So, I have been knitting like a fiend lately and that is a good thing. I have managed to finish up several old UFO's and that feels WONDERFUL! I have the buttons to finish the Red Robin and I'll most likely do that this weekend since we have a large percentage chance of rain. I have decided that the remainder of this year will be devoted to projects that I want to do for the pleasure of knitting.
I have been knitting for others for so long that I had almost forgotten how much pleasure one can derive from making the project all about ME! Now don't get me wrong, I love making things for other people. It is such a joy to be able to share with others. I just think it is high time I made some things for myself. So far, out of the twenty-nine projects that I have completed in 2010, only three have been for me. I have made the Clementine, the Sugar Rush Tank and the Calais all for my pleasure. I still owe you pictures of the Clementine. Hopefully today I can get the correct lighting. It is beautiful and soft.
I do have four projects in my WIP pile and they are all getting love; however, I have been branching out again. The CLACK group has some amazing women as members and I have begun to make time in my weekly schedule to attend as many Monday's as possible. One of the ladies works for the Upstairs Studio in La Porte. She posted in Ravelry that she needed some Sample Knitters. I had never considered sample knitting but I thought this was a great place in my life to offer my self for the store.
I am glad that I did! I went by there this past Wednesday. Shame on me for not having a knitting project with me that day. I was running late that morning and didn't have the time to gather one up. So I arrived empty handed at a yarn store. But, in my defense, I never expected to be so drawn to these women and the one young man that was there. Clarice, the owner, is a wonderful woman. She is funny too! There were several ladies, all with various skill levels. One was busily crocheting blocks for charity, one was knitting her first ever pair of socks from Noro and one was making socks for a friend. The lone young man is also part of CLACK and I have been wanting to meet him. He was a hoot! I can see that he and Lizzie are going to be serious enablers.
Lizzie quickly rounded up the yarns and the book for the sample knitting. I decided that I could stay a while so I sat down to start on the socks. Right away I saw an issue. The pattern was Toe Up and I had never made a pair of socks that way. I advised Lizzie and she asked if I wanted to learn or for her to find another pattern. I decided that if she was game enough to teach me I was more than able to learn. So, in the first hour I learned Turkish Cast On, Magic Loop and Toe Up. Three new techniques all in one day. Not to mention that the selected pattern is a color-work pattern. I am making the Migration socks from The Eclectic Sole. They are the socks on the cover of the book. While I was knitting with these new-found skills we also discussed Alpaca (they have some that is to amazing for words) and Bamboo thread on a cone for a shawl. Needless to say, as soon as I have the socks done I am already down for a shawl.
Now don't fret...I am not distracted by this and the bonuses are great! The store supplies all the yarn for the project and after they are on display for six months they are returned to the test/sample knitter. So, I will have these beautiful socks for my very own feet delivered back to me around Valentine's Day.... So, even though I am sample knitting, I am able to pick a few of the details myself. For instance, I picked the shawl pattern from a list she found from a search on Ravelry and the bamboo was from a wall of colors. It is a bronze brown. It is hard to describe, so I'll get the name of the stuff on my next visit.
So, the three pictures above are the teaser for the socks. I am stoked and will be knitting on them at the same time I work on Red Hot and Green Gable.
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