New Hobbies

Along with my baby and normal life I have had another distraction to keep me from knitting: a new hobby, well actually several. Here's a list:

Making lip balm
Making soap
Screen printing T-shirts

Here's a photo of the lip balm, which is the best I've ever had by the way.



I haven't tried making soap or silk screening T-shirts yet but I have supplies and soon...soon...I will achieve world domination! Mwahahahahaaaaa

Epic Project #2: Update

It has begun.

I renewed my TKGA membership and got the updates to the Master Knitter Level 1 instructions that I need. B-T-dubs, TKGA keeps great records and they still had my membership from six years ago on file. They were super helpful and made it easy peasy to start up again.

I've got the yarn and have completed (except for the blocking) the first three swatches. So far I'm a little disappointed in my 1x1 rib, it's a little all over the place, but hopefully it will straighten out when I block it. The other stitches seem to be pretty good. I hope to block the pieces this weekend and maybe answer the questions about them too. We'll see how far I get. My time has been pretty jam packed and it's only going to get busier as the holidays come up.

I'm dedicated though. I can't let this slip through the cracks like so many other things I have started in my life. I want some recognition!

I was a little dismayed to learn that The Yarnery has a Master Knitter Level 1 class that you can take. Those jerks! I want to be the only one! RECOGNITION! I guess I just want my certificate to be special and I don't want a million snooty Grand Ave ladies to look down their nose at me, and be like "oh, you're not special or good, I have that too." ...Yeah, maybe I have a little complex. Oh well, I'm going to get to level three and all of those snooty ladies can...well, you know.

State Fair

The Creative Activities building is always one of my top destinations at the MN State Fair. I love looking at all of the amazing things that people do; the pies, the pickles, the jam and jellies, the beautiful quilts and most of all the knitting. There are some amazing artisans out there. It always provides a lot of inspiration and I find I'm energized to start my next project.

However, I'm always perplexed by the judging. Like this year, the sweepstakes winner was an afghan, yes it was gorgeous, but it was also very simple, the other first prize winners looked like they required much more skill. To each their own I guess. It just shows me that it doesn't have to be ridiculous to be a winner.

Lessons I learned about winners:

1) Blocking, blocking, blocking. All of the winners were blocked to perfection
2) Finer yarns do better. Most of the top finishers were made using sport weight or smaller yarns
3) Fair Isle first. Good color work seemed to do quite well. I saw more color pieces with ribbons than cable pieces.

Of course every year is different, depending on the judges and the entries. What will it be next year? All I know is next year I'm in. What shall I make?

Dishes are Like Purling

I was doing the dishes the other night and thinking how wretched it is to have to wash goey disgusting dishes every single day when I had an epiphany...dishes are like purling!

You may be asking,filthy disgusting dishes are like purling? How?

Well. There is many a knitter out there who hates the purl; hates it with a passion usually reserved for despots and snakes, which is generally how I feel about dishes, but I do not happen to be one of those purl-hating knitters. I enjoy the purls. The purl stitches are the yin to the yang, the down to the up, the cold to the hot etc., etc., of knitting. Once you get the rhythm of them they are very enjoyable as enjoyable as the knit, if perhaps a little slower for the throwing knitter.

Dirty, dishes could also be thought of as the complementary negative of eating, and one could further extrapolate that dishes could perhaps (with difficulty) be enjoyed for their rhythm and regularity.

And so, it is my goal to learn to enjoy the crusted on filth and drudgery that is dishwashing, or at least learn not to loath it so much.

Toys!

I was at the library one fateful day a few weeks ago and decided to peruse the knitting section. I have looked at the books there many a time and have not seen many that piqued my interest but this day was different. I came across a toy book, well, not a TOY book but a book about making toys. Normally the thought of toy construction makes me writhe in horror, not because I dislike toys but because I hate the thought of so many ends to sew in, and parts to sew on, and tiny pieces to somehow attach ....ah!

Inexplicably I checked this book out and let it sit for a while at home, then started looking at it. That's when the magical thought occurred, (the magical thought is the one we each have when we suddenly realize and say to ourselves "Oh! Hey! I can do this. It might be fun." It has to happen in some way before every project gets started and sometimes it happens unexpectedly.) and I started to make my little TV.

Making my little TV turned out to be fun. Really fun. And you don't really have to sew in the ends because you just pull them through the toy and leave them. That's right leave them because who cares? You can't see them. The toy is stuffed. STUFFED.

