And the Winner is...

Both items I asked you to vote on last week came out with very clear cut answers. Thank you all for your input.

I tallied all the comments (which you get to see) as well as any e-mails that were sent privately, and the numbers in both areas pointed to an obvious winner for each.

Wendy's Scarf
By a more than two-to-one majority, the votes came in for scarf #2. I'm glad because I thought that this would be the better choice, given Wendy's coloring (as evidenced in her lovely modeling of Fulmar). I will be putting Wendy's prize in the mail this coming Friday or Saturday when I get home from Baltimore.

My Next Project
Again your group direction was very clear. Stick with the sweater for my sister and get it done. I did like many of the votes for multiple projects, especially since the jock strap was voted #2 and the Moorehouse Merino came in #3.

In answer to a couple of your comments, first of all, the Jock Strap will be done in either a very fine cotton (as are most commercial ones) or in a baby merino which will be soft, but not itchy (the same thing I use to make underwear). Also, the Moorehouse is not the LEAST bit scratchy. At least on the hanks, the yarn feels soft as a cloud. It was the main reason I ended up buying some at Stitches East this year, although I like the look of it as well.

Hand Knitting vs Machine Knitting

I have to admit it...I'm a closet, repressed machine knitter.

I've always been facinated by the fact that a human with very little talent can loop string to create fabric. Now creating a pretty fabric or a nice garment takes a bit more talent, but you get the idea. After a few years of using all types of knitting needles, crochet hooks, tatting bobbins and darning needles to accomplish this, I was equally facinated to learn that there are machines that do this as well. So, of course I had to go out and get me one.

But I didn't just want any machine, I had to have an antique sock knitting machine. After seeing them on eBay, I did minimal research and ended up paying a fortune for a Gearhart sock knitting machine from the early 1900's with two cyllinders (80 and 100 needles). Here are a couple of pictures in case you're not familiar with how they look:





You'll see there's a sock hanging down the middle as if I had just knitted it. Well, I cheated, that sock was made over a year ago, and I only had waste yarn on the machine, but I wanted you to get the idea of where the sock would come from. This machine is kind of like a sophisticated Knitting Knobby that you may have played with as a kid to make i-cord. This one just has a lot more needles and loops them automatically. It also has a ribber attachment (not shown).

I've learned how to make a pretty competent sock with 1X1 or 2X1 ribbing and a short-row heel. When the machine was in prime condition, it took me about 40 minutes to make a sock, although I could have gotten that down to about 20 minutes with practice. Switching from ribbing to stockinette, and turning the heel and turning the toe are both a little labor-intensive, but still all of the sock is made on the machine.

I love this old machine (as well as the two flat-bed machines I own), but I honestly have very little time to play with them. As such, I'm repressed. But at least I'm no longer in the closet about it.

Back to Work

Tomorrow I head back to Baltimore to restart working after a two week hiatus...what an inconvenience to my knitting time.

Voting continues on which scarf to send Wendy and which project I should work on next. Just so you multi-WIP folks know, I do anticipate working on multiple projectes, but usually I have a primary project and then a few secondary projects.

Marilyn's Blog

If you've never checked out the Knitting Curmudgeon blog, there's a great entry on charity knitting on her site with a brilliant conversation by her readers. One of the best reasons for writing my blog is to see the conversations that ensue. Marilyn's Charity Knitting article has had the largest response I've seen, and it's quite interesting.

Knitting Progress

I made some headway on my sister's sweater, as you can see.



I need to call her to see if she has specific measurements she'd like me to incorporate into the sweater or whether she just wants me to guestimate and then adjust where I can after the fact. Hopefully she'll have a "favorite" sweater from which she can take measurements, although she recently moved here from Florida, so she may not.

I also found out I have to have a few items for a craft/art sale on January 19th, so I fit in making another Head Hugger Hat. This one came out the best yet. Once I have the whole collection of hats finished, I'll post pictures of people actually wearing them.

Decisions, Decisions

I need your help to decide on two things. First which scarf should Wendy get (there are two choices) and second, now that I've finished Wendy's scarf, what should I work on next. Please vote on each of these either with a comment or via e-mai if you want your vote to be more private.

Wendy's Scarf

The two colorways are close, but a little different..vote either option 1 or 2. Both have a lot of blues and purples but Option 1 has bright pinks and turquoises, and Option 2 has more greens and oranges mixed in:





Next Project

Choices are:

1. Another Head Hugger Hat
2. Designing a knitted jock strap
3. Work on my sister's pullover
4. A beaded pendant bag
5. A Moorehouse Merino garment
6. Other

All input will be tallied on Tuesday, January 7th and will be announced right here. In the interim, I will start on #3 until a formal vote can be completed.

Male Knitting Observations

As a man participating in a typically female craft, I have a few observations and stories:

1. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a yarn store and despite talking competently about yarns, sweater styles, techniques, etc, I'll hear comments from the yarn store owner like: "Oh your wife will be able to knit something beautiful with this yarn!"...cha...as if!

2. In those yarn stores where it is understood that men actually do knit, I usually get a lot more attention and help than the handful of women in the store.

3. When I worked briefly in a yarn store, there are some women who refused to discuss yarn purchases with a man. They'd ask for someone else or call back if there wasn't a woman to discuss their knitting needs.

4. When I worked briefly in a yarn store, there are some women who would put more weight in my opinions about yarn purchases than any of the more knowledgeable women working there, just because I was a man.

5. I've heard/read women complain that "When a woman knits, it's a craft, when a man does it, it's art." When I find this statement to be true, it's usually other women that assess it as such.

6. When I knit in public (and I do it often), I find that women get more comments on their knitting than I do. I think most people are more intimidated about starting a conversation with me about my knitting than a woman.

7. I take great pleasure in the uneasiness that I cause when I knit in public around other men (as in airport lounges). Their surrepticious glances and avoidance of my return looks are very satisfying.

8. Knitwear fashions for men are significantly more restrictive than for women.

9. Whenever I meet another male knitter, I immediately assume he's gay...I'm not sure if it's stereotyping or hopeful thinking.

10. Overall, my passion for, and addiction to knitting supercedes all the nonsense of gender. When I meet an enthused knitter, it's the obsession that connects us, and those are the relationships I value most.