On the purchase of yarns.

I wanted to touch on the subject of yarn. I have heard other knitters go on about it and I know that I am not alone in my simple love of it.
Yarn must feel a certain way, must flow in my fingers, and even smell good.
That is why I am such a source of fun for my colleagues. When a box of yarn arrives in the mail I become a small child under the Christmas tree.
Allow me to back up a bit.
I love Ebay.
It is my largest source of yarn and knitting needles.
I can get Addi’s in from the orient for next to nothing.
I can fill my needle collection with square needles.
I get pounds of yarn for a mere “bit”.
First I have the fun search. “$0.01 to $2.00; free shipping.” I see something I like well enough and bid a couple bucks. Most of the time I am outbid. From time to time I win.
Usually it is a couple of skeins that are planned to be worked into a project. I have some of the best combos for my entralac projects that way.
Then there are the more serious searches.
Cones of yarn.

Simply yarn on a cone. Often machine knitting yarn of a tiny gauge. Wonderful for combining with other yarns to make my own “yarn”. Also these are great for making lace and other micro knitting projects.
“Pound of yarn”
You guessed it. At least a full pound of yarn. You can always find a use for left over bits. Running out of yarn….. NO WAY.
Then there are the yarn lots!
In the past there has been as much as 30 pounds of yarn in one auction. Yes, I said 30.
Where do I put it? When do I use it?
Where is simple. I have small room off my master bath where it is stored. Thanks to the chain called Dollar Tree; I put the yarn into 2, 3 and 5 gallon Ziploc bags. (you get them 3 to a pack @ a dollar a box).
I used to use tubs but those are not see through and can lead to forgetting what you have.

I put a huge bad of Christmas yarns into a bucket and forgot them for nearly ten years.....

This way I can even get a look at different yarns side by side. A couple of my pulled together yarns were created when I noticed two bags side by side.....

I post a picture of today’s arrival.

The two blues are different thread but the color is very close to each other, those I will match with a white to knit a blanket for Matthew. (Dallas Cowboys fan)
The Red is for a sweater for my Danny and the black is a nice weight to use on all the things people say “I want that in black.”
Danny has also mentioned he likes the yellow. There you go all out.

Ohhh that little one in a tan/brown fleck will match some existing micro fibers I have. Another new yarn will be born.

Here I am again.
I am still working on the sweater for Don.
Sort of.
You see Don’s daughter Jenny has need of a compression sleeve and glove.
I’ve been told exactly what the name of her condition is, but at the moment I haven’t a clue what the correct term is. Suffice it to say without divulging too much about the lovely teenager who needs the sleeve and glove in order to reduce the pain and slow the effects.

I, in a fit of pique over the heat in NW Louisiana, attempted to knit standard crochet thread. It worked well enough. I used #1 and #0 needles and in a simple garter stitch I made one of my Pythagorean Afghans.

Yes, I can hear you saying: “ a what what”? It’s a pattern of my own design that I came up with roughly 30 years ago when the first baby out grew the first “blankie” and wanted a bigger one. About this time, I realized just how mind numbing it was to cast on 508 stitches.
If I can round up one that doesn’t show too much signs of battle wear I will take some pictures and print the pattern.

I digress. Point is Dearest Kat has taught me to love micro knitting. When I found out that the sleeve and glove Jenny normally wears is unbelievably expensive and she is in the horrible position of not having SSI and Medicare, or even Medicaid, the immortal words sprang to my head: “I can knit that”!!!!!!!

I came to the conclusion that I am a Zimmerman knitter. I prefer to think of the knitting as a way to make a fabric that fits the wearer. This project will be a test of that. I look at it as a fairly strait forward item. Yet, her arm is not uniform in shape. I can see the use of some short rows and the engineering issue of the proper amount stretch and give to be of real use and not too constricting.
I am going to go with a garter stitch. I think it will offer more stretch. It will be simple and mindless for lunch and waiting knitting. If it works she will have relief.

As always I will keep you posted!

This may be an obsolete entry

Last post I opened sooo many cans of worms.
I think I will start with Don.
He is after several men that I have dated etc. the first one to be interested in knitting. No, he has no desire to knit. But he is fascinated by yarns and technique and my ability to make something that will actually fit him.
Let me preface this by saying that our relationship is a ménage et trio. Me, him and Ellie. Ellie is a 1990 Harley Davidson. I have always loved to ride. I always have. While I shall not go into this here and now allow me to say it is addictive.
Don has pointed out to me that there is a real need for riders to have clothing that will protect them and be comfortable in all sorts of weather. Imagine that, jeans, tee and a leather vest aren’t adequate….

In the manner of Elizabeth Zimmerman I am more the type who looks at knitting as creating a piece of fabric that will fit the person. I measure and adapt to make the garment fit the person I am knitting for. It makes a good fitting sweater easy to accomplish. The biggest key is having the person you are knitting for close around to stop and measure and fit.

