Knit Your Bit

My grandparents were teenagers during WWII. They lived through the war on ration cards, but never really talked about how tough it was. Because in other parts of the world people were killed and tortured. They just starved. And complaining was really not in their vocabulary.

[ Picture taken on June 20th, 1942 in Strömnäs, Sweden. He was 22.]

~

The most shameful of all were the German trains. My grandpa told me about watching the trains travelling through their sleepy town. They never stopped, they just travelled through, shipping the Germans to Norway for the occupation. They were sanctioned by the Swedish government, but hated by the people. I don't think the Norwegians have ever forgiven us for it, their leaders went underground and fought for their lives, while we just made deals to save our hide.

~

All these memories floated up because of the Red Cross package I dug up from my knitting pile.The knitting effort during WWI and WWII was amazing. While getting the commemorative knitting kit from WWII, and knitting these socks may not help someone today, I thought it would force me to never forget our past, our history. Because things aren't much different today.

~

~

Afghans for Afghans are doing a tremendous job. I signed up, and even if I won't make the current deadline, I'm going to knit my bit, for someone else, who needs it alot more than I do.

Pomotamus Kicks My Ass

It's just a sock, I figured. Well there's been alot of time spent unraveling. A few things I've learned along the way:

• The first stitch (either a purl or a KNIT) after the YO ridge I don't twist on the knit side. I kind of started out forgetting to twist that stitch, then slapped myself for it, and started twisting it. Then realizing I didn't like how it looked so different on the knit or purl side, and started to NOT twist it again. No frogging. The socks are just for me. Let's call them a Prototype.
• Don't forget to move the stitches around on Row 23. Took me 15 minutes on the train and alot of swearing to realize I should read instructions. Really. Maybe that's just me. I hate instructions. And 12 hours at work-work really sucks.
• Maybe get metal needles. My sz 2 dpns are BENT from all the squishing with an unfamiliar pattern. Hopefully they won't break until the socks are done...
  
• Be sure to have enough yarn. I'm hoping and keeping my fingers crossed. I don't know what I did with the #$)*(#)(*#$ label.
  

~~~

Here's a perfect picture for my yarn-counting sock-knitting-abilities. All of them not finished due to lack of yarn. I suppose they could be ankle socks... If I knew where the half-knitted mates were.

~~~

The twisted knit stitches are so prim and proper and poppy on Pomatomus! I love how neat they look! Socks are such a good in-between project. And they are a good way to work up to making the Knitting Project List. Alot of it needs to be done before going to Sweden (Sep 2nd.) I think the Jaywalkers are next. Even in the summer they're not bad to knit, and they are Wooly. But like Mark Twain said: "The coldest winter I ever spent, was summer in San Francisco".

~~~

I even saw a lady wearing a padded winter coat two days ago. What a crazy bitty I thought, until I stepped off the train. The city is damn cold in the mornings.

~~~

The Poison Oak is going to be with me until the day I die. Maybe the Drs Appointment tomorrow will help kick it. I refuse to take pictures of it. I will never go out in Nature again.

Yarn Crawl

It never hit me until SnB the other night that Moths are really every knitters biggest enemy. Seeing Cookie with her huge hefty bags of yarn she was de-stashing made me think. "Huh, those could be useful." So at Walmart the other day (I really don't go there often, this was the P&C run and justified) I got two boxes and decided that one day I would make my yarn moth safe. When I still had some left. So last night at 1 am after doing some work-work (the one I get paid to support my yarn-addiction with) I decided it was Time. Out came the camera at ISO 800 and one of the studio lights (I just needed enough light to not have to use the flash. Ick, ick, I hate flashes.) Pictures are not compensated for tungsten light so they're VERY yellow.

~

So many single skeins that were bought "just for fun" back when all I knit were socks (instant gratification.) With socks you can really justify splurging $20 on a skein. The Classic Elite alpaca in black and red will come in handy (ha ha ha) for the sheep puppets from Spin Off Summer 2006.

~

There were projects that haven't seen daylight in YEARS. A pair of mittens (well clearly not done, so 1.5 mittens) from the Folk Mittens book (the lapland ones, cuz ya know, that's where I'm from, and I'm proud of it dammit.) One mitten is clearly too small, but I still kept going (or didn't). Some dpns were missing in it too.

~

3/4 of a sock has been knitted in my pretty blue and green stitches yarn, using the embossed leaves pattern from IK. I love the pattern, finished a pair already in a different color, but got bored with the second pair. I'm thinking Pomatomus or Jaywalkers maybe. I've always wanted to do a toe up sock.

~

I almost forgot the homegrown felted bag with leaves. It is worked in intarsia and the round, isn't that an oxymoron? Took me one row exactly to figure that one out. " Where the fudge is the yarn??" (Only I didn't say fudge.) I'm bright, I know. One corner of the bag is open. It will be sewed up before felting. The Manos pink and purples are gorgeous.

~

The dreaded sweater. Brought it out for the Yearly Inspection. "Yup, the first sleeve is STILL at 5 inches." The knitting fairies are but a dream. Although this time, I also decided that when the weather gets colder (in the CA Bay Area that will be in OCTOBER I hope) I am bringing out the beast to FINISH it.

A tip for the knitter who hasn't left a project hanging for more than a few weeks. Don't. ( But you'll know for sure you're a Process Knitter.) And if you do, then make sure you unravel about 2-3 rows before you begin knitting. If the yarn has been hanging out on the needles for too long they get stretched. You will definately see a "ridge" in your knitting where you picked up the work again and started knitting unless you unravel that row. It can maybe be fixed with blocking, but I wouldn't take that chance. Rip, rip, rip.

