Now I feel ten feet tall
Well, wow. You guys really know how to make a girl feel better. A bit embarrassed too - next time I feel like deleting my blog I'll just keep it to myself without making such a fuss about it. But seriously: thank you so much for your wonderful, encouraging words. I am humbled and thankful, and so not worthy. (I'm still gonna print out all the comments, laminate them and carry them with me all the time. Ahem.)
One more thing about perfectionism: doesn't it suck that it usually does not extend to all parts of your life? Like, I feel perfectly fine not vacuuming under the carpets.
Let's talk some yarn for a change!
I started a new pair of socks (the pattern is Conwy from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road). I wanted to try out the other Knittery yarn I had in my stash, since I liked the merino one so much. Oh, I guess I didn't tell you that in my last post: I really, really liked the yarn I used for the Gentleman's Shooting Stockings. It's a bit thinner than your average sock yarn, resulting socks wonderfully light and comfy. It's discontinued, but the new Merino Slim Sock has approximately the same yardage, and I'm seriously tempted to try that one next. The Merino Chubby Sock sounds very yummy too...
The yarn I'm using for these socks is 4Ply Sock: Merino Cashmere, in shade Midnight. I was browsing Ravelry to see what other people have said about this yarn, and mostly all just said how wonderful and soft this yarn is. It is - but I'm not sure I like knitting with it. The yarn is so soft that it feels somehow sticky on the needles, and it's also quite a bit heavier than the other sock yarns I've knit with.
Part of my problem with this yarn could be the colour. I bought this yarn to knit socks for someone very special, and although I'm sure she'll love this colourway, the dusky pinks and lilacs are so not my cup of tea, and make me feel like I'm knitting someone else's project. I do think that these will be very warm and amazingly soft and luxurious socks when finished, so I'll keep knitting. Maybe – and here's a depressing thought – I'm just not a cashmere kinda girl?
With and without
Gentleman's Shooting Stockingsby Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy BushYarn: The Knittery 4ply Sock: Merino, in shade chocolateNeedles: 2,25 mmI've been struggling with blogging lately. I don't know... should I be blogging if the only thing I can think of writing is "I've made two pairs of socks, one with heels and toes, and one without"? Yeah, I don't think so either. But still, here I am.
Yoga Socksby Claire Herne
Pattern source: Yarns InternationalYarn: Sock yarn scrapsNeedles: 2,5 mmModifications: Cast on 60 sts instead of 48I've been fantasizing about deleting the whole thing. My old entries make me cringe – so much bad writing, especially if I've tried to be funny. (Eww. I'm so sorry about all the bad jokes!) And yes, this is my stupid "no use of trying if you can't be perfect" side kicking in. That same annoying side that made me stop drawing, and playing the piano.
Because others do it better. (I'll be 36 this year, shouldn't I know better already? Please don't answer this question.)
But even with having absolutely nothing to say, I still can't bring myself to delete this little blog of mine. Can't live with it, can't live without it I suppose. But if some day my perfectionism takes over, and this blog stops being, I just want to let you know that it survived this long because of you. Thank you all for reading, and commenting, and being such nice people.
And hey, guess what – now I have a whole entry without any real content! Amazing!
Oh the weather outside is… lovely? OH NO!!!
Barkby Anna Tillman
Pattern source: Rowan 38Yarn: Rowan Chunky Print (Native 072, Corinthian 083, Pit 080, Pebble Dash 078) and Rowan Big Wool Tuft (Rugged 058)Hook: 7 mmLovely Bark, finally you're mine! I've loved this pattern ever since I first saw it (I blogged about it
here), but since the yarn would've cost a fortune, I never really thought of actually knitting it.
But then I saw
this. Ooooh! I assume
Ann somehow guessed from my enthusiastic comment that I would love to make one too, so she very kindly offered to buy the yarn for me. Rowan Chunky Print is now discontinued, so it was quite cheap, and some colours were already out of stock. Luckily I was able to get the missing colours as Ravelry trades – thank you so much to both
Kandace and
Mira for helping me out!
After I got the yarn, the rest was easy. Crocheting with a size 7 mm hook is super quick and super fun. And I
kinda didn't even break my yarn diet: Ann said that since I'll be able to crochet this shawl in no time, it will be as if the yarn itself never existed. She was right: I finished the shawl in three evenings. The yarn didn't even
touch my stash. Clever, that Ann.
Final verdict: I LOVE this shawl. Loved making it, love wearing it. Dear Finnish Spring, don't let me down: please send me one little snowstorm so that I could wear my new shawl at least once before summer. Thank you.
… and if not, I'll just wear my other new neck warmer thingie:
Tudoraby Cheryl Marling
Pattern source: Knitty, Winter 2007 Yarn: One strand of Novita Wool and two strands of Knit Picks Shadow, held togetherNeedles: 4 mm
Another quick'n fun project. Warm, but not overly so. Makes your neck look longer. Really, make one: you'll probably have something suitable in your stash. And you'll get to use your favourite big button. Happy April, everyone!
