What is my crafting time?

Well...  anytime I can get a chance. I am known at work for always having a knitting project in my bag.

Sock knitting project bag at work

I have different projects for the range of situations I encounter in my life. I have TV knitting. I have quiet without TV knitting (Lace). I have pick up and put down knitting or lets work like the clappers all out on a large projects.

Sock and coffee waiting for student.

If I want company when I want to knit at home I put on a DVD movie that I do not have to place attention to and work on my project. I may have a companion animal when I am knitting or crocheting. Dependant on the type of project I am working on will be the rationale for how long one of the animals says with me. The dog for some reason seems to think that sock knitting with five needles is just the absolute pits. I sort of understand why if you get a nose full of sharp double pointed needles poking into your face all the time.

What is so wrong with those double points?

I have projects for knit night or movies. I find the long boring stockingette backs for a large gorilla sized man's vest or jumper can just fly by in a good movie. Even in a bad movie my knitting helps stop me from killing the kid who picked the said movie and is loving it immensely.

Miles of stockingette

I used to go to a sewing session once a week and this was where I could cut out my sewing for the week which is great when the kids were little. I still like to make a couple of hours each week were I can potter in the coal shed and this may be just organising yarn for the various project bags for the different creative intervals in my week.  I find that without a daily session of crafting time where I am able to use my creative side that I become a difficult person to live with. Crafting helps with stress management and renewal of other parts of the brain so I can do problem solving.

Something to aspire to a wedding ring shawl.

One day I would like to make a wedding ring shawl. The Heirloom knitters on Ravelry had been reconstructing a pattern and the completed shawl is known as the Queen Susan shawl.

Fleegle's Queen Susan Shetland Lace Shawl

The thing about a wedding shawl is that it is thin enough to be threaded through a wedding ring. That is a 180x180 cm (6x6 foot) shawl that today would cost starting from £2,000 and up. To make this type of shawl you are going to need roughly 8,000 metres of gossamer weight lace yarn. Think about that it is 8 kilometres or 5 miles of yarn. My mind boggles at the sheer dedication of time to make this shawl, the skill and the mastery that this shawl demonstrates.

When I first was learning about the different lace traditions I thought there was no way that I would be ever be able to do lace as I was absolutely craptastic at reading a pattern let alone a chart. Nope I would never ever be able to do a Shetland or Orenburg type Lace shawl. But the more I practice and the more I challenge myself I am coming to see that making this type of shawl will be one day an achievable goal. I have even queued the Queen Susan shawl on my Ravelry queue which is almost at longer than my life expectancy. Though the day I actually do make and finish this type of shawl successfully I think I will shout it from the tree tops. I am pretty sure that the other half will go "That's nice dear" not realising the muggle that he is what a massive achievement that this project will be for me.

I keep calling myself a beginner to intermediate knitter but this is with cough 35+ years cough of knitting experience. I recently went to the work lunch knitting group and someone commented on how fast I can knit but when I compare myself to others I know I am an average knitter. When do you know that you have mastered a skill? Do we ever master a craft? I think that is why so many people continue to knit or crochet as they are ever extending their skill levels.

Alternative perspective the voice of youth.

Well today's theme is supposed to be an alternative perspective so I thought I would get the perspective of one of the two younger knitters in the family on my and their knitting habits. So I am pleased to present a post from Ry who just might make it to 17 years of age in June.

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To most people my age, being in that strange age between childhood and adulthood when you hate everything, and I do mean everything, Knitting is not the most fashionable thing to do.

No, let me rephrase that it is not only one of the least fashionable things to do, it's also considered to be old, odd and something that grandmothers do to give to their children, who they dote on, but their labour of love is soon forgotten and thrown into a pile in the black-holes we call our rooms.

However, being the daughter of a knitter has given me a much different perspective, not that I'm denying that some of my mother's creations have sucked into the perpetual black-hole in my room; along with other things such as odd socks and various pieces of maths homework. While I admit this, I do not have the same perspective that most teenagers do, though this may be because of my naturally 'different' personality anyway.

