Off and On the Needles

 Off the needles : a sweater for little grandbaby Aram--due to arrive in less than a month!! Washable wool...this sweater will have a zipper closure(soon;-) This is Elizabeth Zimmerman's TOMTOM sweater pattern from the timeless book KNITTING WITHOUT TEARS. I used the same pattern over 30 years ago to make a sweater for the baby's Mother out of yarn I handspun.

 and still on the needles: a baby blanket.....for one of the two grandbabies due soon...

 and of course socks on the needles....

 and another pair of socks on the needles...

 and a lovely blue scrappy afghan...crocheted--for when I'm tired of knitting. I love this ripple pattern and decided to use up all the blue yarn scraps I had...

too darn much yarn and too little time...what is a knitter to do? 
Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit, either."--Elizabeth Zimmerman

Handmade is Better than Store Bought

Since my youth in the 60's I have believed that anything handmade is superior to anything commercially produced or "store bought." I still believe this, and that is one reason I continue to create useful crafty items for myself, family and friends.

I love knitting baby sweaters, hats, scarves, and socks...

and partly I like knitting for the process--I just plain enjoy sitting and knitting.  But part of the pleasure is also seeing  someone wearing and enjoying the finished knitted item.






And I also know that the quality of the knitting and the quality of the yarn one rarely sees in a "store bought" knitted item (especially socks!). I like that whatever I create is very good quality and will wear and last a long time.

I remember once showing my Grandmother--in the '70's---yarn I had handspun and was knitting into a vest. She asked me why I would go to all that trouble to spin yarn when I could just buy yarn? She was  knitter--but not a spinner--so she understood why I would knit a vest...but didn't understand why I wanted to spin yarn. I don't remember what I answered--but I know now that it was partly the process of spinning (very relaxing!) and partly the quality of the yarn..and partly the satisfaction of learning an ancient skill.

People are always asking me if I sell my knitted items;
mostly I don't sell them--I prefer to give them away.
I am not a fast enough knitter to make any real money selling what I make...and  I rarely make anything with the idea of selling it...I usually knit something for a specific person....

                                                         
or for myself. I enjoy picking out the yarn that I feel matches the person I am making the item for and that fits the project. Socks for my sister? ah! she would love these colors...

I have set a new goal for myself---for this winter. I want to knit enough pairs of socks for myself that I can get rid of ALL crummy "store bought" socks, and only have hand knit ones for myself. Of course, this means knitting pairs of socks in a variety of weights and fibers..from wools to light weight cotton.

Seems a worthy goal...and one that fits with my conviction that hand made is best.

On the Needles

I do have some time for knitting here in the wilds of Alaska....and so have two pairs of socks "in progress"...

this pair---"Pattie's socks"--- are knit from lovely handspun, hand dyed wool from Spincycle Yarns in Bellingham, Wa...unfortunately one skein of this lovely yarn may not be enough to make 2 socks--so I knit the top of the leg--down to the heal, and now I'm knitting the top of the second sock--- I may have to use a totally different wool yarn for the feet part of the socks...


and this pair --"Bonnie's socks"---I have used scraps of wool, mohair and angora...the brown tweedy wool is re-cycled from a garaged saled hand knit sweater I unraveled..

today has turned into a beautiful sunny day--so I'm now off to pick salmonberries....

Sock Obsessive

For awhile now I have been just knitting socks...

This pair I knit for myself--after knitting several pairs and giving them away. These are knit from 2 colorways of Noro Kureyon sock---lovely wool yarn! alternating the two colorways in the stripe leads to unexpected and fun results.






And this pair I knit as a birthday gift for my sister...a lovely variegated wool and chocolate colored angora. The angora makes these socks so warm and soft around the legs. I am now knitting another pair with "recycled" wool and angora. I unraveled a hand knit sweater which I got a garage sale for the sock yarn---and I am making most of the ribbed leg part of the socks out of the chocolate angora.



These socks are all knit from the top down but I plan to explore knitting socks from the toe up next....

Swap: miniature knitted sock earrings

Aren't these the cutest? I saw these miniature handknit socks on this blog--yes, she knit these tiny socks! and asked Michelle if she wanted to trade for some of my tiny "inchie" brooches. I'm so pleased she agreed! she knit these red and green ones especially for me--I wanted holiday colors. She used size 0000 double pointed needles and sock yarn. I think they are adorable and every time I wear the earrings people compliment them.

I love swapping online with other crafters--so if you like my inchie brooches or any other artwork or crafty item you see on my blog and have something fun to trade (I do prefer handmade)--by all means, leave me a comment with your e-mail address. I promise to respond.

I think trading and swapping is a good way to subvert capitalism. When I commercial fished in Alaska we used to swap our fish for goods and services all the time---we even swapped fresh redsnapper for dental work---we kept out dentist in fresh fish and he took care of our teeth.

(sigh) So far I have not found a dentist here who wants to swap for hand knit hats or socks, though.

TODAYS QUOTE:
"The little things? The little moments? They aren't little." ---Jon Kabat-Zinn

Oh-so-close Socks

getting very close to finished---toes (and some foot) to go...
these socks are for me ! (big smile)should be done in time for colder winter weather. In case you are wondering--I always knit both socks at once--so I'm not caught by the only-finish-one and the-next-sock-is-so boring syndrome.


TODAY'S QUOTE: "Large tasks are completed in a series of starts." --Neil Fiore

Looking back on 2006

Just some of my creative endeavors this past year