Knitter's Neck

I've been knitting too much! OMG did I just say that? Well, I have knitter's neck and even a massage from my wonderful husband isn't helping. I get knitter's neck when I knit in the car. We drove to Vegas for my father-in-laws 80th birthday bash and I knit the whole way there and back. I don't think knitter's neck is from the length of time I knit, God knows I knit much longer than a 5 hour drive, I think it has something to do with the way I sit in the car. I'm really not sure, but this only happens when I knit in the car and it really sucks because the only way to recover is to not knit for a few days...what in the world will I do with myself for the next few days? Let's see:

dust the house

clean the fish tank

vacuum the stairs

clean the bathtub

go for a walk

go shopping

read a book

organize the office

clean the spice cabinet

clean the fridge

mop the floors

Let me see what else should/could I do but knit instead...

pay the bills

wash the truck

take the dogs out

wash the dishes

make dinner

go to a movie

clean the cat box...ummm

I think I'll knit anyway!

Gifts

It is 1:37 in the morning and I can't sleep yet again. It is also the day after my 40th birthday. As I rest in the warm glow of our alarm clock and listen to the soft hum of my husband's thick breath I started thinking about all the wonderful things knitting as given me.

Knitting has given me...

A place to put my worries

A place to escape

Patience

Perseverance

A place to be quiet

A way to be kind to others

New friends

A way to give to others

Creativity when I thought I didn't have any

A great job

The color wheel

Books

Nature

Something to write about

A room of my own

Warmth

Humor

A community

A place to put my hands

A sense of accomplishment

Something to talk about

Education

Christmas gifts

A way to help others

Something to be proud of

What has knitting given you? I'd love to know.

Twist

It's been too long...

Today a group of us dirty knitters, Sallie, Jill, Becky, Lynette, and myself, met at the local Starbucks and piled into Jill's Merlot colored "mommy Suburban" and headed to Manhattan Beach to a wonderful yarn shop called Twist, and I loved it. The owner, Kathy, is a lovely lady with golden hair and very zen. She has managed to do a lot with a very small space and boy was I impressed. She had tons of Malabrigo, Handmaiden, and the best part yarns with a conscience like frog tree...She offers classes and has great samples all around for those of us who ask "OMG this is awesome, but what do I do with it?" After shopping we walked over to a little restaurant for lunch called El Gringo. Delish. I recommend the flautas, but be sure to split the meal because it's huge! The sangria is good and the margs are stiff. Make a day of it girls--knit, drink, eat! What a great way to spend the day.

So, I have deemed this the official start of my yarn vacation since I had to make a few purchases after I swore yet again that I wasn't going to buy anymore yarn until our vacation (and the anniversary sale at the LYS I work for didn't count). My husband and I are flying up to Seattle (I've never been there) in two days for my 40th birthday and riding our Harley all the way back to Sunset Beach, CA. Along the way I get to hit all the marvelous yarn shops I've heard so much about & do a little wine tasting on a side trip to Napa.

I'm looking forward to the trip and I will be checking in along the way if I can get my phone Internet to cooperate with me. Other wise, I'll post all my favs when I return. In the mean time get your butts over to Twist. It's worth the drive.

12-Steps

Dirty Knitters Anonymous-
12-Steps

1. I admit I am powerless over yarn—that my stash has become unmanageable.

2. I believe there is a Yarn Goddess greater than myself who can restore my sanity.

3. I have made a decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of completing my UFO’s.

4. I have made a searching and fearless inventory of my stash.

5. I have admitted to the Yarn Goddess, to myself, and to my fellow knitters the exact amount of yarn in my stash.

6. I am entirely ready to finish all my UFO’s.

7. I humbly asked the local thrift shop to remove all of the acrylic from my stash.

8. I made a list of all the projects I had harmed by not completing them, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such UFO’s wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them (frogging).

10. I continued to take yarn inventory and when I found yarn I would never use, promptly donatated it.

11. I sought through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with the Yarn Goddess, as I understood Her praying only for knowledge of Her will for me and the power to carry that out—finish or rip?

12. Having a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, I will carry this message to dirty knitters everywhere, and I will practice these principles in all my knitting affairs.

Inspiration

After a terrible week, having been hit by a car, not getting much knitting done, and suffering the aches and pains of getting older (40 is just around the corner, glaring at me ), I tried to cheer up with the Yarn Harlot. After reading her chapter “Cracking the Whip,” I too made a commitment not to cast on another project until I had completed a few hiding out in my house, moreover, I went a step further and decided I wouldn’t buy anymore yarn (for a while). I knew it would be difficult as I work at a wonderful yarn shop and new luxuries are coming in all the time. However, I made a decision—no casting on; no yarn! Then temptation took hold of me. While at work on Friday, I heard a few of the regulars going on and on about the Great American Aran Afghan! They were discussing colors, yarn, the book, squares, and I’m all over it. I talked to them about it and took their orders as they need lots of yarn in the same dye lot. I also learned they will meet monthly beginning at the end of August. I’m freaking out because I want to make the afghan too, but I made a commitment to the Yarn Harlot! That night I gathered all my UFO’s and found eight. That’s not too bad I thought. My mind started whirling, much like Lucy while concocting yet another plan! So, my plan is to knit like crazy and complete at least four of my half completed projects and then I can join the afghan group without breaking my private pact with the Yarn Harlot! I have three weeks I thought—easy-peasy. The next day at work, I picked out my yarn, my afghan color, looked through all the squares and placed my order. I didn’t by any yarn, and I didn’t cast on—yet. The Yarn Harlot inspired me to clean up my act, but she has also taught me how to think outside the box in order to hide my dirty knitter ways.

