Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Rip-it Rip-it... Stop it!

frog [frawg] verb
  1. to rip out worked rows of stitches, often due to locating mistake, or simply giving up after        investing hours into a project.

In Japan, the kajika goes kerokero. In Spain the rana sings cruá-cruá. A beka would say bre-ke-ke in Hungary. Here in Norway, frosker sier kvakkIn the knitting world, however, frogs say "rip it, rip it." - Techniques with Theresa

Blame it on my constant need for perfection, or complete lack of patience- I am the ultimate frog-er.  I hate to admit it, but it is true.  Sometimes, I'd like to extend this verb out from the world of knitting, and use it to describe my actions in everyday life.  Case and point:  This blog. 

I have an abundance of grand ideas and plans, and a total lack of follow-through.  So it's been 2 months and 9 days since my last post.  What got me off track this time?  The list is endless.  It started with the kneedles though.  I was on a roll!  I knit the cutest pair of mittens (my first!), and made amazing progress on the Fiance Hoodie v4.0.  Then I put the kneedles down for a minute (or five), and moved.  And while I could definitely be settled into the new digs and knitting in my craft room by now... I decided to pick up yet another addiction:  Dominion.  Watch out, a board-gaming blog may be next.  Really.  I'm a nerd.  So, in an effort to perform a self-intervention, I decided I needed to put any further game related purchases on hold, and get back to the kneedles.

So, it is with great pleasure, and intense fear, that I announce my official enrollment in: 

The Knitting Guild Association's Masters Program

Wish me luck, that's all I have to say.  At least this venture doesn't have a time limit.  And with 16 swatches to (perfectly) knit at each of the three levels...  I have a feeling I'll be hearing a lot of frogs in my future. 

...rip-it ...rip-it ...rip-it

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Tubby Little Chubby All Stuffed With Fluff

Deep in the Hundred Skeins of Yarn where all I do is craft...


Mr. Gregory Peck

Meet Gregory Peck, the second project I ever knit (to completion that is). What happened while knitting him I began to think would never happened again (until Alec Baldwin of course).  I felt such a sense of accomplishment, not only upon his completion, but every step along the way.  One arm here, a stuffed belly there. There is something magical about stuffed animals.  And if you gave me all day, I could go on and on about past times with some of my favorite fluffy friends. Maybe that's why watching this little guy come to life was so exciting... give a pillow two eyes and a mouth, and just like that he has a soul. 

After stitching up the last little pieces of Gregory, and placing him proudly on my shelf, I knew making stuffed animals was my calling.  I wanted to just keep knitting, and not stop until my bed was filled with hundreds of my little friends all named and lined up just like when I was a kid (I know I wasn't the only one). Of course, as with all things in my life, I got frustrated when my next project didn't quite turn out.  And thanks to Ravelry, I had plenty more project ideas to distract me.  And so... Gregory sat there.  On my shelf.  All alone.  For two years (awwwww)

Then one magical day, the fire was lit again. And, as evidenced by the little critters I've already shared with you, it hasn't burned out yet. That feeling I got two years ago.  That calling. It was right.  Call it destiny, call it obsession, call it whatever you'd like, me and stuffed animals were meant to be. 

And so I leave you with Gregory's newest, and oh so adorable, neighbors...

Good Ol' Pals, Truman and Ralph
Warning: That bed full of stuffed animals might not be too far off...  I may even have to invest in one of those rainbow colored stuffed animal nets you proudly hung in the corner of your room in 1991...  Don't try and deny it.