Right after I was tossed from the house, I learned to knit. In my mind, those two events are link together. I suppose because I always wanted to learn to knit and my birth mother was… let us just say, not interested.
I’ve knit off and on since then. I’ve been in an off stage for a bunch of reasons that don’t really matter. Recently, I met a bunch of fun knitters who encouraged me to start knitting again.
This week, I opened the closet to look at my knitting stuff. Wanna see what I have?
Thursday Thirteen #38 – My yarnish compulsion.
1. Here’s my knitting “box”. Actually, it’s a free soft sided fishing tackle box that I got from Marlboro. (I used to collect the points off the ground and this was one of the prizes.)
2. Inside the yarn box, lives a little plastic box that holds my 
needles and other knitting essentials. I love Crystal Palace bamboo needles but when I was last knitting they were not making these needles. Now that knitting is “cool”, they are back in business. Plus I had a knitting friend who read me the riot act for my wood needles. We had to use metal or plastic needles around her. Esh. Shut up!
3. I like to knit in the round. Rather than knitting one side at a time, you knit the entire thing at one time. It gets a little tricky around the top, but it’s fairly straight forward over all. Here’s my knitting in the round needles.
In red knitting box
Knitting in the round needles
4. I consider these to be the most essential tools of knitting.
A pair of scissors, stitch holders for sleeves or pieces, caluculator to determine gauge, large needles for fixing things and sewing together, crochet needle for fixing things, and scissors.
5. Here are a few of my favorite books.
I love Emily Post’s knitting, crocheting and embroidering because I’ve had it for so long. It’s my first knitting book – well actually, I stole it from my mother’s bookshelves. She inherited the book from her mother.
The Knitter’s Companion is a great knitting book. It has the basics and also has great tables like how much yarn you need to make a size 10 sweater. It’s small enough to carry with you, so I take it to wool festivals.
The Step by Step knitting I bought in Paris the first time. It’s a fabulous book filled with every stitch you can imagine. Great descriptions of how to make beautiful things. YAY! Oh, it’s in British, so you have to convert a bit.
6. My very most favorite book is the Sweater Workshop. 
This book was out of print forever, but is now back because of knittings popularity. It shows how to easily, painlessly knit. I like it because it takes the drama out of knitting. If you want to knit a sweater, you need this book – really!
7. In the days before the internet, knitting patterns were really expensive and hard to come buy. If someone you knew had a pattern, they would usually make you a copy. Everyone I knew had a binder like this one. Now you can bet patterns really easily and they are cheap! Amazing how technology changes things!
8. The coolest knitting thing I own is a tool from my grandmother. 
She died when I was six months old. There was a chest of her things in our house that I would play with as a kid. This was one of her precious knitting items. I heard that she was taught knitting at the “insane asylum” but who knows? This is a stitch and needle guage.
And yarn? More than anything, I love yarn.
Ok you’ll laugh. I haven’t knitted in at least three years. But I still have quite a stash. Wanna see it?
9. Box 1 holds my sock yarn.
10. Box 2 holds project yarn
This is yarn that I either bough for a specific purpose – to make bears with (brown) or a specific sweater (maroon – trust me I would never intentionally buy this color or anything acrylic). Some of it was given to me in order for me to knit something specific (yarn from Scotland).
11. Box 3 holds yarn I bought for myself.
This yarn I bought for simply because I loved it. I will probably make something out of all of it, but for now, it’s just pretty.
12. So what did I decide to knit?
I decided to knit a lace scarf out of some alpaca that a friend of ours alpaca herd. I just started so here’s what I have so far.
13. Now what crafts or projects have YOU left behind that you’d like to return to?? List your abandoned creative projects in the comments and I’ll add them to the post.
