I'm knitting a sweater for Rick. I've never made a whole sweater before, so this might be a really mean thing to do to him. Once I made all the parts to a sweater, but the yarn was cheap and ugly, so I never sewed it all together. I sent it to the Free Box, hoping one of the local Trustafarians (unwashed mesa dwellers with dreadlocks and trust funds) would have the ambition to put it together and wear it.
Letting that go, I decided to make this lovely thing for Rick. See? I have the front and back done, and have started the first sleeve. I think this might work out. Of course the parts all need to line up when I'm done, and there's no real way to know if it will fit him until it's all finished. I've already told him he doesn't have to wear it if it looks stupid. For me, it's more like "knitting for process". I just like to do it. I like that a piece of string can become a piece of fabric, and that I get to touch it the whole time I'm working on it. Beads aren't like that. It's not wise to fondle molten glass...
I spend a lot of time making beads, but lately I feel like I'd rather spend my time doing other things. That's not really good for business, but sales are slow throughout the Art World, so I might as well take advantage of this little slump in the economy. I have a terrible kink in my left "wing". Feels like it's deep under my shoulder blade, and it's been there for days... maybe weeks. A long time. I keep wondering if it's a message to me that I'm not doing something important. You know, I'm not flying. I have no idea what it is. But I do know that when I find it, I need to do it just for the love of it, and then see if it pays the bills.
A couple of weeks ago I showed someone the picture in the knitting book, of the finished sweater. She laughed and said something like, "Yeah... you can spend all that money on yarn, and all that time knitting it, and come up with something that looks like you bought it at the Gap." She obviously didn't get the point. A Gap sweater doesn't have love knitted into every stitch.
5 comments:
Ha! Trustafarians! That's great! The next to the last time I was in Taos - abt 5 or 6 years ago I saw one! Can't believe they're still there. A young girl with a young, maybe 2 or 3 year old little girl. I looked at her hair and wanted to get the scissors after it. Then I had to laugh, cuz I felt like I must be getting old to have that reaction.
Kim
You're right...your friend does not get it. There are more fabulous fiber blogs out there than you can shake a stick with string at and these ladies and gentlemen are not knitting 'Gap-crap'. Start at knitty.com, free patterns submitted by very talented knitters and move to yarnharlot.com. Not only is this woman fiber obsessed but every year she does a fund raiser for Doctors Without Borders and to date has raised over $400,000.00. Knitters are very passionate about their causes. And then there is brooklyntweed. blogspot. This man can knit circles around any woman. He Loves knitting and with that love combined with a pair of sticks he turns a ball of yarn into an object of beauty. No 'Gap-crap' here.
Thank you Kim for loving the fibers and I can't wait to see the finished object of love.
diana
Kim,
I think its great you're knitting. I finally just finished a sweater that I started three years ago. The yarn is beautiful, the sweater fits me like a giant sweatshirt, and I made it myself. It cost a fortune to make, but thats not why I'll have it forever. I'll have it forever because of the memories I'll recall while making it. Where I was, who I was with, what was happening in my world at the time.
Theres alot more to a handmade sweater than meets the naked eye!!
Miss you fellow bead girl,
Nancy
Rick will love it simply because you made it for him. It looks great.
You mustn't think of not making beads however. Anyone can knit, not many could make lampwork beads like yours. Two of your beads are now in my family.
I love that sweater!
feel better! xox
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