Letters
Sociable Knitting
Dear Ann,
It’s been a full few days. Every bed, and a few spots on sofas, have been occupied, and the dishwasher has rarely cooled down. Olive is poised to bite anybody who comes through the door, just to be on the safe side. It’s been fun, but not conducive to complex knitting. I’ve spent a fair few hours on my Hansel hap, but I’ve had to rip back to where I was when this picture was taken:
The issue: increases not centered over all the other increases. Arghhhhhhhhhhhh. How does an experienced knitter (such as moi) commit such an error? I was counting and everything, but I didn’t notice it until about 6 rows later.
It’s still a lovely project and I’m eager to move on to the part where it gets blue again.
My good old reliable project, suitable for sitting and chatting and also for watching movie previews (before “Sing” and “La La Land”), has been Lori Versaci’s Sequences shawl. I had sidelined it a while back, but picked it up again for sociable holiday knitting, and made great strides. I’m up to 12/8, heading to 12/14,which only makes sense to somebody who’s knitting the thing. In Plucky Knitter Bello Worsted, it’s a dream.
What have you been knitting?
Love,
Kay
Just wanted to let you know that the Hansel Hap link leads instead to the Sequences shawl.
Your Hansel is so lovely and I’m going to have to make one. In blue. Thanks for adding to the long list of things I have to make.
I’m still working on Drachenfels, but here’s the sad part: I had to leave my knitting at home this year because we couldn’t cram it in the car. Yes, I probably could have stuffed it in some little nook under my daughter’s feet, but since hubby had to leave some of his things behind I felt that, in solidarity, the knitting could stay, too. It was that or leave one of the kids at home….
I am truly amazed at the mistakes I can make, and then merrily knit on without noticing. Like you, I did a major rip-back this week. Oh well, it is just part of the knitting process…and it does feel good when we get back to where we were and the knitting is perfect!
I am (still) working on the ZickZack scarf. I had made great progress, but the zigs and zags started to shift, and I had to rip it back four inches, which is the loss of many hours of knitting. (It’s a straight-forward pattern, a repeat of 12 stitches, but chatting obviously interferes with my ability to count.) When visiting, I revert to the teddy bears I knit for charity. Children don’t mind if they are utterly perfect. It just adds to their charm. In November, I had the pleasure of sending two dozen bears to children in Bolivia, and before Christmas, I sent twenty to a family shelter in my area.
Wow, that’s a lot of bears! Did you take pictures of the whole gang/herd/flock/clan?
I have a photo somewhere, amidst the Christmas mayhem. lol
Ha! That’s good, Q…
Maybe a Band ‘o Bears Bound for Bolivia?
My social (and movie theater) knitting has been log cabin baby blanket squares in Noro Taiyo. Good garter fun, the color keeps changing and I can knit it in the dark. I’m also working on a mistake rib scarf for hubby, but it is tedious. Why doesn’t he want a cowl instead??
Just as a FYI – your Hansel Hap links to Sequence.
Martina Beahm’s (sp?) Endless Rainbow shawl/scarf. Perfect social knitting – easy pattern to memorize but Interesting to knit. And the colors change, which is always a knitting high point for me. I rarely repeat patterns, but this is the third one I’ve made, because friends and family keep stealing them from me. Guess I’ll keep going until I can keep one for myself….
My mindless knit project, a ballband dishcloth, is making me lose my mind! It’s my fist time doing one, and I keep getting interruptions at all the wrong times so that stitches aren’t slipped when they should be, colors aren’t changed at the right times, etc. Now that things are quieter, it may get out of the “time-out” corner….
And, OLIVE! Such beauty, such grace, such poise, such a look of “Come on woman! Now! I can’t hold it much longer!” 😉
I had the same struggles the first time I made a ball band dishcloth and sometimes still do when I try to start another and think I can do it from memory. They still clean the same as those who are perfectly slipped. 🙂 I have found over time that I need to leave much longer tails to darn in than I had been doing and I even bring the tail back on itself for a few ups and downs before I clip it off. Some holes had developed after a few washings because I was being too cavalier or too frugal or something.
I am still a visitor. I brought with me a bag full of koigu odds and ends and am mindlessly knitting it into something like a scarf, with stripes, a log cabin patch, some solid strips. My nine year old grand daughter is choosing the the colors as we watch season three of Gilmour Girls. (It may turn out to be a cowl, and it may becomechers when I declare it done, altho she doesn’t know this!). I will return to my mind on Thursday and finish husband’s birthday/Christmas sweater.
