KNITSTER

Happy New Year everyone! I hope it was good for everyone.

Knitting played a good part in my bringing in the new year this year. We often spend hours on end at my husband’s cousin’s house, and after a while, you get bored hanging around, and I’m not exactly always into the drinking and dancing (I didn’t want to tempt my trick knee this year), so with Spanish music blaring in the next room, I went off to another room, and pulled out the hat I’m working on for myself.  It’s amazing how just sitting there knitting attracts all sorts of comments and unites generations, in a way.  First, there was (if you can keep this straight) my husband’s cousin’s brother in law. He saw me working on the hat, and told me how his 79 year old mama in Ecuador used to knit, but doesn’t anymore due to her hands and eyes not being as good anymore. But it made him happy to see that, and made him think of her and the things she used to make him when he was a kid.  Next, the cousin’s little 4 year old daughter (one of the triplets) came in and sat next to me, watching quite fascinated, and wanting to know how it worked, and what I was making, etc. She wanted to try, but with an in-the-round pattern done with DK yarn and 2-#4 circular needles, well, I thought it’d be a little bit complicated to show her how I was purling. But, I had her hold the ends of the needles while I was really doing all the work, and she actually stuck through a full round of the work. She felt very proud that she was “helping me knit”, and went to tell her mother.  Then later, that girl’s abuelita (grandma), my husband’s aunt, was amazing how I could talk to her and not even look at my knitting. I had to explain that I wasn’t doing anything complicated at the time other than straight purling stitches, where there was no counting involved or anything like that, so it was easy. But we got into a little conversation about that, and she was impressed to hear about the “library” of books I had to find patterns, etc. She said she wished she could learn, and I advised her to check out the local Michael’s for cheap lessons, as that’s how I got started.

So it was kind of cool that I had several people show interest in what I was doing.

And while this is only the first day of January, I realized that I have a project more pressing that my hat (although I need the hat for practicality purposes too)! One of the projects I have in my queue that’s not started is a baby hoodie for a friend of mine. I haven’t even started it, so I think I really need to get on the ball with that, considering the baby is due in February sometime! Whoops! Yeah, I should’ve started that one at least, but I did pick a pattern already, and I think I can do some stash decluttering in the process too, so that woud work. I just have to make sure I have the right needles, got the gauge down, have enough yarn, etc. I think it’ll be fine.

I don’t feel like I had spent as much time knitting as I would have liked, even though I have a fair amount to show for my efforts over the year.  Any knitting resolutions? I’d like to get more knitting time in, for starters. Maybe when I’m not job hunting as much, it’ll be easier.  I would also like to go to more knitting events again, perhaps like going to MSDW again. I know a few people who’d like to go again whom I missed last year, so maybe we can be more organized about it, and I’ll see them this year instead. That would be good.  I met some new friends in the process of going to MSDW last year, and I’ve rediscovered some old friends who attend too, and missed yet some other friends last year too. I tell ‘ya, the knitting community is a great one, as it has expanded my friend base, even if some of it is only virtually! (But not for long!)

Well, what am I sitting here typing for? I need to get moving on that baby hoodie!

Posted on January 1st, 2008 by Dani
Filed under: General