Knitting for Exercise

Finished Gracie's little bag. I thought it would be too big, but it was actually perfect. She kept holding up her arm to keep it on her shoulder, where her mommy and grandma wear their purses.
Since the sun was shining for the first time in weeks in San Francisco, I decided to walk to the Haight-Ashbury to find the perfect button closure, since I would see Gracie in the afternoon and wanted to give her the bag then. I went to Mendel's Fabulous Fabrics, which, according to Google Maps, is 3.5 miles from my home. This makes up for a tiny fraction of the time I spend on my butt knitting. Other knitting stores I have walked to are Noe Knit on 24th Street and ImagiKnit in the Castro. I used to walk round trip from Glen Park to the Castro for one little hank of embroidery floss back when there was a cool needlepoint store next door to the Castro Theater. Nowadays I take public trans for the trip home.

Portland, and Little Felted Purses.

Whoa! Way too long since last post. I don't have any insights worth mentioning on a regular basis. I doubt what I have to report about my adventures with yarn will be of much interest to anyone outside of Ravelry, and they are much better writers and knitters than I.

My husband Rick and I went to Portland as part of our latest vacation, where the abundance of yarn stores and the lack of sales tax made me a little crazy. I have heard that Portland has the highest ratio of yarn shops per capita than anywhere in the country, and I believe it. At Powell's City of Books, the knitting section was so large it made my head spin.
I visited just a few shops, but managed to do damage to my wallet, and probably doubled my yarn stash, which wasn't huge to begin with.


First stop was Yarnia, where they sell single-ply fibers by the pound on cones and wind it for you based on your own choices, like those ice cream parlors where you choose what flavors you want and they mix it up for you on a slab. In this case, the slab is replaced by a wonderful winding contraption with a zillion moving parts, and just like the ice cream place, you are presented with a cone made to order.

I took this photo off their website. I hope they don't mind.

But I wouldn't advise going to Yarnia to go to just browse. Even though yarn purchased by weight ends up being more economical, this is a place to take your time and make well-considered purchases. I ended up with a small amount of a strange blend of cottons that I don't know what I will do with. Also some really pretty variegated bamboo that I just bought as single-ply, so it is extremely fine fingerling and I suppose I will have to try my hand at socks again soon.




Then it was on to Knit/Purl, where the people were really nice and I bought somelovely Koigu KPPPM (no sales tax!) and on impulse, just as I was out the door, I purchased one skein of Shibui baby alpaca in a variegated blue. Yummy. Expensive. Did I mention that at both these shops, I had an impatient husband with me? He really thought he was being helpful because he didn't say anything for 10 minutes, but then started making lots of noises. Argh. I figure having him with me cost me about $60 in poorly thought out purchases. Next time I have him in a yarn store, I have to at least get him to foot the bill for enough baby alpaca to make an afghan.
Another discovery at Knit/Purl was the Mantego Bay Scarf. Beautiful! I actually bought the pattern for $3.00 online. I want to make this next, with the turquoise silk I bought at East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse for $1/skein. I have tried about 5 patterns with it and given up for a while. I am having trouble with the openwork stitches, but I intend to keep at it.
A small tragedy was that right next door to Knit/Purl is a really cool looking fabric store AND a needlepoint store. One city block of heaven, which was out of my grasp due to the husband in tow.

Later, we went to Ashland. I have been to Ashland about 5 times in three years, and I always go to the yarn store there, and I have never bought anything. Even when they were having their big sale. I don't know what it is about that place. I have spent hours putting together projects, but I always end up putting it all back and leaving. I do frequent the Fabric of Vision on Main Street, but luckily nothing spoke to me this time. I was tempted to buy some kid's clothing patterns for the granddaughter, but reason kicked in. Too many pending projects already. Last time, I bought an Amy Butler shoulder bag pattern, thinking I'd make bags for the nieces. I am already knitting them bags. What is this obsession I have with receptacles?


