Gotta Knit!

Getting Some Luxury in Life

Long ago I read something from Erma Bombeck about not saving the good stuff for special events.   It hit home but took a few years for me to put in place.   Now I wear rhinestone earrings with my scrubs because I am not going to formal parties anymore.   I wear expensive perfume because how it makes me feel.   I learned a year ago that there truly is a difference from a well constructed expensive bra versus $20 version.  The quality eyeshadows depth of color is like an oil painting in a museum versus fingerpainting.  Quality clothes that cost more also fit better and make me feel better.

 

Small amounts of luxury go a long way to making me feel good.    I have been learning it is better to have one luxury item than a bunch of affordable  items of the same.   They never look right, do not last and do not make me feel special.

 

In the world of knitting this is why I do not go to big box stores for my yarn.   I get a lot of happiness out of wearing my knitted items but the time spent actually knitting the item with the yarn sliding through my fingers is full of joy.   There is a difference between a $3-6 skein and a luxury skein.   The feel, texture, color and how the knitted item will hold up is all very different.

 

Imagine my delight when Knitch decided to do yarn clubs.  Ah so many to pick from and I knew somewhere inside of me I was sliding into the no knitting zone.   But I decided to join their Luxury Yarn Club. 

 

 

I was stunned and thrilled when I opened the box and found Habu!

 

I have been wanting to try Habu for years but never have.    Part of the Luxury Yarn Club also includes a pattern.  

 

I have started to knit a Habu Merino stole.

 

If I Had My Life To Live Over

by Erma Bombeck

The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck after she found out she had a fatal disease.

If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" ...

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.

© Erma Bombeck

 

Clubbing

Yarn clubbing that is.   

 

Was hanging out with Kim  last Monday and she was talking about maybe doing a yarn club and wanted to know if I thought there might be an interest.   She threw out some ideas that I thought were brilliant like "Get ahead for the Holidays" which is 11 very doable projects, using big yarns, sock yarn projects that aren't socks and luxury yarns.   

 

 

Imagine my surprise when Knitch emailed me with not one yarn club but SEVEN yarn clubs.

 

Damn you, Kim,  now I am going to get a headache just trying to decided and NO I can not do all 7 clubs.   I do have to work and sleep sometime during the day!

Yarn Cakes

My favorite yarn store has moved to a large but cozy studio.  Once again I wanted to move into the space like the very first time I walked into Knitch.  

 

Ah the colors and choices of new yarns were intoxicating.    I grabbed the youngest of the Knitch crew and slowly made my way around the studio plotting like it was a Christmas buffet.  

 

Decided on some Art Yarn in cotton.  Whipping through this yarn at an alarming rate with a quickie project.

 

 

Also unknown to me when I was picking out the yarn  there is a strong possibility  I became the first person in the States to purchase Cornelia Hamilton's Heaven's Hand Wool classic.   Loved the feel and color and it went perfect with a skein of Noro I had lurking.  Wanted to do another BrookLyn Tweed Noro Scarf pattern
 and how perfect it was to combine the Noro yarn with Cornelia Hamiltion's yarn since she has been a long time designer with Noro yarns.  This one is going to be for me!

 

My Favorite Easy Scarf

Think we all have the comfort food of knitting patterns that is our go to when we need ease and simplicity.   Mine is a simple 2 by 2 mistake rib pattern.    The kicker is I knit it with my crack yarn aka Noro.    With Noro I have this unholy obsession with what the next color is going to be.   I can knit till my fingers almost fall off and I am nodding off only to shake my head and hands to do a few more rows.   Suppose I should mention on a weak moment one evening at Knitch I purchased about a trunk load of Noro yarn.   And you thought I was kidding about it being my crack yarn.

 

 

Last year sometime  Haley was raving about Shepard's Wool yarn.   Then suddenly everyone was talking about how grand this yarn is.  Everywhere I turned people were knitting with it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then out with a friend who had knit the most beautiful and elegant scarf with my favorite pattern but used muted Noro yarn with a solid muted Shepard's Wool yarn.

 

 

In a flash I was hooked.

 

 

Pulled out my Noro drawer two somewhat similar balls of yarn and went to work with the Shepard's Wool yarn.   So basically Mistake Rib pattern with Noro for two rows and solid Shepard's wool for two rows.   Have a sip of wine, repeat till long enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny thing about this particular scarf is it started out for a big beefy burly guy and ended up being perfect for a tiny petite woman  that cuts my hair.   Several friends were surprised I would give this to my hairstylist but she is a sweetheart and if you had long curly hair that she was making work you would totally get it.

 

Yarn available at Knitch of course!

 

 

 

Big News in the World of Yarn.

In case you haven't heard, this past Friday there was a new player in the world of yarn.   Jared Flood who is Brooklyn Tweed released a new line of yarn, Shelter.    The yarn is wonderful and I know this because my little LYS Knitch is only one of nine flagship stores selling the yarns! 

 

For those that live far and wide Knitch can ship the yarn to your doorstep.  

Extroversion in the Muggle World

Thanks to Knitch, I received an all points bulletin that this Saturday is World Wide Knitting in Public day.  For those of us in metro Atlanta,  Knitch is having the throw down party for all the extroverting  fiberolics which is also known as Atlanta Folks knitting in public at Park Tavern in Piedmont Park.  Crocheter are welcome too.                       

