Monthly Archives: January 2014

Always Be Prepared

I was never a boy scout (because of rather obvious genetic reasons), but I would like to think that I would have been a good one.  After all, I am great with knots, I look damn good in a neckerchief, and I am always prepared.

I’m especially prepared when it comes to my knitting.  I always (always always) have a little stash of emergency knitting.  You never know when it will come in handy,  Maybe you’ve just finished that big sweater you’ve been working on, and you don’t know what to work on next.  Maybe you are halfway through that unending afghan for your cousin Sue’s wedding, and unless you put it down for a little while, you’re going to cut it in half with a pair of kitchen shears out of frustration.  Or maybe you’re stuck inside your parent’s condo, hiding from the stupid cold weather for a week straight after your plane ride home was canceled because of a Polar Vortex freezing the entire contiguous United States (except, for some reason, Seattle).

My emergency knitting project is always socks.  Socks are portable, and require minimal futzing.  No seams to sew, no buttons to mess with, nothing to measure (once you know your sock number).  At home, I have a whole box of sock yarn, ready to be knit up whenever I need a small, useful project.  And, when I travel, I always throw a skein or two of sock yarn into my bag, just in case.

WP_20140108_006(Sorry about the picture quality.  While I was prepared enough to bring extra knitting, I neglected to bring my good camera.  So, you get a photo taken by a potato.)

And lucky I did, too!  I finished the sweater I was working on more than a week before the end of my vacation.  The last few days, I’ve been busy, knitting away on my emergency socks and watching way too much Portlandia with my Mom.   Not a bad way to spend  the Great Snowpocalypse, if I say so myself.

What’s your emergency knitting project?

Inspiration: It’s Colder Than Balls (of Yarn)

So, you remember when I was complaining about how cold it was?  Turns out I was completely wrong.  20 degrees is lovely, balmy weather.  Practically a tropical paradise. It seems especially lovely when you have Christmas cookies and hot chocolate, and the only time you go outside is when you feel like going skiing.

Real cold has now settled in.  The kind of cold that makes people worry about frostbite when they run to the 7-11 down the block.  The kind of cold that makes the state of Michigan (Michigan!) close down every single public school.  The kind of cold that makes you curse the first Norwegian trappers who found Chicago and said “Hey, I bet this would be a great place to start a city.”

It’s the kind of cold that cancels almost 2000 flights at O’Hare Airport.  That’s right, two thousand.  Including mine.  (I was supposed to fly back to Seattle last night).  I have still not actually managed to reach a real person to help with rebooking, but their computer system automatically gave me a new flight.  Next weekend. That means that I will be spending an unexpected week in Chicago, before getting back home.  Luckily, my folks are letting me stay with them, so I don’t have to stay hotel for a week (yay!),  But, it means I have to stay another week in -13 degree (-40 windchill) weather, before going home (boo!).

At least I have plenty of knitting to keep me busy and a good book on my Kindle, so I’ll be a happy camper inside the apartment.  If I have to go outside, however, I think I’m going to need knitwear a little more extreme than my usual hat and mittens.  Maybe I’ll make myself an emergency balaclava or two.

I could go girly:

From Russia, with Love: Cabled Balaclava by Nikol Lohr

3968160718_7d53180fb6_z[1]I could go classic and functional:

Antifreeze by Jenna Adorno

ravelry2_medium[1]Or, I could go viking:

Dwarven Battle Bonnet by Sally Pointer/ Wicked Woollens

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Blocking Blocks

I love our new house, but it has one deficiency: no carpet.  Which, I suppose, really isn’t a deficiency (I hate hate vacuuming), but as a knitter, it causes me problems.  I have always blocked projects by laying towels out over the carpet, and then pinning my wet project on top.  You can’t really do that with wood floors.

So, I took a trip to Target the other day and I found a substitute in the baby section:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese foam puzzle pieces are meant to protect babies from dangerous floor bacteria (or something, I don’t really know).  They’re about about 16 inches square and about a half inch thick, and they interlock.  They are perfect for blocking.  I lay them out on the floor, throw a towel on top and block away to my heart’s content.  They run about 20 bucks for a set of 6, which gives you plenty of real estate for smaller projects like scarves, shawls, and probably even most sweaters.  You can also find similar foam blocks in sporting goods stores (for doing yoga or weight lifting on), but I am a sucker for bright colors (like babies, apparently), so I went with these.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese work super well, so if you don’t have a floor you can pin into, I highly recommend you invest in a set or two.

A Little Bit of Sparkle

I thought for quite a while about whether or not to do a “New Year’s Resolution” Post.  I almost did it, too.  But, then I thought, “Why on earth would I want to do that?”  New Year’s Resolution lists are preachy and sanctimonious, and frankly boring.

So, what else can I write about for New Year’s?  What’s more fun than New Year’s Resolutions?  I know!

GLITTER!

It’s the one day of the year you can wear as much glitter and as many sparkles as you want (outside of roller derby) without people giving you the stink eye.   So, let’s get to it and take a look at the glitteriest and sparkliest knitting patterns I could find.

Knitted Sequined Collar by Qiwen HengIMG_1565_medium[1]Mudra Cuff by Laura Nelkin

7138804017_cc2ef38fc5_z[1]Abstract Leaves Cowl by Deb Mulder

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