My First Sweater

Jason was the recipient of the first sweater I ever crocheted before I learned to knit. It was two shades of blue RedHeart yarn and pretty hideous. Of course, at the time, it was crafted with love and I was proud of my work. He must have felt the same way because he wore it, at least once, with a smile on his face, while we were dating. At some point in the past 29 years since I crocheted it, I gave it to Goodwill. I don’t have any pictures and now I feel a little bad about the lack. Don’t get me wrong - I wouldn’t put him through the torture of wearing it but I would like a picture to show how far my talent has come! I need to do a better job of taking pictures of my work so I can celebrate the gift God has given me. However, the gift I am thankful for today is not my knitting or crocheting, but my precious husband. Today is his birthday and I am so thankful that God saw fit to put him in my life. Someday I hope to knit him a sweater and I will take pictures to share!

Confessions

Okay, this might be a good time for a confession. At the beginning of this blog I made a resolution to “cold sheep” for 2012. Meaning, I would not purchase yarn for an entire year. However, when making such a brave and bold statement, I didn’t take into account the temptation that would come my way. A couple of weeks ago, I caved and went to a local yarn shop that was going out of business. Let’s be real. Can I be expected to pass on yarn that is 70% off? Seriously, should I be held to such a strict declaration when, if you really think about it, I would be saving money in the long run? Well, at least this is the argument I made with myself as I was purchasing multiple sweaters worth of yarn. I’m too embarrassed to actually take a picture of the yarn and post it. However, I hope to display a few works in progress before too long using the discounted vow breaker and show you what I couldn’t pass up!

Jocelyn

Today is my daughter's birthday. This blog isn't really about knitting unless you count the endless things that she has on a list for me to knit for her. She wants a pair of Mary Jane slippers that she so graciously pinned on Pinterest and cowls that can be worn in winter and some for summer, just to name a few. I've knit her socks and scarves but I've also sewn her bags and quilts. But here is the thing - she has knit herself into my heart so completely that the love I feel for her can never be unknit, frogged or come undone. I love you, Jocelyn, and I am so glad to call you daughter and friend!

Pinterest

I love cool presents that include specialized wrapping or packaging as part of the gift. Have you been on Pinterest? They have lots of lovely ideas for packaging gifts and directions for fabulous handmade items that would thrill any gift loving soul like myself.

Heather, my beautiful co-worker and friend, gave me this lovely "sundae shake" for Christmas and I haven't had the heart to disassemble it and use the needles nor the yarn because that would mean unwrapping it! But, today I had the pleasure of presenting with her during our professional development sessions and we "Rawked" as she would say :) and it makes me want to get creative and present her with a gift to show my appreciation. The questions is - do I unwrap (she loves pink) and make her something special out of the sparkly contents or choose another yarn?

Hmmm. We will need to ponder this for a while.

Weekends

Saturdays are like sunshine in the morning and a time of new beginnings when you believe that all things are possible. I also like Fridays for the anticipation of that very reason. We fantasize about all that will be accomplished on those two full days off when the workday comes to an end and are always overestimating what can actually be done. I always have lots of plans - I’m going to get caught up on all things at home, I’m going to knit miles and miles of wool and then I’m going to be completely rested when I return to school. Of course, I’m also going to lesson plan and grade and do laundry. I will probably work out and eat right too. In my mind I will clean out a cabinet while at the same time lounging all day and reading just for pleasure. Unfortunately, the reality is all too often two days of starting many projects, knitting and other kinds too, and finishing very few.

This weekend I will begin a new knitting sample. It’s a beautifully soft, yellow wool and cashmere blend. The shawl is leafy and asymmetrical and probably difficult beyond my skill level. It’s the weekend and hailed as a time of rest. I have to believe I will accomplish a lot because its what keeps me going when I am overwhelmed with projects and/or responsibilities. So, here is to a productive weekend!

Designing Stitches

Yesterday I had the extreme pleasure to take a class with Cat Bordhi. For many of you this may not seem like much, perhaps something like, “Yeah, you got to take a class with your friend.” No, you don’t understand, Cat Bordhi is a world renown author and designer. What a fabulous opportunity I was given! The class was on experimenting with designing stitches - a skill of which I previously had no interest. However, I think the class has accomplished its advertised claims and I’ve caught the design bug. I now have aspirations to create and design my own knitwear. I think I will start with socks. I don’t know how soon you will see them but I think I may start posting some designs right here. We’ll see - I’ll let you know. But before I get ahead of myself, here are some of the things I learned yesterday:

· I learned to design on the front while keeping ribbing on the back. It was quite fascinating. I was using a beautiful hand dyed wool from Yarn Chef that I got through Etsy. Cat had us knit 15 stitches in stocking net and after several rows we pulled the needle out to see the direction in which each stitch lay and then discussed how designing on one side is made possible.

· Mr. Stitch became my favorite of the day. It’s a little weird when you’re not in the class and referring to something as Mr. Stitch but when we were in the class it seemed perfectly normal. Anyway, imagine Mr. Stitch has two legs and the two guys on either side of him are pulling on each leg in a different direction. On the next row you then knit in the top of his head. There is a myriad of possibilities with this stitch!

· I don’t do well when the instructor says, “Just play with it.” I need some direction, focus or at the very least, some guidelines. All we were given was a list of knitting morphemes and direction to play. Hmmm – I don’t know about this….

What I really learned is that I am blessed. I’ve shared with several people that not only has God given me the desires of my heart, but he has blessed me in ways that I didn’t even realize I wanted to be blessed. This class was an unexpected gift. One for which I am extremely grateful!

Focusing

I might have ADD. Now, this isn’t a medical diagnosis and no doctor has been consulted in my determination. Let me explain. I knit to stay focused and to concentrate. But on what am I focusing? That is a good and logical question. Currently, I have several projects in the works. I am knitting a baby blanket, two pairs of socks, a shawl (another will be started this week and is for a test knit due the middle of February), a hat for charity, a baby sweater (another which I plan to start this evening), three adult sweaters, an afghan, a dishcloth and there is no guarantee that other knitting projects won’t be started before these are finished.

So, let’s get back to the ADD and focusing. I knit to think about my lesson plans, while I am watching my favorite program, and most recently, while listening to podcasts and audiobooks. So do I ever complete projects? Of course, I do! I finished the socks that I have been working on for 2 ½ weeks as a test knit. Actually, I made three socks because the first was knit on size 1 dpns when the pattern clearly said to knit on 0. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem but because the designs were a little more intricate than in other socks I’ve knit, they required more yarn. Of course, I didn’t realize my mistake until nearly finished with the second sock and I ran out of yarn. So, I did what any conscientious knitter would do and I took the first sock out and reknit it on a size 0. Taking such action should have solved my problem. NOT! I was still 10 rows short. Oh well, I kitchenered the toe and called it a day – which means, one toe is longer than the other and I will send a detailed email to the person for whom I am knitting the socks and let them determine an appropriate course of action. Should we simply shorten one toe or add more yarn and finish the other? Thankfully, not my decision since the socks have been sent to their new owner.

So where does my knitting lead me tonight? I’m finishing my 12^th hat for charity this month and then I will start on a baby sweater. I currently have three babies for whom I am knitting – two boys and one girl. Truly, knitting for babies is the best!