Zen Knitting

     I recently finished reading the book 'Zen and the Art of Knitting'.  It's a quick read that explores the meditative value of knitting.  Turns out that a lot of people knit as a form of meditation, or calming the mind. This made me feel much better about having a somewhat sparse meditation practice.  Since I knit every day, I feel like I am reaping some of the benefits of meditation when I knit.
    The meditative qualities of knitting include the counting and repetition of motion involved with knitting.  The fact that your mind is focused on saying 'knit, purl, knit, purl' or whatever your pattern, means that your mind isn't running rampant.  So knitting can be a great tool for calming the mind, and helping to focus your thoughts. I also find it is a great way to distract my mind when I am stuck on a problem at work. I will walk away, knit a few rows and let my subconscious work on the problem for me while I relax. Then when I come back to my problem, I feel much more centered and able to solve it.
     Knitting also teaches patience. I laugh when people see what I have made and tell me that they don't have the patience to 'do that' because I never used to think of myself as a patient person.  But ever since I began knitting, I have become much more patient!
    Learning to knit, like learning other complicated tasks, can be frustrating at first. But once you figure it out, it becomes that much more gratifying to know that you did it!  You figured it out! You solved the problem.  By continuing through the process, you build your self-confidence and self-esteem.  And when you get stuck with knitting, there are always plenty of resources available to help you through.
    Let me encourage you to reach for your knitting when you feel anxious, stuck, frustrated, lonely, empty or anything else. And I challenge you to see how it can change your mood and adjust your state of mind. Make a practice out of it, do a little every day. If your knitting project is the source of your frustration, start another project that is easier and you know you can complete, to build up your confidence before tackling the more challenging project. I hope you can find the peace of mind and the zen in the art of knitting.
   

social knitting

     Who knew such an individual craft like knitting would also be such a social activity!?  I'm not sure if this is the way things have always been -- I've only been knitting for about 7 years -- but it sure is a big component of the knitting world today.
     Once a month I go down to my local knit shop/yarn/fiber store for Knit Knite! An awesome little get together which often includes a special sale and is always a great place to get advice on projects, get help on mistakes, or at least check out some other projects in progress. My knit store also has $1/slice pizza.
     It's great to see knitters of all levels interacting. People from all walks of life. I think it is essential for any knitter - from the hard-core to the just beginning - to attend these types of events. If not to get help and advice from more experienced knitters, sometimes it is nice to get out of the house and knit! And you are sure to learn something. Or you can co-miserate about some part of a project that was really tough to do.  Knit nights are also a great way to meet new people if you happen to move.  Last month at knit night there was a lady who had just moved here from Minnesota. She loves to knit and wanted to meet people and found her way to the right place!
     If your local yarn store doesn't have a knitting night, but you know other knitters, set up a night of your own! My best friend Becca and her friends up in the fort (collins) get together every Tuesday night to knit and socialize.  Even if you don't make progress on your projects, you know you'll get some feedback from your audience!  I love seeing what other knitters are working on. It always gives me more ideas of what I can do and how I can expand my craft.
     Here's a link for locating a group in your area: http://find.mapmuse.com/interest/knitting-clubs.  If you don't see your usual spot on this site, there is a link right on that page to add them! Spread the word, and the love of the craft. Happy knitting :)

Scarf it Up!

     I was digging through my stash recently when several pink-ish balls of yarn called out to me "I want to be a scarf!"  They insisted so loudly in fact I cast on immediately - 300 stitches finished off the first fragment, and my 'scarf the long way' had begun!  One week later and I am oh so pleased with the result that I've started a blue version :)

      Now I've suddenly become hooked on scarf-up-your-stash scarves! Here's a plan if you've got extra yarn in small quantities creeping out your closet that you can't think of anything to make with and don't want to donate.  Gather up several balls of pink-ish (or whatever color) leftovers, not worrying about size or gauge. Lay them out in the approximate order you want, deciding which colors look best next to each other. They don't need to match - in fact they probably shouldn't.  Get creative!

Scarf it up!
Needles: Size 8, circular, at least 24", or whatever you have on hand.
Yarn: However many random balls of whatever sized leftovers in generally one color. Any fiber, any gauge, pretty much anything! I do suggest throwing something really fun/furry in there.
Gauge: Don't bother! (knew you would like that)

CO 200-300 sts, depending on how long you'd like your scarf.  I did the pink one 300 sts and it was rather long. Dropped down to 219 sts on my blue one, I'll let you know how it turns out.  The best way to cast on this many stitches is with this trick: take two ends of your yarn and tie them both together in a slip knot. Now cast on using long-tail cast-on where both ends of the yarn form the ball and tail strands. On the next row, when you get back to your double-strand loop, just knit it as one stitch.