Knitting is, I believe, something that is rewarding and an amazing thing to do, and in fact I am quite envious when I'm sitting and reading, something which I do a lot, and I see my mother start a project and then by the time I put the book down, only a few hours later, the project is finished.

The fact that I can see my mother start with balls of ordinary looking wool, even though it maybe a beautiful green, and then makes something that I could wear and something that I in fact would be proud to wear is one of the miracles in the world - along with sliced bread and the creation of mass printed books.

And when I wear my mother's creations, which I do often ... especially when they're green, and people comment on how nice it is and asking me where I got it from, I always get that stupid grin on my face and a proud feeling when I say "My Mum made it" and I know that no one else in the world has the same clothes as me, or the nicest mother either.

So while most people my age would probably denounce knitting as something that old people do, I think it is something that everyone could do - I can, if i had the patience to drag myself away from my precious books, and I think that if more teenagers knew the joy, and pride, that came with knitting something, or even just making something for themselves they would not be so disparaging to knitters.

Live Long and Prosper,
Ry

What happens when a item goes off to its intended recipient?

At times I wonder about becoming a selfish knitter. You see I make a lot of items for my loved ones. It is general a gift from the heart for a seasonal occasion like Christmas or anniversary event such as a birthday.

Ape and George from the
George of the Jungle movie

Dear Hubby, J, was on the no knit list for almost 10 years after a white Aran cabled jumper was made to his precise specifications and then never was worn by him.... I knew when he picked the wool it was too hot and he would not believe me. Heck what did I know I had only been married to him approximately 10 years by that stage and knew that he was my personal hot water bottle system.  I relented in 2008/2009/2010 made him 2 vests and 1 jumper. I can honestly say I have not seen him wear any of them more than once or twice..  You wonder why when you consider how big he is that he has been put back on the no knit list. NAH not when you consider he is a silver back gorilla I have had to knit extremely long stretches between neck and waist or shoulder to wrist.

This labour of love has been
 seen on the floor frequently.

Daughter, Ry, well where do I start... She should be on the NO knit list thanks to the way she looks after items I have knitted for her. If you want to have an overview of my projects over the last couple of years just look on her bedroom floor. Lately she has scored some items since I am trying to Stash Down and she scored the Reynolds merino/mohair mix that I can not use for my own garments. 

An old Billy vest for Rh.

Of the three of them Rh, aka the boyo (the son) is actually the most appreciative of his knitted items.  He loves knitted socks and wears his jumpers and vests to a point past where they no longer fit him. That is an interesting crop top vest? I have had to steel old vests off him cause he would keep wearing them when they would not even cover his kidneys. He is almost due for some new items once I get the never ending queue of projects beaten down a bit to a more manageable level.

Tidy mind, tidy stitches.

Hang on....  I actually subscribe to the philosophy of a tidy desk means a sick mind. So how do I get to a tidy mind equates tidy stitches.  Well I find a messy work bench hinders creativity.

I find Ravelry was brilliant for organising my yarn stash theoretically but I am working on dealing with my stash in real life. One of the first things is I am doing is trying to get it under control. I am doing the Stash down in 2011 and so far so good. I have only brought 3 skeins of yarn while there has been over 30 skeins come out of the stash.  I have been using large plastic crates for my yarn stash but I am currently in the process of refurbishing an old steamer trunk into my yarn trunk.

Above is a picture of what drawers should be there in my trunk but they are missing.  I am wanting to replace the drawers with Palclear UV.  This is a clear perspex product that will allow the contents of the drawers to be viewed but has the UV protection in so if the trunk is standing open sunlight does not damage the draw contents. The lining material also needs replacing and the outside of the trunk also needs work.  But I estimate that this option will provide approximately 4 plastic crates worth of storage but also provide me with beautiful display piece.

As part of the fit out of the trunk will also creating storage space for the various Nameste bags and other accessories that I have.  I just love my nameste bags and I will be acquiring a couple more.

