Thursday, May 31, 2007
Self-serving Giving (or, making stuff for the sake of making stuff)
bored bored bored...I'm not sure what is the matter with me the last two days. :oP I'm in one of those phases where I just want to crawl in a hole with my crafting and ignore that the rest of the world exists. Possibly this is because I am so close to finishing a project, but I'm not sure. I hate being so close to the end and then having life get in the way. :oP
And, of course, the rush I get from finishing a project pushes me to look at working on something else and that is when I end up starting 8 projects and finishing none. So I'm trying to keep myself a little more focused, but it's not working well. :oP
I did go to the Yarn Barn yesterday. It was nice...not as much variety as I would have liked and I felt a bit watched the whole time I was in there. It probably wouldn't have bothered anyone else but it drove me crazy. I think it was just because I was new. And the ladies that spoke to me were trying to be helpful, but I am the kind of person who prefers to be as ignored as possible until I actually come looking for help. Especially since I didn't really go in there looking for anything in particular. I wandered from yarn to yarn, looking and touching and reading labels and thinking and all the while feeling a little uncomfortably observed. It was 'workshop night' so there was a whole group of ladies in there working on their projects, and the whole room turned to look at me when I came in, and it was just a little freaky.
Again, I don't think any of this is necessarily unusual or bad, I am just paranoid and nervous by nature - if no one notices me, I can't do anything embarassing. If no one is looking at me, I can vascillate all I want without worrying.
Anyway, I did end up buying some pretty cotton thinking I could make Karen a kind of floppy sunhat with it to wear while she is on zoo duty. The only thing is, when I got home and read the knitter's review on the particular yarn that I got, the review said that it does not wear well. Which I guess is okay for someone like me who will not use a hat that often, but someone like Karen will probably want to be able to wad it up and stick it in a bag and stuff like that, and it might not work out so good. So now I just don't know what to do with it. :oP I might just go ahead and try the hat anyway, or I might just make a different one for myself. I don't know.
The yarn suggests using a needle size of 4-6.5 and the floppy hat uses a size 2 needle, so I'm also not sure about that...is the cotton she used a different weight than my cotton? Should I just knit a swatch and see how the guage comes out? I'm not sure. :oP
I have two skeins in a light blue and two skeins in a medium green. I think they would look nice either individually or striped together.
Maybe I should just give up the hat thing and put the cotton away for a while. I'm so wierd.
I have a problem in that I tend to make gifts for people based more on the fact that I want to make that project than on whether they will actually want/use the gift. I have stitched a ton of items for my mother and only one has she expressed any real enthusiasm over. I am always also suggesting things I could make for my dad and having her point out gently that he is not likely to use/want any of the stuff I have come up with. :oP
The crafter's curse, I guess. Self-serving giving is something I will always have to struggle against. I am having that problem with this Andean Treasure shawl from Knit Picks. I totally want to make it, and it is such a fancy yarn that it would make a great gift for my mother or grandmother...except that neither TX or Louisiana are really great states for shawl-wearing. :oP And my mother has reached that season of life where staying warm is not really an issue. I might just make it for myself sometime, but we'll see.
Of course, I must also be wary of getting in over my head. I am still new at this whole thing, so I really ought to practice some of these techniques on cheap yarn before I do anything fancy.
It is as with all of my crafts - must be wary of getting in over my head just because something is fun and challenging. :oP Enthusiasm can be a curse.
And, of course, the rush I get from finishing a project pushes me to look at working on something else and that is when I end up starting 8 projects and finishing none. So I'm trying to keep myself a little more focused, but it's not working well. :oP
I did go to the Yarn Barn yesterday. It was nice...not as much variety as I would have liked and I felt a bit watched the whole time I was in there. It probably wouldn't have bothered anyone else but it drove me crazy. I think it was just because I was new. And the ladies that spoke to me were trying to be helpful, but I am the kind of person who prefers to be as ignored as possible until I actually come looking for help. Especially since I didn't really go in there looking for anything in particular. I wandered from yarn to yarn, looking and touching and reading labels and thinking and all the while feeling a little uncomfortably observed. It was 'workshop night' so there was a whole group of ladies in there working on their projects, and the whole room turned to look at me when I came in, and it was just a little freaky.
