Knitting and cooking and crafty geekery

[oyceter]

I haven't blogged about knitting for a while, largely because it took a while to finish some projects that weren't particularly teaching me anything new anymore.

(I also haven't blogged about cooking for a while, but that is because of the move and the lack of kitchen. Rest assured (or tremble in fear!), as soon as I get my kitchen set up and enough disposable income saved up, there shall be experimentations in bread making, pizza making, souffle making, pad thai making, scallion pancake making, and other such completely reckless endeavors, given my general lack of experience.)

This is mostly sparked by a day spent camping out in the Tower Records bookstore reading Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka, the Yarn Harlot). I don't agree with everything in the book, naturally, but it was so full of knit geek joy that it was quite inspiring.

I liked the book very much, largely because it seems to belong to my own small camp of the crafty ethos. Aka, the one in which I seem to be congenitally incapable of using a pattern or a recipe without futzing around with it in some way, in which I am perpetually trying to look for shortcuts to avoid the things I dislike doing, in which I tend to assemble equipment from scraps instead of going out and buying something.

I tend to learn via experimentation; any time I read up on everything before doing something, I freeze in fear of doing something wrong and end up doing nothing at all. I very much admire people who read everything and figure out all the tricks and tips.

So my current knitting project is a top that would be a little boring, except I'm trying to convert a flat pattern to a circular one and it is my first experiment in which I've actually tried to measure my gauge! Forgive me, oh Patron of Knitting, for I have sinned....

Plus, the interesting stripe down the front is a cool way to figure out how increases and decreases affect the actual lay of the stitch so things to diagonal.

The other knitting project is incredibly boring, and since I bought the yarn for it when I first started knitting, I fear it's not going to be nearly elastic enough (I substituted straight cotton for a wool mix on a top with much ribbing). Thankfully, it is the perfect anime-watching project, because it requires absolutely no concentration. Unfortunately, it's so boring that I get sick of it even when I'm watching anime!

My favorite part of Knitting Rules! may have been how to classify TV/movie watching:

- Things with subtitles = simple garter stitch or ribbing, no shaping necessary
- Things with complex plots = relatively easy projects that don't require much tracking
- Things you can just listen to = sock and whatnot
- Things that you don't really want to watch but are on anyway = lace and fair isle!

Sadly, that's exactly how I decide what to watch sometimes. Sometimes anime gets vetoed because I want to work on my [insert project here].

Anyhow, the book got me thinking about the type of knitter I am (I was mentally arguing with Pearl-McPhee about circulars vs. DPNs).

This is what kind of knitter I am:

I prefer circular needles over straights, even though I like propping straights up in my lap. I've never used DPNs and don't particularly see a need to, given that I can do very small things with a very long circular (one of my favorite tricks learned from Teh Intraweb ever). This isn't because I'm against DPNs, but because I have an entire set of interchangeable circulars which are the best thing ever, and I'm too cheap to go out and buy DPNs every time my gauge changes.

I prefer metal needles, though to be honest, my plastic interchageable circulars work fine most of the time. I've only tried one set of bamboo needles, and the tips were too dull for me. I like sharp tips because I tend to be a tighter knitter (I found I usually need to up the needle roughly two sizes to knit to gauge). Also, I'm currently disinclined to buy new needles because my interchangeable circulars! How I am in love with them!

I am completely and totally in love with my interchangeable circulars and think they are the best things ever (if you haven't already noticed)! I tend to start projects in the middle of the night, so that's helpful. Also, they can be stitch holders as well! And there are all these cool things you can do with an extra long cord, and I love being able to cast on with a larger needle and just twist it off and join the proper size needle on without ever having to transfer my stitches.

I knit while I watch TV. It's gotten to the point where watching TV without knitting feels extremely odd.

I am a bit of a yarn snob. I don't refuse to knit with acrylic, but it's not quite as fun because you can't block or felt or splice. But then, I like cotton yarn as well as wool, and I want to try knitting or crocheting with twine to make baskets, and I want to try knitting or crocheting with leather and wire as well.

I pick patterns based on how they look and how complicated they are. I don't knit things that I think are ugly. But I also don't like knitting very basic things, because I get bored very easily doing just one or two stitches. I don't like complicated constructions because I detest seaming, but if the pattern has lots of cables or lace or other patterns, I'm all for it.

