And We're Back...

Somewhat. For those of you stumbling upon this piece of the web, I feel that I should explain it. This is a blog created for one of my college courses. The assignment was to create a Blogger account, then post on a particular topic each week. As you can probably tell, I chose knitting.

Feel free to read and comment to the posts written here. Please know, though, that I most likely will not be posting here any longer, as the course is now over. If you are interested in reading more about my adventures in knitting, visit my LiveJournal blog:

http://daily-fiber.livejournal.com/

Thanks.

looking to the future

The Internet is an amazing thing. You can send a letter to someone states away in a matter of minutes rather than days via email. You can talk to people across the country via Instant Messenger, which runs in real time, holding as many conversations at once as you wish. You can buy, sell and trade items without leaving your home.

And if you so choose, you can read or watch the latest news at any time of day.

A lot has changed, hasn’t it? The invention of cell phones with video and photo capabilities has helped there. When the shooting at Virginia Tech transpired, raw footage was taken there by a student, and then broadcast around the country. When Liz Carroll was put on trial for the murder of her foster son, subscribers of the Cincinnati Enquirer could log on to view various clips and see what was happening.

So where are we headed? What is happening to journalism?

I see a trend of more bloggers posting their opinions on news. I myself have kept a blog for about three years, and regularly post links to various stories I find online. From there people can vent their own opinions on it all. Through LiveJournal, a blogging community, I’ve read opinions on everything from why men’s gymnastics isn’t aired as much as women’s to the war in Iraq.

Do I see blogging as taking over though? Not really. While it’s nice getting people’s views on things, I like my hard news as well. I like getting my information from a reliable source. Even with all the added elements to be found in stories posted online, the main reason people go to them is to get the information. It’s the same reason people still pick up a newspaper.

In the future, with technology becoming more advanced, I see more opportunities unfolding for online journalism. Being able to post video and audio helps round out a story nicely, and provides journalists the chance to show what can’t be told. I see it as a great tool, one that will help journalists. At the same time though, I hope that the focus remains the same; provide people the information. If journalism loses that, they lose everything.

a big purple thing

I have a friend in New Jersey. In mid April her neighborhood was hit by a flood. The water destroyed an entire floor of her home, which consisted of the master suite, laundry, utility and storage area. The estimated damage is somewhere around $60,000. She managed to get out with a few sweat pants and shirts, her dog, and a few other items. The rest is gone, destroyed by the water.

Since then she has lived in a gutted home, sleeping on an inflatable mattress on the floor. Until recently she slept with a bat beside her, to protect herself from those who had been rumaging through abandoned homes. The heat was restored only a few weeks ago, as was the water.

There have been other hits as well. Her dog was attacked by another dog at the place he was staying while she worked to repair the home. Her car was hit in the parking lot of her work. She has been fighting a bout of bronchitis. She came home one night to find the possessions she had put on the curb had been ransacked.


How do you move on when the world crumbles around you? Where do you go when you have nothing, and are supported by handouts of those around you? How do you find strength when your whole life is reduced to mere boxes on a curb?

And how do you, a friend living two states away, help?

I am a knitter. As such, the first thing that came to my mind was to knit something. But what do you knit in a time such as this? I knew I wanted something big and snuggly. I wanted something to keep her warm, something she could wrap herself in, something sturdy in the rough days ahead of her.

Choosing the color was easy. My friend's favorite color is purple, so that was what I would use. Purple I knew represents royalty, wealth and wisdom. I also discovered upon some research that purple is meant to calm, and to heal. It seemed too perfect.

But what to make? I didn't want to make her anything fragile. I wanted something that would make her feel tougher, a really tough bit of knitting that could take whatever heat is headed my friend's way. Something to be a barrier between her and some of the hard things she will be doing.

A blanket.

I chose the stocknette stitch, one of the most basic in knitting. I liked the idea for its simplicity, which would mean the focus would fall on the colors. I chose four to use, holding the stands together; a darker purple, a lighter lilac, a bright purple, and a mixture of blue and purple.

About halfway through, I realized I didn't enjoy it. The giant needles I was using created a more drappy loose feel. It was too loose for my liking, particularly for a blanket. I cast on again, this time with smaller needles, and for three days knitted away.

I knit and purled until there was no yarn left. Then there it was: a soft, durable, warm blanket to wrap herself in. I know that really, when your friend is hurting and far away, knitting can do very little to actually care for them. Yet, since all I can do is knit a big purple thing and mail it, then I sincerely hope it helps.

problem

My fellow knitters, we have a problem.