Again, I don't think any of this is necessarily unusual or bad, I am just paranoid and nervous by nature - if no one notices me, I can't do anything embarassing. If no one is looking at me, I can vascillate all I want without worrying.
Anyway, I did end up buying some pretty cotton thinking I could make Karen a kind of floppy sunhat with it to wear while she is on zoo duty. The only thing is, when I got home and read the knitter's review on the particular yarn that I got, the review said that it does not wear well. Which I guess is okay for someone like me who will not use a hat that often, but someone like Karen will probably want to be able to wad it up and stick it in a bag and stuff like that, and it might not work out so good. So now I just don't know what to do with it. :oP I might just go ahead and try the hat anyway, or I might just make a different one for myself. I don't know.
The yarn suggests using a needle size of 4-6.5 and the floppy hat uses a size 2 needle, so I'm also not sure about that...is the cotton she used a different weight than my cotton? Should I just knit a swatch and see how the guage comes out? I'm not sure. :oP
I have two skeins in a light blue and two skeins in a medium green. I think they would look nice either individually or striped together.
Maybe I should just give up the hat thing and put the cotton away for a while. I'm so wierd.
I have a problem in that I tend to make gifts for people based more on the fact that I want to make that project than on whether they will actually want/use the gift. I have stitched a ton of items for my mother and only one has she expressed any real enthusiasm over. I am always also suggesting things I could make for my dad and having her point out gently that he is not likely to use/want any of the stuff I have come up with. :oP
The crafter's curse, I guess. Self-serving giving is something I will always have to struggle against. I am having that problem with this Andean Treasure shawl from Knit Picks. I totally want to make it, and it is such a fancy yarn that it would make a great gift for my mother or grandmother...except that neither TX or Louisiana are really great states for shawl-wearing. :oP And my mother has reached that season of life where staying warm is not really an issue. I might just make it for myself sometime, but we'll see.
Of course, I must also be wary of getting in over my head. I am still new at this whole thing, so I really ought to practice some of these techniques on cheap yarn before I do anything fancy.
It is as with all of my crafts - must be wary of getting in over my head just because something is fun and challenging. :oP Enthusiasm can be a curse.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
User Error
I have finally made a few unfixable mistakes in my knitting. I'm surprised it took me this long. :oP And really, none of them were unfixable per se. I just would have had to take out a lot of work to fix them. I picked up an extra stitch on the shawl I am knitting with the Paton yarn, and it is so slick that anytime I take a stitch off the needle it imediately slips out of the loop below it and I end up spending a lot of time picking up those dropped loops. The idea of pulling out an entire row was terrifying, so I just knitted two of the stitches together and went on from there.
On the scarf I am knitting for Sbodd, it looks like I mixed up my pattern, so there are two sections of stockinette-type stitches in the middle of the pattern, which is more of a garter stitch look. I didn't discover this until I was several inches past it, and though I offered to take it out and fix it, Sbodd assured me it wasn't a big deal. Whether he did this because he actually doesn't mind or because he didn't want to be the one responsible for making me rip out several inches of stitches (which would not at all have improved my mood), I do not venture to guess.
Anyway, I'm still enjoying doing it, though I do get some pain in my right hand that is kind of limiting. It's not down in my wrist, though, where I used to have problems, but up in my knuckles and fingers, so I hope it's just tired muscles unaccustomed to these particular motions, and that it will go away in time as my hand gets a little stronger.
I can definately see the appeal of circular needles. I am working on 13" straights for the shawl, and the ends of the needles get caught on my sleeves, or anything else that happens to be nearby, including the line of yarn feeding from my ball. I also find that I tend to have to lift the needles higher to keep this from happening, which puts more weight and strain on my wrists and hands. It will be interesting to see how I feel about working with circulars when I start the gloves I want to make. J. got me the circulars for that for my birthday, and I might just have to test them out and see what the ups and downs of working with them are.
