Thursday 10 March 2011

Ahhh....Organization

I'm not sure how it happened...it began with a simple scarf, knit from yarn purchased at Walmart...a little something to do in my spare time. Before I knew it, I was obsessively visiting yarn stores all over the region purchasing luxurious yarns of all colors and textures. My "stash" is now full of beautiful sea silks, lovely lace weights and several super soft chunky yarns. Unfortunately, a stash can start to take on a life of its own! I tried to organize it a few months ago and now have a huge bin of yarn sitting in my basement and only the on the go projects are in my knitting bag...

Yikes!!!  As you can see this is not really working!!

Then I received a beautiful gift from my sister in law for my birthday. The gift of organization!

My sister-in-law is one of the most talented people I have ever met. She can knit, cook, bake, write and her most recent venture...quilt. So she quilted me a beautiful needle organizer. This inspired me to organize my mess and voila!

                                          ( to see more go to http://www.mangohouse.etsy.com/)

It feels so good to be organized!! And, if I finish the projects I have on the go, my basket will be empty and I can fill it up again!! Wish me luck!

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Unfinished Projects!

Looking at the pile of yarn, pattern books and needles that sit in a heap in my already too small dinning room, I realize just how many unfinished projects I have on the go. There's the too short sweater and impossible sock I've already told you about! Then, there's the beautiful origami sweater that I have been knitting for two years ( this sweater is a story in itself!), a gorgeous shawl that I have been knitting for approximately a year, a lace scarf that is being knit with one of the softest yarns I have ever worked with and so on....



                                             (the lace shawl I started last year!)

What is a knitter, with too little time and too much ambition to do?! I keep telling myself that I will have no more than two projects on the go at any one time. Then I spend a little time in a yarn store or surfing on ravelry and before you know it...I've started something new!

So fellow challenged knitters, my goal is to complete the projects I have on the go! I will keep you posted on my progress and the many challenges I face along the way! Wish me luck!!!

Sunday 6 March 2011

Welcome Fellow Challenged Knitters!

I am a challenged knitter. I love to knit....love it! I could sit for hours on end knitting project after project if only my 4 year old and 8 month old could take care of themselves, my house was self-cleaning and we ate take out 3 meals per day seven days a week! Unfortunately, real life limits how often I can sit and knit!

I learned how to knit from my very talented Mother who is endlessly patient with me as I take on projects that are beyond my skill level. She regularly helps me correct my many, many mistakes and explains things to me over and over again! My Mom once tried to teach me how to knit socks using the "magic loop" and I never got past the ribbing because I could not for the life of me figure out which way to knit the yarn.

So...what makes me The Challenged Knitter?!? Let me tell you just a few of my most recent knitting blunders. I have just cast of my first sweater...a raglan sweater knit from the top down. I love it. It's bright purple with stripes (a free pattern on ravelry) and guess what...it's about three inches too short. Now, I measured this sweater, several times...and yet...

A few Christmas' ago, I knit a beautiful poncho for my sister in law. It was knit in cashmere, on round neeldes. I loved it! I cast it off and guess what? Twisted the yarn when I joined the very first row. My husband sat watching me as I twisted the poncho over and over again like some sort of puzzle I had to figure out.

Most recently, my mother is trying, yet again, to teach me how to knit socks (the patience of a saint this woman!). She got smart though, she decided to teach me on double pointed needles instead. I, the challenged knitter, could not, I mean could not, figure out how to join the yarn! In the end, she did it for me...and knit my first couple rows!

So, my plan...to share my challenges and passion for knitting with all the other challenged knitters out there! Because loving something doesn't always mean you're good at it!!!