Stich on the Pitch: UEFA Euro 2008 and Creative Freedom

For the last two weeks, I have been obsessed with two things: soccer and deliberating if I should give my sweater baby a rest to start on something new.

Stitch on the Pitch

For all you Americans reading this, let me introduce you to two new concepts. First, I think Americans are the only English speakers who refer to a grassy area designated for sports play a 'field'. Here in the UK, sports are played on either a 'ground' or a 'pitch'. These two expressions are part of my newly found and gladly adopted British vocabulary.

Second, there is a somewhat recent phenomenon in the US called 'Stitch n' Pitch' where a group of knitters get together and take their knitting projects to baseball games. I mean, how ingenious is that? What else are you going to do with all that downtime between pitches and innings? Here in this part of the world, baseball is not as prevalent as say, lawn bowling or snooker. So being as clever as I am, I decided to knit while watching sports taking place on a 'pitch'. And this time of year, that is UEFA's European Football (Soccer) Championships.

For the last two and a half weeks, Matthias and I have been watching sometimes up to three hours of soccer a night! And for a while there, I had to put my sweater aside because the pattern was too daunting to follow while watching steamy ripped guys sweat buckets while running up and down a 'pitch' for 90 minutes. No, seriously, it was the sweater that was distracting me and not my lecherous voyeurism.

This is only one part of the sweater break conundrum. You see, I have been working this pattern for over three months now. I frogged (unravelled) the back panel because the sleeves looked crappy and then I frogged the front because, even though the sleeves looked much better than the ones I had originally done for the back panel, it still was not what the pattern had exactly called for. I am a perfectionist. I am frustrated. I am bored. I am obviously distracted by sultry soccer studs and need some instant gratification project like a scarf or something. But, no way José was I going to let myself off the hook and do something different for a while. I keep such a tight leash on myself sometimes! I was going to finish that sweater come hell or high water. But not when the football is on. And, well, I am obsessed as I probably made clear in my last post. I just have to knit. 

I couldn't really start any thing new because I felt guilty and undisciplined. I leaved through websites and my collection books and patterns, but all to no avail. I kept returning to that crusty old thought pattern that said: 'You have to finish what you have started'. I deliberated for nearly two weeks about starting something new.

And, then like a knitting needle falling from the sky, it hit me straight in the eye and I saw. Through all my deliberating, I was actually de-liberating, or taking away, any creative freedom I was giving myself. I was deliberately (god, what a loaded word!) stifling the very thing I am consciously fostering in myself. I was just telling someone from my knitting group the other day that working multiple projects is just like reading several books simultaneously - something I know I am guilty of and I am sure you can relate, too. 

Immediately after being struck by this insight, I actually got around to finishing a project that I had started almost four months ago and required very little other than a wicked mattress stitch: my OM Yoga Mat Bag. Finishing up this little project gave me back that creative freedom I had been depriving myself of through my old rigid thoughts on self-discipline.  

And, as life would have it, I still was not able to find 'the' right pattern, so I decided to design one up myself: The Spumoni Scarf. It will still be a WIP for another little while. I am planning on attaching some wicked fringe and I have a few more soccer games to take in before next weekend. Let's go, Germany!

My advice to you: if you have the inspiration to start something new, just do it. Don't worry about if, when, and how it will get done. Your project will just tell you what to do next and

 when it is ready to be finished. By debating and deliberating over the birth of an idea only wastes the energy you could be spending knitting a Spumoni scarf. Knit well and knit often.

Vintage Knitting Patterns Online

Sunday was one of those days I made it clear to my DH that I intended to spend most of the day on the couch and do nothing else than read, knit and doze; all of which I  did quite successfully. I spent an hour or so looking for a shrug or cardie pattern to compliment something out of my stash. Low and behold, the pattern I found was vintage - thanks to Glamarama.net. So I decided to be a nice girl and share my findings with you. Today's post features some of the best vintage pattern freebies on the net.

Glamarama.net has a small collection patterns, mostly women's wear and a pattern for a baby soaker. I have added the Bernat cardigan  (below) and the hooded poncho (above) to my queue. Can't wait to start those two. I wonder if there are any sites that tell you how to achieve such a small waist and super pointy boobs all the models in the 50s and 60s seem to have? Wowie zowie. 

