Needles matter: Why I'm switching

For years I have been a tried and true Bamboo Girl.  I used them, I recommended them, I hated having to use anything else.  I even contemplated planting bamboo in my backyard so I could make my own needles, until my best friend from childhood warned me against it.  ("Remember when we were younger?  There was an actual yard behind my house.  Now, bamboo. Everywhere!  Don't do it!!!")

Then on a recent trip I borrowed a set of size 9 circular needles.  They were metal, but I was desperate. I used them for a day on a scarf, then transferred the stitches to a holder to return the needles, knowing I would be much happier when I got home to my bamboo needles and could finish the project with them. 

Imagine my shock when I was not happier.  The difference in the stitch gauge and tension was freaky.  It was flat out ugly, which, in a project using high quality luxury yarn*, you reallllyyyy don't want to see.

Can you see the bit in the middle, where it's not as smooth and lovely?  Sadly, knit with my bamboo needles.

I have heard over the years that knitters who prefer to knit fast use metal needles of some kind, almost exclusively.  As I've told my kids since they were small, though, it's not a race--at least not for me.  I knit for enjoyment (even when I knit for business) and if I take all the fun out of it by racing against the clock or some other knitter, then I may as well take up Nascar (not. ever. happening.). 

The warmth of bamboo and the feel of something from nature have always been more important to me than speed or even cost.   It turns out that the thing that trumps all the other issues is how good (or bad) your garter or stockinette stitch looks. 

All of this means that I broke down and bought a set of circular needles--the Options Interchangeable Nickel Plated ones from KnitPicks.  I love how my knitting looks when I use them (which is all the time now) and I also love how the tips will stay sharp (bamboo has a tendency to lose some pointy-ness over time).

At the same time, however, I also purchased a set of the Nickel Plated sock double points.  I tried so hard to make them work.  The combination of them being double-pointed and so darn slippery made for some tight gripping in sock knitting.  This, my friends, simply will not do.  Having heard rave reviews about KnitPicks' exchange/return policy, I sent them back and ordered the Sunstruck Wood set instead.  I love them. They are smoother than the bamboo needles I've used for years and the points are just sharp enough without feeling like a dangerous weapon. OK, slightly dangerous.  A little danger is exciting. But I digress...

My point (heh, heh) is that sometimes it helps to try new things and to be open to change.  I think I may drive my family a tiny bit crazy, always trying to improve things and make things better/cleaner/more organized/more cost effective/more efficient.  (Don't ask them about how I tried to re-invent Christmas last year.  They aren't really ready to talk about it yet.  It's still too fresh.)  Some improvements work out though, and those are the ones that give me hope.  I love how my knitting is looking with both my new Nickel Plated and my new Sunstruck Wood.  I'm no longer strictly a Bamboo Girl.  And I'm ok with that.

*high quality luxury yarn = LYDIA Yarn. It's wonderful!

Summer Knitting: knitting vs. the doldrums

Designing knitting patterns is tough sometimes. Sometimes it feels like "trial and error" is all error. Combine that with summer days that are either scorching hot or raining cats, dogs and assorted farm animals, and you've got doldrums, big time.

Even if you aren't trying to turn out the next big spectacular knitwear design, you may find yourself listless and lacking the motivation to deal with knitting projects that are misbehaving.  If this happens to you, please don't give up on knitting altogether.  What is that saying about not making snap decisions when it's too humid?  OK, maybe there isn't such a saying, but there ought to be. 

My solution, which of course I HIGHLY recommend, is to knit a dishcloth.  It doesn't even have to be complicated. (It also doesn't need to be visible from space, but I figure, why not??)

I'm almost finished with this doldrums dishcloth--the Moderne Log Cabin from Mason-Dixon Knitting.

If you find yourself in the doldrums this summer, I want you to know two things:

1. You're not alone.

2. Summer is halfway over, so hang on!

If you happen upon a knitting friend in the next few weeks who has a glazed look, a sheen of perspiration across his or her forehead, and a rebellious, obnoxious, knitting-pattern-gone-bad on the needles, hand him or her a ball of cotton and some size 6 needles and reassure them that everything's going to be alright.  Bonus tip: take your friend out for ice cream, too.

Lovin on Bloglovin

I know y'all think I'm some kind of tech-savvy goddess, and there are days I suspect that this is an accurate assessment.  Then there are other days when I want to move to a remote wilderness completely off-grid with no internet, phone or satellite. 

