Branden sent me a link to an article about crocheted models of hyperbolic space. Sound esoteric? It is, but it’s also pretty cool. Seeing that I have nothing nearly as cool to talk about tonight, I figured I’d share. Enjoy!
=)

Did you know that consumption used to be a disease? Yup…that’s right…tuberculosis (called consumption because it literally consumed people from within). Think turn-of-the-century books, like Anne of Green Gables…it was one of the “romantic” endings for minor characters, and a source of great drama in love stories. Today, consumption has yet again been labelled as a problem, but for reasons that are more social than physical. I’ve just been reading a book by the author of “Affluenza,” all about how our consumer lifestyle isn’t so great for our mental/spiritual wellbeing (I didn’t love the tone or writing style of the book, but it makes some very valid points). I’m not a spiritual person, but I do believe that using consumption as a measure of personal value is more than just silly; it’s downright unhealthy. I am not a fan of “things,” probably because I’ve never had a large living space, and adorable knick knacks quickly turn into clutter that doesn’t have a place to be. (This may not be the only reason, as my sister and I have had very similar living experiences throughout our lives, and she’s a packrat…) I just don’t like to possess things that I don’t need or won’t use, and it bothers me to have stuff just hanging around.

Why does this belong on a knitting blog? Well, because I count stash as stuff hanging around. I love knitting, and I love yarn. There are some absolutely gorgeous fibers out there that I would love to have. But I don’t want to just have them; in order to enjoy them, I would also have to use them. A beautiful yarn for a perfect project makes me happy while it’s on my needles. I like to make pretty and useful things. But, if I let too many things build up “on hold” or in the stash without a purpose or not in active use, they begin to weigh on me. Then I begin to feel pressure to rush in order to get to the things that are waiting to be dealt with, and I can’t enjoy the process as much. Life is so hectic, and it seems we’re always playing catch-up. Do we really need to make that part of our knitting, too?

I posted a while ago that I am at something of a crossroads in life at the moment. For now, it seems best to stay the course come what may, but the possibility that change would be better has led me to do a lot of introspection lately. I used to spend a lot of introspective time; I wrote copiously and filled many, many journals during my undergraduate years. But graduate study doesn’t leave time for thinking deeply about anything but the thesis, and I’m afraid my relationship with myself has weakened in recent years as a result. The past few weeks, then, have in some ways been a welcome reason to become re-acquainted with my own inner workings, even though stress is the main cause for my actually taking the time to stop and think about things.

One theme that I find myself dwelling on is the question of what it is that I seek to accomplish in my knitting. I have found myself feeling like I am “behind” in my projects, or that I need to “catch up” on my blogging, and I’m not sure I like this change. Knitting is a process, and it’s something that I do to stop and slow down, to be productive and creative rather than costantly rushing for the finish line as I am required to do in the rest of my life. And yet, in some ways I have left that slowness behind since I started reading and writing blogs. As we all know, everything moves super fast in the world of technology, and it seems to me that our precious, timeless hobby is getting caught up inadvertently in the rush. It’s so easy to look at others’ progress and wonder why our own work isn’t moving along faster. It’s hard not to be tempted to go to every retreat and knitting conference out there (or to feel left out if you don’t or can’t). It seems like everyone that has a blog also has an online store of some kind, and it’s hard not to buy, buy, buy, because the fiber is beautiful and you want to support the people in your community. When everyone is working on one particular pattern and you seen one gorgeous version after another flash by in cyberspace, it’s hard not to put your own designs on hold and jump on board.

I really love the community of knitters out here on the web, and I’m glad to be a part of it. It’s especially nice to have people that can understand (and share!) my obsession with fibery things, as I don’t have a knitting group or any knitting friends in the area. There are many, many things that I value about the blogosphere, and I don’t want to make it sound like it’s all bad. But there are some less positive things that I have noticed about my own habits since I joined this cyber-family, and I doubt that I’m alone. (I’ve seen a few similar posts out there lately, the most notable being by Lainie of Red Thread Studio)

One new development is that I tend to work on my own designs less and am more inclined to spend time working on projects from patterns. This isn’t all bad. I have really enjoyed the patterns that I’ve been using, and I learn something new from each piece. But the title of this blog is “knitting freestyle” for a reason. I like working without a pattern, and it’s very important to me that I not squelch my own creativity in favor of someone else’s. It’s so easy to just follow a pattern rather than think one up, but isn’t knitting really about making something original?

