Linaloo

Je tricote, tu tricotes...

 
Tricoter = to knit

I am back at school two mornings a week trying to improve my conversational French .  My first assignment was a five minute presentation on a useful habit I have.  I chose knitting because, although I've only recently got out my needles again since a break in the summer (note to self: knitting socks at the pool during 40C weather leads to many mistakes and eventual frogging) I am in love with the idea of knitting.  I think it's the ultimate hobby.  Here's a rough translation of what I tried to say (with far fewer mistakes in this version I suspect):

It's creative - let's face it, to the uninitiated making anything wearable out of wool is impressive and most importantly, unique.

It's challenging -I love the accomplishment of working out how to do a new stitch. I'm very nerdy like that.  I finally worked out how to do a twisted rib on a sock cuff this week.  It only took me two years.

It's deceptively easy - all that K2, SSK, K2tog, K3 YO K1 stuff is actually very straightforward once you're brave enough to just have a go. I know many accomplished knitters who are scared of knitting in the round and I can fool them into thinking that I'm extra smart because I once watched a youtube video that showed me how. 

It's relaxing - I really switch off when I knit and find it very useful when I want to be distracted from the mundane things in life like cooking dinner, helping children with homework etc.  It never ceases to amaze me how long you can get away with "Just a minute, Mummy just has to finish one more row...".

It's practical - you can knit virtually anywhere (although not at an outdoor swimming pool during a heatwave - see above), I have knit at the skating rink, on the bus, in the car, in the Dr's office, waiting for my tires to be changed to name a few.

I could have added something about how special it is to give someone a knitted gift but I didn't because as I have previously alluded, I am a selfish knitter and keep it all to myself thank you very much. 

On the needles so far, are these socks and this cowl.  What about you?

Selfish knitting/last post of 2010

 
Since the beginning of my very short lived sock knitting career, I have haboured this dream that I would knit a different pair of socks for every day of the week (see here for inspiration) or even every colour of the rainbow.  Just for me though, for I am a selfish knitter.

Christmas 2010 marks the end of my selfish knitting days.  My family wanted in on the action and I finished 3 pairs of socks with a night to spare.

I’m hoping there’s a medal for this kind of achievement.

The children accepted their socks very graciously, partly because they know they’re made with love and also because they know better than to cross a mother who’s been burning the midnight oil making something for them.  I used this pattern and my son helped me pick out the yarn back in September – its Regia Softy which is, unsurprisingly, very soft.

Hubby’s are made using Regia sock yarn also from this ribbed pattern from Ravelry.  They took FOREVER.  Mainly because of the rib (K3, P1 slows me down) and the fact that they’re man socks which are obviously bigger and longer.   At a guess, I’d hazard there’s nearly 20,000 stitches in this pair alone. 

That's right.  20,000.

Selfish? Moi?

Right now we're enjoying lots of lazy pj days, eating leftovers and playing in the snow and ice. It's been nice to be offline for a while and focus on other things.  I still have 10 days left before I go back to work and am enjoying time off, pottering around at home and am looking forward to our first skiing outing of the season tomorrow!

Here's wishing you all a happy and healthy 2011.

Speed knitting for Christmas

I set myself the rather tall order of knitting everyone in the family socks for Christmas. As a relative novice and slowish knitter I've given myself a goal of a sock a week. Given my run rate so far is around 3 months for a pair coupled with the fact that I am only able to knit in the evenings and on weekends, I figured it was a little ambitious but perfectly doable if I devoted all my spare time to knitting and not much else.

I know, I make it sound like so much fun.

I’m lagging a bit behind though and am paying the price for trying to make up for lost time with sore index fingers from prolonged jabbing at myself with dpns. While avoiding further injuries, I took a break and googled “how fast can you knit a sock?” for fun and found this very interesting post from Yarn Harlot about knitting a sock a day. I wondered about how much she actually slept and then, before I knew it, I found myself watching people speed knitting on youtube.

 

I’m amazed. In awe. WOW.

*Sigh*. Maybe I’ll start a new tradition of new year’s socks.

Socks for the soul

  
Like clockwork, my winter blahs have arrived this week with a vengeance. I've been trying to ignore the signs (exhaustion, feeling run down and a general apathetic malaise) for a while but I'm too shattered to fake it anymore. I've given in and have succumbed to putting my PJs on as soon as dinner's done, watching crap tv on the couch and early nights. I know it will pass quickly but for the next few weeks I'll be in hibernation mode.

The upside of all this feeling rather sorry for myself is that sock knitting is turning out to be very theraputic and good for the soul.  I've already cast on the next pair...

Purls of wisdom

"Socks are a miracle of engineering.  When you knit a sock, you're doing it the same way it has always been done.  You're connected with knitters over the last 700 years, all making socks and watching them wear out." 
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Knitting Rules.

There's been some cosy fireside sock knitting going on here lately.  Rather infuriatingly I lost my basic sock recipe pattern from Stephanie Pearl McPhee (the Yarn Harlot) that I'd found on Ravelry and printed off for my first pair last year.  Now it seems to have mysteriously disappeared from the web. So I tried another pattern but couldn't get on with it and decided instead to buy Stephanie's book, Knitting Rules.  

