad, however, about the spread and hope to discover some new form of exercise that incorporates knitting into the workout - you know something like those yoga workouts where you use your baby as the weight - maybe holding your needles with a big heavy sweater on them out in front of you and doing 5 squats every 10 stitches while raising the sweater above your head - I'm sure there's a lot of demand at the gym for a class like that-

Fall

I love fall. I love the chill air in the mornings. I love the leaves swirling all over the place. I love having a real reason to knit something. I started this Ariann sweater and I just can't wait to wear it. Not because it is so beautiful and sophisticated (though it is both of these) - and not because I want some admiration of my lovely handiwork (though I will gladly take compliments with modest downcast eyes and a few self-deprecatory mumblings) - I can't wait to wear this sweater because I AM COLD. I'm noticing that I haven't bought a whole lot of clothes for myself in the past two years since this knitting thing took hold of me. Any spare cash goes to amplifying the stash(sorry couldn't resist the stupid rhyme). So I can't seem to find a decent "throw on with anything sweater" in my closet - and I don't want to buy one because I'm going to finish Ariann any day now(ha ha). In the meantime I will continue to wear my old royal blue zippered sweatershirt hoodie thing that I got for Christmas from an old uncle about 15 years ago. I love the thing - but have had a few friends refer to "the sweater" with smirky little chortles.
I finished one hat for the LYS hat drive - donating hats to a local Cancer Center - hope to do 2 more before the beginning of November deadline.

This hat is in cream colored Zara - a soft and springy merino wool - I didn't use the Elizabeth Austen wool I had bought at the LYS because it just didn't feel quite soft enough for a hat, but it is being put to good use becoming a Sophie bag(old Magknits).

So I will continue my fall knitting - with my newfound utilitarian motivation. Maybe I'll have a nice cardigan soon to replace "blue sweater".

It's All Good

Here it is - I like it.





I think the Shine Worsted worked just fine. It's very soft and slightly shiny, but at 75yd. per skein, the endless joining of new yarn gets pretty tiresome. Other than that minor annoyance and the fact that it took me forever to finish the second sleeve, I would say this has been an enjoyable knit.

Also, I stopped in at my LYS today after receiving an e-mail saying they are collecting hats to donate to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Women’s Center - I bought 2 hanks of beautifully multi-colored wool - it's called Andes - there's no "brand" name on the band but I am going to look it up right after I finish this - it's decently soft, but I'll see how it feels knit up before deciding if it's soft enough for a hat for a cancer patient -

Feels good to be done with something - feels good to think about a project for someone else - knitting is just so good.

Next Up

I bought more yarn. (Hand over my eyes so you can't see me - huh?)
I couldn't resist even though I haven't started Ariann or even finished the SKB -

and a little SKB aside ( I mean aside as in tangent although it has been literally put to the side as well - oh too much unneccesary explanation) anyway, Sunday night, after reading people's encouragement to move forward with the sweater, I was happily trotting through the lace on the arm so glad to have started again when something awful happened - I'm not sure quite how (well maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was a bit past midnight and my eyes were closing on the plain knit rounds) but some stitches fell of the needle - I had had absolutely no trouble with this sweater until this, my last leg (well arm actually), and I was completely distraught - I could not figure out how to get those naughty little boys back on because it was a few of the yarn over stitches and they'd dropped a few rows - just not quite as obvious to me as if it were a nice little ladder in a stockinette section and at that time of night I had no inclination of trying to figure it out and bungle things even more - so riiiiiiiiiiip back to before the seed stitch border on the arm - just maddening - I love the sweater - it will get finished - but I'm not speaking to it right now.

Back to the newest acquisition - I ordered some wool/alpaca yarn in a Chocolate brown color for a nice warm sweater for - ME - it's "Berkshire" from Valley Yarns - I got it on WEBS - and I'm thinking the Valley Yarns line is there own line kind of thing - it was a good price plus I bought some Plymouth Encore for Log Cabins for the kids which amounted to enough to receive the 20% off of orders over $60 discount that WEBS offers - its a great site.

Also, I was so excited when the other day one of the small group leaders of our Church High School program called and asked if I would teach a group of 9th grade girls to knit. I probably scared her with my overly enthusiastic and quite spastic positive response to her request. I was just so glad to have a "charity" knitting opportunity thrown in my lap - you know to force all those projects for ME out of my lap - anyway I'm looking forward to helping and passing along this craft (obsession) to these unsuspecting High Schoolers - little do they know where this could lead them -

Clarification

I need to make a clarification - I have at times announced myself as having a knitting obsession. One might gather from the use of the word "obsession" that I knit lots and lots of stuff, like my hands just can't stop moving with these sticks in them or I'll fall off the edge of the earth - but I suppose what I really am is "obsessed about knitting" - as opposed to being "an obsessive knitter". The latter I think are people who really cannot put down the needles - they are extremely fast and productive and I am green with envy (up to my internet-glazed-over eyeballs) of them.

Now I fall into the "obsessed about knitting" category - this means I do really love knitting, but mostly I just sit here on the computer drooling over all of the lovely things other knitters are churning out, meandering from site to site looking for the perfect yarn at the perfect price, and clapping my hands in glee over the newest free pattern that I can print out and place lovingly into the ever growing queue of "when I'm done with _____ I'm going to start this!" Problem is I have a hard time getting done with _____. Unless it's a wee baby hat or something, most things hang onto my needles for a long, long time.




Now, this Simple Knitted Bodice, well I had visions of my first 2 week FO, and I was actually done with the body and neckline at 2 weeks - so then I thought OK maybe a 3 week FO, but alas at 3 weeks I am stuck - stuck halfway down the second sleeve and I haven't picked the sweater up in 3 days - I haven't even knit anything for 3 days - thus my musing over what sort of obsession I am actually involved in -

So here I am posting a picture of a very simply not finished Bodice - because it might be a few months before my right arm gets so cold that I am finally pushed over my "fear of finishing projects" hump and have a real completed project picture. In the meantime I might start something else, and I'll definitely be sitting up til the wee hours of the morning, eyeballs swirling with all the knitting deliciousness that's out there in that world of true obsessive knitters.