Back to the Hook

Well, now that my DPNs are gone and I don't have the necessary yarn to make that coveted Brooke's column of leaves scarf, I think I'm going to return to my hooks. I saved several amigurumi patterns on Ravelry, but I always end up following my own pattern. Back to the amigurumi drawing board then!

Circular Knitting Blues

As of last Tuesday, all circular knitting projects have been brought to a startling halt with the loss (hopefully misplacement) of my 7" double pointed needles. Due to my limited budget, they were my only circular knitting accessories. I'm very saddened, yes...so much that I decided to take a break from the yarn projects last night. But after half an hour of idling sitting in front of the television, I pulled out my 4.25 mm crochet hook and started working on a puff-stitched beret pattern which I found on the internet. About half-way done with the beret, but memories of my DPNs still lingers. Wondering if I'll cure this sickness by buying replacement DPNs.

Memory?

A few months ago when I decided to pick up knitting again, I headed out to the local craft store with my boyfriend in search of a yarn to make his hat. His request: a knitted/crocheted Batman mask equipped with eye holes. Despite being a knitter for almost ten years, I was still at the Beginner's level. Well, I guess I can't really call it ten years then because I only really spent a year or two knitting. Simply put, I was a total newb and had no idea what types of yarn were good besides the fact that they had to feel nice to the skin. Isn't that the purpose of all yarn anyways? Yea right. We picked up Microspun, a polyester blend sport weight yarn manufactured by Lion Brand (which at the time, was my idea of luxury yarn...I only ventured into knitting with the yarn I scored from thrift stores prior to that).

As I mentioned before, I was a newb. I haven't yet developed the skills to make that mask, but I did put the yarn to use in making Brimster, (http://vickiehowell.blogspot.com/2006/05/brimster-free-pattern-of-month_01.html), a ribbed brimmed hat. It required skills I never tried before, picking up stitches, knitting on double-pointed needles, and gauge. I labored so hard on that friggin hat and when it came time to try the hat on, I realized that the hat was so loose that it pracitcally draped the head.

While the hat hat sat in my rejected finished projects pile, I came to realize that it wasn't my inability to follow the directions that led to the poor misshapen hat. I had used a yarn that had very little memory. (To make matters worse, I kept stretching the poor unfinished pieces to see how long they were) I had used a yarn with very little memory, at least that's what I think it is. At this point, I presume that memory refers to the ability of the yarn to hold its original shape after being stretched. I haven't been able to find out what memory means exactly when it comes to knitting. (must wait to leech off the local bookstore) However, I do know that wool has very good memory and alpaca little, hence why alpaca wool blends are very common.

How It All Began

Anybody who knows me or even sees me will know that I love knitting. I do it all the time, literally. I knit when I wake up, I knit before I go to sleep. I knit whenever I have free time: when I'm watching tv, on car rides, during doctor office waits, WHENVER. I think I can finally call myself an obsessed knitter as when I'm not knitting, I'm blogging about it or reading about it. I do it so much my partner often scolds me about doing it during our "quality" time together. During family get togethers and parties when noone's paying attention to me, I seek the comforts of knitting in some quiet corner with those who share the same sentiments.

I'm not a poet, as you can see. Although the prospects of writing a love poem to knitting seems possible in my condition, I just want to document my journey into knitting. You know, discuss my trials and tribulations, epiphanies and misunderstanding (of instructions), economics and power, and the whole nine yards.

But before I do all that, let me mention first and foremost that I love crocheting too. It doesn't do much justice to talk about knitting all the time when I actually prefer crocheting. Why? Because:
1. it's more economical (just one hook, not the SPNs or the DPNs or the cables and circular needles associated with knitting)
2. it's more "freelance" (you can practically insert that hook into ANY hole, making freeform crocheting more possible. However, most knitters will tell you that it's this quality about crocheting that puts them off the most)
3. it produces fabric faster than knitting.
4. it's easier to crochet in the round than knitting in the round. (I haven't yet had the money to buy circulars. Still yet too confusing knitting with them. I made the mistake of buying short DPNs, so my stitches keep slipping off the needles.)

However, I do knit more than I crochet. I can explain the reasons, but this might make this blog long and drawn. I simply type in knit() because I don't want to insert knit/crochet all the time.

Anyway, going back to why I started this blog. I've been knitting so much and making so much progress over the past 6 months that I felt if I kept this up, I'd forget where it all began or how I've developed. Being one to forget VERY easily, I don't want to that to happen with knitting and crocheting. So here's my attempt at that.