        The Costumer’s Manifesto brings us a few very cool turn of the century patterns (1900-1920). I am especially keen on the Knitted Coat Sweater.

Free Vintage Knitting is brought to us by Purple Kitty Yarns and has 8 categories of vintage patterns including women’s and children’s wear, hats, scarves, gloves, along with holiday and home accessories. I just love this Dutch Tile afghan. Mostly late 60s I’d say. 

Vintage Purls is a site out of NZ and offers up some stellar patterns spanning the 1930s to 1950s. The Sunshine Tube Top and Bolero are fabulously cute and seemingly easily knit.

Vintage Knitting is Rhiannon's blog on exactly what the title alludes to. For all of you wanting some vintage knits inspiration, check it out. Rhiannon hasn't posted for a while, but we want her to do so again. Very soon. The Colombia Diamond Lace sweater that she finished is drop-dead gorgeous. She also has a resource page of other vintage knitting resources.

Vintage Connection has got all of those frilly, lacey little knits from Victorian times. Some of these patterns could totally adaptable and may even inspire a few modern retakes. My fav by far are the knee warmers. I mean, come on, don't your knees get drafty? They would be adorable over tights.

Yarn Lover's Room is a compendium  of ‘antique’ knitting patterns from the 40s to the 60s for women, children, men and lace. I totally dig the super starlet modeling the Ski Sweater in the Round.

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 Do you have any favorite links to vintage patterns? Let me know in the comment sections.  Knit well and knit often.

World Wide Knit in Public Day is Saturday, 14 June 2008

Hello all you readers out their in Knitland. Today's post is just a public service announcement reminding you that World Wide Knit in Public Day is quickly closing in on us.

Pack a picknit - e.g. picnic plus knitting gear - and join fellow knitsters of all ages as we show the world the power of our community and represent our peeps.

For more information on WWKiP Day events or 'kips' near you, check out www.wwkipday.com/find_kip.htm. Can't find a local kip? Then organize one yourself. The site provides information on hosting and tools for promoting your kip.

A little background information on WWKiP Day: The unique event has taken place on the second Saturday of June and is an entirely volunteer, locally run event. Since its inception by Danielle Landes in 2005, the number of organized public kips has more than doubled  

each year.

This is not a granny-bashing event; no, no. This is our outing as a com-munity, a chance to get closeted, solitary knitters among our public ranks and an opportunity to demonstrate the diversity, enthusiasm, and array of talent in our community to the rest of the world.

My knitting crew, Absolute Knitters, will be descending upon Exchange Square in the heart of Manchester in two weeks time. I will be reporting back in a few weeks. Be there or be square!

Knit well and knit often (in public).

BrittKnit's KnitPicks: Best Online Knitting Resources

The World Wide Web is a virtual cornucopia of information for the knitter about town. In fact, seldom have I met a knitter who is not electronically connected to the global community (albeit I don’t have much contact to those who still live in the world of typewriters and telegrams- no offence Oma Bauer). So, for this post, dear Reader, I have assembled what I deem as the ten best online resources for knitters, whether rookie or veteran, including online publications, reference pages, and blogs. And there is one very attractive common denominator: every site offers free resources. Who doesn’t love that? So surf to your heart’s content, but be warned: clicking the following links may result in hours and hours gratuitous and pleasurable surfing. Knit well and knit often.

 

1.          Ravelry.com Praise be to the creators, Jessica and Casey, for consolidating the labyrinth that is the online knitting world and giving us yarn junkies an online presence of our own. Still in its BETA version with a waiting list for membership (not too long at several weeks in spring ’08), it is well worth the wait and the tech wrinkles! This is Facebook of yarn craft, but goes far beyond the usual applications one expects of social networking sites. Whereas such sites feature apps allowing you to send gifts and play games, Ravelry allows members to catalogue and showcase their projects, stash and needles. Members can check out how other members’ projects have turned out, which modifications work, etc before embarking on the same pattern.  Groups connect members to others who share specialized interests, geographical location or similar life situations. Designers, spinners and dyers are able to feature their work. There are yarn reviews and forums on a multitude of subjects. I think I best like the fact that it provides a connection to our global community 24/7. Ravelry rocks. Check it out.

