The New Rule

I have create a new knitting rule for myself, and I am going to publish it for the world to see in hopes that the perceived social pressure will help me keep it.

Amanda's New Rule: I will only work on one project for someone else at a time. Or, all projects that I am currently working on except for one must be for me.

I have decided to institute this rule because I don't do nearly enough knitting for me. Admittedly, the definition of knitting for me is kind of broad. The completed project does not have to be for me. Here are some situations where that might come into play. 1) I knit these nine-to-five socks for myself. They turned out great, but really just too small for me so I gave them to a girlfriend who I knew would appreciate some hand knit socks. Under this new rule, I would not be required to rip out a poorly fitting item and reknit it just to make sure that it was for me. 2) The item does not have to be intended for me in the first place. There are quite a few items in my queue that I want to make, but that I won't wear or use. Mainly this falls into a desire to do new techniques. A perfect example is the Sunrise Circle Jacket. I am fascinated by the technique and look of this jacket. Quite simply, I want to make it. I also recognize that it is a shape that would not flatter me at all. I would never wear it, and if I did, I would be uncomfortably self-conscious the entire time. I have a couple girlfriends that it would look adorable on, and hopefully one of them will be interested enough in it that I could give it to them when I am done.

If I can make something for someone else, but it still counts as knitting for me what is knitting for others? I have decided that knitting for others is defined mainly by someone else requesting that I make the item, there is a deadline for completion, or it is being knit in secret. I like when people ask me to knit them things, as long as the deadline is reasonable I don't mind it, and I really like surprises, so knitting is secret doesn't bother me either. However, I look at my queue and it is full of things that I want for me. I haven't finished anything for me that I really wanted since last December so I'm bumping me up the priority list.

What is there to say?

Last night I was out with a girlfriend for our weekly knitting date. We were sitting in the neighborhood working on our projects when a friend of hers walked by. They talked about work, and introductions were made. She made a couple comments about how cute we were sitting out knitting, and asked about our projects. My friend described her blanket plan and then she turned to me. It seemed like a normal enough conversation.

"And what are you making?"

"I'm working on some socks. I've just turned the heel!"

"oh... oh socks mean a lot to me."

"..." Here is where it turned odd, and continued to be speechless.

"A while ago, about 30 years ago, I was a political prisoner and spent every day knitting socks. And here you are knitting socks."

I had no idea where to go from there. What is the proper etiquette when your hobby has reminded someone of their days as a political prisoner?

I *heart* my City

Creative Time presented an art project by Paul Ramírez Jonas called Key to the City. On my birthday, hubby took me to Times Square, and bestowed me with a key that opened locks all over the city. As we researched the project more, we learned that people were leaving notes, cards, and other markers in the places where they unlocked keys. I wanted to interact with this project in a way that showed how much I love the idea and my complete infatuation with NYC. So, (as I'm sure you've guessed by now) I knit up a bunch of little hearts to leave as my calling card. Several of the places ask that you not leave anything behind, so I respected that. The whole project for us was much more about the city then the locks. It was nice to hold a key to some of her secrets, but really we used it as an excuse to explore place we wouldn't think of on our own. The project is over, but I still keep my key on my key chain. I'm really possessive of this city, and I'm not ready to part with a memento that represents that so well.

These are the photos we took around the city as we hunted down and opened up locks. Some of them even show the hearts in places they were left.

Summer Catch-Up

I have had a wonderful summer playing around in my fabulous city. I was having so much fun, that never made time to sit at home and blog, so now I'd like to do a little catching up. I haven't done any major knitting, but there were some cute little projects that I'd like to show off.

Technical Note: for this post I am going to try out a new Ravelry feature and link to my projects so anyone (Rav members or not) can see the details of what I worked on, and skip the Pattern, Yarn, Needle, Notes section of my post.

Cthulhu Bag

A friend of mine picked up a fun little game, and was looking for a nice bag he could keep his dice in. I couldn't resist the opportunity to make him one. I knit most of this while waiting in line for Shakespeare in the Park. Unfortunately, we never got tickets, but we did get to spend a (couple) beautiful days lounging in the park.

I learned from this project that I need a lot of practice with color work. My gauge tightened right up, and I didn't leave the floating yarn on the wrong side loose enough.

Katy's Cup Sleeves

You remember Katy. She is still coveting knit goods, so when she mentioned wanting some coffee cup sleeves, I dedicated a subway ride to knitting just for her.

Piper's Highline

I love The Highline so I've been wanting to make this pattern since the moment I saw it. A friend that Hubby hangs out with had a surgery this summer, so I knew she'd need something to keep that cold hospital chill away. I had to block it one half at a time because I don't really have space in my apartment to spread out a full wrap to dry, but it was worth it. This is a fun quick knit and I will be making it again.

I *heart* My City

You'll just have to wait until my next post to hear more about these.