Reminders or Resolutions

I have been knitting long enough to be able to say I've learned a few things along the way. I thought I'd put some thoughts together at the relative start of a new year to remind me about them. Perhaps some will resonate with you as well. (BTW, many of these can be generalized to life and don't only hold true for knitting.)

Just knit it - Sorry Nike, this is a play on your Just Do It slogan. Never, never limit yourself by thinking "I could never knit that"! Just knit it and you might be surprised what you can do. I know I surprise and periodically amaze myself with what I am able to do. It is good to surprise yourself.
Embrace your mistakes - We all make them and you control what you do about them. Mistakes can help you learn how to fix, deconstruct or invent something new. Embrace those mistakes as an opportunity trying to teach you something despite your resistance to it. Once I convinced myself I love knitting and all it could teach me, mistakes were no longer frustrations, just another chance to try something new.
Knit for those important to you - It is so much easier to justify the hours, expense and sometime struggles you put yourself through if you are knitting something for someone you love. IMHO there isn't enough money to pay for any of this unless the item being knit is for a special person.
Celebrate the projects you complete. We need to be happy with just as much knitting as we get done. It is the right amount for our lifestyle. Keep track of all that you've completed, it is too easy to forget all the good things you've done without good recordkeeping.
Recognize your current skill set - Most modern patterns say they are designed for a beginner, intermediate or advanced knitter. These terms may vary from designer to designer, but don't let them intimidate. Be aware of your current skill, but also s-t-r-e-t-c-h those skills sometimes. That's how you grow.
Know when to stop (know your limit and play within it) - Even if you know the steps to a stitch pattern, even if the yarn and needles are perfect, there will be times when you and the project must part ways. Admit it is time to stop beating your head against a wall, put the project away and come back to it at a later time. All of this is quite normal.
Love the tools you are using - Enjoy the way the needles are able to glide as you knit. It is not right to use tools you don't like. A lack of appropriate tools can make an entire project tedious. Love the feel of the yarn. Do like the way it is because you are touching it for hours and hours. Life's too short not to enjoy the process.
Set your own goals - Knitting is for fun; don't turn it into dreariness by setting your goals or deadline that make you feel rushed. Knit when you feel like it and avoid it when you don't. Don't let commitments, deadlines and schedules dampen your enjoyment.
Relax and enjoy

Now dear reader, I'll leave it to you decide if these constitute a list of resolutions or just a few reminders. I know I'll look back at them from time to time and will continue to knit on.

Anatomy of a Sock

I've been knitting socks for a relatively short time. One of the disconcerting things for me as I started following patterns for socks is the pattern designer assumes the knitter (in this case that would be me) knows all the parts of a sock. So I thought I'd devote a post to improve my own knowledge about the anatomy of a sock and maybe some of you will learn something about the humble yet necessary sock as well. Here's the names of the parts of the foot as I know them. #49 ankle, #50 heel, #51, instep, #52 ball, #53 big toe, #54 toe, #55 little toe, #56 toenail. There are some parts more important for this discussion; first the heel of a foot is generally used to refer to the entire C-shape from the ankle to the instep. Speaking of the instep, it refers to that curve near the bottom of the foot. And what seems to be missing in the design above is the sole which generally refers to the bottom of the foot in total or plantar aspect in more technical terms...

Gosling's Meme and Knitting

What is a meme, you may first ask? Well Dr. Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, came up with the idea in the late 1970's and stated something like: a meme is to a society what a gene is to a human. Both are an element or unit that can be replicated or passed from one individual to another. During the Internet age memes can be easily shared, replicated or otherwise passed on to another. Recent examples can be found on Gawker . Memes can include piano playing cats, a honey badger, the Call Me Maybe phenomenon and so on. The political campaign in the U.S. helped fuel memes using some of the most unusual statements like, "binders of women" and "you didn't build that." A few memes have staying power but most have a relatively short life span. Gosling's meme related to knitting has been around for some time; so when I again saw another post about him recently, it was time to figure out the origin. Ryan Gosling is a Canadian actor born in Onta...

Yarn Usage II: Crochet vs. Knit

All four swatches were made. Each is 6.25" or 15.875 cm square; each prepared with the same sized yarn and needles or hook. It took 25 stitches to get the appropriate width for the knit swatches and only 20 stitches for both of the crocheted squares. That already says something, but I'll get to it in a minute. (Don't know what I'm talking about here? Check out this post first.) Unfortunately, you'll just have to trust me that four swatches were prepared and that they were all the same size. In the excitement to get to measuring and weighing of the swatches, no photographic evidence was taken. Luckily for me the results of this research doesn't have to be reviewed by a jury of my peer. This blog post will be the sum and total of where this information is published. The remains of my four swatches What can be shared, however, are the balls of yarn rewound after the weighing and measuring was completed. You will note the size ...

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