I'm a Terrible Blogger

I admit it. I am the worst blogger imaginable. I began this blog about a week ago and already it seems destined to go the same route as my childhood diaries, left sitting untouched first for days at a time, then weeks, and eventually forever. Fortunately, I’ve told very few people about this blog and have not yet joined a “ring,” and so I suppose it is alright that I have neglected to post much of anything so far.

One reason that I’ve avoided blogging over these past few days is that I’ve been suffering from a case of Knitter’s Block. I have quite a few projects in mind, but can’t seem to choose one. All sound okay. None sound intriguing.

Since it is not the desire to knit that I lack, but only the inspiration to spur me into action, I finally decided that I simply must begin knitting something … anything. My fingers were beginning to ache with longing. And I also knew that if I did not begin knitting again soon, my marriage could fall into peril. Like an addict with a fix long overdue, I am becoming increasingly difficult to live with!

I’ve been eyeing a skein of laceweight cashmere in my Midnight Rendezvous colorway for a while and finally decided to just dive in and start something simple. Here’s a photo of the yarn.

I decided one can’t go wrong with a lace scarf. That turned out to be an incorrect assumption. I started several times with different stitch patterns, but just didn’t like the way anything looked. After more wasted time procrastinating and pondering, it became clear that I am simply not a fan of intricate lace. Don’t get me wrong – I admire the workmanship and do find some intricate lace knitting incredibly beautiful, but for me personally, it’s just not my style. Too “girly” perhaps. Or maybe too fancy. Whatever the reason, I just can’t imagine myself wearing a scarf with an intricate lace pattern.

After this epiphany I settled on a very simple herringbone lace rib for the scarf. It has a nice clean look, not too fussy or detailed, yet still qualifies as “lace” in my book. I’ve been plugging away at it in free moments for the last few days and have about 18 inches done so far. It will be a narrow scarf (always my preference) at about 4 ½ inches. The photo doesn’t show the detail particularly well, but you get the idea.

Unfortunately, now that I’ve started, I’m already getting bored with it. It’s just a simple two row repeat – very pretty, but very repetitive to knit.

Row 1: SL1, K1, *P1, K1, YFRN, P2TOG, K1, P1, K1* repeat from * until one stitch remains and purl the remaining stitch

Row 2: SL1, P1, *K2, YFRN, P2TOG, K2, P1* repeat from * until one stitch remains and purl the remaining stitch

Over and over and over again and again and again. Yawn.

I know that I need to begin another project or two to work simultaneously. I’m not entirely sure what that will be just yet, but this simple scarf is beginning to spark a glimmer of inspiration. Surfing lots of knitting blogs and sites has also helped get my juices flowing. I’m leaning toward a spring/summer sweater done entirely in laceweight cashmere. I never thought of this before because I just automatically shelve the thought of protein fibers for spring and summer wear, but as I knit this lace scarf and feel the wonderfully light, soft and fluid fabric created, I can definitely imagine a summer sweater. Perhaps a simple lace stitch on the bottom of the sweater with a stockinet bodice and short, slightly flouncy lace sleeves. Hmmm? That sounds awfully girly and a bit fancy as well. Maybe I don’t know myself as well I thought because it sounds like a fun project and something that I might actually wear.

I really should knit a gift for my mom, who I plan to visit sometime within the next few months, or a gift for my mother-in-law who I will see in August. But, hey, there’s plenty of time for that!

There. I have now rambled on long enough to qualify as a full-blown blog posting! Of course, once again, I fear I am saying nothing of interest to anyone but me. And yet again, maybe that’s alright since I highly doubt that anyone will read this.

Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps someone I don't know is out there listening, lurking in the digital wasteland, fingers poised on the Comments button about to submit a word of light to this solitary knitter. If you’re out there, tell me what you think. A lacy cashmere spring/summer sweater? How about color(s)? I plan to dye something special just for this project. I have a subtly varied emerald shade in mind. Or maybe …. Hmmmm …

I must return to my procrastinating now. Happy Knitting!

