Yarn Bombing

Moscow Yarn Bomb

Yarn bombing is becoming more and more popular.  What is it?  Why is it gaining popularity?  Who organizes these things?  How does it fit into the definition of "art"?





Copenhagen, Denmark



Outside Cleveland, OH City Hall, 2008

A yarn bombing is an installation of knit or crochet work in a public place.  Some yarn bombings are done with permission, others without.  It is done for a variety of reasons.  In the Moscow bombing, it's done to advertise a knit and crochet shop.  (Follow link to article.)  In the photo of the tank, a more political motive is involved, to contrast the inhumanity of war against the humanity and comfort of handcrafts.  It was installed as a protest against international participation in the recent/current Iraq war.  The project was organized by Marianne Jorgensen, and knit and crocheted by crafters around the world.  Still others are done to promote a charity, or as art for the sake of art.



London Phone Booth

The London Phone Booth was done by Knit the City, a knitting collective that exists for the sole purpose of installing "Knit Graffiti". They have been prolific in their short existence, and their installations are joyful.  Their art encourages viewers to see their world in a humorous way.

Is yarn bombing here to stay?  Sure.  It's street art.  Graffiti, chalk art, Lego art, and yarn bombing are the visual art cousins of street performers who sing, dance, make living statues, and more.  Every way that people find to express themselves makes its way into a public venue.  Graffiti dates back to cave paintings.  Protest songs were documented in medieval times.  It's not going anywhere.



"Lego" Bridge, Germany 2012 by MGEX


This Lego bridge in Germany was painted with permission from city officials, and took almost 4 weeks to complete. 

The city of London has allowed installation of Lego Underground maps at 5 subway stations.

Lego Map, London Underground

So is it art?  Art has always been in the eye of the beholder.  That said, many well known artists began their public careers as "guerrilla" artists.  Keith Haring and Shepard Fairey immediately come to mind. 


Keith Haring - Brooklyn Subway Art

 
Other artists, like Christo, Picasso, and many more, begin their careers indoors, and move to outdoor installations after they've made a name for themselves.

We are witnessing the birth of a new form of public expression.  Some of these artists are already receiving invitations and commissions to install their art by invitation. 

Mural by Shepard Fairey

If you see some yarn bombing, snap a photo.  Post it on your Facebook page.  Share the experience!  Organize a yarn bombing of your own.  Or scan Twitter and Tumblr for artists who are looking for support for a planned yarn bomb.  Join in!



Life and Family and a Blanket

It's been a long, strange summer.  I was very ill this spring and summer, as was my father in law.  I recovered, but sadly, he did not.  Lou is in the final days/weeks of his life, and he's still teaching us all.

Lou went from being uncomfortable to being hospitalized over the period of a couple of weeks.  He is in incredible pain, but he never complains.  He's calm, patient, funny, and dignified.  His only concerns are for the welfare of his family.  Though bedridden at home now, he still wants to babysit his great-grandchildren.  Though unable to keep solid food down, he still tried his granddaughter's "healthy" smoothie, to be polite.  It didn't go well, but I'll never forget the gesture.

I wanted to help him somehow, and as a knitter I realized making an afghan would be a natural choice.  His favorite color is blue - "not too dark, but like the sky today.  It's always been blue."  But by the time I had sourced the yarn, I realized I'll never finish it in time for him to see or enjoy it. 

I'm doing the standard family vigil, caring for my mother in law, doing her housekeeping, serving coffee to out of town relatives, and hearing all the family stories that go by in these times.  Everyone is laughing and visiting, including Lou.  He once had a red convertible, and my mother in law used to drive it when they were dating even though she hadn't had lessons or a license.  Lou's grandfather used to make wine in the basement, and he had a special way of leaving the spigot so he could tell if anyone had been "tasting" it.  The "kids", now in their late fifties, just learned how he always caught them! 

Lou greets and thanks each visitor for coming.  He stays awake and makes conversation for hours, but the moment guests leave he closes his eyes and sleeps.  He doesn't do it out of pride.  It's respect for the people who've made the effort to visit.  Even though he's too weak to walk, he wants to holds the babies.  He'll keep tasting the food pressed on him by well-meaning loved ones.  That's Lou - kind, funny, respectful, patient, and dignified.  He's shown us how to live, and he's teaching us how to die.

