To blog or not to blog

When Krystal called me on my lack of knitting content I had to laugh but it also got me thinking about my knitting and blogging. As evidenced by my recent entries, I haven't been finishing much lately. I start tons of projects but have terrible finish-itis. I'm constantly reading up on patterns, putting things into my mental queue and playing with stitch patterns but they never seem to end up as finished objects.

How many times do bloggers apologize for lack of posting, relevant content or plain laziness? This is not an apology post but instead an evaluative process of what I get from knitting and if the parts of this craft that I enjoy the most are blog-worthy?

I should have gone into research because I love the process. I love finding out everything there is to know about something but so often, the actual something is far less interesting. That's how I am with knitting sometimes. The low productive periods are filled with the research, practice and controlled play. Then if I'm still interested and everything is in alignment, I can really enjoy the knitting.

Case in point, the Teddy Bear. I came upon this book at the Spring Retreat and loved the idea of knitting a Teddy Bear -- a three dimensional, sculptured knitted item. It was basically all knit stitches so there wasn't much to learn in that regard but plenty to research in terms of the perfect yarn and finishing techniques. I had a blast. I started this project at the Fall Retreat and when I got home, immediately abandoned it. I started to notice holes from the increases and fearing the filling was going to leak through, I lost my oomph for the knitting but not for the project. I can't tell you how many swatches I made to test various increases and even tried to create a few new ones. The "knitguyla left leaning increase that's invisible, perfect and sure to change the face of knitting"....well that didn't happen but I did learn a lot about increases. I knew all of the increases but never really thought about them in terms of which would work best or in what circumstances. I just followed the pattern, isn't that what everyone does?

On the finishing end, I learned that I do indeed hate finishing. It's tedious and when you suck at it as I do, makes a handmade project homemade which is why I will surely contract out the finishing. As for the yarn, the limited selection of Florida yarns had me baffled and in the end, I left it to my LYS owner in L.A. to pick the perfect yarns and she did. With so little accomplished on my own, I found little to blog about so the project and the process entered the abyss of unfinished items.

Maybe I'm just your garden-variety hobbyist and with that don't have enough to blog about that's of interest to the greater community. QueerJoe and Knitterguy plan knitting retreats and blog about finished projects with the regularity that I wear shoes, YarnHarlot created and executed Sock Summit, WonderMike blogs at Fiberbeat (video included), Franklin writes hysterical books and finds time to split his time with an equally funny alter-ego (hell, I can't even spell panopti-who), YarnHarlot writes books (did I mention her already?), BrooklynTweed he writes books too and Dave spins and weaves with such expertise I nearly cry every time I visit The Weaving Studio!

I don't finish projects and occasionally write about it.

insert long pause If there's a blog police I'm in real trouble.

On a side note, I'm a little disappointed ::sniffle:: that no one commented on my staggeringly brilliant photography skills in my last post. My hunched-over reflection in the center ornament was a triumph for someone with so little skill behind the camera. It's too late, don't bother...unless you feel you must.

And welcome Shihtzuma to the followers. She's a knitter from NJ (that where my peeps live) and that's all I know about her. She lives in the land of knitters, I think I'll friend her and get to know her a little better. Welcome Donna! See, I learned something about her already...her name's Donna, just in case you didn't get that from the "welcome Donna" shout out! ;-)

A day late and a dollar short....

This Christmas thing always seems to overshadow my Blogoversary which just happens to fall on December 25th as well. I'm too busy on Christmas Day to post and then I lose all blogging interest because I missed the Christmas Day post and we end up here with Merry Christmas & Happy New Year tidings on January 8th. If we were related, this wouldn't surprise you. I haven't sent a birthday card on time since 1975!

Regardless, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I'm feeling especially grateful this year for the love in my life, good health, prosperity against all odds and the simplicity I've been able to create in 2009. This year has seen a ton of self-discovery at casa knitguyla and with that, my 2010 resolutions are clear and decisive. I won't bore you with all the details except to say that they are a typical mix, mostly.


So ... Merry Christmas and the happiest, healthiest and most joyous of New Year's to you all! Oh yeah, and Happy Blogoversary to me! I'll leave you with a recent photo (taken on the Christmas Cruise) and like it, may all your 2010 dreams lead you off into the sunset!

P.S. We have some new followers and I'd like to say welcome to you all! Wilma is the coolest twenty-something; he's the guy I wish I could have been when I was his age! That and a damn good knitwear designer!

