knitting is as addictive as tattoos

or have enough bags for many projects...or enough needles...or NEARLY enough yarn... yet. i'm spending time at work knitting and searching ravelry for more things to knit...cause i need that right? and i'm realizing i am probably not a normal knitter. i only have two projects going right now. yes, ONLY two! ok three if you count the crochet shawl i started over oh geez two years ago? hmm...and the four spindles i have going...and i suppose you can count what's on the wheel... but we're counting knitting! and there, i only have two projects. so, i want to knit socks. i've owned sock knitting needles...those tiny dpns that look so cute...i've even bought sock yarn a few times. but i've never even managed to cast on a single stitch of sock. but i'm better at knitting in general now, and even knitting in the round and on dpns...so this should be easier this time around! should be...

and yet i am so excited to do more more more! i want to yarn bomb! yeah. right. like, i can see myself doing it in ocean city on the boardwalk or new hope or something, but my dream would be at grounds for sculpture. i want it to happen. i am plotting....it may take a long time, but...well, good things come... in the mean time, this is my shawl i am knitting right now. it's from the citron pattern from knitty.com http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/PATTcitron.php i fell in love with this yarn. it's Manos silk blend in aster. it took me a year to start looking for a pattern and months to actually find just the right one. there are beautiful purples and blues in this yarn and so far feels very nice. it will be heavier than the pattern called for, but i think it will be fine. i'll post another picture when it gets a bit bigger...but here's a taste: now, back to knitting it and plotting my yarn bombing future...

my grandmother taught me to crochet what was called the afghan stitch way back when and how to cross stitch designs on the finished panels. i designed patterns for her many times! my great aunt (her sister) was a knitter and taught me when i was 12 or so, but i didn’t really stick with it. i always admired her spinning wheel (was there just for decoration) but didn’t take that up till much later. i took up quilting as well. i got back into the knitting and crochet when i started spinning about 10-12 years ago (a friend corrupted me!) and needed something to do with the yarn! i started spinning various fibers of unknown origin, mostly naturals wools, wool blends. the first fiber i fell in love with was mohair-i love it! i even got hand cards to blend colors with mohair locks…i am a mohair addict! it’s so soft and fun to spin and takes dyes so nicely. i also love camel and alpaca, and llama. i’ve spun merino, bamboo as well and many blends. soy sil and tussah/cashmere are my curren...