Je suis une femme et un athlète.
Je suis le bien et le mal en moi. Les choses que je cache et les choses que je affichage. Je suis beaucoup nams et les mots.
Je suis - première - un Américain.
My first scarf (made with the ghetto yarn) was boring so I decided to make a fancier one: a Vine Lace patterned long warm shawl/scarf. I used Rowan Big Wool (in Tricky) and it turned out so lovely!
My next projects include a purse that I mentioned earlier. It was inspired by a pattern in Pretty Knits, but I deleted the rows with the ribbon because it made me cringe a little. One of the fabrice pictured behind it will be the lining for the tote; the other will likely become part of a pillow or something.
I found a few yarns I was condidering for the 1 Skein Wonder shrug and finally settled on a Manos wool (it's so pretty!). I'm about 1/2 done! I am so excited to wear this with cute white tight tanks.
About a month ago I decided to teach myself to knit. I have a few friends that are knitting guru’s (baby sweaters in a night, socks in a weekend, etc) and I looked at the whole thing as (1) a chance to hone in on my artistic side and (2) an opportunity to expand my network of female friends. Once I had my mind all made up, I went to a local craft store, bought yarn and needles and taught myself to knit. Yes, that’s right: no book. I engineered a scarf that night.
After finishing my first scarf with what I call my “ghetto yarn” (some no-name cashmere thing from a chain store) I felt I needed nicer yarns (operative word: needed). Prettier. Fancier. I also wanted patterns. I needed knitting stuff.
My friend Wendy answered my call for help with a post-it list of websites, stores and blogs to check out (which I also fwd to another friend). She is *understatement* an avid knitter. She pointed me in the direction of my now favorite place ever: Babetta’s.
Wendy – you and your Nepal/Sari Yarn! Darn You!!! =)
I went to Babetta’s and was mesmerized by the beautiful shelves of yarn. They had yarn that Karl Lagerfield would use in constructing those snappy Chanel blazers. They had silk yarns that could be a Gucci handbag – in any color you could imagine. They also had a staff that knew what they were talking about (another gross understatement) I had only ever knit a scarf, and somehow when I saw these gorgeous Partagonia cotton yarns and Rowan Big Wool and I wanted to make other things. A sweater? A shawl? Sure, why not?! I am an engineer, which means I know how to learn. I can figure this out. Consider it done.
My purchases thus far:
- 5 skeins of Rowan Big Wool in Tricky and a French Girl Shawl Pattern (Nathalie). This took 1.5 days.
- 3 skeins of Patagonia Cotton in the lighter greens; I made the Raspberry Stitch Purse from the book Pretty Knits. I edited the pattern to get rid of the (what I felt was ugly, but others could like) portion with the ribbon running through it. I'll post this later (I wrote it down). Babetta's also had swanky handles. And a really cool closure button. I lined it with this golden fabric, too. It’s super fancy.
- 5 skeins of Rowan Linen Print that I have yet to use. I think it’s going to be a sarong/swim cover-up. Not sure.
- 3 skeins of Louisa Harding Kashmir DK in tan and 1 skein of a orange/pink/white yarn that I am going to weave into the top of the tube top I am making with this. No pattern. I made the pattern. Checked my OWN swatch. Yes, it was good.
- Kaalnud silk yarn in paw-paw to knit the 1 Skein Wonder from Glampyre Knits (btw: I love her – read her blog. This woman rocks. I don’t know her personally, but I read her stuff and love her patterns and I think she’s an awesome person. See her website! Buy stuff! )
I’ll post photos of this stuff later – Louis has my camera at work. He “borrowed it” (that’s what married people do, isn’t it? Haha)
So, despite the fact that I didn’t really see myself as a knitter, I’ll say this: I really enjoy it. I love the ladies at Babetta’s, the women in my knitting class, and the people I know who pointed me in the right direction with knitting. It is the creative outlet I needed and have not been addressing much for the past year or so. Thank you to those who brought me here: I’m beyond grateful. Come over my house and we can knit sometime! Knitting Party?!
Love. It's a weird, wonderful, ever changing thing. Just when you think, "I get it!" you stumble upon something that hits you in that spot and makes you utter and audible, "oh...".
Because now you get it just a little bit more.
I heard this poem and uttered that very response. Enjoy.
i carry your heart with me. ee cummings.
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
I went to the Yarn Store yesterday and now I am sitting with two projects that I am equally excited about wearing.
First, I am making a shawl out of Rowan Big Wool in Bohemian. It's from a French Girl pattern (Nathalie). I'm over half done with it and it is looking pretty damn good (IMHO). My second project is TBD. I'll post pictures later.
Hooray for pretty things! *twirls needles in air*
I was skeptical about knitting. I associated it with old women in nursing homes or 30-something hags with 3+ cats and enough baggage from failed relationships to fill an ocean. A few of my friends presently are suffering(?) various levels of addiction and making lots of pretty useful things along the way. Here is a part of my first scarf. Next up is a shawl. Yay! A vice that's not related to engineering (well, directly. ) No patterns entered into cad or Visio as of Sunday night.
