What does knitting mean to me?

Knitting has become such an outlet for me. I love the feel of the yarn, I love making something from just bundles of fiber. It relaxes me and makes me happy - when I do it for the right reasons.

I have discovered that when I knit to relax - I enjoy the process. I enjoy the activity - I feel the fiber. I relish the color.

But - if I am not careful - I will begin to focus on the final product and then the beauty and relaxation are lost. I will begin to knit faster and faster - just trying to get a dishcloth or sock finished. I will begin to not care as much about the embellishment - the details become lost and unimportant. The result is that I will have a finished bag - but no joy.

That was why I struggled with Betty Boop's blanket for a bit. I lost the focus. Now that I have the focus back - I am enjoying working on it. I have been working on it daily for the last month. I am half-way done. I am only able to do two rows a day, but it is steady and it is happy. I stopped obsessing about having a finished blanket. Each row is now the focus. Each row is it's own project. I am not going nearly as fast on it - but I am enjoying it. I don't feel pressured to knit on it all the time. I knit on it at a specific time every weekday.
It is my morning knitting.
It is my "begin the day and be happy" knitting.
It is a happy time.

OK- you caught me - this is the same picture as last time. I didn't take
a new picture and it has three more pink sections on it than
this picture - I am already at the 3rd row
of the next dark purple section. But I didn't feel like
pulling it out. It is getting heavy and kinda bulky to be
pulling out everywhere. Remember each one of those sections
has twelve rows in it that represent about
15-20 minutes per row.
I have gotten a little faster - and now that I am not
messing up nearly as much - it seems to go smoother.
So you are probably looking at 48 hours
worth of work here - and I have put in
another 12 hours worth of work since then.
crap- i have to stop doing the math -
it is really messing with me
and I am probably doing it wrong.

I think I will probably be a little sad when it ends and that is why I am already planning another Big A** Project.

Once I am finished with the blanket, I am going to begin the rainbow shawl.



I know it won't be easy. I have looked at the pattern and I am going to have to concentrate on it and learn how to deal with little yarn and lacy, loopy stitches. I will have to use some of the wonderful tricks that I have seen like putting each row on a notecard and putting those on a ring.
Or use a magnetic board. or some other innovative exciting tracking method.
It will be a challenge. I need those challenges. I like them.

The teapot was a challenge for me because it used stitches that I haven't ever seen or even heard about. I had to figure them out and I enjoyed the challenge.

It is funny, but I am such a creature of habit. I have unconsciously formed a pattern with my knitting.

On weekday mornings I knit on Betty Boop's blanket.
On the weekday evenings, I work on the entrelac shawl.
On Saturday, I knit what ever strikes my fancy. It can be a new project (like the teapot) or something I want to work on - whatever. It is a 'free' knit day.
On Sunday, I work on the shawl and I look at pattens and figure out what I want to work on in the future. I also finish up or work on the 'free Saturday' project.

At least that is what has been happening lately. I haven't knit on a sock in a couple of weeks. Not since I frogged the Monkey socks. But I do want to cast one on soon.

Here is my entrelac shawl.



I haven't had a lot of time this week to work on it, but I am enjoying it quite a bit. I think it will be a versatile shawl that I will use quite a bit.

I cast on the wrap that I was considering making.



I had a tough time because I had a picture in my mind, but I couldn't find a pattern to match it. So I cast on and have just started knitting my own idea. I am not sure yet if it will be a wrap or a poncho-style wrap, but I know that it will be completely my own creation. I am excited because it is looking exactly like I pictured it. Which this picture is NOT.
This is a terrible picture of it. It is much prettier than this. It is lacy and airy
and this picture bites.

Now I want to make a sweater too - I do have a pattern in mind that I want to try. I have the yarn, I just have to finish the entrelac shawl and I can begin. I should probably felt the bags that I knit a couple of weeks ago too.
I can't believe I haven't done that yet.

I will probably knit a baby blanket before I do a sweater though. I want to make something else for Sea Tot and Mini Sea Tot.

They love the babies I made for them and I think they need more from their Nanny.

