I swear to all things holy that if I don’t get five minutes by myself really, really soon that I am going to run screaming into the street.
Yesterday while I was in the bath all four members of my immediate family came and spoke to me through the crack of the bathroom door. When I ignored them, one of my children stuffed a note under the door. I really don’t know if I’m going to make it until Monday.
The swatch marches on, and thanks to the advice in yesterdays comments (which I really appreciate…) I decided to take at least most of it off the needles and block it a bit, just to get an idea of size.
We are cruising a glorious 125cm (50 inches) across the top, give or take. I figure the (completely un-designed and wholly imaginary) edging will be another 20cm (8 inches). Since I’m aiming for at least a 150cm (60 inch) shawl swatch, it should be another 3 or four repeats of the lace. I may go a little more to give me time to think about the edging, and the fact that I have absolutely no idea how to chart it. None.
Yesterday while wandering around Downtown (with every member of my family), I knit this…
It’s sort of the Boob Tube thing, excepting of course that I have an almost pathologic inability to follow a pattern. I changed the gauge, and therefore how many to cast on, changed the depth, I added the frill at the bottom and I think I might do ribbing at the top. In fact, now that I’m just about done with it I realized that It’s really more of an “inspired by” sort of project. My hair chic is gonna love it. I knit at the ROM yesterday, at Indigo, on the subway and in the College Park shops. I can never believe that I am the only one knitting. I’m absolutely stunned that with all the knitting I do all over Toronto that I never see anybody else knitting….Doesn’t anyone else knit in public here? There has to be thousands of knitters here in TO, the latest statistics I saw said that there are 40 million knitters in North America. Where are you guys?
Yarn Harlot
Thank you for expressing a thought that had been percolating around in my head but had never really come together–where are all the other knitters?! Thank goodness for the lovely ladies (and one man) of Guild or I would think I was a complete misfit, even though I, too, know there are 39,999,999 other knitters out there somewhere. It always amazes me how, when I knit in a public place, people stare at me as if I’m doing something freakishly weird…
Now wait a minute – you knit while wandering around downtown? How does one do that? Did you ever think that all the other knitters take cover when they see you coming because they don’t want to be identified with the crazy woman with the voodoo doll wielding kids?
Edging? Whaddaya mean, edging? I love the way it looks now – the simplicity of it. Don’t fuck with perfection.
Good question! Where the hell are all those other knitters???? The greatest thing about the internet is that it has made me realize I am not alone here in the world with my knitting needles. I too get stared at when I knit in public. Actually have had a couple of people ask me what I was doing, and when I said “knitting” they said “So THAT’S what knitting looks like.”
Re: your swatch. The edge looks like edging to me. Pointy edging, which is what the swatch needs. I agree with Lene, don’t fuck with it!
Re: the voodoo dolls. I love them. You have no worries with your kids. They are going to conquer the world.
Re: the bath. I had the same problem, and God knows the bathroom is the only place a Mom can get away from her charming offspring. My husband brought me some of those little squishy foam ear plugs (They only cost about a buck) I tucked them in my ears, relaxed in the bath with a good book, and the kids yammering outside the door were far far away and not my problem.
Barb
I agree with Lene–I think the edging it has built in already is terrific! (And Lene, I’m borrowing that “don’t fuck with perfection” for the next time dh thinks he has somthing to criticize about me. Is that cool with you?)
Also, I hesitate to suggest you interrupt your swatch-knitting (because Snowdrop is gorgeous and I’m going to want to knit one myself as soon as you’ve finished the pattern . . . ), but perhaps it’s time to make four small voodoo dolls yourself, perhaps to display prominently on the kitchen table, next to a box of pins and a note that says “Mom needs some time to herself today. I’m sure you all won’t mind.”
Good luck!
Walking & knitting — I make enough stupid mistakes just sitting & knitting! I don’t know how you keep from falling over and/or into things!! I do sometimes knit in public – but only when I will be seated for a long enough time to justify toting around the knitting bag.
Oh, please knit an edging. The way you swatch and knit I just want to see what you’ll come up with!
“Swatch”…yeah…well, a REALLY good swatch SHOULD be actual size, right? 😉 *snort*
Ooh, it’s so pretty! I know the little “points” are the result of the pins, but it’d be neat if there were some way to keep them.
The only time knitting in public that I encountered another knitter was when I was knitting at the airport, and a woman came up and said, both wistfully and with longing, “We can bring needles on the plane now?” Poor thing!
