Knitting writers unite!

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.08.2009

I’m just back from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference where I was a mentor in the Head Start mentoring clinic. What a blast! I loved my mentor group and the conference was a lot of fun.

I also got a lot of knitting done.

Especially for workshops or lectures, I like knitting because it helps me to focus my auditory skills (of which I have very little, just to warn you). I don’t know why, but having something in my hands helps me pay better attention.

(I wish I’d knitted in college—I might have gone to more of my classes. Doh!)

I can’t tell you how many times someone came up to me to see what I was knitting and to say something like, “I used to knit” or “I crochet but I left it at home” or “I’d love to learn to knit.” To which I’d usually reply, “I learned to knit on the internet!” (Knittinghelp.com, people. Faboo site!)

I also met a fellow knitter, Lisa (I think her last name was Babcock but I don’t remember exactly ... sorry, Lisa!). I admired the beautiful sock she was working on and we had a rather frenetic moshing about her way cool yarn. (I’m almost positive the yarn was Claudia Hand Painted Yarn in Maple Leaf color)

Lots of knitting writers! Who knew?

I like sock knitting when I’m away from home since it’s small, portable, and the yarn takes up less space in my suitcase. Also, I can have an easy stockinette stitch sock that I don’t even have to look at while I knit, and a more complicated sock if I want to take a more challenging project.

I took two socks with me this weekend. Here’s my easy stockinette stitch one, and I added a tabi socks split toe (my modified pattern) so I can wear these with my house slippers.

I found the yarn at a shop in Illinois, but I also recently saw the yarn online at SimplySockYarn.com. It’s Online Savannah Color, collection #94, color 1033.

I didn’t finish it because I forgot to take the second ball of yarn (I started with a half-used ball), which made me rap my forehead with my knitting needles for a minute or two (but size 1 needles really don’t hurt as much as, say, a door). So I moved to my other project.

I took these more complicated (but not too complicated) socks in Trekking XXL yarn, color #305 Shades of Pink (PINK! PINK! PINK! I LOVE PINK!)

I’m trying Jane’s Hedgerow Socks pattern plus my tabi socks split toe.

There you have it! Knitting writers! Cool yarn! I’ll post pics of Mount Hermon when I get copies from people. I forgot to take my camera out of my suitcase. I know, I know, I’m lamer than lame.

Comments

Anonymous said…

I almost MUST have a sewing project in hand when I'm listening to a lecture, otherwise it goes in one ear, gains speed and goes out the other. My mind just hops around unless my hands are busy. I also love listening to audio books while sewing. :)

~Lita

Wed Apr 08, 02:55:00 PM 2009

Emily said…

I just learned how to knit...I LOVE it! It's relaxing and helps me de-stress. I've been amazed by how many young people I know that knit and/or crochet. I thought I was kind of a dork for learning. I'm making baby blankets right now...

Thu Apr 09, 12:25:00 PM 2009

Camy Tang said…

Lita--I love listening to audiobooks, too! I'm listening to THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY right now.

Emily--I just bought a ton of yarn for some baby blankets! I FELT like a dork while I was learning to knit, but I love it now. As you can tell, I'm not shy about knitting in public, either. Except some people don't like to be seen with the lady with the pointy sticks... ;)

Camy

Thu Apr 09, 05:08:00 PM 2009

Scraproni: Adventures of Single Woman said…

My mum is trying to teach me to knit. I can crochet and have found spent the Australian summer making scarfs. I love buying wool especially the integrated colours. My house mates have banned me from buying anymore wool until I have given away from latest lot of scarfs. I have found that I do listen better when I'm crocheting cause it helps me to concentrate better. otherwise when i'm taking notes and the speaker is taking me through a mind maze my thoughts go off track and I start thinking about other stuff.

Thu Apr 09, 07:21:00 PM 2009

Camy Tang said…

I'm glad it's not just me who needs something in my hands during a lecture!
Camy

Thu Apr 09, 07:50:00 PM 2009

Carmel said…

A year later I am reading this blog post because I followed the trail from lesson 2 of the characterization class!!

I find that I have trouble making myself freewrite. I was just thinking this morning that if I had some knitting in my hands, and a pen and paper beside me, rather than sitting at the computer (which I love but feel it's not healthy to be in front of all day) maybe the knitting would keep me grounded and the thoughts would flow more easily.

Unfortunately, at the moment I'm in the assembling stages of a sweater. But when that's finished, I'm on to a pair of socks!

Thu Apr 08, 07:14:00 AM 2010

Camy Tang said…

Carmel, you don't have several projects going at once? I always have an easy project to do while I'm writing (usually socks) and also a harder project to do in front of the TV (I have a pair of opera gloves I'm knitting for a friend). I say, go for it and cast on for the socks!!!!

Mon Apr 19, 01:58:00 PM 2010

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

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