Freelancing

I love to write (hence the blog, though it's been sorely neglected lately) so I thought I'd try freelancing online. So far some exposure, a few pennies earned, and I'm having fun. Which is the whole point.

If you're interested, you can find me here:

http://www.triond.com/users/CaraElizaveta

and here:

http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/735542

The former is my fiction, poetry, photography, and nature writing outlet; the latter is the location my factual, informative articles. Check them out, and please comment! I love feedback!

Rain

I like rainy days when I get to stay home. I like curling up with a movie, my dog, and some knitting, and knowing that while it's cold and miserable outside, it's warm inside. And I'm making something to keep either myself or someone I love warm and happy.

Today is one of those days. It's positively horrible outside. Even the trees look sad. But my dog is lying next to me and I'm getting ready to pull out my Christmas knitting (which is coming along quite nicely, by the way) and get a few rows done before lunch.

Cozy.

A Wole New Stash

I love my stash. I love watching my stash grow, adding to it, and having enough yarn that I suddenly realize that... wait... I don't have to BUY yarn to make this (insert desired knitted object here) because I have the yarn already! AND the needles.

My stash had grown enough that the large wicker basket my mother had donated to the cause had been outgrown. Far outgrown. I bought another large wicker basket. It, too, had overflowed. With the redecorating of my room growing, I knew I couldn't stand the tangled mess I was calling my stash any longer. I had to do something. I envied those pretty stash storage systems that I saw on blogs. I wanted something that kept my yarn contained. That didn't look like that episode of I Love Lucy where Ricky tries to make rice and it overflows all over the kitchen. (That would be the "Job Switching" episode famous for the candy factory scene, by the way.)  

I had seen some pretty storage containers at T. J. Maxx, so I went there. I found these:

 

 

 

 

These are about nine inches deep, so low enough to fit under my bed and deep enough to hold a lot of yarn. This is the entire stash; at least, the part I decided to keep. I threw out/donated all my old acrylic stuff that was probably purchased in the '70s or '80s by my grandmother. I hate acrylic yarn and was never going to use it. So now my stash is down to two baskets and a chest decorated in butterflies. Sadly, the picture of that one wouldn't upload. I'll work on that.

Finally, this is Misha's scarf. Yes, it's grown a bit. The last picture was not quite current; it didn't grow overnight or anything. At least, not that much. I'm pretty thrilled with it.

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?