 

2.          Knitty.com is an online knitting publication out of Toronto, Canada. Since the fall of 2002, Knitty has been dishing up a free quarterly serving of feature articles and independent designs with a dollop of quirky humor and fresh perspective.  Feature articles include everything from technique tutorials to personal accounts. Patterns are unique, beautiful and like your favorite curry restaurant menu, categorized according to spiciness: mellow, piquant, tangy and extra spicy. Yum! The Knitty shop also has some pretty cool knitster gear if you happen to be in the market for a t-shirt to represent our clan. Word.

 

3.          KnittingDaily.com As the online incarnation of Interweave Press, editor Sandi Wiseheart and the KnittingDaily.com team bring you fabulous, sophisticated and free knitting patterns (available upon registering for a gratis membership and newsletter) from their array of fiber arts publications. The site also features live forums, galleries (in which staff model featured patterns – you guys rock!), a blog and some raging how-tos beyond the basics. My recent how-to favorite: Frogging and reusing yarn. Brilliant.

 

4.          KnittingHelp.com Who can’t dig well-done knitting how-to videos and more free patterns? This labor-of-love site is now many a knitter’s oasis in the internet desert of decent tutorials. Additionally, there is a fantastic glossary of all those crazy abbreviations most of us have not yet committed to memory, as well as a forum, and a photowall.

 

5.          Craftster.org Not to bail on my Ravelry sisters and brothers, but Craftster.org is a must-mention in this list. A self-proclaimed repository for all things craft, this site is perfect for all you crossover crafters. Craftster.org places a little less emphasis on the social networking aspect and concentrates on showcasing the endless amount of craftiness, talent, and experience in all genres. The site has lots of bustling forums, so you are sure to find any project or DIY tip you seek. Membership is free.

6.          Patternlinks.com A relative newcomer to the arena of online pattern collections, Mr. Ben Rosenbaum has created an assemblage of 2,671 (and counting) links to online knitting and crochet patterns with photos. Rock on, Ben.

 

7.          Brooklyntweed is one of the two knitblogs I am featuring in this list. Brooklyntweed is currently my personal knitblog fav because the author Jared

a)  is an Elizabeth Zimmerman devotee,

b)  posts about spining his own and repurposing found yarn,

c)  writes incredibly well and doesn’t get too personal, and

d)  includes killer photos and presents a wonderfully formatted blog. May Jared be a lesson to us all.

 

8.          Knittingpatterncentral.com is another site listing links to free patterns on the web. There are patterns for nearly every category imaginable. KPC also features a pattern of the week along with some down home tips and tricks, testimonials and words of encouragement for the virtual knitter.

 

9.            Knittingforcharity.org Bless her heart, Nellie the Knittin’ Nut has put together a page devoted to the topic of philanthropic charity. She posts about different charity knitting projects, gives practical advice on charitable knitting, and covers other (albeit sometimes random) topics.  If you are looking to start or join a project, consult Nellie.

 

10.      TECHknitting.blogspot.com is the last of the two knitblogs named on the list and my final pick. This truly the ultimate in technique tutorial sites. Lucky us there are so many knitting techniques trying to escape from TECHknitter’s mind. Check out TECHknitter’s two years of archives for virtually any how-to imaginable. The latest post is a how-to on pom-poms. Three cheers for TECHknitter!

 

Welcome to BrittKnit

Welcome! I am so glad you have decided to visit BrittKnit, my foray into the knitblogosphere. My intentions for this, my second blog, is to cover my endeavors as knitstress,  as well as explorations and reviews of all the wonderful facets of the on- and offline knitting world. 

I want BrittKnit readers to chuckle in amusement, nod in a 'I feel your pain' sorta way, discover and relish new sites, blogs, publications, products, patterns, techniques, accessories and other curiosities offered by the realm our yarny craft; become with other knitsters, and finally to experience the knitting world in a more global, comprehensive way.

I welcome your comments, input, and suggestions for entries. Feel free to email me or look me up on Ravelry (Username brittunia). Enjoy. Come again. Knit well and knit often.