What I learned this week
1. Knitting on the subway? Use short needles.
Apparently people don't like to be poked with knitting needles. I'd suspected so, but now it's been confirmed.
2. Knitting and drinking? Choose an easy project.
Okay, this one I knew. I had two projects with me, anticipating that I may reach a point where it would be a good idea to switch from the concentration-intense project to the easy project. The problem is that I didn't recognize the switch-over point and kept going on the complicated project for a bit too long, resulting in my having to take out a few rows.
And lest you think I'm so easily done in by a few drinks, I think it was really the combination of trying to eat, drink, converse, follow a movie, and knit something that required me to read the pattern at the start of every new row.
3a. Drops is now offering a lot of their patterns free!
Many of them in English. This is exciting because I have one really cool sweater that mom knit for me from one of their patterns. We had to look around for awhile before we could find that pattern, but now its free, along with many others, here. (Mom told me about this)
3b. A lot of them are really ugly.
There are definitely some good ones, but it's going to take me quite awhile to sift through all of those to find something that I like and is appropriate for my skill level.
4. Sometimes there is actually a reason to go into ridiculously expensive stores: to steal their ideas.
I decided yesterday to stop in at this little store in my neighborhood, "Brooklyn Handknit." Well, first I'll mention that probably less than half of their stuff is actually knit. And of that, I think an even smaller percentage is actually hand knit. But, I was poking around, gawking at the prices and fondling their fancy cashmere when I happened upon this very cute and practical idea. They took a wrap and added a wooden handle at one end to stick the other end through so that it actually stays around you. Kind of like a giant belt. I managed to snap a picture while the sales person was distracted by someone purchasing an $80 stocking cap.
The price tag on that? $210.
I think this is a great idea. I've been thinking a lot about this knitty pattern called Clapotis, and this wooden ring might work on it. Or, it may be better to save the wooden ring for a plain solid rectangle like they did. Either way, I think there's at least one more wrap in my future wardrobe.
Apparently people don't like to be poked with knitting needles. I'd suspected so, but now it's been confirmed.
2. Knitting and drinking? Choose an easy project.
Okay, this one I knew. I had two projects with me, anticipating that I may reach a point where it would be a good idea to switch from the concentration-intense project to the easy project. The problem is that I didn't recognize the switch-over point and kept going on the complicated project for a bit too long, resulting in my having to take out a few rows.
And lest you think I'm so easily done in by a few drinks, I think it was really the combination of trying to eat, drink, converse, follow a movie, and knit something that required me to read the pattern at the start of every new row.
3a. Drops is now offering a lot of their patterns free!
Many of them in English. This is exciting because I have one really cool sweater that mom knit for me from one of their patterns. We had to look around for awhile before we could find that pattern, but now its free, along with many others, here. (Mom told me about this)
3b. A lot of them are really ugly.
There are definitely some good ones, but it's going to take me quite awhile to sift through all of those to find something that I like and is appropriate for my skill level.
4. Sometimes there is actually a reason to go into ridiculously expensive stores: to steal their ideas.
I decided yesterday to stop in at this little store in my neighborhood, "Brooklyn Handknit." Well, first I'll mention that probably less than half of their stuff is actually knit. And of that, I think an even smaller percentage is actually hand knit. But, I was poking around, gawking at the prices and fondling their fancy cashmere when I happened upon this very cute and practical idea. They took a wrap and added a wooden handle at one end to stick the other end through so that it actually stays around you. Kind of like a giant belt. I managed to snap a picture while the sales person was distracted by someone purchasing an $80 stocking cap.
The price tag on that? $210.
I think this is a great idea. I've been thinking a lot about this knitty pattern called Clapotis, and this wooden ring might work on it. Or, it may be better to save the wooden ring for a plain solid rectangle like they did. Either way, I think there's at least one more wrap in my future wardrobe.
posted by erica at
3:32 PM
4 Comments:
I've learned the same thing about knitting with short needles. Circulars are even better. I've stabbed many of people on the bus, when I first started.
Necia
By
Anonymous, at 2/03/2006 10:22 AM
Yeah, the MTA should really post some signs or something to warn us...
By
erica, at 2/04/2006 9:24 AM
Okay, so I've learned these rules too:
- Short needles are good
- Circular needles are better
My addition:
- Don't use metal straights because when you drop one (and you will), they make a REALLY loud noise on the subway car floor and everyone looks at you and it rolls all the way back into the wierd heating or ventilation ducts or whatever and god only knows what that sticky stuff is and you need to lean down at peoples knees to fetch it and...
well, just don't use them!
By
Anonymous, at 2/09/2006 2:14 PM
The buckled wrap is a cool idea, but it also (kind of) looks like a baby sling. I would use a dressier ring to offset that effect.
By
Elizabeth, at 3/11/2006 11:57 PM
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