Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Real vs. Fake knitting

I think I must be a product knitter rather than a process knitter. I dutifully worked on designing my Aran hat today, working cable swatches to determine all sorts of things about them, and felt the urge to do some Real Knitting. I wanted to go get some sock yarn and tiny needles, and start knitting something real. Swatches are well and good, but they are not Real Knitting. They don't end up as something other than a swatch. Especially if one is working on worsted acrylic yarn (to use up stash yarns) and getting 5 stitches per inch ... it has more of a claw than a hand. My daughter said "Ewwww. This feels waxy." But thank goodness, I am finished swatching. (I pray that I have swatched well enough and thought well enough that I won't go back to swatching in a day or two.) I abandoned the wrap-around-the-head cable (6 inches was a bit wide for a panel) and am doing a normal brim to top construction. And I've got the first 7 inches or so of the hat firmly planned out. At that point, I will do some more thinking about decreases. I got started with my Real Knitting (and not on socks, either) and am ribbing my way through my cast-on row. Twisted rib, which I keep forgetting and having to go back and fix those knit stitches.

My daughter, bless her large pointed needles (she's 15 1/2 inches into that mock turtleneck, working on size 15 needles with Super Chunky Woolease), found a source for the one question in my MK work that I could not. Nor could our local yarn store. We *knew* the answer, but finding a source in print was another matter. Fortunately, Teen Knitter's Club had the answer, and my daughter was reading the book while she was knitting. (Like mother, like daughter.) We're both happy campers.

No new pictures for my blog today, but if you'd like to see the Christmas stocking my mom made for a very special grandson of hers, you can go to my Yahoo Photos and take a peek in the January folder.

I am so glad to be finally knitting something real. So happy, in fact, that I'm going to head right back to it.

Note to Denise: January 27th is Stash Clean-up Day. Make plans now! Our plan is to make a pair of slippers from my stash. Dd will knit one, I'll knit the other.

3 comments:

Denise said...

Stash clean up DAY??? Are you kidding? I am on the I can't believe it is will take anything less than 5 year plan!

But, January 27th does sound like a good day. Maybe I will pick a day long project and join your party.

Denise,
who dreams about becoming a product knitter and not such a process girl ...

Denise said...

Okay. One more comment.

Mrs. B: Your stocking is beautiful. I am sure if I check my .... stash .... I would find that pattern, LOL, but cannot imagine actually embarking on it. I see now where the producer gene pool has its origin. : )

The stocking is amazing. You have one very lucky grandbaby.

Sigh. I love cross stitch.

Carolyn said...

Denise, the pictures don't show the fact that the stocking was begun when the lucky grandbaby was 1 year old. Or at least, the process began then. The actual product was begun about 2 years ago. Maybe mom will finish the cable afghan next! I'm not going to mention the age, because I might be off by 5+ years.

Cross stitch is gorgeous. I used to cross stitch, but knitting is so much more fun.