Knit, knit, knit your yarn...

These days my mental health is being maintained by knitting. Yep, I bet you didn't realize how powerful knitting was. It can literally keep you sane. It is also contagious, at least that is what I am finding in my home. So here I am knitting and finding my daughters are knitting along with me! Yippee!! I decided to post some brag pics and show off our work.

This is a scarf I am currently working on for my son. When I asked him what colors he wanted he simply told me 'masculine ones'. OK, fine easy request, I went with this variegated brown, navy and light blue. It is almost done and I am so far pretty pleased. As you can see it is a simple ribbed pattern.



This is my youngest daughter's work. She has just started and I am quite impressed with how even and lovely her stitches are. They are a bit tight, but that is very normal.



This is my oldest daughter's work. She has added some purl stitches to her work and is just knitting for the fun of it! (Is there any other reason?)


The next two photos are some yarn I recently purchased. This yarn here in wonderful Philadelphia Eagles colors is going to become a scarf for my brother who is a true blue fan (or green is you will) of the home team. Lest you think I am totally unselfish, I bought ample yarn to make sure I had a scarf of my own to wear on game days! It'll go great with my jersey! Fly Eagles fly!! (OK, so they are not having a great season, just means we gotta show them more love...no fair weathered fans here!)



This lovely yarn was one of those love at first sights! The picture doesn't do it justice. It is such a pretty yarn that reminds me of seashells. I am hoping to make something out of the book "Ocean Breezes: Knitted Scarves Inspired by the Sea" with it, that is if my oldest doesn't sneak off with it. When I first brought it home she immediately announced "DIBS!" Talk about chutzpah! °Ü° Isn't is wonderful!


Last night we all sat in the living room knitting away. What a happy feeling for this Mama!

Time to relax...

So, I had a hard day...actually several hard days. The one nice thing that going on is I am teaching my youngest to knit. She is catching on very nicely and I am thrilled. We were talking today and she mentioned how she thought you knit like they did in the cartoons when she was younger, you know with the needles up and clicking loudly. I laughed and told her I thought the same thing when I was a child. In fact I remembered once I came upon a blanket my mother was knitting and I thought to myself, 'I can do this!'. I proceeded to lift the needles up and down flapping my elbows like wings thinking that any minute I would be adding on to my mother's current project. Well, as you well know, it didn't work, but fortunately for me it didn't damage her work either!.
Here is a little cartoon I came across and thought it would amuse you all as it did me.
Happy day and happy knitting!

So there I am on Ravelry...

and what did I do, (upon a certain friend's prompting of course)? I queued about 21 projects for myself. Mostly simple things like dishcloths, scarves and shawls. I am really not so into making dishcloths, but they are a great small project and I thought a really good opportunity to practice new stitches. The shawls are lovely, one I especially picked out for my oldest daughter, a cute funky chunky one. I enjoy making scarves and a few of the scarves I am really excited about. I chose one hat to try out too. See, all of a sudden my family is on my case about making them stuff. I am working on a scarf for my son and have made for my daughters already. Last night my sister informed me that the knitting torch has been passed to me now that mommy is not with us anymore, so I better get knitting. Well, there are a bizillion patterns on ravelry.com to choose from so I have plenty to choose from to keep the torch burning brightly!

Check out Ravelry, apply for an invite, and join me in the fun!

Uh-oh! Watch out folks, Philly is whining again!!!

Why, oh, why does World Wide Knit In Public Day have to be on Saturday, June 9th, 2007? Rats and double rats!! They are so not fair!!! I can't be there on a Saturday! It's Shabbat people!! No knitting on Shabbat!!! I want them to change the day so I can go play too!!! POO!

I mean, think about it! Wouldn't it be so much fun to be walking about and see a group of random knitters sitting in a park or mall, needles clicking happily away. I would clutch my knitting bag tightly, joyous tears streaming down my face and run to join them! (yes folks, I probably would run or at least walk VERY fast!) It would be like a total knit in, a love fest for wool!

Oh well, it's just not meant to be. It's not such a biggee, really. Just cause I can't be there to knit:::sniff sniff:::

Seriously, it is OK. I really just felt like whining a bit. Keeps me feeling young and girlish.;-)

I think there is an option to make an unofficial group on another day, and ya' know what, I just might do it.

So, if you happen to be here in the City of Brotherly Love, more than likely you will see me out and about with my knitting or drop spindle. I seem to be knitting everywhere out in public these days. And my drop spindle... :::sigh::: I especially take my drop spindle where I know there are a few stairs. I can spin for quite a while when I have several steps on my side. Don't be shy, come on over and introduce yourself and feel free to join me!

Happy knitting and joyous spinning my friends, no matter what day it is...well, except of course on Shabbat!

