Monday, May 14, 2007

Knitting and Life Update

We had such lovely weather for so long here that I forgot that The Netherlands in the spring is often sort of wet. So it's back to jackets for us for a while. Not completely wet, but it's sort of clammy and cold a lot lately.

I'm really okay with the whole cold thing, the winter thing, etc. I just put on my scarf and heavy jacket and leave the house every day. It's when spring is here and it's nice weather and then we get the ratty, messy weather again that it begins to get on my nerves. Today is just windy, as this country seems to be in the spring.

Not a lot going on here. When I finished that scarf (see last post), I am started on a little sweater and it is coming along beautifully. I feel like I need to do a sweater. My knitting skills are such that I can knit reasonably fast, I have a good gauge and I can do a number of marginally intricate things, but I have never made a sweater. So I am starting with a miniature and then I will go on to a more complex garment.

Someone asked me the other day why I like knitting. It was a guy in my writing group - maybe several of them. So as I sit and knit, I've been thinking about what I like about it.

There's that crafty aspect. I like making things and I like seeing things come together. The sweater I'm working on now is just stockinet with a moss border, but it's sort of thrilling to see this piece of fabric grow and it'll be exciting when I have a few pieces to put together. I've even added an extra knit stitch where the pieces meet, as I was suggested by someone - a woman who specializes in "finishing" pieces.

There's also a challenge aspect to it. It's really frustrating for me to not be able to do things. The scarf that is shown in the last post was not the scarf I started. I tried another pattern several times before ripping it out and settling on the cables with the yarn overs. I like it, but now I feel like I want to do the other scarf even more, now that I don't have a time pressure thing going on.

So there are all these things that people talk about that I can't do, and I want to be able to do them. There's a part of me that wants to know how to do it all. I want to whip out a sweater with relative ease instead of making it a three year project. (There's a bag of wool for a sweater for Fred that is waiting for me to get to it.)

I wish I knew some local knitters. There is a group, but it's on Monday evenings and I teach on Monday evenings. But a woman I haven't spoken to in a while called last night and asked if I would teach her to knit. Absolutely. Should be interesting.

My life almost feels like I'm waiting for the school year to end. It's such a strange, jerky schedule. Today I have three class periods, but the first is testing (so they won't be showing up) and then other two are "optional." Guess what. Empty class room.

I told them here at school that I won't be returning next year. I didn't want to be "Andy-who-is-leaving" for any longer than I had to be, but it looks like I'll be that Andy for a couple of months. Jammer.

2 comments:

Dorothy said...

Maastricht looks beautiful and old world charming.

I love your ISE scarf. Sometimes simplicity is perfect. I know I would wear that scarf more than some of the more intricate ones. I'd be too afraid of wrecking something lacey.

I haven't done a sweater either. Have you searched for a sweater-a-long on-line? You can knit the sweater you are working on and feel like you are part of a virtual knitting group all working on similar things.

Anonymous said...

I'm also a knitter! I've also heard about a group in Amsterdam... I wonder if it's the same one. There's a restaurant here in Utrecht that has a Stitch and Bitch night every Tuesday. I've been toying with the idea of giving it a try, but so far I've been too lazy... I'd rather sit with the hubby and knit while watching TV or a movie.