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The Wheels of Progress…

October 25, 2010 By 1 Comment

It seems like forever since I’ve done a “normal” blog post. So, I’m gonna try.

I’ve discovered that one of the hard parts about doing a long-term, never-ending project like the one I’m working on now is that it gets monotonous to talk about and blog about over and over. And then it gets monotonous to work on. So, as much as I love this project, my enthusiasm for it, alas, is waning. I am still, however, determined to get it done.

Here is tonight’s photo update:

Blanket in progress

Blanket in progress

By now I guess I can say that it is a baby blanket, for a special boy who has now been born. It seems at this pace that it will be a while before he receives it, but then I guess that means it’s a good thing that it’s something of a large blanket, because maybe he’ll be a grown man before it is done! I certainly hope not, though, because even though I love this project and will probably produce a pattern on it someday, there are many times I wish to be knitting something else! The cowl bug is biting me, hard, and the shawl bug, and the hat bug. And I still have my February Lady Sweater to finish, that was halted to accommodate this project, and I’d like to try my hand at other sweaters as well.

The other day on my Knit Talk group we were discussing various patterns that different people like to knit over and over. My good friend Joanie mentioned that she loved to knit basic raglan sweaters from an old Leisure Arts booklet that was first released in the 1970s. “The Complete Book of Raglan Sweaters,” contains several variations on a basic design in just about every size. Of course, my curiosity was piqued and so I ordered a copy for myself. It’s a great little book, if you like raglans, of course. In general raglans look just about as awful on me as they do the next fat girl but I kinda like their relaxed, “wear it on Sunday” appeal. So, I think I may try one. Maybe I’ll do one for my son first, since he’s the smallest person here, just to see how it goes. If that goes well then maybe I’ll be on a roll and be brave enough to try other kinds of sweaters. I keep hoping for that magic design that will prove to me how easy making garments that fit can be, so I can get over my fear of them and just start making — and finishing — actual sweaters. Then I’d feel like a real knitter.

Yep, I’ve been knitting for six years now and I feel like a poser. Still. I think that’s why I don’t finish very many things. I don’t feel like an accomplished knitter most of the time, so I don’t allow myself to accomplish many things. Does that make sense? Why, oh why do I hold myself back?

I suppose that’s a discussion to be continued on another day. I think I’m getting too philosophical for this late hour. Bedtime beckons. And, for once, I’m listening. See you soon.

Filed Under: blog, Books, Knitting, Project Progress Tagged With:

Book Review: Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders

October 24, 2010 By 4 Comments

Tonight I decided to try something new before blogging. We’ll see if it helps me get back on track. I realized today that one of my stumbling blocks (and there are many) is that there is now shared demand for my computer, what with the now-high-school-aged daughter having hours of homework and an appetite for Facebook. So I decided that I would sit down with an old-fashioned pen and a blank journal book, where I will begin to record and collect “blog notes” that can then be turned into posts when I’m ready. For tonight, anyway, while the daughter was struggling with what seemed like hours of history homework, this blog post got sketched out, after me trying and failing for nearly a week to write it.

So, with thanks to the old-school approach, here is my review of “Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Patterns That Go Way Beyond Socks!,” edited by Judith Durant. I admit I waited for this book for a long time. I am a professed Not-Sock-Knitter, and yet, I have bins of beautiful sock yarns with nowhere to go. I like a beautiful yarn as much as the next knitter, and so many of them these days are sock yarns. I have amassed many skeins, and have a total of ONE pair of socks in my Finished Object collection.

(Why, then am I taking an all-day sock workshop with Lucy Neatby in just three weeks? Ok, I know HOW to make socks, but have never been excited by them. I am, however, very excited by the prospect of learning from Lucy Neatby, and who knows? Maybe after spending a day in her company I WILL get excited about socks, and then… well…)

So. In the meantime, there’s this fabulous little book. I have the other books in the series, and by far, a thousand times over, this one is my favorite. There are so many patterns to choose from, as with the other books, but for some reason, the quality of the patterns seems such that I would be apt to make many more of these than many of the designs in the other books. I can’t say why. Just a gut feeling.

The book opens with a chapter on hats, mitts and socks. Several of the hat designs are ones I would make, and the mitts, mittens and gloves are almost all interesting. I do have to admit that I wasn’t expecting sock patterns in this book at all, given that there are so many sock pattern books, but there aren’t many, and well, I guess I should expect at least a few sock patterns from a book all about sock yarns. So I’m not complaining.

The scarves, wraps and shawls chapter has so many lovely patterns that if I only ever knit from this book it would probably take me three years or more to get through the ones I want to make.

The chapter on baby, toddler and doll clothes has so many adorable options including dresses, hat and bootie sets and adorable little sweaters.

Then there’s a chapter called, “Bag It and More,” for which I found the “more” part to be quite interesting. everything from a lampshade to a netbook cozy, to beautiful Christmas ornaments, to a filet crochet window curtain. I loved them all.

