Category Archives: Domestic Arts

Aspirations

At the yarn store I started realizing the enormity of the project. I was going to need almost thirty balls of wool. That’s a lot of yarn. That’s so much yarn that when I told the yarn store lady what I needed, she let out a low whistle and gave me a look that told me that she thought that maybe when I’m not knitting oversized afghans I amused myself by trying to pick up marbles with chopsticks. It’s so much that she had to go into the basement to look for two cases of the yarn in question. As she stacked the yarn on the counter she seemed a little incredulous. This should have been my first warning: When a person who sells yarn for a living thinks that maybe you’re buying a lot of yarn — well, it’s a sign. A different sort of knitter would have taken that as a hint. Me? I thought she was a knitter without aspirations.

–Stephanie Pearl McPhee, Yarn Harlot: the Secret Life of a Knitter

New Yarns, New Ideas

Today Claire and I visited a new yarn store, Green Planet Yarn, in Campbell. They feature yarns that are organic, plant-dyed, US grown, fair trade and recycled fibers. I ended up buying one skein of yarn to make a scarf that will teach me a new skill. While there, Claire modeled a baby hat that one employee was designing, and she looked very adorable. Once the hat is done maybe she’ll model it for a photo. She was a hit there and enjoyed every minute.

While there I also picked up a pamphlet describing the Mother Bear Project. The pattern can be purchased for $5, and it’s a great way to use up old scrap yarn. Check out the photo gallery. It’s inspiring!

Busy Hands

I’ve been knitting small items. I’ve got four done, and I plan to get at least four more made. I have a draft post for Claire’s ninth month, but I can barely stay awake at this moment (it’s only 8:24 p.m.!) so it must wait.

basket weave dishcloths

Cascade Pima Tencel on size 7 needles

KIP Day

On June 14 will be the third Worldwide Knit In Public Day. From the website:

Knitting is such a solitary act that it’s easy to knit alone somewhere and sink into your work without thinking about all the other knitters out there. Neighbors could spend all their lives never knowing that the other knits. This a specific day to get out of your house and go to a local event (with your knitting in tow) just for you and people like you. Who knows you might even bump into your neighbor! Consider this a spark, to ignite a fire; getting all of the closeted knitters out into fresh air.

In the past some people have used this event as a means to show the general public that ‘not only grannies knit!’ and while that’s great and all, keep in mind that without those ‘grannies’ we wouldn’t have the wealth of knitting knowledge that we do.

WWKiP Day is really about showing the general public that knitting can be a community activity in a very distinct way. In some places there are many different knitting groups that never interact with each other, on WWKiP Day they come together in one place, making them hard to miss.

When I started knitting it was already so popular that it doesn’t seem like a too-solitary activity to me. I suppose it doesn’t hurt that some of my friends own a yarn store and live and breathe all things knitting-related. Not everyone has that, though, so I can see the point of having the day. To find one near you, check this link.

Snuggle Up

In 2006 I began knitting for the Snuggles Project. I was working for Hands On Bay Area; I wanted to establish a monthly project where creativity was involved and also allow opportunities to socialize and build friendships. It started off well, but when I left the job the project lost momentum. No problem. It’s something one can do anywhere.

The point of the Snuggles Project is to knit or crochet small blankets to donate to animal shelters. I have a lot of machine-washable yarn (it was donated), which is what shelters need. When I want to knit but am really tired (or want to talk with others instead of keeping track of a pattern), I knit something simple like this:

snuggle blanket 3

This Snuggle is 17 x 17 inches and was knit with one skein of Lion Brand Wool-ease Thick n’ Quick on size 13 needles in the American Moss Stitch pattern.

I’ve got another one started. You’ll be seeing posts on this project often.

All Of A Piece

Thanks to those who reflected with me about the multiple-blog dilemma. I decided to quit keeping several blogs. I have now integrated the posts from Knit Together and Aenigmas into this blog.