I think I'll make the blanket anyway.  It will be impossible to work on it or use it without thinking of the kind man who inspired it.  I'll share the pattern with you soon.

Not Just Loreal

When Cybil Shepherd looked into the camera, tousled her perfect blonde curls, and murmured, "Because I'm worth it," she was explaining why she was willing to pay, on average, 70 cents more for her hair color to get the color and feel she wants.  70 cents.  The "Because I'm worth it" campaign went on for years, and was one of the most effective ad campaigns of all time.  It celebrated the fact that the Loreal product was more expensive, and made it into benefit instead of a problem.

I think the reason the campaign was so successful is because women tend to put themselves last - behind the kids, behind their mate, behind their parents... We were raised that all this altruism is a virtue, and it's an expression of how much we care for people.  Deciding 70 extra cents on haircolor was an indulgence was a splurge most women found acceptable and attractive.

I'm here to argue that the same is true in knitting.  We knit for a variety of reasons, but almost none of us knit because we have to.  It's usually because we love it, or we like to craft things with our own hands.  It's our hobby.  And yet, we tend to continue to put ourselves last. 

Do you want to knit with great needles?  Then do it!  You're going to spend dozens of hours with those needles.  There is no point in fighting them.  Find needles that work with your knitting style, and not against it.  Needles with smooth action, that feel good, and have points sharp enough to pick up stitches easily without splitting your yarn.  Trust me, your husband would not spend dozens of hours with a golf club or fishing rod he hates.  (Really puts it in perspective, doesn't it?) Go buy the good needles.  The $3-5 price difference works out to pennies per hour of use.

"I'm not good enough for that yarn yet.  I'm still learning."  Have you ever said it?  Unless you were talking about whisper thin lace yarn, or some other very technical yarn, you were selling yourself short.  When new knitters come to the shop I encourage them to start with great needles and very good yarn.  If anything, folks who don't knit well need good tools and good yarn.  The yarn won't split or pill or stretch while they work it, so they can just focus on learning the stitches.  Remember that good quality yarn can be had for the same prices (and sometimes less) than crappy yarn.  And great quality yarn makes better garments.  After all, your yarn is the biggest element in defining the fabric you create.

Not sure how to tell what's what?  Ask someone at the LYS to grade yarns for you.  It might sound something like, "I need worsted yarn for this project.  Can you show me 4 or 5 yarns that would work, and then rank them by quality for the project?"  The different fiber content, tightness of twist, and number of plies ideal for your cardigan will be different from what's best for someone else's baby blanket.  Get some advice, and think about it.  Advice of this sort costs you nothing, but can easily save you time and money. 

Oh, and color?  If what you love is a handpaint that costs 30% more than the solid, unless it means you can't pay your other bills, buy it.  You're worth it.

Knitting and Armageddon

I've seen a couple of news reports, specials, and even an episode of a series about "doomsday" people, and to a person they believe they will have to be totally self-reliant in the near future.  The idea is that through war or other means, civilization as we know it will cease to exist.  They hoard weapons, water, and food.  I hope they're wrong.  But if they're not, one thing I haven't heard discussed is how they will remain clothed.

I don't see any of them hoarding clothing, or fabric, or needles and thread to mend their existing clothes.  They do not appear to be planting flax, or cotton, or herding sheep.  I am not aware of anyone having a loom stashed away.  And this brings me to knitting.

If I believed that I needed a fortified homestead independent of the utility grid where I might need to live for a year or more with minimal contact with the outside world, I would want to make sure I had clothes.  I can already cook from scratch on a wood stove, build a fire and a shelter, mend a fence, and purify water.  (Thank you, Girl Scouts, for making this all possible!)  I can plant a garden, and maintain it.  (Thanks, Mom.)  I'm sketchy on how to make soap and detergent, but I'm sure there are books that I could stock.  But clothes?  Should knitting be considered a basic survival skill?  For me, yes, just to keep my sanity.  But in general, is knitting a survival skill?  Or sewing?  Weaving?  Spinning?

When would we have the time to knit, what with all the farming and cooking from scratch?  Would we ever knit for fun?  Or just out of necessity?

What about blacksmith skills?  Or glass-blowing?  Are the doomsday people one hailstorm away from a home without windows?  Candle-making?  (And does that mean bee-keeping?)  What about fuel?  I have no idea how to make lamp oil.  Or an oil lamp, if I'm unlucky enough to break mine.

