Checking in with My Knitting
Posted on | July 21, 2008 | 19 Comments
First off, the money chant (taken, of course, from Ariel Gore). Everyone together now: Money loves me. Money is sexually attracted to me. Money stays up late thinking about me. Money can’t resist my charms or my proposals or my bank account. MONEY LOVES ME!
I started blogging more than three years ago as a knit blogger. I blogged about knitting. There are a zillion knit blogs out there and it was how I got into blogging. Knitting is a gateway drug, for realz.
After three posts I chucked the knitting-for-every-post and went with, I don’t know, alienating most everyone around me. And that’s where I’m at today!
Anyway, I know this post is about to bore 97% of you to tears, but I thought I’d get back to my blogging roots and do a little knitting post. I had a bug up my butt this morning to start a new project. I wanted to do this because I’m a sheep and I give in to the slightest amount of peer pressure — smoke crack? Don’t mind if I do! Jump off a cliff? My pleasure! Recycle every last bit of plastic and cardboard and human dander? I’d love to, Portland!
And I was cruising around on the knitting blogs, when I saw like 87 million knitters are making the tilted duster from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. And I thought, I HAVE TO MAKE THAT. And then cooler heads prevailed. I remembered that I have a few things on the needles right now, including a super cute sweater.
This is the cute sweater. It’s the February Lady Sweater. Oh, nummy. I’m knitting it from Malabrigo. Oh yeah, you know that’s the good stuff. I’m doing a Knit Along with Twisted. And, I guess to be a part of the knit along, you need to head in there on Friday nights to knit with the ladies, which I haven’t done, but this week, I will. The sweater is based on an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern, which means it’s a lot of knit knit knit. And no purl purl purl. That’s okay, until we see what else I have on the needles.
My plain Noro sock that I was obsessed with for a solid week. So obsessed, I finished one sock, and started the other, just to get bored by the endless knit, knit knit kniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. I really should pick this one up again, because the yarn is wonderful. WONDERFUL!
I should go back to the Noro sock, except I have this on the needles too.
That’s a plain sock in Socks That Rock. I don’t know what color it is, but I love it. LOVE IT! This sock is all knit too. And it’s for Steve because the first pair of socks I knit him is ruined. That’s the thing about socks, it’s a labor of love because I like to give the things I knit away. With socks, when people use them, they get worn out. So it goes. Months of work and there’s a hole. But he wore them all winter and they kept him warm. So I started these for him to replace the others. And it’s all knit knit knit knit knit. But the yarn is awesome. But knitkniknitknit. And I know he’ll want them soonish, so I should probably get cracking. I did turn the heel — see it there?
Here’s the problem, (the cracked out knitter tells herself), I’ve got too many knitty things on the needles. I mean I have too many things that I’m just knitting mindlessly. I need a challenge. I need a lace pattern!
And I have this. That’s undyed pure alpaca homespun. This alpaca is so awesome, I even met the alpaca it was sheared from. I KNOW! It’s so soft and wonderful. And it’s from an alpaca I know! From when my Malibu knitting group went to the alpaca farm. And we met the alpacas and the alpaca lady and we ate garlic that had soaked in olive oil and goat cheese. It was an experience, let me tell you. I learned that alpaca poop doesn’t smell (right) and that they pee in the same place every time — like cats! And that they are really, very sweet and will eat from your hand.
Here we are feeding the alpacas.
And buying crack yarn.
So, with my alpaca, because I don’t know how much yardage I have, I thought I’d make my all time favorite pattern, the Shetland Triangle. I’ve knit two of these. One for myself, which I wear as soon as the weather is cool. I wear it so much that my good friend My, once said to me, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without it.” That was in the dead of the Portland winter (April). I love this pattern. Look at it so pretty there. I knit it in Alaska at my mom’s house. It took me a week. I knit it and watched Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version, of course).
I knit it a second time for a gift. The person I gave it to wore it all of once. You can imagine that it made me sad. Especially because I used some of my Sundara stash on this one. But, as my mom reminds me, we cannot have expectations of the gifts we give people. But still you could wear it when you see me, right? No, wrong. It’s just a risk I take when I give people handknit things. Maybe they just won’t like it, or appreciate the time it takes to make something like this. And, really, how when I knit for others, I spend a lot of time thinking about that person, and focusing on the things I love about him or her. Because I really wouldn’t knit you something if I didn’t love you. So, what do you all think? Start the shetland triangle in alpaca despite the wads of other projects? Or just keep up the knit knit knit.
Back to regularly scheduled blogging and alienation next time…
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19 Responses to “Checking in with My Knitting”
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July 21st, 2008 @ 5:56 am
I am amazed by people who are crafty in any way. MY craftiness stops at knowing how to make the perfect strawberry martini.
