Finding my knitch

[mamagotcha]

So I really wanted to knit a pair of these for a friend. But after many months, I'd only gotten this far:



It's not a terribly difficult pattern, but it does require me to pay attention to what I'm doing. And with Linker's "help," I'm just not getting anywhere. And there's a few errors way back up there that I'd have to frog back to fix... and so on. I'm ready to admit that this pattern has kicked my butt, so with my friend's agreement, I'm ditching the Pomatomi and starting something else:

Some fingerless gloves made of a soft grey silk/wool blend... let's see if I can find the pattern online:
Stulpen!

Aren't those nifty? Oh, won't the cabling kick my butt just like the lace did? Well, I did try my hand at a little bit of cabling recently, and it worked out OK:



(Please ignore the goofy look on my face. Ya know that old saw about people who represent themselves legally have a fool for a client? apparently that's true about photography, too...)

I made this hat (Coronet from Knitty) while I was on my trip to California. Linc slept on the plane home and I got to finish the brim before I landed! I think I love cables, and I've been wanting to make something else with them.

Here's another hat I made, too:



with some yarn my friend Caren gave me. I love it! And I've got some more, too... maybe for a scarf to go with the hat?

There's one more thing I recently knit up, a variation of the Booga Bag (I made mine a bit longer and not so tall):



(Thank you, Cordell, for your talented finger assist there). It's still a little loose... I might run it through the washer again and see if it'll tighten up a bit more. But I love how it came out. I really have fun with felting, and would like to do more of that, too. It's such a magical transformation. I'd really like to do felted slippers, but the ones I did before came out soooo small. The sizing is such a roll of the dice... so for now I'm only going to felt stuff that it doesn't matter what size it winds up eventually.

So... I'm knitting again, and it feels really good. I wish there was some way I could figure out how to knit while I was on the damned treadmill, because then I could listen to my podcasts and have something to do and I'd feel productive instead of bored. But I suspect it would only end up in a trip to the ER... one of those trips where everyone except the victim is doing his or her level best not to burst out in laughter.

Comments

[zdamiana.livejournal.com]

It doesn't involve a treadmill, but here's a link to a news story about a truly bizarre knitting accident that I would believe to be an internet hoax if I hadn't actually seen it in newsprint (my mom gets the PT Leader).

Beware!

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Wow! That's really an odd story, but I suppose I could see the possibility. I've got a set of thrift-store metal needles that are really thin (they go "clink tink" when you knit with them) and I bet it was that kind.

Hey, weren't you starting to knit a while back? What are you working on these days? Did you ever make that cat bed? (maybe you did and I missed the post.)

[zdamiana.livejournal.com]

Nope, I'm not knitting.

I considered making the cat bed, but eventually came to the conclusion that Weetabix seems to be managing to sleep just fine without a fancy felted bed. I even browsed a yarn shop a few times, thinking I might buy some yarn and a set of connected needles, but could never overcome my shock at the price of the yarns, my overwhelmedness at the sheer number of yarn options with very little information on how to expect the various yarns to behave, and my embarassment to ask the yarn shop proprietress any questions because any such questions would surely have outed me as a yarn shop impostor.

Now I'm compacting, so buying needles would be out of the question (though I suppose I could keep an eye out for some at estate sales and thrift stores - maybe if I were lucky I'd find some explosive ones!). New yarn is probably out of the question, too. I could almost justify it by claiming that buying a crafting supply for making a homemade substitute for something I would otherwise buy new was within my personal compacting rules, but it doesn't feel right to me - probably because I wouldn't actually otherwise buy a new cat bed. So I would have to go to thrift shops and estate sales looking for sweaters to take apart, which seems like far more effort than I'm up for - especially since, as I said, the cat seems to be getting plenty of sleep without a fancy felted cat bed. And really, the more I think about it, I realize that putting all that effort into making something I don't really need at all is actually in violation of the conceptual compact ideal of simplifying life.

[lunacow]

If the knitting urge does strike you, you're welcome to borrow some needles and raid our yarn stash -- you'd be doing good by making use of yarn that's currently going to waste.

[lorraine-inwa.livejournal.com]

That is a nice lot of finished objects. I especially like the cable headband. I also liked the unique hats you have knit for the boys that you showed in previous posts.

I too have been knitting, but only simple scarves (four) and sox (2 pair) but I knit an entrelac rectangle and made it into a small purse with a long I-cord handle. I went looking for some of the yarn that I used for the self patterning sox I knit for you and cannot find the same patterning here. I bought two different skeins of Trekking XXL
Also some Cascade 220 blue heather also some Brown Sheep merino enough to keep me very busy for a long time. Especially with the several quilts I have started.

Please be careful on the treadmill as you are the only Dear DIL that I have.

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

Both boys have the same English teacher this semester, and he has commented on both of their hats. Woo hoo!

I need to make a few scarves too... seems they keep wandering off. Haven't tried entrelac yet, but I'd like to. Oooh, I love the Trekking yarns! Socks just seem to take soooo long to knit. I'm very much a fan of instant gratification, I'm afraid. Chunky and big needles!

[mh75.livejournal.com]

Cute! I love the pics of you. Coronet is a nice piece. I think your work looks beautiful, and i'm so impressed with how much you can do!!

[mamagotcha.livejournal.com]

It was easy, too... a great way to get an intro to the world of cabling. I recommend it! Are you knitting on anything these days?

[lunacow]

That's a lovely set of knitted stuff! I haven't tried felting anything yet, but I may have to give it a go, because the results are really neat. A felted hat might be nice, but heeding your warning about sizing, maybe it's not a great idea.