I totally forgot about this.

I think that's funny. Not "ha ha" funny...more like "heh" funny. And I mean that there is an audible sound produced, but it's not like, belly laugh funny. You know?

If you can literally count the amount of times that you've found something stupidly, uncontrollably, possibly pants-wettingly funny...well, number one, you're a jaded comedian (sometimes people as funny as professional comedians don't do comedy for a living.  They are extremely rare, and do not include anyone who: (1) does not cite the joke they are repeating [joke stealers];  or  (2) fails to explain out loud or in text that they apologize for a stupid joke they made [e.g.: "I apologize for that joke--no, don't tell me you were about to 'make' that joke, because it's not good. It's the obvious joke, and I don't want to out you as a not funny person. It breaks my heart, and obvious jokes steal pieces of my soul. I am very sorry, and will be sure to yell at you in your face if you EVER think of making the joke everyone is thinking."]. I'm saying that Carl from HR should NOT try stand-up. Or, actually, go to that open mic with him...see what happens...) and two, you are probably nursing a low grade depression (at least).

I actually find most things very funny, but I laugh when the joke surprises me. If you know what I'm talking about at all,  rad.

Don't stop believing, hold onto that knitting yeah

Let me start this post by saying that I am absolutely stunned. 

Not into complete silence, but I AM stunned...let me start over. 

So around December-ish I submitted my VERY FIRST pattern to be published in an online knitting magazine that I love: Knitty. This was a big step for me, because I'd only self-published on Ravelry before. 

I also tend to be "glass-half-empty" to the point of already imagining that the glass is empty, as I've accidentally spilled the contents, AND I've somehow managed to break the  glass while cleaning up the spilled liquid that the apparently expensive glass contained (it was probably containing an expensive anti-self-doubt juice). This little fantasy most likely ends with me unwittingly setting something on fire. 

My obvious point here is that I lack confidence, and THEREFORE, even submitting a design to a magazine that I revere made me vulnerable, and basically a trembling puddle.

I sat down with my pattern, made sure I have all of my submission contents (this took an entire Saturday, because I had to quadruple check everything, not in an obsessive way, but in a "Oh I probably did something careless" way), took a yogic breath, and hit "send."

I will admit to checking my email more than usual to find out if my submission had passed muster, and MUCH to my surprise, it did! I got in! 

I'm thinking that this must be beginner's luck, but I got into another magazine (who I am getting yarn support from). So expect more from me soon. I'm currently working on yet another piece for a May submission deadline. 

My point is that, you never know, you may completely shock yourself into submitting to the fact that maybe you're good at something. Nope. sorry for writing that. I can't uncross my fingers just yet, however...I encourage every knit hacker (you know who you are...you alter patterns to make them fit you well) to draw something, figure out how you might go about knitting it up, and just try. 

Submit your work! You never know!

Go here to look for calls for submissions:http://www.ravelry.com/groups/designers 

And remember, breathe. 

Knitting on NYC Trains: When people approach

Every time I take out my small knitting project bag on the train (packed especially for the train), I get a few curious glances, a few smiles, frowns, and once in a while, someone will approach me, wanting to talk about knitting. 

There must be something here about creation on trains as opposed to consumption (reading, listening, playing a game). Consumption (to be clear, I am not talking about the Tuberculosis colloquialism) appears to be more normative on NYC trains than creation. People will look at you curiously (not aggressively, just with a sense of "I wonder") if you are creating (e.g. writing in a journal, drawing, taking a photo, knitting etc.)

Personally, I like my seated train time to be "me" time, but I could talk about knitting for hours, so unless I'm on a knitting deadline, I'll take out my headphones and talk to people who approach to speak to me specifically about knitting. Usually, they ask "what are you making?" or  tell me "I used/just started to knit." 

I nod enthusiastically, happy that someone else has felt drawn to the craft that excites my fingers. 

Yesterday a man sat down next to me,  and implored with his body language that I make eye contact. I took out my earbuds. "Is that knitting?" He asked. "Yes, it is!" And before I could ask why he was interested, he told me that he was very interested in learning, and described the project the had in mind (a simple scarf with two colors). 

He also mentioned that his friend Betty had given him a book by some "named Betsy or something." "Was it Elizabeth Zimmermann?" I asked, "is it small and maroon--" "with a hard cover" he nodded, smiling. "But I paged through and she has all of these formulas and it just seems so hard. He exhaled with exasperation. "Oh, you paged through?" I said arching an eyebrow. "Yeah," he admitted "I didn't really read it cover to cover at all...it seemed too hard." "Oh that's just because it's a knitting tutorial disguised as a cool narrative. Don't let the blocks of text scare you...it's like reading Harry Potter, and sometimes she gently tells you how to knit something...Anyway I suggest starting that book at the beginning...you'll be surprised." 

He looked thoughtful but suspicious. Noticing my hint at a denouement to the conversation he dove into questions about knitting. "I want something that's two colors, how do I do that?" " Do I just tie a knot?" "What if I want a letter 'C' in the middle?" "What kind of yarn do I use? "Does it matter how big the needle are?" "Do bigger needles really make bigger 'loops'? And what is meant by 'loops' anyway?" 

