$13.75 plus tax

Posted on | November 16, 2007 | 13 Comments

I noticed these in my LYS recently and decided to get a pair.

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They’re supposed to make sock knitting even faster because you just knit around and around, no fiddling with dpns, no pulling cables through or needles dangling.  Just knit.  Around and around and around.

This got me thinking about knitting, and about knitting faster.  Pardon me while I get all philosophical.  I knit to relax.  I knit to create.  I knit to have some softness in my hands which spend so many hours on a hard, unforgiving keyboard.  Do I really want that experience to go faster?  Doesn’t the hurryuphurryuphurryup bring a machination quality to knitting, and isn’t there enough of that already in our lives?  I know there is in mine.

It’s great to be excited about something and want to finish it quickly (like the sweater I posted about yesterday) and move on to create something new with sticks and yarn.  I’m not saying we should all take a year to complete a pair of socks, or that there’s anything wrong with it if you do.  I’m really writing this down because I want to remember, as I’m knitting whatever it is that I’m knitting, that I do this because it brings me pleasure and joy and sometimes (although not very often because I’m a selfish knitter) it may bring others pleasure and joy, and that it really IS the process. 

Yes, I’m still going to use the needles.  And I’m not giving up my wheel to spin exclusively on spindles!  Tools that aid in efficiency can be good, especially with the limited amount of free time we have available in our daily lives.  But if I find myself knitting and spinning faster and faster and focusing more on the end product than on what’s currently in my hands at that moment, I’m going to take a step back, take a deep breath, and reasses what I’m doing and why.

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

Category: self indulgence

Comments

13 Responses to “$13.75 plus tax”

  1. Carrie
    November 16th, 2007 @ 10:31 am

    I knit what I like, when I like, and spin the same way. I use what I like at the time. If I feel like knitting fast, I do. If I feel like knitting slow, I do. I refuse to let my hobby become a burden. (Remind me I said this in a few weeks when my Christmas knitting, little though it is, isn’t done.)

  2. Carole
    November 16th, 2007 @ 10:54 am

    To quote Margene, “it’s the process.”

  3. Beth
    November 16th, 2007 @ 10:58 am

    Holiday deadline knitting excluded… ;)

  4. Shannon
    November 16th, 2007 @ 12:16 pm

    Good thoughts! I do like the idea of taking my time and enjoying what I’m doing. But sometimes I like to finish one project quickly to get the next one going. I’ll be intereste dinseeing how ou like those needles. I use a 12″ circular to knit a baby hat. I was just getting used to it and the hat was finished!

  5. Tonni
    November 16th, 2007 @ 12:52 pm

    I like your way of thinking!

  6. Amy
    November 16th, 2007 @ 3:51 pm

    Good points. I’m a slow knitter, so I have no choice but to accept the process and be happy with it. But I’m still curious to see if you like the new needles!

  7. Janice in GA
    November 16th, 2007 @ 4:29 pm

    Let us know how those needles work. I can’t imagine using anything that short. /shudders/

  8. kmkat
    November 16th, 2007 @ 8:02 pm

    Good thoughts. I like it when knitbloggers wax philosophical about our craft.

  9. Miss Scarlett
    November 17th, 2007 @ 7:05 am

    I am a slow knitter and sometimes when I read/see blogs of much faster knitters I lose perspective. I forget that I am knitting because I enjoy it and it relaxes me and start to feel badly that my stash outnumbers my FO’s exponentially.

    So thanks for the reminder to enjoy knitting while you do it.

    Now – how do those needles work? I started knitting my socks with the Magic Loop method this summer, and I can’t picture how you accomplish a similar thing with circular needles without pushing cables through etc.
    Can you share this new technique/tool?

  10. Becky
    November 17th, 2007 @ 8:37 am

    I am definitely a process knitter. I’m really excited about something while I’m knitting it but once I’m done, I’m eager
    to start the next project. That said, for socks, I’m switching from dpns to 2 circs because I think it will be faster. I
    get frustrated by how long it takes to knit a pair of socks – and that’s using sport weight! I have yet to try fingering
    weight. If those new sock circs do work faster, I might be interested in trying them. I love the process but I also love
    trying new colorways and new yarns (heck, I’m spinning my own sock yarn!) and I have limited free time for knitting. If
    socks go faster, that lets me try new yarns and new patterns faster and there’s less chance I’ll get bored.

  11. Tonia
    November 17th, 2007 @ 10:10 pm

    Those needles sound like a great idea. Maybe not call it faster knitting, but making the process easier for you and more relaxing.

  12. Donna
    November 20th, 2007 @ 9:25 am

    When I’m knitting socks, I actually do want to HURRYUP! so that I can get them on my feet and start another pair! :)

  13. Nora
    November 23rd, 2007 @ 3:45 pm

    I love the tiny circs and have been using the Addi turbo 30cm/12″ to knit socks for about 1yr. I transfer to DPN for the heel,gusset and tow. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this technique. Please keep us posted. :)