Success & Failure

Tomorrow I will mail my Christmas gifts to family and friends. None of these said packages will include knitted items. I hoped to finish a blanket for someone special on my list but I haven't finished the border and their birthday is in February, so with that I've alleviated all holiday knitting stress!


Instead of finishing holiday gifts, I have been playing with patterns thinking I could design something. I know, who do I think I am to think that I could design a knitted item? It's not really designing per se but more of an adaptation of an existing pattern. Gotta start somewhere, no? The latest is this pattern, originally created for a dishcloth of all things but I thought with an amazing liner color to really show off the lacey parts, it could be an interesting bag. Simply put, I am challenged mathematically. I don't want the gusset of the bag to to be knit or stockinette and trying to figure the pattern in the round while getting a tighter gauge so that the size of the bag comes out as expected has given me a headache. It's still pretty though and I may actually finish it up and add it to the dishcloth collection.


I also knit these little wrist warmers but alas, I hate finishing (as is publicly known) even something that would take less than half an hour. I even bought these clip things to make it easier but even they haven't enticed me to get around to it. The yarn is a Superwash that didn't work for a scarf idea but worked nicely for this simple pattern. If I ever finish them, I may just keep them for myself or more likely, I may just keep them in the UFO pile like so many others. I suppose if I could actually wear these knitted lovelies, I'd finish them but that story has already been told. Florida's hot, poor knitguyla, blah, blah, blah. ;-)

I have a Christmas party to attend tonight and I'm torn between the red shorts or the green shorts. Decisions. Decisions.

Tree photos soon. I just can't decide -- garland, tinsle, beads, flowers or babies breath? Feel free to weigh in with a comment or two! Good cheer and Happy Holidays!

Snow Day

I've lived in Buffalo.


I know snow.


I know Winter can be a colossal pain in the ass.


I miss it terribly.

I've lived in a warm climate for too long, southern California and now Florida round out the last decade and I'm due a good snow day. I have tremendous holiday spirit this year but something so integral to the sensory experience of Christmas is missing. It's simply...the cold and snow.

I'm knitting the last of my holiday gifts with the central AC cranking and wondering how freakin' hot is this wool blanket going to get before I get to the cast-off edge?

If you're somewhere cold and it's working your last nerve, just know there's someone out there missing it more than you'll ever know.

These photos are from the Calgary Herald and I found them via www.sheepless.ca She posted the bus shot, isn't it incredible!
Photo credits: Jennifer Riddell, Oliver Ennis, Tim Bergmann

I'm a Gleek!

Yes, I'm in love with Glee. Last week the frenetic pace of Top Chef was making me so uptight I flipped the channel and accidentally found Glee. It's funny, heart-warming, satirical, dramatic and just plain old good storytelling! And there's singing AND dancing! What more could a guy want? I caught up by watching every episode on Hulu (love Hulu!) and when I ran out of episodes on Hulu, I turned to YouTube!

Every high school sterotype has been rounded up for this cast including the gay kid. I'm terribly gay-centric from the films I see, books I read and social activities/establishments I frequent so any program with gay characters is of interest to me. It's all about visibility and how it works to affect kids growing up where there might not be an gay visibility in their communities. If shows like this had been around when my generation was coming of age, we'd be different men and women of our age. And did I mention there's singing!



If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to watch, Wednesday nights at 9PM on FOX!

Rain and Autumnal Pleasures

Where to start? Rhinebeck has come and gone and my trip was great except for the non-stop rain. It really put a damper on the entire week. It rained in NYC, it rained in Rhinebeck and it rained in New Jersey when I visited my folks. I've been busy packing and unpacking, catching up on sleep and wondering why I haven't posted to my blog or more importantly, why hasn't the house magically cleaned itself?

My trip started in NYC, my hometown and favorite city on the planet. I got to see friends, Hair on Broadway and dined all over the city! I yarn crawled my way from the Upper East & West sides to 14th Street and back. There are some really interesting shops in NYC, even some in old brownstones that made for beautiful retail spaces that could easily be stupendous homes. What I wouldn't do? I drank too much and had a blast at old haunts and new favorites. No matter how long you live in NY or no matter how often you visit, there's always something new to see. In a single day you can visit a first-class museum, a yarn shop, listen to street music, watch old men and young studs play boccie, walk Central Park, shop on Madison Avenue, see a Broadway show, ride a carousel, eat a falafel and have a nightcap in a posh lounge. And that was just Thursday! Thanks to Susie, (she's following the blog now, hi Knitting Knoobie) for her recommendations as I traversed the city in search of shoes and sweets!


