Best Quote I Heard All Day
Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.--Al Franken

Fucking up knitting is a state of being that belongs to all.


FO Pas
After all the comments from the last entry, I can't help but agree with some of my readers that fear of fucking up is causing many new knitters to avoid anything more advanced than scarves.

Now, before you get your knickers in a collective twist again, hear this: I completely understand that there are A) beginners who don't just knit scarves; B) beginners who don't just use eyelash; and C) some beginners (and others) who like the hip knitting books.

OK? We don't need to discuss the above again, I think.

I will fully admit that I continue to fuck up my knitting, even after 35 years. It's easy. It happens when I don't pay attention, get complacent, and watch TV while doing a complex pattern. And I have made gigantic fashion faux pas in the past, none of which were photographed. All of them reside in the landfills for which Jersey is so famous.

Some of my more memorable screwups: The infamous aqua acrylic ribbed coat (circa 1975); Jimmy's Aran sweater (Candide pattern), where the sleeves were 4" too long; the vest that had two right fronts (I redid one, needless to say). And lately, on the Lavold vest, forgetting to increase along the left front side edge.

Feel free to confess yours in the Comments. My name is Marilyn and I fuck up my knitting.

Patternworks Fall Catalog
I've read stories about their alleged poor service. I just ordered red rubber markers from them and they came within 4 days. So much for that. But I still can't get over the Falkenberg scarf kit for sale for $170. I'd love to know who plunked down the coins for that.

I'm really hoping that Keepsake Quilting (you must make a trip to their store in Center Harbor, NH, even if you don't quilt) will open up a retail warehouse like the place in Poughkeepsie. P'works is my preferred mail order company and I have gotten the KQ catalog for years too. I'm liking KnitPicks a lot these days, though. With my nutsy schedule, I'm lucky if I can get to The Yarn Loft in Sparta on a Saturday. I'd rather support my local yarn shop than mail order.

Short But Sweet
John's coming over tonight and we're going to watch The Bourne Identity. I'm seeing a lot of him, steadily. Fun guy. So tonight's entry is short. At least I can knit while he's around. He's got an old chenille scarf that oh God help me I suppose I should replace with a Touch Me scarf. Well, even I can be convinced to knit a scarf.

I'll be selling the pattern for $5 a pop. Heh.

Look for pictures Sunday night of my little knitting get-together. Kathy's bringing her stash cast-offs. I will not say publicly how many skeins of Koigu she owns. That's for her to confess.

Let's just say that her Koigu Kollection is, um, hefty.

And handy. And certainly rare, in that quantity.