the way things work

What I didn't mention in my last post was that I knit a shawl for Julie as a going away present. I think of it more as a security blanket, something to comfort her while she's away. Something to remind her of her family. Being me, I chose a rather complicated lace pattern for the shawl, something from Victorian Lace Today. It involved a knitted-on border (my first) and intricate blocking. The whole thing was a learning experience and I'm rather proud at having finished it in about a month. My point is that I was knitting like crazy to finish it in time and, well, now I can't stop. To add to my new knitting addiction (which up till this point was confined to my subway commute) there is a brand new knitting networking site: Ravelry. I know I've mentioned this site before. The best I can explain it is that it's like Facebook for knitters. I have a profile where I can post photos of what I've knit, the yarns I have, keep track of what needles I need and what knitting books are on my shelf. I addition, I can see other people who have knit the same sweater as me, as well as their notes on it and what yarn they used. And then I can see what other projects that person has knit. I've discovered that I tend to be drawn to patterns by a specific designer and, with one click of a button, I can see what else she has designed. And if any of those strike my fancy, I can add them to my queue of projects to knit in the future. You might see how this can get out of hand fairly quickly.

But it's also incredibly inspirational. There are some amazing knitters out there. And there are some beautiful yarns. And some people even design their own projects (!). I feel like I am understanding more and more about this craft, how yarns work, different techniques. I'm finding it all rather exciting.

And so. My next project is: A Christmas Stocking for Christopher. I saw this pattern last fall but didn't really know where to begin with knitting it. It's a Fair Isle pattern, which means that the pattern is made up of different colors. I've only ever made one other Fair Isle object, a pair of mittens that took me several months to finish.) The other hitch was wondering if it should match my Christmas stocking, which my mother knit for me when I was a baby. It is red and an incredible lace pattern, nothing like Fair Isle.

But now, since I can't stop knitting, I don't care. I'm just going to knit this damn Fair Isle stocking, it's going to be beautiful even though no, it won't match my stocking. So, on Thursday I just happened to stop in my local yarn store to see if there was anything for me to use. Not really-- most of the yarn there is a little too heavy. But the owner persuaded me to buy something and I'm really excited to see how it works out. Here is a swatch I knit yesterday: And then today -- get this!-- I redesigned part of the pattern. On the original design there is a zig-zag motif with checks that just wasn't doing it for me, so I changed it to a zig-zag motif with little snowflakes.
Oh! I am so proud!! (Now i just have to knit the thing. I have 2 months...)