I’ve been using up odds and ends that were donated to me to make a hat, handwarmers, scarf set for a refugee child. Just in rib very simple so no worries about mistakes. I’m just KNACKERED from this year….
Just about th start the last color on the Dangling Conversation in Earth colorways, inspired by YOU! And loving it so much that I’ll probably make one for myself in the blues and greens.
I am in the endless rounds of stockinette that make up most of Veera Valimaki’s Pavement. Progress is being made; at the last measurement I had done 12″ of 16″ needed before the shaped hem section. I’m comforting myself with the thought that the sleeves will seem to go really quickly, compared to the loose-fitting body.
I can’t believe sweet little Olive would actually bite someone. Especially if they slipped her a Milk Bone or something.
I have been slavishly cranking out one last pair of socks for the year in Desert Vista Dyeworks self-striping yarn—if you knit one pair a month, you get a “free” skein of yarn as a prize/reward. (Don’t ask me what I have invested in that “free” skein!) I also participated in the Peace Cowl knit-along earlier in the month, and I was amazed at how much progress could be made by consistently knitting just four rounds a day.
I’m just finishing a Churros two-color brioche stitch scarf, This was my first attempt at brioches stitch and I thought I would never make it to the end. I’m anxious to start a new project and you have given me some great ideas!
I’m finishing a Gryffindor scarf which is great for mostly mindless knitting. I’ve been working on it for a couple of months because I knit slow and have limited time. The end is in sight in this. Then I pick up a simple lace scarf to knit for my mom. And then…I don’t know.
Now that all the gift knitting has been end-woven-inned, blocked, wrapped and gifted, it’s back to selfish knitting. The second sleeve of a Purl Soho Pullover, and a binge-watching session of old Thunderbirds episodes is the perfect antidote to the holiday hustle.
Well as a part time knitter, over the last 6 to 8 weeks, I’m crochet 12 scrub buds, 12 dish cloths, 4 hat, mitts, and scarf sets, 1 cowl and 1 pair of bed socks. I think not bad for the amateur.
3 words. Station wagon blanket. Perfect sociable knitting. All garter stitch.
Thank you for sharing this. Is started a shawl and counted wrong and ripped it all the way down feeling like a failure, it’s good for new knitters like me to hear we are not alone. I love your knitting and aspire to create the beauty you so wonderfully share.
Linen hand towels! They are perfect mindless holiday knitting. Especially if one accidentally bought all the colorways of the Louet mini-skeins…
Conversation-quality knitting is definitely a must over the holidays.
I have been meaning to write to thank the M&D team for the amazing website work this year. Your projects and photos have been very inspiring. Congratulations on the new website – it seems to be an exponentially-growing success.
Best wishes for 2017! I can hardly wait to see what you expose us to in the new year.
Crucial placement of increases may be as disqualifying for automatic-pilot-knitting projects as lace-knitting. Even ribbed socks feel like too much of a challenge sometimes, especially if a good alcoholic drink is involved. I have been slowly adding borders to the 20 blocks of my Fussy Cuts blanket. Only 2 more to go!
In the last week I have switched to Vanilla self striping socks and this is about all I can handle. Tired of ripping out various other projects – Happy New Year to everyone!!
Soft gray and cream color random striped baby alpaca crib sized blanket for my grandson to be, i call him Luke Skywalker. He has two older sisters, one 4 and one 2.
The blanket is K2, P2 for two rows, tgen reverse. Makes for good texture, doesn’t curl up at all. Soft, and warm.
I’m knitting a sock in Chicago (it fit in my luggage) with my granddaughters who are fascinated by knitting and want to learn to knit. We sit and knit together and today I hope we can get to a knitting store where I can get them some bigger needles and yarn. Claire
It’s been mayhem here due to holidays and my daughter’s wedding next Friday! I’ve finished her wedding shawl in time for her final dress fitting and she loves it! Finishing a lovely Heavenly pullover by Ankestrick for my son’s girlfriend. One sleeve to go. First time I ever had to send an IOU for a knitted gift. Hoping to be able to find some quiet knitting time soon! Happy New Year all!