Knitting roundup
I have actually been doing a little knitting, although after the day's sorting and packing I'm as likely to just veg out and watch a movie without even picking up the needles!
I seem to be a true modern woman, meaning that I've reached that age where all my friends seem to be pregnant, only we're all in our 30s (hence the modern). I made a February Baby Sweater from EZ's Knitter's Almanac. I'm embarrassed to say how difficult I found this, actually. First I hated the garter stitch with variegated yarn. No, zeroth I dug some superwash variegated sock yarn out of my "charity donation" pile so I had to adjust the stitch count quite a bit. Then I found that garter + variegated = [shudder]. I actually found the lace pattern impossible to knit--the two action rows are so similar, yet not identical, that I wound up having to tink every 3rd or 4th pattern row after having gotten off by a couple stitches by doing the wrong pattern early on in the row. I guess I never have to worry about knitting the adult version for me. And of course, all the hard-earned lace just disappears when using a variegated yarn [note to self!]. Then I kept forgetting to put in button holes, so they're "artfully" distributed, and then out of sheer "just get it done"ness I sewed the buttons on with dental floss. Sorry, new-parents, that's the best I could do! It doesn't mean I don't love ya!
For some reason, blogger insists on rotating this image.
I've been trudging away on my hemp tank top. I might even finish by next summer! Ha ha. My gauge swatch was too small to be useful, meaning I cast on waaaay too many stitches. I decreased a ton hoping it would turn into some drapey, flaring action on the hips. I have no idea if it will work, but hemp only gets softer for being frogged, so it won't be a total disaster.
And I knit up a couple of flowers for my Alexander Technique teacher. My last lesson is this week, and it seemed like the kind of professional relationship whose end needs to be marked in some way. I thought these would be fun because she has an endless supply of interesting stuff on rotation in her studio--little interesting things for the eye to rest upon during the sessions. But I'm not so thrilled with them--they just seem a bit homespun and sad. I very rarely knit things to give away--it's not so much that I'm selfish (which I certainly am), but that I always feel a bit ashamed of the things I knit. Not ashamed for me to wear them--I adore the stuff I make myself--but preemptively embarrassed for the recipient getting such an obviously handmade gift when maybe they aren't really into the whole handmade thing. To some people handmade means "too broke to buy storebought". It's so ironic, since handknit actually means "I have a lot of spare time and cash for hobbies, and I spent hours loving you enough to make you this," but those childhood lessons die hard, I guess. In the end, it's the thought that counts and my teacher will know that I mean this as a kind and thoughtful gift, and I'll never know if she doesn't display them!
I seem to be a true modern woman, meaning that I've reached that age where all my friends seem to be pregnant, only we're all in our 30s (hence the modern). I made a February Baby Sweater from EZ's Knitter's Almanac. I'm embarrassed to say how difficult I found this, actually. First I hated the garter stitch with variegated yarn. No, zeroth I dug some superwash variegated sock yarn out of my "charity donation" pile so I had to adjust the stitch count quite a bit. Then I found that garter + variegated = [shudder]. I actually found the lace pattern impossible to knit--the two action rows are so similar, yet not identical, that I wound up having to tink every 3rd or 4th pattern row after having gotten off by a couple stitches by doing the wrong pattern early on in the row. I guess I never have to worry about knitting the adult version for me. And of course, all the hard-earned lace just disappears when using a variegated yarn [note to self!]. Then I kept forgetting to put in button holes, so they're "artfully" distributed, and then out of sheer "just get it done"ness I sewed the buttons on with dental floss. Sorry, new-parents, that's the best I could do! It doesn't mean I don't love ya!
For some reason, blogger insists on rotating this image.
I've been trudging away on my hemp tank top. I might even finish by next summer! Ha ha. My gauge swatch was too small to be useful, meaning I cast on waaaay too many stitches. I decreased a ton hoping it would turn into some drapey, flaring action on the hips. I have no idea if it will work, but hemp only gets softer for being frogged, so it won't be a total disaster.
And I knit up a couple of flowers for my Alexander Technique teacher. My last lesson is this week, and it seemed like the kind of professional relationship whose end needs to be marked in some way. I thought these would be fun because she has an endless supply of interesting stuff on rotation in her studio--little interesting things for the eye to rest upon during the sessions. But I'm not so thrilled with them--they just seem a bit homespun and sad. I very rarely knit things to give away--it's not so much that I'm selfish (which I certainly am), but that I always feel a bit ashamed of the things I knit. Not ashamed for me to wear them--I adore the stuff I make myself--but preemptively embarrassed for the recipient getting such an obviously handmade gift when maybe they aren't really into the whole handmade thing. To some people handmade means "too broke to buy storebought". It's so ironic, since handknit actually means "I have a lot of spare time and cash for hobbies, and I spent hours loving you enough to make you this," but those childhood lessons die hard, I guess. In the end, it's the thought that counts and my teacher will know that I mean this as a kind and thoughtful gift, and I'll never know if she doesn't display them!
Labels: knitting
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