I wish I was half as productive as my knitting friends, they all seem to finish so many more projects than I do. I have seen them whip out stuff in NO TIME FLAT!

But if I try to compare myself to them - then I lose the focus again and my knitting isn't as happy and... wait - isn't that how this whole thing started?

What I did on Saturday

Here is what I did on Saturday:


I know it isn't knitted. It is crocheted. But I had a friend who wanted it made and couldn't do it herself. I haven't crocheted in a while and I forgot how easy and FUN it was!!

The pattern is Here.

I am still plugging away on Betty Boop's blanket.

I am also working on my entrlac shawl (which is so much easier than I thought it would be).

I want to cast on something else - a baby blanket or sweater or something. But I absolutely must finish Betty Boop's blanket before I will let myself cast on the rainbow shawl (which is -of course- what I really want to cast on).

Oh well (heavy sigh) -do socks count as a new project?


Today is Father's Day - so I MAY be able to post later, but I have to do the devotion 'thing' for The Big Texan. He wants to go to a friends house and cook out and (I think) he is all ready to go.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and a happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to Navy NUKE!

A Gift for my DDIL

I have finished a gift for Marine Man's wife. Even though they got married last year (at the dying grandmothers bedside), her family still wanted her to have her 'Church' wedding. (I think it is very sweet. But of course I am not paying for it - so I think it is REALLY sweet - if I was paying - maybe not so much). Soooo - they are having their church wedding this month and I saw the picture for the knitted garter in this year's calendar...

Well...here is the result.

She can have it as the one she will keep (and not have to worry about the one she will toss).

She may not like it - but I want her to have it.

I have been working on my Shawl pattern...

Well I messed up and had two extra rectangles on one end of the shawl. It wasn't the end that I was on.. it was the end from a WEEK AGO OF KNITTING.

So I would have had to frog a whole WEEKS KNITTING!!! Well, I wasn't going to do that (it was 11:30 pm after all and there is a rule - never frog after midnight - it was midnight on the east coast and even though I am central time - I thought the rule should still apply)...
ANYWAY - so I went to bed and thought about it. I realized that each of the rectangles was basically self contained and if I could figure out a way to take them out and bind off that edge - then all would be well.

Well - I didn't think I could do it - so I didn't take a picture, but guess what!?! I did it!!! I couldn't believe it.

So - I have saved myself a weeks worth of frogging/reknitting. Isn't that cool? I am so pumped.

Last week I frogged a pair of socks because the pattern wasn't working with the yarn and this week - I saved myself frogging something I am really enjoying knitting.

I think I am growing a little as a knitter..

sniff sniff - sob - I am so happy.

Yarn arrived!!!

oooohhhh my yarn from Astrid arrived today!!!
I am soo excited.
Here is what I want to make:

Isn't it beautiful!!!???
This is the picture that made me decide to do the shawl!!


I am just sooo stunned at how pretty it is. I have to finish Boop's blanket, but that is OK - I am chugging along on it. I had to do another fix today. I went down about three rows and fixed another set of sideways moving pattern. It is getting easier to do. I am not nearly as afraid as I used to be.

I found the yarn and pattern here.

I can't wait to start it.. Just can't wait...

Frogging

Ok - so I am going to frog the monkey socks. I do not like the pattern with the yarn.
Here it is on sock blockers and it just isn't thrilling me.


I love the pattern.

I love the yarn.

I just think this yarn deserves a better pattern to show it off. I also think the pattern deserves a better yarn to show IT off.

I have had these socks OTN for about two months (which is a long time). I just couldn't get "into" them. Now I understand why. I did NOT like the yarn and pattern together. I am going to find a slip stitch pattern or just a plain sock pattern for this yarn. It deserves better. I wish I had a good slip stitch pattern for it. See the heels? I think it would be pretty with a slip stitch pattern. I will have to go through my books and find a new pattern for it. maybe I will restart these (toe up) so that I can continue to work on them until I find a nice cuff pattern that I like.

It is a shame to frog, but I know I won't be happy with these. I would have to give them away and I love the yarn too much for that.

It's funny but sometimes Frogging is the best option. Sometimes you just have say "Whatever" and start over.

Ah well.

C'est la vie!