First of all, I didn’t get a chance to share who my 2019 Fearless Knitting treasures went to for Christmas. One more great thing about Fearless Knitting, the treasures you have to give away are fabulous.
I know I've used this as a title before but it is so perfect right now. We are packing to leave after being here since December 19 and "Who Knows Where The Time Goes?" Thank you Judy Collins. Is it too early to reminisce before something is over? I hope not because I am going to reminisce about my 2020 January at the Coastal Condo. First of all, I didn’t get a chance to share who my 2019 Fearless Knitting treasures went to for Christmas. One more great thing about Fearless Knitting, the treasures you have to give away are fabulous. Friday December 6, P.E.O. Chapter EI had our Christmas party. I decided to donate something which turned into a raffle. It was the Secrets and Storms wrap with the amazing little flowers created with the Aster Stitch. My dear friend Martha Melcher won the wrap. I’ve know Martha since my senior year in high school. Her husband Cal was a first year teacher. I asked Martha to take a picture of her in the wrap but the stinker cut her beautiful face out. If you want to read more about Secrets and Storms just refer back to Knitting: A Love Story February 2019. I always give the Marvelous Carmen Wigman, the magician who tames my hair, something from my treasure box. This year it was Frozen Lake made out of Twisted Fiber Art Mermaid. I love this so much. You can learn more about Frozen Lake in KALS January 2019. You all remember Evie, my best friend from college. I love to give Evie things I’ve knit. She doesn’t knit so she thinks what ever I do is magic. She got Fan-Tastic. I loved knitting Fan-Tastic. I loved everything about Fan-Tastic. I love the yarn, I loved the pattern and I loved figuring out a tough knitting stitch. I even have the Fan-Tastic 2 yarn waiting for me. Some patterns you just can’t get enough of. Mary Fox lives next door at the Costal Condo. I had to pick something out for Mary who has welcomed us with open arms and introduced us to things and people at Sea Trail. She is the best. I wish I could remember the name of this pattern. It’s not in my iBooks PDF’s so it must have been a paper pattern I misplaced. Right before we left for the Coastal Condo, my knitting buddy Thea and I exchanged gifts. This is Dove Tail. It is a Mosaic wrap that was so much fun to do that I knit two. The second one will never find a home because Tess chewed a hole in it when she was a puppy. It remains in my closet until I figure out how to fix and/or hide the hole. If you want to have some fun and end up with a spectacular wrap, this is the project for you. This is done in Kauni EQ with different colors knit together. In addition, I fixed a hole in this sweater for a P.E.O. sister. The hole was right above the left side of the pocket insert. I think I did a pretty good job. I got this on December 6 and have taken it with me through all of our December and January travels. It has been to Ann’s By Design, The Yarn Barn of Kansas and Knit ‘N Purl. Every LYS I’ve been in, I’ve taken it out and asked for suggestions. I ended up picking up the raveled stitches and doing a 3-needle bind off on the back. I love to solve knitting problems! Maybe this would work for the Dove Tail with the Tess hole. 🤔🤔🤔 I got the front of Yoko done and last but certainly not least. . . I got this much done on Comet. All in all, it has been a marvelous 6 weeks. We are leaving first thing in the morning, spending tomorrow night in Marietta, Ohio then we’ll be home Sunday for the Super Bowl. I do have another major goal for 2020. By December 2020, I will have invited my knitting buddies to the Stash Studio for social knitting. This means a commitment to reorganizing the Stash Studio. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻We’ll talk when I get home.
