Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Predictable.

The other day, the husbeast gave me some mad money. (He gave it to me by reaching into my shirt and sticking it in my bra. I promise he's the only one I allow to do that. Really. No matter how much I want to go book shopping.) I kept thinking I should do something new with it. You know, something I've never done before.

Instead I ran out to the yarn store and got some yarn, fiber, and books. To hell with it. I may be predictable, but I know what makes me happy.

The orange is some sock yarn because apparently the sock knitting bug has bitten. (Mostly I need something mindless and portable and my feet get really cold in winter.) The aqua is some Cascade 220 I'm going to use to knit some swatches with. I'd really like to knit Heroine from Twist Collective, but knowing my felting curse, I want to be damn sure it'll felt right BEFORE I destroy a hundred bucks' worth of yarn and blow weeks knitting the thing. I love the aqua color, but I've since seen another jacket in that shade that I love, so I may knit Heroine in russet instead. Assuming I knit it. I'll be sure to document the madness for everyone's entertainment.

The fiber is some Gotland wool. I'm still veeeeeeery slowly spinning away on that cardigan idea I have, one knit with all sorts of naturally colored animal fibers. Since I haven't done too many sheep breeds yet (got two types of alpaca, though, in three colors), this'll make a nice addition. Trying to decide if I'm going to add some gold Angelina fiber to it. (Think tinsel.)

The books? Well, I got a Spin*Off magazine, and another book I'll probably review tomorrow. It's awesome.

I hadn't been to the store since May, I don't think, so it was really nice to swing through, poke at new stuff, and stand in front of the Wall O' Cascade and marvel.

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Lately I've been thinking of knitting and writing, in comparison to each other. You know, the process of writing an article or blog post (or book), as opposed to knitting a project. And I realized I'm a lot more patient with my writing. I'll write and re-write and edit, but if I knit something, I expect it to go perfectly on the first try. That seems a little crazy.

Once I started thinking about it, I started looking at the last three months' knitting as kind of like rough drafts. Fooling around with an idea, but not ready for publication (or wearing) yet. So, I started editing.

Most annoying part? It took TWO HOURS to unravel the Zauberball shrug-thingie. Oh- I also got out the micrometer the husbeast got for me and measured the needles I knit that sock on. Size zeros. No wonder it was a bit stiff. Sheesh.

So, I'm gonna try some re-writes. I know it was the right choice because seeing those projects reduced to squiggly balls doesn't bother me.

Now, I think I'm gonna go... knit some socks. Again.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a 'bad' habit of being dissatisfied with some of my knitting or other crafts. Some of my yarn has been in several partial garments before ending up in balls again. Unfortunately my writing usually only gets a quick spell-check and then it's posted.

David St. Louis said...

Pleasepleasepleaseplease tell me you put that money in your pocketbook...

Nicole said...

I've been wanting to knit Heroine, too! It's such a beautiful coat, but I don't know how well I can felt something in a college dorm.

bobbins said...

I just ripped out my first shawl knitted with handspun yarn. There were only about 30 hard-won rows but it was time because I hated the innocent yarn. Now the yarn is beautiful and wonderful again.

It is satisfying to frog when you realize the yarn and project are not working together and the yarn has a higher purpose.

Liz said...

I'd managed to miss "Heroine" - and now I want to make it right now...

NeedleTart said...

I always knit socks on size 0. Then again I knit veerrrry loosely. Love the blue and am going to look at Heroine right now!

Donna Lee said...

gotland is the wool the cloaks from the LOTR were made from. It appeals to the inner geek in me.

I am slowly making little knitted things for holiday gifts. I need some mindless knitting at the end of the day and plain socks and mitts are the thing I run to.

Smallest size I've used for socks is 2.0. It makes fabric that is positively bulletproof (I'm a tight knitter to start with).

roxie said...

And I feel so heroic when I knit on size 3s. You sockateers awe me.

Somehow I feel that if you went into the yarn store and pulled money out of your bra, no one would blink an eye.

roxie said...

And I feel so heroic when I knit on size 3s. You sockateers awe me.

Somehow I feel that if you went into the yarn store and pulled money out of your bra, no one would blink an eye.

historicstitcher said...

Love the sock yarn. I usually knit them on size 0s. That's my normal.

Of course, I'm not regularly referred to as "normal."

I'm debating frogging the entirety of the Nantucket Jacket I knit 2 years ago - I knit it up, it stretched in the wearing (but not ins the blocking) and then I lost 25 pounds. Now it looks like shit when I wear it. Just trying to decide what to do next with 16 balls of Berroco Pure Merino in fire engine red...

Emily said...

I've loved that "Heroine" from afar for a few years now. But I've never felted a thing in my life yet. Hmmm.

What's awful for me is the period while I'm struggling to decide to rip out. Afterwards my soul is calm. I once had to rip out the entire back of a coat done in intarsia...now, that was rough. But I redid it & it came out perfect.

Now, whenever I need to rip out, I remember that & say to myself, if I could do THAT, then I can do this tiny thing.

Knitting is ripping out. Comes with the territory. Much as diapers come with a baby.

Anonymous said...

I've been thinking about socks. I have a few nice skeins that I am dying to knit, but want to find a sock pattern I'm happy with. I tried doing my own and I wasn't happy with that either. LOL

Trish

Barbara said...

Ah, mad money! My favorite kind, and you got a bonus grope. Nice.

I'm always willing to frog a project but I hatehatehate rewriting. We must be "Janus" twins. Or I'll send you my rewriting and you send me your frogging.

What book did you buy? Tell!

Alwen said...

I've knitted socks on 0s, but I'm a pretty tight knitter already. I like a sock to nearly stand up on its own. I think they wear better that way!

You might be creepily amused to know that the verification word this time is andheal!

Amy Lane said...

*gasp* You ripped out the shawl? Wow... I liked that! I'm actually more comfortable with unfinished yarn projects thyan unfinished manuscripts... which explains a lot, really...