Frog, frog again

I’m taking up knitting! Again!

I had requested a Ravelry invite AGES ago — they’re still in beta — and finally got one yesterday. Or the day before. And let me tell you, this site is fun. It has a place for you to organize your current projects, and keep track of your yarn stash (meager and sad, in my case, but still), and look for patterns. It’s just so neat. So I’ve been messing around on there and I found a cabled vest I think I want to make and I went to Joann today (because I can’t afford the “luxury yarns” at my local yarn shop, or at least what Google is telling me is my local yarn shop). And I bought, let’s see, 4 balls of brown yarn. But on Ravelry I can nerd out and tell you that what I really bought was 592 yards of Patons Shetland Chunky in the colorway Earthy Brown. Yarn nerdery. Is awesome.

I also bought an assortment of Clover bamboo needles because they are made in Japan and they are prettier than the Susan Bates metal ones I was using. And I knitted a gauge swatch of the brown yarn this evening — and actually measured, which I understand is important — using the bamboos and hey! Me like. Soft and quiet.

It’s like knitting has finally clicked for me. I remember when CSS finally clicked for me, all the divs and the IDs and the classes. I was on fire, man. It was awesome. And I remember when garment sewing finally clicked for me, and when crochet finally clicked for me. I live for that click, man. Maybe that’s why I’m always working on something: I’m addicted to the click.

Tangent: Owen calls our good friend Clint “Mr. Click.” It’s cute.

De-tangent.

So, anyway, point. Now that I have my sewing room mostly in order and my fabric stash organized by chroma and intensity … I’m turning to knitting. Heh. And this means I must studiously apply myself to building up a supply of needles, yarn and tools. I’ve had the same pair of number 7 needles since I first decided to teach myself knitting in college. Oh, those days. I was going through my black-turtleneck college-radio phase. I invited my friend Jeff to choose my first ball of yarn while shopping at the Ben Franklin. He chose a garish rainbow acrylic, which I dutifully tried to turn into a scarf. Did you know it’s very difficult to knit while you are smoking? It is. Difficult but not impossible. The holey, lumpy, irregular piece of rainbow-colored fabric could technically be called “knitting” but only from about 3 miles away.

That was 7 years ago. I’ve made two weird scarves and a miniature sweater in the interim, but it’s only within the last week or two that knitting makes sense to me. So of course I’ve started buying yarns and different sized needles with my birthday money, and picking up things like stitchmarkers here and there when I’m out with the kids.

Stashbuilding, eh? I remember when I was starting out sewing, I had my sewing machine, some straight pins, a pair of shears and a pin cushion. It’s only been s l o o o o w l y over the years that I’ve added things like bias tape makers, water-soluble-ink pens, rotary cutters, acrylic rulers. Every time I buy a nice piece of fabric or a tool, it’s here to stay. I feel a little more professional and what I make looks a little more professional. I mean, for pete’s sake one of the first things I ever sewed was a paper-towel dress for my Barbie, using thread and a needle taken from my mother’s sewing kit, which was really just a mess of old buttons and bobbins in a Danish-cookie tin.

Man, the old days.

So the yarn-building goes. Thanks to my lovely lovely parents-in-law, I had a little scratch burning a hole in my pocket and shazzam! Now I have a needle gauge, circular needles, stitch holders. The little things. Next I’ll have to find a cable needle so I can learn to knit cables and aran sweaters.*

Phew. Long, pointless post. In sum: Love the click. Money burns my pant leg. Me buy yarn, me learn how to use it.

Oh, and the title is referring to a piece of yarn that is on its third incarnation. It was a rib-knit scarf, and then I ripped that out to use the yarn to make a sweater for Owen, and then I ripped that out and am doing a proper gauge swatch to make a vest, since I don’t have enough yarn for sleeves.

*Ha ha ha ha. As if. I do not have the personality required to knit an aran sweater.

October 5, 2007 | Filed Under create

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Comments

5 Responses to “Frog, frog again”

Kimberly D on October 5th, 2007 4:15 pm

I totally remember you knitting with that yarn in 210 West Hall. I guess I have you to thank for the countless half-skeins of worstead yarn in my closet!
nikko on October 5th, 2007 4:21 pm

I love the way you write — just the way I think — tangents and all. I love how you described that “click”. Still waiting for knitting to “click” for me. So far it’s just frustrating to keep all that stuff in my hands. ;o)
otter on October 6th, 2007 11:18 am

Squeee! I had a feeling it would bite you too. Can’t agree more about the bamboo vs. Susan Bates (ugh) circulars. Although Addi Turbo circulars are incredible—using them for sock knitting and loving it—very portable (fits in purse) and goes much quicker than sweater knitting.

Still want to make that quilt, though. Where does one sign up for more hours in the day?
supa on October 6th, 2007 10:36 pm

oh man, otter. i have heard very good things about the addi turbos. where does one find such a thing?

thanks, nikko! i tell you, the click will come. it may have taken me 7 years but it did eventually arrive.

kim! hi! hilarious that you remember me doing that. i’m surprised i got any newspaper done sometimes. So! You should pick up knitting again. Put that worsted to good use.
Tina C. on October 8th, 2007 10:47 am

please don’t buy anymore knitting paraphanelia untill you ask me if i have any to give you! i have so much of everything… Also, check out this luscious conference this weekend downtown: http://www.knittinguniverse.com/flash/events/EventDetail.php?EventID=37. i spent much money there last year….