The Yarn Not Taken*

*With deepest apologies to Robert Frost

Two yarns emerged from the yarn shop bin,

One hand dyed, one-hundred-percent wool, a beautiful spin.

Its colors shone in the shop’s afternoon light.

The dyer’s skill, it seems, was just right.

 

I could knit it into a gorgeous shawl,

Add a beautiful pin and be the belle of the ball….

No, wait! Maybe make a lovely sweater,

Using a pattern to make the colors shine better and better!

 

Next to it, I spied a skein of sock yarn,

Kettle-dyed, its colorway reminded me of an old barn–

Reds and browns, even a hint of heather.

Ah! Socks that could be worn in any weather!

 

Washable wool and very soft to touch,

I checked the price– it was not too much!

I stood in the shop, both yarns in my hands,

Knowing that new yarn was not in my budget plans.

 

I thought: “The holidays are coming. I can make great gifts,”

“Or some charity knitting to give someone’s spirit a lift.”

I quickly calculated the cost of both treasures,

And added in my knitting time pleasure.

 

 Two yarns emerged so I made my decision,

From the heart and, perhaps, from some future vision.

Two yarns emerged from the shop in Vincennes…

And I? I took them BOTH and that has made all of the difference!

The New Adventures of Old Cindy

(My apologies to the TV sitcom show with a very similar name.)

I really love knitting, but there are times when my enthusiasm wanes. Then, I put down the needles and take a break, usually to read a novel.

After a while, I find a new knitting book, see a friend demonstrate a new technique, or just happen to visit my LYS (local yarn shop) and discover an exciting new yarn and VOILA! Excitement galore!

Well, I have been knitting for 41 years and thought that I knew my “knitting parameters.” You know, those areas in which you feel most comfortable. Everyone has them. One person may knit mostly lace; another knits socks; a third uses only double point  needles or knits only with a certain type of yarn. It’s the way you’re used to knitting what you’ve knitted with whatever you like to knit with.

OK. That last sentence was awkward, but to press on –

My knitting parameters were mostly socks, knitted on double point or magic loop (one circular needle), cuff down. I have knitted so many socks in this manner that I could probably knit a pair in my sleep.

But I’m getting bored. It’s the “same ole, same ole.” So this summer, I have vowed to try something new and adventurous.

My first adventure was to sign up for Stitches Midwest (http://www.knittinguniverse.com/flash/events/EventDetail.php?EventID=43)  and take  a class to learn how to design socks. After all, I have already redesigned several socks as I knit the patterns so I feel that just maybe I can design a pattern or two.

Next, I decided to try some type of new technique. Originally, my plan was to learn toe-up sock knitting, but fate stepped in.

Well, fate in the form of my LYS — Atkinson Farm Yarns — anyway! It was there I found Cat Bordhi’s New Pathways for Sock Knitting: Book One. http://www.catbordhi.com/  Aha! Now I can learn several techniques as I go!

Thus the reasoning for my blog heading, “The New Adventures of Old Cindy.”

As of now, no, I have not started my new technique…yet. Once I have finished reading Cat’s first couple of chapters, then cast on I will!

So how about you, dear reader? Are you like me…stuck in a knitting rut? I encourage — NAY CHALLENGE — you to work your own way about of this rut! Try something new, visit a new LYS, take a class, whatever!

As I remind DH when he notes that I am ONCE AGAIN frogging a knitting project (see my first blog DO OVER), knitting for me is sometimes a PROCESS and not necessarily a PROJECT!

Knit on!

Why I Like to Knit Socks

There is something so satisfying about knitting socks. For me, I enjoy both the process (the knitting and in some cases, the frogging and reknitting) and the end result. So I thought I would name the top ten reasons why I like to knit socks. I may add more later, as I think of them. They are in random order.

1. I like to see a finished product fairly quickly and socks are small enough that I can usually finish them within a week or so.
2. I hate to sew and since socks have no sewing, just grafting, they are perfect.
3. I also hate to block. Most socks don’t require blocking.
4. Since I have a “beer budget” with “champagne tastes,” socks allow me to buy special yarn, like cashmere, with which I can knit a wearable object.
5. My feet are almost always cold. Wool socks keep them nice and toasty warm. Washable wool means I don’t have to be careful about throwing them in the washer.
6. Since my feet are small, my socks really don’t take much  time to do.
7. When I first started knitting, I disliked purling. Once you get past the cuff, you don’t have much purling to do.
8. Again, socks mean a small ball of yarn and smaller needles, so they make the perfect traveling knitting project. I keep a bag of socks-in-progress in my purse at all times and have been known to whip them out when I have some time to wait.
9. There are SO many neat sock yarns out now that it is quite possible to just do a “plain vanilla” sock and come up with something that really looks fabulous.
10. You can take the sock pattern and modify it to fit your feet, your preferences, or whatever to make a truly unique item. 

 Well, that’s my reasoning for liking to knit socks. What’s yours?

TTFN, Cindy

DO OVER

When I was in grade school and we were playing a game, we would over allow one “do over” — in other words, you were allowed to do the action again to try to “get it right.” That’s how this blog got started…I was not happy with the way my other blog was going so I am dong a “DO OVER.”

Hmmm…giving yourself permission to “DO OVER.” That’s pretty good advice to give to new knitters. You don’t like the look of your work in progress? DO OVER. Think the knitted piece is getting too big or not big enough? DO OVER. The pattern is too busy…too complicated…too whatever? DO OVER.

Frogging (you know, rip, rip, rip rip out) your knitting seems so sad until you tell yourself, “It’s a DO OVER so I can do it better.” Those simple words makes it seem like it’s just another part of the knitting process. It’s as natural as choosing your needles and yarn.

People often tell me that my knitting is so “lovely.” It’s because I DO OVER…..a LOT!

And I’m in good company, too. It took Thomas Edison over 10 thousand different experiments for him to invent the first incandescent light bulb.The Wright brothers had numerous failures and crashes before they were able to pursue their goal of powered, controlled, piloted flight. Walt Disney failed in several areas, including being fired because he “had no good ideas,” before he drew the famous mouse with theme parks all over the world!

See! DO OVERS helped make this country great! So to all you knitters  out there, don’t be afraid to DO OVER your knitting. It’s good advice.

TTFN, Cindy