Sabrina Dent: Freelance web designer, developer and internet marketer living in Cork, Ireland with one dog and a husband in no particular order.
Knit One, Purl Two
Last week a whole pile of wonderful stuff arrived through my door, including this amazing Very Special Project from the equally amazing Marian of Made Marian. It is a scarf — a glorious, beautiful, delicate blue scarf:
It is completely stupendous though totally unnecessary and I’m thrilled to have been gifted with such a wondrous thing; I’ve worn it all over town already. More than loving it, though, I was completely impressed by it. I mean, the fact that you can take what is more or less a ball of string and a couple of chopsticks and make a scarf out of it is pretty damn cool. The fact that it was made by someone I know and not some kind of magical fairy is even cooler.
Scarves: Not made by magical fairies. Who knew?
One of the other things that arrived through my door was my fabulous friend Tara from London by way of Toronto, who came toting 12 balls of yarn, half a jumper and several pointy sticks. We went out for coffee and I watched her knit; we went out for dinner and I watched her knit; we went out to the pub and I watched her knit. Finally, when we went out shopping and inevitably ended up at the yarn store, I asked her if she would teach me to knit, too.
It took an enormous amount of patience and about five false starts, but she did it, and now I can more or less do it, too. Behind the blue scarf Marian made me is the first few feet of the scarf that she inspired and that Tara taught me to knit. I don’t have a lot of faith that I’m ever going to learn to make anything more elaborate that what is more or less a very wide but straight line even though Tara bought me Stitch ‘N Bitch. My knitting skills at this point are decidedly less knit one, purl two and more knit one, knit one, knit one and, I suspect, destined to stay that way,
But it doesn’t matter: I love knitting. And I also love how I came to knitting, too. Traditionally women learned to knit in large social and family circles, of which I have neither. I learned from my internet circle: inspired by Marian and taught by Tara who was taught by our other friend Lucy, all of whom I know from online.
Anyway, many, many thanks to all of these ladies for my new obsession. I’ve got a whole new cause of RSI and I couldn’t be happier.
08 Jul 2008
| In: Sunday Style |
Knitting is so addicitive, and I’m finding it’s ever expanding and so creative. I’m new to it all too. I was inspired to find a book and learn after following Aileen’s (I think it’s Aileen) work on her ‘knitting neels’ Irish blog. Your scarf looks great, and I can just imagine you going hammer and tongs at the knit one, knit one, knit one business. Great colours too.
08.07.2008, 8:06 amThat’s awesome! My Nana used to make the most amazing creations, aran jumpers and what not until arthritis got the better of her. She taught me a little bit as a kid and believe it or not, nun school in Dublin in the 80′s had knitting class. But all I remember now is plain and purl. Never could grasp crochet. Need to pick it back up. http://www.knittinghelp.com/ is great as it shows you videos of all the stitches.
Best of luck… loving the scarf, cool colours! Maz’s is beautiful too!
08.07.2008, 11:25 amThat is very very cool. I love the fact it was interweb related (but then I would, wouldn’t I?) but I think it’s so cool to see all these massively web creative people step away from the keyboards and express themselves in other ways. I reckon there’ll be a knitting corner at the next web awards or meet up!
So Sabrina, knit me a website, will you please?
08.07.2008, 12:53 pmGreetings from Riga. Glad to hear you liked the scarf, it’s great that you’ve started knitting yourself. Maybe we should have a pre blog awards stitch n bitch gathering!! I’m looking forward to it already! Wait till you see what I’ve been working on, on holidays….you got a preview on the card….and I’ve ordered pin backs from etsy ;-)
08.07.2008, 9:07 pmYay – I got a mention….
Now all we need is for you to discover Ravelry.com and you’re sunk deep into the world of knitting fever….
08.07.2008, 9:41 pmHeh. I am purportedly a mere 20 hours away from a Ravelry account :)
Maz! You’ve got Internets! I hope you’re having a fabulous time in Riga. When you get back, you have to tell me where that is.
And you’re right, knitting: it is addictive. Sadly I am on hiatus. Tara being in town meant I (happily) had hostess duties like going out for dinner and coffee where you can knit but now I’m back in my dungeon, tied to my computer and working my little fingers to the bone.
On websites. Not wool.
I just friended you on Ravelry :-D.
Knitting’s addictive. But what’s worse? When they teach you how to dye yarn. Oh, man, I’m in deeeeeeeeeep.
I have some good easy projects in my queue, if you need any inspiration. And the SnB in Cork City centre is great. Check out the SnBIE list on Yahoo.
17.07.2008, 1:19 amKnitting is the bomb! I met MidgetWrangler through Stitch and Bitch. I heartily recommend you find one in Cork, they help you out, in the absence of a female matriarch who knits.
It’s taken me a long time but I finally finished the second of the Christmas presents this month: http://infantasia.blogspot.com/2008/06/look-what-i-made.html
I’ll have to redo the jumper though, giving myself a year was optimistic :(
30.07.2008, 8:01 pm[...] time I open up the page. I made this card ages ago as an homage to the banner, it was sent to Sabrina with the scarf. It also sparked off the flower pin idea. I had forgotten about it til I spotted the photo of [...]
19.08.2008, 11:59 am