Saturday, November 13, 2010

She really is!

How many times have I been sitting somewhere public, knitting, when I noticed a small, discreet commotion somewhere nearby? Perhaps a kid with a mom, or an elderly couple, or some other combination, but if I'm close enough, I always enjoy listening to the not-so-quiet whispered discussion.

Child/husband/less-crafty friend: What is she doing? Is that... what is that?

Mom / wife / more-crafty friend: Cro-crochet, I think. Wait. There are two sticks. She's doing it with two sticks.

Child / husband / less-crafty friend: It looks... hard.

Mom / wife / more crafty friend: Wait. My great-grandmother used to do that. It's knitting. Knitting. That girl is knitting.

This always, without fail, makes me smile. I can't help it. I try to keep the smugness out of the smile, but sometimes I can't help that either. Anytime my sticks and string entertain / amuse / puzzle someone to that extent, I find it fun.

So, currently, here's a sample of what she's knitting:



 This is the Winnow Sock from Knitty's First Fall 2010 issue. I love how the ribbing sort of morphs into the leg design. I'm knitting it on five needles instead of four. I feel good about this. It's actually taking the stress off the corners, and I think minimizing the problem of laddering.


This is the Veil of Isis shawl from Bad Cat Designs. I love this pattern. I can't tell you how much I love it. I bought the yarn at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival from Misty Mountain Alpacas. It's laceweight undyed alpaca. Amazing. (I tried; I couldn't find a link for this shop. It might be my fault because I have the name wrong or something. I have a terrible habit of removing labels from yarn.)
 

This is Misha's Christmas scarf. The pattern is Harris Tweed Rib, found in many stitch dictionaries. (Misha is my boyfriend; he's very sympathetic with my knitting habit. When he was nine his grandmother taught him to knit socks on five needles... continental. This amazes me.) I made up the pattern itself. It's simply bordered in garter stitch, and I slipped the first stitch of every row. The yarn is an incredible wool/bamboo blend. It is warm, soft, and has amazing drape.

What are you knitting? Do you knit for Christmas? When do you start?

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