If you want to read them (since they reside and mingle with the archives), you can find them by reading the Domestic Arts (107 posts) and Poetry (48 posts) categories. Comments are closed on all of them; while I don’t think there’s anything there to wow readers, if you do read them and happen to have an opinion, you’re welcome to leave it on this post or email me a kathryn at pobox dot com.

Small Lessons

If I knitted something with a complicated pattern, where I constantly had to be counting rows and stitches, I often made a mistake the moment my mind began to wander. Sometimes I would rip out rows to correct the problem, sometimes not, but I began to appreciate these mistakes as small lessons in mindfulness or humility and as expressions of the spirit or soul of the knitting, which seemed to exist apart from me, the knitter. My experience of knitting was enriched the more I knew of spiritual matters, and vice versa. And I found that once I could accept my lack of perfection in both areas with humor and grace, the whole business of knitting, as well as of living, became far more pleasurable to me.

–Susan Gordon Lydon, The Knitting Sutra: Craft as a Spiritual Practice

Separation or Integration?

In 2005 when I learned to knit, I assumed that writing about and posting photos of my knitting might be boring to readers here, so I started another blog. It focuses not just on knitting but on domestic arts: recipes, cleaning tips, and I toss in a few silly quizzes for variety. (Because silly quizzes don’t really fit with “serious tone” of this blog.) Then in 2006 I started exploring poetry again. And again, because I didn’t want to bore or alienate readers here, I started a separate blog for that.

And I must admit, it was fun for awhile, and I really enjoy the look of all my blogs. There is such a variety of stuff I like and the styles of the other blogs reflect this. Knit Together is warm and cozy looking; Aenigmas is sleek and austere. There are content-specific links there as well.

And yet… I stopped writing poetry in 2007 (my brain is on sabbatical). I plan to write more someday whenever the inspiration arises. And I stopped knitting in earnest for awhile in 2007, because of pregnancy carpal tunnel and a new baby. Now that I’m knitting more, I’m feeling a disconnect with the idea of managing more than one blog. Sure, I like how nice they look, and yet I don’t know that I want to be split like this. I find that my knitting friends only have time to read and look at my knitting blog, but that’s not the core of me, and they miss out by not coming here. Also, that and the poetry blog have almost no readers, so why keep them?

If I were to integrate these other two blogs with this one, I’m trying to envision how I can bring over some of the extra content as well. I suppose I could list the extra links for poetry under the “Express” page and the knitting/domestic arts ones on the “Create” page. I could put the blog rolls for each on those pages as well. And I could just trust that readers not interested in knitting or poetry would just skip reading posts pertaining to that.

Any opinions?

Working Through The Stash

I inherited some odd bits of yarn when a relative decided she isn’t a knitter. The amounts are small, so I’m making the usual (scarves!).

incredible scarf

This was made with 2 balls of Lion Brand Incredible yarn, 100% nylon, 110 yards per ball; colorway 208, on size 13 needles. It’s going to be donated as a prize for a charity function.

It Is What It Is

I inherited a little bit of Crystal Palace Musique. Not enough to make a “summer shawl,” so I made a lightweight blanket for Claire to use in the summer when it’s chilly around the edges.

summer weight baby blanket

3 balls of Crystal Palace Musique, 45% acrylic, 40% wool, 15% cotton; 65 yds/50 gram skein, size 19 needles.

Daily Shower Cleaner

I hate cleaning. I especially hate cleaning the shower (it’s huge). Yet nothing is more gross than showering in a scum-filled, mildew-ridden cubicle. The point is to get clean there, right?

I use a daily shower spray to help, and it really does work. But damn, I go through a lot, and the refills aren’t cheap. I found a recipe to make my own that works.

Mix together and put into a spray bottle:

One-half cup of hydrogen peroxide
One-half cup of rubbing alcohol
Six drops of grease cutting dishwashing liquid
Two teaspoons of liquid spot-free dishwasher rinse
Twenty-four ounces of water

Use daily.