Thursday, May 29, 2008

Why Tinkguy?

My knitting sucks. I mean, I'm getting better, but there are mistakes in just about everything I knit. Yarn-overs where there shouldn't be any, odd decreases, a make-one out of the blue-- but I've become pretty good at covering my tracks, unless it's lace. Shoot, on my last sock gusset, I picked up two extra stitches on one side, and seven extra on the other side!

I can ladder down and back up pretty quick, and I frog now with just a shrug, after I have smoothly weaved in a lifeline. I shifted over a nearly completed gusset 4 stitches. It was a lot more after I had to ladder down all the decreases! Not too smooth, but I did it.

I make mistakes. That's what makes my knitting charming, right?

And, I've become very, very good at tinking. I can tink back a row at just under purl speed!

Thus, I've become a Tinkguy.

And, I'll bet you thought my moniker had to do with a particular, popular pixie.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Growing the stash

Up until very recently, my nightstand would have a huge pile of books, magazines, and a sketchbook or two.

Then, I made a New Years Resolution to focus on my knitting.

Now, look at my knitstand, er, nightstand:



A bucket o' yarn. My dpn's, and, Ellen has just informed me, the World's Ugliest Bedside Lamp. (She's looking for a place to put one of her displaced lamps.)

All the books, magazines, sketchbooks that were on there a couple months ago are in the bottom drawer.

And, now lookie here:


My favorite bookcase is getting nooks filled up with yarn. I'll need to find new places for my favorite books. I mean, they are there in case I wake up with heartburn at 3:00 am, and need a little light reading (Jataka Tales anyone?) to entertain me until I can lay down again. Now, I'll be reaching for yarn.

Maybe I can switch the books out with the rest of my stash in the other room.

Does anyone else just want to crawl into their stash and roll around?

Um, I mean, not that I do, no, not me. I was, um, just kidding. Yeah. A joke. Tee-hee-hee.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Knitting Outside

I sit under a tree each afternoon and knit, waiting for my wife, Ellen, to pick me up from work.

On Tuesday, I found a little green spider on my left forearm. I thought about Arachne, the Greek weaving goddess, and then about the four spider sisters in Journey to the West, evil, scary tricksters--

By the time my brain was done musing, the little spider had moved to my right thigh.

Flick!

Wednesday, I sat under the tree, knitting my sock. About five minutes into it, I realized I had a green spider on the back of my right hand. I started thinking, perhaps the spider was watching my continental technique, and how I purl pretty darn quickly-- not a world contender, by any means-- but maybe it was interested, much like when one knits in public, strangers walk up to watch. Maybe it wanted to give ME some pointers--

Flick!

Thursday, I went to sit at my usual spot under the tree, and walked through a mass of spider web. Sticky lacework.

I'm sorry. Were you expecting a point to this?

Saturday, May 24, 2008

And, again

Yeah, well, I've done this blogging thing once before. I've no idea where my last blog is. I'll save you some trouble, if you're at all interested. I basically posted 1 post to my first blog saying, "I don't really have time for this."

And, I still don't.

But, I enjoy reading other people's blogs so much, I feel like I'm peeking in on their lives-- it's kinda like they are showing me theirs, without me showing them mine.

Oh, that made a lot of sense.