I have once again become very distracted. But it completely stems from my frustration with a current project. I'm working on a sweater that demands #5 chunky yarn with a gauge of 2sts per inch. Sort of spending $80+ I'm reduced to buying yarn that is turning out not chunky enough!?!? Come on. So what other option is there? Anyone? Of course, if you can't buy it then spin it!
Laugh if you will, but a few days after I was inspired a spinning wheel became available. I've purchased wool roving, watched all the helpful you tube videos and have completed a very crude hank of yarn. Brilliant yellow and orange twists are currently hanging to dry and set the twist. But as youtube is the best available source for my learning, I need to find someone local that can help me learn how to make more even strands and eventually the chunky and soft yarn that I need for my sweater.
So my current distraction is extremely amusing and will take much practice. But I cannot abandon all my little ideas. My Brothers fingers are still freezing (one glove is done) and Christmas ornaments still need to hang off of tree branches. One more day of work and a beautiful weekend of kniting and creating! What fun.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Scrap that... Embrace it!
I can't do it. I can't ignore who I am, and what comes naturally for me. Sticking to one knitting project is impossible, so two at a time should have worked well. But then my brother calls with a sad story of chilled fingers at a football game while playing his trombone. How can I refuse my brother. So on top of gloves for a friend and slippers for a friend I have gloves for my brother. Plus, now I'm starting a sweater knit-along! Crazy, so I'm giving up the whole idea of one at a time and beginning by committing to the action planning of projects. And now I'm going to pass out. Another really long day at the pharmacy ahead.
Friday, October 9, 2009
The affects of Island Time
There is a concept of time that most people know about, and what we on Orcas Island have coined 'Island Time'. A local artist has even released an album that captures the true essence of this concept. 'Island Time' is about 10-15 minutes behind any clock in Mainland USA. In my house, we have 8 clocks, none of which say the same time. We did at one time change all our clocks to tell the same time, yet they have all gone their own way. Really 'Island Time' really means that people have an excuse to be late or take more time to complete projects. I say this to rationalize why it took me two days to pull out all my yarn and photograph it. Think of how long it will take me to put it all back!
Once I began finding all my yarn, I was reminded of all the things that I wanted to do with it. 70% of my yarn is meant for a certain project. I also began thinking "this really isn't that much". I might even go so far as to say that the 30% without a destiny will most likely remain that way. Poor yarn! So all that I have fits into this unit, crammed in a bit, but not too bad. It has room for my books, random patterns, a tub for all my needles, and all the other random bits and pieces that are absolutely necessary for knitting.
In an effort to begin following my projects, I've begun a project book. It's actually called and Action Book! And it's so full of action. Each page documents a project: all the changes that I may have made to a pattern, small pieces of the yarn that I used, and hopefully a finally photograph of the project to finish it off. Lately I've been making gloves with half fingers. The pattern that base them off of has several errors, but in the end most of the pairs of gloves are different. I have a hard time remembering the subtle changes I make in the pattern, so writing them down as I go just give my brain a break.
So instead of photographing yarn and holding to the long rant I had about changing my ways and becoming more organized and finish things, I do what I do best: I got distracted. So in my lovely action book, there is a page for slippers, felted slippers. One of my friends gave me several large pieces of leather in exchange for slippers that would have leather soles. How could I pass that up? So the entire summer has gone by, I finally bought the yarn and of course I had to begin two nights ago. But here they are, almost done and ready to be felted. I really want to finish these though, since my next project is really exciting. I'm doing a knit-along with my sister. We're tackling a sweater, my greatest adventure yet. I've got the yarn, pattern, needles and I'm itching to start. But I must at least hold to my decision to finish projects and actually finish these slippers. So close and yet so far!
Once I began finding all my yarn, I was reminded of all the things that I wanted to do with it. 70% of my yarn is meant for a certain project. I also began thinking "this really isn't that much". I might even go so far as to say that the 30% without a destiny will most likely remain that way. Poor yarn! So all that I have fits into this unit, crammed in a bit, but not too bad. It has room for my books, random patterns, a tub for all my needles, and all the other random bits and pieces that are absolutely necessary for knitting.
In an effort to begin following my projects, I've begun a project book. It's actually called and Action Book! And it's so full of action. Each page documents a project: all the changes that I may have made to a pattern, small pieces of the yarn that I used, and hopefully a finally photograph of the project to finish it off. Lately I've been making gloves with half fingers. The pattern that base them off of has several errors, but in the end most of the pairs of gloves are different. I have a hard time remembering the subtle changes I make in the pattern, so writing them down as I go just give my brain a break.
So instead of photographing yarn and holding to the long rant I had about changing my ways and becoming more organized and finish things, I do what I do best: I got distracted. So in my lovely action book, there is a page for slippers, felted slippers. One of my friends gave me several large pieces of leather in exchange for slippers that would have leather soles. How could I pass that up? So the entire summer has gone by, I finally bought the yarn and of course I had to begin two nights ago. But here they are, almost done and ready to be felted. I really want to finish these though, since my next project is really exciting. I'm doing a knit-along with my sister. We're tackling a sweater, my greatest adventure yet. I've got the yarn, pattern, needles and I'm itching to start. But I must at least hold to my decision to finish projects and actually finish these slippers. So close and yet so far!
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