Knit in garter stitch.
When you get to the end of a ball of yarn, just grab the next one and keep going.




Fringe as you go:
When you get to the end of a row, leave a long tail/large loop, knit a couple of sts of the next row, then set the needles down, take out the scissors and cut the middle of the loop. Tie the two ends in a square knot, then pick up them needles and knit on!


Leave enough for a bind off:
Continue in this fashion until you are getting close to running out of yarn (but not too close!).
To determine how much I would need to bind off all 300 sts, I measured out a length of yarn, like from my hand to my elbow, then counted off several of those lengths.  Then I knit a row and watched to see how much I used up. If you don't want that fuss, I would estimate about 20 feet of yarn you'll need to bind off. It's best to leave some extra which you can always use to thicken up the fringe.

knitting projects galore!

     I for one am a knit-a-holic. I love knitting and I do it every possible second. When I am not knitting, I am probably thinking about knitting. When I am too tired to knit (yes, it happens), I read about knitting or dream up new designs. Lately my obsession has triggered me to start what may turn out to be too many knitting projects at once.
     But can you really ever have TOO many?! :) Nah... but while I was reading through a pattern of this sweater thing I want to make (see my advice on how to read patterns for why you should always read through a pattern before starting) I realized that I may not want to start that particular project until I wrap up a few others. Reason being that it is somewhat complex, and if I'm bouncing around too many other projects, I'm likely to make more mistakes.
     We shall see how long I can resist, that yummy yarn sitting there all balled up, just teasing me. In all 5 delicious colors. But alas, I should really finish this awesome sweater for the class I am teaching. And although it is only June, the baby blanket for my friend due in September is only barely started. And I really should wrap up this other sweater whose sleeve I recently frogged to make another attempt. I'm still decoding the pattern on that one. Went back over it and realized that the instructions leave a few things to be desired for me, and lots is left up to interpretation. How did those people on Ravelry make such beautiful sweaters without comment on difficulties?
     I do recommend having several projects going at once to break up the difficult or the monotonous.  Some projects need too much concentration to really be portable and others are too boring to just chug all the way through. But if you are going to have several projects going at once, I recommend the following:

• Keep each project in its own bag, with the pattern and yarn all there together. 
• Make sure you leave yourself plenty of notes and clues as to where you are in your pattern when you put it down. If you go off and work on another project, you might forget those little details when you come back to it, and you never know how long it will be when you do come back.
• If it has been awhile since you've picked up the project, re-read over the pattern to make sure you know what you are doing and where you are. 

knitting while traveling - flying

     Although some knitters I have talked to have had problems flying with their knitting needles, I have never run into issue with it. Mostly those reports came from just after 9/11 happened, and I guess that makes sense since they restricted just about everything at that time. But nowadays it seems like the airlines have gotten wise and made it easy for knitters to take their craft on the plane.
     Bringing my knitting when I go to fly somewhere is something I always look forward to, because I am guaranteed plenty of knitting time. From the ride to the airport (especially if you end up taking the bus), to the standing in line at the ticket counter (though how often does one even need to do this anymore with online check-in), to the part after you get through security and have to wait around at your gate for departure. Not to mention the flying time, and then waiting at baggage claim. All in all this can add up to 4-5+ hours of pure knitting enjoyment.
     The best part is the period of time after you have boarded the plane when they ask you to turn off all your electronics. If you don't have a book or something like knitting, you are forced to sit there and do nothing, with nothing to listen to but the flight safety info.  Not only do I have something to do during this time, but the knitting relaxes me during take off.
     Choosing which projects to bring can be tricky, since you often have limited space in your carry on. The trick here is to bring some of the more challenging knitting projects, since you know you will be sitting there for hours at a time, with very little distraction and plenty of white noise. Barring any major turbulence, the plane ride tends to be smoother than on the bus, and once you can lower your tray table you have a little more space to spread out and dig in.
     Here are my tips for setting yourself up once in your seat:

• Pick the window seat. That way people getting up won't cause you to shift your whole set up.  If you can't score the window view, then prepare yourself by packing an easier project.
• Use the seat pocket to hold your yarn, preferably rolled into a center-pull ball. That way your yarn won't wander off under the seats.
• Lower the tray table and have your pattern in front of you. When working on patterns that you have to keep looking at, this is the nice part of flying.  
• Choose projects that you can use circular needles on. Though you can get away with the double-pointed needles more easily on the plane than the bus, they are still difficult to pick up off the floor if you drop them due to limited space.
• Make use of the seat pocket for your other tools, just make sure you double-check it before you get off the plane so that you don't leave precious things behind!

Happy Travels!