A Knitter's Progress

Every knitter has to start somewhere.  I have heard stories of those who learn to knit and immediately churn out a wearable sweater.  So not me. 

Like any knitter, the first thing to learn is how to cast on.  Then I learned how to do the basic knit stitch which then turned into how to do garter stitch. It quickly turned into how to unpick or "tink" and then how to pick up a dropped stitch.  Then it was how to purl and therefore stockinette.  Scarves ensued.  Generic, acrylic scarves.

Soon that wasn't enough.  Squares and long rectangles aren't particularly satisfying for very long, which meant I had to learn how to increase and decrease, which by it's nature meant I had to figure how on earth to read knitting instructions.  It also led to the discovery of the wealth of YouTube videos on knitting techniques.

Things started coming together. I found out about other tools besides plain Wal-mart knitting needles.  There were beautiful glossy wooden needles made of pressed birch and dyed a rainbow of colors.  I found fun little stitch markers and bought some without realizing how much I would depend on them later. I was later gifted two sets that I use at some point on almost every project. Swatch guage, tape measures and other bits and pieces started to gather and I decided I needed some storage for all of this stuff.  Pouches, holders, cases and then something to hold them all.  And what was this strange contraption called a circular needle?  The collection grew piece by piece, matching the speed of this new addiction.

And then came the Yarn Snobbery.  As I learned new stitches and techniques, and started to make sense of the glut of patterns on that delicious Ravelry site, I wanted better yarn to reflect my growing skills.  Wal-mart acrylic no longer did it for me.  I had found real wool. I quickly realized that there is a misconception surrounding wool in that most people (myself included) were under the impression that it was itchy and nasty stuff, used for stiff, uncomfortable garments.  

I was wrong.

It grew into quite the monster as I walked around proper yarn stores and petted all the wonderful new fibers - superwash wool, silk blends, alpaca, merino, milk fiber...MILK fiber?  This was a whole new world for me and I never went back.  I now have a stash of largely abandoned yarns that I have little interest in doing anything with as they are not up to par for me anymore, and an ever-growing stash of amazing yarns that are just calling out to be knit into something fabulous.

What got me thinking of all this?  I have recently started buying patterns.  For me, anyway, that took some time.  I didn't have the confidence in my knitting ability to spend money on patterns.  I wasn't sure I would be able to complete them or even understand what they were asking me to do.  I didn't know if I would be able to make them look nice enough or that the finished product would be wearable enough.  I relied on the seemingly endless supply of free patterns on the aforementioned Ravelry.  But then I started seeing patterns that I really liked that cost something.  Maybe on Instagram, maybe on Pinterest.  I wanted to make these patterns and I could just picture them in a yarn that I had in my stash.  I bought one and found that it was something that I could do so I bought another.  And another.  And then I realized that I was doing this because I had finally found the confidence in my knitting skills that I knew I could tackle these patterns and they wouldn't be a waste of money.  If there was a technique I wasn't sure of, I knew I could figure it out or find it on YouTube.

And it made me smile.  What a long way from that very first messy cast on.

2015 - A Knitter's Year Part 3 - The Year of the Sock Part 2

Socks did NOT come easy for me.  Socks were aggravating and frustrating.  But I so wanted to make socks.  Thus I persisted.  I got some tips, put them into practice and started trying to make socks.  Then came the heel.  I hated the heel and heel hated me.  I tried every heel out there.  Every way to wrap a short row.  I ALWAYS HAD HOLES!! No matter what I did, no matter what technique guaranteed me a no-hole heel, I always had holes.  Ugh.

Then I discovered the Fish Lips Kiss Heel.  SO worth the $1 that it cost for the pattern and changed the way I make socks completely.  I am not a huge fan of the system the pattern uses to measure socks and have come up with my own method, but the heel itself can't be beat.

My vanilla toe-up recipe works like this, after MUCH trial and error -
Cast on with Judy's Magic Cast On
Alternate knit rows with increase rows until it fits just over the fourth toe.
Knit all rounds until the toe and foot measure 2"short of the total foot length.
Complete the Fish Lips Kiss Heel.
Knit until your yarn almost runs out then make a ribbed cuff.

And it works!  They fit me well and my sister swears by them...

She's my sock-knitting addiction enabler as she loves them as much as I love to knit them so she buys me the yarn and I knit them for her.  Her cat is a big fan too.

2015 - A Knitter's Year Part 2 - The Year of the Sock Part 1

I admit it.  I am hopelessly addicted to knitting socks.  I knit inside...

I knit outside...

I knit at work...

I try to knit at home...

I knit on the train...

and sometimes I knit wee...

But it wasn't always this way.  The road to sock addiction was a long and winding (and tangled) road.

2015 - A Knitter's Year Part 1

Well then.  Didn't realize it had been over a year since I had written anything.  Shame on me. In my defense I had a lot going on in 2015.  I was going to call this post The Year of the Sock, but then I started looking at my project list and realized there was a lot more than just socks happening.

To start, I cast on this beauty...

Heheh, kind of hard to see under the cat but I can't work on it without her interfering. She was brand new to our family when I took these pictures and couldn't get enough snuggles.  Not much has changed.  :)

I also finished the special request turquoise lnen stitch scarf for my sister...

I also decided to try my first cardigan.  I found a really awesome pattern for free by Tin Can Knits and went to town.  I am not a huge fan of how the sleeve cuffs turned out, but overall I think it turned out well.