Another thing is that I am coming very, very close to crumbling on the stash rules. There is so much great yarn out there, with so much potential. But there are only so many hours in the day, too. If I’m not knitting faster than I’m buying, then I am just accumulating. Is it just me, or is there something deeply sad about yarn sitting in a closet for years waiting to realize its potential?

I also have a horrible temptation to sign up for every knitting retreat and fiber festival out there, regardless of cost or location. It would be so nice to meet people face-to-face that I have come to know online. And yet, people are losing their homes because they don’t have enough money to pay the mortgage, while I’m sitting here contemplating running off to a knitting retreat halfway across the country for a weekend that will cost more than half a months’ rent. This is simply nuts. Sure, I guess I can afford it, and I really want to support the people I know that run these events, but is this the best use of my money? What about the energy cost of travel? Is a weekend of knitting worth contributing to global warming? How do you strike a balance between making new friendships and fostering community and living a financially and ecologically responsible life?

I know, you came here looking for a quick, fun post and some pictures, and here I am getting all serious on you. I have a tendency to be a kill-joy sometimes. I also have a tendency to go on…and on…and on once I get on my soapbox. Sorry!

I really don’t mean to say that patterns, stashes, and retreats don’t have value. But I don’t think that these things are the core of what makes this a good hobby, or even the things that necessarily build a good community. People build a community. Buying patterns and yarn and attending conferences may be ways that we help to support one another, but I really don’t think that they should be the focus of our interactions. I am here because there are people (you!) out there that are doing great things that I want to get to know, not because I want to find the best deal or get the latest hand-dyed fiber. I don’t want to get caught up in all the consumption and lose sight of the bigger reasons that we’re all here, surfing the net, talking about our knitting lives. I’m not sure exactly what all of this means for my blog, my projects, or my life at the moment, but I do know that I have no intention of letting affluenza (or consumption of any kind) gallop away with me, and I hope that you’ll make sure you’re not carried off by it, either!

Slowly but surely, the afghan stripe is getting done. After catching up on today’s blog reading, I’m at almost 2 feet! Only 5 left to go…

Guess I’d better start thinking about that sweater design, huh?

Still working on the edging for Irtfa’a. I’m at the 35th repeat of 116, so I have a ways to go. Fortunately, each 8 row repeat is pretty quick, and it’s easy to see that I’m getting somewhere.

I love the way the corners flare out when the lace is released from the needles. It makes such a pretty line; lots of motion in it. I also love the way the wrong side looks dimpled in the small feather section. I’m going to miss the little hills and valleys when the finished piece is blocked.

The one thing that’s concerning me a little is how quickly the yarn seems to be wearing as I work the edging. You can tell which stitches belong to the body and which have just been worked, since the body ones actually seem to be felting together from the friction of moving my hands over them while knitting the border. I’m a little afraid that this might mean that the yarn will wear quickly. It is lace, so it shouldn’t have much wear and tear, but I don’t want it to be too sensitive…

Fortunately, this is only showing up in the border area, and it’s not too noticeable in the final knitting, just in the loops that stick together on the holder needle.

I had hoped to make great strides in the border today, but between talking to my mom on the phone, doing my civic duty (WA caucuses were today), and grocery shopping, it’s suddenly late and I barely got any knitting in. Maybe tomorrow.

Branden sent me this link today:

http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2007/11/11/the_nerd_handbook.html