I adore lace. Absolutely adore. Love love love. I think it's beautiful and it's fun to knit, even though all my knitting circle folks think I'm insane ;).

I hate colorwork, largely because I detest weaving in ends. I may hate weaving in ends even more than I hate seaming. This is another reason to go with animal fibers, because then I could just splice the ends together and never have to weave in ends again! I'll probably never figure out Fair Isle or intarsia because of this, unless I find an absolutely adorable pattern that I can't resist. So far, though, I've found I don't like patterns with too much colorwork.

Because of these bits, I am trying to figure out how to convert all patterns so that I can splice all my yarn together and knit them nearly all in the round. If I can't do everything quite in the round, then I want it so that the only bits that need to be seamed can be grafted together. Yes, I like doing kitchener stitch better than seaming. In other words, I am so lazy that I will spend more time figuring out a way around something than it would take to just do the thing itself.

I am quite likely a horrible knitting teacher because I waver on all questions. My general answer tends to be, "Do what feels best!" But then, I don't knit so that my things look just like the pattern (though that's always a plus). I knit because I like yarn and loops and needles and the mathy precision/imprecision of it. I think the key is to not be afraid of the pattern and to realize that you can futz around all you want to as long as you're ok with having something that doesn't quite match the picture in the book. Since I tend to look at the picture in the book and immediately zero in on what I want to change, I'm fine with that, but I get why other people wouldn't be.

I figured out how to fix dropped stitches out of sheer necessity because I had no books when I was knitting back in middle school. I'm glad I learned this, because it means I can sort of understand how all the knitting loops lie together, which is immensely helpful when trying to unknit or fix mistakes.

I am one of those really annoying people who will end up spending five hours trying to fix someone's mistake instead of just letting them knit over it, because I want to figure out what happened.

I am also a crocheter! I am more a knitter than a crocheter because I've been doing it longer. But I also knit more because I can knit while I watch TV, but I can't crochet without looking at my stitches. But I adore crochet because of how flexible it is (just one live stitch!), and I love that it can just go every which way!

I will never cease to be amazed by the fact that I can turn balls of string into clothes or hats or scarves with just pointy sticks or a hook.

What type of knitter are you?

Comments

[sophia-helix.livejournal.com]

Hee.

I think I'm a "covet" knitter, or whatever it is when you look at a pattern and go "I totally want to wear that!" rather than "I totally want to knit that!" I haven't yet had the experience of making a large and boring garment, so that might eventually change, but so far I've been totally cool with just making scarves in a single stitch if they come out pretty.

I'm more interested in learning colorwork than lace. I don't totally hate finishing yet, but I haven't had to tackle much more than a little end-weaving. I kinda want to take some kind of class on finishing because I'm about to start a project that requires seams and I'm afraid I'll suck at it.

I like my wooden straights. Circulars weird me out. I was thinking about buying the Denise set just due to cost-effectiveness, but I don't like the idea of metal needles. I am dying for a pair of ebony Lantern Moon needles.

I am terrified of changing patterns. The shrug I'm about to start will have to be increased because it's just someone's made-up pattern off Craftster, and even though the thread is full of people's suggestions and tutorials on how to make the alterations, I know I'm going to end up frogging and redoing several times.

I love fancy yarn more than I can say, and I am too stingy to buy much of it -- or any. I bought some wool/alpaca mix from Knitpicks last night, and I was so excited that three skeins only cost $15 with shipping.

When I finished my first hat, I pranced around the room singing "I made a thing! A real THING!"

[oyceter]

Yeah, I'm so a covet knitter as well! I'm getting to be slightly more picky about the coveting though, which is very good, given that I have balls and balls of yarn bought for projects that I coveted. And I've discovered if I have to seam or finish too much, I'll end up knitting the entire thing, and then it'll sit around in the finishing stage for five months.

Wooooow I am impressed by the colorwork! There's one person in one of my knitting circles who does Fair Isle all the time and actually enjoys finishing! I am in awe of her.

It took me a while to get used to circulars (this isn't to say that you should, of course), but I ended up making the switch because the interchangeable ones were entirely too tempting. I think I have a strange fondness for the metal needles because they were among the first I used back in middle school. For some odd reason, I'm not as tempted by pretty needles as I am by yarn!

Oooo pattern! I can help out if you want! It took me a while to work up to it... my first sweater was actually made completely out of gauge because I ended up not liking the recced yarn, so ehh... I ended up calculating out all the gauge changes anyway.