No, it's not stashing. Despite what you may think, our collecting mass amounts of yarn then storing them in our houses is not what is wrong. In fact, it's downright understandable. My grandfather, who does woodworking, has a sideroom in his garage filled with various tools and an assortment of wood pieces. In our garage sits a shelf filled with various pots, fertilizer, and gardening tools my mother uses. So then I ask, is it not reasonable that I, a knitter, keep all my various tools in one place?

Stashing is not the problem.

It's not a problem with our choice of projects, either. I may not have any use for a knitted dog costume, but that doesn't mean it's worthless. Somewhere, some knitter is working on a knitted dog costume, because they think their little Fido will look adorable in it. If it can be knit, someone is knitting it. Don't believe me? Read this post.

Before you ask, it's the same with yarn. Every yarn, from the most expensive alpacca to the cheepest acrylic, has a purpose. Acrylic is afordable for anyone, knits up well, and is machine washable. It also makes for great Warm Up America squares. On the other hand, when given the choice and the funds, I love making items of good quality yarn as well.

So no, our projects and the yarn we use for them is not the problem.

Our problem is not even how much we knit. Knitting is fun, it's enjoyable, else we wouldn't do it. We would have long retired our needles and gone to Walmart for socks. And yes, even after I've ripped out half the work which took me hours to do because I notice a mistake 10 rows back, I still enjoy it. There's just something about giving away an item you've made with your own hands that can't be beat.

So then, what's the problem?

Our challenge, my fellow craft-a-holics, comes at holidays or birthdays. It happens when one of your non-knitting family members or friends goes absolutely bonkers for that furry scarf you made, even though it took only two hours and little skill to knit it, and even though they are holding a pair of handknit socks or a lace scarf, something that took twenty hours and tremendous skill to knit, in their hands.

It always seems like that, doesn't it? Lace shawl, a polite thank you and appreciation, novelty yarn scarf, the crowd goes wild.

They just don't get it.

goals

I've always loved goals. Even as a kid, I loved setting and acheiving them. Even if I wasn't successful, I was always trying. Whether knitting or chores, I'm forever making lists of what I want to have done, and become angry at myself if I am not successful.

Too bad I didn't fully reach them this time.

My goals this month were fairly simple. I had four:

1. Use up all 8 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky
2. Use up my one skein of Bernat Baby Softee
3. Make eight squares for the Warm Up America campaign
4. Send out another 'knitting angel' package to my friend

It all sounded so simple when I wrote the list. I had 30 days; certainly I could finish it all by then. Yet here I am, lamenting that I did not. Where did it all go wrong? Perhaps a breakdown is in order.

1. Use up all 8 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky? YES
You know when a knitter loves a type of yarn by how much is in their stash. While not my favorite, the Bernat brand does rank high up there. The problem was, I had no real use for it. Being really soft though, I thought that making it all into scarves might be a good idea.

I had thought originally to send them to a local shelter, yet none of the ones I spoke to needed scarves this time of year. I emailed the Scarves with a Purpose charity hoping they could use them, yet no one replied. I then turned to my fellow members of Crafting for a Cause, who suggested the Dulaan Project. After reading over the information, this seemed the best choice. They will be sent sometime next week.

2. Use up my one skein of Bernat Baby Softee? NO
I was so close on this one. I told myself that I would use my one skein of Bernat Baby Softee to make preemie baby bonnets. A friend of mine who is an intern at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati suggested sending them there. I contacted the women in charge of donations, and she agreed that they could use them. I thought that I could easily use up my one skein; it is one skein after all.

Except, the Baby Softee yarn is what's known as fingering weight. There's about 333 yards to a skein. After making 12 bonnets, I still have enough left over to make at least one more. I now have a new goal for May.

3. Make eight squares for the Warm Up America campaign? NO
Once again, I was so close. Warm Up America is an organization that collects blankets for various shelters. They also collect 7x9 inch squares which volunteers then make into blankets. A member at Crafting for a Cause offered to sew together any squares that fellow members make this year.

Once again, having two skeins of yarn for the project, I thought I could do it. Once again though, it just didn't happen. I suppose I will just have to up next month's total.

4. Send out another 'knitting angel' package to my friend? YES
When you talk about something long enough, eventually you attract some attention. Such is the case with knitting and various friends of mine. Over the past few months, there have been a growing few who have shown interest in learning.

To help, I've been sending what these friends now dub 'the knitting angel packages.' Inside is the knitting book I learned from, a binder of patterns and tips I've collected through the past year or so, and as many skeins of yarn and needles I can manage to shove into the box.