Craft book purchases are a generally rare event for me. I'm the queen of frugal (if it hadn't escaped your notice) so I usually I use freebie patterns I find online or borrow books from the library. I'm so glad I actually bought this one. It makes so much sense to my mathematically challenged brain, it's like having a comforting friend holding your hand and encourging you to just go with the flow and not to be intimated.

Instead of knitting patterns, she provides basic "recipes" for socks, hats, scarves and sweaters which can be tweaked and modified to your preference. This kind of guidance makes me feel smart, like I'm totally getting it, rather than simply mindlessly following directions. And her words on sock knitting are brilliantly insightful with the added bonus of being hilariously funny.

Random

I generally like my posts to be about one thing.  Rambling is not my style. Clear, concise and to the point is my mantra, but with pressure mounting at work to go full time, there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for blogging lately.  Waiting for the perfect thing to post about just might take me another month, so instead I present a not so pleasing jumble of randomness...

How about some photos to start.  I'm spending less time on flickr since finishing my 365 project. I miss it.
 

And what about these?

 
The fabulously talented Jodie of RicRac fame was kind enough to send me a whole stack of linen postcards printed using her gocco. Aren't they clever? 

Now onto the weekend.

As our children are getting older and their interests are really beginning to grow, I find them to be following our hobbies more and more.  My husband works in the broadcast industry and my five year old son is developing a keen interest in computers, video cameras and more recently television sets.  It's not watching TV that interests him as much as understanding how they work, why they're colour or black and white, why are some flat, what we did before there were remote controls.  He's developed a particular passion for old school sets - the ones with a dial.  I have no idea why, but this his latest obsession. 
"Mummy, was everything in your life black and white before they invented colour? " He asks me earnestly.  Good grief that makes me feel old.  I remember always asking my mum what things were like in the "olden days" when she was little...sorry mum.

Luckily my inlaws are hoarders and their basement cold room is full to the brim of every imaginable purchase since 1975 (when they moved in).  Yesterday, at Tommy's request, he and Daddy went hunting in there for old fashioned TVs with a dial and this is what they found - still working.  He's thrilled! 
Meanwhile, Mother and daughter were to be found on the couch snuggled under a blankie, knitting and chit-chatting about forthcoming birthday plans. I can't believe she'll soon be seven!

In between

In between Christmas and New Year is a funny old time isn't it?  A time for reflection, a fresh start, which leaves me often out of sorts and a feeling of being in limbo pervades.  Like many others I find it takes a while to let go of my restlessness and relax into holiday mode, eventually finding a comfortable rhythm just as it's time to start back at school and work again.  I'm not feeling particularly reflective this year. I'm very thankful that 2009 was a good year for my family,  but I'm itching to get on with 2010.  Patience was never my strong point.

In these funny in between days, in between playing Uno, Connect4,  eating, tobogganing, watching TV, more eating, reading and sleeping this past week, I knit my hurricane hat. And took photos of it using my remote (great Christmas present, thanks to hubby).  I like it.  It's so simple, although maybe I'm a little egg heady in it.  It matches my mustard scarf (which I knit before Christmas) using merino which is so soft and snuggly. Both patterns can be found for free on Ravelry.

Roll on 2010. I'm ready.

New to me

A list of new things that are making me happy this week.

I found some excellent non fabric related thrifty scores at la fripe yesterday.  Vintage glass baubles and some bargain milk glass bud vases.  The idea of recycling someone's cast offs never fails to bring a smile to my face.

I am really enjoying the hilarious, very clever and new to me, Tim Minchins (best listened to out of the range of children).  Introduced to me via Monda.  My particular favourite here.

I am being sucked into the geeky side of Ravelry - I've recently spent time logging my knitting needle sizes into my profile details.  Seriously.

I found an amazing new yarn store last week with a friend.  I'm knitting a hat and scarf with Merino (as suggested by owner of said new yarn store when I told him of my aversion to itchy wool) which is so so soft. 

I'm excited about my first ever photography course which started last week, my teacher is amazing.  I have an assignment already.  Still life, shooting in RAW and using a tripod.

Done and done

In knitting news, after starting these in June and largely due to being at home under the weather and unable to shift a bad cold this past week, I have finally finished my lace "spring forward" socks.  They are riddled with mistakes, more zag than zig in some places, more zig than zag then others. But they're socks, so I don't mind. I'd like to believe that anyone who would question the randomness of their pattern would be suitably impressed by the fact I had knitted them myself and overlook their quirkiness.  
What I've learned from my first attempt at a lace pattern is that my ability to concentrate on details is pretty poor whilst watching TV/hanging out at my children's skating lessons.  I had romantic notions how they might be a wonderful portable knitting project I could take anywhere with me, but I kept losing my place in the pattern and, rather infuriatingly, the odd needle here and there too. 

After the knitting equivalent of Proust, I feel like I need a little chicknit to lighten things up a little.  As soon as I'm well enough for a trip to the wool shop...

P.S.  Imene just interviewed me on her blog today. Read it to find out my real name and favourite swear word!

Cracking the code

K2, SSK, K2tog, K3 YO K1 YO K1 WTF? 

Slowly, very slowly, I'm beginning to crack the knitting code.  Pattern here.