It’s a nerd handbook. You know, for dealing with all those nerdy people in your life that are so difficult to get along with. Now, I personally take issue with the author’s use of the word “nerd.” I believe “geek” would be more correct in this context. Nerd extends a bit beyond those that diddle about with technology, in my opinion. But putting that aside, it’s a pretty amusing article. First, it is funny because it assumes that nerds are inherently difficult to deal with. They aren’t. I happen to have lived with one quite happily for five years, and there really haven’t been many problems. Yes, he came complete with cave-making tendencies, which don’t always mesh nicely with my neat-freak leanings, but generally we’re pretty good about finding a happy medium. I may not have the same “brand new project” attention level that I had when we first met, but I also have not lost all interest for him, either (or at least I don’t think I have…). I really don’t understand the persistent myth that nerds/geeks/people with brains that think about more than small talk are hard to relate to. The wierd thing is that they seem hell-bent on perpetuating the myth and portraying themselves as inherently one-dimensional, which they aren’t. I know quite a few people that fit the geek/nerd category, and they are some of the most multi-dimensional people I know. But anyway. I will get off of my soapbox now. The article is, as I said, amusing, albeit in a somewhat stilted and stereotypical way.

However, I would add to the “handbook” that all keepers of nerds, or geeks, or whatever you call them, should take note when they randomly get up from a programming and building project and decide to go check the mail. This is a bad sign. These are the people that can go all day and night without eating or sleeping because the current project is too engrossing to notice the rest of the world (sound familiar to any of you knitters out there???). When the mail suddenly becomes a priority and no new geeky toys are expected to be showing up in the mailbox, things are not going well. It’s especially a bad sign because we were hoping that this project would be done tonight so that I could use it soon for collecting some data. He’s making tea now, and this pretty much guarantees that I should be preparing to wait a while longer for my little microscale to be back in a working state…

I am generally very good about finishing what I start. I almost never get sidetracked and abandon a project. In fact, so far, I have only abandoned one project to the back burner. That project is the Eco Wool afghan. We bought enough Cascade Eco Wool last year (almost exactly a year ago, in fact) for me to make a full-sized afghan. It has to be about 7 feet long, as Branden is very tall. We picked out 5 colors of the undyed wool that we really liked, and I decided on a cable motif. This was my first time knitting cables, and I absolutely loved it. I made it through the first stripe in no time flat. In fact, I think I made it most of the way through the strip on the train ride down to Portland for Branden’s robotics competition last year. It looked like I would be done with my 10 7-foot scarves in no time.

And then, I started on the center stripe. I’m making 8 narrow stripes, and one thick center stripe for the afghan. I made it wonderfully cably. (Sorry…I know it’s hard to see…)

I love the way it’s coming out, but I don’t love working with the dark yarn quite as much. It must come from a different breed of sheep or something, as it’s significantly scratchier than the other stuff. I absolutely loved the color, and really wanted to put it in, despite the fact that it’s a coarser wool. But, not liking knitting with it as much has really slowed me down. Add to that the fact that I miss-crossed several of the early cables, and perhaps you can see why it’s gone on the back burner. I did drop the offending cables and rework them, but I just haven’t been enthusiastic about picking that stripe up again. Every time I finish a big project, I pull it out and work a few rows, but my heart isn’t in it. That’s too bad, because it’s really beautiful. I have at least made it almost to the end of the first ball of yarn (another reason I love the Eco-wool…8 oz goes a long, long way!).

Rather than forcing myself to keep going on this stripe, I have started the second white one, and have sworn to finish it before moving on to Branden’s sweater. I made it through about 10″ while reading my blogs on Saturday (another reason I love big, simple projects; I can read while knitting them!). I’m hoping that I can make myself do one stripe in between each big project, and that this will help move the afghan along, rather than leaving it in limbo forever. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even manage to finish this pattern before its second birthday! (A year seems like a reasonable goal…)

I said at the beginning of the year that I wanted to give colorwork another try. It was not my favorite technique the first time I used it (in my first sweater), but I’ve learned a lot since then and I think it’s worth another go. I had heard about Alice Starmore’s books, and so I went online to find her colorwork pattern books. Turns out that I probably won’t be buying those anytime soon. Her Book of Fairisle Knitting goes for $175 on Amazon, and the one I really wanted, Charts for Colour Knitting a Designer’s Source Book starts at $350 used. Um, yeah. I think I’m going to make darned sure I like colorwork before spending more than half a paycheck on those books!

Since the Starmore books are way out of my price range, I poked around in the Fiber Gallery’s library a bit. With a little help finding books that had charts rather than garment patterns, I settled on two new color knitting books.

