Thursday, April 29, 2004

A new WIP

I am trying to organize a knitting meet up for tomorrow evening in Union Square. It’s near Knit NY, the cafĂ© I went to last week. It’s supposed to be beautiful tomorrow, and I’m eagerly anticipating knitting in the sun, maybe a cold drink by my side.

I haven’t put another row on my strappy tank, but I think that’s what I’m going to work on tomorrow at the park. No one will be able to miss the strange girl knitting with bright red yarn. :)

I have 9 squares left of the baby blanket, and I’m at the point now where I don’t’ want to look at it anymore. That’s another reason I’ll have the strappy tank to work on…it’s something new and different.

Speaking of new and different, I cast on and did one row last night for a pair of socks using Patons Kroy in Krazy Stripes. Normally this wouldn’t be anything new, since I’ve made socks before, but I’m trying the 2 circular needles technique. I would’ve done more last night but I was so tired. Will work on that or the strappy tank tonight. Maybe during another one of the Pink Panther movies with the hubby?

Monday, April 26, 2004

Coolness factor
I’d like to think that I’m cool. I listen to the top 40 and am open to listening to most everything. I tend to buy the latest styles of clothing, unless they make me look fatter than I already am. I have 3 tattoos. I’d like to think that as my son gets older he’ll think of me as the cool mom, not an uncool mom. But, I’ve been told in the past few weeks that I’m not cool. Why? Because I knit. Something that I do that’s SO trendy now(and I might mention that I started knitting before it became trendy), but I’m not cool.

How many people comment on how cool my sweaters are? How many comment on one particular sweater with the thumbhole, saying, “oh my god that’s so cool!”? How many people have asked where I bought my fuzzy colorful scarf, to find out that I made it myself and say, cool! Tons. Yet in later conversations call me a geek, dweeb or tell me that I used to be cool. It bothers me. Only good thing that comes out of this is that those who want to make fun of my hobby will be taken off the “make Christmas presents for” list. Less work for me, more time to make stuff for those that take me for who I am. And I am a knitter.

Almost 2/3 way done with the squares for the baby blanket. I have just about 10 squares left. I hope to be done with them soon. I wanted to try and do the strappy tank and have it finished before my trip to DC mid May.

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Last night's knitting meet up was so much fun. I worked on more squares for the baby blanket. I'm working on square number 13, out of 30. Almost 1/2 way done with the squares. I met some new people and we all exchanged emails. Hopefully we'll be able to get together again soon, not just once a month at these meet ups.

As I tried to explain to my husband last night, it's great to be in the same place with people like yourself. It's nice to hear compliments from friends and coworkers on your work, but they don't know anything other than your work. But, if you get compliments on color selection and stitching from another knitter, whether it's politeness or not, it gives you a high. Or maybe it's just me. Anyway, being in a room full of people who didn't look at me strangely when I tried to explain gauge to someone, who nodded knowingly to my story of strange looks on the subways, who knew what magazine I was referring to when I mentioned Black Magic, was so very comforting and so very nice.

Knit NY is exactly the type of place I would like to have one day. A coffee bar inside a small shop with great, bright colored yarn. The coffee bar offered baked goods, cookies, muffins, etc. The two things I love in one place, yarn and baked goods. Geez. All I can think about now is how I can open up a shop like this. Like I don't have a million other things to do. Sigh.

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

I’ve got the sweetest husband in town. He looked up knitting stuff for me when I told him I was meeting a friend tonight to knit. Apparently it’s international knitting meet up day. Knit NY has almost 40 people attending tonight. Yay! Almost 40 people who will not just STARE at me like I’ve got 10 heads. They will know what I’m doing and talk to me about other things. Ok, so maybe we’ll talk about knitting, yarn, and LYSs. I can’t wait.

Speaking of staring….A man sat down next to me on the train this morning and if he leaned over anymore, his face would’ve been in my lap. He was trying to see the square I was working on, but instead of asking me what I was doing/making, he used the leaning tactic. It’s quite annoying. It’s the first experience with a leaner, but not the first with starers. I’m friendly, and don’t bite (ok, sometimes I do), you can ask me what I’m doing, what I’m working on. In fact, it’ll please me to no end. I had my first commenter last week and while she was a scary older woman who missed her stop to talk to me, it pleased me so much that someone was nice enough to talk to me.

Knitting in public (KIP) is strange to people, and I find it strange that people, on a whole, find it strange, since knitting has become so “trendy”. And then I find it strange, that if it’s so trendy, why don’t I see more people KIP? Is it because they’re closet knitters? They don’t want the stares or comments? I don’t know what it is. I know that I knit at home before I KIP, and it was because I didn’t want to be labeled a freak. Then I had a project that I wanted to work on and wanted to finish, and knew I had an hour on the train each way that could be knitting time. Yes, I felt like a freak, I still do. But I don’t mind the label anymore.

In fact, here’s how much of a freak I am. Here’s my knitter’s code:

-------Begin Knitter’s Geek Code Block-------

KCR Exp+ SPM++ Steel Bam+ Syn Nov+ Cot++ Wool++ Lux+ Stash-(+) Scale+ Fin Ent? FI+ Int+ Tex++ Flat Circ+ Swatch GaugeDkW(+)B KIP+++ FO+ WIP+ Blog AltX+

-------End Knitter’s Geek Code Block-------

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Knitting

Yesterday on the way home from picking up my son from preschool, I stopped at a light. While waiting for it to turn green, I noticed a sign that said yarn. Not a big sign, a small handwritten sign in a store window. I look at the name of the store and it's Close Knit, and inside I can see a lot of little cubbies with yarn. I used every ounce of willpower I had to not pull the car over into the very inviting open parking spots and run in. Though, I may just go in today. :)

I have finished 10 out of 30 of the squares needed for the baby blanket. And because I've completed one full row of squares, I felt the need to sew them together. There isn't a rule that says all the sewing needs to be done at the end, right? So I sewed 4 out of the 5 in one row together and about a 1/4 of the 5th square. And while I wasn't too thrilled with the individual squares, I LOVE the strip of square sewn together. I can't wait to finish another few squares to sew another strip together. Who knew making a baby blanket would be so much fun?

Cooking:
I am in the mood to cook tonight. My hubby and son will benefit from this wonderful mood. Maybe I'll whip up a batch of brownies as well. Maybe the lack of sleep contributes to the lazy mood. I got a fairly good night's sleep last night, and I'm in a fairly good mood. Hope it lasts throughout the day.

Monday, April 19, 2004

My first blog post. Whoopee!

In the world of cooking, nothing is going on. I'm bored and I don't have the incentive to stand in front of the stove and cook. I have no desire to bake either. It's been ages since I made my last cheesecake. Sigh. Someone give me motivation.

In the world of knitting, I've got several WIPs. I'm working on the Strappy tank from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2004 issue, it's the one on the cover. I'm also working on a French market bag, though very, very slowly. I'm ALSO working on a baby blanket from the Vogue Baby Blankets II book. Not to mention all the things tagged in the gazillion magazines laying around my house, and the sock yarn that sits by the couch screaming "make socks, make socks!"

I am hoping to get together with a friend Wed. evening and knit. Maybe my son's preschool teacher will come out as well.