In the St. Nick of time . . .

Phew,
I finished my hat, went upstairs, wrapped it in tissue paper with the infinity loop, placed it in a gift bag and the door bell rang! Time to exchange gifts!! Talk about timing!

So now my knitting bag is only holding a pair of fingerless gloves that just need to be bound off and the Romance Ruffle-Collar Shell I started in October. But that only need to have the two fronts tacked down and then it's done.

That leaves me with  . . . the beginning of a new year and the beginning of a new project! 

I'm not sure what I'll start. I have some Harlequin by Dale of Norway in a nice green tweed. I could be a good wife and make a sweater for my husband . . . but the pattern he has picked out is plain stockinette stitch. Ugh, boring. I know, I know, if that is what he wants . . . 

I also have some peach Extra Soft Merino by Geifra . . . some Royal Llama Silk by Plymouth Yarns . . . I guess I'll go through my patterns. Maybe start the boring sweater and then start something more complicated to keep me entertained . . . maybe sneak a few cables into the boring sweater . . . 

I'll let you know what I decide.

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Talk About Last Minute . . .

Starry Night Hat by Vibeke Langerud
 - a free pattern on Ravelry!

I've done it . . . I've done what I say every year I will not do!
I started a scarf and hat last week. At least I was somewhat smart enough to use bulky yarn - so the scarf is done. It's a simple infinity loop done in seed stitch.

Here's the hat . . . if I go home and hide upstairs in my bedroom, I can get the last 10 rows done  . . . then quickly wrap it before the recipient arrives at the house! (Can't I??)

Happy Holidays to you and yours!!

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

From the Library's Shelves . . .

Come in and browse through them.
If it's cold, we'll light the fire for you!

Tucked in a corner of the library right next to the circulation desk, is a book case filled with hand-picked favorites of the staff.  (Hence the catchy and original name of the collection, "Staff Favorites".) 

We put the name of whoever recommended the book on the spine so that if you read it and enjoy it, you can choose other titles selected by that person. It's a great place to find some hidden jewels. 

Of all the titles I have recommended, one of my favorites is an unobtrusive little book (4 1/2"x 6 1/2' to be exact!), called Things I Learned From Knitting  . . . Whether I Wanted to or Not by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. It's on my Kindle. If you have never read any of her work, start with this book. She lists 45 things knitting has taught her. You'll read them and chuckle, smile and think "Oh, me too". I'll say no more - other than "check it out". 

Click here to place a hold

Stephanie also writes a blog under the name Yarn Harlot. Try reading it (after you read mine of course!!)

Until the next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Monday Night Knitting Group

Another great night of knitting!!

I wonder which cutie is
 getting the pink one?

 Peggy has made 52 of these tree ornaments!! She is giving them to each of her kindergarten friends, her grandchildren and I think even her friends' grandchildren . . . complete with an initial!

A great recycling story!

 Susan had the perfect pattern but couldn't find the yarn she wanted . . . 
but she had this sweater  . . . 
but didn't like the style . . . 

so guess what she did? YES, she unraveled  the sweater and she is using the yarn for the pattern she likes!

I'm not really this bad of a photographer . . .
Neither of them would let me put their face
 in the picture.

Lindsay is making face cloths and she is going to add a nice bar of soap . . . what a great gift idea. She is using a really soft cotton and small needles . . .  I can almost feel it on my cheek!


Beth is working on an afghan that will be a gift for a friend.

I can't wait to see the completed project!

Suzanne is smiling since she finished all the squares for her Noro afghan. All that is left is to knit them together!!












Pat is almost done with her Christmas stocking. Do you think she'll finish it for this year?














Martha is making socks in a gorgeous color.

I think it goes great with the
turtleneck she has on!

Katherine is picking up stitches along the edge of her cardigan. 

The gray one is my favorite.

 Mary has made these cute sweater vests . . . and found the perfect shirts to go with them.










It's such a great group. Join us - next month we will meet on the fourth Monday (January 27th) due to the Martin Luther King Holiday. 

The library is also having a knitting marathon on Saturday, December 21st. Come in, knit and watch Christmas movies all day!

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Monday Night Knitting Group

Mine might not look this pretty.

Don't forget . . . 
Monday, December 16th is the third Monday of the month. 