Early Saturday morning I headed up to Rhinebeck. I jumped in my rental car and had a lovely drive up the Taconic Parkway, one of the most beautiful scenic drives if you ever get the chance! I arrived at The NYS Sheep & Wool Festival in time to catch the Circular Sock Machine demonstration. I haven't given up on my antique baby and got a ton of helpful hints just in time for some Christmas sock knitting. Keep your fingers crossed!

One of the things I love about Rhinebeck is seeing all of the interesting things that people are doing in the fiber community but this year, not so much. For the most part, the vendors were the same as last year and showing the same things they showed last year. Honestly, it's a spinner's show with tons of fiber, fleeces and roving but not so much on the yarn end. The part of Rhinebeck that intrigued me last year were the unique/hand-crafted things going on in the industry. I had no idea that the same vendors simply come year after year with basically their same wares.

While in Rhinebeck, I found out that Woolcott & Company in Boston is closing. I know Sean, from the Men's Spring Retreat and I was truly saddened to hear about his shop. I don't particularly know him well and never had the chance to visit his store but local yarn shops, vendors and farms need to be patronized by all of us to keep them in the black. Next time you need yarn (so that means tomorrow) make sure you stop in on your local neighborhood shop. It may cost you a little extra, yes...but you'll be saving a tradition that's slipping away from us.

When I moved to Florida I really learned how much the local yarn store experience matters to the communal nature of knitting. I don't knit nearly as much as I did when there was a shop to go to on my day off, where I'd visit with like minded friends and learn something new in the process. If we don't patronize these stores, they can't stay open. It's that simple. ::end soapbox::

The rain held off long enough on Saturday afternoon to have a visit with the boys from the Men's Knitting retreats. It was great to see familiar faces like Joe, Stephen (who recenty honeymooned in Paris. If you haven't read his twitter updates you're missing out), Guido, Alasdair, Sean, Mark, Ted and John! (who'd I forget?) I even got to say hey to Will, one of our followers here at "HookedOnTheNeedle" and met Aaron and MMario (the lace King)!

From there, I was off to meet Jessica and Juli! Poor Monica got a case of the Hamthrax that was going around and didn't even make it to the show floor. She suffered so having made the trip all the way from Oregon. We got to hold hands on Sunday morning in the parking lot while she tried to convalesce in the car. Juli got a bunny, I chatted with Dan, I met Knitterotica (while lost from Juli & Jessica) and Wendy & I gave each other belated-birthday hugs. We share the same birthday! As I mentioned earlier, the show was a bit of a snooze but the Rav folks, especially the boys and the crazy kooks at CPAAG made it worth the trip!


With that, I was off to New Jersey for some family time. I even got to go to a pumpkin patch, my first ever! I knit a pair of fingerless gloves for my sister while I was home but of course, didn't get a chance to sew them up. I hate finishing. Have a mentioned that? One more early morning flight out of Newark and I was home again, sweating my ass off in Florida! It is November, yes?

Rereading this post it sounds like I didn't have the greatest time. Honestly, I'm traveled out. I was in Arizona for almost 3 weeks. I came home for 6 days and headed out to NY. The trip unexpectedly came entirely too close to too much work-related travel. I couldn't really enjoy my splendid NYC digs while jonesing for my own bed back home. I loved seeing the Rav folks and the boys of the retreats and wouldn't change my exhausted state for anything....but next year, I may pull the plug on Rhinebeck or convince myself that it's okay to sleep in and miss a moment or two. Lisa/Mel are you listening? It's all up to you. That's all I'm going to say. ;-)


For now, I'm glad to be home, knitting my fingers away on too many works in progress and waiting patiently for the house to magically clean itself!

Out & About

I'm just popping in to let you know I haven't died, it just felt like it! I've been away on business and glad to be finally home. If you haven't figured it out from the photo, I've been to the desert and I have to say, 3 weeks was enough for me. How'd the Jews do it for 40 years?! Remarkably I was not inspired to knit much in the balmy 110 degree heat but I did my best. The teddy bear is done but her little Fair Isle sweater is still a dream in my mind's eye.

I hope you're enjoying the Autumnal chill in the air and looking forward to Halloween. What's everyone dressing up as this year? I accepted an invitation to a Halloween party, my first in 30 years. Don't ask me why, I hate Halloween...except for the chocolate.

Welcome Will & Robert to the follower's list. They're both knitters and Men Who Knit Junkies, need I say more!

Go West Young Man!