Well, I'm not exactly tearing up the keyboards yet with my blogging, but below is a bit of info for anyone happens to read this. I'll be back online later and hope to blog again :)

Announcing a Contest at KnitSpot.com

Win Fearless Fibers yarn prizes!

Visit KnitSpot for details about a fun contest with Fearless Fibers yarn to be awarded as prizes for the winning entries! There is no purchase required and, of course, no cost. All it takes to enter is a few minutes of your time and a little imagination.

While you visit the KnitSpot blog to learn about the contest, have a look around and discover this wonderful blog, written by expert knitting instructor Anne Hanson. It's lively, entertaining, and full of useful information for knitters from beginners to the most experienced.

Happy Knitting!

Standing in Front of a Mirror

Here it is … my first ever blog post! I’ll start by saying “hello” to anyone who happens to read this, if in fact anyone does. My name is Deb, I’m an avid knitter and own a small business selling my handpainted yarns (Fearless Fibers on eBay and Fearless Fibers on Etsy).

I’ve been thinking of starting a blog for some time now, focused of course on yarn and knitting, but I’ve hesitated to do so as I wonder who on earth might be interested in reading what I have to say! The idea of blogging appeals to me, as I enjoy writing and also love nothing more than talking about knitting and yarn. And yet, something has held me back from starting a blog. I think perhaps it’s because blogging seems a bit like talking to oneself. I admit, I do talk to myself from time to time, but doing it in the form of a blog seems quite odd. Rather than a quick muttered word or two as I go about my daily business, blogging feels like a conscious decision to begin a conversation with myself. It’s as though I am pointedly stopping what I am doing, walking over to a mirror and beginning a lengthy conversation. Could it be that blogging will be my first step toward madness? Only time will tell.

I finally decided to begin this blog because I’ve been missing my local knitting community these days. Until several months ago, I spent just about every Wednesday evening at the knit-night at my favorite local yarn shop. I still go to knit-night from time to time, but since I started my own yarn business I just don’t feel comfortable at knit-night anymore. I know this is really just my own over-sensitivity to anything bordering on the unethical, but it just somehow feels wrong for me to talk to the gals at knit-night about my yarn business. Although my selection of handpainted yarns is miniscule compared to the amazing array of yarns carried in the shop that hosts knit-night, it still feels wrong to talk to the patrons of that shop about another source for yarn. And yet, I find it very difficult to avoid the subject. What do I say when folks ask what I’ve been doing? They all know that I walked away from a thriving corporate career not long ago and so the natural question is “So what are you doing now?” It leaves me with a choice between violating my sense of business ethics or sounding like the dullest person on the face of the earth since excluding talk of my business from my answer to that question leaves me basically saying that I do nothing but watch Law & Order and occasionally knit a pair of socks!

And so here I am, talking to myself in front of the mirror.

I haven’t been spending nearly as much time knitting as I would like these days, as most of my time is consumed by my business, but I did find time to complete a few small projects recently. Here is a pair of socks I just finished, using my own Fearless Fibers Merino Sock Yarn. This is the Desert Flower colorway. A very simple pair of socks, but fun and pretty nonetheless.



I’ve been on a sock-knitting kick lately. With so little time for knitting, socks are the perfect project … interesting enough to knit to hold my attention, yet small enough that I can still experience the wonderful sense of satisfaction of completing a project despite not having much time to knit. I’ve completed four or five pairs of socks in the past couple of months. Unfortunately, I can’t boast of much else completed in that time, but I have created lots of fun new colorways for my Fearless Fibers line. Here’s one of the new ones, bright and cheery for springtime. It’s called Peppermint Pink and it’s currently available on Merino Sock Yarn and laceweight cashmere. I’ve also done a small run of it on a lovely blend of merino and silk, which I’ll be posting in an eBay auction sometime in the next few days.



I suppose I should end this post now, as I fear I might ramble on endlessly if I allow myself to continue. If anyone happens to hear this small voice mumbling in the vast space of the internet, please feel free to leave a comment for me. Maybe knowing that someone is listening – at least with half an ear – will save me from the madness that I fear I glimpse looming behind me as I stand before the mirror talking to myself.

Happy Knitting!