KIPing, WIPs, and a new tool

Ordinarily, I am not shy about knitting in public. In fact, I find it the perfect activity when stuck somewhere, waiting, waiting, waiting. The other day, the waiting occurred in the car dealer's lounge, while my Honda CRV had its allegedly defective air bag replaced. Yet, I was hoping no one would start up a conversation with, "So. What are you making?" When others ask that, they expect to hear something like "sweater" or "baby blanket" or "afghan". But I was working on a curtain for my master bath. To another knitter, it makes perfect sense to knit a curtain or a towel or a golf club cover, but others immediately want to know WHY IN THE WORLD you would knit something so easily purchased?!?

I have to admit that, while working on this particular item, the same question sometimes occurs to me. It's a lot of knitting that is not all that interesting, in a yarn I don't particular like working with. The wrong side rows are all purl, another aspect I don't like. BUT. I am convinced that I will like the result. So I force encourage myself to knit a bit on it every day.

The denim curtain is an indication that my knitting mojo is returning. Starting a shawl is another sign. I'm not much of a shawl wearer. However, on our trip to NYC, when in an environment that felt a little chilly but not cold enough for a sweater, I was wishing I had a light shawl, like several of the women I saw who were smarter than me about AC in airports. There even was a pattern in my Ravelry queue, one that also designated which yarn from my stash to use. Kismet.

Like most shawls, it doesn't look like much at the outset. Knit from (splitty) alpaca, it may also be too warm for summer use. Knitting ten rows of garter at a sitting is a snap right now,but I'm sure it will devolve into drudgery when those rows are hundreds of stitches long. However, I am again convinced that I will like the results.

The above project required a trip to Simply Socks to purchase some new circs. (Although basically an online venue, their brick-and-mortar store is open one day a week.) While there, I also bought this sock ruler.

I don't know why someone has not thought of this handy little tool before. Or, more honestly, I wish I had thought of this. As far as I know, Simply Socks is its only vendor.

How's your summer knitting going?

My new addiction

No, not a new fiber addiction, but a new-found love of GOLF. I took some lessons this spring on a whim, and have been out on a 3-par course a couple of times since. My clubs are some old cast-offs from a friend. None have covers, so I decided to knit my own.

The set has three woods and a putter of unknown origin. Each cover for the woods will have stripes in the Fair Isle to correspond to the club number, e.g., 1, 3, 5. The colors will be reversed for the putter. Oh, and they all get pompoms. This is a fun and easy, one size fits all, who cares about gauge project.

What to do with those leftovers from the 1970's

My SO and I recently spent a few days in NYC, running ourselves ragged in an effort to experience as much as we could in three days. My first night home, I slept the sleep of the dead, that's how exhausted I felt. But it was fun!

Among the places we visited was the new Whitney. The current exhibit is "America Is Hard to See", showcasing American artists. My favorite pieces were the two below.

Despite what the placard that accompanied these pieces says (see last photo), I view this one as a history of my early crafting experience: the obligatory granny square afghan, the yarn octopus, homemade dolls, macrame, etc. If I had kept all that crap, I could create my own version of this work of art.

Anyone who came of age in the late '60s/early '70s might have a collection of candles such as this one. Again, it reflects what could be in my closet if I had not long ago tossed it all. Quite the shrine to the Counter Culture.

Just for grins and giggles, here is what the placard for these pieces says. A bit more lofty than my interpretation. What do you think?

These works led to a discussion of what kind of art I could create with all the old computer equipment that I have yet to dispose of. Possible titles: A Pyramid of Technology, Digital Detritus, My So-Called Career. Then I could donate it to a museum.

Almost famous

The Little Shop of Spinning, where I purchased my wheel, was recently featured in Spinning Daily, here. The caption on the bottom photo is incorrect - that group of people is not from the Fort Wayne Flax and Fleecers Dye Day, it's from a one-day workshop I attended last winter. Guess which person in the photo is me.