“beauty is twice beauty


 and what is good is doubly good


when it is a matter of two socks


made of wool in winter.”

             Excerpt from “Ode to My Socks”

            By Pablo Neruda (translated by Robert Bly)

Knitting my first pair of socks was not near as hard as I first anticipated.  Thanks to Staci Perry and her video tutorials.  I happened upon Ms. Perry’s pattern and lessons doing an Internet search for beginner socks.  Her pattern and instructions were very easy to follow.  I am now a big fan of Staci’s and will visit her site for future projects. (www.verypink.com)

Being a visual learner, having a video of each step of the sock making process was fantastic. YouTube is a wonderful tool for the likes of me.  You can find almost any knitting stitch demonstrated for you by some lovely soul who took the time to video the process and put on the Internet.  Technology can be a wonderful thing. It was fun to see the shaping occur as I stitched along and when I completed both socks and tried them on for the first time it was like Pablo Neruda says in his poem

…my feet were honored in this way

by these heavenly socks.

they were so handsome for the first time

my feet seemed to me unacceptable

like two decrepit firemen,

firemen unworthy of the woven fire,

of those glowing socks…

Okay maybe that is overdramatizing the moment, but they sure were cozy and comfortable.  I look forward to knitting many more socks and giving them away as gifts to my friends and maybe one day my hand knitted socks will inspire the poet in one of them to write a poem about my socks.

Happy knitting and crocheting,

Diana

I strongly encourage you to read Pablo Neruda’s entire poem “Ode to My Socks”

Pack up your spray paint cans you pesky graffiti artist because you cannot beat the guerilla knitters that have taken yarn bombing to the streets.

Yarn bombing if you don’t already know (and I didn’t until just recently) is a type of street art that uses knitted or crocheted yarn to decorate the everyday objects that you find in the great outdoors.   Yarn bombers stitch cozies for everything from park benches to lamp post and everything in-between.

I found out about this fantastic form of expression just recently on a near-by neighbor street that is home to some wonderful homespun restaurants. I was going to one of my favorite said restaurants when I noticed all of these bright punches of color winding around the lampposts, bike racks, park benches and even the trashcans.  My curiosity was peaked and upon further investigation I found out about yarn bombing.

Our neighborhood yarn bombing was the result of a local artist (Amber Bailey) who worked with children and adults alike to create these knitted goodies to adorn our street in order to call attention to an upcoming young artist street fair.  HOW FUN IS THAT?  You can bet that if this is an annual event that I will definitely be a part of this endeavor next year.  And this type of street art makes you smile rather then reach for the phone to call the gang crime unit!

You should check out yarn bombing on the Internet.  You will see some amazing examples of this art form.  If you have seen or been involved in yarn bombing, I would love to hear about it and definitely would love to see some pictures.  Share please!

Happy Knitting and Crocheting,

Diana

So I think I have mentioned before that I am a novice knitter.  My Tumbleweed partner, Kitman, is our expert in all things knitting.  When I was growing up my grandmother taught me to crochet so I know that I have some aptitude for crafts with needles.  But that was many, many, years ago, and a few things have replaced that information in my already overworked brain.  And when she was teaching me she only spoke Spanish and I unfortunately barely have the gift of English.  So I am not sure how much of it took in the first place.  So I have begun my journey to proudly and without hesitation call myself a knitter.

I began this journey with buying a beginner’s knitting book at Half Price bookstore.  I worked on several of the projects to get a feel for the terminology, different stitches, and reading patterns. The fruits of my labor being several random pot holders.

It was fun, but I was anxious to make something that I could wear.  I tried socks.  My hands and brain were not ready for 4 needles and shaping. So my friend Cindy and I found this pattern by Lijuan Jing that we decided to do together.  My first knit-along! Cindy assured me that I should not be afraid of more then 2 needles and the fact that it said “intermediate pattern” should not dissuade me from trying.  Well, the scarf that I made did not come easily and no one should look too closely at the stitching–but I am proud of the final result.  If for nothing else, I would not let dropping stitches, losing count, and a host of other frustrations deviate me from finishing the project.  So like a 6 year old child showing mom my hand painted pencil holder, made from a milk carton covered in Popsicle sticks, I proudly share my Swirl Scarf with you.  Next challenge…back to socks.

Happy Knitting,

Diana