What did you go and do?

I think I have hit on a little running theme here, I have been asking a question each time I post. That may change but for the time being I have lots of questions and by no means do I know all the answers so this continues to be an adventure.

The Opal Silks that I had on the go are done.

And although I did not want to start another project just now, since I am trying to clean up the things that have been languishing for ages, I set up another pair of socks.



I knit all my socks on 2 circs. These are Addi Turbos 2mm. The wool is Knit Picks Simple Stripes. I had read a lot about Knit Picks on several Yahoo Knitting groups that I subscribe to and so thought I would give it a try. Its knitting up nicely thus far. It doesn't split and it is not feeling rough. I like the 70's style colors and I have a friend who would love to have these socks. I will decide if I will let her have them when they are done. I am big on fraternal pairs of socks, I don't care if they match. I did when I first started using self striping yarns but it took so much non knitting time to find the right sequence that I gave up. I decided that fraternals keep me in touch with my rebellious nature.

I gave the stash an airing the other day as I mentioned in a previous post and found a lot of sock yarn. I have some Fortissima, Lang Jawolle, Regia, Koigu and Knit Picks to name a few and this ball of Opal.


I want to start a pair of socks in this as well. So I had best get the new socks off the needles ASAP. But then yesterday I was at London Wul and brought this (among other things) home.



Its Austermann Step with Aloe Vera. Now the socks I make with this will be for me - she of the sandpaper feet. So maybe I will start these before I dig into the Opal just because socks with lotion are really intriguing.

My reason for going to London Wul was to attend a Drop Spindle 101 class. Heidi has a wonderful program set up and she told me that it was her favourite class to teach. She did an excellent job explaining things like Staple and Crimp. She gets you spinning in no time and is wonderful at giving hands on instruction. This is the rest of what I brought home.



My spindle, my first one ply yarn and my first bit of plied yarn. Of course I had to bring home some roving to practice. I got a bag of hand dyed roving for a very reasonable price and I am having so much fun practicing. My fingers are a bit sore but I had a blast.

I met a great group of YOUNG ladies. I was the oldest person there and have been knitting longer than they had all been alive. Really! I have been knitting for like 49 years and they all seemed to be under 35! But everyone was nice and we have a great time. One of the young women, Tanya like me has been knitting since she was 5 years old. Check out her blog link on the left of this page. She has some photos taken on the day.

Heidi's shop is sooooo awesome. Kim (one of the "kids" at the class) and I decided we wanted to throw all the fiber and yarns in a pile and just roll around in it. Lime and Violet, one of my fav pod casts usually say they want to rub it on all their naughty bits. Now I certainly won't be doing that but it made me chuckle a couple of times as I fondled all the luxurious fibres and yarns.

Also hiding in my stash is a great deal of worsted weight from Briggs and Little and some from MacAusland's Woollen Mills on Prince Edward Island. I think I will make a felted bag and I have more than enough to make some clogs and some work socks for my dad and hubby but I will plan that out later.

But all of this blogging is taking me away from knitting and spinning so I guess that's it for now. I want to add some more blogs and websites to my lists to your right but that will wait too since before knitting and spinning I want to head to a local pool for a swim, my favourite form of exercise.

Could I do this?

Oh my @#$%! As if I didn't have enough fibre-y things to try to focus on I found this pod cast recently WeaveCast - a podcast for hand weavers . Go check this out, Syne is so knowledgeable and humorous too. She has an interesting way of keeping you engaged even if you aren't a weaver.

Could I do this? Well first things first, according to Syne Mitchell the podcaster of note here, I probably should learn to spin. And that is the plan (see previous posts).

So the answer to the question is - Yes, I could do this and get in a whole heap of trouble. But then that has never stopped me before. Tally Ho!! a spinning and then a weaving I will go!!

What's the difference between motivation and inspiration?

First of all I want to thank my youngest son (I'll call him Son the Younger for privacy sake) for his invaluable help today. He helped me figure out how to include links in my blog. He is entirely self taught in a number of computer languages and completely amazed me with his knowledge. I can't believe what a smart young man he has become. Thanks guy. I can almost guarantee that I will be asking more questions (grin).

One of the reasons that I wanted to start this blog was to get more involved in my knitting. Lately I have had a difficult time finishing the things that I have on the needles. I only have 2 knitting projects on the go (one crochet project is in hibernation) but for some reason I just can't seem to stay focused on a project to the finish.