0 Comments
I am taking my 2020 Oath very seriously. “On my honor I will try to do my personal best to keep all LYS open and thriving.” Jane and I went to Knit ‘N Purl yesterday and I took a picture of the Verdigreen I fell in love with in the shop. Martina knit it and it is so very me. One of the things I’ve learned on this visit to the Coastal Condo is that Martina and I like some of the very same things. That shows the beauty and detail of Verdigreen better than the pattern. See why I fell in love!?!?! Now on to The Noble Thread. Here we are. I love the yarn bombed bicycle. I think Ann’s By Design needs one. I was meeting Jane at The Noble Thread after she finished her hair appointment. I got there a little early because I was concerned about parking remembering the problem Jane and I had when we went in September. I got to the shop and there was the store owner, an adorable little dog and an adorable little boy. I wish I would have taken a picture but once again, I forgot. The boy was reading The Iliad. I asked, “Are you homeschooled?” He said, “No, I’m shop schooled.” He was 8 years old and adorable. Then I started to fulfill my oath. This is the first thing I found. I love Katia Socks Jaipur even though I don’t knit socks. This is what I had in mind when I saw this. It looks perfect to me. As I was waiting for Jane, I cruised the shop. You know just seeing what caught my eye. Not looking for anything special but hoping I would be swept off my feet. The Noble Thread didn’t disappoint. All of a sudden I saw this. Meet The Fibre Studio’s Starlight. It is silk, kid mohair, nylon and polyester sparkle. I have no idea what I will do with this. I just know that one day I will see the perfect pattern and it will be spectacular. Let me introduce you to Denim, Neptune, Sprout, Tobacco Road, Persimmon, Kiss and Pearl. When I look at them my heart kind of skips a beat and I don’t mean A-fib. On one of the shop walls, I saw all of these pinks, purples and grays hung together. They weren’t from the same company but they did look amazing together. From left to right let me introduce you to: 1) Hedgehog Fibers merino wool sock yarn in Purr 3; 2) Baah Yarn’s La Jolla in January ‘20; 3) Urth’s Harvest Fingering in Mint (I really don’t get Mint! It gray not green.); and 4) Hello Fibers’ sock in Dusty Rose. I have no idea what these yummy yarns will become but I know it will be stunning. It was so easy. I just stood in front of the wall and these different brands in harmonizing colors were right before my eyes. I have no idea what this is. It is an independent dyer who doesn’t yet have a label. It has sparkles and is an evolution but otherwise I don’t have a clue. I just know I saw it and wanted it. I’ve started looking for the perfect wrap pattern, perhaps with a contrasting color. Last but certainly not least. . . I saw these and had to have them. I think they will be perfect with Yoko. What do you think? I also ordered this yarn dyed by the shop owner to make this very same Doodler. I wouldn’t use the burgundy for trim. I would probably use black. I will have a surprise as soon as she decides to dye it. I told her no hurry. I have plenty in the queue. Well, what do you think? I think I have lived up to my 2020 Oath. I do get sad when a LYS closes. I just ask each of you to to take the oath and live the oath.
“On my honor I will try to do my personal best to keep all LYS open and thriving.” After Thea and Linda Schahm texted to let me know Yarn Envy, a LYS near Temperance, Michigan, was going to close, I decided to dedicate myself to single-handedly trying to keep LYS in business. There is nothing like writing an oath as a reminder of that commitment. I have more than done my part since I’ve been at the Coastal Condo. First, let’s look at the damage I did, or better yet how I practiced my 2020 Oath at Knit ‘N Purl. This is the yummy Malabrigo Dos Tierras in Flame, Camaleon and Holly Hock to make Shift. Ok, now! Could I not buy this with both orange and pink?!?!? I think not. I fell in love with this and I think it was my first purchase at Knit ‘N Purl. Jane and I had breakfast then went to KNP for social knitting. I must admit that I knit a little then cruised the shop, knit a little then cruised the shop. I usually just walk around a LYP at first to see what draws my eye. Then I go back to see what makes me salivate. The front of my top became wet from all of the slobber when I saw this. You’ve already seen my yarn for Comet. I’ve been working hard on Comet and have finally gotten this far. It is pretty amazing even if I do say so myself. But there’s more. This is Cascade’s Whirligag which will become. . . Verdigreen. I picked two balls of yarn with colorways stacking completely different. I will knit both from the middle and it will be spectacular. Molly had a fabulous idea. She suggested using a gradient and black for a stained glass effect. I can see it already. I may have the perfect yarn in the Stash Studio. This is Louisa Harding’s Luci in Isola Rosa a wool blend. I can see this in Peacock Challenge. What do you think? I’ve already started Peacock Challenge in Perth. . . But I think I may have to try Luci. I don’t know what this is as it was on sale and these were the last two skeins with no labels but the Marvelous Martina said it was the last of the yarn to make this. . . I love it and can’t wait to start it. Well, let’s get honest here. I feel that way about everything I've purchased. I can’t possibly start them all but I can dream. Even though I’m not a sock person, I just couldn’t pass this up. I am sure one of my sock knitting, knitting buddies will love it. This is what it looks like when it’s knit . Isn’t it cute. Definitely not me but it will definitely rock somebody’s boat. Last but certainly not least are these nickel buttons and I don’t mean nickel like in the metal, I mean nickel like in 5 cents. What a bargain!!!! I couldn’t pass them up. I think I did my part to make sure Knit ‘N Purl, my home away from home LYS stays open for a while. I also made a trip to The Noble Threads in Wilmington with Jane and I have some real treasures to share with you. Until next time, please take my 2020 Oath and do your part to save LYS where ever you are.