Newest Addictions

PODCASTS!!! Wow, I am enjoying them so much! I have started listening a couple, catching up on back episodes and enoying the current installments. They are all knitting podcasts and it is kind of like having a knitting buddy here with me at my beck and call at any time of the day. My son laughed at me when I told him. He asked me, "What do you talk about with knitting?? Here I have two pointy sticks and I have some yarn, made of wool, cotton, flax or hemp. Now I knit. OK podcast over!" I laughed at my non-knitting son and went on with my podcast listening, spinning and knitting as I go.

Here a couple that I enjoy and you may too.

Cast-on: A podcast about knitting and life. Hosted by Brenda Dayne.

Pixie Purls: a podcast of a knitter and spinner

Simply knitting

So as I have been saying, I am more than a little overwhelmed in my life right now. When I was sure I was about to hit my breaking point any minute, I saw a piece of my sanity lying in a basket near my couch. I think that is just the reason my house is cluttered the way it is with yarn, needles, a quilt rack, weaving and books. Just in case I have a second to actually pause, my sanity will be there waiting for me, somewhere amidst the fiber and literary clutter. I actually paused and started looking at my yarn. There were two very sweet skeins that were birthday gifts this year, that I was very fond of. The color and texture were inviting to relax and create. I chose to work with them and then starting fussing through my books to find just the right pattern. As I only had two skeins, there wasn't a whole lot I could do, but I was sure I could make something nice. I started flipping through the two books that I have that are particularly devoted to one skein and oddball knitting. After looking at some of the lovely and some of the quite impractical patterns in them, I finally decided that what I really wanted to do was just knit. Simple as that, I just wanted to knit. Oh, maybe throw in a purl now and then, but nothing fancy. I only wanted to feel the needles and yarn in my hands and find my groove. And that is just what I did. So here you have it folks. Nothing lovely, nothing fancy, nothing to write home about, just a simple scarf of variegated wool blend yarn that stripes all on it's own. I don't have to think about it. The yarn expects nothing of me, it makes no demands, and yet grants me moments of bliss. Just allowing me to find my rhythm and create something that will be quite useful to me as the fall drifts into winter.

Knitting, knitting everywhere and not a stitch to drop

I enjoy knitting...I really do, but it seems it is all I am doing these days! Feverishly trying to finish gifts for my family. Mind you I am making nothing more complicated than scarves for everyone, and to all of you who are 'real' knitters you may be giggling at my pained efforts right now, but I tell you this is all a labor of love for me. I am really working quite hard. I have finished two scarves for my daughters and still have two more to finish. :::sigh::: I really do enjoy it as I can get quite zen with the whole thing. I watch the needles and listen to them gently click together. It takes real silence to hear them and to hear the rhythm I have created as they move. They move slowly near each other, gently caressing one another, and I try to think loving thoughts as I am creating these scarves. I think of the recipient and how they will enjoy my gift. I think of the blessings I want G-d to give them and of how much I care for them. I also think about how I wish I was a faster knitter and how come I can't knit like the little old ladies on cartoons.

I had to take a break one night and make myself a flannel blouse just to comfort myself in my perceived failure (lack of cartoonish speed) as a knitter. Sewing comes very easy to me and I can whip out a blouse in a couple of hours. In fact I become quite obsessed when I sew. There is no world outside of my patterns, fabrics, and my sewing machine. Total tunnel vision in my happy place behind the sewing machine. I love feeling the flannel and trying to figure out how to shrink the blouse pattern I have to fit me. I loved putting the pieces together and hearing the whir of the machine. I am so one with my machine I can have no physical hindrances between me and it so I have to remove my right clog so I can really feel the peddle. Ah...such bliss! My new flannel blouse comforts me so greatly, I would like to wear it everyday. I don't see why I can't, but I opt not to nonetheless.

So, now I can return to my knitting, knowing that although I am not the fastest knitter I am pretty quick on the draw when it comes to sewing. I think I would prefer to knit with bamboo needles, the aluminum needles I have seem impersonal and are literally cold. But alas aluminum is all I have in the requisite size 10 1/2 needed for the scarves. It's okay though, I can do this and I need the serenity. Besides I am the one creating and giving life to the needles, and I am always up for a challenge.

Knitting Therapy

Well, it seems this late autumn has begun to get the better of me. The past several years seem to be getting worse, I wonder if it has to do with my move to the city. I was talking to my SIL about it and although I am pretty sure I got the 'winter blues' in Lancaster I do not think it was quite like this. I think it was because it Lancaster I was still outside hanging out my laundry, cutting wood, stacking wood, raking leaves etc. Here in Philly I am in my cocoon. Since I am in my cocoon I decided to start knitting... and crocheting for that matter. I am making a decorative scarf with 'fun fur' that was on sale at Michael's and I am working on a Mile-a-Minute afghan for my son. Although the sun has not actually burst through the clouds as of yet (figuratively or literally) at least I feel productive and it seems to be helping. Knitting therapy, try it...you may find it quite helpful.

Here is a site to get you started called 'Learn to Knit'.

Happy knitting!