Knitting Isn't Just for Old Fuddy Duddies!

When I started writing the Miners' Cut series, I inserted women who loved handcrafts. Needlepoint, crochet, embroidery, tatting, and, my all time favorite, knitting!

I can't speak to the joy of the other fiber arts named, but even though knitting can be relaxing and take your mind off your troubles for a little while, it can also be taxing. Reading patterns can be confusing and not for the faint of heart. I won't mention the website, but, several months ago I found a pattern on it that I thought would be a great sweater for me. I began knitting. Things were moving along quickly and I thought, "this is an easier pattern than I thought". What is that old saying about not counting your chickens before they're hatched?

I got almost the entire front panel completed and things started falling apart. From row to row, the stitches didn't line up and the panel began to look like something a novice would have undertaken. Not to toot my own horn, but I am a professional knitter and can normally look at the stitches and identify the problem. Not so this time. I unraveled a portion of the panel. I gave it another shot thinking I had just misread the pattern. Same problem. I unraveled again. Grrr! This happened four times. I tried altering the pattern. Nope! This was a website all yarn and fiber art people would recognize. I took the entire panel apart and chose another pattern from different site. (By the way...the sweater is an awesome light green, cotton, summer sweater in a lovely lace pattern.)

Not to be unfair to the original website, I tried a simple scarf pattern...same thing! Then a friend of mine called a couple of weeks later and said, "Hey, Hazel, have you ever done a project from ....?" And she named the website. I hesitantly said, "Yes, why?" "Because I have been working on a pattern for three days and it never comes out right." I told her to do herself a favor and move on before she ripped her hair out.

The picture today is of a shawl I just finished for my husband's niece who graduated from high school this year. Virgin wool, bright purple, soft, luscious, beautiful. I hope she likes it as much as I. If she hates, it I will pay to have it sent PRIORITY right back to its maker!

The ladies in my book knit. They are fast and furious. They are determined. And they are competitive. Never to be outdone. You'll love reading about the knitting rivalry betweeen Faerie Wright and Augusta O'Keefe.  Both are strong-willed, bullheaded women who think their designs are the best and will not be outdone by the other. Oh....and they are best friends!  Yeah....right!