Author Archives: Christine

Lately the knitting bug has bitten me.  I finished a new sweather for Tido in two color tone.  Well, I ran out of green and used navy blue for the second half.  Left over sock yars work great for his sweater.  Now I have intasia or texture fabric in my mind for his next one.  I’m back working on Leo’s drop shoulder sweater again.  I’m near the end for the body round and working the neck shaping right now.  Still have to get Meg’s DVD out to review the technique often but it’s progressing very nicely. 

My daily routine is like this.  I get up, taking my time to come to full consciousness, usually after a cup of coffee and some knitting video viewing, take my shower.  Usually, Benny would be whining to go out at this point, so I get bundled up (it’s still between teens and twenties most of the time, but there is heat wave today, it’s 49 now) and we go for a walk for about 15 – 20 minutes.  The walk is usually plesant and he would do his business while I marvel at the progress for the house that’s coming up across the street.  Those construction works are amazingly speedy.  One day the trusses (sp?) would just start to be anchored, the next day the whole house is already boarded up.  I have heard new house construction night mares before, and it usually takes months and months and months, but these houses go up in a matter of weeks.  I don’t know how they do it.  Either they have a fantastic project manager or they are really skilled.  I wouldn’t consider the possibility of cutting corners though.  At least I hope not.  Ok, after the walk, I come home and eat some breakfast, usually a bagel or some hot oatmeat.  Then my marathon of knitting starts.  Most of the time, the audible book plays on the iphone to accompany me, or sometimes I play Leo’s Mozart and just knit mindlessly.  I would only stop shortly if I have to do some work for Esther or read my email or wander around on the web drooling over yarns or getting lost in Ravelry.  But 90% of the time, I knit and knit and knit.  I can’t seem to put it down, well, I know I can’t cause I don’t till it’s almost 3:30 and i have to stop to think about dinner.  Sometimes, I just email Leo and tell him that I really don’t want to cook and keep on knitting till he gets home.

This is heaven for me.  I don’t think very many knitters can indulge like me.  I can really neglect everything else and just knit to my heart’s content.  Leo kept saying it’s too much work for me to knit his sweater.  He just doesn’t know that I really truly enjoy it.  I don’t know what it is.  My guess is that I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when I look at the fabric that emerges from the needles from balls of yarn to something utilitalian or vanity beautiful.  I just can’t wait to see the next progress when the body is done and the sleeves are cast on or the next round of lace on top of the current one.  I have in my mind already been planning for the next project where I can try a new technique or a new design.  In the mean time, my mind can either follow the story line from the interesting book I’m listening to or simply slip into a meditative phase and thus build up the need to spill it all out here.  The nonsense that really leads to nothing profound and yet has to have an outlet or it will explode.

So here goes my knitting maniac phase.  I am totally enjoying it and can’t be thankful enough that I can indulge in this phase right now.  Even though I don’t have the means to buy things or go out, I am very happy to stay home and work on my knitting projects and dream about the next one.  Actually, I have a lace project waiting to be picked up again after the sweater.  And I have some spinning books coming so I can read up on that process and try my hand in it.

Because of my other hobby, the ballroom dancing, I have to think about making some income and going back to work part time.  I may not be able to indulge myself in knitting like this when I do.  But in the mean time, I’m taking full advantage of it .

It started off great and I was excited to do the steaking and the sleeves joining and cardigan cutting.  All went well till I cut it and then realized that I miscalculated the body and the arm holes were cut too close to the back and made it too small for Leo.  I still finished the sweater but it’s my lounge sweater for home now.  I am still glad to learn the techniques to do a drop shoulder sweater in the round and the steaking though.  I am going to cast on another one for Leo in the same yarn.  Good thing I ordered too much for one.  I found more and ordered enough to make another one.  It’s cheap so I don’t feel too bad about the mistake.

I’ve been watching Elizabeth Zimmerman’s DVDs and Meg Swanson’s cardigan DVD.  I’m learning a lot from these DVDs, it really helps to see something done than trying to decipher from the written instructions.   A lot of learning is visual like dancing and knitting and most of other things I’m trying to learn.   Like trying to learn how to better use my Nikon SLR has been so painfully frustrating.  I can read about apature, shutter speed and ISO till my teeth fall out, but I still can’t apply to real situations.  I’m having a hard time taking pictures in the studio because of the lighting, and I still can’t figure out how to adjust the silly camera.  It just refuses to snap a picture when I pressed the button.  Very frustrating….

Spent most of the day at Connie’s yesterday, I stayed home today.  I’m slowly becoming a home body whether I intended to or not.  For a while, I would get restless if I stay home all day.  Now, I seem to find unending tasks to do and the day just flies by.

I started Leo’s sweater yesterday on the circular needle.  It’s just stockingnet stitches but it’s going pretty fast.  Today, I have been running between the laudry cycles, the knitting/kindle, and the computer working/messing with Photoshop.  Before I know it, it’s 2pm already.  We’re going to Sandy’s tonight for hot pot, I’m really looking forward to it.  Leo still thinks he can handle the spicy food better than Sandy.  But I think they are quite even honestly.

I am going to dig into the photoshop and learn more tricks and tips in it.  I could create more flyers for Esther by myself instead of looking at the same word templates hoping to find something I like.  Koyote showed a few basic moves Sunday and it really looked cool.  I can’t wait to feel comfortable in photoshop and making my own banners and graphics.

I am torn between the Kindle and the Audible now.  But I can’t really complain.  🙂  There are times when Audible is the only choice, like when I’m driving or cleaning the house.  I’m still practicing to knit and read at the same time.  But I make too many mistakes to fix when I read.  Takes more practice.

I have been thinking about making the wrist warmers for Elim and Logan.  If I have time, I want to do the Moebius wrap too.  For Eny and Brandon, how about mittens or socks.  I don’t have enough time actually to do all.  Next year, I need to start a bit earlier and start knitting the gifts to finish in time for christmas.

I’d also like to write more consistently here.  This is one of the creative outlet and I need to make it a practice to write here everyday.  Picutres.  I need to put more pictures too.