Grab your knitting needles and come relax with me.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Because I Don't Have Enough To Do
Ha! I cleared my creative plate...I feel at peace with my various Knitting Bunnies...sorta. And yet I seek to throw all that up in the air for the thrilling ride of the Knitting Olympics. (It's when you make goals to knit certain somethings while the Olympics is going on. Knit an entire sweater, finish all your WIPS, knit 17 socks! Craziness like that.)
I am desperately trying NOT to allow myself to get caught up in the fervor, no matter how many blog posts I read about the subject!
I have made my own goals. I don't need the stinking Knitting Olympics to help me.
Besides it's not like they are giving out actual awards or actual praise and laurels.
Repeat: I, Birdwell Evans, WILL NOT join in any Knitting Olympic Games!!
Last night we had our monthly potluck...way out in New Braunfels (about 30 min outside of San Antonio, but an hour and some change from my house). The host also sells yarn...Duuuuuuuuuuuuude, I was in heaven and hell. (Heaven because she had mounds of beautiful yarn; hell because I am on a yarn diet!!!)
I once again forgot my camera in my bag. Oops.
We had a yarn swap--sorta--most everyone forgot and those who remembered forgot to bring out their yarn. No one wanted mine, which was fine because I wasn't sure I wanted to swap. It's the green lace Malabrigo that while I love the yarn, I hate the colour. I need to over-dye it.
Well my friend Juanita let me have this:
I think it'll look great with a mossy lacey pattern I have been playing around with.
This one:
Of course that's not for now...later...someday.
I met the creator of this fantabulous Etsy shop: Bella Lili. Her jewelry? Is an embodiment of me, totally. I am in love. Gorgeousness.
I am still plugging away at the lacey scarves and shawls...they look the same. So I see no point in pictures. Yep, me boring. Lorelei broke my number 4 bamboo needle, the one I was using for the Lace Ribbon Scarf--so that one is being put aside until I can get a new one.
I am still plugging away at the Lace Ribbon scarf...it's a good TV project. Unless, I am cuddling with hubby then I switch to the Still Unnamed Shawl (I am knitting it on circular needles so I am not poking Jamey in the eye with the end of my needle). Poor guy has enough cuts and bruises from work. Grin.
Speaking of Still Unnamed Shawl, I am a few repeats from another transition...this time it'll be more pronounced. I am thinking of something leafy. But I am not sure, so this is causing me to put the brakes on the project. I had being undecided. Nevermind that I hate that this shawl is STILL nameless!!
Oh, I saw this lovely shawl today, Clothide. So pretty so simple...wish I had thought if it. Grin. I'd love to knit this, but argh don't have the TIME!!! Knitting Bunnies took one look at it and collectively screeched, "Don't you DARE!!!!"
No pics today: it's raining and I am sore from my new workout routine and bending down to photograph my knitting just hurts
I am pretty frugal when it comes to money: I always want bang for my buck and I love dual use or re-purpose. I have always wanted a swift (it holds hanks of yarn while you wind them into balls). It's on most knitters wishlists. It is pretty damn necessary: if you don't have husbands or children willing to hold the yarn for you. Now I have used chair backs: this is aggravating. I have used my own feet: also aggravating-especially if you need to stop and tend to a child. Like most non-swift folks, I have borrowed friends or gone to a ball winding party.
(You know: a bunch of knitters get together to take advantage of sole knitter that has a swift and ball winder)
Aside: also don't have a ball winder. They are expensive and a uni-tasker. So I am pretty unlikely to buy one for myself. So I use other things, empty cardboard paper towel thingy, a pill bottle, or more recently a cute nostepinde I picked up at the craft store.
It's pretty and it's rosewood.
So I don't have a swift. A few years ago I heard around the internet of a wonderful crafty solution for a swift (they are also expensive): a swift made from Tinker Toys.
Haazzaah! I have tinker toys! But this week I finally got around to digging them out from their putting place (they were in the garage, then the den closet). Armed with the tutorial from Crafty Jen, I set to work. Now over the years they've gotten pretty scarce, so I was a little worried I wouldn't have enough of the odds and ends.
But fortune favoured me and I had JUST enough to make it work.
Tada!
I haven't tried it out yet, I don't like to wind hanks into balls until it's time to start: it's a temptation to let the project to jump the line. But I did try to see if one of my hands fit on it...
Of course the real test is actually using it, but it spins fine. So I am not too worried. Besides it was 50 dollars and it's not some one's poor hands. lol
On the actual knitting front, I am still plugging away on the lace ribbon scarf and since I decided that it WASN'T near completion I'd let Citron cut ahead of those socks. (I really want to knit that beauty!)
