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Friday, March 25, 2011

knitting (!) my tea leaves cardigan


Updated to add: I just found out that one of my photos is featured on Your Tea Time today. Hop over there for a visit.



Week's end. Sigh.

I am so glad to have a couple of days of free time (ok, more like a few hours of free time, but I'll take what I can get). I've been watching Downton Abbey recently and in one episode the grandmother of the artistocratic family asks: "What's a weekend?" She can do as she pleases every day, so the end of the week holds no special significance.

But for me (and I'd venture to say most of you, too) weekends are everything. On the way to work this morning I realized how many ways I've already spent those free hours in my mind. I've thought of baking a cake, walking to the farmers' market, eating at my local Indian restaurant, watching more Downton Abbey, and knitting. Will I accomplish all of those things? Maybe not, but it sure is fun to think about.

One thing I will undoubtedly be doing this weekend is knitting. People, I'm obsessed. It's like when I first learned to crochet. I'd wake up every morning *so* excited that it was another day I could crochet. Well, now I want to spend every spare moment knitting. And all the other non-spare moments. I make deals with myself such as, "You can knit one more row and then you have to do your homework." But inevitably after that one row I give in and let myself purl a row, too. And then the next row is knitting, which is so fast that I convince myself I might as well do that row as well. Before I know it an hour has passed in this way of bargaining with myself and no homework has been done, though the cardigan is looking mighty pretty.

There is one thing that compels me to stop knitting (hint: it's not homework). I'll tell you on the condition that you don't laugh too hard about my knitting-nerd ways. My other recent obsession is reading about knitting. Oh gosh, I know, how dorky can I get? Well, the secret is out now so I may as well tell you all about it. I've been reading Knitting Without Tears during the daytime hours and The Knitter's Almanac before bed every night. Elizabeth Zimmermann seems like my own special knitting friend, and she makes me feel less awkward about my nerdiness because she also likes to talk about yarn and needles and stitches all day long. Plus, she's just a good writer. I love that she starts her almanac with a story about why she writes about knitting--her husband had listened to all of the knitting details that he could possibly handle and finally suggested she write a book. I read that part out loud to K because I knew he'd identify with EZ's "Old Man."

Reading EZ's almanac before bed means that knitting has most definitely crept into my dreams. A couple of nights ago I dreamed that I was knitting all night long. It was the best dream I've had since the one where I met Dolly Parton and knew that we were going to be best friends forever (I am letting out all my nerdy secrets today).


* * * * *


Do you have any nerdy secrets you'd like to reveal here?

Come on, make me feel better about my obsessions.

If you're not a nerd (and I don't believe that for one minute, but I'll let it slide), you could just leave a comment about your weekend plans. I'm always looking for ideas of more things to cram into my free hours, though I think we all know that the only thing I'll be doing this weekend is working on my cardigan (and squeezing in a bit of homework so that the university will give me a degree come May).

10 comments:

  1. So jealous your started this sweater. Love this pattern. I can understand yournkitting obsession. Lately I have been reading New England Knits just reading knitting patterns and trying to figure out stitches and learning from the glossery. Gone on online and found some nice wool for $6 in farm in Virginia. Debating when to just breakdown and buy the interchangable needle set so I can start a sweater. But wait I'm having trouble reading the patterns so I go online looking for a group. Yesterday I went to a yarn and fabric store in my area. So obessive yes I know. For now I just work on my crochet throw.

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  2. The Tea Leaves is looking fab! You are really moving along. My nerdiness... so much to choose from there. For today it is the fact that I solicit fashion advice from my 5 year old son. Mostly because he always tells me "I LOVE it!" to most things I wear and it makes me feel good. Also, I almost cried when a show choir from the middle school next door to our elementary school performed at a pep rally this morning. I cry whenever any kids perform... especially if they are singing. I just feel so proud of them, even if I don't know them. (This started before I even had my own kids.) SUPER-DORKY!
    I love, love, love your Dolly Parton dream. Seriously awesome! I haven't had any good ones that I remembered lately.
    As for the weekend I know just what you mean with the planning and filling up the time before it starts... spring break starts for me at 3 p.m. today and I have enough plans in my head to fill an entire summer vacation! Reading and knitting are part of the plan. So is painting and reading about painting (my new obsession!)
    I hope that your weekend is lovely and filled with as much knitting and purling as you'd like!

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  3. Your cardigan is looking beautiful, you would never know that you are new to knitting. It is extremely obsessive. I worry that if I don't stop knitting that I am going to be like "mama" from "What's Eating Gilbert Grape".
    Okay so nerdy tales about me? Not very different from yours it seems. I love to read about knitting and I especially love to watch videos about knitting. Something about it relaxes me.
    Now Dolly P. just happens to be someone I love to bits. I would like to be besties with her in real life. She is wicked smart!
    Good call on Downton Abbey. I love that series.
    Happy Obsessive knitting!

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  4. Nerdiness...where do I begin? It started when I taught myself html coding to create a website that would rival a b/f who was whining all the time about how hard it was...Ok, maybe it started before that, but that's when I just accepted my nerdiness! Me, I'm a fool for teaching books of any kind, including lesson plans I can think about using on the girls, even though I'm no longer homeschooling--oh wait, now that can be considered pretty nerdy, too, huh? What else you ask? I cry at commercials of any kind, and about any movie. I arrange my dishwasher so all forks are together, all spoons are together (by size), etc. Oh, and I went to PEI on my honeymoon because I loved the scenes from "Felicity," the Disney TV show.

    Wow, that was a lot of nerdiness crimes. Maybe I should write a blog post just about my nerdiness?

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  5. I think it's great that you're loving knitting. Right now I feel the same about sewing. I've sewed for years, but I never felt so obsessed about it until this year. I just wish it were as portable and tidy as knitting and crocheting ... Happy knitting!

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  6. A fellow nerd! Hurray! I can't believe you're already dreaming about knitting. Don't forget your yarny roots lie with crocheting. Seriously though, you have really mastered this knitting thing so quickly.

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  7. Nerdiness? Let's see, I obsessively watch the History channel, I read cookbooks as a hobby and I collect vintage typewriters. And I have no plans this weekend which REALLY makes me a nerd!

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  8. the tea leaves is a beautiful sweater...how could you not want to spend all day working on it. No nerdiness here, it all makes perfect sense to me!

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  9. Oh my goodness, it is so lovely! Are you really a new knitter?

    I'm nerdy in just about everything . . . alas.

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  10. Love, love, love the Tea Leaves! It's been a real popular one around the blog-o-sphere and I love it everytime someone casts it on. I have the pattern, but it's for *me* and I've never knit anything for myself before. There always seem to be so many other pressing projects that I *need* to do first. Can't wait to see it when you're done. My nerdy confession? I have two (actually, there are probably many more, but I'll reveal two). I really love birdwatching and I use Youtube almost exclusively to watch funny animal videos. Especially cats. Wow. The truth is out there now! :)

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