Knitting At Turtle Speed

Tuesday night is knitting. I didn't go last night for the second week in a row. Last week, I was too tired after work. Last night, I went out for dinner with my husband instead. Both times, I wasn't feeling up to being locked in the mall for three hours. Because it's closed to the public, we must arrive before closing and are let out by security. We have to exit as a group. Sometimes, I just want to stay for a little bit and not the whole time.

Most of the members been together for a long time - in excess of fifteen years. They're friendly and yet, after almost two years, I still feel like an outsider. I'm still the newest member. Perhaps if I went on any of the retreats I would get to know them better only I'd prefer to spend my money on sewing retreats and my allergies create all kinds of food issues that are no fun. So I don't go. Oh well - VBG.




The KnitPicks magazine came in the mail yesterday. They have pages like these above of yummy colors. It's so seducing. Makes me want to acquire the entire rainbow. I do NOT need more yarn. I knit at turtle speed. I started my current project in January and I'm almost finished the back... which is knit in a basic 4 x 4 rib... and should have taken just a few days. Slow.

When I first returned to knitting, I was far more enthusiastic. Things got finished faster. Now, I rarely knit at home. It's not that I don't enjoy it. I do. It's that I'd rather sew or read before knitting. In my hierarchy of activities, it's not very near the top.




The return to knitting was after creating textile art which is so spontaneous and free form that dutifully following the pattern didn't appeal to me. I bought a lot of stitch dictionaries and did some design work of my own. At the time, there wasn't a "comprehensive guide to handknits" and I thought about writing the book myself even though it seemed like an amateur would be writing a designer workbook. I wasn't sure I had the credibility even though I completely understood what was needed and how to present it. I went as far as writing the outline.

Just before Christmas, I saw Shirley Paden's book Knitwear Design Workshop. My daughter and son-in-law bought it for me as a gift. This is the book I would have written. Shirley has the credibility. It's quite fascinating. Many of the concepts are similar to getting good fit with sewing and there are echoes of concepts from sewing books like Helen Joseph-Armstrong's Patternmaking For Fashion Design. Perhaps, at some point, I'll use the information for even more than good fit. Right now, the pages are fun to explore and interesting to think through only - as I said - I'm knitting at turtle speed.

THANK YOU to everyone who commented on yesterday's posting. A few responses:

Charmion - slip covers would be a temporary fix and IMHO not worth investing in, not only because I really dislike the look of slip covers but because the proportions of the furniture would remain the same and so the ability to NOT move the room around would remain the same. It's the sameness more than anything that is difficult. I LOVE moving the furniture around. It's a quick change.

Diane - I totally understand what you mean about missing being free. It's not about loving or not loving your family. It's about constantly putting others first in the decision making process and the imbalance of reciprocity.

Carrie - I do think you're right that so many things can be traced back to lack of control or the inability to enact the solution whether that's because it requires someone else to behave differently or requires money you don't have to spend on what you'd really love to spend it on. Being wise means constant compromising. Sometimes, that's just not what we feel like doing.




I'm working five hours this afternoon, noon until just before closing. I've been getting this shift quite often lately and it's typically the clean-up shift. If the store is getting busier in this last two weeks before moving as I'm expecting it will, then there could be a lot of clean-up to do. That's good. I prefer to be busy. It's already almost 9:00 so I don't have a lot of time before leaving for work.

Unless I feel like sewing tonight, not much is likely to happen although it would be nice. I've been debating a clean-out of my pattern stash. I know for sure that anything dolman sleeve needs to go. I'd also like to actually look at all my patterns again and revisit the line drawings on the back to get a better idea of what I have.

Earlier, I saw this OOP Vogue 2683 pattern on Kayy's blog. I liked the skirt on the left and immediately looked up the pattern and then didn't bother hitting purchase. That's an easy skirt to draft and to add to an existing tank top. Why spend that money? Besides, somewhere in my stash, I'm pretty sure I have something very similar. Refocusing on what I already have might be a good idea instead of being seduced by new - as with all that yummy Knit Picks yarn. It'll be more self respecting and satisfying. Do you know what I mean?

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the hidden secrets of existing stashes