On the scarf I am knitting for Sbodd, it looks like I mixed up my pattern, so there are two sections of stockinette-type stitches in the middle of the pattern, which is more of a garter stitch look. I didn't discover this until I was several inches past it, and though I offered to take it out and fix it, Sbodd assured me it wasn't a big deal. Whether he did this because he actually doesn't mind or because he didn't want to be the one responsible for making me rip out several inches of stitches (which would not at all have improved my mood), I do not venture to guess.
Anyway, I'm still enjoying doing it, though I do get some pain in my right hand that is kind of limiting. It's not down in my wrist, though, where I used to have problems, but up in my knuckles and fingers, so I hope it's just tired muscles unaccustomed to these particular motions, and that it will go away in time as my hand gets a little stronger.
I can definately see the appeal of circular needles. I am working on 13" straights for the shawl, and the ends of the needles get caught on my sleeves, or anything else that happens to be nearby, including the line of yarn feeding from my ball. I also find that I tend to have to lift the needles higher to keep this from happening, which puts more weight and strain on my wrists and hands. It will be interesting to see how I feel about working with circulars when I start the gloves I want to make. J. got me the circulars for that for my birthday, and I might just have to test them out and see what the ups and downs of working with them are.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
ADD
I have taken another detour from the scarf for Sbodd and started work on a shawl for me (really, it's basically a double-wide scarf rather than a true shaped shawl), which I think will be helpful to have since I am constantly cold even in my own house. I meant to do it just to take a short break from the scarf but I am so in love with the yarn that I used that I just don't want to stop! I'm using Paton SWS in Natural Navy and the picture does it no justice at all. It's fantastic. When I get a little more length I will take pictures because it is gorgeous.
Unfortunately, it won't machine wash well, but I pretty much intend to wear it exclusively in the house, so I don't expect to get it too terribly dirty most of the time. I just wanted something I could put around my arms when I am crafting or working in some way where a blanket, even my slanket, would be bulky and restrictive.
It is just sooooo pretty!! And I am also thinking as I knit of people who might like to have one like it in a different shade. Mwee hee hee.
Unfortunately, it won't machine wash well, but I pretty much intend to wear it exclusively in the house, so I don't expect to get it too terribly dirty most of the time. I just wanted something I could put around my arms when I am crafting or working in some way where a blanket, even my slanket, would be bulky and restrictive.
It is just sooooo pretty!! And I am also thinking as I knit of people who might like to have one like it in a different shade. Mwee hee hee.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Improvement
I picked up the scarf I am making for Sbodd last night, and found that it went a lot easier. I am not spearing through the yarn nearly as much as I was before. I'm not getting tangled, and things moved along pretty quickly. So, I guess it was a good thing that I stopped and did the chenille first because the yarn really couldn't be pierced, and it was smoother, thicker, and worked on larger needles. It is a bit of an adjustment to go back to the smaller needles, but not much. The biggest difference is the smoothness of the yarn. The yarn I'm using for this one doesn't slip along the needles nearly as easily as the chenille did. But, I feel like I made progress, so hurray for me. Practice makes perfect!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Unfun Fur
I finished the scarf last night! It looks mostly okay...the wierdest-looking part is at the beginning, which is quite a bit wider than the rest of the scarf. I started to fringe it but I didn't really like the look of this yarn when cut in strips, so I stopped and now I am undecided over whether I should put a fringe on it or not. I don't want it to look scraggly. :o/
But, yay, I was pleased with myself, and in that flush of finished-project excitement, I got out the eyelash yarn I had.
That, um, kinda proved a lot harder to work with. ;oP I want to make this; I have copper fun fur and grey (I think it must be Flannel on that page) chenille that I think will look just beautiful together. But...clearly I need more practice with the fur. :oP
But, yay, I was pleased with myself, and in that flush of finished-project excitement, I got out the eyelash yarn I had.
That, um, kinda proved a lot harder to work with. ;oP I want to make this; I have copper fun fur and grey (I think it must be Flannel on that page) chenille that I think will look just beautiful together. But...clearly I need more practice with the fur. :oP
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