Friday, July 21, 2006

The knot

I was knitting.
Happily without a could in the sky.
Until I came across a knot in the yarn. Usually I don't despair or panic or get even a little bit discouraged but this time I did not feel like dealing with it. (What I was knitting is not an issue here because it is at an early stage and might be gone tomorrow or the day after...) But the knot had me put down the knitting and search for something else to do.
So I went to sort out the needle collection.
And found these small rubber teddy bears that I have never been successful with. They are supposed to hold together your needles but mine have always kept slipping off the needles while in the bag resulting in dropping stitches.
So the knot had me drill little holes to the heads of the teddies (I felt very uncomfortable doing it and kept telling them that now they would be of great use to me, but I wonder if it helped...) and take some rubber bands to connect these teddies together as a pair...as best seen here in the picture with yellow teddies. I did not have better bands and did not intend to go shopping for them, so I made do what had at hand.
Felt so pleased.
But yet did not want to deal with the knot.
In Iceland I received a lovely silk Lantern Moon knitting bag from a dear friend. Here at left. It is light and the size is good and having more portable projects than just one I made myself a cotton bag. Here at right. And hid the project with the knot in the blue bag. So the knot got taken care of.And then...


So really a knot every now and then is not after all a bad thing.

30 comments:

  1. Anonymous15:31

    I love that knit flowers bag! How nice!

    And it looks like you got the better of that knot!

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  2. Anonymous15:45

    Voi! Knots in yarn can be so frustrating. But I am glad to see that you made the best of it. I should take a page from your book, and not throw the knitting on the sofa and stomp away when I encounter a knot.

    I love your bear needle-holders! Whatever damage you did to the poor bear's psyche will be reversed because now they get see the light of day.

    Are the arctic strawberries in season yet? Several years after our trip, the kids both still rave about the Finnish strawberries.

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  3. Anonymous16:36

    Thank you! I have some Teddies, too. They're really cute, but not very practical. I also have the Lantern Moon bag and it's frequently over my arm with my yarn as I'm knitting from it. With my knitting safe in its own bag, I can then drop it in by big bag and not worry about finding a comb or ink pen tangled in my yarn (possible causing a knot - which wouldn't inspire me with the creativity your knot inspired in you!)

    I want to thank you for showing your beautiful green shawl awhile back. I just received my copy of Three Cornered and Long Shawls (with English translation) and I can't decide which to start first. They're all very beautiful.

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  4. You are reminding me that I really need to get my sewing machine fixed! They are all nice craft totes.

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  5. You're so creative. :-) Those are such pretty bags! And are those herb-filled sachets attached to them?

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  6. Anonymous17:09

    HAHAHAHA! i LOVE that story! i came to read becasue iwas bored with my work and needed a few min's break
    hahaha! i am so delighted!
    those bags are adorable, and i am not even fond of cats, but that one is my favorite!

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  7. I love those! They are so charming!

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  8. Very nice displacement!

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  9. Anonymous17:52

    Ahhhh, lovely bags! If this is what a knot produces over there, perhaps you should have more yarn with knots... ;-)

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  10. Anonymous17:56

    Who is looking after you household while you do all this fun stuff? Even though my kids are 17 and 21, my house would fall apart if I made a sock every day and a shawl every week and a sweater or dress every other week and then went to Iceland, too. I think maybe you eat bread and butter every meal and spend all your time outside so there is no dirt in the house. Actually, I would like to know more about your summer kitchen, if you would.

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  11. Wonderful and very philosophical.

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  12. Anonymous18:11

    I have to say the knot wound up being very productive for you! LOL Love the bags! There is something about bags for us knitters - a magic of protected thousands of stitches which are now made portable (or something like that). I have a local quilter/knitter making me some bags as we speak!

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  13. Anonymous18:50

    Very beautiful bags, Lene!

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  14. Wonderful! Maybe this weekend I will finally sit down at the sewing machine and make that knitting bag I've been dreaming about.

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  15. Such a good outcome from a "knotty' problem! I love your bags. Must keep my eye out for some nice fabric and make a few. I just thought I should pick my lavender and put it in little bags, as you appeared to have done. I always make a little bag and keep it on the ironing board. It gives a beautiful scent when you iron over it. Take a nice piece from the fir Christmas tree and also put it in a bag beside the iron. The smell is beautiful long after the Christmas festivities are over!

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  16. Ha! I'm right there with you on that knot. Dealt with masterfully, I'd say.

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  17. I'm sure the Teddies didn't suffer and are much happier that they can now do the job they were meant for .

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  18. Anonymous21:43

    That was a great idea about the bears. I have seen those but never purchased any. Now I may actually know what to do with them. I love the bags!!

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  19. I really love the knit cats bag!
    What a great idea poking holes in the gummi bears heads and attatching rubberbnds. Now I have to go do that to my gummi bear dpn holders!

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  20. Anonymous00:35

    Excellent way to deal with a problem! Being positive and creative instead of negative. Well done Lene, these bags are lovely and we should all follow your example...

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  21. What a clever solution for your bears--needle holders like that (connected with a rubber band) go for US$6 a piece! And I am in love with the blue and yellow flowered fabrics. Gorgeous bags!
    --Amanda

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  22. Lene,

    Creativity strikes again, this time conquering a knotty problem.

    Your blogs are always a delight.

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  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  24. I will remember this story next time a "knot" gets into my day!
    thank.
    :-)

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  25. Oh do I know that knarlingly annoyingly knot feeling! Spent five days untangling a simple ball of yarn recently (you wouldn't think it could take so long, would you?) Like the way you destressed the situation, though! I had to get the fury out of my system on my weblog, to everyone else's amusement.
    Jo
    celticmemoryyarns.blogspot.com

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  26. Those bags are lovely! I'd like to learn how to sew someday.

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  27. Anonymous19:10

    Ah, now I know why my in-laws who are Finnish were so taken with strawberries. k's comment cleared that up--arctic berries. I love the bags! And thank goodness from imperfections that lead to creativity.

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  28. What lovely bags, and a great idea of what you have done with those bear needle ends, now things should stay where you want them too. Isn't that so annoying when you find a knot in the yarn, especially if it is a joing of yarn knot, I found one last week and it was only about 2 feet into the new ball of yarn (or 2 feet from end - I was knitting from the centre of the ball), and an expensive ball at that, I wasn't happy.

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  29. You've been quite industrious lately! :) I love all the bags, but especially the one with the cats and dogs. Such a cute fabric!

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  30. All your bags are great! I'd love if you shared how you made them.

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