This book is definitely worth the Amazon price of $10.99. In my opinion, it’s a steal at that price. Get together with all of your knitting friends and order a bunch of copies among you to get free shipping. I believe this is the must-have book of the season.

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Avoidance…

October 23, 2010 By 8 Comments

It’s been a long couple of weeks at the Casa de Trish Knits.

Tegan

Tegan

This is the blog post I hoped against hope I’d never have to write. And yet, daring to hope such a thing is useless in its pursuit, because, as you know, mere humans do not possess the power to stop the circle of life from turning. On Monday October 11, I lost my best friend. Not a friend who had ever shared a gab session about what we saw on Oprah the other day or one who shared complaints about kids, job, or the husband. In fact, this friend had not the capacity to ever speak my name.

And yet, she was the true-bluest of friends, in every sense of the word. She rarely left my side, even in my most private of moments when I would have locked the door to keep the kids out, but not her. She gave freely of hugs, complained loudly, and often, and shared my interest in yarn and writing creative Facebook status updates (especially when I was on deadline and trying to code web pages instead).

She was a true lover of cheese and of warm, sunny spots on the rug. Empty boxes were a favorite distraction, and climbing. WAY high, to tallest place she could find, only to cry because she could not get down again. Very demanding of my full attention was she, and, at the same time, she asked nothing of me. Not much more than a safe home, good food (including the occasional steak!) and lots and lots of hugs. All were so easily given.

On the last morning of her life, when she was moving so slowly and refusing her breakfast, I took a brief nap before a noontime errand. Though she could barely move by that time, she climbed up, so she could whisper into my ear one last time.

She was begging me to let her go.

And so I did. With a heavy heart and many tears I held her as she breathed her last on this world. Knowing that the last touch she would feel was mine brings some comfort, but the hole left behind in my heart is enormous. I hope that someday soon I can speak her name with smiles and not tears .

Tegan Sleeping

Tegan Sleeping

Tegan.

I’ll miss you.

Filed Under: family, Happenings, Pets Tagged With:

Weekend Knitting

October 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Another weekend where I had hoped to get a ton of knitting done, and yet, there has been only a small amount of progress. I’m still working on this:

E.B. in progress

E.B. in progress

which, I am convinced, has now been in progress since at least the dawn of time and is, as far as I can tell, about a month and a half behind schedule. I am about to change colors yet again… to do another small stripe of the brown and then back to the cream color. I do enjoy knitting it, but its one main fault is that I cast on to make it TOO BIG, too wide, exactly, so it takes far longer to complete a row than I wish it would. On the other hand, by virtue of its enormousness, it will not be quickly outgrown, and, I hope, will become a much-loved thing. At least I can hope, right? I know it is the dream of every knitter that his or her knitted object would be the one thing that the recipient uses most often and cannot live without, when in fact, the opposite is most likely true. Most recipients wind up under-using their gift for fear of “ruining” such a special thing. If you’re reading this, and you’ve been gifted with a handmade thing? USE IT! The person who made it for you will want to know that you love it and use it well. And, if it gets worn out? So what? A good excuse to ask for another knitted thing.

So, I do not know what will become of this project when it is gifted. I hope that it will be used and loved, but I am resigned to the fact that I have no control over what becomes of it. So, for me, it is the loving of the making that motivates me, not what the recipient will do. It has to be that way. Or, let’s face it. I’d lose what’s left of my mind.

In the “Knitting Day is a Good Day” category, yesterday at knit group, everyone was excited about a new (to us) knit book. And here’s why we were excited:

This knitting book was on sale for $2.99!

This knitting book was on sale for $2.99!

Get a load of that price tag! I must admit that I never met a knitting book in the bargain bin before. For the right price, I’ll buy anything! Haha. I think thanks to our group, there was not one copy left behind yesterday. And, well, upon getting it home, I think I can see why it was in the bargain bin. This book is no Handknit Holidays, which, I thought, was an exquisite collection of patterns.

I do like that the book offers some “quick knit” type gifts, and I guess they are well suited to a beginner (mostly). The thing is? They look like it. Is there such a thing as a simple knit that doesn’t look like it was a simple knit? I can’t put my finger on it, but a lot of the things in this book just looked, well, sloppy. Oddly-shaped Christmas stockings (more than one!) and a sweater that I wouldn’t be caught dead doing anything other than housework in. Then there’s the just plain odd: a baby hat with a pocket, yes a pocket, they say, for tucking a small toy in. A toy in a pocket on your head. Ok, what baby isn’t going to find that annoying?

Perhaps I’m being far too critical. I’m usually not like this; I always find something to like about every book I buy. But this one? So far the only thing I loved about it was–the price. Dear bookstore, please keep putting your overstocked knitting books in the bargain bin and yes, even if they’re weird, you know I’ll buy them There’s a sucker born every minute.

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