Thursday, August 5, 2010

Busting my stash AND my butt


This is the size one needle nightmare that's busting my butt, but it's also reducing my stash. It's Araucania Ranco sock yarn that was purchased for a shawl, but since all three skeins are pretty much three different colors, one skein is for the first sweater I make for Tilly, my brand new granddaughter. Another will be a scarf. The third? Who knows.

Purling with itty bitty needles is making me rethink my plan for a Bohus sweater. Don't get me wrong--I'm not giving up on the idea. I will knit one some day, it just won't be someday SOON. I'm going to be realistic and clear the decks of all the UFOs and focus mainly on the Bohus, emphasis on the 'cus.' I need to embrace the idea that slow can be good, because my Bohus will take a looong time. I also need to conquer my phobia of steeking, because my Bohus will either be a sweater knit in the round or a cardigan that will be steeked. But just thinking about cutting into a sweater I've spent months on makes me queasy. Maybe I'll steek something for Tilly, just for practice. This grandkid thing is going to come in handy!


9 comments:

  1. So were the three skeins supposed to be the same color but the dyelots were wildly different?
    You couldn't cut them in together to smooth it out?
    Cute sweater, anyway.
    And I understand people have been steeking for generations, so you probably have nothing to worry about.
    Not that you'll catch ME doing it any time soon.

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  2. Oy with the size one needles! I think a Bohus sweater would be awesome. Knitting in the round would probably be less tedious than back and forth, right? Then you would only have to stress about the steek for a small while.

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  3. A friend of mine from my knitting group did a steek awhile back and after she did it, and didn't freak out, I thought - hey maybe I can do this too. Hey you can TAAT. You can steek! :)

    The sweater that you put the photo up of looks beautiful! This is for Tilly right?

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  4. If I can steek, anybody can. I would advise a few practice runs and take a look at the way Brooklyn Tweed crochets up the edging rather than doing the sewing machine business.

    I've done it twice and neither unraveled but the second one was tidier than the first.

    Now reading Proust was a Neuroscientist- thanks for the recommendation.

    The drug combo makes a good sleep but there is much useless grogginess the next day

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  5. I love the name Tilly. How could you NOT knit for a Tilly girl? So sweet. Steeking scares the beJesus out of me too. I think that you have to drink while you cut!
    Good to see you!

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  6. It is so nice to knit for our grandkids! Mine watch me knit and love it when I make them things. They wore the socks I made them to be every night for a week! Tilly will love all the stuff you make her.
    (I haven't tried steeking yet either. It's scary. But you are a "fearless knitter" you can do it!)

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  7. That's the best part about knitting for babies... they're smaller! Cuter, too.

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  8. Steeking still scares me. Almost as much as size 1 needles do - LOL. (Kidding on that one, size 1's don't scare me much. But size 0? Well, that's a different story . . . )

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  9. Ah my fellow "Eek, steek" friend, I just did an interview this week on that subject. I admit I'm a total wus and haven't steeked yet!

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