CatKnitsandThings.com

You know how you find a lace pattern that seems like it’ll work with:
a) Your rank beginner lace knitting skill level, and
b) The yarn you have on hand;

and, you know how you start knitting along and you’re thinking “cool! I’m knitting LACE. I think it’s going to work this time. Geeze I don’t think I even need to use that stinking lifeline….”

and then…you know how you look down at your knitting one day and you’ve got like 80 stitches on THIS side of the middle part, and about 74 on THAT side, and they’re supposed to be mirror images of each other (and amount to 73 on each side)? Yeah, so, then you kind of sigh, maybe mutter something unintelligible, and then rip it back to a beginning point and try it again….

And then you know how you repeat that SAME PROCESS about 4 or five times, and THEN decide maybe it’s not so much trouble throwing in a lifeline afterall? No? Oh. I wondered if anyone did that. Just a hypothetical question.

It’s not like I’d actually be so thick-headed as to wear out a ball of yarn knitting it like 6 times before I finally gave in and did the sensible thing. Nope. Not me. See…I’ve got a lifeline. Pay no attention to that poor little worn out ball of yarn there and the wrong exposure for the light I had. It’s fine. Really it is. Maybe I should take it into the bathroom and photograph it. I bet it’d look better that way. That may be the only place I’ll be able to wear this one when I’ve finished with it.

Sometimes, I think maybe lace isn’t my thing. If it wasn’t so fun to do I’d give it up completely and just knit socks. Fortunately for me, I’m still young enough at this whole knitting thing, that the process fascinates me. The PRODUCT usually is gifted to someone who doesn’t knit, and they think getting hand-knit socks, or a scarf or hat is just an awesome thing. But I really need to get this lace thing down. I just got my Kauni yarn from Astrid, and I want to make her shawl pattern with it (for me!). I’m needing to get to the point where I’m accomplishing more than just knitting and ripping.

So, OK….I think I learned the whole “life line” lesson. Now, to get this poor thing knitted up before the yarn is just too haggard and worn out to actually use for anything besides a bathmat/toilet cozy.

I’m really only curious about this. Just kind of musing today. But…Why do knit bloggers take pictures in the bathroom mirror for their blogs? Do they not have a tripod? Isn’t there somewhere outside in the daylight they could set their camera, or perhaps a sunlit room of their home, where they could use a piece of furniture to position the camera, then set the timer while they run around and pose before the shutter snaps? Maybe they don’t have a timer feature on their camera. What about a good friend to push the button? I mean, this is a NICE bathroom (BTW: Is that not a gorgeous sweater???), and I really like seeing nicely designed bathrooms, but that’s usually on a web site like HGTV, or maybe Lowes or Home Depot. I have seen knitting blog pictures taken in mirrors splattered with toothpaste, with not so complimentary old tile reflected in the background, and the sink clutter that a well-lived-in home can sometimes provide. Oh, and the ones where the flash goes off are amusing - big bright ball of FLASH, and then the item being photographed/modeled below that. I got a great laugh over CAP’s office restroom pics of her scarf with the big pom pons - well not so much the laugh from the pictures, but rather the funny captions she added. I “get” that they make kind of an instantaneous way of getting the picture framed well, I just think it’s strange that people do that. Of course I guess it’s no stranger than - say, hypothetically speaking - photographing yourself cutting your hair in the bathroom mirror…but that’s a bathroom activity. Knitting - well, so far I don’t think I have taken it into that particular room.

More pics on my Flickr page, including detail close-ups.

My favorite online fabric store Denver Fabrics, is having a fabulous sale because they’ve sold off their online store to someone else, so they’re liquidating the fabrics. I’d been eyeing the scrubs fabrics for a while, because I thought they’d make some good pajama type clothes (read: “work uniforms” for the self-employed Medical Transcriptionist), so when I got the sale notice, I figured I’d best get the fabrics while they were still there. I pointed and clicked, and the fabric arrived this week. I love fabric. I have a much larger stash of fabric than I do of yarn, but I don’t sew nearly as much as I once did (and I don’t have ANY scrub fabrics, so it was indeed a necessary purchase) because of time and space limitations - and well, now I knit, so there you have it…but I digress…

As I was saying, the day finally arrived when the nice UPS man delivered the package of scrub fabrics. Much rejoicing and fabric fondling ensued. Ah yes! I got this peice for this item, and this one for this item, and what was this one for? Hmm…no biggy, I’ll figure something out for that one - and then “The Dance” began.

The Dance? What is The Dance??

The Dance is how I get around to a sewing project.

First the new fabrics are admired and enjoyed as they come out of their packaging. This is sort of bowing to your partner, like they used to do back in the olden days before a dance.

Next, the participants (in this case fabrics) are thrown into the washer and dryer for pre-shrinking, and getting the sizing off. I’m not sure what this would correspond to in an ancient minuet, but it’s a necessary part of this Dance.

Next step is ironing, then cutting and sewing. Here they are as they rest atop the ironing board waiting for the iron.
So, anywhoooo…as I said: I tossed them in the wash, dried and folded them, and stacked them on the ironing board.

Then I cleaned out a closet.

Then…I cleaned out the fridge - because as we all know, no sewing project is complete without a clean refrigerator, right?

I came back and petted them and rechecked my mental notes of which piece would be used for which garment.

I fixed the kick plate on the bottom of the dishwasher that had been missing a screw for about 6 months now.

Hmmm…this kitchen floor could use a little cleaning.

I wonder how the dust-bunny population under the bed is faring?

Perhaps there’s another closet that needs cleaning……

Soon, the wovens will be completely lulled into a state of unawaredness with The Dance, punctuated occasionally with the soft and dulcet tones of knit-it/rip-it, knit-it/rip-it, knit-it/rip-it in the background. They will be convinced that their only purpose in life is now to occupy the end of my ironing board, softly wrinkled and happy with their lot in life. It’s at that precise moment (and once all cupboards and closets have been reorganized, alphebetized and stacked according to height) that they will then be conscripted and refashioned into the PJ’s.

And THAT’S how we sneak up on wovens.

(Cue background sound effects: ‘knit-it/rip-it, knit-it/rip-it, knit-it/rip-it, knit-it/rip-it, knit-it/rip-it, knit-it/rip-it….’)