That means it's knitting night at the library! Bring your work in progress along with anything you have finished. We love to see completed projects! Bring a friend, bring someone who would like to learn to knit, bring your coffee or tea . . . 

                                               I will bring something sweet for all my knitting 
                                               friends!

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

You Know You're A Knitter When . . .

Are you still thinking about how knitting fits into your life? For many people knitting starts out as a hobby. A great way to make a scarf to match your new coat, a sweater for your daughter's American Girl Doll or Bella Gloves for your Twilight fan. These are 'people who knit'. For others it's a little bit more . . . these are 'knitters'.

If you're not sure which group you are in, well, here's a few clues. You know you're a knitter . . . 

. . . when you start to plan your vacations around the locations of knitting shops. 

. . . when you see a scarf in Macy's that you like and you not only think "I can make that", but you stop and count how many stitches there are and start to write down the pattern on a scrap of paper. 

. . . when you don't see a problem in having 3 or 4 pairs of the same needle size because you know someday you could have a different project going on each of them.

. . . when you would give a stranger from the subway station a cashmere cabled sweater instead of a cherished family member "who will just throw it on the floor".

. . . when you fall in love with a beautiful hand-painted colorway, purchase the yarn, knit the sweater and then buy the outfit to go with it. 

. . . when you leave baskets of yarn out "just so you can look at them".

. . . when you go on Ravelry "for a few minutes" and then realize the sun has set and people are wondering where dinner is.

 Hmm . . . when did you realize you were a knitter? Let me know.

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Life Advice from Pinterest

I saw a Pinterest quote the other day - 
"I start the day with coffee and end the day with wine." 


I adapted it a little - 

" I start the day with coffee and my knitting, and depending how it goes, I end the day with wine and my knitting." 

Go ahead, try it. I really recommend it.  

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

"Getting Through the Day . . . One Stitch at a Time" (Pinterest)

I've been reading Knitting Yarns and enjoying it!! It has made me stop and think (always a dangerous repercussion!). If someone asked me what knitting means to me, I'm not sure how I would respond.

My family has always been doing 'crafts' for as long as I can remember. My grandmother was always crocheting or doing crewel, my father had skill saws in the attic that created desks for my sister and I along with grandmother clocks that still chime on the hour in the homes where they rest. There were cousins doing macrame and there were aunts that were always knitting. These same aunts were always supportive to any of their nieces that asked to be taught to knit. (I quickly noticed that if you were learning to knit you were excused from the dishes so you could "practice and learn". Needless to say I asked to be taught!). One by one we were all taught during summer afternoons and evenings at their Mattapoisett beach house.

As I grew older I don't remember knitting as much. (Probably when my aunts finally caught on and I was recruited for KP duty again!). My mother is also a knitter so if I ever wanted a sweater I simply had to 'place an order'. I had a Lopi with a hood, Fair Isles in hand picked colors of sherbert, Penny Strakers, sweaters with boats, shells and cows. (Why would I ever have wanted to wear cows on my body? What was I thinking?!) I was just too busy blow drying my hair straight and talking on the phone with my girlfriends (from inside the closet) to find time to knit.

One year my mother made
 matching Beatrix Potter
sweaters and hats.

It wasn't until I had my kids that I began knitting again. (Although my mother made countless sweaters for my kids!) I was a stay at home mom and when strangers commented on their hand-knit sweaters (knit by my mother), I thought I could create a little cottage industry.  I did my share of craft shows and sold a few sweaters, hats and doll sweaters. It didn't take long to realize that not only was I not going to get rich, I would be lucky to make enough for pizza! 

Another year there were
 sweaters in matching
patterns but different colors.

My local yarn store owner then asked me if I would be interested in  teaching classes at the shop.  I soon found myself teaching beginner's knitting every other Friday night. Suddenly I found something that I was good at - or at least my group brainwashed me into thinking it. I loved passing the craft on to others and I was blessed to meet some remarkable women, many of them dealing with 'life'. As my kids grew older it became to hard to teach . . . there were softball and hockey games, band concerts, and only so many hours in a day.

Through all those years there were also doctors appointments, arguments, hospital visits, late nights waiting for new drivers to come home, and all those other big and little things that life throws at us. There were also complicated cable patterns, intarsia sweaters, scarves and mittens and felted hats.  Somehow the rhythmic clicking of my needles helped get me through it all. After a few rows, most problems seem a little smaller and some just go away. 

