Hollywood Knitter

Quickies!

Knitting is on a roll!  It’s all about quickies this month.  I transfer to a new department in February (Halle-Freakin-Lulah!) and I want to give the gals I’ve been working with some small knitted gifts before I depart.  I finished a pair of fingerless mitts and a headband that I already gifted as she was going to be out of the office for a few weeks.  It was a big hit…she wore the headband around the office all day!  It made me smile.  

For me, I really want a pair of felted clogs and fingerless gloves as it has been positively frigid here in SoCal.  Well, not as compared to the rest of the country but I have perpetually cold extremities.  Now I have made these slippers quite a few times for my New England family but never for me as the lack of washer in my apartment limits felting.  You just can’t do it at a Laundromat.  But since I am visiting Massachusetts for a week at the end of the month, I can use my parents’ washer!  Yes.  My knitting will be flying 3000 miles to be felted. 

One thing I have decided is no new yarn until Camp KIP!  I really want to get the stash down a bit, especially fiber that’s I’ve had for years.  I’m focusing on small projects that can use up random skeins or the bits and bobs that are floating about.   I’ll either save things for future gifts or give them to charity. And no snobbery – everything is fair game to be used.  Tuesday I used up my last skein of Lion Brand Homespun (which was a gift) on a quick scarf.  I finished a Malabrigo hat yesterday and today I cast on for my fingerless mitts.  I’m just feeling so productive! 

Of course part of that is that I’m knitting at work a fair bit.  My severe boredom and lack of work is one of the reasons I’m transferring.  I’m going from a desk job to being out in the field overseeing construction.  Which I am extremely pleased about.  It’s much more suited to my personality and I really enjoy the constant challenges construction presents.  I will have to change my schedule and lose the every other Friday off that I have enjoyed for 11 years and there will be overtime on nights and weekends but I think the benefits far outweigh the cons for me.  Especially when I think about the past year when I have literally hated my job.  Luckily I work with cool people but I just felt like it was a waste of my life. And life is too damn short.  Now I need a new pair of steel toed boots. And some cool knitted boot socks.

A New Beginning?

It’s a new year!  And I am going to try once again to resuscitate this blog. I miss the community of blogging and feel i’ve let myself become a bit too lurker-like.  I following all these amazing knitters and crafters via all types of social media from blogs to podcasts to twitter and do I need to even mention Ravelry, but I rarely comment, respond or reach out.  It’s one of the things I want to change this year.  I want to be part of the knitting community and not just observe it. 

As part of this new mantra I have done something that is very scary to me…..I’ve signed up to attend Camp KIP!  Yup.  I’m going from not event attending a local knit night to flying a few thousand miles to hang out with knitters I’ve never met.  It’s quite unlike and well outside my comfort zone.  I mean don’t really know anyone who is attending.  Though I did hang out with Jasmin of the Knitmore Girls once a few years ago when she was visiting LA so I guess technically I have met one person. J   Actually, it was the sheer number of awesome podcasters attending whom I enjoy listening too that made me WANT to go!  These are woman I feel like I already know a wee bit.  And I want to meet them in the flesh and be pals with. 

While I was dithering with myself on whether I should go or not, I realized that the only thing holding me back was the thought of whether or not they would like me.  SO STUPID!  Some of my innate shyness rearing its ugly head. So with my boyfriend assuring me that although it was a bit “different” to trek to the woods of Illinois to hang out with a bunch of gals with an abnormal love of sheep, it wasn’t crazy, I decided to take the leap.  "Go Big or Go Home" kind of thing.  And at least I know they are friendly as ALL knitters are awesome.

Nowits time to get on Ravelry, introduce myself and make me some new kff’s (Knitting Friends Forever!).  And I think a new Camp KIP sweater is in order.  Hmmmm. 

Coming soon to this space….musings on my knitting, my life, my work and maybe an occasional cat appearance.  Did I mention I want to learn to quilt this year too?  2011…I know it’s going to be a memorable year.  I’m going to make it be!

 

Ps.  You may have noticed I changed the name of blog.  I've been the "Neophyte Knitter" since I started blogging in like 2003 but with going on close to a decade of knitting under my belt, I don't think i'm exactly a newbie anymore.  Gumdrop is an old nickname from college.  :-)