Skill + 1UP

Last year I took the challenge of working on my Lace skills.  It was about 18 months ago after many many attempts and a bit of determination did I finally get how to read lace charts.  I have become so familiar and comfortable with the charts in the last 12 months that I now find looking at written instructions to be a pain in the arse and sometime confusing. Who woulda thunk for this dyslexic bunny?? I just needed the hand holding and support from the ravelry beginner lace knitters group!

To think I struggled the first time I knitted this pattern.

This year I am working on developing my technique knowledge and skills through the use of socks. This is where I using sock projects to work on alternative construction techniques and approaches such as toe up, two at a time and different heels construction.

One of the recent completed sock patterns.

I am also trying to improve my colour work and design skills and the sock projects are giving just enough practice for each. I am doing the lace challenge again but this year all the patterns are more advanced and this is a reflection that I am advancing in my skills.  I am also working on my spinning I am determined to get better at lace weight.

A Tale of Two or Three Yarns: lessons yarn addicts learn

As a yarn addict there are some lessons we all have to learn.  Each yarn addict may have to learn that sometimes even though you love the colour or feel or texture of the yarn it is just not going to work for you in the project you are working on.  I have found out that through hard and painful experience that I can not knit with mohair not even a small percentage of mohair mixture. After many years in wilderness of the tropical climate of Northern Australia where I got to knit in lots of cotton and the very very rare wool yarn I thought I would be able to knit with these other wonderful yarns like wool, angora and mohair when we moved to UK.

So like a good rowan knitter who gets her magazine subscription each year (about 2006/7) I was given was given a couple of balls of Kid Silk Haze, (70% mohair, 30% silk).  The Kid Silk Haze is also known as yarn crack in many a yarnie's stash.  When I got these balls it was summer and I thought that it was just my normal summertime hay fever issues were interrupting me when I was playing with yarn. I didnot even think that it might have been the yarn but it must be the high pollen count for the day. I was sneezing and sniffiling aware to the point were I did not feel well enough to knit.  I ended up putting the project and therefore the yarn away for a couple of days and low and behold my nose stopped dripping like a tap. Who had changed the washer? Picked up the yarn and within 20 minutes my nose is like a river and I am ready to rip the eyes out of head.  Mohair is not my friend.  

I have even tried lower percentage count mixes such as 14% mix that I accidentally brought for myself. I had done the colour choice and not read the ball details too closely, as it was online special price on closeout sale from Webs.  Webs is a very bad place for bank balances but great for developing and extending the size of a knitter's stash. Imagine the chagrin in this household when the cause that I was sniffling so much was the 14% mix. But But I love this colour and it was going to be something for MEEEEEEE!!!!!! I had to rip out that cardigan I was working on as there was no way I would be able to wear it.   Imagine having 20 balls in a pretty yarn in your stash and not being able to use it.  Stuff that for a monkey's! Where are the antihistamines and one new carnaby skirt for the daughter since she like the colour as well and has absolutely no problems with the mohair content.  Damn! that is so not fair. Of course since there was no reason for me to use the left over balls Daughter had to put the request in for a matching jacket. This yarn was the one I used for the MIA 1 & 2 projects for the daughter. I still have to finish the sleeves but I have to find another packet of antihistamines first.

Like any yarn junkie there are some yarns I just have to due their colour. I had been drooling over Zauberballs for a while and I finally got my mitts on some.  I was a joy to play with. However, even though I am a yarn junkie there are some yarns that I can never see myself using such as jelly yarns.  When I first learnt about this yarn a number of years ago it was an adamant no sodding way, Hell could freeze over first before I would ever use it. But now I can see the possible potential in this yarn but it is still a case of not for me.  I am not being a yarn snob but I just don't enjoy knitting with 100% acrylics.  I have used them and not liked them.  What is the point with knitting with something you don't like using and therefore decrease your enjoyment to the point that you absolutely hate the project?   There are times when I have to use acrylics but they tend to be acrylic mixed with a natural product so it is a case of choosing a yarn for the purpose.