New Toys and More Hobbies!

I purchased a new toy for myself. This is my 10"Cricket Loom. It's a rigid heddle loom (I move the heddle by hand to create the upper and lower sheds--weaving lingo!) I thought that it would be a good way to get rid of some of my extra stash of yarn. Make scarves! Make placemats! Make belts! Make 10" widths of fabric that I can later sew together for...wider fabric!


My first piece was this lovely scarf. I like this picture because you can't see all the mistakes.

Then I made one for Hannah. She helped.

Then I found this interesting yarn hidden in my stash. It's not the sort of thing that I could knit with, and there wasn't enough to make a big project, but Hannah loves this scarf too.

I just can't seem to stop. Once I learned how to warp the loom (See? More weaving lingo!!) things began going to go sooooooo smoothly that I've gotten a little crazy. I want to get more creative, and I think I've found yet another outlet.

George says he knows it's only a matter of time until I buy a spinning wheel. How far from spinning to raising my own flock of sheep? Or goats? Or alpaca?

I told him not to worry. It's not a true obsession until I know how to do at least five different things with fiber. Right now, I just have a lot of hobbies. After all I only crochet, knit, felt, weave, sew...

Ah, crap. Too late.

Socks and Robbers

"What are you doing?" the unknown little boy asked me as I sat waiting for the kids to get out of a class.
"Knitting," I explained, showing off my project. "I'm making socks."
He watched me curiously for a few minutes, probably waiting for a sock to appear. Finally, exasperated by my lack of progress he asked me, "Do you know, you can buy those?"

Making things by hand isn't always rewarding. I'm sure that people have given me gifts in the past that I haven't been properly grateful for, and I'm really sorry for it now. Because now I make things to give away (and sell!) and I really appreciate the work that goes into so many things that I took for granted before. I mean, I now know why darning was invented. After you knit a pair of socks and realize how much effort goes in to them, there is no way on God's green earth will you throw them out without fighting for them first. I think that I would wear a pair of socks that's all darn and no knitting if I had to. I enjoy making socks, but I also am very glad someone figured out how to make them by machine. If they hadn't we'd either have heirloom socks in my house, or a lot of barefoot children.

Luckily, I have quite a few fans of my work. Caleb and Hannah argued over who would be the recipient of the first Wallaby* I made (Caleb.) Hannah really likes the over-the-knee socks I made for her (when she can find them.) And my skull skull hats certainly have their fans too.

The other fans of my work are our kittens, although kitten is a bit of a misnomer these days. The kittens are nearly fully grown. They actually are fully grown physically--mentally, however, they remain kittens. Skugge and Loudred have been hand raised by us since they were about two weeks old. They are our Halloween kittens, all black and slinky and full of mischief. They are my biggest fans. I can't pull out a skein of yarn without them running over to see what I'm doing. I can't put down a half finished project without them trying to tear it apart. I'm sure that they only do it to see how it's put together. Unfortunately for me, then I have to put it back together again.

And it's not only socks that I'm making that thrill them. They love socks that have already been made. They like them clean, dirty, colored or white. Caleb and Hannah created a scientific method of determining how much the kittens really wanted the socks, and whose socks were most desirable. The kids put the socks on top of the entertainment center to see if the kittens would jump up that high to get the socks. They put socks from all members of our household up there. The results...well, for one thing, the kittens won't stop jumping up on the top of the entertainment center to look for more socks. They keep investigating just in case some more magically appearing socks showed up since the last time they checked (2.5 minutes ago.)

And it's not just lone socks that are hunted. Socks still on feet are also game for the little felines. I've had my feet investigated, nipped and attacked in fits designed to test the adherence of socks still being used by my feet. I've had my slippers removed by kittens wanted to get closer to my sock-clad feet.

In the end, the most popular socks are the socks that I've made. The kittens will leave any other type of sock behind in order to play with the socks that I created. I guess that they don't care if you can buy them in stores. They really like my socks.

Wallaby no. 1

This is Caleb in my very first Wonderful Wallaby! It may look like a hooded sweatshirt, (it is) but I knit it. I knit the whole thing. Isn't it great? He picked the colors and the yarn he wanted. Some people say "He must be a Cubs fan." But he isn't really. George patted Caleb on the head and said. "Norwegian flag--cool." But Caleb really doesn't recognize the Norwegian flag yet, in spite of his father's Scandinavian pride.
In the yarn store Caleb had gravitated to the dark blues over and over again. "How about green?" I suggested.
"No." Caleb picked up the shade of blue that you see in the picture. "I like this."
I looked at it. Hand-wash only. "Really? How about this blue?" I suggested another one that is easier to care for.
"No." Caleb insisted. "This is the one I want."
"Why?"
"Because it reminds me of the color of the water in the Bay of Fundy, Mom. Remember that? When it was raining, and we were walking on the bottom of the ocean when the tide was low?"

