Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
Post #2016: My new favourite breakfast and more knitting
I know there have been a lot of blueberries on here lately – but they are going crazy and ripening super early and all at once in my backyard – so it’s been blueberries every day this week. As a result, my regular oatmeal has gotten a lot more colourful as I’ve been adding a 1/2 cup of blueberries to the oats/milk/water, … then finishing it with some peanut butter and a teaspoon of brown sugar. It’s perfect breakfast!
Also, I know that my first knitting project on here didn’t look uber-promising (but hey – it was my first) – but here is my second (after a bunch of practicing) and it is looking a wee bit better. Not without some tension issues, but it is definitely getting better as I go (it’s going to be a multicoloured scarf with fringe on the bottom when I’m done).
I’m feeling pretty pleased with my newfound ability to knit and purl – and am also pretty happy with the choice of needles I made. Rather than continuing on with the cheap pair that I bought years ago to learn to knit – I mail-ordered a set of Hiya-hiya interchangeables (small, 5-inch, sharp) which had good reviews and seemed like the needles I would most want to use. I hate the feeling of yarn on wood, and metal crochet hooks have always done it for me – so i figured these would do the job. And better to just buy a good set of needles outright rather than starting with a cheaper set and then fretting about whether to upgrade a year down the road, right?
The difference was noticeable as soon as I started with these over the long needles I had been practicing with – they just don’t feel as awkward, and they fold up and fit into my work purse for morning bus-knitting. Plus they are *so* light in the hands. This far in, I have definitely got the hang of the basic stitches – and I’m hoping that by the end of this scarf I’ve refined my tension a little further, not to mention – neatened up the edges.
I gotta say – this is pretty exciting to me! I realized last night that for a couple of years now I’ve told people “I’ll learn how to knit when I finish my degree”…. and without really thinking about it, I picked up the knitting a month after my last class was finished. The goal must have been lodged in my subconscious, because I feel as though a little more brainspace has opened up and it’s allowing me to learn with relative ease (which has not been true in the past). I’m pretty convinced that this is something I can get good at – as long as I just keep practicing and learn how to fix my mistakes.
The only thing that worries me is – with so many more awesome patterns available to make, how will I ever choose? With crochet, there’s a limit to the possibilities (especially when it comes to garments like sweaters) – not so true in the world of knitting which is much more popular these days. Too many choices! But at least I won’t feel limited by textile type any longer. (Weaving comes next).
Red Cedar 
I spent a couple of late-fall months in a small dark cabin on cortes, where i quickly realized why there is only one store on the island (aside from food stores) and it is Marnie’s Books and Homespun. A woodstove, a good book, a ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles … and you are set for the winter. I learned to knit from YouTube and now i just love it, my specialties are fingerless gloves and toques – and i just made a beautiful heavy cabled vest, from my neighbour Joy’s lopi undyed sheep wool. Knitting on a train or car trip is the best, just occupis the fingers and the rhythm puts my brain into a relaxed and receptive state. You have discovered ravelry.com i assume? Knit on yahoo!
I spent a couple of late-fall months in a small cabin on cortes, where i quickly realized why there is only one store on the island (aside from food stores) and it is Marnie’s Books and Homespun. A woodstove, a good book, a ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles … and you are set for the winter. I learned to knit from YouTube and now i just love it, my specialties are fingerless gloves and toques – and i just made a beautiful heavy cabled vest, from my neighbour Joy’s lopi undyed sheep wool. Knitting on a train or car trip is the best, just occupis the fingers and the rhythm puts my brain into a relaxed and receptive state. You have discovered ravelry.com i assume? Knit on yahoo!