Knitting Lessons from the Garden

In our neck of the woods, it will be officially Spring in just a few days. For some people, this means that warm weather will lead them to other pursuits that don't involve yarn or wool or knitting.  For some of us, however, knitting is ever with us. Warm weather only means we find lovely places to sit outside with our knitting. Warm weather also means the dye vats return to the back yard to explore the cool shades of indigo (!).

This week I've been "spring-a-fying" my yard and porch and creating the perfect spots for many hours of knitting. It's hard work and I know I'm not the only one in my family with sore muscles and blisters from digging and planting and weeding and mulching. It's hard work that yields results, though; results that will be enjoyed by us and our guests for the next few months.

Life is like that. There will be days of exhausting work necessary to achieve your goals. There will be muddy footprints tracked in and the cat will have mulch stuck in his fur and leave it all over the house and you might not be able to bend over and tie your own shoes because you spent so much time bent over the flower beds pulling weeds. It's worth it in the long run, as I sit on my patio and sip tea and feel the breeze on my face and hear the birds singing.

Knitting is like that, too. There will be days when you will be tired and pretty much over it. You will declare knitting a dead art form only practiced by fools and threaten to burn all your supplies in a big ugly bonfire. You will cast on 9 times before you get the hang of whatever technique is eluding you.  Nine.Times.  You will doubt your abilities, your hands will cramp, your yarn will tangle and you will discover you hate the pattern you've spent a week working on. Is it worth it? The answer to that will come to you when you see your husband wearing his favorite hat (you knit it) and your son wearing his favorite sweater (you knit it) and your daughter slipping cushy socks onto her ballet-sore feet after class (yes, you knit those, too). 

Even though it's hard, put in the work now to learn that skill, to knit that gauge swatch, to take that class, to master that cast on, to knit for that charity. Don't get discouraged if it takes longer than you think it should; I'm pretty sure that my backyard will be finished one day--two months from now!  But I am enjoying the process, grateful for time to spend with my family as we work and for the beautiful weather and for the possibilities of it all. The seeds we plant today will bloom in the hot summer months and make me happy that I worked hard this spring, just as the warm knitwear you create this spring and summer will be the first thing you bundle up in come fall and winter.

It's worth the effort and you are worth the feeling of accomplishment that comes from working hard to learn, to knit, to garden, to do whatever it is your hand finds to do.

What about you? What lessons have you learned from gardening or other "slow and steady" pursuits?

A visit to the CYDC

This week one of my knitting pals and I paid a visit to the CYDC (Carolina Youth Development Center), in hopes that we could touch base in person with the charity we have chosen for the Big 10 Knit-a-Long. We took a few things to donate from their wish list, and kinda sorta hoped we might get a little tour. I have driven near the campus of the CYDC many times over the years and never realized it was there, so imagine my surprise to find there was so much I'd been missing.

There are multiple programs that operate within the Center, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, an emergency shelter for children in crisis, leadership programs, group homes, and a career center that offers career education and life skills training.

The Mission of CYDC is "...to empower and equip our community's most vulnerable children...". I love that they "empower and equip"--an excellent strategy for giving these kids the chance to have a better future.

This painting shows the original building, demolished in 1951. Before becoming the Charleston Orphan House in 1790, it was a Revolutionary War barracks. 

Celebrating their 225th year this year, the folks at CYDC have been digging through the archives for interesting facts to share. So far my favorite has been that in 1877, the Charleston Orphan House "started the first Kindergarten in South Carolina, and one of the first in the nation." For more historical facts, check their Facebook page for a new one every day for 225 days.

This lovely Tiffany window had been in the original building.

The kids are working on this donated car to turn it into a racer, learning valuable mechanical skills in the process.

Inside the Linda and Tony Bakker Career Center, a beautiful modern building with a library, computer lab, garage with hydraulic lift, and cafeteria. Business leaders from the community volunteer their time and expertise to help train the kids in multiple fields.

All of this and more sits on a large, pleasant campus with beautiful landscaping and caring workers everywhere we went. It would be wonderful if some day organizations like this were no longer necessary, because every child was loved and safe in their own families. Until that day, however, I am proud to know that the CYDC is there, supporting children in need and helping them grow into happy, healthy adults.

If you'd like to support the mission of the CYDC, you can visit their website to learn more about how you can get involved. And of course, there's our Knit-a-Long, making blankets for the children who come through the Center. If you've not yet joined us in this endeavor, won't you consider contributing in some way?

Shannon and I with a few of the knitted blocks that will become awesome afghans. Photo by CYDC.

Other things knitting has taught me...

I recently wrote a very serious post about all the great things knitting has taught me. Having thought about it some more, I realized there are other things I've learned from knitting, in a little lighter vein...

