I LACK KNITTING CHUTZPAH

I've been thinking about this lately, as I go about my daily life, knitting, not blogging, reading about other people's knitting. I lack knitting chutzpah. I really do.

What in blazes am I talking about? Well, I seem to be in a rut here. When I started knitting seriously again, about eight months ago, I chose fairly basic sweaters to work on, with minimal shaping, simple stitches and solid colors. I've had fun knitting these. They've worked up quickly and come out well. But now I seem to be stuck. I keep choosing these sorts of projects, because I know I can do them, but I seem to shy away from much else. I am somehow afraid that if I work with more colors, or more textures, I will suddenly lose all knitting ability and make a god awful mess of things.

So what happens now? Well, I have several projects in the stash that I am excited about starting soon… so I think I will get to work on those. But after that, it's time to branch out, my friends. Anyone have any clever suggestions of where to go from here? What was your first challenging knitting project?

AND NOW, THE PROGRESS REPORT

Enough soul searching. How's the boring knitting going? Pretty darn well. Cable raglan is done and blocked. I seam tonight. In the interim, I started Shriek, a shell knit from Rowanspun DK. It's moving along. I finished the back yesterday and hope to cast on for the front tomorrow. And that's all there is to tell.

OOH!

Chamonix has arrived. Hooray, hooray. It is all that I had hoped for, and more. In response to Larry's question: I chose a color called Paris, a grey blue. Choosing colors based on onscreen samples always makes me nervous, but I am very happy with how it looks in real life. Sadly, the swatching cannot begin, as the all-important pattern has yet to arrive from KnitPicks. Shoot. I suppose it will help keep me faithful to the cabled raglan seaming, though. Everything happens for a reason. And all that jazz.

CLEARING THE DECKS

Well, my friends, things are moving along. I did indeed seam the Serendipitous Cardigan this weekend. Nice job, self. Thanks to everyone who took a moment to share your finishing wisdom, it was much appreciated. As I had feared, the Circus yarn did make the process a pain, but the fuzziness closed in around the seams and rendered them nearly invisible. All in all, the seams look pretty damn good. The verdict on Serendipitous? It’s a little baggier than I had hoped. I think it will be more useful as a jacket sort of item, rather than the wear-to-work cardigan I had hoped for. Live and learn.

Cabled raglan is coming right along. I have a little more cabling to do on the final sleeve raglan, and then it’s all over but the finishing. Finishing will probably wait until the weekend, because that is the sort of person I am.

And so, Koigu scarf is done, Serendipitous is done, the completion of cabled raglan is imminent… what now? Well, I should probably get right back on the horse with the cabled sleeveless turtleneck. You know, not let the tragic frogging keep me down. I think that Shriek, another sleeveless top made from Rowanspun DK, is clamoring for attention, too. But, beyond those, there are not so many stash projects on the horizon. I am catching up with my stash. So. What did I go and do today? Yes, I bought some yarn. And why? Because

I CANNOT RESIST A BARGAIN

I swear to you, at some future time, when I am aged approximately 92, you will see me down at the dollar store, scooping up hideously scented blueberry votive candles by the dozen, just because they are cheap. I can see that I will be that sort of person. It’s so sad.

Today, in my daily blog crawl, I came upon the news that Elann had Jaeger Chamonix on sale. Well, I thought, how good a sale? 47% off, as it happens. And that is good enough for me. Yes, I got enough to make a cabled sweater from Jaeger 8. But it gets worse. I do not have a copy of Jaeger 8. Where could I get one? Perhaps KnitPicks? Yes, KnitPicks came through. While there, I was unable to stop myself from checking the weekly sale. What was on sale? Rowan Cork. Just what I need! I tell you, I am mentally sick. I need help. Can someone recommend an addiction counselor?

And the worst part? This is all winter yarn. Soon, I will need summer yarn. Oh, it is a horrible downward spiral. The coffers of my stash will be full once again. Excuse me now, please, I have to go hang my head in shame.

NO TIME TO BLOG, MUST KNIT.

Wow. This blog has gotten pretty boring lately. Anyone reading out there? No? Well, I brought it upon myself. Fact is, there’s been a dearth of updates here because I’ve been knitting a fair amount this week. Over the weekend, I cam e to the realization that I have some lovely late winter/early spring projects on the needles that need finishing before the weather here in Connecticut turns to hot, humid and hazy. And so, I got down to business.

Koigu scarf is done. Hooray! I’ve been wearing it this week, and it is lovely. It makes me want to make something else from Koigu, just maybe not as repetitive as a scarf. I love the shawls I have seen on other blogs, but I think I lack the discipline to complete one. Such a shame.

Serendipitous cardigan is done and blocked. Seaming awaits. I loathe seaming, so I am putting it off for the weekend, allegedly so I can work on it in natural light. Yes, my justification skills are developing nicely, thank you very much. I made the cardigan in Artful Yarns’ Circus, a very fuzzy boucle. I can’t decide if the fuzz factor will help the finishing, in that it will disguise the potentially bad job I will do, or if it will make it harder, in that I won’t be able to see what I am doing and do a truly hideous job. Very stressful. And yet, I must overcome. I will be strong. If anyone has any seaming tips for this stuff, just call them on out.

