I finished a scarf!

[firecat]

It's knitted out of four different yarns: shetland wool, kid mohair, tussah silk/wool (all hand dyed) and recycled silk. Each row is a separate piece of yarn that's tied to the previous row (this forms the fringe). I got the yarns at the Mendocino County Wool and Fiber Festival in September.

Instructions for the scarf are in The Knitting Experience: Book 1 The Knit Stitch. As a beginning knitter, I like this book's instructional design a lot and I think a lot of the projects are really attractive looking (but large sizes for the clothing projects aren't given, phooey). The only thing I could do without is the author's blathering on about how knitting is spiritual and meditative and will "change your life." I do understand what she's saying but...can't people just have hobbies any more?

Here it's sitting on the cat condo next to my computer.


The OH took some pictures of it on me. Here's one of the tame ones. :-)

Comments

[punzel.livejournal.com]

Oh my. That's so lovely it forces "Decadent" and "Practical" to kiss and make up!

[firecat]

*grin* What a great turn of phrase! (And thanks!)

[bobbylevi.livejournal.com]

That's wonderful... all that colour and texture. Mmmm!! :-)

I agree about the hobbies, isn't it enough to do things because you enjoy them, without needing to find some other agenda for them.

[firecat]

Thanks!

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

That's gorgeous! I imagine it must feel great against your skin, too.

[firecat]

Thanks! It has a variety of textures, from super-soft (tussah silk/wool) to a bit scratchy (recycled silk).

[zebraartist.livejournal.com]

that's just beautiful!

[firecat]

Thanks!

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

"Here's one of the tame ones. :-)"

Awwww!


;)

Very nice scarf!

[firecat]

Patience, grasshopper :)

Thanks!

[dandelion-diva.livejournal.com]

Ooohhhhh. Lovely.:)

Gessi

[firecat]

Thanks!

Re: I finished a scarf!

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

oh, that's yummy texture! (and i love that icon, in case i hadn't mentioned it before.)

Re: I finished a scarf!

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

Speaking of icon love --- squee!! Yours is adorable.

[slfisher.livejournal.com]

My mom knew how to knit. My sister is teaching herself to knit (and I got a gorgeous chenille scarf for my birthday that she said took her just three hours). All my little old lady friends know how to knit and crocher and stuff and they're always making things to give away or auction off for charity, like tiny hats for premature babies. It seems to be socially acceptable to do in public, unlike, say, reading the newspaper while someone's talking.

[firecat]

That's the main reason I taught myself to crochet and knit - I wanted something to occupy my hands at parties.

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

Oh, the colours are *perfect*.

-J

[firecat]

Thanks!

[geekchick]

Oh, that's gorgeous!

[firecat]

Thanks!

[pyrzqxgl.livejournal.com]

Very nice!

[firecat]

Thank you!

[lizw.livejournal.com]

Lovely!

[firecat]

Thanks!

[pameladean]

That's really lovely; the colors and texture are both so rich.

I think the going-on about the spirituality of knitting is a form of getting going at things backwards. People learn to knit as a hobby or a necessity or because everybody else is, a whole slew of different reasons, trivial, practical, social, desperate. A lot of them then discover that the activity is spiritual and meditative and changes their lives. That's the right progression. To promote such activities for those reasons alone is to begin with your conclusion, not to mention annoying the hell out of people who really do just enjoy it or need to do it but don't find it very spiritual.

P.

[firecat]

Thanks. And those are good thoughts about why people talk about the spirituality/meditative experience of knitting.

[gloriajn.livejournal.com]

Whoa! That's so beautiful!

And thanks for linking to the instructional book. I'm going to put it on hold at my library, since I really want to learn to knit this next year.

[firecat]

Thanks!

Bwaha, we've recruited another one!

[caprine.livejournal.com]

Ooooohh purty!

[firecat]

Thank you!

[boxofdelights]

Oh, beautiful!

[firecat]

Glad you like it!

[annaoj.livejournal.com]

Oh, very nice! Beautiful colors.

[firecat]

See, I'm making progress since you saw me struggling with a mess of yarn at the last alt.polycon :)

[fattest.livejournal.com]

Very, very lovely. Gorgeous. I want to curl up inside it!

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

That is a beautiful piece. Would you like another skein of the recycled silk then? It wouldn't be enough for an entire scarf, and it's a blend purple but there's a lot of red and blue in there.

I really can't read much about meditation or self help. It tends to annoy me. (Although I don't know that it has to be a progession necessarily.) I do think that certain repetive things are quickly state inducing for me whereas just sitting and breathing doesn't work. I need a top brain disconnector. And I can see what P was saying, I think, as it just seems to happen. Wouldn't that be a personal thing?

I crocheted a lot more when I was younger and I don't remember it being that way then. The way it happens now with walking or gardening or other things seems more recent.

[firecat]

Thanks! A skein of recycled silk would be great. And purple counts as part of the red and blue part of the spectrum.

Same thing for me with regard to meditation - the sitting and breathing is much harder. But I think I'm going to try it anyway, because the few times I've done it for more than a day or two, interesting stuff has started to happen.