Bright Young Things

ust look at what India's been making! Lambs, lambs, more sheep, Highland cows, and a ringmaster!
Meanwhile, read about Pam's knitting adventures: they started here, continued here and here, reached their apex here, and their conclusion here. Then they yarns were spun...

Knitting, and writing, are addictive.

2009 Wrap-up and Knitters' Olympics

y first post was in February 2009. From then until the end of the year, I completed:

2 ornaments
1 large ribbed blanket
1 icelandic wool hat
2.5 socks
1 diamond pattern set - booties, hat and sweater
1 pair of booties
2 cable hats
3 baby blankets with hoods
1 baby hat with tassle
2 baby sweaters
1 baby blanket
5 ruffle hats
1 striped blanket
1 multicoloured blanket
3 hat and bootie sets for newborns
1 pair of mittens
2 baby hats
1 norwegian wool blanket
1 extra large baby kimono
1 alpaca wool sweater
unfinished items: five hour baby sweater, baby sweater, 1.5 socks

So far I've got about five projects lined up for the new year. Only one baby expected, though, for whom I've already knit two or three items. So there will probably be a lot less hat and blankie knitting!

Wool-Tyme, in Kingston, Ontario, is hosting a Knitting Olympics Project, to coincide with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"The object of the exercise is to complete a knitting project that will challenge you, your abilities and your creativity. You begin your project at the lighting of the Olympic torch on Feb. 12th and strive to finish it by the closing ceremonies on Feb. 28th."

They've set up a Ravelry group for the project. If I dare, I will aim to complete a pair of socks. No second sock syndrome, no I-ran-out-of-wool and couldn't sew up the second sock, no excuses! Shall I try the Magic Loop method, return to double pointed needles or use straight needles?

Holiday Knits

oliday ornaments that I created for my niece and my goddaughter:

A blanket made with wool that I received for my birthday - 6 knit and 6 purl ribbing created an extra large but very ripply blanket, perfect for snuggling in winter:

Just for fun, here's the blanket as approved by Frodo and Sam:

And another photo of my goddaughter, asleep under her baby blanket with hood:

A Swatch of Knitters

hree fellow knitters:






Pam, who needs your encouragement!
India, who's busy shepherding...
Stephanie, who's keeping many hands toasty and stylish this winter!

(Is that the collective term for knitters? A swatch? Well, it is now!)

Here are some funny new knitting terms, from the book 501 Knitting Secrets:

Some newer knitting terms frequently used on the Internet:
To frog (v.): To rip out knitting several rows at a time ("rip-it, rip-it" like a frog, get it?) Also known as frogging or taking a visit to the frog pond.
To tink (v.): To unknit a stitch at a time in order to correct a mistake ("tink" is "knit" backwards).
WIP -- Work In Progress
KIP -- Knitting In Public (encouraged)
UFO -- Unfinished Object
FO -- Finished Object
SEX -- Stash Enhancement eXpedition
Stash (n.) -- A knitter's collection of yarn, books, needles, etc.

Knitting Sitings

he past few days I've been seeing knitting and knitters everywhere in the media. The last two were on The Simpsons - Principal Skinner knits! - and on a Golden Girls rerun. Rose returns from a trip to the mall, where she's just bought a gun. But first, from her bag, she pulls out two skeins of wool!

Quickest Knit Ever

hipped this one up in about half an hour.

Doesn't cover the ears, so it's not fit for winter here, but cute nonetheless.

Both the brown and the white wool came from Icelaine, which I previously bought from last winter.

Knitputer!

ore interested in programming than knitting? Do both at the same time with... Knitputer!


toothpastefordinner.com

Knitters in Public

nitters show up in a lot of television shows and movies; or rather, knitting does, since often what you see on the screen is someone who's only pretending to be a knitter. The actress was obviously coached that very morning on how to knit, apparently by someone who barely knows how to knit themselves. That's why it was a very pleasant surprise to catch an old episode of Roseanne today, featuring a real knitter.

Now let me see if I can embed this video...
There - the knitting starts at 3.55 and goes on until 6.45:



Not only is she knitting, she's knitting socks. Not only is she knitting socks, she's walking while knitting! (I do this in the summertime and only wish I could do it in the winter.) Another interesting tidbit is that she knits my way, which I think is called the Continental way, throwing her wool underhand instead of in the English overhand manner.

Oh yea, the episode is a good one, too.

Knitting and Cats

ats, yes...




Not only do they wreak havoc (scroll down for my story), but also, they get into one's knitting - see Sam below!

Of Socks and Rants and the Kindness of Strangers

or my birthday, Helen, who knew that I've got second sock syndrome, gave me a pattern book and some wool. Yay!

Here's the photo from the Patons pattern book:

This marks one of the few times I've actually used the wool specified in a pattern, but I'm especially excited by the fact that I get to make both socks at once.

Last weekend, however, when I was planning to finish the socks, I ran into two lines of the pattern that seemed to make no sense. No problem, I thought, I'm having brunch with a friend and there's a local yarn store in that neighbourhood that I've bought wool from before (the blue wool from Mexico) - I'll just ask them. Well.

I walked in and there was the store owner, seated in an armchair by the counter with the cash register, pontificating to another client about how much stock he had and how much money the store pulled in, and how other yarn stores were copying them... He didn't say hello to me. I waited by the cash and a woman came around from the back. I pulled out my project and the pattern book and asked her for help. Her reply? "I can't help you if you didn't buy the wool at our store." I told her the wool had been a gift. And she did have the same Patons book, on the rack directly behind me. But no, she repeated, "sorry, there's nothing I can do."

Why did they open a wool store in the first place, I wonder?

Later that week, I emailed Patons, as well as Lisa, the owner of Yarn and Thread by Lisa, whose name came up in a Google search for the Patons book. She wrote back within the hour! And wrote me back again when I replied to say that I was still feeling dense and hadn't understood the first time. Isn't that sweet? I've almost completed the socks, and I'll try to post the photo soon, dedicating them to her!

Thanks Lisa!

Meanwhile, here are two music videos featuring knitters: Runrig's Tillidh Mi, from Scotland, and the Dolapdere Big Gang from Turkey, covering The Animals' Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.