Which brings me to the only project that is working
lately: The felted Squatty Sidekick bag. I have
made three of them: one for me (it is perfect for a small knitting project) one for niece Amelia (hope she isn't reading this) and one smaller one for Gracie, the granddaughter, which I have embroidered with daisies. I just need to find the perfect button by tomorrow, when I will give it to her.
I learned a thing or two about felting... if you want your finished product smaller, you still need to use big needles. Rather than a smaller gauge, you must adjust the pattern. Tight knitting won't felt as well. I wanted Gracie's bag to be really tiny, but instead of using #6 needles and the same pattern, I should have stuck with the #10s and done the math. This bag is more in proportion for a 6 or 8 year old, rather than a toddler. Live and learn.

Kinky Frogs

I'm excited about frogging some socks I made a few years ago with Koigu yarn. The yarn was beautiful, but my sock making efforts--not so much. They were OK, but not worth the yarn, and not comfortable to wear. So this morning I woke up, went straight to the sock drawer and pulled them out, with the intention of using the yarn to make the Wavy Scarf I saw on Beanmama at our first knitting circle. After picking apart the very kitchener stitches I sweated over at the time, I ripped away while reading the morning paper's coverage of the Olympic Torch protests expected for today.
I was dismayed that that the yarn in it's present kinky condition just would not do until it was washed and straightened, so I rewound it around a chair to prepare it for a nice bath. I love the way it looks in its present kinky state, but look forward to working with it when it is nice and relaxed.

I went to Beverly's today to pick up some just-in-case Eclypse to finish my first Clapotis shawl, and also purchased 3 pieces of cotton should I ever return to quilting. My yarn stash got nothin' on my fabric stash.

Getting to know Blogger

It's not so easy... this blogging.
Regurgitating my random thoughts as if anyone else would care is an exercise in discipline, but then again, so is everything in my life lately.

Finished the Haiku sweater about a week ago for little Gracie. She looks great in it. This was quite easy, but I have to practice patience when setting in the sleeves. I like kid's knits--you can make great stuff and learn new techniques without huge financial risk. I am too timid to buy the good yarns because I don't trust my ability to a) be able to follow the pattern successfully and b) finish anything.

Case in point: I'm halfway through my first Clapotis Shawl. (What a slog!) I spent hours in Imagiknit with a very patient employee (a rarity) and ended up buying something just OK (Moda-Dea Eclipse, wool/nylon blend) at Joanne which is turning out to be tres dull when executed. I thought: rather than spend over $100 on something I wasn't sure I could knit, I would practice on cheaper yarn. But the Clapotis is taking forever, and I doubt I'll want to make another. RESOLUTION: Buy fabulous yarn the first time. I'm worth it! Actually, I have a pretty good track record of finishing projects. I'm certainly more inclined to if I love the materials I'm working with.
Another note on the Clapotis: I was thrilled when I finally got past the first 8 or 10 increase rows, as Kfb and Pfb and Ktb were all new to me, but the body of the shawl is what is wearing me down. I try to get through a 12 row repeat every night, and it's become rather tiresome. I look forward to the decrease rows as a change of pace. And I'm wondering if there is anything interesting and within my abilities to add interest to the edges.

To Knit or Quilt

I love to make things with my hands. My quilting space is overflowing with the most beautiful cottons, all washed and ironed and piled into vague color groupings and ready to go. I have made three lovely quilts in the last year, each one advancing my newfound style. then someone I know started losing her hair to cancer, and I did what I do-- I knit her a hat.
That involved a trip to the yarn store, and one month later I am delving deeper into knitting and my beautiful heaps of fabric are left, forlorn, growing dusty where I have left them.
O to find balance!
A friend turned me on to Ravelry, an entire on-line world of knitting that could suck me in for hours. It requires a third arm to surf while knitting. I have a desire to photograph all my projects and post them, with commentary.
But I would like to find a similar place for quilting. I feel like I am being unfaithful to my first love.
And then there is work, which is similar to both pursuits. I organize other people's pictures. I have a business, Archival Services, and it, too, requires a lot of space and thought and messes up my house. But it is enabling me (for now) to spend more than I should on both of the other pursuits.