Finished Objects and Works in Progress

As promised, here are some pictures of what I have been working on so far.

This is my first project, the Wavy Gravy scarf from Stitch N Bitch. The only change I made was that I knitted this with only one strand of yarn. This was so I could master tension, and increases and decreases. I remember frogging this at least 4 times before I got it right.



It's a little bit short, so I may increase the length at some point.

Next is a picture in progress of the Kitty Hat from Stitch N Bitch. I made two of them, one for our friend's daughter Casey and one for my friend Terri. Casey's was made from Patons Classic Wool, and Terri's from acrylic. Here is a pic, minus the ears and pompoms.



This is a picture of my first felted project, the Sophie bag. I think mine turned out really well - I was very pleased with it. I used 2 strands of Cascade 220, so I would get a sturdier fabric.



And now, on to the works in progress.

This is a baby blanket from Stitch N Bitch I am working on for a friend of mine. It is made from Wool Ease in their Autumn colorway. The colors are actually not as bright in real life - my fault for photographing on a red tablecloth.



As you can see, I haven't gotten very far on this one. I find that endless stockinette stitch bores me silly. I think this is only a week's worth of work, so I've made some decent progress. I do really need to get this one done in the next month - the baby is due in June.

And here is a project I am pretty proud of. This is the My So-Called Scarf pattern, and the stitch pattern is very interesting - it makes kind of a herringbone pattern. Very slow going, but is holding my interest. I'm using Manos del Uruguay, in the Flame colorway. I love the Manos - it's so easy to work with.



Unfortunately, the camera has run out of batteries, so I cannot take pics of the other two projects on my plate right now. I am working on the Lo Tech Sweat, and another Sophie bag in stripes, and I've messed with the pattern a little bit to get a different result. I'll get pics of these up soon.

Looking at this list, it is pretty sad how many things I have in progress. Except for two of these WIP's, there is no deadline for completion, so I'm not gonna sweat it.

Today, a couple of us hit the yarn store. I am thinking about investing in a ball winder and a swift today, but I may talk myself out of it. We'll see....

I'm already ranting

My second day with a blog, and I'm already ranting about something.

I am frustrated with a LYS in my area (which shall remain nameless because I believe they do blog). Last week, I went to said LYS for their knit group. For one, I was being pretty brave. I am not an outgoing person, so the idea of going to a shop full of complete strangers was daunting. I was hoping maybe there would be 2-3 different groups of people, so I could blend in more easily. It was not to be. When I showed up, it was a small group of women that had been knitting together for a few months. They seemed nice enough, so I introduced myself and sat down to start knitting.

I had brought the back of the sweater that I was just starting on. A couple of the ladies were trying to figure out what kind of yarn I was using. "Rowan Summer Tweed?" When I told them that it was Wool Ease, they nearly dropped their needles, and I was met with a wall of silence. I was honestly shocked at the intensity of their reaction. Through the next two hours I was asked why I was using straight needles instead of circulars, and told how using two circs for socks was SO MUCH BETTER than using dpn's.

This hits on a few pet peeves of mine:

- I hate feeling ashamed of the type of yarn I am using
- I like doing things how I like doing things, and don't like to be told that what I am doing is somehow wrong

Now, I'm not trying to come off as being overly stubborn. And I do realize that I have just begun on my journey as a knitter. But I really do like knitting with my straight needles whenever I have a chance. And I have used dpn's and have no problems with them whatsoever. I do intend to give the Magic Loop the ol' college try, just to see what it's like to use. I love trying new things. It just makes me mad when people tell me that THEIR way is the RIGHT way. It automatically makes me shut down emotionally, and tune out whatever else that person has to say. Ok, maybe that part is kinda stubborn....

Needless to say, I no longer feel comfortable going to that LYS, so they will not get any more of my business. Which is a shame - they are so close to my house. But there is another a few miles away that has a much better selection, so I am not totally TSOL.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest...

I just went to my parent's house this past weekend to go through mom's knitting stash and needles. She no longer knits - probably hasn't picked up the needles since the mid to late 70's. She didn't have much yarn left to speak of, but I think it is safe to say I will never have to buy a pair of needles again. I now have everything from US 1 to US 35. I have no bloody idea what I will use those 35's for, but I'm sure something will come up. It always does. I also inherited her copy of the Reader's Digest Guide to Needlework, which has got to be one of the best instructional books ever. I read this thing from cover to cover when I was a kid, so I am thrilled to have it again.

When I have time in front of my computer at home, I will post pictures this weekend. I promise.

Very First Post

Hello, and welcome to my knitting blog! I just lost my first post, so I will recreate it the best I can...

This blog will serve two purposes: (1) As my knitting journal, and a way to meet other knitters out there; (2) To spare my LJ friends my ramblings on knitting. And there has been much rambling as of late. So, it was time to set aside a special space for my newest obsession.

First, a little about me. I am 31, and live in Southern CA with my husband and 3 cats. No kids, and we're not planning on having any, ever. We are far too selfish and have many expensive hobbies. I like horror movies, books, gourmet food, good wine, and spending time with good friends. And now I can add knitting to that list.

I started crochet when I was but a wee lass. I learned from my mom, so I worked on the same types of projects that she did at that time - doilies, and lots of them. So I learned patience from an early age. I dabbled in knitting briefly, but it didn't take. Later on in my teenage years, I got into counted cross stitch, but I have no finished objects to show for it. I would inevitably make some mistake in my counting, and the project would end up in a closet to rot for all of eternity.

Four months ago, my friend Terri got me back into crochet. This time I tried my hand at making a hat, a scarf and an afghan. None of these projects were ever finished, and I now have a ton and a half of acrylic yarn taunting me from the closet (some in colors that I will never use again). Terri then got into knitting, digging out her copy of Stitch N Bitch that she'd been sitting on for the past year. She lent me the book, and folks, it was all over. I now have many small finished objects to my name, and am working on my first sweater.

I plan to post at least once a week, depending on how much I am working on at any point. I currently have 4 WIP's in the queue, so I suspect I will be posting quite a bit, at least initially.

Expect pictures in upcoming posts of my FO's and WIP's. Until then, happy knitting all!