1. There are a LOT of experts out there. And they all know that you are crocheting all wrong. (Even if you're knitting)

2. Everyone had a grandma who knit. What's really great is if someone old enough to be your own grandparent tells you that they had a grandmother who knit. Not only are you now OLD, you are ANCIENT. Gosh, thanks.

3. Sometimes it's better to just smile and nod. (see points 1 and 2) You won't really change their view of knitters by biting their heads off, though muttering about them under your breath later can be quite therapeutic.

4. Seemingly normal animals who completely ignore your knitting to your face will sneak into your yarn basket and ingest copious lengths of expensive yarns when you are not looking. The clean up from this is never pretty, and in fact can make you no longer love that yarn. (Now you'll be checking my yarn giveaways for wet spots and teeth marks...)

5. Growth doesn't always happen. No matter how long you've been knitting, you will make rookie mistakes on a regular basis--more often if you are in the middle of teaching a class. So if you're a new knitter and you just had to tink back 3 rows because you were knitting with the tail rather than the working yarn, accept that you may never really outgrow this. Sorry.

6. Diverting your focus is good for interpersonal relationships.  I try to take knitting everywhere, and sometimes it's a bit of a lifesaver. During sporting events where my kids are competing against children whose parents are convinced they've given birth to the all-time star of the sport, it's vital to have something to focus on other than their nasty comments.  The same goes for committee meetings filled with folks needing an attitude adjustment. Just KNIT, however--don't stab. See below.

7. It's best NOT to stab people with your knitting needles. This is true for several reasons: a) They aren't cheap and if you get them...dirty......you'll want to replace them; b) If you stab someone with knitting needles, you face the prospect of jail time without knitting, since you've proven you can't be trusted with sharp pointy things; c) You could drop stitches!

8. You're never as prepared as you think you are. This is why there are all those tips out there on how to make knitting needles out of a No. 2 pencil. No matter how hard you try to plan ahead and cover all your bases, there will be innumerable times that you sit down to knit and only find you're missing your scissors AFTER the dog has gotten comfortable in your lap. Also, vacations WILL be spent looking for yarn shops to buy more yarn/needles/patterns because what you thought would work while traveling, didn't.

9. "Knitting is addictive" isn't as cute as it sounds. You may say it with a chuckle, but deep down, you know the truth: until you get your knitting time every day, you are twitchy and uncomfortable. Your yarn stash is out of control (though hidden, because you'd rather your family didn't know the extent of your addiction). If the time you spent browsing patterns on Ravelry were spent reading literature, you'd be a tenured professor embarking on a lucrative lecture tour about Victorian symbolism in Dickens' early novels.

10. There is no known cure. I've heard rumors of a 12-step program for knitting addiction but I am quite sure it won't work, because no addicted knitter will ever recognize that he or she has a problem.  And since I don't personally have a problem with knitting addiction, there's no point in even talking about it.

What has knitting taught you that you didn't expect to learn?

Big 10 Knit-a-Long: Free pattern(s) for March

Last month there were THREE patterns for the Big 10 Charity Knit-a-Long. I don't know if that is really impressive or just crazy. Either way, this month, there is only one, but I absolutely love this one. It's easy to memorize and is packed with the instant gratification of looking right sharp from the get-go. (Yes, I watch British television programs whilst knitting. Why do you ask?)

The Lines Block

You'll need: US Size 7 needles or size needed to achieve gauge of 5 sts = 1 inch; Worsted weight acrylic yarn. Finished size should be 7” x 9”.

Cast on 30 stitches.
Knit 4 rows for border, then begin pattern.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: k4, p22, k4
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: k4, p22, k4
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: Knit
Repeat these 6 rows until block measures 8 inches, then knit rows 1-5 again. Finish with 3 knit rows for border. Bind off stitches and weave in ends.

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I know I JUST said there would be only one block this month. The temptation to see how this block would look if I added some vertical lines of reverse stockinette was just too great, however. This variation did not turn out like I envisioned, but it does look more interesting on the both sides than the Lines block does, so I have included pics of both sides of it.

The Lines Block Variation

You'll need: US Size 7 needles or size needed to achieve gauge of 5 sts = 1 inch; Worsted weight acrylic yarn.
Finished size should be 7” x 9”.

Cast on 31 stitches.
Knit 4 rows for border, then begin pattern.
Rows 1, 3, 5: k7, p1, k7, p1, k7, p1, k7
Rows 2, 4: k4, p3, k1, p7, k1, p7, k1, p3, k4
Row 6: Knit
Rows 7, 9, 11: k11, p1, k7, p1, k11
Rows 8, 10: k4, p7, k1, p7, k1, p7, k4
Row 12: Knit
Repeat these 12 rows until block measures 8 inches, then knit rows 1-5 again. Finish with 3 knit rows for border. Bind off stitches and weave in ends.

There you have it (them): a pattern (and a half, ha!) for March. Just now joining us? Check out why we're knitting these afghan blocks and join in the fun--Big 10 Charity Knit-a-Long.