YAY! You finished a hat!!! Did you do it on circulars or did you just seam it?

I am such a sucker for fancy yarn... gaaaah. Not much for novelty yarns because they mean I have to do garter stitch, but, oh... fiber!

[kintail.livejournal.com]

You knit too! I read this whole post going "Yes!" "Me too!" "Yay, you know and love Elann!" "Yes, you know and love Knitty!" "Yes you know and LOVE DENISE" Oh how I love Denise! And like you, I often start projects in the middle of the night. And can't ever seem to knit a pattern as it is, without trying to alter it in some way. Much love for kitchener stitch over seaming, too. And anything like that which works with how knitting works and helps me understand it.

I do knit on DPNs, because when I tried the Magic Loop to do it on a circular I didn't actually have a long enough circular, and it also gave me ladders. I also just wanted to figure out how knitting on dpns actually works. I'm quite comfortable with them now, plus I think it looks impressive when I'm working on a sock in public (socks are my project of choice for knitting on transit, and only on transit -- so it takes me about three months to finish one sock). No one will realize how much of a klutz I am in the rest of my life while they watch me juggle a handful of five little sticks and string and turn it into a tube-making machine.

[oyceter]

Fellow knitter! Yay!

OMG I adore kitchener stitch. I've actually only done it once, but it's so cool! For some reason, I just like it better than seaming, and it has the advantage of being cool.

Ew, ladders. I'm tempted to knit on DPNs just to see if I can do it, but I understand the concept. And I'm too lazy to buy more sets of needles -_-;;. Saving up for my pink stand mixer and the Boye Needlemaster set! I like the Denises better, but ... size 2-4! Or maybe I'll go for another Denise and then have two interchangeable sets!

I really need to start knitting socks sometime!

[kintail.livejournal.com]

I recently learned from the book "Big Book of Knitting" a matched pair of techniques called kitchener rib cast-on and kitchener rib cast off, and they're SO COOL. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it, but now the kitchener rib cast off is my very favourite cast off. It looks almost invisible, like the knitting just folds over at the edge and magically becomes the other side.

I also have a lot of extra dpns I never use. I have this terrible habit of "saving" any I see show up at the thrift store or at garage sales, I must give them a good home. I'm not sure exactly what sizes I have extra at the moment, I'd have to check, but if you like I could sent you a couple sets. And maybe a photocopy of those kitchener rib techniques. My email is calendarfish @ gmail.com if you're comfortable sending your address.

Socks are fun, especially if you enjoy the math/physics/logic of figuring out how knitting does what it does. If you know about Knitty.com, you probably know about the Fuzzy Feet slipper pattern archived there -- it's very well written and quick to knit, and teaches you everything you need to know to knit socks. But because I can never follow a pattern exactly as written, I first knit it in 100% wool yarn instead of the wool-mohair blend suggested, and after a few months I wore a holes in the bottom. I think they might have lasted longer with the mohair, since the mohair fiber is longer and stronger -- I'll probably use that for next year's pair.

I also have some self-patterning sock-yarn than I'm eager to try out, as I've never used it before.

[oyceter]

Ohhhhh that's so awesome! I need to hunt down that book now. I saw it in Michael's and surreptitously copied down the tubular cast-on for 2x2 rib. Also, I checked out the tubular cast-on for 1x1 rib, and I think I like it better than the one in Nancy Wiseman's finishign techniques book.

OMG am such a knitting geek ;).

And! While moving, I just found out that my mom brought me a whole bunch of straights and DPNs that my grandma had. But if I ever need more, I will definitely email you!

I totally need to try out the fuzzy feet one now! Those are so cute! And it can be my first experiment in felting! That is, after I get through all the tank top patterns that I have for summer.

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

I skim over knitting posts, but the woman who works behind me is a knitter and went to see "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka, the Yarn Harlot)" just last night, so that snippet of your post totally jumped out at me.

[oyceter]

Oooooo I am so jealous!

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

She quite enjoyed it -- said she suspected Stephanie rotated through stories and that if one had read all her books you would have heard all the stories already, but she hasn't read all her books, so she enjoyed it.

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

I am a person who is vaguely considering learning to knit and/or crochet, mostly because I want to learn to make lace.