For this sweater I am actually going to start the other sleeve first (or maybe do two at once) because God only knows ( if she knits) what my gauge is like now, and I'd prefer it to be the same on both sleeves at least.

~

I love Artfibers. I'm a broken record, I know. Their stuff is stellar. Kyoto and Satori (a.k.a. handpainted Kyoto) are my favorites. So shiny and so soft. I have made a gazillion hats and scarves with this yarn. Not for myself though, but I still have yarn left to pet. Alot of it.

~

Novelty yarns. I'm sure Old School knitters shudder at the thought. But it's fun! My grandma (79 years old, who probably knitted for about seventy of them) sent me some ribbon yarn the other week from Sweden. "It's so FUN and PRETTY to knit with, and guess what?? It's ALL IN GARTER STITCH. How easy is that??" She even got my sister to start knitting. WITHOUT ME. I am so jealous.

~

Knitting research is awesome. Got my books from Amazon on Friday. Only looked through the Pattern book by Barbara Walker so far. So the pictures are in black in white? So the book is THICK? It is such a wealth of patterns and information I think EVERY SINGLE KNITTER should have this book. I found the pattern for the Orangina in it. I think. It is so pretty. (And it's coming along..)



~

So the Yarn Crawl? It was really just a trip to Creative Hands in Belmont (We almost had a heartattack when we noticed they were not in their old location in San Carlos!! Just drive a couple of miles north and it's on the left right when you get into Belmont, phewey), and to Fengari's in Half Moon Bay. Don't take 92, it's a bitch to get over the hill. Not for my friend though "you can take as long as you want, I'm knitting."

Four skeins of sock yarn, and 4 skeins of Cotton classic. Thanks to Organizing Streak I didn't spend a fortune today. Because, even if I don't think so, I DO have SOME yarn at home. At least enough for a couple of sweaters and too many pairs of socks. So it's time to make the Complete List of Objects to Knit. Scary.

Happy 230th

It's remarkable that many, many years ago, on a hot, hot muggy summer day, 13 colonies decided that enough was enough. Only one abstained, to make sure the vote was unanimous.

Some very brave men made some world changing decisions. It must have been quite the times back then.










Ballband bathmat is completed. Triple-stranded S&C . 3 skeins of beige, 3 skeins of white. The problem with S&C is that whoever is winding it, doesn't know how to count. The yardage was WAY OFF on each skein. But then again, it's $2.50/skein. I suppose I shouldn't complain. 100 % cotton in the bathroom mat, it's gonna be nice n cushy and most important of all, easy to clean!


Was running out of the beige, so I had to do some color switcharo. Or I could also say "I meant for it to look like this". But I really didn't. I still think it looks nice.

I blame Mason Dixon

for the lack of Peaches & Creme at Walmart. (Yes, I actually went to Walmart.) Looked online for it, since I'd never heard about it before, but at bobaknit snb on Thursday Abigail said "oh you can just get it at WALMART". At which point I looked at my watch, it was 10 pm. Dammit.

A trip to Walmart on Friday resulted in some boring beigy cone P&C and some varigated stuff (see title). But hey, the cone was LESS THAN SEVEN BUCKS (at 1000 yds) and the smaller skeins were $1.27/each. How great is it to be able to fill up a basket of yarn and NOT EVEN FEEL BAD ABOUT IT??


Since it's almost 4th of July, I got the patriotic colors and whipped up the dishrag Friday night, while watching 24 (season 3).


The number one concern for me with these, is the absorbancy factor. I did alittle bit of research with it over the weekend (whiped down the counter once), but was mostly lazy, (had to find some more of that P&C, that clearly took priority!)


During lunch two days last week, I went to NoeKnit in Noe Valley, and Imagiknit on 18th n Sanchez. NoeKnit had pretty much what you can get anywhere else, but Imagiknits has a HUGE HUGE collection of yarns. I found some Tahki Classic Cotton that is required for the Mitered Square Blanket, and bought a few skeins to start it . I figured, a coupla skeins a week, and eventually I'll have enough for the blanket (40 skeins). Also got this nylon Noro on a whim. They have alot of yarn I want to get on a whim. But I showed restraint, which you could only tell by going in there, and seeing what they have. Really. Have to go back again with people who try to not CRAMP MY STYLE. Boys. "Can we go now, can we go now, can we go now ?" Clearly you need about 3 hrs easy in there. Easy.


Friday was Walmart, and on Saturday, my friend and I went to JoAnns (Yes, tons of Sugar & Creme!!!!!! Blue, Turquoise, Pink, Beige, White. Another basket full), and then to Uncommon Threads in Los Altos. She bought some Tahki Cotton Classic for a log cabin blanket (YEY!) and I got some more of it for the Mitered Square Blanket. Allright, the colors were lovely, so now I have 11 skeins. More than my allocation of yarn this week, but now I don't have to buy more for WEEKS. I'm almost fooling myself into believing that.


The mitered squares are fun to knit, and it's nice to knit something besides the Orangina. It's abit mindless.


Not to forget the P/S&C, started a bathmat with three stranded P/S&C in beige and white, using the dishrag pattern on Saturday evening. It's going to be pretty big, I've knitted about 12 inches or so, and it looks SO CUTE. Oh, if you want the pattern without buying the MDK book? It's on the back of the tag of the P&C! (I'm sure everyone is going, well, DUH.) But this is all news to me.


And did I speak too soon? Yes. I now have Poison Oak all over my leg, my arms, my eyelid (nice). And these are the ones I know about as of today. The bug bite at the back of my leg? Not a bug bite. Now a raving culture of Poison Oak that is spreading icky bumps and yuckiness all over the back of my leg. With vodka (on the cut, hello!) and Cortaid spray, life is almost non-scratchy. For another two hours.