Knitters vs. Non-knitters

A friend commented to me on Monday that I shouldn't take my knitting into a work CPE because it would look really bad. I was rather confused about what she meant, but I realized she must think that knitting means I'm not paying attention to the speaker. Something that a lot of non-knitters must assume is that knitting takes a person's whole focus. Of course, something complicated - whether due to the pattern (like a lace pattern) or the yarn itself (I'm glaring at you, FunFur) - would need a knitter's focus... but for a simple, repeating pattern or stockinette in the round, knitting is as mindless as doodling. For me, having needles in my hands means I am happy to sit beside my husband while he enjoys his favorite tv shows. We will laugh and talk... he said the other day, "You don't actually watch tv, you listen to it!" I do watch, again depending on the pattern. If I'm turning a heel or shaping a gusset? Not so much with the watching. But the listening? Oh yes. I retain an incredibly greater amount if I have something to fidget with... I'm not fighting to stay awake! I can watch my hands and listen with my ears and everything is just fine. One day, I'll gather the courage to knit in the back row.

So, I've finished shaping the gussets in the second Diagonal Cross-Rib Sock and am on to the foot!! I'm very excited. Also, the yarn for my friend's pillow cover arrived. I'm a little concerned as the yarn is much finer than I was expecting. A gauge swatch will tell me what I need to do, though. It's the LB Collection Cotton Bamboo. I'm really looking forward to finally working with bamboo - although now that I type that, I think my friend J.I.'s hat that I finished was with bamboo yarn... Hm.

My friend B.S. in Pennsylvania sent me a huge box of acrylic yarn! I am not sure what I'll do with it; it all looks very old from the ball bands. I think it's from her fiance's mother's stash; the FMIL doesn't knit anymore and probably needs to clear out her old stash. Regardless, I love free yarn! I will find some uses for it, and I hope to get the story out of my friend about the source of the yarn.

OK - for now, I'm off to watch some more Castle and knit on my sock!

Vacation & road trips

We spent this last weekend on the road. It was my annual family reunion, and seeing everyone in my mother's family was wonderful. The gathering was at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Rising Fawn, Georgia. It's near Chattanooga and in the mountains - beautiful country up there.

I finished my Undulating Rib Socks on Saturday and cast on Sonnet! I was so pleased to finally start that. When I gave my sister and niece their socks, they were very pleased. Emily put hers on right away, but when Grace tried to put hers on - no luck. The yarn shrank in the wash :( Shame on me for not swatching them. I'm so disappointed. I suggested that she get them damp and slip them on carefully, and then let them dry on her feet.

My sister-in-law, brother, and father have all put in requests for socks. Mary and Kenneth are getting pairs of Padded Footlets; Kenneth is getting a pair of Eesti Trail Hiking Socks; and Dad is getting two pair of the same hiking socks. My poor Branching Out is going to be neglected, but thankfully, I have the counter app on my iPhone so I will be able to pick up where I left off. Kenneth picked out some beautiful yarn from KnitPicks - I can't wait to see how it looks and feels in real life.

The Sonnet is coming along nicely; I am using the piecrust basketweave instead of the box/moss stitch recommended in the pattern. I'm also cutting out an inch on each side since I have heard from every direction that the finished item will definitely stretch side-to-side. I finished about seven inches while we were on the road. I do love how Bradley doesn't mind driving...

little lilac top prep work

Since I finished the ribbed scarf #1, I decided the next thing I'd work on would be the Little Black Top from Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook. If you go here and go forward through the pages, it's close to the end, opposite a cowgirl in a red bikini. Since this is an article of clothing, I'm being more careful about picking out the appropriate yarn and needles and such. I found this gorgeous MicroSpun from Lion Brand but it's not exactly the right gauge. It's also acrylic, and the pattern calls for Classic Elite Provence. So I guess I have to figure out how to adjust the pattern (and so I pull out Stitch 'N Bitch Nation). Knit Wits is this weekend, so I think I'm going to swatch it out on size 4s, 5s, and 6s, and see what the real pros at the group think.

I was nervous when I was starting the swatch with the size 4 needles - they are tiny and I'm afraid I will just snap them right into pieces.

No sales on Etsy in a while :( I put up an announcement about a sale ($10 off); my prices seem to be right in the middle of the range, so I'm not sure if I just need to promote more or what. My husband was pretty discouraging - I was looking at the free business cards over at Vistaprint, and when I asked him what he thought of a design I'd picked out, he suggested that I wait until I sell more before I do anything like that. Well, Etsy isn't that huge yet - so yeah, I might need to advertise some on my own. Most of the people I know that aren't crafty (ie, most of the people I know IRL) have never heard of it. Granted, we live in Florida, but still! People have friends and relatives that live in other (colder) states! Man. I was a little peeved over that, but whatever. I know he was just trying to be helpful.