I was in Seattle last week for the Men's Fall Knitting Retreat and had an opportunity to spend a few days on my own in the city. It's a great city, alive with culture and energy in a way that speaks to this city-kid's sensibilities. The weather was surprisingly accommodating and for most of the trip I was in shorts and t-shirts which was a bonus I did not expect. I saw all of the typical tourist sights. I got up early and trekked down to Pikes Market and was overwhelmed by the crafty goodness that is offered up on a daily basis. Fish were tossed, I went to the top of the Space Needle and enjoyed the afternoon at the Seattle Art Museum. Brian, thanks a ton for the tour of the city. I could never have covered so much ground on my own.

For a guy with a fear of heights, The Space Needle is an imposing sight from the ground.

It's equally scary from the top but totally worth it. I could see a glimpse of an outline of Mt. Rainier but not one that would photograph. This vantage point will have to do.

All over town, the city was alive with talented musicians and flowers on every street lamp.

Behind that post is a blurred flash that is actually a giant fish hurling through space towards the guy on the left. And he actually caught it!

I visited a local yarn shop in Kent, WA for a signing of Franklin Habit's book, It Itches and was able to connect with new and old online friends. If you have a chance to take Franklin's photography class, do it without a second thought! While I was there, I purchased some amazing Blue Sky Suri Merino in a burnt red colorway that will make a spectacularly soft hat for my niece using the Hermione Cable Hat pattern seen in the recent Harry Potter movie.

From the hustle of the city I headed out to Dumas Bay with Keith and Stephen (of hizknits fame). Thanks again for the ride Keith!

At the retreat I made amazing progress on the teddy bear and will probably have the individual pieces off to the finisher by next weekend. It's been a tough knit using worsted weight yarn on a size 5 needle but the end result should be worth the pain. I'm still a bit apprehensive regarding the Fair Isle sweater but I'm working diligently on my Continental knitting skills that should produce the sweater in fine fashion.

Simply put, the highlight of these retreats are the men who attend. Their talent is truly overwhelming and seeing their finished pieces really charges my knitting batteries. I also had the opportunity to meet Cat Bordhi and won her Moebius Scarf book which she graciously signed for me...BONUS! To meet a knitting icon in the flesh was a real treat and she's as kooky, talented and inspiring as expected. The one road trip I attended was to Skacel, the Addi Turbo folks and apparently a huge yarn distributor, who knew? I bought a pair of lace needles and we'll see what that produces in the next few months.

I didn't really take any photos at the retreat nor did I take a ton of classes. I just enjoyed the company. I spent my time with the guys and knit like the wind (I love that tag from Brenda Dayne's podcast. Indulge me, it's my blog). I wish I lived in closer proximity to some of the guys so meet-ups and the like could take place on a regular basis. For now, I'll look forward to the next trip and being in their company again. Those of you with built-in knitting communities where you live have no idea how much these events can mean to isolated knitters in traditionally non-knitting locales!

I'll leave you with this shot from Dumas Bay. It's really an idyllic setting for a creative and social exploration.


Thank you Michael and Brian for an amazingly organized event and one I will remember long into the future.

They arrived today and I've already knit a test swatch! I know there are all sorts of fancy needles on the market these days. Addi Turbos are all the rage but personally I like straight needles when the project allows. I typically knit with Bryspun plastic needles. I can hear the groans from you needle snobs but I like them. They are extremely flexible which equates to "easy on the hands" and the bonus, they have a superlatively pointy tip. When I saw the Signature Needle Arts "stiletto" tip, I knew someday I'd own a pair. The hype is true. They're light and the tip doesn't split the yarn. They even came packaged in a custom tube wrapped in colored craft paper. If you're ever in the market for a beautifully turned knitter's gift, look no further than www.signatureneedlearts.com. I couldn't get a good shot of my new #6, 10", stiletto tip, bell cap needles so photo credit is due to the wonderful folks at Signature Needle Arts. My new needles look just like the green ones on the left. Pretty nifty, huh?

On other fronts, I took another trip to the Butterfly Gardens. It's my favorite place in town to meditate and best of all, there's tons of photo opportunities. They let me sit in the garden for hours, converse with nature and read. I love it there and sometimes the butterflies land right on me and sit for a spell. It's magic!

As for knitting, I've been testing increases and decreases for the teddy bear project and working on finding the perfect gauge so that when it's stuffed, you won't see the stuffing itself. All of this could have been avoided if the pattern simply offered a specific increase/decrease, not to mention gauge. Isn't that knitting rule #1 or am I living in a parallel universe?