on the pleasures of making shit
A few days ago, I was thinking about the different names for creative people – artist, craftsman, artisan, crafter, and then the specifics, like knitter, quilter, furniture maker, etc. Today I am sewing, working on my daughter’s wedding dress, and the living room is my messy workspace. As I was stepping around papers spread on the floor, I glanced at my Shaker box on the coffee table and was just filled with pleasure, the pleasure of the colors, the yarn, the textures, the messy pile. And I saw my sunny sewing table and felt such happiness. And the dress pieces, stacked on the table waiting for me.
beautiful, beautiful projects in mid-making
such a lovely place to sew
beautiful green Italian linen, waiting to be sewn
And I didn’t care one little bit what I call myself, or what it is I do. I make shit. And that makes me happier than I can possibly say.
casting on for a new blanket…
I guess I’m in the middle of the road, in the scheme of numbers of works-in-progress. Some knitters are relatively monogamous (or so I hear), focusing on one or two projects until they are completed, before starting another. And obviously, other knitters seem kind of addicted to casting on new projects (I totally get this, and am usually trying to resist the urge). I have a few projects on the needles now, for different purposes:
- the secret wedding shawl, secret only in its final appearance
- my 2nd Kai-Mei sock, which is in my category ‘subway knitting’
- the green lace-weight Ishbel, languishing in my beautiful Shaker box until I finish the shawl
- my mondo cable cardigan, languishing because I’m afraid I won’t have enough yarn to finish it but I tell myself I’m not working on it until I finish the shawl
The shawl is my most important project, but you know how it goes. There are times when you feel kind of shaky, or kind of exhausted, and don’t have the necessary focus and calm required to knit cobweb-weight yarn on tiny needles….and yet you really want to knit and veg with some mindless tv. I could just pick up the sock and work on it, but that’s so perfect for subway knitting, I want to save it for my commute.
SO! Last night I cast on a new project. I’m sure, if you’re a knitter, you are aware of the huge yarn sale that Webs has been advertising. I bought six skeins of Cascade 220 with this project in mind; it’s a heathered yarn, in rich chocolate. It perfectly matches my brown leather sofa, so that’ll be sweet and warm in winter.
This is my first Anne Hanson pattern, and there will be many more. I always enjoy her work, and have several of her shawls, sweaters, and socks in my faves and queue. I’m knitting the Totally Autumn throw, from Knitty. In this rich, heavy, brown wool it will have a very different look than you see on the Knitty pattern page, but it will be perfect for me:
close-up
look at the dimensionality!
Now, though, I’ve piddled long enough, finished 3 cups of coffee, read all the items in my google reader, checked all my daily sites, and knitted a couple of rows on this project. I’m off to get dressed and start sewing the lovely wedding dress for Marnie. Pics to come, I hope!
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