Three Things
There are three things in this picture that ought to catch your eye. First, I finished a sock. Isn’t it pretty? You can see the picot hem in the corner of the picture, and it has a garter-stitch short-row heel that I learned how to do from Lucy Neatby. It is an all-round champ of a sock.
Second, I have painted toenails. I got a pedicure on Thursday with my friend Rebecca as part of our ritual preparations for the birth of her second baby later this month. I chose toenail polish to go with the sock. It’s important that you know about Rebecca’s baby because now that I have finished the Secret Design Project (!), the knitting around here will be All Rebecca All the Time for a while. Not only do I have plans to knit a teensy garment for the baby, I also told Rebecca that I would finish all of her unfinished knitting projects, which will entail knitting two sleeves for a sweater and 1.25 legs for a pair of baby pants. She’s due in three weeks, so I have to get moving!
The third thing you should take note of is that the sun is shining and there are flowers in the background. Non-dead flowers. Though it did frost a little last night, it would seem that spring is more or less here to stay. Thank goodness. My mom had a bunch of annuals delivered to me, and I got them planted today. It’s nice to see some bright pinks and purples when I look out the windows.
I didn’t get a chance last week to report on the knitting classes that I took at the Midwest Masters. (I’ve been working a lot.) I came out of the experience glad that I had tried it, but also fairly sure that knitting classes just aren’t for me, for a couple of reasons. First, I learn very easily from books. I don’t think I have ever encountered a stitch in Barbara Walker’s treasuries that I wanted to knit but could not execute. This makes me willing to try pretty much anything, and that attitude has exposed me to a lot of information about knitting already. It seems that these knitterly qualities are more rare than I had realized. In my brioche stitch class, for example, I was the only one in the class who had already made something (a scarf) in brioche stitch. In Lucy Neatby’s class, I had already done several of the things on the agenda on my own at home, and we didn’t get to other techniques that I was more interested in because it took us too long to get through those techniques I’d already been exposed to.
This brings me to the second reason knitting classes may not be for me: I have always had trouble in art/craft classes with getting finished ahead of the pack. When I was in elementary school, the art teacher gave me a hard time for "rushing" through the projects each week, but I was never trying to rush — I just worked fast! In the knitting classes, I found it a little draining to have to wait for everyone to learn something before we could move on to the next thing. In Janet Szabo’s brioche class, we were pretty much able to work at our own pace on the different types of stitches, which was great, but then I ended up feeling that I could have just followed the directions at home, rather than sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a conference room. So, yeah. It was a good experience, the teachers did a great job, the conference was well-run, but I probably won’t do it again next year.
Have any of you had similar experiences? Or taken a class so phenomenal that you’d urge me to try again?
May 4th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
What a beautiful photograph! Everything falling together very nicely in it - not just the colours, but also the snakey looking - stripes of the sock against the diagonal lines at the back.
May 4th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
The pedicure was an EXCELLENT idea for this photo shoot, and your toes look fantastic. Which makes me think you need to invent a toe-less sock just for those people with fabulous fuschia toenails. Glad you got to plant today. And I look forward to seeing how my knitting is going on your blog! Thanks for undertaking the projects!! It’s the best gift ever!
May 5th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Yes, I agree wholeheartedly with you about the class thing. I don’t *ever* take classes for just this reason - I sit while others get the instruction, and it burns me up. Often, folks sign up for “advanced” knitting classes when they have “beginner” skills, another thing which irks me. I teach knitting classes and I see the same thing - one or two students ought not to be there, and the ones who could most benefit are miles ahead and it bugs me. I could be miles ahead, too, in my teaching of the advanced knitters, but no, gotta hold the hands of the lag behinds. I don’t often have this problem because my LYS store owner knows the skill level of those who sign up and she recommends accordingly, but every now and then, a new person sneaks in and throws everything out of whack.
On the other hand, I’ve had students sign up for classes which they, in no way, need to take because they are so advanced and it’s an easy, beginner class. So, I ask, “Why???” and they always tell me that they just really like the comraderie of a knitting class and they don’t mind the lesson fee. I just scratch my head over this one, lol.
So, yes, I agree with you about the whole knitting class thing. I learn quite easily from books (and web sites and blogs and…) and have no need. I’m just about done with teaching classes because it is just too exhausting teaching folks who are in the wrong class, through no fault of my own or my LYS owner.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:40 am
I’m with the other photo-oglers, & just gotta say that is a fantastic photo.
Shows off every feature of the sock effectively, and is just a joy to look at.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
What a wonderfully meaty post. I am really glad that your (attractive) pedicure matches your (wildly attractive) socks. I am so with you on classes. I have taken 2 - both crochet. I did need handholding for that. Otherwise I do fine on my own. Some people probably do take classes for comraderie - a good idea - but I’m not that sociable.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:07 am
What a great photo - I love the spring-y splashes of pink!! Funny a friend was encouraging me this morning to get a pedicure (was that a hint that I have ugly feet?) - I’ve never had one! Anyway, pretty toes, pretty feet, pretty flowers - hurray for Spring!! And hurray for new babies - congrats to your friend!
Thanks for your report on the classes - I have never taken one, but am hoping to sign up for one or two at SAFF this year. I couldn’t have learned to knit without someone showing me, I don’t think, but once I understood the very basics of what to do with the yarn and needle, I’ve learned everything else from books and blogs and technique articles - I do fear that I would be at the other end of the spectrum in a class though. Sometimes it takes me awhile to conceptualize something, and my lightbulb moments can be quite random - poring over a technique for days without really getting it or having the sense to just try it on faith, then jumping out of bed and grabbing my needles in the morning because I apparently worked it out in my sleep! Books give me the freedom to get there at my own pace (and read and re-read and knit and rip) until it makes sense! Maybe I have a grasp of enough technique now that I wouldn’t be holding the class back, but the thought makes me a little nervous!
May 13th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Excellent photo, all three things are awesome, love the picot hem on the socks, and will ahve to look into that garter heel.
The only reason I take knitting classes, and I’ve only ever taken them at Knittapalooza - a weekend retreat - is to meet cool teachers and hear their stories and little pearls of wisdom. I feel absolutely the same way you do - never met a technique I wouldn’t just try.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Tagged for a meme! Check my blog to see.