Stitch and Pitch!

We took a trip to the BIG TO today! My hubby and I took our eldest son to his first Major League Baseball game! The blue Jays didn't fare very well, despite being at home - and being cheered on by a very energetic crowd. Sir J dutifully took his baseball glove in hopes of catching a home run ball.

The theme of the game was "Stitch and Pitch" - so attenders were encouraged to bring their knitting, crocheting, needle point, or any other such portable craft and work on it during the game. To my sons delight, although he did not catch a ball, his glove did come in handy! He caught a few of the free balls of yarn that were being thrown to the crowd! He is very excited to knit them up!

There were goodie bags handed out again this year - a bag that bragged "Stitch and Pitch" on the front containing 4 balls of yarn (up from the 1 ball received last year), patterns, a "soak" sample (hand knit wash), and and coupons for several of the local yarn stores, and a fiber festival that is coming up in October in the city! Last year I went alone with my hubby but this year I was better prepared - I brought along 5 other non-knitters to keep me company, and get bags themselves! We had a great time!

An especially big thank you goes to the ladies of Knit-o-matic who sat behind us and helped make it a memorable event for my son!

WHERE do you KNIT?

I've heard so often from people, as they watch me knit that they "just don't have the time". This always amuses me! We probably all have more time then we realize! How often do we make use of those little moments that come our way - bits of time that are spent waiting for things, or visiting when we could also be using our hands?

So, WHERE DO YOU KNIT??

I knit everywhere - seriously! I knit at home, I knit if there is a movie on, or the news showing. I knit while I call out spelling words for my son (he's homeschooled). I knit while I'm riding in the car or bus, waiting at the doctor's office, and while watching my children's soccer games. I knit at the park while my children play. I knit a few stitches while I'm making supper, waiting for a pot to boil. I knit while I visit with friends, or talk on the phone. I knit at meetings, I knit during my lunch hour, I knit while I memorize, I even knit at the shopping mall if I'm sitting for some reason. I knit everywhere I find a few moments of "wasted" time.

Does that mean I'm knitting constantly? No, of course it doesn't - there are plenty of times when I don't have any moments to fill, but it does mean that I try to be aware of the time that I do have, and use it accordingly.

So, before you tell me you don't have time, consider your days and the time that gets wasted while you wait for things, or commute, or watch tv, or talk on the phone - chances are that you DO have the time - you just need to make it work for you!

"Mother Daughter Knits" Book Review

It is not very often lately that I find a knitting book worth buying. There are SOOO many free patterns available on-line that purchasing knitting books and patterns has become quite unnecessary for many knitters! I also find that in so many pattern books I like one, two, or even three of the patterns, but it just doesn't justify the cost of the book for purchase.

When I picked up "Mother Daughter Knits" by Sally and Caddy Melville (Sally is the Mother, and Caddy the daughter), from the library, I expected to find a couple of patterns that I liked, but my expectations about ended there. To my complete surprise, however, I love just about every pattern in this book! To add to the uniqueness of this book, there are questions throughout that are answered by both Sally (the Mother) and Caddy (the Daughter), describing their own knitting styles, how they learned to knit, and where the pattern ideas came from. It was fun just to sit down and READ the book! I must say, I highly recommend it! I was pleasantly surprised by "Mother-Daughter Knits", and will be making at least three of the patterns from it - and probably more then that! The first (The swing top mentioned below) has already been cast on the needles. Another pattern has been requested for a Christmas gift, and still another looks like a promising style. The patterns are designed around shapes that flatter a woman's body, and they do a successful job of carrying out that goal.

If you aren't sure about buying it yet - look for it at your local library! It's worth the effort!

SOCKS

Diehard sock knitters will tell you that there's nothing like pulling a pair of handknit socks onto your feet. As a knitter who loves to knit socks and wears handknit socks as much as possible, I can testify to that. Just think--a pair of socks made specifically for your feet. Not your general foot size, made to stretch if needed, but made to your exact measurements.

I didn’t understand the “Joy of socks”. I had all sorts of excuses (I can buy them cheaper, they won’t last, etc), but then my sister-in-law asked me to make her a pair of sock-style slippers. She loved them, wore them out and asked for more, which I made again. Curious about her enjoyment of them (and not one to wear slippers myself, generally), I decided to make a pair my own size and try them for myself. I LOVED them! (and began to wear “slippers”!) Thus began my foray into sock knitting....

Now, more then 30 pairs later, I still continue to knit socks - in fact, I almost always have a pair on my needles as a portable project. 

WHY do I knit socks?? Let me tell you!

1. The array of sock yarns available today is dizzying. Sock yarns are made in just about any color you can imagine and in thousands of combinations and variations. If you want plain, one-color yarn, you got it. You want self-striping, to look more complex without being so? You got that, too. If you want sock yarn that mimics Fair Isle designs, guess what? It's there. The choices are practically endless.

2. Besides having your pick of color, there are tons of patterns made for socks. You don’t need to knit socks in a simple stockinette--although there is a beauty in simplicity. You can knit lacy socks, cabled socks, ribbed socks, and any combination you desire. What a fantastic way to learn a new stitch pattern - with a small sock!



3. There are so many fibers available for knit socks. Besides wool, you can knit socks in cotton or wool/cotton blends, wool/silk blends or even cashmere! There is even a sock yarn available that contains aloe so it softens your feet as you wear the socks (and it really does work!) Many sock yarns contain polyamide or nylon to make the socks more durable, an important consideration when you think about the fact that this product is designed to be walked on. My oldest hand knit socks are about 5 years old, and they are still holding up just fine - they don’t even show wear on the bottoms. So they do last!

4. Socks are a perfectly portable project. If you're a knitter who commutes to work or school on the bus or train, instead of dragging along a big sweater or afghan, you can bring your socks to work on. Socks-in-progress don't necessarily require their own bag, either--if your purse is roomy enough, you can stow the socks in there.

5. There are so many variations to making socks that you may find you have a preference for one. You can knit socks cuff down or toe up, you can use double-pointed needles (DPNs) or circular needles, one at a time or two at a time (or some people have tried 14 at a time - one pair for every day of the week!). Socks are so customizable - legs, cuffs, toes, heals, everything can be changed and sized specifically for someone's foot.




6. Socks are a relitively quick knit project (compared to the time it would take me to create an afghan), and I find great satisfaction in completing projects. And I like being able to tell people who ask “Where did you get those cute socks?” that I made them myself!

7. Socks still fit you after you lose or gain weight. Not so true about a sweater!

8. But, really, the main reason I knit socks is for the feel of them on my feet - so delicious, so warm, so perfect! I love hand knit socks! I wear them exclusively in the fall and winter except for when I’m working out - then it’s cotton store bought socks because I don’t feel so bad when I put a hole through them from the hard use!


If you've never knit socks before, now is a great time to learn. It's not as complex as you might think and like many sock knitters who've come before you, you may well find yourself addicted to making them.

Here are some pictures of socks that I've made... it's not all of them, but it's a good selection.

Enjoy!

A knitter's worst fear?

Well, I have the back, bottom of my swing top completed, and I started in on the top of the back - but horrors! My gauge has changed from the beginning to the end, and the beginning is a full 3 inches longer! (no added stitches, really!)

I guess I'll have to frog it :( (ripp-it, ripp-it, ripp-it). I guess it's better to notice it now then when the top is completed!

What makes you HAPPY?

Behold, the HAPPY SOCKS!

These socks have been so named by Lady R, who announced, after seeing them "Oh, Mommy, those are Happy socks! They make me happy just to look at them!"

(do you think she's hoping for a pair of her own?)

A collection of Finished Objects (FO'S)