Just kidding.  I can't see myself EVER wanting to live like the Unabomber.  Not even on the really bad days.  We can safely just stick with the tech-savvy goddess part and then I'll go charge my phone in the air-conditioned comfort of my suburban, wi-fi enabled, electric-powered home.

One secret I have found to being tech-savvy is to cheat a little.  There are so many things that I come across in my social media travels that leave me as confused as a cow at a new gate.  Sometimes I dig deeper and try to solve the mystery, and sometimes, well, I just wait it out.  I skip it altogether, with or without solid plans to return to it later.  The cheating bit I mentioned comes when I stumble across the answer and then, Lo and Behold, I am tech-savvy without ever having spent any real effort on increasing that savvy.  I literally fell over it on my path, picked myself up, dusted myself off, and said, "Hey! I now understand this concept and can share it with the world!"

For years I wondered (but not too much) about "RSS feeds".  It sounded great and useful, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you how to partake of such a thing. Somewhere I read that an RSS feed would give you updates from blogs, but how to set up such a thing was never explained in easy words with few syllables.

Today, as I took a morning stroll down a social media woodland path, I found the answer. 

To the question: RSS? How in the world do I use that??

The answer is: Bloglovin'

Bloglovin' is what you need, and you need it now.  You know how you've got your Facebook feed and you log in and there are the people you've friended, sharing their latest corny Friday joke (if you're friends with me on FB, you know what I'm talking about).  Bloglovin' is like FB for blogs.  Anyone with a blog you enjoy reading (and you have no idea how much I hope this is one of them!) can go on your list of blogs.  Then when you go to Bloglovin' and log in or pull up the handy app on your mobile device, you get a news feed of blogs.  You can even "like" them! 

Part of what makes Bloglovin' great is that you can enter any blog in the search box--not just those using a certain platform.  So you can follow folks on Blogger, Wordpress or even me.  Also my friend Stacey, who cracks me up and is an amazing cook, my friend Dianne, whose blog posts always leave me feeling the peace of the countryside around her farm and about a gazillion knitting blogs, for lots of fiber-y inspiration.

It's easy to find blogs you're already reading and add them to your feed and you can also get suggestions of new blogs to discover, on a multitude of topics.  Add as many as you want to follow then whenever you sit down to read, you will have all the new posts from all the blogs on your list, all in one place.  It is as simple as it sounds, without a lot of buttons to push.  I think I have discovered the Next Big Thing in social media--that one thing that will keep blogging alive and relevant.  See? I told you I was a tech-savvy goddess.

Summer Knitting: Knitting vs. The Weather

It's hot outside, it will only get hotter and it's going to stay hot. 

Today in my beautiful city, the forecast is for temps in the mid-90's and a heat index that will climb way past 100 degrees.  Did I mention that it is also humid?  Because it is. It's the South and it is summer.  (For those of you reading from the other hemisphere [and I know you're out there--hello, how y'all doin? Glad to have you!] save this post for six months hence when it will apply to you!).

For some, this means abandoning knitting altogether.  My friends, let us not be hasty.  There are some wonderful things you can knit during the hot summer months.  Now, lest you think I am out of touch with the weather, remember I have lived in either Texas (flippin' hot) or South Carolina ("it's not the heat; it's the humidity") for most of my life.  While, yes, I have knitted a Big Wool Bag in July, I don't recommend it for every summer.  Think small projects (Socks!) or projects with lightweight yarn (shawls!) or something using cotton (dishcloths!).  Also, never underestimate the value of a well-placed ceiling fan.

I am currently working on a cowl with alpaca and wool yarns.  It's a hot project, though not itchy because the yarn is quite nice.  I will bind off and block it soon, and pick up the needles for what could be an epic THREE (3) pairs of socks going at one time (because I do occasionally take my own advice...). Also in the works--a summery wrap made from cool cotton, and a dishcloth or two.

Despite the heat of a Southern summer, knitting is part of my life and as such is a comfort and a distraction from the challenges of the weather.  So my advice is to find something that is compatible with your weather, knit it, and don't forget to stock your hurricane supplies with fresh yarn and some back copies of Cast On, because as they say down here, you never know when the next big one will come our way. 

Wishing you good weather wherever you knit!