Read Online At Knit's End by Stephanie Pearl–McPhee - Free Book Online Page B

world who work in miniature. They use needles made from piano wire, and their gauge averages about 40 to 60 stitches to the inch. Yeah, read that again.
    I will remember, though I have absolutely no urge to take up this type of endeavor, that it does give some perspective to complaining about projects in fingering-weight yarn.
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    And isn’t sanity really just a one-trick pony,
anyway? I mean, all you get is one trick,
rational thinking. But when you’re good and
crazy, ooh ooh ooh, the sky’s the limit!
    â€” T HE T ICK (B EN E DLUND )
    A rtist and performer Pate Conaway worked on a performance piece called “Knitting for My Soul.” He knitted in public, a washcloth sculpture that would cover a queen-size bed. His needles were 4 feet long, and the ball of yarn was almost as big as he was. Pate claimed to be playing with scale.
    I will follow my inner artist as far as she wants to take me. (Even if it’s not quite that far.)
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    For people allergic to wool,
one’s heart can only bleed.
    â€” E LIZABETH Z IMMERMAN
    5 reasons why wool is wonderful:
    It can be bent 20,000 times without breaking
    It is warm even when wet
    It is fire resistant; wool will stop burning when the flame is removed
    It can be stretched up to 30 percent and still return to its original shape
    Sheep are easier to catch and shear than, say, musk ox
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    Once is happenstance.
Twice is coincidence.
Three times is enemy action.
    â€” I AN L. F LEMING
    M y sweater is against me. I have no real proof, of course, because sweaters are tricky, but it is the only possibility. I know people will think that a sweater plagued with mistakes and disaster is my fault … but I am a competent knitter who has a closet full of sweaters that went just fine. Clearly, I am not to blame for the dropped stitches, the funny gauge, and the cable that went the wrong way.
    I will remember, when a project is not going my way, that everything on the planet has its own destiny. From time to time, I need to accept that my project and I are not on the same “life path.”
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    I’m living so far beyond my income
that we may almost be said
to be living apart.
    â€” E. E. CUMMINGS
    O ne strategy for controlling your spending at the yarn shop is to decide how much money you will spend before you leave your house. Take that amount of cash and leave your credit cards at home. Temptation will be everywhere when you are at the yarn shop, and your self-control will be tested. This simple technique can reduce impulse shopping and help you stay focused.
    When I run out of cash, I will simply take my yarn and go home, instead of trying to sell my shoes and coat on the street in front of the yarn shop to raise more funds.
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    Knitting still remains my most stimulating
yet relaxing activity and I thank the powers
that be that I can make a living at it …
I always pack my knitting or needlepoint
project first when traveling.
    â€” K AFFE F ASSETT
    F or most knitters, traveling means scoring some really good knitting time, but what project to take? Travel knitting must be small, but not so small that you would finish it quickly and need a new project. Simple enough to amuse you, but not so simple that you will be bored. The yarn should be lightweight so that you can carry all you will need. It must suit the climate; you don’t want to take a wool sweater to the beach or a sunhat to the Arctic … and finally, it must be washable so you can get your spilled margarita off it.
    I will remember that it’s normal for it to take longer to pack my knitting than my clothes.
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    Just because something doesn’t do
what you planned it to
do doesn’t mean it’s useless.
    â€” T HOMAS A. E DISON
    U naware that I was headed for likely disaster, I knit my friend a pair of slippers that needed to be felted. I used leftovers in my stash and knit the tops out of red yarn from one company and black yarn of a different brand.