My new obsession

Recently, a pair of light-up knitting needles came into my possesion. For a techno-geek crafter, these were just too cool. They appeal on some fundamental level both geekiness and crafting. It became apparent that I must learn to knit - these light-up knitting needles had to be put to use! Luckily, my manager at the day job is a knitter and gave me a lesson and some extra yarn. Soon I was making a baby blanket! Now, I don't know what baby I was making the blanket for, but I was tootling along fairly well. A blanket, even for a baby, is a fairly large item, and I was starting to run out of room on my super cool light-up knitting needles. I also found that they were a bit awkward at the baseball game; I had to be careful not to hit anyone sitting next to me. An expedition to the "Yarn Store" was in order as I needed to upgrade my needles to circular needles.

The Yarn Store was much like an LNS for a craft-junkie: fiber heaven. I was very good, and bought only the circular needles I needes and one pattern I really liked.

One pattern, is all it takes though. Much like a new cross-stitch design that begs to be started, the knitting pattern occupied my thoughts. What yarn would work with it? I had to learn about gauges and weights. I was sent links to online yarn stores. I had another problem: the pattern was written in another language that was accented by cryptography. Full of funny letters and symbols, I borrowed a book to dycrypt the secret language and learn the stitches I didn't know. Finally I found a yarn that would work I started the design. I worked through the border and was very excited when I changed to the second color. Then I had a problem. I didn't like the second color. I thought about another color, and a third. I bought balls of these colors of yarn (luckily I wasn't using very expensive yarn). I did a test bit with the second color, even stitching a portion of the sleeve. Hmmm...maybe. I stitched on one portion, then the other. I did a test swatch with the third color. Definitely no. Finally, I went back to look at the yarn colors (why weren't there more?) and made a terrible decision. I would have to start over again. Two brand new colors were selected, but they would definitely work this time.

So that is where I am. Knitting away. But I will put the knitting away for a time this weekend and work on the cross-stitch designs because they are starting to invade my dreams! They are demanding attention!