Unfortunately, I have had this vague consideration for years, and every time I try to act on it Things Happen (syonakeleste, attempting to teach me to knit: 'How in the hell did you hurt yourself that badly on a *very very blunt plastic needle before managing to get the yarn within a foot of it*?' Me: 'I don't know. I think it broke several major laws of physics and teleported into my body.') so I get a little nervous.

But it looks so cool! And so useful! And I'm never gonna be able to get a bobbin lace table set up, so it would be a good way to make lace!

Sigh.

Um. I cross-stitch. The patterns from here (http://www.mirabilia.com/crossIndex2.html). Current project is #77. It's been going for three years.

(Another good thing about knitting would be everything not taking three years.)

[oyceter]

OMG LACE. I am so totally in love with it.

If you're interested at all, I can bring a crochet hook and some needles and yarn to Wiscon and try teaching you to knit or crochet if you'd like? No pressure though! I figure I'll be bringing knitting there anyway, and it's always fun to teach new people!

Oooo, that's a cool pattern! I've got a pattern of a lady in a kimono that I've been working on for the past four years and I'm only on the second color -_-;;. Sigh. I used to cross-stitch when I was a kid. I still love it, but it takes so much concentration that I rarely scrape out enough time for it.

knitting post yay!

[gwyneira.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that I'm knitting more again now that it's baseball season. It's the perfect thing to watch while knitting, because it moves so slowly that it's hard to miss things, and the commentators are good about narrating anyway.

I do not like circulars. My mother loves them and uses them for everything, so they're what I tried first, but I just seem to be able to knit faster on straights. (I haven't tried DPNs yet, though I bought a set to make socks with.) That said, I'm currently making a toddler sundress on circulars, and it's going faster than I thought it would, although the length of time it took me to cast on 200 stitches you would not believe.

I prefer wooden needles now that my gauge has loosened up a little; I used to knit very tightly and had the same problem as you with the ends of my wooden needles not being quite pointy enough. I'm knitting a mohair scarf right now and am very thankful I'm doing it on bamboo needles, because on metal or plastic the mohair would be slipping right off the ends constantly, instead of just occasionally. (Yesterday I somehow managed to bunch up the yarn and knitted several stitches with a triple strand before thinking, "Jeez, this yarn is really thick!" and looking to see why.)

I used to be pretty good about not stashing yarn, but my stash bag is starting to get kind of scary and bulgy. I bought lots of pretty purple yarn on the internet the other day, and eventually I'll remember to post the picture of it that I took when I got it.

Re: knitting post yay!

[oyceter]

I hate casting on tons of stitches! It's almost enough to make me do the Elizabeth Zimmerman way of just looping them on backwards. Maybe I'll try that for my next project.

I think I probably knit faster on straights as well... I'm just too in love with my Denises and too lazy to keep buying straights. Le sigh. Thankfully, my mom grabbed me a whole bunch of my grandma's straights and dpns (and yarn!), so maybe I'll play around with those. I also like circs better when knitting next to people, because I'm a giant klutz and end up nearly poking out people's eyes. But I really miss being able to prop my needle up in my lap.

I'm really hoping that my tension will loosen up a bit! Ah well, I suppose I'll live ;).

I uh... we will not speak of my yarn stash. Eh heh heh.

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

Knitting post!

My Ginny tried to show me the basics when I was visiting her in the winter, but I failed to absorb it well. But I'm determined to try it again while she's here next week. *nods* So yay knitting post! Inspiration!

[oyceter]

Yay knitting! New knitter! I wish you were closer, and I would totally drag you to my knitting group and teach you and stuff!

I love watching these things spread; I have a knitting group at work and one outside, and then there are the LJ knitters (chi_zu is the one who started knitting again last year and blogging about it, and she totally inspired me to pick up my needles again as well).

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

*sniffs* Now *I* wish I were closer. (Actually, I do anyway, 'cause you sound terribly fun. ^^)

But! ginny_t arrives tomorrow night, and we may go do knitting-related things while she's here. She tried to teach me a bit while I visited her in Toronto in January, but we were always on the go. This'll be a quieter visit, so maybe I'll make progress. *^^*

(She and one of my other Toronto friends knit enough that they have separate knitting blogs, which is rather fun. I like seeing what they're doing. And a couple of my other online friends knit a lot as well, and talk about it, which is also fun.)

[oyceter]

Oooo knitting blogs! Doko doko? I love ogling at finished projects.

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

They both update sporadically, but Ginny's is craftyginny and Vampy's is knitting_ninja. ^^