Some of the many things that make knitting a joy include that I can do it in the evening, in my heated home, under electric light, with beautiful yarns I didn't need to make myself.  I'm not a gifted spinner, and I don't know where I'd get silk, linen, cotton, and alpaca anyway.  I'm allergic to wool, so shepherding is probably a non-starter.  All of a sudden, Armageddon is looking really unpleasant!

I've decided that Armageddon is an unacceptable outcome.  Survival is important, but what's the fun if I can't knit anymore?  You can call it denial, but I'm happy living the life we have.  Let's not screw it up.

ICU is a Chilly Place

The Cleveland Clinic is as beautiful and efficient a hospital as you can imagine.  It has a plethora of high end technology, all of which generates a lot of heat.  They also tell us that germs like it warm.  For those reasons, they keep the temperatures in the ICU seriously chilly.  The nurses all dress in several layers, often including some sort of sweater, and yesterday the nurse for the next room was wearing a quilted (outerwear) jacket with her uniform.

As I sit, hour upon hour, next to Scott's bed, I get cold.  I'm knitting mittens for Mountain Colors right now, and the wool in my lap is not making me any warmer.  I have decided, though, that when I finish these mittens they are going on my hands.  (They'll get to Montana soon enough.)  I know it's August.  It's 80+ degrees outside.  But it's 63 in here.  I'm cold.

Unless I'm having a hot flash.  In my entire experience of the hot flashes, this is the one situation in which I'm truly grateful for them.  For 20-45 minutes at a time, I'm finally warm enough!  It makes wardrobe planning tricky, and I've become a big lover of scarves and shawls in this strange interlude of my life. 

Knitting Math 5 - increases and decreases

Ok.  We've covered gauge, long and short horizontal repeats, and vertical repeats.  Yes, there is still more, and we'll take the next step in little bites.  How do you place increases and decreases in an even way?
There's one equation in this math that is absolutely critical:  Stitches you have - stitches you want for decreases, and stitches you want - stitches you have for increases.  The answer will be stitches difference, or the number to decrease or increase respectively.  Grab your calculator and a pencil, and let's do it.

You know I love mittens, so I'm going to use them as the example here for increases.  In my cuff I have 40 stitches.  I need 48 for the body of the mitten, and the instructions say "distribute increases evenly" for the increase row - no specifics.  Yikes!

48-40=8, so I need 8 more stitches.  How to do it evenly?  Divide.  Divide stitches you have BY stitch difference= number of stitches between increases/decreases.  In this case, there are going to be 5 stitches between increases.

The way to implement is to knit a couple of stitches in the beginning of your row or round.  Increase one.  Then knit 5, increase one across or around.  The increases will be even, and they will be a couple of stitches in from your edges, making any seaming necessary easier.

The example here for decreases is a skirt on a child's garment.  The original skirt has 56 stitches.  The decreased row has 40. 

56 (stitches I have) - 40 (stitches I want)=16, so I need to decrease 16 stitches.  56/16=3.5.  Three and a half stitches between decreases - - ?  I have no idea how to make a half a stitch, but I can trade off between 3 stitches + one increase, and then 4 stitches + one increase.  That would work.  OR I can take that .5 (a remainder) and realize that it represents 8 stitches (3 x 16 = 48 48 +8 = 56).  I can put half of them at the beginning of my row or round, and half at the end.  I'll knit 4, then K3, M1 until I get to the last 4 stitches. 

Unless it's stated otherwise, do not increase or decrease on the first two stitches of a row or round.  It makes seaming much easier.  If your pattern tells you to, then do as it says. 

Mountain Colors Yarn

It's Thursday, and I'm back at home now.  I spent the night in DC due to poor weather and subsequent flight cancellations.  Yuck...  I would love to visit DC when I've PLANNED to, but not as a beleaguered traveller in a monsoon. 



The Sign at the Highway

 I promised photos of Mountain Colors Yarn dyeworks, so here they are. 

This is the sign out front that made me jump for joy (thank heavens I was the passenger and not the driver!)

We (Lisa, the BFF, and I) went in and were greeted by Diana McKay herself.  Diana and her friend, Leslie Taylor, started the dyeworks 19 years ago in their kitchens, and have owned the company ever since.  They were just back from the big TNNA conference, and even so, Diana was very generous with her time and materials to help us understand the company and products better.

