That moment right there

There are a lot of things about knitting that I like. I like that I’m making something, I like that those things are (mostly) beautiful.  I like that it’s good for my brain, I like that it’s good for my sanity (mostly) and I like that my ability to make clothes gives my fellow humans a fairly decent reason to help me stay alive after the zombie apocalypse. Those are the big things I like.  This morning, drinking coffee and planning my day, I was knitting on the cowl and I looked over at the ball of yarn, and my heart leapt a little for just a moment, and I thought of a small thing about knitting that I like.

almost 2015-08-28

It’s that moment that comes after you’ve ripped back a bunch of knitting, and you’ve wound the yarn that you pulled from your work back around the outside of the ball.  You start knitting again, and you’re using the yarn you used before. Pulling it from around the ball, gaining back the ground you lost. You keep knitting, and knitting, but none of it really counts, and then you happen to glance at the ball, and see that there’s only a little bit wound around the outside anymore. Another few rounds, another few wraps disappear, and then it is that moment. It is that great moment when you’ve knit up all the yarn you knit before, and suddenly you’re knitting fresh yarn, yarn that’s never been knit before, and the whole world opens up again.

newyarn 2015-08-28

No matter what came before, everything from that moment forward, is progress. I love that moment.

Since I’m making progress on all manner of things today, not just the cowl (by the way, I’ve updated my gig page again. Check in if you’re near Boston, Calgary, Lethbridge, Vancouver, St Andrews By-the-Sea, or The Dalles. A bunch of you have asked about Rhinebeck, and yes, I’ll be there, but just as a knitter. I’ll be around, but have no events scheduled. Cuts into the wool time.)  I thought I’d tackle the Karmic Balancing gifts again. I know, I’m horribly behind to have that still going on, but it’s amazingly time consuming – and I keep needing many hours free to catch up. Today I have two hours to throw at it, so let’s see how many I can get through! (I’ll keep going as I have time. I promise. If you’ve sent me an email with a gift, you’ll hear from me when its your turn.)

First, some gorgeous patterns from Susanne Visch. (You know, one of the best parts of this is getting to see patterns I hadn’t noticed.  I love these.) Susanne has very generously donated at ton of them! She will be sending her Gladiool hat and cowl set to Beth J.

Gladioolhatanccowl 2015-08-28

The Ijskristal hat and cowl set pattern goes to Susan.

ijskristalhatandcowl 2015-08-28

Zoel hat and scarf pattern to Rosane M.

Zoelhatandscarf 2015-08-28

The very beautiful Schelp Shawl will be going to Kathleen P, Karen W and Colynn H.

schelpshawl 2015-08-28

Moerbei is for Hannah S, Crystal R and Helen O.

moerbei 2015-08-28

Bloemen in het gras (I don’t speak Dutch, but I bet that means “blooming in the grass) shawl is for Mary M, Amy F and Stephania F.

bloemenshwl 2015-08-28

Her charming Zeeglas Cowl goes to Susan H, Rose M and Ashley F.

Zeeglas 2015-08-28

The Flits! Cowl is off to Monique G, Sally O and Miriam E.

Flitscowl 2015-08-28

and last, but certainly not least, Kay B, Victoria L, and Elizabeth A will be enjoying a copy of the Ayamaru Cowl.

Ayamarucowl 2015-08-28

Carolina has two generous gifts, a stocking kit with all the fixings for Jennifer D.

stockingkit 2015-08-28

and 14 skeins of beautiful Alpakas yarn for Jesse K. (14 is a lot. I wonder what Jesse will make?)

lotsalpaca 2015-08-28

From Shannon (delightful person in real life, and friend of the show) her fantastic bundle of knitting apps.   Knittrick and Knitamus for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. (I actually use these, and love them) for Arlin C, Elizabeth C, and Maro B. (All their emails were sent from Apple devices, so I know they can use them!)

knittrick 2015-08-28

If that wasn’t enough, Six skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Metalico, Cinnabar colorway.  50% baby alpaca, 50% raw silk. Delicious stuff, and it’s enough for Katy A to make the Etched Rio Wrap (which is what Shannon planned it for, but it would be awesome for anything.)
metalico 2015-08-28

Whew! I know that doesn’t look like much, but that’s 27 gifts! More tomorrow, I promise.  Joe’s out of town, and when he’s not around, my whole world opens up. For now, I’m off to the sailboat. Midge beckons, and there won’t be many more days like this.

 

45 thoughts on “That moment right there

  1. Oh man, I am just having the worst day today and winning that beautiful cowl pattern really did brighten my day. Thank you so much!

  2. And here I thought I was the only one who felt that way about the ripped out yarn around the skein! Just did this last night when I messed up a pattern by not paying attention. Thanks for sharing!

      • Me, too. I just am not actually accomplishing anything until I get past that point where I have already been before. I feel that way when I sew and have to alter items I am sewing, too. Good to know there are others out there!

  3. I LOVE that moment! If I’ve had to rip something back my husband will actually ask me if I’ve got to the new yarn yet. 🙂

    Have fun on the boat, it’s a stunning day for being outside.

