Saturday, August 15, 2009

Can we talk about Knitting?

Its a habit of mine. I tend to develop a list when I start to feel overwhelmed by all I must, or rather WANT, to do. Right now its the knitting projects that are dancing before me and calling me to the needles. I am conflicted and mildly stressed trying to decide which to focus on. I have several projects on the needles right now. I admit to a sense of happiness in going from one to the other; although I do feel a little anxious about getting any of them completed. Here is my current list:

Ishbel shawl to replace the one lost on the TriMet bus. ( I pause to visualize the homeless woman likely sporting my lost, lovely shawl. At least she has a fashionable garment to ward off the morning chill.) I find the stockinette portion comforting to pick up for those parts of the day when I need to focus on more than knitting, like when my husband is sharing one of his stories (of course I 've heard his stories a few times in the past 37 years so full focus is rarely essential)

This pattern is the best. It has a healthy section in stockinette before it starts an interesting but very do-able lace section. Even if mistakes are made and not corrected it STILL looks good when complete. Just what I need. In a Blue Moon Geisha yarn, its yummy.

Goddess Mystery Shawl #13 It is really dormant because I am unhappy but not quite enough to rip it out. First experiment incorporating beads. Not my thing.

Socks for Krista I don't like this Bamboo yarn and while its a straightforward vanilla pattern, I have frogged it several times. It may sit a long time

Sweater for me in DROPS alpaca: A straightforward Gray cardigan The yarn feels so soft and wonderful to my fingers; I long to pet it. I adapted a back and forth pattern for straight needles to knitting on circulars. Its my intent to try steeking for the first time. I am brave, really really brave. (For any member of my non knitting family reading this. "Steeking" means taking scissors to the knitted fabric. A very traumatic image.)

Cable sweater for Steve Haven't really started this one, although I have the yarn. There is a competing pattern I would like to use this yarn for but haven't made up my mind.

Central Park Hoodie Its a KAL using a pattern from Interweave. I would like to join it but was going to use the yarn I had identified for Steve. Dilemma.

GlennaC Silkgarden socks A simple sock with a simple cable along the site. I am not using the NORO yarn she intended so have to change the pattern. Want to get into this, its a deceptively simple cable pattern. I have,however, become sidetracked with the stockinette portion of the Ishbel. By the way, Glenna has a lovely blog called "KNITTING TO STAY SANE". The pattern is a free download.

Japanese Vines scarf. A present for Mom (shh-don't tell her) Love the pattern, love the Louet eggplant color yarn in laceweight. Easy pattern to read in the knitted fabric once a bit of it is done, so its possible to identify mistakes as I go. This is a great pattern to learn a discipline of lace-- Meaning balancing reading the chart with reading the knitting and counting stitches as I go. There are four purl stitches that appear in the exact same place while all the other stitches vary with each of the 31 row repeat. That purl stitch grounds me as I proceed.

SIGH .. then there is a list of yarns beckoning to me from my stash with patterns that beckon for me to play with them. I especially want to use some FiberOptics laceweight for a snowdrop lace scarf design (Chrissy Gardiner design). Of couse I was going to double the width into a stole. Christmas is coming in the time it may take to complete about 2 lace, 1 sweater, and four sock project timelines. And there is a very lovely handmaiden seasilk yarn simply insisting its destiny as an elegant patterned scarf, if I will only let it find its way to that form through my fingers.

At least I have something to do .....
Of course I have lists of other things I must do before I pick up the needles. Too much on that list. Might as well knit.

Embracing paradox


By maturity I mean the ego capacity to appreciate the relativity of situations, the ability to take a historical point of view and to tolerate paradox. .. (From "Wisdom of the Ego" by George E. Vaillant - 1995 - Psychology - 394 pages)


Sunday, August 2, 2009

Sock Summit 2009 is This Week

SOCK SUMMIT -

ITS A YARN STORM!

The upcoming ultimate knitting gathering, called the, SOCK SUMMIT 2009, begins this Thursday with events through August 9th. Oregon Convention Center is the place to be for all fashionable fiber nuts this weekend.

Yarn Dyers, fiber artists, spinners, designers, book authors, and lovers of all things yarn will be arriving from all parts of the United States and Canada as well as more far flung reaches of the knitting community. This event has been discussed, planned and anticipated by bloggers and knitters everywhere as THE PLACE TO BE this weekend.

Many are heartbroken at not being able to find a place in one of the classes,they filled quickly, no registration is required to attend the MARKETPLACE. This is an event that will likely be stupendous (sorry I couldn't think of a more descriptive word)As near as I can tell every yarn dyer and spinner, as well as other vendors of all things yarny will be there with their wares. AND there will be the knitting equivalent of rock stars, including:
Cookie A
Star Athena
Deb Barnhill
Judy Becker
Lorilee Beltman
Anne Berk
Cat Bordhi
JC Briar
Nancy Bush
Laurel Coombs
Angela Davis
Carson Demers
Amy Detjen
Laurie Drew
Abby Franquemont
Chrissy Gardiner
Priscilla Gibson-Roberts
Marjan Hammink
Anne Hanson
Sivia Harding
Stephen Houghton
Janel Laidman
Judith MacKenzie McCuin
Betsy McCarthy
Denny McMillan
Melissa Morgan-Oakes
Lucy Neatby
Tina Newton
Heather Ordover
Clara Parkes
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Karen Ratto-Whooley
Deb Robson
Merike Saarniit
Joan Schrouder
Charlene Schurch
Amy R Singer
Meg Swansen
Barbara Walker
Anna Zilboorg

Its such a long list of knitting greats, I listed them all.
In addition the list of yarn brands represented seems to include every finer fiber artist from throughout this country and Canada.

AND to top it off there will be Guiness World Recordbreaking event for simultaneous knitting on Friday at 12:15. Tickets will be first come first serve.

Some local knitting shops are also offering events. Ask your favorite LYS what they are offering.
Personally I hope to meet a few of the wonderfully clever and talented people I have come to know through my laptop.

I may pick up an ounce of yarn or two.