I don’t have too many chances to knit in public, though, given the unwieldy nature of my current projects and lack of opportunities for sitting still. (And now I have jury duty, and I’m not allowed to bring needles into the courthouse! ARGH!)
OOooh! Ahhh!! Your sha… swatch is GORGEOUS!!
I KIP, but mostly just on public transit. It’s really the only time I have available for knitting. I can barely manage to knit while walking, but so far it seems to be far more trouble than it’s worth (I’m more than distractible enough as it is), so I generally don’t bother. Not being able to knit on planes is extremely bothersome — what else am I supposed to do with that “lost” time?
I do agree with Lene (as she’s my daughter how can I disagree – she would kill me). If you can somehow keep the pointed edge please don’t do anything else to it It’s beautiful. Knitting in public! But of course – if you can keep your balance, that is. North America is a little weird with regards to what you can and cannot do in public. Where I come from women breast feed their babies in public – NO COVER UP AT ALL – it is so natural and lovely to see.
Knit and walk? Knit and walk?
This is not good. Don’t people sue people up there in the Great White North?
Here in the Middle Atlantic States, people get sued for looking at you funny, not to mention FORCING you to drive with hot cups of coffee between your knees.
Holy Jeez, Steph.
What did you see at ROM? The felted things?
Were they cool? Please share.
I LOVE the ROM.
No shoe museum?
Oh, right. The swatch is gorgeous. I, for one, would love to see a fine deep border.
Onward.
I’m one of those knitters in Toronto that you never see; but it’s mostly because I’m hardly ever *in public*, so it’s hard to KIP. I do knit in my carrel at the library, and sometimes even in the department at school, but those are almost the only places I ever am that aren’t home. I don’t like to knit at pubs, if and when I’m there, because I don’t want to get my knitting all smoky — and my husband looks a little embarrassed by the thought — but I do bring it to friends’ houses. And I’ve only ever seen one other person knitting around Toronto — on the bus on Harbord St. I almost spoke to her, but I chickened out.
I take my knitting absolutely everywhere and knit anytime I can. I used to get comments but now everyone is used to it. I have “trained” them. I knit in choir rehearsal, while riding in the car, while waiting for tables in restaurants, in the movies, walking around…you are not alone! It is the only way I can make progress. So much knitting to do, so little time!
I took my knitting to Barnes and Noble last night, along with my friend Jesse. I took it even though he is of my brother’s opinion, that knitting is a “little old lady” activity. I beg to differ in general… and I also would like to see the “little old lady” knitting an incredibly obnoxious, fluffy, bright red-pink-and-purple scarf.
No one commented on my knitting. I wouldn’t have cared if they did. My girl friends think it’s neat and have asked me to teach them, so everyone else can just like it or lump it. 🙂
Oh, at least 10 million of them are in L.A. I knitted while walking once, but I got such strange looks I decided not to anymore. Go you!
Hee. Jenifleur, it was because you were _walking_ not knitting. It’s LA, after all. No walking allowed. 😉
Go right ahead, Chandra – I figure imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so use it as many times as is necessary (or desirable).
Knitting and walking is like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. I can’t do either. I would run into a flag pole or plunge down an open man hole cover if I attempted it. I’ll just stick to knitting while driving, thank you.
See. There is a general clamor for pointy edging. I’m thinking a pointy edging like the one on the Fiber Trends Sheep Shawl. Dead simple.
As for other knitters, some of us aren’t skilled enough to knit and walk. I mean. I’m skilled enough in knitting, just not in walking.
Last night I knit at a concert, in the semi-dark. I kept telling myself to take it slowly and carefully because I’d never be able to fix mistakes. I was very surprised to find that I could find my mistakes fix them, without light. I credit my childhood years when I trained myself to read in the dark. It’s just amazing what we can get ourselves to do. Stephanie, I think all the knitters are here on the internet blogging instead.
i knit at red lights, i knit while i walk, i knit at the movies, i knit on a hike, i knit at campsites, i knit on the plane, i knit in meetings, i knit while listening to books on tape – while i walk. (with a nod to dr. suess)
i carry my projects in an old croceted straw bag that i wear diagonally across my chest – i like to have scissors and a second color yarn at hand. i knit hats because they are short projects that are easy to complete – every one can be different – and i just love yarn!!
i crochet too, but it is less satisfying. cheers to you all!