Author: Jessica Gail

The best kind of knitting

My favorite types of knitting project are intricate ones. I love lace, cables, colorwork – the more the better.

Lace shawl improvised using The Magic of Shetland Lace Knitting, by Elizabeth Lovick
Tracery (vest), by Kathleen Sperling, knit in Malabrigo Sock

My closet is full of projects like these, in various states of completeness. But while I love them, more intricate projects invariably take more concentration than simpler ones. Thus, my favorite types of knitting projects are often least suitable for the majority of my knitting time; when I’m watching a movie, spending time with friends, sitting on the metro, etc.

To that end, while most of my works in progress are the fiddly projects I like so much, most of the things I actually finish are much simpler.

There are some projects, however, that occupy the best of both worlds. These have an intricate element about them, perhaps a lace edging that keeps things interesting, but then the bulk of the knitting is mindless. A perfect example – colorwork yoke sweaters.

Almanac, from strange brew by Alexa Ludeman and Emily Wessel. Knit in assorted colors of Shepherd’s Wool.

With this sweater, I can satisfy all of my desire for complicated patterning in the first part of the project, then cruise through the body (I made some excellent progress during the Super Bowl last weekend).

Much knitting can be accomplished during a football game, particularly when neither team ever manages to score.

With any luck, this may just be a completed sweater by springtime!

A matter of time

Someday I will own a sheep. It’s really only a matter of time. I love to make things, so much so that my home is inundated with projects.

If you were to walk into my room right now and casually glance around, you would find:

  • a spinning wheel in one corner
  • a weaving loom in another
  • assorted yarn-filled project bags on the floor (en route to the closet, I swear)
  • mismatched paintings on the walls
  • a few scraggly avocado seedlings that may not last the winter

And that’s just what’s in plain sight! That’s not counting the sourdough starter in the fridge, or the painting supplies stashed away in drawers, or the bag of paraffin wax for candlemaking under the bed.

I acquire creative hobbies and supplies at an alarming rate, and so you see, it’s only a matter of time before I decide to go straight to the source and get a sheep.

Of course, to own a sheep, I’ll likely need to be living somewhere other than a city apartment, so that day will have to wait. In the meantime, I’ll fill my days with knitting, spinning, painting, baking and who knows what else. I hope that my creative pursuits (and failures) will prove entertaining and perhaps informative. I promise to keep things interesting. I make no promises to finish projects in a timely manner.

Welcome to the blog!