I decided to give him some perspective. "You seem very determined, which is excellent. First let's talk resources. Ravelry. It's kind of like facebook for knitting, but not really, that's just the best was I can describe it. You'll find lot's of free patterns and advice there. ALSO YouTube has a million videos of people explaining how to do the simplest to the most advanced stitches. I really like that your friend Betty gave you that Elizabeth Zimmermann book. That book made everything click for me, so I really hope you read it. It's good writing, it just happens to also be about how to knit stuff. There are plenty of online resources for free patterns and advice, so don't forget about the power of google." 

"And Don't be afraid to ask questions! Some knitters will think beginners' questions are silly, but just laugh with them, and everything will be fine. You're learning." "Also," I added, "nobody gets it right the first time. Your yarn might get tangled, you might lose your place, you'll make mistakes. That's okay." 

"How to I get the yarn on the needle?" He asked. "Well that's called 'casting-on' but seriously if you just google the question you asked me, you'll get the same answer. There are a million ways to cast on, but start with the backwards loop method (which I showed him--he seemed delighted--"it's so easy!"), and figure out what cast-on you prefer as you learn more." 

"Okay," he continued, "How long does it take to knit a scarf?" 

"That really depends from person to person," I answered. "You need to take into account how fast you knit, how big your needles and yarn are, and...well anyway it takes you as long as you want your scarf to be...does that make sense?"

We chatted about tassels, and how acrylic yarns don't "felt," which I basically described as "the yarns don't like meld together," but don't worry about that yet, and, fair warning, don't ask an online forum about felting acrylic yarn. 

When the train reached my stop he seemed bursting with more questions. I let him know about Knitty magazine, and said my contact is on there in this month's issue under Icarus.  

He seemed full of energy, and was a little disappointed that I had to get off of the train. 

I hope this guy gets to make his scarf. I hope a new knitters keep asking questions, and I hope that this community of stitchers gets so big that we can knit lovely things for everyone: friends, family, ourselves, and people in need. 

So if you see a small brunette girl knitting on an NYC train, feel free to approach and ask questions! 

So very many things to knit (and my attempt to stay focused)

I've noticed that knitters come in all shapes and sizes (insert your own joke about gauge here). One of those shapes/sizes happens to come in EXCITED ABOUT KNITTING. What I mean by excited is that I have so much lovely yarn, ideas for designs and patterns I want to write, and of course there is an endless stream of patterns I want to knit (my ravelry queue is insanely long). Essentially, I'm brimming with things I want to knit, learn, say about knitting, and ideas and patterns I want to share.  However, I simply do not have enough time to do all of these things, so when I have a spare day/afternoon/evening, I need to make a choice in order to focus. 

Deep breathing really helps with focusing and making knitting choices (specifically, ujjayi breathing is really helpful when I'm over-excited...yoga in general is helpful for quieting and focusing my brain). 

I also think it's helpful to slow down and actually take stock of your projects, what you hope to accomplish in the time you have, and your ultimate goals. Ravelry has been such a wonderful resource for me because you can record everything you are knitting, tag projects (for easy searching), make notes, upload pictures, and stay relatively organized and on top of all of the projects you have going. I wish that ravelry had a blog function for users who wish to write about knitting/stitching in general, but that's why I have this external blog. 

So anyway, here are the projects I'm excited about:

My designs (pattern making)

• My Lady Verity Mitts are currently being test knit (I still need testers for sizes M-XL, so if you're interested, go here and make sure to follow all of the group rules!)
• My Icarus Tee is completed, I just need to finish the pattern draft, and I will post the pattern to the Free Pattern Testers group to be test knit. 

Patterns I am excited about (designed by others)

• The Stephen West 2013 Mystery Shawl KAL (my project page is here)
• I am working on the Prisma Dolman sweater published in the latest issue of interweave. I fell in love with the dropped stitches! I think I might make this a cardigan instead of a pullover. I haven't decided yet. 

Yarn I am excited about

• I bought 4 skeins of Noro Hitsuji on sale from webs, and it is so lovely, I want to make sure I use it in the best way!
• I have 1.5 skeins of Quince & Co's puffin left over from a cowl I just made. I'm on the fence about what to make. 

And that's not even everything! I'm sure there are quite a few people out there who feel the same. If you like, let me know your story of overflowing energy for knitting (I'd love to hear it)--comment, or PM me on ravelry (BrotherLadies). 

~Leah

By the power of Grayskull...I WILL KNIT THIS SWEATER!

"I WILL knit the perfect sweater! I WILL! I SHALL!" 

I have made a pledge to knit my boyfriend Bill the "perfect sweater," and while the thought of perfectly executing (or the attempt at least) is very appealing to me, apparently miles of stockinette stitch are not. 

Although I enthusiastically purchased the pattern and the yarn, I am finding it hard to make it to that crucial juncture where it gets interesting (e.g. color work begins, you change fibers, it's time to shape the waist, divide the front and back, etc).  This is entirely my fault (the sweater nestled right next to my coffee table right now).

