A new year of socks.....

I just finished a pair of socks....a Christmas present for my sister so I decided I would start another "Year of Socks" and call these "January". They are made from a Baby Alpaca wool, very soft to the touch. I started finding other yarns besides the designated sock yarns to experiment with and some work out and some don't but these worked great for comfy bed socks. I'm sure they wouldn't last walking around in a pair of shoes but very soft and warm to the touch. I'm still having a problem with fitting. Can't quite make myself do the extra two or three rows that would make the difference but I'm getting better. Nothing like the thrill of starting a new pair of socks...wondering if they will be the "perfect" ones. These pretty much are about the most perfect I've made yet. Just wondering when I'm going to get tired of making these little critters.

Another validation as to why I knit....

I ran across this article on the internet and felt it was worth posting to my blog. It was written a while ago but still holds true as to why I believe I knit. I especially loved the part toward the end where it talks about all the benefits of knitting and that it possibly can "stave off Alzheimer's" and that ".....all those bags of yarn are for a good cause." Click HERE to read the article and see if you agree. I would love to get a knitting program going in a school but I don't think I'd want it to replace recess. In New York where this article was written, there are days when the children can't go out to play and I think knitting would definitely be the answer to calm the children. I don't think knitting is for everybody but I do think everybody should be given the opportunity to learn it. That's what I would love to do; teach those that would like to learn. It certainly has added a new and different dimension to my life and when I find a good thing, I like nothing more than to share it. Anybody out there want to learn to knit?

A year of knitting....

Yes, 2008 was my year of knitting and it has been fun to improve my sock-making skills. I wish I could figure out why I love it so but it has become quite an addiction as has collecting my "stash". I decided to gather all my yarn from every nook and cranny of my house and put it into one place. It's really quite disgusting how much I have collected through the year but part of the addiction is the "stash" and I will admit (first step to recovery) that I have a problem: I love yarn. I must join "Yarnaholics Anonymous" and have already made my commitment: "I will buy no yarn in 2009". You will see by the picture that I have a problem. Someone asked me if I had enough yarn to last through 2009. My reply...."I have enough yarn to last a lifetime".....and I do. I want to continue making socks but I also have a vest I need to finish and other projects I'd like to try. Also, I hope to continue learning to tat this year. It has been said that ........"the life of the creative person is lead, directed and controlled by boredom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes." Since discovering my knitting skills again after over 40 years......I can truly say.....I'm never bored. If I'm not knitting, I'm anticipating the hour that I can knit again. I look forward to airport delays, long commutes (that's why I've come to love traveling on the shuttle) and waits in a doctor's office (and the books that I read are about knitting). Here's to 2009....I will knit my stash and try to avoid my favorite yarn stores.