So what does knitting mean to me? I guess it's a way to escape the dishes and reality, it's a bond between myself, my mother and my aunts, it's a way to make friends and perhaps if I am lucky  - to be able to make a difference in one of their lives, it's a way to give a little love and it's a way to receive a little love, it's a way to keep my brain active.

Oh yeah, and sweaters. It's the best way to get a sweater that will fit me perfectly that no one else on the street will have.

Until the next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.       .

From the Library's Shelves

Did I get you interested in yarn bombing? Are you thinking of all the places you could leave a little 'piece of art'? Go ahead, find some acrylic yarn and create a little something to make someone smile. 

 
If you need some ideas, check out this book from our collection. I'm sure you'll be inspired.

I'll be on the look-out. If I see your knitted creation, I'll add to it. Hmm . . . maybe we can start something big!


 click here to place a hold







Until next time , keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Yarn Bomb at 77 Alden Street!

Monster Feet!!

 Make sure you visit us and see our yarn bombing at the library!


If you are not familiar with term 'yarn bomb', here is the definition from wikipedia -

Yarn bombing is a type of graffiti or street art that uses colorful displays of knitted or crocheted fiber as opposed to paint or chalk. unlike other forms of graffiti, they are easily removed and there is no damage to the structures they covered. It is usually done secretively with the attempt of leaving a little whimsy behind.

 

Sweaters to keep the trees warm.

 

Since we have Ann Hood visiting the library on Sunday (with some of her writer friends that also knit!), we thought we would welcome them by doing a little yarn bombing. So . . .  under the cover of darkness last Sunday night, the trees in front of the library were given bright sweaters (just in time too . . . it was freezing out!). 

A dragon takes over the bike rack!

Spider webs on the balcony!

But we didn't stop there! Make sure you visit inside the library . . . we have mittens on the rocking chair, socks on the sign holder, wristlets on the hand sanitizer . . . and more!

Of course we also have knitting books on display!

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

My Democratic Neck Warmer . . . or What I Did During Jury Duty

I was summoned for jury duty last Monday. That means I "played a part in the democratic process" and it also means I had plenty of time (5 hours!!) to finish the lace scarf that started out as a swatch. 

I didn't have as much yarn as I thought, so I guess I wouldn't call it a scarf. But I had enough length to go around my neck . . . so I added 4 buttonholes before I bound it off and decided it could be a neck warmer.

As you can see it really needs to blocked, so let's do it together.

  

First I'll let it sit in a bath of tepid water. While it's soaking, I'll go get my blocking supplies.

I have my blocking board, T-pins and lace wires. The wires make it a lot easier to block lace - otherwise I would have to use 50 million T-pins (okay, that might be an exaggeration, but I would need more than I have).

A blocking board is also nice to have since they are marked off in 1" squares. The measured squares make it easy to pin your garment to the pattern specifications/measurements. If you don't have a blocking board you can use towels. Make the pile smooth and thick enough to be able to insert T-pins and also absorb the water. If you are putting the towels on your antique dining room table, place a plastic liner underneath so you don't ruin the finish! 

My piece of lace is small, so when I lift it out of the water I won't have any trouble holding it in my hands. . . but, avoid taking any large pieces from water without support . . . wet wool stretches quick! You can always place the pieces in a colander for support if they are too big to fit in your hand. Then just push down  gently to remove the excess water. Another way to remove excess water is to  place the piece on a towel and then roll it up. 

Then it's off to the board.

I ran my blocking wires along the 2 long edges of my neck warmer. Next I placed T-pins along the edge of one wire and then I stretched it out until it was flat and placed a couple
 T-pins against the second wire. Then I did the 2 ends. I used the measured squares on the board as guides so that my rectangle would be even.

After blocking. 

Next step . . . off to my stash to pick out another project. I need something to work on while it dries.

Hmm . . . Suzanne made some really cute wristlets . . .

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.



.

Monday Night Knitting Group

Another great night of knitting at the Duxbury Free Library! We had some new faces join us . . . and others brought in their completed projects to show.

Look at those busy hands!

Susan brought in one of her many 
baby sets . . .  complete with a 
hand-knit with love tag!

Peggy had the cutest American
Girl Doll outfits . . . and Thomas hats.

Mary-Jo broke out some
 unfinished projects . . .

. . . and Katherine worked on
seaming her sweater.