                        

I do hope to be there exposing my knitterly ways to the general public like I usually do.   Get a thrill thinking that all over the world others will be doing the same.   Where will you be knitting in public this Saturday?

The End Came.

The end finally came!

6 colors of Blue Sky Alpaca from Knitch with a big ole shout out to Kim for helping pick the colors to go with our couch in the Den.

38 skeins of baby alpaca richness.

215 stitches per row and I couldn't even begin to guess how many rows there are.

The blanket is at least 60 inches long and two people wide.

3 1/2 years of knitting time.   First year I was a mad knitter, even knitting outside under a fan in 103F degree heat.   Then the blanket grew and I could only knit when the weather was colder.

This blanket has seen the inside and outside of many a bar around this town.   From Everybody's, Murphy's, Highlander, Steinbeck's, Palate, Melton's App and Tap, George's, Moe's and Joe's and Universal Joint  just to name a few.

Then finally my Ombre Blanket came to an end at Twain's.

My blanket and I were out with dear knitting friends, several of which had mentioned I had been working on the blanket almost as long as they had known me.  I had to talk them out of ordering champagne when the last stitch was cast off.    Perfect ending to my blanket odyssey.

                                    

Was it worth the effort and time to knit this?  Absolutely!

Is Blue Sky Alpaca wonderful?   Oh you have no idea how yummy soft and lush this blanket is.

Do I love my blanket?   You bet your sweet bippy I do!

Can you borrow it?   In the immortal words of Whitney Houston "Hell to the No"!

Should you knit one?   Definitely!

Lady Bugs and Sea Creatures.

Figured this knitting blog might need an infusion of knitting content.    I've been working on another project but that would be a much longer post so more on that diddy later.    The other secret projects I had been alluding too were finished and wrapped when I realized I had not taken a picture of them.   Figured I'd bring my camera with me when they were opened which I of course forgot to snap photos.    So now here's hoping when the wee boy start using baby bibs I can show the cute varying greens with striping baby bibs I had knitted up for Kim aka  Knitch Mom.

I'm nearing the end of a large project and really felt the need for something fast, easy and quick for some knitting satisfaction.   Dug out some yarn that I had purchased during the 2nd week that Knitch had been open.

 

Yarn is from Materials Whirled with Lady Bugs attached.

I loved the yarn and knew one day a hat pattern would speak to me that would be perfect for this yarn.   Finally the muse spoke to me and I began the Urchin hat at knit night down at Knitch which seemed like a good place to start the pattern.   Then tried to continue out one night at a local restaurant/bar/pool hall and realized at row 9ish I was failing.     

It seems I need to concentrate on my marking of short rows so I know when to turn.  Kinda hard to tell where the gap is when it's thick and thin stubby yarn!  Oh but I did learn a wonderful way to perform a provisional cast on using a crochet hook via Kathleen.

The Last One of 2009

It was during the waning afternoon hours of Christmas Eve that the very last unfinished object that could be finished in 2009 was completed.   It all started two years before about this same time with a mad knitting dash to finish gifts.  One of the gifts had me head back to Knitch  in search of colors for just me.  

Somehow during the earlier part of 2008, I put the scarf down to rest in a drawer of knitting that was surrounded by more drawers of knitting.

 

As I was lucky enough to only have to work the morning of Christmas Eve and wanted to spend some quality time at Knitch with family, I thought this scarf would be the perfect project to bring.   When I pulled it out I was delighted that I had somehow stopped short of a few rows of being ready to bind off.   All that was really left to do was add fringe.

The scarf still was a wonder.   Full of softness, brightness    .    .     . 

and add snappy joy.

 

In case you were wondering it's the Purl Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in 2 balls of Cascade Yarns Pastaza and two very different colors in Madil Yarns Kid Seta.

Love it!

Preview

Yesterday, I swung by what I am fondly calling New Knitch.  You know versus Old Knitch which is still where you need to go for all your knitting needs.    Well until 2 p.m. today that is.   Then you will be Knitchless until Thursday when they open back up in their new location.  Have to tell ya I had misgivings because I do love the old location.   But change is good and the new place is just as wonderful and actually better in it's own lovely way.   It's bright and sunny, parking in the back, Fire Station to the left so hunky guys in uniforms, my hair salon is next to them and in a household pinch Highland Hardware is across the street.    Wont even go into all the fabulous restaurants that are right there.

I'll be back on Thursday for the opening day.   Just so happens I'm taking an Aran sweater class with Brooklyntweed!  He is going to teach us the Elizabeth Zimmerman percentage system which I think is brilliant but I haven't attempted on my own.   To bad he isn't throwing in a photography session too.   Plotting in the back of my mind to use some mainly cotton with wool thrown in for give and memory yarn to reattempt making The Man a sweater.  

Make that making the sweater again for I did attempt to make him a sweater out of this yarn several years ago.   When I got one of the panels almost finished,  I finally heard him about the size of the monster.   It would have fit a linebacker.    A linebacker that needed desperately I might add to go on a diet.