Of course I remember. I remember quite well.
So, Caleb has a Wonderful Wallaby that must be hand washed, but I don't care (much.) He remembers the Bay of Fundy when he wears it, and our adventures walking around on the bottom of the ocean. How many kids can say that? How many Moms?

Hi. My name is Sue...

baby sweater and hat

Hi. My name is Sue and I'm a fiber addict. Well, knitting and crocheting addict...I've dabbled in needle felting. I'd really like to get into spinning or weaving, but my marriage is at stake here, and I have to keep things under control. I guess you could say that I'm a "functional" addict.

mittens

I've tried to break myself of this habit, but I'm not strong enough. I am lured by the call of the yarn.

I shop with my hands. If I like the way a yarn feels, I will buy it. (Within reason. My hands really liked the 100% cashmere yarn that they found, but at the bargain rate of $100 for about 25oz., I passed. It was tough, but I did it.

crochet sweaters

When I started, I used simple cotton yarn. It wasn't tough to pick some up nearly anywhere. The corner store, a 5 and dime, any craft store. Then I got deeper and deeper into it. Cotton just wouldn't do--bamboo, merino wool, alpaca, baby alpaca for crying out loud--exotic yarns that held their own seductive allure. Oh, sure, I still used cotton. Pima cotton. Fine long stranded cotton that may or may not be mercerized. Oh yeah. I even became a snob with the cotton. Cotton! The stuff that jeans are made of; the stuff that my baby diapers and dust cloths were made of became status symbol.

scarves

I began crocheting dishcloths. Something as common and easy as a dishcloth was my gateway to bigger things. Blankets came next...then baby clothes. Scarves, hats, adult sweaters easily followed--not even a bump in the road. When common everyday items weren't holding my interest, I began to flirt with edgier fare. The everyday could no longer satisfy me. I needed more.


Not content to simply crochet, I learned to crochet doilies. And when that wasn't enough, I had to crochet doilies using extremely thin, gossamer thread. Then I made lace. I made a christening set. Yeah, I was hooked.

socks

Then came the knitting. I made a swatch, then I jumped right into making socks. I was crazy, man. I couldn't just make a scarf, I had to flirt with the hard stuff. Not just socks--I had to try it all. Fair Isle, Intarsia, lace. And always more yarn. The endless skeins of yarn. Soft, touchable, beautifully spun yarn in colors and textures that my hands adored.

(sideways) hats

When I flirted with the idea of buying my own spinning wheel, I realized that I was out of control. I had to face my addiction. It began with a trip into the attic where I keep stash. My beautiful, beautiful yarn. Yarn that was bought on sale. Yarn that was bought on impulse. Yarn that was bought with a particular project in mind that had since been forgotten. Yarn that was never intended for any project, but that my hands had simply had to get. I could have wept at what I saw. There was more than I could probably get through in a lifetime. My stash was taking over my life. I needed to own this addiction. I needed to take steps.

So I took steps. I made hats and mittens and scarves for all of the nieces and nephews for Christmas. Problem solved. My addiction was directed towards positive end. There was no guilt over this kind of crafting. There was no worry over housework left undone, or dinners left unmade. Did it matter if I didn't finish the laundry? I had a higher calling. 

Best of all, I didn't have to buy yarn. My stash was enough. I dove in with gusto, taking control of the thing which had controlled me for so long. I directed my energy towards a positive goal. My addiction didn't feel like it was controlling me. I was in control. I  was in charge. I won! 

My first knit sweater!
 (ignore the messy dresser. I'll get around to it when I'm done knitting.)

For Christmas, George gave me a gift certificate for my favorite yarn store. This is what I made. He's getting me another gift certificate for my birthday. I'm pushing for another for our anniversary. Maybe I'll make him something this time too.

What can I say? I'm an addict.

I am by no means finished...but this is where I stand.

Hats! Lots of hats

Mittens! Lots of them too!

Almost all of the nieces and  nephews are getting mittens and hats for Christmas. I have been a busy little crafter. I am also ready to put down the knitting needles for awhile. Holy cow, I think I'm getting carpal tunnel. I think that I can make that skull cap in my sleep--a skull cap that has skulls on it...am I crazy or what? 

O_o

And, thanks to an awful stomach bug that is going around Joe and Suzanne's home, I have inherited Christmas Eve!! We'll just do deserts and presents, but I sure hope no one is expecting a clean house. I really wish I could be drunk for it, but I have to be at work tomorrow night by 9. Boss is cutting me a little slack because of the unexpected hostessing, but I still have to go in. Bummer. At least I'm the Desk Sergeant...I think. That almost makes it worth my while. But it also means I don't get to leave early. Boo. I don't know that I'll be getting to Church on Sunday to sing the Christmas songs. Oh well. It's a living.