I need to dig out the Celtic Knot bag and find my place and finish that thing!
I saw a really pretty lacey scarf a few days before Christmas when we walked down the San Antonio Riverwalk-it was really pretty and simple...and so a Knitting Bunny was born. Now, I have been making a TON of scarves. So many I am wondering if I am giving the impression I can only design/knit scarves. I decided to put the lace pattern onto a triangle. Get in line Bunny! I have 3 active Birdy's Knits designs on the needles. Okay 3 that I know of right now writing this blog post...there may be more. (Those Bunnies are sneaky--constantly pushing ans shoving other Bunnies out of line.) The lace is gonna be very clean and I am wondering about the border/edging. Should the border flow straight from the triangle? Should I knit it on? Should it even be jagged border? Would it be best if it was smooth? Should I add a fluttery ruffly type of thingy? I like interesting edgings.
The Bunny is nibbling.
I have been knitting on the long forgotten FO, Lace Ribbons. I thought I was almost done; I am nearly done with the skein. But, really it's not as long as I would like and I have another who skein. So at the most now it's only 2/3 done, at the very least 80%.
I started this scarf in the summer of 2008...the yarn is gorgeous, Alpaca, but it's itchy. I am hoping somehow softens with a wash and a block. I am also wondering if I should make a matching tam or rasta. See the bunnies are NIBBLING!!
The problem with juggling multiple knitting projects is sometimes one project inevitably is favoured over another(s) and you sorta drop the ball(s) while you clutch just one. Grin.
Right now I am clutching this lavender beauty to my chest.
It's a lace scarf knit in the Orenburg tradition...I added some estonia elements by added nupps (they are on the border--they will be seen easier once it's been blocked). So far I am calling it Lilac Blooms...might change it to Lilac Blossoms. If my other swatch is in any indication--it'll be a wide scarf at about 12 inches. The plan is for it also to be long. I say plan because I only have one hank of this yarn and I am knitting every last bit of it.
Tomorrow it's supposed to be uber cold. They say the coldest in 30 years; so my plan is to sit on the couch wrapped in lot's of blankets and knit (gotta keep those fingers from freezing). I am hoping to get some of those pesky FOs done.
Don't know if you should expect pictures any time soon though...I normally take them outside (lights better), but with it so cold: I am NOT opening any doors or going out side until the weather Canada sent us goes AWAY.
Like Anne Shirley says: It's a brand new day with no mistakes. I am one of those annoying types that sets goals (not resolutions) for myself for the coming year. Since this is a knitting blog, well then: I get to share my knitting goals and plans for this year.
I decided to lay off going after submissions. I thought the deadlines would help, but they just made me feel panicky (and cranky) and began to stifle my creativity. I am not saying I am NOT going to submit anything, if a deadline happens to fall in line with a complete project, then I'll mosey it on over, but no more chasing. I want to concentrate releasing patterns here at my shop for all of you lovelies (and of course on my family--they are young and need me to be more present).
I also need to finish up some UFOs that are so near completion that it's ridiculous that they are still UFOs. Bad knitter, no cookie!
My rusty Ribbon Lace Scarf has like a few more rows and it's done. Purple slippers need to be seamed.
Then there's the UFOs that are halfway done. My Knitting Bunnies are excellent at knocking UFOs out of queue. I'm figuring that I won't let myself start any more outside projects (outside meaning Other Designers (OD) work), until I finish those UFOs.
Because I really want to start Citron from the latest issue of Knitty. I figure having one or two OD projects would be very restful from any sort of decision making when I am working out the Knitting Bunnies.
I also need to work on a few of my older BK projects: one of which needs to be finished by June for the arrival of my brand new niece or nephew.
The purple one is done, need to finish the red one. The other two socks are still in time out. My brain hasn't had the time to work out the wibbley wobbley sockie wockie problems.
I also have a few very OLD projects from when I first started knitting that I really ought to finish--almost forgot about those. Nice easy mindless projects...sometimes lately I have needed the easy and mindless. This year my brain felt very overtaxed. And from my current state of mind...it ain't gonna get better.
Also less submission less Super Secret Projects: so the tantalizing teasing will be lessened. Grin.
I also need to conquer the big near unravel of 2007.
One more thing before I go knit some more. The kids LOVED the knitted toys (Yay!) and someone wants a shawl like Granny's Shawl, but in pink. Grin.