- Jewelry making (Janet at Fond of Snape)
- “My grandma taught me how to crochet when i was little. i don?t remember how to do it but i would love to re-learn so i can make a scarf. i love scarves.” (Jehara)
- “It?s been years since I?ve knitted anything.” (Sarah at Puss Reboots)
- “Sort of like I used to bead and had so much beads and bead gear, but a few years back I got rid of it all. It just got out of hand but it served me well for quite a few years as in income.” (Colleen at Loose Leaf Notes)
- “I decided to ?bead?. It worked well until I adopted Rumsfeld, who delights in spreading my beads everywhere. He put an end to my needlepoint – shredding the yarn. My newest idea is cigar box hand bags. We shall see.” (SJ Reidhead)
- “I have a never ending scarf that my children think is hilarious. I find I love to knit when my mind is cluttered. Funny thing is, I have no idea how to end it LOL I guess it doesn?t much matter because I?ll probably never finish it.” (Adelle Laudan)
- “I do calligraphy?just used it for a girlfriend?s wedding invitation?used to do latchwork but then I discovered the ?net?and 15 years later?well?lol.” (Yasmin)
- “After years of passionate crocheting, I?ve just started to knit. And yup, already the unfinished projects – one knit teddy bear that?s almost done being sewn up, one small purse in the same state, two doll sweaters. But I did finish matching sweaters for our little one and her favorite doll. Very cool!” (Grandmother Wren)
- “I have gone through many hobbies: painting, cross-stitching, scrapbooking, photography?.. I have discovered I have boxes and boxes of scrapping materials. After I get L?s baby book caught up, I think it will be time to get rid of it all! It is just taking up precious space.” (Tommie at Tuesday Update)
- ” I do like graphic design.” (Pamela Kramer)
- “I?d rather cook or bake.” (CEO at Morning Meeting)
- “Well, a plethora of unfinished projects!” (Perpstu)
- “I keep telling myself I?m going to get back into painting. I plan to paint something for my new house and even have a blank canvas waiting for me.” (Jill at Another day in the same life)
- “I have also crocheted a little when I was younger and have embroidered a few things. I guess the most I every accomplished was with cross stitching. I just don?t think I am a needle craft type of person.” (Toni at It’s Nap Time)
- “I love knitting I don?t know how to do very much but I find it very relaxing I have tried to learn crocheting but to no avail me and those hooks don?t get along lol.” (Rae)
- ” did a bunch of fabric painting a few years back and there are still tubes of paint, brushes, stencils, etc., etc. etc. in a plastic bin in my closet. I did beading and made jewelry for several years and now all that has turned into a discovery fest for the kiddo too. This is one that I would love to pick up again someday when I don?t have all the ?help?.” (Tricia at Tabbikats Time)
- “I started quilting once, and I guess that is still my downfall. I still find myself at the fabric store (or even walmart) checking out different fabrics that would make a COOL quilt.” (Lisa at Stamps A Latte)
- “Now it?s scrapbooking and photography for me.” (Ivanhoe)
- “About this time of year, the urge to knit becomes very strong. Maybe this time I?ll act on it.” (Heart in SF)
- “I did beaded necklaces for a bit. I still knit, but I never got beyond the scarf stage. I tried crochet once, but I never finished even the one granny square. I also don?t sew anymore.” (Celtic Librarian)
- “I would like to return to scrapbooking (which has taken a definite hiatus since joining the Cult of Insanity). I?ve always wanted to take up jewelry making too. I don?t have enough patience for anything other than writing lately. And, I need to take advantage of the unblock while I can.” (Cajun Vegan)
- “I didn?t knit for most of the time that I was away on my trip so I?m looking forward to relaxing and getting back to the potholders I?m trying to make before I tackle a baby blanket. I?m definitely looking forward to creating some more things.” (Los Angelista)
- “You could say that my writing is/was a casual pursuit. yet I have never gone a week without writing something since I was 14. Jaysus! I think I need to get out more or something.” (Mark at the Walking Man)
- “i do/did creative things but never considered them hobbies.” (Jameil)
- “I have stacks of magazines that I pillage for collages I do as a way of seeing the story I?m working on. You can?t create if you don?t have the raw materials. And non-creative types will just have to shake their heads and wonder, because the rest of us will keep gathering our material.” (Julia)
- “My creativity flows mostly from the kitchen in the fall when I cook more?other times I?m challenged to be creative to keep my kids entertained
” (Flowering Shrub)
- “Maybe one day, I?ll have a really nice garden to tend?one day?” (Claudia at Skipping Stones)
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