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December 12, 2004

New Loot! I hung out with Caroline today and the two of us went yarn-shopping at Elegance Yarn in Pasadena - this is the loot I came home with. I forced myself to look away from the thin yarn and got all chunkier weights! The Rowan biggie print (color: giddy) and size 35 needles were purchased on a whim. Ever since i saw Winnie's biggie print scarf (color: troll) last year, I've been wanting to try my hands at it. I know I still have a long way to go before i can try something as bulky as the biggie print and size 35 needles, but the yummy sherberty colors were just too tempting. The yarn shop owner was very nice and helpful and the prices were very reasonable too. I'm sure I'll be back to stock up (I'll need another ball of the giddy biggie print) and take a few photos or two.

Okay, time to go back to my knitting! Enjoy your weekend!
Posted by Linda at 11:21 PM 0 comments 
December 11, 2004

Gettin' Knitty I remember about a year ago, quite a few online craftsy gals were knitting all these beautiful and amazing creations. as envious and awestruck as I was, I thought knitting was just not my cup of tea because it just took too long. Being used to making jewelry with beads and wires, I can make a finished piece in less than an hour, and being a person with little patience and attention span, I figured if I was to ever try knitting, I might as well knit things like coasters or tea towels which wouldn't take as long!

But as much as I tried to avoid it, the knitting bug bit me. After seeing everyone get into it and how much enjoyment they were getting out of it, I decided to pick up my first pair of knitting needles and give it a go. It was very unsuccessful to say the least, because I picked a very thin, hard-to-see yarn and was using a pair of slippery aluminum needles. After a few weeks, I abandoned my half-finished towel scarf and declared defeat.

A few months later, I decided to give it another try, this time using plastic needles and a yarn that was much easier to see. I had a goal too, which was to give the scarf to my sis for her birthday (in July, haha). I was doing okay despite having picked thin yarn again (it's a very soft acrylic because she doesn't like anything that itches), but it soon got too warm to knit, so I stopped again. It really got quite discouraging when I would sit there for hours and only have an inch or two added on to my scarf.

When winter came around, I picked up the unfinished scarf dejectedly. It was only about 6 inches long. would I be able to finish it before the holidays and give it to her for Christmas? I was about to give up again and stop knitting for good, but my friends encouraged me to keep at it. it was about 12 inches long around thanksgiving, and now it's approximately 30 inches long. this is the longest I've ever done a scarf, and aside from it being good practice, I also learned a few lessons. Next time, I would definitely make the scarf a lot less wide. When casting on, I totally didn't think about how much it would look like all knitted up. And of course, I would use a yarn with more hefty weight and stick with needles no less than sz 10. I'm currently using size 7 needles and I believe it is 32 stitches across. :O as I keep on knitting, I realize I still have so much to learn about the fine art of knitting. I especially need to work on my tension control as my stitches are still very uneven and novice-looking.

I know it's still a very slim chance I'll finish my sister's scarf before the holidays, but she is actually going on vacation and will spend Christmas with my Grandma overseas and won't be back until the 30th. I've come too far to give up now. think it's possible to do another 2.5 ft before she comes back? ;P
Posted by Linda at 11:16 PM 0 comments 
March 25, 2004

Half Day 

Posted by Linda at 11:11 PM 0 comments 
March 21, 2004

First Real Scarf in Progress I started knitting again. I gave my friend Yvonne a knitting kit for her birthday last month, and a few days ago I finally had time to show her how to slipknot/cast-on/knit stitch. Since I needed to show her the beginning process, I started another scarf, hehe. Yes I know it's another super-thin yarn, but I'm planning to give this to my sister and that's one of her favorite colors - plus it's Lionbrand Micro Spun so it's super soft and can be machine-washed. All purl stitch so far (I don't know why but I think I'm one of the few that actually LIKE the purl stitch!), and this time around it is much easier to see! And I'm not doing any sort of ribbing, so no squinting at fuzzy yarn and counting my stitches! It's much more enjoyable this time around, I was even able to knit on the drive down to the beach.

I know you guys are probably thinking, "see, Linda! I told you so!" LOL.

Yvonne was a total natural and picked things up really quickly. By the time I left her, she was already on her 4th row! It took me, oh, a week to learn all that basic stuff. Before I left, she asked, "Um Linda? How do you finish the last row when you're done with the scarf?"

I laughed and said, "Oh! I know it's called 'binding-off,' but I haven't learned that part yet."

Oops. I make a terrible knitting instructor!
Posted by Linda at 11:05 PM 0 comments