Copper Mountain Colorway in 4/8's Wool

There is a wide variety of yarns available, including everything from lace weight to bulky to novelty, and most yarns are available in most colorways.  Each and every colorway contains nine different colors, making them unique and distinctive.  Although they didn't say so, they don't appear to use any colors they can't see out of their windows overlooking the Bitterroot Valley.  The valley has a distinctly Northwest palette of stone, river, grasses, buffalo, cattle, wildflowers, snow, and sky.  You'll find all of these tones in their yarns.

The current dye kitchen

Diana gave us a full tour, and this is the dye kitchen.  She explained that when they started the company, they both had small children at home, and needed to have a "family first" focus.  They have maintained this policy to this day, and many of their employees work from home.  "Nobody has to miss a soccer game or school play because of their job," she explained.  "We have a very low employee turnover.  People are happy here."

I can see why.  The few employees we met were cheerful, polite, and working steadily but not anxiously, in spite of the obvious work of re-stocking and bookkeeping after TNNA. 

Here in Buffalo, there isn't nearly enough of this yarn available.   It offers a unique style of variegation, and a great opportunity to add a new layer to colorwork.  I mentioned to Diana that I'd like to encourage local LYSs to carry the full line, and she generously loaded me up with a variety of yarns in a rich array of colorways.  I purchased yarn for a few projects of my own, and later today I'll be talking to some shops and advocating for more.

Visit their website, Mountain Colors Yarn for more info and to see the beautiful yarns.  They also offer a wide array of patterns.  If you can't get the yarns locally, try Paradise Fibers.  They carry the whole line, including the new and delicious Jeannette, a cashmere and silk blend. 

The Making Mittens Class

I will be teaching my class, Making Mittens a few times this year at various festivals and conferences, and wanted to tell you a little more about it.

This class focuses on letting knitters design their own mittens from the yarn they want to use.  Particularly with handcrafted yarn, there is often not a pattern for the exact item one wants to knit.  This class covers basic mittens construction, techniques, and how to design a mitten from a gauge swatch made from any yarn.  This is a vital skill for any spinner who wants to supply patterns to their customer, and to any knitter who doesn't want to be bound by the patterns they can find.  Students will leave class with 3 patterns from me, and one pattern of their own that they have started in class.  They will have the skill to design or modify mittens to work with their choice of yarn.  A class packet including notes and patterns will be provided.  There are no supplies to purchase.  Materials to bring are published in each festival and conference brochure.

I still have several dates open this summer and fall.  If you'd like me to come and speak or teach at your event, I'd be happy to talk to you.  If you're taking my class already, I can't wait to meet you!

Knitting vs. Designing

Slowly but surely I am awakening from my knitting hiatus.  Coffee has been involved. Design is still fighting for supremacy, but some knitting is finally getting done.  I've added an inch to the No H8 Mittens, and a few inches to the Guinan Hat.  The mittens are in Cascade Ultra Pima (white) and Cascade Pure Alpaca (burgundy), and so soft!  The hat is in Cascade 220 (turquoise) and Aslan Trends Bariloche (grey) and really warm.  I've decided to finish the hat in spite of occasional hives because it's easy, cute, and has been adopted by one of the children.  I started to frog it, and was asked to stop when a teen daughter realized she could never "borrow" it if it didn't exist!  And still lurking in the workbasket are the two-color brioche scarf, yummy socks, and the promised Girlfriend Gloves.  At least I don't have to start anything for an upcoming class right now!   I love that there are no deadlines.  Unless you want the mittens, hat, scarf, and gloves available this winter.

The rival of my knitting queue, my design process, often involves me knitting up a swatch of a small part of a design to check the look of a motif.  These side projects are a major impediment to getting UFOs into the FOs column.  I still can't choose one over the other as the priority, though, as I only want to design in spurts.  Trying to design when I'm not inspired is as futile as gift wrapping Jello. I need to get it down on paper while it's fresh, or it's gone forever.

I fuss over each design project a little every day like a doting mother.  There are some William Morris inspired mittens, Nursery Rhymes blanket squares, and a whole set of Arts and Crafts/Mission Style pillows, blankets, and towels.  The hand bone mittens are coming along, though ridiculously slowly.  I'll get there.  I think I have design ADHD.  Is there a cure for that?  Does it come in coffee flavor?

