I just wanted to announce that no knitting has been occurring since I’ve been much too busy preparing for next week. They – being the omnipotent beings that control when my tests fall – gave me a weeks reprieve and then decided to move on from two tests a week to three tests and an art history paper. So unless you want to hear about medieval monasticism (which is actually quite interesting) or function equations (not interesting whatsoever), I won’t be around for awhile….

I’ve discovered something new – washcloths! What a wonderful idea. Wouldn’t a pretty washcloth with a nice bar of soap make a wonderful gift?

I had these yarns (Peaches and Cream, colors.... i don't remember, a white and a blue, obviously) in my stash for…. just about ever, but never did anything with them. I looked all over the place for a washcloth pattern I liked, but alas, most looked very grandmotherly. Then I came across this pattern on, of all places, the inside of the yarn label – how convenient! The only thing I don’t like about it is that the other side is rather ugly. Or, if you want to be like my mother and put a positive spin on it, it’s “interesting.” Interesting or ugly, whatever you want to call it, it’s not pretty. That’s one thing that really bothers me about knitting, with nearly (*nearly*, not all) everything you knit one side is just plain “interesting.” But I think I can live with that as long as the recipient of this washcloth can.

I’ve decided to start making these for Christmas presents. And, unlike last year (the year of the scarf and occasional quilt), I’m going to start now rather than in December. So I went to the store today and made a small purchase.

Hopefully, this will get me started.

So this meme has been going around (that makes it sound like it's a disease or something - I assure you it is not) and I thought I’d join in. So here are 10 Knitterly Things you didn't know about me, even though seeing as this blog has only been in existence for a month and a half you probably don’t know MOST knitterly things about me. So I guess that means this shouldn’t be all that hard….

1. I learned how to knit when I was either 7 or 18, I never quite know what to say about that. My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was 7, but I was 7, so it didn’t really do much for me at the time. I didn’t actually complete a knitted item until I was 18. So what should I say about this?

2. I didn’t learn how to bind off until I was 18. And if you look at number 1, I (may have) learned how to knit 11 years previous.

3. I hate double pointed needles. So this probably isn’t a very uncommon thing, but you didn’t know it before and now you do.

4. I also hate knitting socks. A lot. And I know there’s a whole lot of people out there who obsess over knitting socks. First off it’s the double pointed needles, and then once you knit one it’s a completely false sense of accomplishment since then you have to go knit another one….

5. I’m an extremely monogamous knitter. One thing at a time, and that’s it. I get very into my projects and knitting more than one thing at a time would just not be enjoyable. If I am knitting something that I like, I’m always “in the mood” to be knitting it, I don’t need something else to distract me from it.

6. I’ve knitted two sweaters ever, one was from a pattern and one I made up as I went along. Although both are nice and made correctly, neither turned out as I expected and I would never wear either of them. I’ll post pictures at some point.

7. My mom almost always claims the things I knit to be hers before I even finish them. I tried the entirety of last winter to knit a scarf for myself, but every time I started one my mother would tell me about how the color matched her jacket so well, and how she really needed a scarf like that, and after a few days she would start referring to it as “my scarf.” For all of last winter I wore a very boring tan scarf that was not knitted at all.

8. No one in my family is an avid knitter. My grandmother on my mom’s side taught me how, but she hasn’t knit anything since before I was born at least. My grandmother on my father’s side is a very crafty woman and an amazing seamstress, and although she knows how to knit I’ve never seen her do it, or seen anything that she’s knitted.

9. On that note, none of my friends knit either. I have one close friend who was big on scarf knitting, and then a few years ago I taught her how to make hats by knitting in the round. And she’s quite obsessed with knitting hats, but she doesn’t knit anything else. Although when she comes back home for winter break we’re planning on knitting a sweater together (she feels she needs some moral support for a sweater), so we’ll see!

10. I once taught one of my close guy friends how to knit. I found it quite amusing because he’s probably the biggest, “manliest” guy I know, yet the most open to learning to knit. And he hasn’t knit anything since that day, but that’s alright, I can still say that I actually got him to knit something once.

monsters are cool

Finally, some real knitting! Some real knitting that really shouldn’t have been happening since I, once again, have two tests this week. How does this keep happening? It’s been a very busy three weeks, but next week should be a bit calmer. At least school-work wise, other than that some of the most amazing people I know from high school will be home for fall break, so I definitely won’t be bored.
So anyway, knitting. I made this little dude, and I think his name is Henry. I used this pattern, but modified it – Henry is not a hand warmer, he’s just a plain old stuffed monster. And I thought he needed some feet, and seeing as I have the power to do just about whatever I want to him, I gave him feet. So now he can walk if he really wants to. But unlike the pattern he has no mouth, so he can’t talk. I think it’s a fair exchange. Maybe. Would you rather have vocal capabilities or legs? Interesting question…. But I don’t feel too bad seeing as his brain is made of polyester stuffing so I doubt any conversation he would have carried on would have been all that intelligent anyway.
Henry was made especially for my boyfriend. Why on earth would I knit my boyfriend a one eyed monster? Good question. He’s been bugging me to knit him something for quite a long time now. I’ve been avoiding the whole thing because of the notorious sweater curse, which he thinks is crazy. Seeing as I have no experience with knitting for significant others I really don’t know if I believe in the sweater curse, but I think I’d rather not risk it. After sufficient nagging I agreed to knit something simple, but he said he doesn’t wear scarves or hats (apparently he just freezes over the winter, I don’t know). I couldn’t think of anything else “simple”, so he’s getting Henry. And my logic is if our relationship can’t withstand the knitting a tiny green one-eyed monster, we’re really not meant to be together anyway.