T.'s Top 5 Favorite Knitty Patterns

What Knitter doesn't love Knitty?? Amy Singer is a genius editor (not just of Knitty - her book No Sheep for You is fairly fabulous also), and she finds some seriously cute, fun, useful, different items. My dream is to have something published in Knitty...I'm working on it. I actually have 'lost' my project, but the idea is still hidden somewhere in the recesses of my mind.



Anyway, back to my original thought. Things I want to or have knit from Knitty:



1. Hip in Hemp - have not knit this yet, but I love it. There are not a lot of knit skirt patterns out there that are made for us women with curves (that's the nice way of saying hippy). I love the shape of this skirt, and would really like to try knitting with hemp. It's definitely in my queue.



2. Monkey socks - the pattern that is #1 in Ravelry. 'nuf said. FABULOUS.



3. Trellis - I knit this for my boy and it was my first real cable project. What little kid wouldn't look freakin' adorable in a cabled sweater with a rolled collar. Really.



4. Leftovers - Very smart use for yarn you have lying around. It actually took way more yarn than I thought! It was the first project I knit that fit me really well (that's to say that I usually 'overestimate' my size and end up with large projects - this one was nicely fitted so it worked out ok). The yarn is wonderfully soft and I love wearing this. The same can't be said for all the things I've knit.



5. 302 Calories - I have not knit this, but any knitting magazine that publishes a pattern of a thong knit out of licorice is high on my list of must see sites. The Summer 2004 issue is for all the knitters of our generation - fun, sexy, and tongue in cheek. I tell you, that Amy Singer is one smart lady.



There are many, many others (like this and this and this and this). If you haven't been to the Knitty site before - go, go quickly. You will be entralled, you will laugh and you will run out and buy yarn.

Expanding my Yarn Universe

Up until recently my knitting circle consisted of J. and me. That's it. It was good - we shared patterns, ideas, thoughts on different yarns, websites and the usual things you would discuss with a knitting circle. But the loop was pretty small. There is only so much the two of us know (I mean really brilliant and all, but we aren't all knowing).

Then J. came up with this idea to go to a Stitch and Bitch. She googled SnB and found one that met in a nice little coffeeshop not too far away. So we went.

Wow.

There are knitters out there as crazy as us. I know our husbands don't believe it, but it's true. There are people who know what we mean when we say yarn diet or Handmaiden or Knitty or Yarn Harlot. They know these words with no explanation. They understand the pain of waiting till next month to buy more yarn. They understand how frustrating a piece can be that you want to throw it away and never look at it again, but you keep at it.

We went again last night and got to see so many amazing projects. A shawl from Victorian Lace Today, a 'cursed' sweater from Knitscene, a scarf made with beautiful Noro. Someone brought a new book they'd just bought so we could all peruse it. Seriously, this group is good. They got their knit-on.


I'm still attempting to finish JW's Father's day socks. He is aware of their existence which means I can actually knit them in his presence. Also on the home stretch of Rusted Root - hopefully I'll reveal it soon.

Next on the list...figuring out what to do with this. It is by far my favorite yarn in my stash. J. picked it up for me when she went to Vancouver for her half-marathon. Does she know me well or what? This yarn (Koigu KPPPM) has all my favorite colors. I need to really do it justice - just not sure how....