I have been listening to lots of great knitting pod casts in search of motivation. Interestingly, along with finding the motivation to finish one pair of socks ( photo below of socks in progress) and one nearly done sweater (pics might follow) and the one crocheted bolero thingy that I am designing as I go (pics may never follow)- I got inspired to start, among other things, this blog. Go figure!

Inadvertently I also found the inspiration to give spinning a try. My favourite LYS is having drop spindle workshop next Saturday and a Learn to Spin workshop in February. The London Wul Farm is located in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada. Check it out here: The WoolWorks. The owner, Heidi Wulfraat is also currently running an Einstien KAL on her blog but I think I will fore go that one, for now. Don't want to take on too much. If you have never been to this little out of the way shop, go - go now - go as fast as humanly possible. Directions can be found on the website. Heidi runs an amazingly unique place that is so wonderfully warm and welcoming. But take lots of money because stash enhancement is guaranteed and with Borg-like inevitability, resistance is futile.

One good thing that has happened is that while I have been sitting and listening to some wonderful pod casts like Lime & Violet a podcast for the yarn obsessed , Cast On with Brenda Dayne and Sticks and String a podcast by an Australian bloke who knits, I have been knitting away and am well on my way to the toes of the socks. They are a soft pair of top downs in Opal Silk, colour 1120.


Oh I know some people think that the self stripping yarns have run the course of their popularity but I love these yarns and I love wearing these socks. I knit 2 socks on 2 circs almost exclusively. I haven't done a thing on DPNs for about 2 or 3 years. So finally these lovely Opal socks are quickly nearing "wearable".

Yesterday I did pull the sweater, a Philosopher's Pullover, out of its winter cave (my closet) and looked at it briefly and then put it back. I decided that I had best finish the socks before I decide what I want to do with the sweater. There are a few things wrong with it that stem from the fact that it is my first Philosopher's project and my first attempt at 2 handed fair isle knitting. I have some tension issues, which has screwed up the gauge and well that is a discussion for another post.

While I have been searching for motivation, the amount of accidentally discovered inspiration has created a "to do list" of sorts. There have been a number of things that I have been wanting to do, things that have been on the back burner for ages. Felted bags and clogs are at the top of that list and I hope to embark on those adventures soon.

I guess that's it for today. I am off to take some photos and then I want to go through my knitting books to see what I am willing to get rid of, if anything. I have so much printed material and I think it is time to try to purge some of it. I might put some of it on eBay or something or just offer it on this blog - who knows.

As for the question - What's the difference between motiviation and inspiration? - well I am not sure really but it appears that you can't have one without the other.

Is the water warm?

I am not so sure that I can do this very well but here I go, into the "knitting blog pool" for the first time.

I am a 53 (nearly 54) year old mother of 2 grown boys, happily married for nearly 35 years. I have a full time job as an Administrative Services Assistant (that's a politically correct way of saying I am a clerk). I love my job but am looking forward to retiring when my husband retires in 2 or 3 years.

I love to do a myriad of crafts. I crochet, sew, paint, macrame, bead, do paper crafts and much more but knitting is my first love and the one craft that I keep returning to because it comforts me most consistently and it so fully nurtures my need to be creative.

I have been reading blogs for ages, I receive digests from online knitting groups and most recently I have been listening to podcasts. I invariably search for blogs and casts about knitting. I have been really enjoying the incredible creativity that has literally exploded in the knitting and fibre scene in the last few years.

I am amazed at the number and kinds of people who have jumped into "the knitting pool". Young and old, men and women, they are all having fun doing what inspires them and in the sharing of the craft, so many other people are being inspired to try the craft and to create.

So I have decided to jump "into the pool" too and try a few laps in the blogging lane. I know absolutely zip about blogging but I like to learn and I have tried for the last 4 years (since the year I turned 50)to learn at least one new craft related skill every year. Now I know blogging is not really crafting but since I read knitting blogs and since I want this blog to be about crafting but mostly about knitting, I think this will qualify as "THE" 2007 CRAFT RELATED SKILL.

In this process, I hope to share what I know, what I create and what I think about all that is knitty and crafty. I do have lots of other interests that may pop up from time to time as well. I am not a great writer or philosopher, I am not a fabulous designer so there may not be much here of interest to too many people, if anyone at all. I hope however that this endeavour will, at the very least, give me a chance to see what I can do and learn something new in the process.

So, as I jump into this huge knitting pool full of groups, blogs and podcasts, my only question is - Is the water warm?