We talked about blocking and also how to determine how much yarn to buy if you are using something different from what is called for in the pattern. A fun time. Hope to see you next month!

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

                            

Author visit

Here's the reminder I promised you -

Mark your calendars . . . two weeks from today Ann Hood will be at the Duxbury Free Library to discuss Knitting Yarns. I have started to read the book and so far I love it! Registration starts today. Call the library (or go on-line) to reserve your seat.

I'm sure she'll bring a few authors-who-knit with her. (Or are they knitters-who-write?)click here to place a hold on the book

 Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Floss once a day . . . unless you are knitting lace, then twice.

Wearing any type of knitted lace is sure to draw the "Oh, that must have been so hard" comments. Often it will elicit more than a complicated cable pattern or a Norwegian knit. But yet, many knitters are reluctant to attempt it. Why is that? Are the graphs too intimidating? Is it the fear of making a mistake and not being able to correct it without ripping the whole thing apart?

Let's make it easy. First, make sure you insert markers after each repeat of the pattern. That way if you make a mistake you'll know before you start the next repeat. That's always better than finding out at the end of the row.

Plus your graph will look pretty . . .
and it's a chance to color!!

If the graph seems too intimidating with all those symbols to memorize, here's a step to make it easier. Break out your colored pencils and color code it! Instead of trying to remember which symbol means to SKP, you just need to know that pink means to SKP. You'll be able to knit quicker without referring to the graph key too!

You'll always know what
row you are on too!

Some people are just not 'visual' learners and hate to work from graphs. If you are one of them, just write out the pattern on index cards. One card for each row. Then just read the directions for the row you are on.

Once you have a couple repeats of your pattern done and you know there are no errors, insert a lifeline. When I talk to other knitters I find that lifelines are almost like gauge. Experienced knitters respond, "Oh, I don't use them" (and then they confess there have been times they have sat in silence and uttered curse words out loud because they did not insert one). Beginners will respond, "What's a lifeline?"

If you are nervous that your lifeline
will work it's way out, tie the ends to a
 stitch marker. They will anchor it.

A lifeline is usually used in lace knitting, but they can be just as handy in any complicated pattern. Take a piece of waste yarn and using a tapestry needle, thread it through the stitches on your needle. I have found dental floss to be the best 'waste yarn'. It's cheap, it takes up hardly any room in my knitting bag, it slides out easy and it's thin which makes it easy to slide through the stitches on the needle. (Did I mention it was minty fresh too?)

Make sure when you get to your markers that you go around them and not through them. (Otherwise you won't be a happy camper when you go to slip them on the next row!!) If you use interchangeable needles you can tie the floss to the tightening hole on your tip. As you knit across the floss will automatically go through the stitches.

Make a note of which row you were on when you inserted the lifeline. Then, if you have to rip back you'll know exactly where to start up again. As you knit and complete more repeats, move your lifeline up. The less you have to potentially rip back to, the better!

Are you ready to knit some lace? Go ahead. Start with a scarf or a shawlette. I might turn my swatch into a scarf. Give me a little time to finish it and then we'll block our projects together.

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

From the Library's Shelves

I was lucky enough to be at the desk the other day when Suzanne was checking in new magazines. She smiled and announced, "The new Vogue Knitting is in!" I raised my eyebrows and said "Ooh." Then I patiently waited for my lunch break so I could look through it. (Okay, that's I lie. I seldom wait patiently for anything. Especially lunch).

I love having the new issue of a knitting magazine in my hands. I take a few minutes and just look at the cover and let my mind wonder what treats will be inside. Then I have 'that decision' to make. Will I start at the beginning and go through it page by page? Read each article as I come to it? Or should I do a quick flip through, check out the pictures and then read it in no particular order.

                       click here to place a hold on the Holiday Issue of Vogue.

Of course I couldn't wait (didn't I mention my lack of patience?). I did the quick flip through and immediately stopped on page 46 when I saw a photo of Ann Hood. . . . and a photo of her latest book. What a lunch break I was having. 

Ann has edited an anthology of essays from writers describing what knitting means to them. If you would like a sneak preview, read the essay by Ann Patchett. It's reprinted in Vogue. (I brought it back from my lunch break, so it's there at the library waiting for you). It left me hungry for more. But I will have to wait, (not patiently), until November 11th when it's released.


click here to place a hold on Knitting Yarns


But wait, it gets better. Here's the exciting part . . . and I'm going to tell you first. Ann Hood is coming to the library on December 1st. Mark your calendar. Registration will be two weeks before, but don't worry. . . I'll remind you when it's time. You won't want to miss it. I know I don't.

