The new nook

Over the weekend, inspired Noel's cleaning and organizing binge while I was out of town, I decided to finally put my knit nook together. There's a little corner by our garage that I used to use as my home office when we first moved in, with a desk, chair, and bookcases. But the addition of home WiFi to our life, plus my general disorganization and packrattery, meant that the desk corner quickly became a dumping ground for all kinds of papers and files and computer equipment and camcorder tapes.

Several months ago, when Archer started bringing homework home from school, I decided he needed to have the desk in his room. So I bought some wireframe storage cubes to make the soon-to-be-vacant nook into my knitting storage corner.

It took a long time to get around to it -- and some of the crap on the desk has just been moved to a temporary staging area in the guest room -- but I now have a home for all the yarn that was previously stuffed on my side of the bed, and all the needles that were previously stuffed in pockets in my knitting bag, and all the notions that were scattered in various project bags all over the house. Behold -- the knitting nook!



My sock yarn stash:



And a few special single skeins for display:



How do you store your yarn and tools?

What have we learned?

It's 2008 -- time to take stock! What did we learn about knitting this past year? What new techniques did we master, or at least try? What are we most desirous of learning (or attempting) this year?

As a new knitter, almost everything I did had some learning in it. The only thing I entered 2007 knowing how to do was knit and purl. But then again -- looked at from a certain angle, that's the only things you need to know how to do!

So my steep learning curve in 2007 included:

• socks, which themselves include:
• dpn's
• knitting in the round
• picking up stitches
• short rows
• reading a lace chart
• provisional cast-on
• Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind-off
  
• I-cord
• Judy's magic cast-on for toe-up socks
• single crochet
• picot bind-off
• Magic Loop
• cables

I imagine the pace will slacken a bit in 2008 as I knit a few things that aren't entirely new to me. But I plan to accomplish a sweater and knit socks two at a time. I'm sure something else will occur to me.

What about you?

We are not alone

I was perusing the iTunes store in search of Vicki Howell's new podcast. I was completely distracted by the New and Notable section because there I saw Kintterati by Nina Casey. It seemed almost like fate, so I had to download it. It is a videocast about knitting and I think it has a lot of potential. During this twenty minute cast I heard a fantastic story about the Yarn Harlot Represent Event, I learned about naalbinding, I gathered all sorts of travel knitting tidbits, and learned how a caliper might help me out in my knitting future. Kintterati has, without a doubt, the best sound quality I have encountered in a first cast. Since it is a vidocast, as opposed to a audio only podcast, the files are larger and it takes a long time for my lagging internet to get it all to me. I think it was worth the wait and I'm looking forward to the next episode. Maybe if I find myself addicted, I try to persuade her to release an audio version.

Yarn Rave

I would like to take this moment to rave about Malabrigo worsted weight yarn. I started Foliage from the Fall Knitty with a skein that I had received in a yarn swap--a beautiful skein dyed lovely shades of red ("Amoroso" was the color).

I have to say that I'm in love with this yarn. It's kettle-dyed pure merino wool from Uruguay, and it is so soft. Normally, wool makes me itchy, but this yarn is squishy and soft and wonderful. I want to knit a whole sweater out of it. I want to buy lots of it for presents. It's such a great yarn, and I'm going to adore my hat when it's done.

Yay for awesome yarn!

Knitty!

Ooh, ooh, it's the Fall Knitty! I know I'm planning to make this hat out of some red Malabrigo that's been taunting me from my stash, and maybe this sweater...such great patterns!

I want Ravelry!

Found you!

• You signed up on August 1, 2007
• You are #22332 on the list.
• 6805 people are ahead of you in line.
• 12223 people are behind you in line.
• 44% of the list has been invited so far

Will it ever arrive? *sigh*

FO: A Dishcloth!

It's my very first dishcloth, knit for the Dishrag Tag! I completed it in less than 24 hours (I'm not sure how much actual time was spent knitting, but I started at 7pm on Friday, and finished at 7am on Saturday.)

The dishrag tag was fun, and even though I knew our team didn't stand a chance against much speedier knitting teams, I still wanted to be fast. It was a fun dishcloth to knit (I don't know how to link to the pattern, but it's on the Dishcloth Boutique in the sidebar), and I really liked how the yarn made pretty stripes, which were much richer than they appear in the photos. I was almost sad to send it off, it was so nice, but luckily I didn't spend enough time with it to get too attached. :)

I see why knitters like dishcloths--(almost) instant gratification, and you get to knit up nifty looking things! I think I'll try my hand at a few more in the future. Plus, they make nice gifts.

I'm now gearing up for ISE5...and so is Secret Knitter. Better sign up quick if you want to get in on the action!