And then there were POSSUMS!!  There is a local wildlife rehab looking for some crocheted nests for their critters.  I made them a custom possum nest and they sent me this awesome pic of their little friends enjoying my creation.

AND I finally finished the shawl for my sister.  Not anywhere near as big as I had hoped but hopefully still workable.

The year also brought a lot of aborted projects.  There were a few patterns I tried that just weren't working and were ripped out multiple times before being ripped out in frustration.  But that is part of being a knitter I guess.

Now about those socks...

Ironic musings

I had wanted to learn to knit a long time before I actually sat down and learned.  I loved the way knitted stitches looked, I liked the way the patterns formed, the versatility, the fabric created.  But there was one item I saw many years ago that I just had to make for myself that really got me motivated to learn how to knit for myself.  It was a beautiful blanket I saw someone using that was made of grey ragg, which is a type of yarn that has a color thread twisted with a white one.  It was so pretty and it stuck with me.

I learned to knit on some super cheap yarn I picked up at Michael's, the same stuff I had learned how to crochet on.  Horrible, scratchy, awful stuff.  But, knowing how to knit meant I could make my blanket.  I researched how much yarn I would need, what kind, what the color combination was called.  I went to Zellers, which had a great yarn selection, found huge balls of Bernat in a perfect grey ragg and bought three of them, more than enough to make a good-sized blanket.

I thought I should probably practice a bit first, get my technique down, my tension evened out.  So I started making scarves and other bits and pieces.  I got entirely sidetracked.  Now I am in a fit of sock knitting.  In going through my stash the other day to find my beginner sock yarn, guess what I found?

Yep, that grey ragg, the very yarn that first motivated me to start knitting in the first place. Still unused, still waiting.

Yarn like groceries

What?!

Ok, lemme explain.

When I go get groceries, it is usually because we are just about at the point of having to drink ketchup.  My fridge is either brimming, where I have to open the door, throw something in and close the door really fast to prevent it from falling out, or it's completely empty.  So, when we go grocery shopping, I come home with all this loveliness.  Wonderful, crisp, fresh produce.  Delicious cuts of meat.  Spices, sauces, marinades, dressings.

That being the case, I usually want to just sit down on the floor and eat everything all at once.  I have bought enough for several meals, but I want to just consume it all because it all looks so yummy.

I have found I am exactly the same with my yarn.  I go to the store and buy yarn for a new project that may be down the line and I immediately want to abandon everything else I have on the go and start knitting with all the new yarns at once.  This is physically impossible, I know.  It doesn't stop me from wanting it nonetheless.

This is my current dilemma.  I learned how to knit socks and I promptly want to only knit socks with all the delicious new yarns I bought expressly for that purpose.  But I also have hat patterns that I want to try now that I can knit with dpns.  I have the perfect yarn for that tucked in my stash, of course.  And then there is the neon blanket to make.  Plus, there are the other projects and orders I have going.

Sigh.

I have settled on four.  The neon blanket won out because it is just a brainless pattern I can just zone out on, the pair of short heel row socks I had already started, the linen stitch scarf I started for myself and the giant gypsy shawl I am making for my sister.

Think that's enough for now?

The danger of Michael's

This is entirely my sister's fault.  Ok, not completely.  But mostly.

I haven't shopped at Michael's in ages.  This is primarily based on the fact that I have developed a severe case of yarn snobbery and don't buy acrylic anymore.  However, after the sock success, I felt the need to grab some cheap yarn to practice on.  Back to the basics, I guess you could call it.  I didn't want to waste yummy yarn on my clumsy sock learning process.  One day I will be proficient enough to spend $30 on luxury sock yarn, but I need to practice first.

Doesn't it just figure?  The yarn I had fallen in love with for my first pair of socks - Bernat Sox - has been discontinued by the company.  This stuff was great - super soft and squishy, warm and lovely.  Nope, gone.  I'm glad I grabbed three from wherever I bought them.

Off I went to Michael's to find something to work with.  First round resulted in a couple balls of Patons Kroy Sock Yarn in Clover Colors and Lion Brand Sock Ease in a blend of pinks (no surprise there), but overall I found their sock yarn selection a bit limp. I suppose I have been a bit spoiled by the Needle Emporium having an entire room of sock yarn.

The problem came when I walked into the larger Michael's store in our area which has a substantially larger yarn selection that the other one, and walked right into a whole new line of Caron Simply Soft in the most gorgeous neon shades.  I'm an 80's baby; how could I resist this?  So besides my sock yarn, I walked out with five neon colors of the Simply Soft to make me a fun blanket.

Then doesn't my sister message me a few days later and say, oh hey, Michael's has a big sale on yarn.  Everything on sale and coupons and everything.

Aw, man.

Off I went again, husband in tow to help me exercise some measure of control.  I had plans to grab black for the neon blanket as a contast color, and while I was there I decided to check out if they had restocked their sock yarn.  They hadn't, but I realized I had missed an entire line of yarn I hadn't realized was a sock weight.  It's by Loops and Threads, had stunning colors, was incredibly soft, had a ridiculous yardage of 678 yards (can you say knee highs?) and was only $3!!

This is the denim, which I bought two of, and the purple.  I also got a color called Mauve which was entirely misnamed because it is a garnet red.  Who names this stuff? A neon blue and purple Caron Simply Soft were added to the blanket colors as well, which now consists of pink, yellow, green, coral, orange, blue, purple and black.

Oh the potential.....It's a good thing hubby came along.