cake flop

So, it’s my Mom’s 62nd birthday and I’m totally bummed because I didn’t finish the Rambling Rows Afghan I wanted to surprise her with. I had it all planned out about a month and a half before her birthday—plenty of time! Well, not for me…I must be the slowest knitter in the universe. I went to her house looked at all the colors in her living room, bought a box of colored pencils and strategically colored in an afghan layout with the five colors I chose for her beautiful, homemade birthday gift—this was going to be the best surprise ever. I didn’t even pick up another project although they kept calling to me from the other room…Christina you know you want to play with me...I ignored them all. I did, however, secretly read patterns planning my assault on my stash as soon as I finished the afghan. Well a few days before the big day, I realized I was defeated, so I picked up my needles and cast on an easy hat for my grandmother, who is 92, and always cold during a Southern California summer. It only took me an hour or two on big needles, so I wasn’t really cheating was I? Well, maybe I was. I decided to make up for my failure to finish by baking a cake from scratch! I found a recipe in Sunset Magazine and followed the directions exactly. I mixed everything in separate bowls, sifted the flower and powdered sugar, and mixed in the eggs and vanilla when called for instead of dumping everything in one bowl as usual. I was very proud. I didn’t even sneak-a-peak while the cake was baking--these babies were gonna rise to be big and strong! Imagine how sad I was to see two pancake like discs that weighed 5 pounds each arrive from the oven. I thought, well, they must taste good. So I made the frosting, wrapped the afghan, bought some flowers, and felt like I made a good effort. I was really hoping the cake would make up for everything. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I ended up leaving the flowers on my dining room table, the cake tasted like I frosted cardboard, and the afghan was incomplete…was this Karma? What had I done? I couldn’t be grandma’s hat…she was so happy with it. Yes I read patterns, but I didn’t make anything! But, then my mom opened the afghan, and although unfinished, her eyes glistened and a small wet spot appeared and her mascara smudged a little and I realized I didn’t do anything wrong…the afghan was all for her and she knew it. Love emanated from it and we rejoiced in my efforts and laughed at my failures and ate chocolate covered cardboard cake and wrapped ourselves in the half finished afghan.

knitting with the dodgers

Last Friday I went to Dodger Stadium with a Stitch N Pitch group out of Long Beach, and it was a blast. We took a bus from our LYS and my fellow dirty knitter, Diane, brought a bottle of wine and red plastic cups to help start the night off right. We cast on simple hats before we left, so we could knit without missing any of the game. As we eased back into our bus seats, we started drinking, knitting, and chatting, and enjoyed the ride. When we arrived with tickets in hand, we headed right to the food counter for Dodger dogs and beer, while my husband got a new Dodger cap trying to ignore all the yarn junkies blabbing about you know...Yarn! Knitting while eating dogs (I ate 2) and drinking ice cold beer and hanging out with good friends--yum. We also got some really cool gear from the Stich N Pitch organizers, so squeezing into our tiny seats with food, drinks, knitting bags, and free gear was a challenge, but definately worth it. As the Dodgers proceeded to get their asses kicked by the Astros, we knitted happily and said silent prayers for a miraculous come back but to no avail. It really didn't matter though...knitting and hanging out with good friends was enough.

Here is a link to a video KKAL/CBS did at Stitch N Pitch. Check it out (I'm in it for like a second), http://www.cbs2.com/video/?id=109050@Kcbs.dayport.com

Cheers,
the dirty knitter

dirty knitters unite

My friend Liz started calling me "dirty knitter" after I gave her a cute little pale green knitted cap...you know the one out of Stitch and Bitch Nation, the cabled newsboy cap, she loved it and instantly dubbed me "dirty knitter." I can hear her scratchy, alcohol induced drawl..."Yoooou Dirrrty Knnnitttrrrrr..." She knows I love dive bars, tattoos, and knitting. All I have to say is when all three are combined I'm in heaven...FUCK YEAH, but, what she doesn't know is that I love knitting the most. Knitting rocks, and maybe I am a little white trash; for example, my taste buds crave Coors light and cheap whiskey, but I also long for luxurious yarn. Dear Lord, I've only been knitting six years and I already have a stash the size of Emelda Marcos' shoe collection. What an oxymoron--dirty knitter. When I thought of knitting growing up I pictured little old ladies knitting their hundredth pair of slippers, or classy women working only with cashmere, or fishman's wives knitting Ganseys, but really, knitters are just regular people with an addiction worse than crack...YARN! I decided to start writing about my life as a knitter and yarn shop employee (discount yo!) because this is a place where I can blab about my yarn addition and knitting without boring all my non-knitter friends (even if they do like all the hats). So, if you're one who takes their knitting to the local pub, camping, or on Harley road trips come along for the ride as I write about my white trash adventures in knitting!

Cheers,
the dirty knitter