I've also made the decision to knit both of the sleeves at the same time on the same circular needles. This decision was really less of a decision and more of a realization. I'm pretty sure Bill is sick of hearing me whine "I HATE knitting this sleeve...I HATE IT!" when I've started the second sleeve (see here for my dramatics of knitting a 2nd anything). 

To make it through the tedium (that I've chosen) that is knitting the body of a bottom-up, primarily stockinette sweater, I tend to make up weird little games and stories to keep it interesting. I'll invent a villain who whose evil plans would be ruined if the body reaches 13": "Drat!" my imaginary 80's cartoon villain will cry, "I never dreamed you'd escape my evil clutches!" Or I'll place a bet, challenging myself to reach a certain number of rounds or inches before a certain time, or before a Bill does something predictable like showering or telling me about some cringe-worthy post he saw on reddit. 

And then of course there is regular method of getting through that stockinette desert: knitting and watching tv at the same time. I know this might sound like the most boring and depressing Saturday afternoon ever, but I promise it doesn't if you are truly a compulsive or dedicated knitter (or are grieving, pregnant, or just kind of want to be still). I love knitting, so judge me if you will. But, if someone were to tell me that's how they spent their day (watching tv and knitting), I'd like to think I'd reply with a genuine "Being completely still and knitting? That sounds like heaven."

I've seen people (and by people I mean fully grown adult males) bring knitting to live music events (and I'm talking LOUD AND ABRASIVE music), so knitting is cool, and don't tell me that you don't love that cowl I made you. 

ANYWAY, I usually combine my weird nerdy little game with compelling tv or horror movies (nervous hands=faster knitting...as long as your knitting doesn't tighten up when you get scared!). I find that the very best tv/movies for the purposes of getting a lot of stockinette mileage are tv/movies with subtitles. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm probably telling myself that watching tv isn't as bad if you're also reading (and then I probably pat myself on the back, feeling victorious that I can accomplish so many stationary tasks simultaneously). 

So here I am, about to strap myself in to another session of media/yarn consumption, trying to effortlessly create a perfect sweater, and I can't help but think that all of this multi-tasking and game-playing is all in the pursuit of some kind of perfection.  But ultimately nothing, particularly not a hand-knitted garment, is perfect (even samples can have their quirks); and nobody can be a superhero all of the time. I guess all we can do is enjoy the projects that we take on, and know that if ennui sets in, we can always count on our own weirdness and creativity to make something monotonous into a battle cry: "By the power of Grayskull" indeed. 

"TOE-UP!" (Or: my current obsession with 2-at-a-time toe-up SOCKS)

Bill looked up from his desk with a curious and surprised look on his face. "What's 'tore-up,' baby?"  "No no no!" I tried to explain excitedly,  thrusting one foot in the air to demonstrate my meaning. "Look!" I shouted, gesturing wildly at my toes (which were now wiggling). "Um...oh! Sock! It's very pretty," which is always Bill's patient response to my inability to use my words when I'm excited about knitting ("pretty!"). 

Essentially, I had knit my first "toe-up" sock, and it fit like (shall I say glove? No, I'll say SOCK), well it fit like a good sock should fit. My life had changed. I was able to modify the pattern (written for women's size 8 feet) to fit me and my needs (tiny, tiny feet, and seemingly toddler-sized ankles--well, comparatively speaking). Anyway, I had been reading about toe-up socks for about a year, but I was (and still am) so in love with Cookie A's designs, most of which are "top-down," that I thought to myself, "maybe I'm just a top-down sock knitter." 

I can modify top-down socks as well, but toe-up designs also come with the calm of knowing that you have enough yarn. 

I designed my own little toe-up socks, and knit a few pairs of knee socks in a few days. I quickly realized that I get melodramatic and melancholy when I am forced to face the I'm going to have to KNIT THAT SECOND SOCK). 

Thanks to the KnitPicks.com 40% book sale that never seems to end, I have TWO books on 2-at-a-time sock knitting...one of which has a TOE-UP focus. 

I finished a sweet little lacey pair of socks in one day thanks to this pattern ("Summer Slice" by Cassandra Dominick), which is absolutely wonderful (very detailed, step-by-step narrative, written pattern). There isn't a chart for the lace pattern, and I'm very spatial and visual, so I started to make my own in excel, but it's easy enough without one. 

I ended up with these:

See this project on my Ravelry page here

Anyway, the moral of the story is that I LOVE knitting toe-up two-at-a-time socks! So quick! So genius! Hooray!

...A very good place to start

To anyone reading this,

Oh hello. I'm Leah (pronounced "Leee"), and this is the place where I'm going to write about the RIVETING art of KNITTING. My awesome sister (Alexis Goldstein) calls what I do "textile hacking," which I suppose is true for anyone who modifies, designs or creates knit wear. 

Anyway, I love knitting. I love learning about knitting. I've learned so much in the past year, and I hope to increase my skills through writing about projects. 

So with that said...here we go!

~Leah