Comment: Too bad. You’ve got a lot of work there. But every knitter has been through this. Sometimes you have to start a new project and come back to the current one just for the sake of sanity. That’s what I just did.
Comment: Would like to try ” NO PICKUP GUSSET HEEL”, but it is Locked. Please unlock itand let me know when it is unlocked. Can you use this heel on a toe-up sock? Lorena
So much to write about, and no photo(s) to present to you. I try to avoid writing a post without images, because it’s just so much more satisfying reading this type of blog with some sort of visual. It’ll have to do for now, and if you just can’t stand a knitting post without an image, move along now.
Christmas
Ohh boy, lots of new goodies to play with from Christmas. I got some fibery goodness from my mom, and a new source four fiber and knitting supplies. Man, but she really did a great job choosing colors and fiber types. My favorite – so much so that I had to go back and get more – is a silk/merino blend with this great subtle color variation in the dye. My dream is to spin it into a nice lace weight yarn, and knit a beautiful shawl. Keep in mind, for now it’s just a dream.
I also got some books from my mom and husband, one of which I have been devouring at every opportunity. Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is an amazing piece of reading and knitting reference. I’m especially enamored with the chapter on hats, as I’m having troubles with my handspun green hat.
Handspun Green Hat
Speaking of the hat in progress, I just ripped the whole thing out. I realized that I’m definitely not going to have enough yarn to do the hat justice. I would also like to restart it using some of the tips from Knitting Rules. However, I’m having troubles finding the right yarn to knit into stripes with the handspun. I looked through my moderately small stash, and some things will work, but they don’t excite me. I think I’m going to have to head to the yarn shop and buy some Malabrigo in just the right color. We’ll see. Either way, I’m really excited to restart and complete this hat.
Handknit Christmas Gifts
I finished all of them but my mom’s gloves! I had no choice; if I had fought to complete them in the two days or so that I had I would have killed my hands, and possibly my desire to ever knit again! OK, so maybe that’s an exaggeration. I am having very little desire to knit right now, which is really frustrating me. I really want to finish these gloves, so I can move on to new and exciting things.
I will definitely not be knitting two of the same thing back to back for next Christmas.
It is time for the big mad dash to get my knitting done for Christmas day. I won’t get done nearly as much as I had planned, but I think I will be satisfied if I complete my modified list of handknit gifts.
OK, so the picture of my progress on this last pair of gloves isn’t so great. It’s just emblematic of the rush I feel in to complete this stuff. I don’t even have time to produce a light enough picture.
Oh, look at how much yarn I have left for that glove! It’s not so much as it looks. Imagine pressing your hand down on that ball, and feeling it really thin. I’m cutting it really close with this skein! I only have two skeins for two gloves! I’m making a pair of gloves that’s one size larger than the largest size in the pattern, so I don’t know if it will be enough. It’s one of those anxious moments where you’re trying to hurry to finish to see if you have enough, and trying to knit tight enough, and trying not to make your ends too long when you cut them so that you don’t run out at the very last moment. I don’t have time to buy more!
Phew. I’m starting my Christmas knitting in January for next year.
I don’t think it will surprise anyone, whether you know me or not, that I am cutting it really close with my Christmas knitting projects. I only just started one pair of gloves a few days ago, and haven’t completed the first glove. I still have to complete a scarf – albeit a very quickly knit scarf. I also have to fix the fingers in the first pair of gloves that I have already completed and washed.
While I have been trying to decide in my head if I will be able to complete my goals by Christmas or not, I’ve been feeling more and more the need to procrastinate. I don’t have that love of the process feel that I sometimes get while working on an exciting project. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I’m knitting something that I have already knit once. Although there is a bit of variation and creativity because I’m making a larger size that wasn’t in the pattern.
This has got me to thinking about what makes my knitting so different sometimes. There are projects that I’ve started with excitement over something new, and finished in a minimum amount of time. Then there have been projects such as the no-longer-birthday-shawl that took over six months to finish, and by the time it was completed I knew so much more from when I cast on. The speed in which I finished these projects has had nothing to do with how fast I can knit, or how easy the project was. The shawl was 95% garter stitch for goodness sake.
What is it that causes the time and motivation it takes for me to complete a project vary so much? I think it has something to do with balancing two things, both of which I love about knitting. I find the process of knitting to be a very soothing activity. Whether it’s the simplicity of garter stitch, or a complex lace pattern. Knitting has been the only craft that has really drawn me in for the long term, and I think that is completely due to my enjoyment of the whole process. Couple this sometimes meditative feeling I get while I knit, and the excitement over what I will have accomplished when I complete a project, and you have a craft that is perfect for me.
When these two things get out of balance, things may not go well. If I’m too focused on the finished product I can’t enjoy what I’m actively doing, and feel frustrated at how slow I feel. When I’m too focused on a particular technique or method, I either have to find a practical way to create something using the new knowledge, or lose interest.
And this will all explain why I’m here creating a philosophizing blog post, instead of knitting like mad to get these Christmas presents done!
As much as it pains me to say or think about it, I have finally come to terms with the problem about these gloves. The first glove in the pair has fingers that are just too long. They would fit over my fingers perfectly, as I modeled them to fit me. I’m realizing that, if my grandmother’s hands are smaller than mine, the gloves will be way too large as is. Fortunately for my sanity’s sake, I realized this before starting the second glove. However, this means that I need to do some “unfinishing” of the first one. The ends have all been woven in, and it has even been washed!
Look real closely; can you see how the length of the fingertips do not match? I’ve been putting it off for as long as possible, and may be able to put it off a bit more yet. I still need to wash the second glove. However, after that I will be getting no progress on the Christmas knitting if I put it off further. Big sigh.
There is a new podcast that I’ve been listening to by an Austrailian gentleman. I must say that I have enjoyed this podcast, and I look forward to future podcasts once David (that’s his name) improves his podcasting skills.
In his third show he discusses the “just do it” attitude to knitting that he has, and feels others should have. I thought you might enjoy listening to it, and could take something away from it. I agree completely with this approach to knitting; meaning, just start the project and don’t worry so much about how hard it may be, or if your ability will be up to the task. Learning through experience is usually the most effective way!
Entry: Quietly Knitting
Author: Hishandmaid
Time: February 27, 2010, 10:57 am
Comment: Very adorable!
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