TexturetimeMKAL

(First of all, thank you for your comments. And thank you for coming for a visit. As some of you might know, if you follow my Instagram, I have a new little puppy (monster) in the house and she has kept me busy for a couple of weeks.  Hence the absence from the blog.)

Most of my knitting October was spent following Stephen West’s Mystery KAL Texture Time. It was a LOT of knitting, concentrated knitting, but … so worth of every single hour.

Although I had my doubts while doing the final edging, these little pebbles took forever to make, and I was almost too tired of knitting yet another row of 600 stitches but managed to steam through to the last stitch. I love the outcome. It is graphic, it is interesting, it is brave, it is balanced and huge. I get to enjoy it for one more day and then it travels away with my daughter… I showed it to her and in an instant, she said: it is for me, isn’t it!

I showed you all the yarns earlier, it is Tosh Merino Light and I will put all the information to my Ravelry page soon.

I loved this MKAL and here are the reasons:

I trusted the designer. I believed through the whole process that in the end everything will fit together, and all the ends, elements and choices will work. I kept telling myself, when there were more than 30 ends hanging in there, not to worry, but just let go and enjoy and see what will become of them in the end. 

I knew that this was Stephen’s 9^th MKAL, so I knew he knew what he was doing.

I struggled with the brioche part little bit because it is something, I have not done in 30 years and even then, in one color only. I did not mind all the braids, they looked so beautiful from the very beginning, and one of the clues felt like a vacation.

I loved the yarn. It did feel little bit expensive to buy the yarn at first, because I was not sure if my choices were right, if I would end up not loving the texture in the end, but I loved it from the first stitch. The softness and the colors.

I loved the colors. Of course, I could have been braver when choosing the colors, but I know me and know that in the end, I will seek for harmony and just followed my instinct. I was tempted to pick rose instead of white mohair, but am I glad I picked the white.

The design itself was interesting. Every clue brought something new and just when I got tired of knitting the previous clue, there was a new one and something new to learn. The shawl is symmetrical, both wings are the same and I was worried of getting tired when making the second wing, but… the second time around, I could enjoy the process and I already knew what I was doing.

I learned new things.

First: Stephen showed me a whole new way to look at yarns. They don’t have to match, you can work with almost anything, pair different yarns and just knit away. No need to stress, just enjoy the creative process and trust the process. If there is a question, there is an answer.

Second: New techniques. I have never done 9 stitch yarn holes. Nor Brioche with four colors. The shape of the shawl is all new.

Third: Ends don’t always have to be woven in, you can let them hang loose or braid them. Make them a design feature!

All in all, this KAL felt like an adventure holiday. I feel so brave and refreshed and rested from my rut and way of thinking. I loved the process and I do love the result. Best knit for a long, long time.

Wool with you,

Lene 

(And I have to go and let this go out now... and see what the puppy is getting into... she is Piisku, such a lovely little monster!)

I blame my Mother

Her fault entirely.

Hear me out, and you will agree.

Maybe I already told you this. 

My Mom loved to knit and crochet and do various things with wool and fiber while I was growing up. When I was put to bed, she would stay up for hours making something. To feed her habit, she visited yarn shop frequently. I accompanied her. 

She was always in a hurry, her pace was fast and furious, I could hardly keep up with her. I had to run. I hated shopping with her. I refused to visit any other shops than yarns shops with her. If I needed clothes, she would ask if we should go shopping and I always told, No! I don’t need anything.

My little feet hardly touched the ground as we stormed through the only busy street of Rovaniemi in the 1960’s on the way to the yarn store. And my feet hardly touched the ground as we stormed back, but on the return trip it was mostly because I was floating through the air with a bag of yarn and happiness.

Yarn shopping for me was more fun than shopping for toys. I still remember the smell of the wool shop …and the ladies behind the counter. Mom once bought me a little box of angora yarn, ten light blue balls, all wrapped in silk paper. What a treasure!

We both got good service. I had big plans in my head and never left the shop with empty hands. At that time, I was not even 10 years old. (I was extremely shy, I suffered from mutism, condition where child refuses to talk in various occasions and I would not talk in the shop, but I could stare. And while I stared at the wool, it left no one cold ... or puzzled, oh! they knew what I wanted.)

If I was sad and needed something to cheer me up, Mom took me to the yarn store. If I had done well in school and needed to be rewarded, Mom took me to the yarn store. If I was bored and did not know what to do, Mom took me to the yarn store.

No wonder I keep buying yarn. I could do worse, I am sure there are worse options, I just cannot think any right now, because what else is there than yarn … and books. (My other habit is book store, but for that I can blame my father and that is another story.)

While I read your comments, I hear that you all have thought about the stash and its size and you all have very good reasons why it is about the right size, or why it could be little bigger even. There might be an odd ball here and there in need of a new good home and busy hands, but mostly the stash seems to keep us all warm. One does not need to knit or crochet it all, it just the same keeps us cozy.

While I write this, the post brought me a little note. There is a small parcel at the post office waiting to be picked up. There is something fuzzy. Just the right amount to tuck into the little holes in my stash. More about it later.

Wool with you,

Lene

PS. I don’t remember what happened to the angora yarn. I was not good at finishing things then (am not good at finishing things now), I was always better starting them (am always better starting them). My Mom never told me to finish the previous project before buying more. She never spoiled my plans nor took away my enthusiasm. If she had been different, my stash might be smaller… or nonexistent, which could be sad. So, you see, she is to blame.