Knitting Stuff
This will be boring to most of you so...
I've been working on the first part of a pair of gloves forever (3 months?) with two circular needles (previously with double pointed needles). The slack caused at the end of each row is about the same with both methods but I will say that the circular needles make it so I never have to worry about a needle slipping out of its row. Although, it does mean I have to contend with dangling needles. Also, not so sure I'm fond of cabling. It seems to create a gap that is covered by the cables but won't keep out cold wind, to my mind.
So I've finally gotten to the point (again) where I'm starting to shape the thumb and will move beyond to be daunted by the finger holes. I'm worried when I finish this glove I will have to deal with Single Sock Syndrome (or in this case, Single Glove Syndrome), where I finished this glove and feel too lethargic to begin the next one. Or maybe the next one will be a breeze now that I've experienced all the suffering of learning from my mistakes.
Speaking of socks, I'm eager to try this method using one long circ where I can knit two socks at once, thereby bypassing SSS altogether. PLUS, I need socks. I've worn holes in all of my sport socks. I'll probably be picking up sock yarn and one long circ this weekend to start. Maybe I can work on some socks while I'm in Toledo. Someone suggested I check out the Birds of a Feather yarn store in Avon, which I hope to do.
After all my knitting, I have to say I still think crocheting is much more intuitive. I was discussing this on the bus with a woman a couple months back who was in town for a....oh the word is on the tip of my tongue---some sort of trade show, where various yarn-shop-owners were invited to congregate and buy/sell. A convention, yes. A knitting convention.
So I was on the bus and doing my crocheting and she thought I was a knitter with the convention. I told her I wasn't and we got into this conversation about knitting versus crocheting. At the time I was just starting to take another swing at knitting and I mentioned to her how I felt crocheting was more intuitive and she agreed that knitting was harder. But then she amended her statement by saying something to the effect that it didn't matter whether someone knitted or crocheted as long as they enjoyed it.
This caught me off guard and when I thought it over later I think she might have been thinking that because knitting was harder it was somehow more accomplished or better than crocheting and she didn't want to offend inadvertently. I don't really agree with this. I think the fact that crocheting is more intuitive is definitely a mark in its favor and one is not less accomplished for knowing crocheting instead of knitting. Ultimately, I think it's best to know both because there are things you can do with knitting that you can't with crochet and vice versa, but you aren't cooler for knowing to knit over knowing to crochet. I often wonder why crocheting is so under-represented among fiber arts actually (not as under-represented as tatting of course or possibly macramé but still)--why so many spiffy knit patterns and not not so many hip crochet patterns until just recently? Yes crochet is bulkier but it's a helluva lot easier to shape in-process than knitting.
I've been working on the first part of a pair of gloves forever (3 months?) with two circular needles (previously with double pointed needles). The slack caused at the end of each row is about the same with both methods but I will say that the circular needles make it so I never have to worry about a needle slipping out of its row. Although, it does mean I have to contend with dangling needles. Also, not so sure I'm fond of cabling. It seems to create a gap that is covered by the cables but won't keep out cold wind, to my mind.
So I've finally gotten to the point (again) where I'm starting to shape the thumb and will move beyond to be daunted by the finger holes. I'm worried when I finish this glove I will have to deal with Single Sock Syndrome (or in this case, Single Glove Syndrome), where I finished this glove and feel too lethargic to begin the next one. Or maybe the next one will be a breeze now that I've experienced all the suffering of learning from my mistakes.
Speaking of socks, I'm eager to try this method using one long circ where I can knit two socks at once, thereby bypassing SSS altogether. PLUS, I need socks. I've worn holes in all of my sport socks. I'll probably be picking up sock yarn and one long circ this weekend to start. Maybe I can work on some socks while I'm in Toledo. Someone suggested I check out the Birds of a Feather yarn store in Avon, which I hope to do.
After all my knitting, I have to say I still think crocheting is much more intuitive. I was discussing this on the bus with a woman a couple months back who was in town for a....oh the word is on the tip of my tongue---some sort of trade show, where various yarn-shop-owners were invited to congregate and buy/sell. A convention, yes. A knitting convention.
So I was on the bus and doing my crocheting and she thought I was a knitter with the convention. I told her I wasn't and we got into this conversation about knitting versus crocheting. At the time I was just starting to take another swing at knitting and I mentioned to her how I felt crocheting was more intuitive and she agreed that knitting was harder. But then she amended her statement by saying something to the effect that it didn't matter whether someone knitted or crocheted as long as they enjoyed it.
This caught me off guard and when I thought it over later I think she might have been thinking that because knitting was harder it was somehow more accomplished or better than crocheting and she didn't want to offend inadvertently. I don't really agree with this. I think the fact that crocheting is more intuitive is definitely a mark in its favor and one is not less accomplished for knowing crocheting instead of knitting. Ultimately, I think it's best to know both because there are things you can do with knitting that you can't with crochet and vice versa, but you aren't cooler for knowing to knit over knowing to crochet. I often wonder why crocheting is so under-represented among fiber arts actually (not as under-represented as tatting of course or possibly macramé but still)--why so many spiffy knit patterns and not not so many hip crochet patterns until just recently? Yes crochet is bulkier but it's a helluva lot easier to shape in-process than knitting.