The Dull Knitter
Dear Emma,
Your post shook up the space-time continuum. Next thing I know you’ll be knitting for charity. (Charity, of course, in this circumstance being a dirty word). If I come over Wednesday night to find you knitting outfits for penguins affected by oil spills, I’m going to check your forehead for a fever.
The irony of starting a knitting blog when one has been uninspired to knit for the past two months does not escape me. I’ve been in a funk with my projects – the Flicca sleeve is stalled due to a potentially fatal ribbing error (I’m sure you didn’t think those existed) and I cried when Stephanie frogged hers (that was made with the same yarn, those delicious photographs are what inspired me to make mine), my blue Merlin dress from a recent issue of Vogue Knitting sits 80% done but I have no inspiration to finish it, and the only thing I’ve knit in the past two weeks is a dishcloth. My yarn is boxed up in a Rubbermaid tote in what was supposed to be my beautiful studio in our new house – but presently sits as a messy room stuffed with my sewing machine, yarn, and fabrics in a big heaping mess. I mostly keep the door closed.
Maybe I’m suffering from Knitting Depression. I’ve been seeking the sewing machine out more these days – looking for instant gratification of piecing a quilt top, or even starting my very first dress. That one probably deserves a post of its own. The zipper remains my nemesis, however.
These days, the knitted item I’m wearing the most is a ubiquitous Swallowtail, knit in the most beautiful shade of brown I’ve ever seen – 100% baby alpaca from this vendor with the richness and depth of chestnut. I was attracted to a seemingly dull color for such a beautiful pattern. It is tiny – hardly a shawl – more like a neck kerchief. Because it is alpaca, it didn’t hold the block well and has softened with only a few wearings to a scrunchable shape. I wear it as I’ve shown below, tied around my neck, something I learned from a beautiful blonde knitter friend of mine who also happens to be a co-blogger. She’s one of the most stylish people I know.
I promise more knitting related content later,
Martha
Nordicfibregirl replied:
Oh dear, I can’t help with the knitting inspiration, but I can give you a tip about sewing in your silk dress zipper: do it by hand! Even after I got my Husqvarna with all its bells and whistles, I still sew in zippers by hand. I machine baste the seam where the zipper will sit first, and press it open. Then I pin the closed zipper to the inside of the pressed-open seam – I pin across the zipper so the pins won’t interfere with my sewing. Backstitch the zipper in place by hand with small stitches – don’t make them too tight. Take out the machine basting with your seam ripper, and press. et, voila!
April 11, 2009 at 9:28 pm. Permalink.