Adding Charts, Mr. Mittens

I've spent quite a bit of my time in the last few days typing dozens of my designs into my computer.  Then I started posting the charts to Ravelry.  (I'm LizMarino) So many!  Yeesh!  I will do my level best never to be this far behind again!

The first priority are the little ones: the dishcloth/babyblanket square size ones.  I had no idea there were so darn many of 'em.  The whole Lodge Collection is in, and I'm adding in Baby. After that, some more little squares. Next will be bigger blanket squares, then small garments, then larger garments. And that doesn't count whatever I end up designing in the meantime. Check the pages above from time to time, as I will be updating for the next couple days.

The Mr. mittens are going very well, but slowly as I have been dividing my knitting time between my needles and my keyboard.  I'll post a pick in a day or two.  The Reversible Brioche Scarf is sulking in the knitting bag for now, only about 6 inches long.  A girl has to make these tough choices sometimes...  I really owe the Mr some mittens, so they're still winning.  More time would be nice.  And more coffee...

Zen, Karma and Knitting

In Zen philosophy, one guiding principle is living each moment with intention.  That is, you live only with the effects on the others, environment, and world at large that you intend to have.  Masters of this principle are adept at saying only what they mean to, leaving no ambiguity, and acting without recklessness or disregard.

These are skills that are seriously useful in knitting, and yet not always fun (or achievable!)  As I carefully and thoughtfully grafted together the toes on my "Girlfriend Socks", I could not have been more focused.  I was not in a hurry, or stressed. I was not drinking my evening glass of wine.  (It was skipped on this evening to make sure I was clearheaded when working the Kitchener.)  And yet, two-thirds of the way across the graft of the toe, on a sock that was until now knitted entirely in one piece with one continuous strand of yarn, the unthinkable happened:  the yarn broke.  During the graft.  Almost done.  But not quite.

I uttered several very un-Zen words.  How far back do I go to join a new piece of yarn?  How do I ensure that the new yarn join won't cause a blister?  Is this a big enough flaw to make the gift un-givable?

I tipped the box of wine and watched the Merlot swirl into the glass. And then it hit me.  Another Zen principle is that nothing is perfect, and nothing is permanent.  I sat and drank my wine with intention for a few minutes, and then decided to go with the flow.  I only ripped back a smidge, joined the yarn, and moved on with my grafting.  It went flawlessly this time.

Karma is the circumstance of bringing about inevitable results onto yourself in this life or the next by the quality of your actions.  Whose Karma broke the yarn?  The yarn manufacturer's? Did I do this? Did the recipient Karma herself into blister-causing socks?  Accepting imperfection as part of reality is much easier to do than achieving perfection.  I will focus, and intend good work, but I will learn to accept the inevitable intervention of Karma, too.  At least some of the time it has to make me look good, right?

New Year's Resolutions

Knitting in 2011 is going to be different for me.  Resolutions have never been a process I've done, but I've seen it work for other people, so this year I'm in.  In 2011 I resolve to:

1. Knit during classier TV shows.  No more Ginsu Knife infomercials for me, no!  I'm going to knit during Masterpiece Theatre and Inside the Actor's Studio.  This will add an air of class and sophistication to my work, not to mention a pretentious accent.

2. Knit with more color.  I knit with subtle, muted earthy colors now (brown and black), and nature has shown us that this is a losing strategy in evolution.  Adaptability and bright plumage are what have allowed the alligator to make it this far, and I need to liven up my palate at least as far as the beautiful colors of the all-enduring alligator. I will branch out into green.

3. Knit every day. Right now I knit almost exclusively at night, and the knitting is getting self conscious about it, like I'm embarrassed to be seen with it or something.  No more.  I will knit proudly in the daylight every day.  In my house.  Alone.  With the curtains closed. (Baby steps.)

4. Knit with white wine.  White wine doesn't stain.  Need I say more?

5. Knit with more recycled materials. Right now I knit with my grandmother's WWII era needles as much as I can, and seam up with her tapestry needles.  (God, I miss her!)  I have since learned from a girlfriend that if you go to yard sales, you can get a whole bunch of used needles and notions for the change under your car seat!  New addi turbos are $15 a pop.  That would buy all the needles in a whole town of yard sales!   No more new stuff for me - recycling is in.  Oh, and it keeps stuff out of the landfills.