I really like the chart selection in both books, though I think I’ll want to digitize the charts in the McGregor book, as they’re a little hard to look at as shown in the book. Still, these should be enough to keep me busy poring over colorwork designs for quite some time!

We went to Fiber Gallery yesterday to pick up some yarn for my next big project. I discovered with the sideways cable sweater that I really like having one lace and one big project going at once. I get the fun intricate stitches in the lace, and the gratification of adding inches quickly to the big project. Also, the big knitting hurts my hands after a little while, and lace doesn’t, so I can switch between them and avoid the hand cramps. It works out well.

Since my last sweater was for me, I’m doing one for Branden this time. I don’t like the way the last one I made for him turned out, so I’m hoping for better luck this time. We both like cables, so we decided on a cable sweater. I don’t want to do a full-on Aran, but something with a cable focal piece would be nice. I think I’m going to practice steeking on this one, too, so the body will all be done in the round. Instead of having one cable focal point and the rest all stockinette, we decided that it could be fun to do some color patterning on the sleeves. I’m not sure what pattern I’ll use yet, but we did pick out the yarn.

I love Cascade Eco wool. It’s super soft, warm, and springy. It seems to hold its shape well, and it doesn’t pill much. And, to top it all off, it’s cheap! We really like the natural colors, and Branden was interested in an oatmeal sort of color. The main body will be in the lighter yarn, and the sleeves will be colorwork with the darker brown mixed in. We picked a “dark” color that’s pretty close to the light one, so that the colorwork will be really subtle.

I have to admit to a moment of misgiving as we talked about the sweater design in the store. After all, colorwork and cables don’t usually go together. But then, he loves his hybrid car, why not a hybrid sweater? I’ll be able to practice some really simple colorwork in the sleeves, and then fly through the stockinette body and cable. It’ll be simple enough to go quickly (important when knitting for someone who is 6’1″ and has very long arms), and complicated enough to keep me interested. And, I’ll get to practice two (mostly) new techniques on my list: colorwork and steeking.

I don’t have the cables or the color pattern worked out yet, but I’ll be flipping through the pattern books in the next couple of days to come up with something good. I’ll keep you posted!

I am! I finished the body of Irtfa’a yesterday, and started on the quill edging today. Some pictures of the finished body:

It’s really nice to be back to short rows (8 to 16 stitches per row in the edging, compared to 466 per row at the end of the quill and feather section). I’m having a hard time “seeing” the lace pattern on the edging, but I haven’t done too many repeats yet, so I probably just need to practice. I worked 5 repeats on the edging, decided that the first one looked funny, pulled them all out, and am back up to 3 again. It’s going pretty fast, though I’m not altogether sure that I like purling through the back loops. Again, I think that’s mainly practice; it’s getting better already, and I’m sure I’ll be fine with it by the end of the project.

I can’t believe I’m already sailing down the home stretch on this pattern! For those that do lace more often, I guess a month is probably a long time to spend on a project like this, but it’s actually a little faster than I’d expected to finish. As I get closer and closer to the end, I’m starting to ask: what next? There are so many more things on my list of techniques to try. I guess that’s the fun thing about knitting; there’s always another project just around the corner!

I don’t know who sings that song, but it’s stuck in my head. Because really, the knowing when to hold, fold, walk away or run is sometimes very difficult, and it’s always the most important part of this game we call life. I’m at one of those career-changing crossroads at the moment, and I’m just not sure what the best option is. Really, there are no good options. There’s only the hope of things being maybe slightly better than they are now, but at the cost of a lot of time (1-4 years depending on how things turn out, which I have no control over). This isn’t very comforting. So, yes, I am a bit stressed out about work. More than a bit, actually. You may have gathered from my lack of blogging lately that things have been crazy around here. I have gotten some knitting done, and I’ll write about that later, but mostly I’ve been sitting on the fence of indecision wishing that I could just fall off on one side or the other, already. Neither side looks so great from up here, and it’s an important choice. I apologize for being mostly absent, and I hope I’ll be back more soon, but I’m afraid the majority of my time and brainpower is focused in a different direction right now.

On the plus side, it’s a beautiful day outside, and it is a weekend, so I may just find time to clean the house, open the windows, and get some knitting done, all of which will make me feel better. Thank goodness for weekends!