knitfix

After a long hiatus, I'm back to blogging about knitting. I've still been knitting, but not blogging, so I have some catching up to do. Are my knitting buddies are missing my posts? I did get some encouragement from the Tuesday Night knitters. Well, they are a friendly, encouraging group.

Of course this is just one finished mitten. The other is on the needles, as you can see. I hope to have it done by next week. I love the color. This yarn is slightly scratchy to me. My skin is very sensitive, so I hope it will be okay for my daughter Zoe. I do find it less of a problem after I wash the yarn.

Glad to be back.

I've started using Hefty School Bags to hold my projects. They can be hard to find, but this is the time of the year to find them. So, if you see them in the store, grab a box.

You can put in the pattern, swatch, even yarn and needles if it's a small project. And, you can write on the outside with a sharpie. Very handy and cool for a disorganized person, like me.

Finally, I have a new post and, at long last, a finished object. Even though this is a wee one, I'm proud of it. I knit this bib for my brand new nephew Ian. He was born on Saturday August 4.

We were led to believe he was a girl, so I had another project in mind for him. I had started the RIBBON EDGED CARDIGAN sweater. (Now, I think I'll skip the ribbon.) While visiting him, I also knit him a hat. I didn't have a chance to take a picture of it. Hopefully I'll get to post it in a picture that includes the baby.

For the bib, I choose a Sirdar Pure Cotton from my stash that I had purchased in Cambridge, UK about five years ago. I'm not sure if it's available anymore. It's very nice.

The pattern was inspired by both a bib from the Mason Dixon knitting book and the RIBBON EDGED CARDIGAN in Debbie Bliss's SPECIAL KNITS book that I had started for him. Luckily I bought the green, not pink yarn!

I bought two sweet star-shaped, shell buttons to finish it up. It was nice to visit my old local yarn store, The Snow Goose in Milton, MA (Alas, no web site). They have good yarn and a nice selection of buttons. I think that nice buttons make a big difference.

Is RAVELRY worth the wait?
On another topic, what's your thoughts on Ravelry? I'm still waiting for my invite, so it's too soon for me to comment much. It remains to be seen what comes of it. It's clear that they weren't prepared for the deluge of people who want to join in.

We have to wonder if people will continue to visit. How many online communities are you in? Do you stick with them?

Do you want to blog about knitting, or knit? Now, do you want to catalog your stash, or use it? I think most knitters are the artsy types, not the list-keeping types.

My stash is a delightful mess with discoveries to be made. I am not really interested publicly admitting to the enormity of it. That's just me. I do see the benefits of knowing what you have and how much you have. Do I really need more Rowan's Kid Silk Haze? Did I ever need ANY Kid Silk Haze? No, not really, and with Ravelry, it might just stop me from buying more when I find it on sale or in a color that I "must" have.

It's been too hot for me to knit. Too hot to touch wool, even in our air conditioned cocoons. I have the summer doldrums and don't feel productive. My normal, very slow knitting has nearly come to a standstill. I have zillions of started, stalled, and abandoned projects.

My current project is a wee little baby hat. It's been on the needles for three weeks! There is a deadline and I have some motivation to finish soon. You see, my little sister is expecting a baby in a few weeks. Nothing like a cute little sweater or hat to get your juices flowing again. But, no.