Knotty Nancys

I apologize for being Bloggy McBlog-A-Not as I confess it's been 4 months since my last post. Oh the shame! I will be sure to poke myself with my knitting needles or some such nonsense for adequate penance. Although I am currently without a great WIP and it seems punishment enough not to have that "calling" you get when there is a fun project just waiting for you to have free time to work on it. Why do I not have a project over which I can be manic? Because I just finished up one project and don't have the color/yarn picked out for the next project (a shawl/cape for a friend's sister.)  I do have a blanket that I am meant to be doing intermittently between projects, so I suppose now is that time.. but it doesn't have the same calling. Probably because it is 6x6" squares of the same knit pattern over and over and over again.  I suspect it will all be worthwhile in the long run as it's a great, modern pattern (which I find uncommon in knitting.)  A...

The pattern I found on Ravelry called FOR THE BOYS CARDIGAN puzzled me to begin with; the stitch pattern was wrong on the first instructions for the hooded version. Aside from that it appeared to be very thorough, well organized and offered up many variations on the pattern so you could customize it to your liking. I didn't have a baby/toddler/child in mind for this - it was "on spec" you might say. So, I found some yarn in my stash that was fitting for the gauge (Berroco Remix) and went for it. I can't even begin to describe how pleased I am with the results. Although I am still missing the closures (facebook votes unanimously for toggles), it still shows you what the end results will look like. Cute and cozy - perfect for a snowy winter day in New England. May you be cozy on this winter day!

To swatch or not to swatch? I am a terrible example. I don't swatch and rarely gauge. Tough to do one without the other though, truly. I can and sometimes do check my gauge from the actual project I am working on.. just so I know if the size I am making is on target, smaller or larger. To be honest, size hasn't been truly important as most of my work is on spec. I knit for the sake of knitting and learning new techniques or designs. If you're knitting FOR someone, something that has a specific fit, you should be more concerned about the gauge, and swatching to get a gauge. Right now I am working on a delightful baby frock and am not using a yarn that knits to the same gauge as the designer's yarn. I'm meant to get 14 stitches to 4" .. and my gauge was 18-20 stitches on 7-9US. Just like how I guesstimate my long tail case on yarn length, I guesstimated that I would need a 10.5 or 11US needle to get to gauge. Since I didn't have addi tips for my circular ne...

Just a little update to provide an image of the finished product. I think it has a lot of charm and character, even without it being worn by a little person!

I found a pattern on ravelry that was born out of the writer's experiences with fertility treatments.  It was a one-of-a-kind story and this is a great pattern. I was struggling with one section of the collar (and am still not convinced I got it right), but I know that I am getting there. And just tonight, I can 'see' the finished project coming to life - hatching, if you will.

For me, knitting is meditative. I find myself being absorbed in the rhythm of the pattern, the order of the stitches. Knit, Purl, YO, k2tog, ssk, whatever the order, whatever the direction. The more elaborate the pattern, the more focused and concentrated. At times, this can be like zen. Rarely, but sometimes, it is stressful. More often then not, stress knitting is frogged and I begin something else. This hobby is about the pleasure, not the pain. I endure the challenges but only if in the long-run, I have fun. Another long-run benefit is the pride we can feel in our accomplishments. I like the projects that I select so I am eager to see my needles, my stitches and my hands create that pattern. It is a sort of magic that a few lines of writing can lead you to make somethings that are so intricate and special. My boss at my real work is always in awe that people are capable of making anything handmade, and I too still have that awe, even though I myself am a knitter.  I had ...