6. Realize that size doesn't matter. What are we, men?  We should not be so preoccupied about measuring things.  Gauge swatches, palm circumferences, chest measurement, yardage... All that is nonsense.  What matters is that I finish stuff. Who cares what size it is?

7. Come up with new knitting sayings.  Everyone knows "close knit" and "spinning a yarn."  How about "it's a wrap" - well, bad example.  Or "balls to the wall" - crap.  Or "stick it", "pins and needles", "coming unraveled" - um - on second thought, there are plenty of good knitting sayings.  I resolve to use them more often.

That's it.  This changes everything!  It's going to be a wonderful year. 

Gaffs of Christmas Past

Every year my family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve.  My dear friend Lisa (special ed kindergarten teacher) comes in from out of town, I make a huge meal, and we dine in candlelight in the evening.  Part of the daytime tradition is to deliver trays of handmade holiday cookies to friends and family.  It all starts with me getting up very early in the morning to bake bread, pie, etc.  In '08 I had more to do than that.

I had knit a pair of fingerless gloves with mitten caps for my youngest, and somehow never got round to blocking the 2nd one.  I blocked it 2 days before and it was still wet.  I had made sterling silver earrings for my eldest, and they needed polishing.  I hadn't finished decorating.  My house guests were sick, and one a diabetic vegan which made for a complicated time playing Florence Nightingale.  And of course there was the cooking.

I threw pie in the oven around 7am, and moved on to polishing the earrings.  The first one went great.  The second one disintegrated in my hand.  7:30am.  I'd think of something. Oh! Mittens!  Darn.  Still wet. Gift exchange around 2pm.  Dammit.

I checked on the pie.  Fine.  I washed up from the baking trying to figure out what to do.  Apologize to eldest and make another one soon. Ok.  7:45.  Take soggy mitten and put in toaster oven at 150 degrees for ten minutes.  Maybe it will dry faster.

I went to get the candle lanterns out of the basement and decorate with those so we would have light for our candlelit evening. 8:00.  The pie beeped, so I grabbed that, and went back to the lanterns, one of which I promptly dropped and smashed.  In my bare feet I put the dog out, and cleaned up the broken glass.  I checked the mitten.  Now it was a hot wet mitten.  Damn again.  I turned up the toaster oven.  Just a little.  Let the dog in. 8:45.

On to making breakfast for the sick house guest, and starting a vegan holiday meal as well as the turkey dinner.  I was stuffing acorn squash for the vegans and turkey for the rest.  I chopped, I sauteed, and then I smelled it.  THE MITTEN!  I ran over to the toaster oven.  9:40.

Wool doesn't burn in the traditional sense.  It just smells awful and disintegrates.  It still looked like a mitten (though a little brown) but when I went to pick it up it just crumbled. Damn, damn, DAMN!

Stuffing almost finished.  Gravy started.  Squash roasted for soup. 10:45. Vegan Lisa comes into kitchen and asks about the "Weird" smell.  "Turkey's supposed to smell like that!"  I snapped.  She's a vegan - she'll buy that, right?  'Cause burned wool smells so "holiday".

I was frazzled, and decided to go drop off cookies to my LYS.  "Lisa, I have to get out of here for about 20 minutes.  Help me out; keep the husband out of the pie, the kids out of the presents, and the dog out of the stuffing.  I'll be right back in a much calmer mood!" I grabbed a platter of cookies and left for the shop.

"This is all you brought?" MaryAnn (LYS owner) was teasing.  I explained my crazy failure of a morning, and sat for a minute gulping coffee.  She chuckled, wished me well, and I went home.

When I got to my back door Lisa and my dog were waiting and they both looked sorry. Aw, crap.

"What happened?"

"The dog ate the stuffing."

"All of it?  Vegan and regular?"

Yup.  This woman can handle 20 special ed 5 year olds for 6 hours per day, but not my family and dog.  I called my mother in desperate futile hope of recovering my day.

"Haven't you started drinking yet?"

"It's 11:15 in the morning!"

"Not in Australia.  Things will look much more festive after your second glass of wine. Go for it!"

I took my wine and retreated for the tub.  And she was right.  Things were looking up.