I like this idea of stuffing. So far I've made two toys and I have a strong feeling more will be coming.

Epic Project #2

I'm thinking of becoming a Master Knitter, well, getting certified that is. I think I can do it and the man of the house said he would buy me business cards that said "Katie Levine: Certified Master Knitter". I think that would be cool. It would interfere with my plans to knit through my stash but I guess that's okay. I'll figure something out. I can pursue both goals at the same time, yeah, that's right, I can have my cake and eat it too.

Epic Project

So lately I've been thinking of an epic project, something to challenge me and keep me occupied for a very long time...

Knitting through my stash.

It's crazy I know, but I don't have any storage space and I feel like I need to use what I have before it gets wet in the basement or eaten by moths. All of that beautiful yarn is just waiting for me to make it into something lovely.

Knitting through my stash means making good use of odds and ends from old projects plus yarn that I got for projects but never used for those projects. It will require tenacity and creativity and a moratorium on buying yarn; which is okay because I feel guilty every time I bring a new skein home without using up one from the piles I currently have.

My rules for this epic project will be:
1. Almost all yarn must be used. Exceptions will be made if the ball of yarn is smaller than a cottonball.
2. Any project counts. Rugs, dollies, pillow covers, napkin rings, whatever gets rid of the yarn.
3. Once a project gets started it must be finished. This is going to be a tough one because I'm much better at starting than finishing projects. I can do it. To the finish line! One needle in front of the other!

I'll keep you updated on my progress. I plan to start after I finish the socks I'm working on, which hopefully won't take too long.

At first I thought I should try to do this in a year, a la Julie and Juliet, but I realized that there is no possible way I can get through such a giant mound of yarn in a year. I think I would have to use more than a skein a week and right now I use a skein every three months, if that. So I gave up. It takes as long as it takes.

When You Need a Friend

Sometimes when you're knitting you just need a friend, a knitting friend. Someone to tell you you're not doing it wrong and it's going to look great. I've been reminded of this on a couple of occasions lately as I have been trying to help a friend finish a project. We can't seem to find a time to get together and she doesn't know other knitters who can help her out so she's stuck. She knows what to do, she just needs a knitting friend to tell her she's doing it right.

I've been very lucky to have some excellent knitting friends in my life, actually knitting family. They are always ready at a moment's notice to talk me through a difficult pattern or make sure I'm doing it right, and in the worst case, tell me I'm doing it wrong and how to do it the right way.

Things move slowly

My heel has made no progress, it is still only half turned and my other projects are only dreams in my head. I do however have a child that has longer and longer periods of not screaming, this is blessing enough. I have high hopes that soon the screaming will be minimal and I can do some knitting too. And maybe eventually I'll be able to work in my other hobbies too! This prospect is very exciting for me.

Progress...Or Lack thereof

It's amazing how little knitting I've done lately. The time flies by but very little of it is dedicated to making super great warm fuzzies. What a bummer! My sock is languishing in my knitting basket with a half turned heel, and the other projects I was going to start have not even been pulled out of the yarn stash. I keep thinking of things I want to do but somehow they don't get done, I actually feel proud of getting my heel half turned. Soon though, things will calm down and I will again make headway in turning the mountain of yarn in my house into warm wearables.

Best Project Ever

So I haven't been writing much over the past year, mostly because I've been bone tired, and the reason I've been so tired is because I was working on the best project I could ever have started, this guy:



Right from the get go I was amazed at how much energy it takes to make a baby and that hasn't changed after he was born.He's tiny, he's cute, and he's demanding. Seven pounds of bottled up scream will sure take the energy out of a normal knitter. So I haven't been doing much but tending to him, hopefully I will get more energy/time/sleep in the future so I can write more.

Lame

How'd I get to be so lame? I last published a post over three months ago. To my three loyal readers I apologize. I will be better.

On that note, here are my new year's resolutions:

1. Pick up after myself
2. Write a 2nd draft of my story "George"
3. Eat vegetables (this used to have "more" in it but I figure my chances are better at completion if i just keep it simple, i.e. I ate broccoli today! One down.)
4. Exercise
5. Blog (one more done!!)
6. Practice piano
7. Clean basement
8. Plant garden
9. Decorate for the holidays (just Christmas, not all of them)
10. Read books
11. Vacuum
12. Sweep

I made 12 because chances are better that I'll do something about 12 small ones than 1 big one. It's all about the small accomplishments.