Next decision, should I put it on my Kindle or do I want the physical book?

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Add an Hour!

Daylight Savings Time tonight. You know what that means don't you? You can knit 'just one more row' (for an hour!!), and still get in your regular amount of sleep. What a gift! 

Don't do anything silly like the laundry or the dishes. Make sure you spend the extra hour knitting. . . or reading. Reading about knitting would be the best.

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Product or Process?

My current project is the Romance Ruffle-Collar Shell designed by Irina Poludnenko for Tahki Yarns. I saw it completed in The Wool Basket and fell in love with it.



What do you think?
Should I add sleeves?

I have the back done and I am
half-way up one of the fronts . . . and I will confess to you . . . I don't really like working on it. Because of the incongruities in the yarn (which is one of the things I love in the completed project), I am finding it hard to maintain a grip in my right hand and keep a tension. But I already have a dress to wear with the finished shell.





So as I was working on it this morning and suffering in silence (well my husband doesn't really want to listen to me and there wasn't another knitter around!), I started to think about 'process' vs. 'product' knitting.






The rhythmic clicking of needles and the feel of yarn between my fingers always made me think I was a process knitter. I have worked out many problems in my life while my needles clicked away . . . (perhaps Congress should knit while they are in session) . . . or, if my pattern was hard enough to demand my full concentration, I could at least escape them for awhile! 

While I sit and knit I often picture my work once it is completed. Will my husband love it? Will my son/daughter wear it? Won't it look nice on one of my friends? If it is a gift, I try and knit a little wish of love and good health in between each stitch for the recipient.

Sometimes I like a complicated pattern. The challenge of multiple colors or cables added to following a graph and keeping track everything going on in one row . . . I feel like I am putting my brain to use! But sometimes I need a 'no think' project. I need to just work stockinette or an easy pattern that I already have memorized.

I must be a process knitter.

So I will often have two projects going at the same time . . . but I always finish them. (In fact I'll stress with more than two!) My closet is not crowded with sweaters left languishing on the needles. I love that feeling when the last end is woven in and the item is done. I quickly snap a picture of it and rush to post it on Ravelry. Ah, such completion.

I must be a product knitter.

Hmm . . . I don't know. Can you be both?

What do you think? Which are you?

Until next time, keep your nose in book or your fingers in fiber.

From the Library's Shelves

I bet I know what you did last week. You became so enthused with our sock knit-a-long that you went to your local yarn store (LYS) to buy some sock yarn. But when you went in, you became overwhelmed with the choices. There was self-striping and self-patterning, variegated and colors you didn't know existed. There was bamboo, wool-nylon blends, silk blends, and even cashmere tempting you. Don't worry, you need only to confess to yourself that you bought too much. 

But wait. Did you buy too much? Perhaps not. Just because the label says 'sock yarn' doesn't mean you have to knit socks with it. You can knit other things with sock 
yarn. . . it is your yarn after all!

If you're not sure what to make, check out this book from the library. It will give you ideas for projects that use just one skein, or two or more skeins. There is a great explanation about what sock yarn really is along with how to deal with color repeats and pooling. I'm not sure which pattern I like the best . . . either the Fortunate Cowl or the Hodgepodge Wristers. (Although my mother has such a stash of left-over yarn I am also thinking about the Lizalu Blanket). 

click here to place a hold

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Monday Night Knitting Group

Another great night of knitting! We did cast-ons and seaming and had a wonderful time knitting with friends.

Carolyn brought us warm-from-the-oven
chocolate chip cookies! Yum yum.

Lindsey showed us her great looking socks and
Suzanne is getting close to finishing her afghan!

Marguerite finished her chemo cap.

Hope to see you when we meet the next time - November 18th. There's always room at the table!

Until then, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Monday Night Knitting Group

Did you check your calendar? It's October 21st . . . the third Monday of the month. That means it's knitting night at the Duxbury Free Library! I can't wait to see what everyone has accomplished. 

There's always another chair available . . . so join us! There's also always an extra skein of yarn and a set of needles . . . so if you would like to learn to knit, join us!

Until tonight, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.