Free Acorn Ornament Pattern

Click here for an adorable pattern by Carmen Rigby-Wilson.  This is an acorn ornament, andit can be made in about an hour.  Make a group of them as a quick display for fall and winter while still celebrating your crafty side.  The photo comes courtesy of Ravelry.  Make 'em and love 'em!

Knitting Sins 1

Oh yes, I have sinned against my yarn, my patterns, and against my tools.  I hope for knitting absolution from the knitting gods. (I have several projects to finish before the holidays, and this is a bad time to have the knitting gods angry with me.)

I have used my knitting needles as a tool for things they were not designed for.  I've used the straights for backscratching, my DPNs as blocking pins, and short circs as stitch holders.  Needles have been used as bookmarks, and been accidentally put away in the book.  I have used needles to grab small things out of nooks and crannies.  I have used a needle as a straight edge to draw a straight line.  I have used them to hold together my gingerbread houses.  (Short DPNs work really well.)   Please give me another chance.  Things will be different.  I promise.

I have done BAD things to my yarn.  I have used fine, hand-made fibers to tie bows on doll hair, make a leash for my daughter's cat, and yes, even donated them to diorama projects.  I have split plies, and cut tangled skeins I should have carefully untied.  I have machine-washed yarns that were not superwash.  I have even used hand-made fibers to make pom poms.  (I'm mortified!)   I don't know what I was thinking. 

I have decided I am smarter than the pattern.  I have taken shortcuts, like using a different cast-on.  I have changed stitch patterns.  I have not corrected my mistakes, and ended up with the hideous garments I deserved.  I have arrogantly changed needle size and yarn weight without doing the math because I thought I could handle it.  (I couldn't.)  I have ignored assembly instructions, turning a perfectly good garment into an Escher cartoon.  I have started projects on  aluminum needles and finished them on plastic.  I have knotted and cut yarn ends instead of weaving them in.  And after these sins, I have blamed the pattern, because it couldn't have been my fault.

I have entitled this post Knitting Sins 1 because I know there are more sins I have committed that I just don't remember right now.  And of course, I know there will be more.  I'll admit them as they come to me, and I hope you'll share some of yours with me, too.  I'll feel less alone. :)

Where People Knit

It's fascinating to me the places and times that people pull out their knitting.  I knit at home between chores, after dinner, or while helping the kids with their homework.  Other people knit at baby's naptime, or on their lunch hour, or waiting at the doctor's office.  Older women used to knit in the back pews of church when I was a kid.  WOW!  One of my friends knits at her daughter's swim practice.  It's 80+ degrees in there and humid, but she's happy with a lap full of wool.  I don't get it, but it works for her.

I read a story by a friend of mine about how she knits during dialysis, and she spends that time knitting for charity.  Spending her time thinking about people who are less fortunate makes those hours feel much more worthwhile.  She's a saint, no doubt about it.  I love that her hobby makes a time when she could easily feel sorry for herself into a gift of love.

There are also reports of musicians knitting between takes of music videos, and actors knitting on the set.  Not in their trailers, mind you, but right out in the open.  I wonder if  they say to the director, "Hold on.  I just have to finish this row..."

In Montana, one of my girlfriends can see cowboys on horseback hearding sheep and goats up the mountain's grazing flats outside her office.  She swears they knit in their down time during the summer.  Being a cowboy doesn't pay much at all.  I'm guessing being a cowboy is chilly work in the Cascade Mountains in the winter, and with those sheep in front of them all the time, I guess it makes sense.  It's the last thing I'd imagine in a cowboy's knapsack, though...

In the Andes, men are the principal knitters, and they tend to knit while walking.  They load up their burros, put their knitting stuff in pockets on the front of their sweaters, and knit for miles while they walk to and from market.  I don't think I could knit and walk without bumping into stuff or messing up the pattern, let alone manuever a burro over a mountain to and from market while knitting.  Yeesh!

Where do you knit?  Where are some interesting places you've seen people knitting?  Have you knit in a spot where people looked at you funny?  Where?

Ripping Out the Mistakes

Last night I finished the socks for the Mr.. I put off the Kitchner stitch for as long as I could stand, but eventually got the peace and quiet to focus and do it. An hour later, they were on his feet. If he ever takes them off I'll try to get a photo. (Since he's a pro photographer I always feel silly taking my own pics. His are so much better!) Somehow shooting knitting stuff isn't on the top of his list, so I'll get to it myself.

