Baskets of Shame for 2012

Great minds think alike- at least in the knitting world. Last November, I pondering my goals and ambitions for 2012. I decided that my theme for this year would be to sight all my UFOs, turn them into WIPs, and create them into FOs. Imagine my surprise when I read/heard a number of bloggers/podcasters had reached the same conclusion! It is a worthy goal, though, and I really am not surprised that after the (relatively) successful stash-busting of 2011 many of us accomplished, we turned to another method of simplifying the madness genius.


I do like to finish what I start, so I am a bit ashamed  I have so many UFOs. Some are many years old. I'm not to the point in my knitting maturation that I can completely toss out an old project, even if I am not interested in the final product. Surely I can do something with whatever I make. Anyway, I am a process knitter, not a project knitter. It is the knitting itself that brings me joy. I thought I would be pleasantly surprised to find that the collection in my Basket of Shame was not as prolific as I had thought... but alas, I have found (so far) 17 items in various stages of completion. (Blush)

I may be able to do more stash busting by working in a few new projects in addition to the old. I might even do something brand new! I plan to be in a good position storage-wise and time-wise when the economy improves and I can patronize my LYS  more often!

I found out that even if I cannot totally abandon a knitting project, I can abandon a book. Usually  I read and read and read a book until I find something to grab my attention. Very rarely have I tossed aside a book. But that has changed. I had planned to read some old family books before I donate them to the library. I have made some progress, but I hit a wall with Laddie, by Gene Stratton Porter. To quote Amazon, "Laddie... is a wonderful and semi-autobiographical novel of siblings, family bonds, struggles and loves, learning and nature, and the complex joys of growing up in the country at the turn of the past century. Little Sister tells us the story of her brother Laddie, and the whole family is glimpsed through her loving eyes.A classic uplifting tale of self-discovery for all ages." Nope.

I got through 354 of 602 pages. I'd rather be knitting- or doing anything else- than reading that book!

PS: Well, I did say that I might even do something brand new. I did. I succumbed to the Cloisonne mitts from the Yarn Harlot. To rationalize the purchase, I will be able to do some stash diving...

Home again

I went home again. Not to the place where I was born (I still live in my hometown) but to that place in North Carolina called Kanuga. The people were different (new friends and old,) the weather was different (but still cold,) but the feelings (and the toast) were the same. It is a place where kairos, not chronos, determines the time (except for the bugle calls to meals.)

I was there for the 2012 Kanuga Knitting and Quilting Conference. We had the gift of being able to begin each day with Holy Eucharist and end each day with Evening Prayer/Compline. My daughter served as chaplain, and her homilies knit together the lessons for the day both with our journey through our knitting/quilting lives and with our own personal journey through life. What a blessing!

The technique I chose to learn was Fair Isle knitting. I have always been fascinated by the juxtaposition of colors and enjoy intarsia knitting. I had tried Fair Isle in the past, but my fingers kept getting in the way of each other! My instructor was an accomplished knitter/designer (and all-around wonderful person) who taught my fingers to work properly. Here is my completed project:

The pattern gave the option to keep knitting another motif and make a hat, but I wanted to make sure I finished it while there, so I settled with the headband. Obviously, I will wear it without the blocking pins!

When I was resting my brain, and after I finished the headband, I worked on my current prayer shawl. How appropriate!

The Homespun colorway is "Shaker."

Much of our learning came though sharing (knitting tips and lives) with each other as we sat around the fireplace after the classes. My daughter was intrigued with someone using a drop spindle, and in no time that spinner was showing her how to use it. She was a fast learner!

Leaving Kanuga is difficult. Leaving my daughter is difficult. Combine the two, and it is really difficult! Probably I will see her again this summer, but it will be another whole year before I get to Kanuga for KKQ 2013. In the meantime, I have the memories. For me, it is a bit like being in Narnia must be.