Cabled raglan is coming along. Front is done. Sleeve one is scheduled for completion tonight. Sleeve two is scheduled for commencement tonight. Moving right along here, folks. No screwing this one up now! (Having said that, I am now doomed to rip out four inches of cable tonight. Will I never learn?) I am hoping to finish it this weekend as well. Maybe it will be a part of the grand seaming party with Serendipitous. (Two finishing projects? I may be driven to drink this weekend. Please ignore any sloppy, rambling blog entries that may appear. Thank you.)

Cabled sleeveless pullover is frogged. Curses! I had a tension issue. For some reason, when I switched from knitting to purling on the wide ribs, I was getting a column of loose stitches. It was bad enough that it seemed to warrant ripping, making another practice swatch, and starting over. I really like this sweater… so I would like it to come out nicely. I will not start again, however, until the seaming madness is over. Some discipline must be maintained.

And that’s the story, my friends. No time to be amusing. Must knit. Knit like the wind. Yes.

YOU NEVER WRITE

How true. I'm sorry. The fact is, I've been doing a bit of socializing lately, and my knitting has suffered. I have found it to be difficult to pull out the knitting when spending time with non-knitting friends. They seem to think that you are either bored by their company, or ignoring them, or a combination of the two. In any case, I am hoping to get things back on track this week.

GETTING BACK TO MY ROOTS

Back before I began knitting seriously, I was an avid crocheter. (Why is "knitter" a word and "crocheter" not a word? Is there a term I do not know, meaning "one who crochets"? Help, please.) I have mentioned my crochet several times in the past, and I apologize to those who may be getting tired of hearing it. It's just a little update for those who might be new to the story, people. In any case, one of my biggest reasons for conquering the world of knitting was the wide array of attractive patterns available. Crochet patterns were so often limited to afghans (nice, but big) and truly hideous, tent-like sweaters. And so I moved over to knitting, craft of cute little tops. (And socks! Oh, I want to make some! Must finish Koigu scarf first! Dang!)

But now, just as I am approaching a level of knitting that I will optimistically term "intermediate," crochet is everywhere. The latest Family Circle Easy Knitting is loaded with crochet. Even the spring/summer Rowan has crochet. What happened? I am secretly delighted, of course, because, with crochet, I can tackle even the "expert" projects with aplomb. Crochet expert? Yep, that's me. And so, I am thinking about making the little crocheted cardigan in the Rowan magazine. Just because I can. And because it might be nice with skirts.

I HAVE QUESTIONS. DO YOU HAVE ANSWERS?

I have a few other crochet-related musings, which I will include here, as it seems like an appropriate moment.

Musing 1. Has anyone made the granny square skirt which was in the first issue of Knit It? I do not have the magazine, but I remember it being sort of nice. Can anyone tell me how many squares around, etc. it was? Just looking for a jumping off point, here.

Musing 2. Rowan 33 has a little feature on a new book by Erika Knight called Simple Crochet. Research has shown me that this has already been published in the UK, but will not be released here until September. Has anyone seen it? Any UK readers out there? Any readers out there at all? No? Shoot. Anyway, if there does happen to be someone reading who has seen this book, could you let me know if it looks nice? Worth ordering from Amazon UK? Or, if you're feeling particularly interactive, would you like to trade a copy for some US-only product? I'm not sure what that product would be, but I am open to suggestions.

INFIDELITY

Sorry for the lack of updates here. The truth is, I’ve been feeling a touch ashamed. I know you all want to hear the story, so… here goes. I’ve always been a one project sort of person. This dates back to the crochet days, when I would work on a single project for three years, finish it at last, and have it not fit. (The root of my current measuring obsession can be found there, too. I can’t go five rows without checking that my gauge hasn’t gone off.) In any case, I enjoy the process of knitting, but I also enjoy a nice, finished sweater. At least, I like the idea of the finished sweater, even if it goes bad now and again, and this keeps me on the proverbial straight and narrow, plugging away incessantly at the project of the moment.

Now that I am becoming a more proficient knitter, however, it has become harder to work on a single project. You see, I now understand the virtues of having multiple projects, of varying levels of complexity, going at one time. You have your easy project, for tv-watching, you have your small project, for toting around, and you have your complicated project, for those times when you want to feel skillful. I’m sure you all know what I mean. So, I tend to have three projects going at once and limit myself to that.

But this weekend, that went out the window. It all started when I made three stupid mistakes in a row on the front of the cabled raglan, necessitating the ripping out of all the cables. Dang. I won’t even go into the stupid mistakes, because they were just too stupid to tell. Now, the cabled raglan is my easy project, for tv-watching. Obviously, if I was screwing up on that one, it was not the time to upgrade to the skillful project. No, sir. At the same time, I didn’t want to waste my portable project, sitting at home, watching the Oscars. I need to save that for taking to work, etc. You with me?