I then knit my daughter's cabled mitts for a while. I reversed a cable by accident and had to rip out and re-knit the rows affected. It got me to thinking that this is one of the many cool things about knitting - you can fix your mistakes and make them invisible really easily (assuming the yarn quality is good enough that reworking it won't show.) It's another Karmic step, I suppose, to recognize your errors and strive to correct them, but in most of life they're still detectable in some way. I like the fact that a finished piece of knitting always represents lessons learned, and it isn't obvious how recently they were learned. If I'm feeling too cocky there's always the next pattern waiting to see if I'm paying attention, and I'll trip myself up if I'm not. I just keep trying to pay attention...

High End Fibers

Why are high end fibers sold in such small skeins? 80yds doesn't seem like nearly enough to accomplish most projects, right? A sweater usually runs 1400-2500 yards in worsted or DK. More common fibers come in skeins of 200yds and more.

Smaller skeins mean you have to buy more of them to complete a project. But you can buy closer to the exact amount you need. If you're paying $60 for 80yds of cashmere, you don't want to buy much overage! If you're making a project that requires 1100yds of fiber, in wool you'd buy 6 200yd skeins and end up with 100yds left over. In cashemere, you'd buy 14 skeins, but you'd only have 20yds left over. At cashmere prices, less left over is more appealing. Who wants to spend that much money on extra?

One thing that makes these small skeins really cool is that you can use luxury fibers as accents (collar and cuffs, for example) or for small accessories without the large investment involved in a whole sweater. They also make great yarns for gifts or gift projects. Try 'em next time you're in the mood for a splurge.

A coat for the season

I'm always on the lookout for great seasonal patterns to share with our customers and readers, and am often impressed at the "oldies but goodies" found in old magazines. From back issues of Life in the 40's to Ladies Home Journal in just about every decade, there are wonderful vintage patterns that are as relevant today as they were the day they were published. A great example is this Vintage Coat Sweater. Done in a conservative color it would be a great fall addition to your outerwear wardrobe. Done in a more trendy color, maybe with a belt, it would be a great gift for a teen. Change the personality of the buttons to make it funkier or more stately.

The thing that throws many knitters for a loop when looking at old patterns is the vintage yarns are often no longer available, and are often listed only in weight, not yardage. While these are inconveniences, they are not problems. The LYS staff will be able to help in any of these situations. Bring the pattern in to the shop, and let the staff guide you.

Don't want to ask for help? That's fine, too. Take the needle size in the pattern and consider the usual yarn weight associated. (Size 7 usually works worsted weight, 13 usually works bulky, etc) Read a few ball bands to get an idea of standard yardage-per-ounce ratios in that fiber. (Remember wool, cotton, silk, and synthetics average very different yards per ounce!) Pull out your calculator and do the math. If a pattern calls for 10 oz of worsted weight wool yarn and the standard yards per ounce is 70 yds, you need 10x70=700 yards. Once you know the yardage, you can change the fiber if you wish. Just make sure to get the yards recommended for the original fiber and you're good to go!

Newsletter, shop changes, help nights

It's Monday morning, and I've just released the October Update newsletter. (At our shop we issue newsletters twice per month.) After writing 40-odd of those newsletters it's a challenge not to repeat myself most months, but this month was easier than most. There's a lot going on at our little shop.

We're reorganizing to feature new and different products, we're putting great stuff on sale, and we're extending our hours. It's our busiest time of the year. We love seeing all our friends cozy up at the fireplace and discuss their latest projects. Plus, the baked goods are flowing fast and furious. Amish bread, brownies, cookies, lemon bars, homemade chocolates, and more have graced our coffee table in the last couple of weeks, and it keeps getting better as it gets colder outside. (Diets are on hiatus in the knitting circle, as you can see!) Gomez, our store owner's parrot, is happy to receive offerings, too. As he crunches his treats, he offers occassional commentary to the customers whom he assumes are his adoring fans.

Perhaps the most exciting news - We are bringing wine and cheese help nights to Karma. These help nights have taken off up and down the east coast, and been featured in several knitting magazines and blogs. For a flat fee, customers come and spend the evening with a glass of wine, some friends, and get their questions answered. Help night visitors will have access to special sales and private events. The store will be closed to all non-participants for each help night. In our new, spruced up digs, we will have a great time!