Sunday, August 28, 2011

For the Love of Pete (aka First FO)

Thanks to Julie at Knitted Bliss, I discovered Pinterest a few months back —and have since spent many hours on my new "online happy place." The site is an endless source of inspiration for leisurely browsing and a quick way to reset the writing/editing mind (sort of a visual sorbet course).

Yet of the many delightful things I've stumbled upon there, this is my hands-down favorite. Those '70s head scarves? Straight from the Learn to Knit book my grandmother bought me back in grade school. And the item I most wanted to knit. While I labored on my practice swatches of knit and purl, I pondered the flowers vs. stripes question.
















But Grandma Doris had other ideas... And the yarn money. She showed up with two denim-y skeins of acrylic and insisted that I make the pair of slippers in the book. It would teach me increasing and decreasing. And, yes, I did argue that both were needed to make the head scarf, but in vain. Grandma D. was one tough cookie. So I knit the first slipper.
















And looking back at it now these 35-odd years later (have I mentioned my pack rat tendencies?), my first reaction  borrows Grandma D's favorite exclamation, "For the love of Pete! Her fixation on my finger-threaded tension really paid off." I mean, seriously. Just look at those stitches. Amazingly even for a 10-year-old's first project.

Given the clearly unworn slipper shown above, you can probably guess that I never knit the second one. In my mind, I'd proved I could make an FO, and I wanted yarn for that head scarf. To Grandma D., the job was half done — and not to be rewarded. And so the impasse began. (Did I mention that we're both Tauruses? In fact, if I'd had the decency to wait another 3 hours, we would have shared a birthday.)

I didn't pick up knitting needles again another 12 years. Yet since then, I've never really put them down. Thanks, Grandma!


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Saturated Summer


Hard not to notice a theme looking down at the projects on my needles:  a rainbow of color, the brighter, the better. Extra points for watery blues. Not really that surprising given how hot and dry it's been here this summer. Everything seems edged in dusty brown. And given the amount of wool I've been handling — including Aran and Bulky weight — clearly I'm ready for the next two seasons.