Now, accommodating Don; I look at him and see Poseidon. Massive muscular chest the stomach of a mature man who has been lifting great weights for decades great to look at, but a little tough to shop for even at a big man’s shop. He’s something like 6’ 3”. I measured his shoulders for a sweater I started and discovered his neck required 23” and his shoulder for the yoke is a healthy 61”, his chest is 58”. If you have ever reason to look you know… there are very, very, very few patterns for a man this size. In addition to this many of the ones that do exist in any size make a man look in a word … fat.

I found one pattern that began…. “you will need 2000 to 2500 yards of worsted weight yarn.” I could take that the wrong way and get depressed if I were knitting this for myself.

I have, therefore, decided to write “Knitting for the Big Guys”. I plan to take some reasonable patterns and readapt them to men who are not have some mussel on their bodies.

I know that it will be a matter of getting my gauge and sticking to the size and measurements to match.

Keep your fingers crossed and hope for me

Birthday blahs

I find this afternoon that I getting down about the whole birthday thing.
I have never made a big deal about it. I have never had a party.
I would prefer to keep it that way.

I had planned to gut my kitchen and put up the wallpaper I had purchased over three years ago and that the ex had made such a nasty deal about.

I planned to spend my entire weekend alone. I like that.

It has dawned on me:
* that this makes the 40th anniversary of my dear mommy's departure. She walked out the week I turned 8.

* that I will have been knitting for 45 years as of this week.

* that my oldest daughter and child turns 28.

* that my first ex disappeared with my kids 15 years ago this week.

I know that I am going to go home tonight. I will take my deep funk with me. I will most likely be unsociable with the kids. I will go to my room; to my little cocoon I made and I will pick up something. Probably that project I had meant to make for myself and I will knit. By the time I look up it will past bedtime and I will be "whoop-ed" I will have gotten a bit done on a project and I will not have thought about too much except my knitting.

I will feel comforted. I will think about my grandmothers who taught me and I will miss them and if I cry I will do it alone so no one sees me. I will once again pick up knitting and be in control.

Time has simply flown.....

I see it has been a bit since my last up date.

I have several things I ought to write about. The new group, new folks in my life, new baby in the family, turning 48, knitting styles to accommodate differing body types, knitting at the jail while you’re waiting for visiting time. (I promise I will get back to that one).

It has come to my attention that I seem to knit more when I am borderline depressed. I suspect you have recently arrived from a distant planet, one that I think I would like flight tickets for, if you do not know how much your kids, men, money and your job can push you into that state. I have been told by Tori that I was guilty of phoning it in for the last two years. I hear divorce can do that to you….

When I knit I sit and knit and in my little world I have control. I can tear out and redo if I have a problem. If it gets sticky I put it down and work on another project. I complete projects many that will be given to those who are more in need than us. I feel better. I knit more.

Our knitting group split up into two groups in May. Peggy, who started Chicks-with-sticks, had to switch up her nights and move to Wednesday. I have a son who is using my car and going to Technical College three nights a week. I, therefore like many have “plans” for Wednesday and offered to keep the Thursday night spot. I miss Peggy, but we still have a good group. In May Ilse paid us a visit. She is a wonderful crotchetier and wanted to learn to knit. She at one point said that night, “so tell me about yourself.”
I began, “Well, I’m happily divorced….”
“Ooooo have I got a guy for you.” Needless to say she did.

I got over my depression about the divorce.

Now I find I have to get busy. It’s late August. In a couple of weeks it will be Labor Day. From there on it will be “holidays”. One birthday in early October another later in the month and us a tribe who makes a big deal out of Halloween.

Money has been tight. Again this year we will be shopping the stash and making gifts. To their credit my adult children if they really don’t love my knitted gifts they at least have the good grace to gush and say profuse “thank yous”.

I can recall the days when I had my life more tightly knit. I began to decorate for Halloween on Labor Day and had all the Christmas gifts bought and tucked in the closet my Halloween. We decorated for Christmas beginning on November 2. (November 1 was the wedding anniversary back then). Lights were turned on Thanksgiving Day ….

I was a fireball. I reveled in the times I was told I made Martha Stewart look like an amateur. I only had five kids back then….. No grand babies…..

Now…..
I don’t see our house having 20,000 lights for Halloween and 100K for Christmas. We will most likely only have one tree and although Halloween will be big because Tori is going to wait to have her 18th birthday party that night, I don’t see us giving out candy or trick-or-treating with JB that night.

This year I have all those sweaters and blankets I have been pecking at all summer that will get shipped to the oldest son and his kids. I have GOT to get busy with a couple of those.
Haven’t even started on the oldest grandson’s…. Won’t mention where I am on my son and the daughter-in-law…. Did you know even if you’re knitting socks you can’t knit on the back of motorcycle?

Don came into my life in late May. He has three kids and a mother who live with him. They are really swell kids. I adore Miss Sherry; a great lady. I have been teaching all of them to knit; his two sons as well. My youngest boy won’t touch knitting….

This opens about six different areas of discussion. Teaching boys to knit; knitting for the handicapped; knitting for large men….

All I can say is watch the blog and see …..