What's New in KnitSox Land

Still no word from the Nutella people, but nonetheless things are happening here in Knitsox land.

I've joined a knitting group at the local library. I'm not usually a "joiner", I usually do okay entertaining myself with the ramblings in my own head, but, I have to say this group is fun. We are about 20-30 women of varying ages and of varying knit/crochet ability. We've had two meetings so far and it's been fun to see what everyone is creating and to learn about why they joined. We've chosen a local charity, and will be knitting / crocheting scarves, hats and mittens to keep our community warm this coming winter. With the rising cost of fuel and the scary economy, I'm thinking these handmade donations will be much appreciated.

I've become a member of the Slater Mill Community Guild Studios and will be taking some combination knitting and lace knitting classes with the one and only Ms. Annie Modesitt next month. Oh joy I am so excited!!! And who knew that Slater Mill, just a few miles from my little house, is widely recognized as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution? Very cool indeed.

Of course the Red Sox are keeping me entertained. Jeff surprised me with SRO tix to Monday night's game versus the Los Angeles team with the too long ridiculous name. Here you can see a little picture of us, taken by the nice FanFoto man.

Notice that I am wearing a handknit scarf and holding my favorite hand knit (Noro) hat (hence the messy hat head) ! I am also wearing two pairs of handknit socks, not visible in this photo. Way to be toasty warm at Fenway in October!

SRO (Standing Room Only) tickets are a great inexpensive (a relative term in the language of Fenway) way to see the Red Sox play. We arrived just before the gates opened at 6:30 PM, climbed the ramp to the upper deck, staked out the best spot on the railing, and then stood and leaned for the next 5 hours, holding our collective breath as the boys pulled out a super exciting victory. We cheered and yelled and high-fived all the other SRO fans around us, including the very nice Romanian man standing beside me. Yes, I said Romania!!! Red Sox nation extends far and wide my friends!

So that's what's new in Knitsox land. Tell me, what's new with you?

Deciphering The Code of Lace

The thing I love about lace knitting lace is that moment when the pattern "clicks". For me, every new lace project is both a joy and a struggle. The happy moments are when I'm selecting a lace pattern and choosing just the right yarn. I'm also happy as I set up my charts, copying and resizing for my 42 year-old eyes, highlighting the repeats, and arranging it all on my KnitPicks Chart Keeper. Fiber and needles in hand, the cast on begins and my optimism remains.

The struggle usually begins about two or three pattern repeats in. One moment, all is going well, and then suddenly I come to the end of a row and realize something is wrong. Maybe there are two extra stitches or not enough. Whatever the case, I've made a mistake and the now the frustration begins. Slowly I unknit each stitch on a hunt to find my error. Sometimes the tinking is short and the error appears quickly. A missed YO or an extra knit stitch. Other times, the tinking continues for rows, the errant stitch cunningly hiding from my squinting eyes, until I throw up my hands in defeat and frog the whole darn thing.

This has happened with every lace project I've ever knit. And every time I ask myself why do I continue with this lace knitting. The answer to "Why do I do this?" is because I love that moment when when my brain "clicks" and the secret code of the pattern reveals itself to me. I can suddenly see the paired increases and decreases. I can see the structure of the pattern, the center line and the edge stitches. I am comfortable enough with the code to confidently knit each row with just a quick glance at the pattern. No longer to I need to hold the chart in a white-knuckled death grip as I go.

This time the "click" happened as I sped down the tracks from Providence to New York City on the Amtrak Acela Express. Maybe because I was sitting in the quiet car, away from the distractions of cell phones and where conversations couldn't raise above a whisper, I was finally able to focus my attention completely on my knitting and decipher the code.