Category

thoughts & things

28
Jan
2014

Instant gratification

Instant gratification and knitting.

I’m a huge fan of instant gratification. But when we talk about instant gratification and knitting we’re usually talking about “instant gratification projects,” the projects you can start and finish in a sitting, quick-y little projects that give you a finished object “NOW.” The projects that are the antithesis of big shawls on tiny needles, I like knitting.

But really even these tiny projects aren’t instant gratification.

Four or five hours for a hat is about as delayed as instant gratification could get.

And I like my gratification a little more instant than that.

I don’t look for instant gratification from finishing my projects (mostly cause I wouldn’t find it.)
Gratification and satisfaction? Absolutely.
Instant gratification? Not so much.

I much prefer the instant gratification I get from the act of knitting.
The yarn, the needles, the movement, the rhythm.
It’s kind of like instant happy brain.

Knitting isn’t so good for instant object gratification.

But it’s fabulous for instant feelings gratification. Which is what knitting is really about, right?

Because if what we were after, was really the hat (right now), we’d just go buy the damn thing.

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Announce! Announce!

I sent these coupon codes to the mailing list yesterday afternoon, but figured I’d share them here too:

For $1 off a single pattern, use the code: tinytreat

To buy 2 single patterns and get a 3rd pattern FREE, use the code: lotsoflove

These coupon codes apply to my individual self published patterns on Ravelry.
They’ll expire this evening at 5(EST), so treat yourself now.

Come over to Ravelry, browse my patterns, and brighten up your week.

31
Dec
2013

12 shawls in 2013

All the shawls of 2013.

Shawls that were just finished, or begun and finished.

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1. The Shawl Without A Name. From very early this year.

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2. Aella. Also finished up early this year. I actually want to reknit this shawl, and make a bunch of pattern tweaks.

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3. Mayur. The first shawl started and finished in 2013. A really simple pattern, knit with the delightful Unplanned Peacock’s superwash merino fingering.

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4. Red Mesh Shawl. Started as a very last minute gift for Christmas last year. Bound off on New Years. But not posted about (or gifted) until March. The pattern is exclusive (and free) for people who join the Announce Announce list.

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5. Anwar. This was a huge lesson in trusting my own color sense, and it looks way more complicated than it is.

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6. Lapidarius. Because diamonds are a girl’s best friend, and Latin is fun to play with.

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7. Katherine’s Shawl. This was a sample for Katherine as far as I know the pattern isn’t available yet, but it certainly was a pleasure to knit.

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8. Cotton Candy Shawl. I love how bright this shawl is, but I really wish I had taken better notes while knitting it.

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9. Green Mutant Shawl. Garter stitch with simple shaping and i-cored edging. What’s not to love?

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10. Lace Cables. Knit with the lovely Verdant Gryphon’s Eidos, this was partly an experiment in combining colorwork and lace in one shawl.

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11. Teeny Tiny Flower Fields. This shawl managed to hide from the blog, all year long.

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12. Plucky, Plucky, Shawl. Not quite finished when I took the photo, it still needs a good blocking, but almost there.

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Plus 42 “mini shawls” aka swatches for the Shawl Geometry books. Because swatching is awesome.

I tried to list them in the order I talked about them on the blog, and in doing so realized I’ve been falling down big time on FO posts. Something to work on in the new year I suppose. 🙂

See you in 2014.

xx

19
Dec
2013

Inklings

Something about beginnings. Starting things. Casting on a project. Casting off on a voyage.

New ideas. New projects. New Years.

Something about endings. Finishing things. Binding off projects. Weaving in ends. Finalizing. Also casting off.

Finished ideas. Done projects. Old years.

Something about middles. Transitions, and transitioning. Old things into new things. Letting the transition happen.

Seeing it coming and giving it space.