That maybe be overstating it a bit. But I have gone where I have never gone before, in a knitting sense. There is just something about being in the Coastal Condo. Anything seems possible. My mind goes places that even I find amazing. I can't wait to share with you what I have been up to. I’ve already shared Comet with you, And the gorgeous yarn I bought to make it. I decided I needed to get into it immediately. Truth be told, I have been struggling with the pattern since last Monday, January 6. It was a real challenge. The pattern called for fingering/sock yarn and a size 5 needle. I couldn’t imagine a yarn calling for a 1-3 needle working using a 5 so I started with a 4. The pattern had me flummoxed. I started, frogged it, started, frogged it. I must admit I was getting pretty good with the first 10 rows. I decided it was too tight (all of the m1r and m1l and k3T.) Aha, that’s why it called for a 5. Well, I started over once more and got this. It just wasn’t working! I emailed Jane saying, “I’m not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.” But I loved the way it looked and I must admit I’m pretty stubborn. I emailed the designer and found out some of the rows were missed labeled RS or WS. I thought, “Aha! That will fix it!” But it didn’t. It was too hard to see the pattern. The increases and decreases for the points were done on the wrong side. The decrease was K3T and on the right side it was K. There was no way to determine if you were really increasing or decreasing in the right stitch. I was struggling. It wasn’t fun. My perfectionist side and my stubborn side were in a real battle. Just think back to 2017 My Year Of Selfish Knitting. My mantra was, “Does it bring me joy?” This definitely wasn’t bringing me joy but I didn’t want to give up and I wanted it to be perfect. In came my solution. I was going to rewrite the pattern so the increase and decreases were on the RS AND I was going to make a line of stockinet down the center of each increase and decrease. I decided to make this more knitter friendly. This is what I came up with. It was so much easier and knitter friendly. But I did have to totally rewrite the pattern. The WS became the RS and vice versa. I had to add a couple of rows so that you always changed colors on the RS. I think it worked! I must say I love it. On my 7th restart, I finally got it. I also went up to a size 6 needle. What exactly is my learning from all of this? This pattern is amazing and the designer is incredible. How did she think of this complex scheme? I also learned something about myself that has been hidden. I may have some designing abilities. I learned that if it’s not enjoyable, find a way to simplify and make it enjoyable. I don’t think there was a better way to start off Fearless 2.0!
Well, here we are. I am ready for the big reveal almost like one of those parties where couples reveal the sex of their baby. I’ve thought and pondered and fretted and struggled. But finally I got it! This picture exemplifies the magic of knitting to me. That is exactly what I experienced during My Year Of Fearless Knitting—MAGIC! What is better than magic? Nothing! So 2020 will be Fearless 2.0. 2020 will be the reincarnation of My Year Of Fearless Knitting. Fearless is going to have a new life, only at a higher level. I am going to knit fearlessly but kick it up a notch. I also heard Oprah talk about 2020 being a visionary year for her and decided to borrow some of her thoughts. I am going to knit with intention and purpose. I have decided what I want for 2020 now I am going to create a vision of what that looks like. My first 2020 Fearless 2.0 project looks like this. You are going to see several Kulabra Designs during Fearless 2.0. Kulabra is everything fearless to me. I went to Knit ‘N Purl yesterday and bought the yarn for Comet. I love it. Thanks to Molly and Martina for taking my idea and making it pop. I have thought of other fearless goals. I have so many fearless unfinished treasures. I know you have seen some of these before. Let me share a couple of UFT I plan to work on this year. I love this and think I’ve thought of a way to make this fearless but not fearful. If my brainstorm eliminates the need for bobbins, this will become the centerpiece for Fearless Knitting 2.0. I have the beautiful Twisted Fiber Arts yarn specially dyed for Wingspan and this will be the year of the Wingspan. Fearless Forest Grove was one of the treasures I bought when I visited Linda. I really think I should tackle it in 2020. Carol Lane and I are going to work together on a pattern in February that has us both stumped. It that’s not fearless, I don’t know what is.
Then of course, I will see things that will absolutely gab me and I must do. I really wanted to have a new focus this year but I guess fearless is as big as you can get. I am excited. I would like to commit to posting on a more regular basis but I don’t want to break a commitment. So this is 2020. Fearless 2.0. Here I come. |
jan parsonThis blog is dedicated to Mary Helen Growt my first knitting teacher and the woman who changed my life. The mission of Knitting: A Love Story is to preserve, share and promote the love of knitting. Archives
April 2021
Categories |