The good news, after 2 of those I think I’m a genius and don’t care about crafting anymore.
The bad news, the only remnants of my skills the next day come in the form of a hangover…which is not nearly as nice as a tilted duster.
July 21st, 2008 @ 6:21 am
I don’t..okay…feh…um…WHAT IS A TILTED DUSTER?
Is that what Sherlock Holmes wears?
July 21st, 2008 @ 7:29 am
I tried knitting once. It came out looking like I did it with my feet.
July 21st, 2008 @ 8:03 am
in regards to knitted gifts, it is true you must give them to someone who has knitted. Because they will wear the shit out of them. My mom gave me a triangle scarf that was sorta weird and I ignored it for about three months and then figured out how to wear it to make it look hip and now it’s practically falling apart. I love knitted gifts (hint). I also want to say that one time I gave this woman a knitted cowl scarf that I thought was cute and she totally left it under her desk for two years so when I quit that job I went under the desk and grabbed it and I rock it all winter long. Fuck! It took me like two months to knit it!
July 21st, 2008 @ 8:06 am
So you did this post just to rub our faces in how talented you are, right?
July 21st, 2008 @ 10:00 am
I love the shetland triangle, beautiful
July 21st, 2008 @ 10:08 am
Rachel: Maybe you can craft your hangover into something. Like a basket. It’s metaphorical, of course.
KK: Very close. It’s a sweater. And knitters have to come up with cute names for their patterns. They often make no sense. Part of the joy of knitting. Deciphering names.
Crissy: So it was cute, right?
Andie: I know. I know. But sometimes you just want someone to be impressed and understand how special it is even if they don’t knit. And this person actually did knit in the past. Was a good knitter. All the more sad…
Apollo: Consider yourself rubbed. No, knitting is just making loops on the needles. It’s not that hard and I don’t feel like a brain surgeon for doing it. My projects are always very simple, but I find simple ones that look complicated. I’m sneaky.
Miss 376: Thank you!
July 21st, 2008 @ 10:14 am
I finished Upstream and I loved it and I’m moving to Alaska.
July 21st, 2008 @ 11:10 am
You know, it’s really sort of funny that you posted this because on Saturday night I commented to my husband that I would really love to learn how to knit.
GOD WHY CAN’T WE BE NEIGHBORS????
July 21st, 2008 @ 11:25 am
K from MI: Oh, I’m glad. But moving to Portland is way easier. That’s what I did.
Kristen: I know. I KNOW! Maybe I’ll do a little learn to knit vimeo. I have free time this week.
July 21st, 2008 @ 1:33 pm
Yes.
July 21st, 2008 @ 1:34 pm
oops – I read the wrong reply. Sorry.
July 21st, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
I’d love to learn to knit, for when the winter comes and the gardening is done, it would be the perfect way to spend the evening.
My mom knitted things for me that I never wore. One day she asked me what I WOULD wear. I described the perfect sweater: turtleneck, long sleeve, navy blue, pockets big enough for a pack of cigarettes and an unusual stitch. So she made it for me and I’ve had it for 30 years and I still wear it.
July 21st, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
I say knit what you enjoy. I’m impressed with all your patterns. I’m only capable of knitting afghans…
July 21st, 2008 @ 5:25 pm
Apollo: Yes to you right back.
Someone: I’ll teach you. There’s an awesome knit store in Sellwood. It’s not Twisted, but it’ll do.
Meg: Only afghans! ONLY AFGHANS??? That’s like totally tough! I knit a little throw and that was that for blankets and me.
July 22nd, 2008 @ 7:35 am
I needed some knitty inspiration. Thank you Miss M. Again you have given me some motivation…now if I could only find what I did with my knitting…..
July 22nd, 2008 @ 11:32 am
i want a knitted banana hammock.
July 22nd, 2008 @ 12:14 pm
You crazy knitters…
For the record people do NOT ask for a knitted gift. Knitters are the worst procrastinators of all time. For realz.
Here’s what will happen:
1) ML will gladly promise you a nice scarf or something
2) ML will get busy in her fabulous life of interviews, writing and mommying and forget about your gift
3) ML will feel lousy about not getting you said gift in a timely manner
4) ML will avoid you like the plague to avoid embarrassing “where is my gift” questions
5) You will sit awake at night and wonder what ever happened to your old friend ML
That’s it. Asking for a knitted gift = lost friend. Consider yourself warned.
July 22nd, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
I just learned to knit this weekend with my mom when I was home visiting. Also, I am extremely uncoordinated at this and my first project, a washcloth, looks moth-eaten. Also, learning to knit is part of my master plan to make my boyfriend buy me a county home so I can have baby Alpacas. Baby Alpacas!