My latest 'victim' was a friend of mine who lives in Washington. I'm still waiting for the responce.

With that is my full list of goals for the month. Not a complete success, but a start I suppose. As the eve of another month comes and goes, it brings with it the dawn of yet another. What sort of goals will I set for May, and will I succeed in finishing them? Who really even knows.

pink yarn

Had you asked me two years if I would be excited to recieve yarn, I would have given you a look of confusion. Yarn? Think again.

Add in that it was pink yarn, and I would drop my mouth open in shock. Pink is just about my least favorite color, especially the bright neon kind. Even as a kid, I wouldn't wear it. The only way you'd catch some on me was if it was mixed in with other colors.

Now, fast forward to this weekend, as a lovely little parcel arrived in the mailbox. Inside was the yarn that I had ordered about two weeks ago from Ebay; Rowan Cotton Rope in cyclaman.

You guessed it; I'm completely excited beyond belief. At the risk of sounding like a fool, I nearly let out a yelp of joy when I saw it, and yes, ripped open the package right away to see it.

Also as I'm sure you all have imagined, the yarn is pink. Bright pink to be exact.

To explain, let me say these two points. First, this color was the least expensive available, by a whopping four dollars. Second... okay, there is no second. It was cheep, and I was blinded by that.

I do realize that a mass majority of people do not share in my excitement over yarn. If you think about it, yarn is one of those items in daily life that doesn't really recieve much attention. It's uses generally are for grade school craft projects and tieing things together. Mention how much one skein can run, some over $10 apiece, and you get blank stares of utter confusion.

The masses are right, the basic idea of any form of yarn craft, knitting included, does seem rather silly. To knit, one uses two sticks to put a bunch of yarn into a series of knots. That's it; nothing more to it on the surface. It also takes a long time to do. A simple scarf, for instance, usually takes me over two days.

So then, in the age of machines and advanced technology, why do it? See, it is more the idea behind the craft that pulls me into it. Each skein of yarn could be anything; a hat, a scarf, and sweater, or even a blanket. Such endless possibilies wrapped up in something so small.

So then, what is to become of the skeins from Ebay? I hate to say it, but you'll just have to wait and see.

starting point

Before I begin, want to take a moment to pause and reflect on what happened yesterday morning at Virginia Tech University. My thoughts and prayers, along with many of those in our nation, are with them all.

We all must start somewhere, or at least that's what I've been told. In that spirit, I've decided to sort out my inventory of yarn into a list.

• 2 skeins of Sugar & Cream cotton in sage green
• 1 skein of Red Heart in sage green
• 3 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky (2 sea foam green, 1 pink)
• 2 skeins of Bernat Boa in peacock
• 2 skeins of Moda Dea Ticker Tape in monet
• 1 skein of Bernat Baby, color unknown
• 2 skein of Bernat Cotton Tots (1 mixed berries, 1 pink)
• 1 skein, divded into two small balls, of Cascade Quatro in jamacia
• 1 skein of Wool Ease in green heather

Not pictured: 2 skein of Bernat Baby Coordinates in pink, 3 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky, and 2 skeins of Bernat Boa. All have been used already for projects.

With all this yarn, what is a knitter to do? To be honest, I'm not fully sure. I have ideas, but what will actually happen is anyone's guess.

One thing is for certain; I need to finish the scarf I promised my sister around Christmas. The top picture there shows it; the green item on the needles. It's about halfway finished at this point. I made the mistake of letting her decide what yarn she wanted, and sure enough she chose some of the thinnest yarn available, which means it will take longer.

I can't blame her fully. My lack of progress can also be blamed on my working on other projects. I decided at the beginning of the year that 2007 would be what is known as a 'destashing' year. What it means is that I am not buying any more yarn, with a few exceptions, until I have used up what I own now.

Good idea, right? To be honest, I was skeptical that I would be able to do it, just because I owned many skeins that I really no longer wanted. Most were sitting untouched for months.

Then I found a group called Crafting for a Cause, or 3000in2007. I was extremely touched by their mission statement, found towards the bottom of their information page. It reads:

"As of the end of 2006, approximately 3,000 US soldiers had died in the war for Iraq. There's a lot that you can say. There's a lot to cry about. But we feel that instead of adding more negativity to the world, we could do something great to honor those fallen soldiers."

The last sentance stresses something I really strive for in my life. I know for myself, it is so easy to get wrapped up in all the bad things that are happening. It's simple to get the 'I'm just one person' mentality. Yet, here is a chance to change that, even in some small way.

My appologies to my sister; that scarf of hers will have to wait a little while longer.