Saturday, March 15, 2008
My Latest Knitting Project: an original baby blanket
I just finished up a baby blanket that I have been working on for a few weeks from an original pattern which I designed. I was sitting in church one morning when the inspiration for this pattern came to me (sorry, Pastor Jeff!!). It is unique in that it is knitted from the center outward; the center portion is knitted in garter stitch with a double strand of yarn, and the border is knitted in two-color double-knitting. I enjoyed making it so much that I have decided to make another one, using a different color and a different pattern for the two-color border. My plan is to add photos of both when I get the second one finished, and then I'll be looking for pattern testers as I am actually hoping at some point to have the pattern published.
Monday, March 10, 2008
An Actual Post About Knitting
In looking over the recent posts in this blog, I noticed that while the title of the blog is "the knitlady" I have included very few posts that were actually specifically about knitting. So I decided that it's time to post something that actually pertains to knitting.
I've been knitting since the age of nine. When I was ten I knitted a blue sweater which I actually wore a few times before I outgrew it. During high school I started taking my knitting to school, where I first knitted in study hall and then eventually started knitting during classes. The first Christmas that I was married I made an afghan for my new in-laws, which impressed them to no end. When I was first pregnant, I knitted an outfit and a sweater set and crocheted a blanket which I used to bring each of my three sons home from the hospital. (Katie never wore the coming-home outfit since she was born at home.) Over the years there have been times when I knitted quite a bit and other times when I hardly knitted at all. The past several years I've been in a pretty much constant knitting phase again. My kids tease me about knitting in my sleep (I really don't!) and knitting while I'm reading, but they all like the hand-knitted socks that they receive occasionally for Christmas or other special occasions. My daughter Katie once introduced me to a friend that she had brought home as "my mom who is a knitaholic". (Katie knows how to knit, too, but she rarely admits it any more.) And everyone who knows me knows that I don't like to drive because it cuts into my knitting time.
I've had many people comment to me that they "don't have the patience" to knit. Well, I'd have to say that in all honesty I don't have the patience to NOT knit. I find that I am much calmer and more focused with knitting in my hands than without; therefore the knitting goes with me almost everywhere I go. It's a great stress reliever under less than ideal circumstances and I've learned to keep a bag packed with some sort of project at all times, in case of emergencies. This habit served me well when Mike had his heart attack, as I grabbed the knitting bag on my way out the door to the hospital. When we got him home three days later and I unpacked the bag, I had 14 dishcloths finished. So I managed my stress levels while simultaneously adding to my craft show stock. It doesn't get much more efficient than that!
The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to knit while I'm blogging.
I've been knitting since the age of nine. When I was ten I knitted a blue sweater which I actually wore a few times before I outgrew it. During high school I started taking my knitting to school, where I first knitted in study hall and then eventually started knitting during classes. The first Christmas that I was married I made an afghan for my new in-laws, which impressed them to no end. When I was first pregnant, I knitted an outfit and a sweater set and crocheted a blanket which I used to bring each of my three sons home from the hospital. (Katie never wore the coming-home outfit since she was born at home.) Over the years there have been times when I knitted quite a bit and other times when I hardly knitted at all. The past several years I've been in a pretty much constant knitting phase again. My kids tease me about knitting in my sleep (I really don't!) and knitting while I'm reading, but they all like the hand-knitted socks that they receive occasionally for Christmas or other special occasions. My daughter Katie once introduced me to a friend that she had brought home as "my mom who is a knitaholic". (Katie knows how to knit, too, but she rarely admits it any more.) And everyone who knows me knows that I don't like to drive because it cuts into my knitting time.
I've had many people comment to me that they "don't have the patience" to knit. Well, I'd have to say that in all honesty I don't have the patience to NOT knit. I find that I am much calmer and more focused with knitting in my hands than without; therefore the knitting goes with me almost everywhere I go. It's a great stress reliever under less than ideal circumstances and I've learned to keep a bag packed with some sort of project at all times, in case of emergencies. This habit served me well when Mike had his heart attack, as I grabbed the knitting bag on my way out the door to the hospital. When we got him home three days later and I unpacked the bag, I had 14 dishcloths finished. So I managed my stress levels while simultaneously adding to my craft show stock. It doesn't get much more efficient than that!
The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to knit while I'm blogging.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
A Brief Taste of Spring
For months now I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring weather. I'm just not a winter person at all. If I had my way, snow would be limited to Christmas Eve so that the holiday "purists" could have their white Christmas, and then we would have spring starting the first week in January. But alas, winter has continued to plague us despite my repeated impassioned pleas to the Almighty for "sunny and warmer" weather.
Last Sunday we had "sunny and warmer" in all its glory. The high temperature hit 78 degrees, all of the residual snow piles and the ice in our driveway melted away, and the sun shone brightly on our smiling faces. We spent hours outside on Sunday afternoon doing long overdue yard work and soaking up the sunshine.
Unfortunately our one "spring" day was nothing but a cruel hoax, as it cooled off dramatically and rained all day yesterday, and today we were "blessed" with six inches of the fluffy white stuff again. Winter has struck again with a vengeance and it is all the more difficult after the brief taste of spring we were teased with on Sunday.
Please let spring come soon!
Last Sunday we had "sunny and warmer" in all its glory. The high temperature hit 78 degrees, all of the residual snow piles and the ice in our driveway melted away, and the sun shone brightly on our smiling faces. We spent hours outside on Sunday afternoon doing long overdue yard work and soaking up the sunshine.
Unfortunately our one "spring" day was nothing but a cruel hoax, as it cooled off dramatically and rained all day yesterday, and today we were "blessed" with six inches of the fluffy white stuff again. Winter has struck again with a vengeance and it is all the more difficult after the brief taste of spring we were teased with on Sunday.
Please let spring come soon!
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