Great Things in Small Packages

Well today I learned a lesson about the importance of using the right tool for the job. I have been working on my Chevron Love Hat, and making some progress, but it's been a bit annoying, since I was fighting my way around double pointed needles with it -- don't get me wrong, I love my double-points, and use them for socks and mitts and all sorts of smallish projects. In this case, the number of stitches on the hat brought them awfully close to the ends of the needles, so I was always stressed about possibly dropping stitches, as well as worried about having the right length of yarn carried between the needles, so there wouldn't be either ladders (carried yarn too long) or puckers (carried yarn too short) between the needles. Last night I realized that it's silly to be so stressed out over what was meant to be a cute little Instant Gratification Project to take my mind off the endless entrelac lap throw. Today I just went out and bought a short little circular (which is what the pattern directed me to use in the first place.) I may never need it again in my life, but the $5 is so worth it, since this project is now infinitely easier and less stressful and will have better memories when it's finished.


The other exciting thing I have to show off today is this itty bitty little skein of yarn which I've spun myself for the first time ever! Whee! Yeah, okay, it goes thick and thin, and parts are underspun and parts are overspun, but in essence, it is yarn. And I made it. Despite my frustration at not being perfect with it the first time around, I am reminding myself that there is a learning curve to every new skill. If I am helping someone else learn to knit, I remind them over and over that while it feels awkward now, and the stitches look weird and uneven, in a few weeks or months, it will feel like second-nature to make those motions, and things will be uniform and lovely. This is the lesson I am reminding myself of when I despair that I am not made to be a spinner. Between my quilting and sewing and knitting, I will keep making tiny little skeins and before I know it, they will be beautiful and worth showing off. This one, I might frame and put it on the wall to remember how it all began.

Tangential Progress

Well, things are poking along on both of my blankets. They have reached a place where there are many hours (days, months) of work left, with no end in sight. This of course makes me dream of other projects and want to work on anything with a little instant gratification. So I present to you a pair of fingerless mittens, made in about a day for a coworker who requested a pair. These are made out of one of the self-striping yarns that I hand dyed and used for Portland Socks. I had lots of yarn left over at the end of those socks, and wanted to see for myself how adorably this yarn would stripe, if used on its own. So cute. They are totally basic mitts: I just did some 1x1 rib for a couple of inches, then switched to stockingette for a while. For thumbs, I cast off four stitches in one row and cast on another four in the next row, then at the end, did a single crochet around to finish that edge. Of course, at the top edge of the mitten I did another inch or so of 1x1 ribbing. So easy, so satisfying, so cute when they are worn. And instant gratification.


Yesterday, I went to the post office and picked up a parcel, which contained my birthday gift from my sisters (thanks girls!) They gave me an online gift certificate to Pick Up Sticks, which was brilliant. I promptly used it to get some yarn and a *cough cough* yarn spinning kit. Here is a photo of some Louet Gems Fingering Weight quietly sleeping in its natural habitat. It is destined to become a really cute chevron hat. (ravelry link)



Okay, so I admittedly have been tempted for a long time to try spinning my own yarn. Recently everyone in blogland is flashing around their gorgeous rovings and beautiful yarns and incomprehensibly beautiful Baby Surprise Jackets made with their own spun yarn. I resisted the urge for a long time, since I have so many time- (and money-) consuming hobbies already. What can I say? Like Oscar Wilde, I can resist anything except temptation. So I bought myself the book on my trip to Portland (already knowing I was giving in to the Dark Side) and then when I got the gift certificate, I promptly ordered myself a Louet Learn to Spin kit, which contains the pretty rovings and very plain drop spindle you see. If I can manage to do it at all well, I will probably go crazy and start ordering fancy spindles and fill my house with rovings. I will then give all the yarn away because I won't have any more time to knit, with all the spinning to do. Such is life.