  4. I ripped something back last night and started again. I knit a little bit while I was eating lunch just now, but I am not yet to the new yarn yet! a couple more rows…

  5. Haha, whenever someone asks me why I knit so much, I tell them they’ll be thanking me once the zombie apocalypse starts! Good to know the survivors will be kept warm, clothed, and stylish!

  6. You were really close with the Dutch. “Bloemen in het gras” means “Flowers in the grass”. There are some really lovely patterns there.

    Hope you had a lovely sail.

  7. Thank you for reminding me of that special moment when you’re knitting fresh yarn. I thought I was the only one that felt that way…you’ve articulated it beautifully. Also, have to say I love, love, love the colours of that skein you’re using now.

  8. I’m traveling to Boston for work on 9/13, just in time to miss your talks. I have a secret dream I’ll run into you in an airport one day. My flight lands at 3:30, if there’s any chance you’re still in town or in the airport then, maybe my dream could become a reality!

  9. Finishing up the reknitted yarn and finally pulling new yarn from the center of the ball has always felt like a fresh start. I’m glad that I’m not alone!

  10. I just did the same thing (ripped back and re-knit) on the same thing (a cowl.) Hit the fresh yarn about an hour ago, and felt that lovely sense of relief that I’m not just running in place anymore. Maybe I won’t make any more mistakes on this. (Yeah, right.)

  11. I love when I get past that point where all the yarn is used up after tinking. My motto is I tink therefore I am.

    Wonderful generous gifts, and the lovely pattern and wool. Delightful to see all that people come up with.

  12. Well, you know, I have such mixed feeling when I find out how many other people think/feel the same way I do about something as simple as getting back to the place where you can pull from the center of the ball again. On the one hand I say oh yes, Stephanie does that too! And on the other hand I say, well I guess I’m not a special snowflake after all…

  13. My family was watching the sail boats pass by from the pier at Centre Island and I wondered if you were out there. My kids yelled out “Nice boat” to some friendly sailors and the sailors waved back.

  14. yes ma’am, I do sigh at that moment when I am have redeemed myself. not actually redeeming, because you taught me that ripping/frogging do-overs were part of knitting…but still it is so nice to go forward.

  15. This makes me laugh and also comment on your blog for the first time. I just did the same thing and had the same feelings of excitement and accomplishment that you described. Oh the small joys in life!

  16. That moment, I love that moment I am sure my husband knows I love that moment as I always feel compelled to say something as it just feels so good to be back on a forward course again :0)
    Love how the cowl is working up :0)

  17. Bummer. I saw that an Amy F is receiving the Bloemen in het Gras shawl and got really excited. I checked my e-mail. Alas, it is another Amy F, just not this one. Hope she enjoys it!

    • Bummer indeed! I am the other AmyF and Stephanie and Susanne just made my Monday. Sorry it wasn’t you who won, my co-AmyF, but please know that I do love the pattern and will knit it with pride!

  18. I have always loved that moment of being “whole” again in my knitting… In fact if I make an error and rip back, I almost always knit back to new yarn before I put it down! It helps that I worry about mistakes and check pretty often so I don’t end up ripping out too many inches…

  19. I love this feeling of progress! Right now even when I rip out my work, I still feel like I am making a progress – learning from my mistakes and building more and more confidence in this craft.

  20. Yesterday I knit an entire round backwards on my Ommegang sweater while talking to the cable tv company (for hours!). Today I finished unknitting it, re-knit the round in the proper direction and saw the yarn coming from the center of the ball again. Yay!

    Go you for solo sailing!

  21. Hah! I posted on Rav a year or so ago that we need a knitting term for just that moment:

    “There should be a knitting term for ‘the celebratory point at which you start pulling fresh yarn from the skein after having had to frog a bit; the point at which you are no longer reknitting a frogged section, but actually making forward progress.'”

    http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/one-alaskan-mama/3008257/176-200#180

    Come on! Frogging, tinking, all the other slang terms, all the real knitting terms. We need a word for this! Run a contest.

  22. Brilliant of Shannon to give away a set of her apps. I had never heard of them and that Knittrick is the app of my dreams. Just purchased it!

  23. I had that moment yesterday with a baby sweater that I had inexplicably increased before the markers and not after for the raglan sleeves. Took me awhile to figure out why it looked odd. Pulled it out and started over, had to show my husband when I finally got to the ‘new’ yarn.

  24. You have such a knack for describing just what I also feel when I’m knitting – that feeling when you get to the ‘fresh’ yarn indeed! It constantly astounds me that other knitters are experiencing just the same things that I do – and then you go and express it so well. One thing to add, though – ‘bloemen’ means flowers in Dutch, so its the Flowers in the Grass Shawl.

  25. I’m super excited that you’re coming to Calgary!! I got super lucky and got into your class on Monday, so thank you very much for adding the extra session! I would have loved to have taken classes at Knit City, but I’m vending there and don’t feel like I should abandon my friend (a non-knitter) first thing in the morning! Haha

    =^..^=

  26. Neben dem telefonieren, dem Nachrichten versenden und dem fern sehen kann man heute schon Ebooks auf den modernen Handys lesen, man kann
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