So it happened. I started a fourth project. I know. It’s so shameful. I am now making the “Serendipitous Cardigan” from Hollywood Knits. (I am using Artful Yarns’ Circus, which is knitting to gauge nicely, but on a smaller needle than the pattern calls for. Don’t you just love these technical asides?) It is shockingly easy and knits very quickly. How quickly? I started the thing during the Oscars, and tonight I will be starting the sleeves. Back and fronts are done. And I am no speed demon with the needles. So… unfaithful I may be, but it’s only a brief fling. I’ll be back to knitting cabled raglan in a day or two… possibly while wearing my cozy new cardigan.

ACRONYMS EXPLAINED!

Well, thanks for clearing up my confusion, dear readers. LOL = Laughing out loud. Good to know. But I have to admit, I like "Lady of the Lake" better. It’s a bit like referring to that Dave Eggers book as AHWOSG. But less annoying. Because I hate that AHWOSG acronym. I can’t even believe I just typed it into the blog. But it’s there now. Nothing to be done. This concludes the acronym-using portion of the blog. Don’t be looking for them again, because they won’t be here. Except for “radar,” because I sure won’t be typing out “radio detecting and ranging.” We all have to draw the line somewhere.

MY KNITTING IS NOT THAT INTERESTING

Yes, it’s true. I’m so sorry. Other people, they’re doing cool stuff. Wendy turns out a fair isle sweater every two weeks, it seems. Michelle just finished a Philosopher’s Wool sweater and has begun an intarsia piece. Teresa is moving and knitting a fair isle vest, simultaneously. Each row that these people knit is exciting. Their every stitch is a marvel of technique. Me? Not so much. The cabled raglan? Mostly stockinette. Even the cables them selves are not that exciting. Are you sitting down? Yes? Okay: slip three to cable needle, hold at back, knit two, knit three together from cable needle. Whew. I know. You couldn’t even handle that excitement while sitting, now, could you?

Maybe I should have thought this through a little more before starting this blog. Maybe there should have been a moment at which I said to myself, “Self, your knitting is not that interesting. There is really no need to share it with others.” Perhaps we all could have been spared. But, that didn’t happen. The blog is here, and, in lieu of exciting knitting, I’m going to tell a little story. True confession time, here. And it is blog-related, at least.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THOSE ONLINE ABBREVIATIONS STAND FOR

Is there a code manual that I didn’t get? Where do these things come from? Do they float up gradually from some internet miasma? Or do they spring, fully formed, into the general, online consciousness? Whatever it is, I am missing something. LOL? What is that? Lots of Love? Lady of the Lake? It could be so many things. Just when I think I’ve cracked it, I see some use that does not fit with my definition at all. I could go on here with some other abbreviations that have me stumped, but I fear to reveal the true extent of my ignorance. So, if you know what these things mean, more power to you. Use them with abandon. But over here at grannysquare, we’re going to stick to writing things out long hand. That’s just the kind of blog this is.

THE WEEKEND

And now, the long-awaited weekend knitting predictions. What will I do? Well, I have a dream that I might complete the knitting of both sleeves of the cabled raglan. I do have the entire Oscars ceremony, after all. It could happen. But, at the same time, some other projects are calling my name. The cabled sleeveless turtleneck, aka “Moll,” wants some attention. The Koigu scarf also wants to know if it will ever graduate from the works in progress sidebar. I also want to start a pair of socks. Everyone’s knitting them, why not me?

TEMPLATE TERROR

Well, okay. I wasn’t going to post today at all, because, frankly, the progress on my cabled raglan just isn’t that interesting. (I’m making the front! It’s a lot like the back! But with a neckline! You get the idea.) But then, I cruised by Larry’s site, and I saw that he was talking about making some changes to his Blogger template and that it was not going so well. And so, I decided to share with you all the sad truth: I live in mortal fear of my Blogger template.

I know, it’s pathetic. But there it is. I don’t think this fear is unfounded. I have screwed my simple template up royally many a time now. Each time I try to add a link or some such, my heart is in my throat. It’s at the point now that, whenever I make a change, I first copy the entire thing into a separate text document, so I can get back to where I was, in case of disaster. I’ve had to go into “safe mode” more than once. Yes. Web programming, not really my strength.

My most recent html horror occurred this weekend, when I first surfed by the little blog at home on my Mac. (With the DSL! Oh, dang, wasn’t going to mention that.) Much to my shock and dismay, the background was black. Now, on my work computer, a PC, the background is white. The template I am using calls for a white background. I wanted a white background. What was up with this black nightmare? I was particularly affronted because I have some personal issues with black-background web pages. They can be okay, but it just isn’t my personal design aesthetic, you know? So what the heck was going on? Was it a platform issue? Who knew?

After some panicked monkeying with my template, which accomplished absolutely nothing, I just gave up and surrendered to the new, blog-of-doom look. Back at work on Monday, I checked the page again. White. At home that evening: white. Huh? What does this all mean? Did my blog, of its own accord, decide that it was time for a little change? Is black its weekend-casual look, and I just never knew? Still, the mind boggles. If any of you are in possession of some canny html knowledge and can explain this mayhem to me, I will be your slave.

In the meantime, don’t expect any big changes here at the blog. Even going into the template section of Blogger causes my palms to sweat and my knees to knock together. Well, maybe it’s not that bad. But it’s close.