Blue Bird Necklace large by yasminellis on Etsy

via etsy.com

OMG, I need it. I need it or I will explode. Why would I not need a bluebird necklace made out of a measuring tape? It is full of cute. And I am full of squee.

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Surreal Knitting Photos by Daniela Edburg

via petapixel.com

Knitting and photography. Cool stuff.

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Struggling and stranded knitting

I don't think it is too strong a statement to say I hate purling in stranded knitting. Hate it.
I think I'm going to try switching to knitting backwards on the purl rows. I'm pretty proficient at doing it so we'll see how it goes. I have never tried doing it while changing colors but it has got to be easier than this. Blah.

I made a short video of me knitting backwards:

 

This is a great skill to have in your repertoire especially for things like short rows or entrelac.

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I am filled with knitty giggles over this

 

 

I am a sucker for stop motion. Add knitting to the mix and I am just a mess.

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Huzzah!!!!

I found my knitting needles! And it only took me a week.

*gently nuzzles her knitpicks needles and whispers "hello lovlies, I missed you."*

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Listening in on an interview with Gary Vaynerchuk

I love this guy. He is loud and intense, but inspiring. Check him out at garyvaynerchuk.com.

Crush it, baby!

Thank you Rich German for setting it up.

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Hiding things from myself

Don't you hate it when you "put something away" and you put it away so well you dont remember where you put it? I've got some test knitting to do and I can not for the life of me find my knitting needles. I have turned this house upside down and it is making me feel a little loco. My knitting needles are mocking me.

I think this medication is making my brain fuzzy. Or I'm just getting old. Whatever.

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Jeepers creepers where'd you get those peepers

See and download the full gallery on posterous

New glasses. Like 'em?

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A quote to live and work by

"Well done is better than well said."

Benjamin Franklin-

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A laugh riot at the eye doctor

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Pringle of Scotland Animation by David Shrigley - Life Behind The Scenes

via youtube.com

This will give knitters a giggle!

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Long time no see

Well, a lot has happened over the past few months I have been missing from my blog. My mother did pass away on December 23rd, 2009. The grief was and still is overwhelming. I knit my sorrow into a mourning shawl. I knit I did not want to have to think about how bad it hurt. Counting stitches occupied my mind so I just kept knitting. Over the course of my mothers whirlwind illness I knit five hats, a scarf, and three shawls. Mom was always a strong proponent for "no idle hands", I know she would be proud. Working with my hands is helping me heal and I will forever be grateful to Mom for teaching me to be artistic and crafty. I miss you Mominator.

Stitch markers: my friend and nemesis

I'm working on an Aeolian shawl right now. Knitting is my solace, my meditation. I love knitting lace. It find it so fullfilling to watch a beautiful pattern emerge as I methodically work through the pattern charts. You can't fudge it. It has to perfect to look good. I don't love stitch markers but they save me from making mistakes by helping me catch errors before I get too far along and have to tink back. I also try to remember to use life lines in between changes in pattern repeats.
Knitting itself has been my lifeline lately. My mother has been very ill the past few months and knitting has provided me with a precious distraction from the harshness of lifes realities as I knit at her bedside. My mom taught me to love arts and crafts so in a way she has given me a great gift that is helping me to be calm, meditative, and cope. Thank you mom.

C-

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Why I make things & product plus process

I was reading TECHknitting today, and if you haven't done so yourself you should right now, and she posted the most eloquent post on the value of a knitted object and the process of knitting said object.

excerpt:
"When non-knitters look at hand-knit goods, most tend to focus on the result, on the product. "Why spend 42 hours making a pair of socks? Wal-Mart sells 'em for a buck a pair" is their attitude, their tolerably obvious attitude. Confirmed sock knitters, however, find that mass-made socks cannot be compared to hand-made--the custom fit, the warmth, the exact colors of a hand made sock cannot be duplicated. This excellence is sometimes the very heart of a successful knitting project--the seamless toe, the beautiful work, the perfect fit, the non-binding sock on the achy foot. Knitting as product (and, as a very superior product which you simply couldn't buy anywhere!)

Often, however, hand-knitted objects add another dimension, a process dimension. See your kid standing near the door in hand-made socks, ready to pull on shoes and head out? Those socks are loving that child--the kid is wearing a hug on each foot, and the knitter and the kid both know it. This is process and product combined: knitted object as connection between people."

Read the rest of the post here.

Very well said. I don't knit socks by hand very often but the sentiment behind her example can be applied to all crafts. I have always had a hard time explaining to my husband why I would rather spend my time crafting things that I could easily purchase cheaply. She hit the nail on the head. Bravo.

More pictures from my Lorna's Laces tour

I am proud that I didn't sell my first born to take home more yarn. The day was a complete success.

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