It's the Little Things

• A yarn ball with the yarn end sticking right out the top so I don't have to dig for it
• A husband who never ever complains about spending 85% of his time with 2 people 1/8th his age and just over 1/2 his height
• A job that almost never requires that I sit in a cubicle
• Instant Messaging
• A mother/sister prayer team
• Paid time off
• 2 people 1/4 my age and 1/2 my height who were born with a surplus of creative energy
• Second chances
• A contacts address book that is nearly full
• Just the right yarn for just the right project at just the right time

Your turn!!

Hello Mojo? How Do You Get Your Fiber Groove Back...

Lately I've found myself thinking more than once, "What would happen if I just. stopped. knitting." It hasn't been a nagging thought really; not a premonition exactly. More of a teaser thought...something for my brain to chew on to see how my psyche would handle it. Have you ever had that or something like it?

I found that each time it came across my consciousness, I was in the middle of either frogging a project, digging up my stash for something inspiring, or completing a row on something that I had no inclination to move forward with. Yep - the knitting blahs hit me. If you've read a few posts back, you'll see that I tried to remedy this feeling in the usual way.

Palindrome Reversible Cable Scarf by Kristin B.See a great tip on avoiding a flaring cable BO edge here
I admit - new fiber does a knitter good. My knitting mojo was definitely slipping away, and though buying yarn and knitting it up immediately didn't cure me, it certainly put me back on a more optimistic path.


3AM Cable Hat by SmarieK
Patons Classic Merino 100% Wool in Dark Grey Mix
Knit Picks Options US Size 7 (4.5mm), knit using Magic Loop
Del posted a while back a rather hilarious earnest plea to her knitting mojo - begging it not to be gone for good. Thankfully for all of us inspired by her great projects - it returned! I know that feeling though, that anxiety that this might just be your last stitch - even if it's just for a while.

We're not alone. On the current Stash & Burn Podcast, Nicole and Jenny discuss the conundrum of knitting burnout; they talk about how we can sometimes feel overwhelmed by all that we could be knitting and all that we want to knit. And of course we all know that spending time on Ravelry in the coveting and planning stages can seriously impact how much you actually do knit. But who can resist??

Now, when I use the term mojo, I should be quite clear. I'm not talking about some earth-shattering inspiration or something that only a long time knitter can claim. I just mean that groove. That feeling that you can pick up a yarn, find a project, cast on, and plow forward and knit and knit and knit until....It's that little spark you get when a new pattern is posted on Ravelry. That heartbeat skip you feel when your hand runs across a fiber you have yet to try. The tickle in your brain when you come to a point in a pattern and think "What if I do it this way instead." That feeling of comfort at the end of a row that confirms that this is precisely what you should be doing at that moment. That mmm mmm MMM. Know what I mean?



Swatching for Cozy
What do you do when that feeling is gone or slipping away? Do you woo it back? Do you tempt it with new fiber goodies and promises of simpler knits (More scarves! All garter stitch, all the time!). Or, do you just let it go and let it's absence drive you into the waiting arms of your other crafty loves?

If you've been through some version of knitting blahs or even burnout - how did you know? What was the first sign that something was "off" ?

Please share your stories with us! With any luck, this discussion might lead someone in our communKnitty back to their mojo or at least give them hope that it will return --in due time of course. Pull up to the Round Table and tell us...When your mojo has done up and left you,


How Do You Get Your Fiber Groove Back?

To Finish or To Frog: How Do You Decide? Let's Discuss...

Do you ever stop to think about how many thousands, or more likely millions of stitches pass over our needles in the course of our journey? I would be willing to bet that somewhere along the lines you have actually even counted the number of stitches that make up a project, and I would also bet that bracing yourself doesn't make much of a difference...the resulting number is always something staggering.

Most of us don't knit by the stitch though. We knit until a stitch becomes a row which becomes a section which becomes a piece of the garment, accessory, toy, or household item we set out to create. It is this cumulative nature that I find the most therapeutic (magical!) about knitting. That time plus yarn plus needles equals something that wasn't there before. Time is the prime ingredient. With enough time, we can make just about anything. There is such possibility in that.

Twisted Maiden Armwarmers - Frogged December 2007

But we know another side of knitting don't we? We know that a project doesn't always flow smoothly from the first stitch cast on to the final row of a finished item.
Like any handmade treasure, a knitted item is only as good as the pattern, or idea, or materials it came from; many times it's goodness is directly related to the the amount of sleep that it's maker has had before beginning it's creation. At times, what lies in between is so disturbing, and so daunting that it had to be given a name. A frightening concept that can reduce even the most resolute knitter to a pool of heartsick mush when they are forced to use the F word.

Frogging.

Some of your stomachs just flipped reading that. I know mine did. Frogging is the term coined to describe the reverse or our beautifully creative flow. The UNdoing of that cumulative process. So named because the action (rip it, rip it!) sounds eerily like the croak of a frog. A frog who lives at the bottom of a pond full of yarn barf. Nature loving though we may be - we hate this pond, and we avoid it whenever possible. At least, most of us do...

Top Down Raglan - Frogged July 2006

I've been knitting over 2 years now, and as that time has passed, I find that instead of visiting the Frog Pond less due to improvement in my skills, I actually have been frogging even MORE of my projects - some of them well underway - because I am unsatisfied with something about the work in progress. In fact, after much deliberation, I actually frogged a completed sweater that I had knit top down because I just couldn't get over how poorly the armhole joins looked, and it bothered me and bothered me until that raglan was frogged back to the yarn cakes from which it came. I'm only surprised by this new tactic to rid myself of "less than perfect" FO's because it really doesn't mirror anything else in my non-knitting life. My mom and I are infamous for Making Do. When pressed, we will take anything in the pantry/craft cupboard/dresser drawer and make it into something that will pass for good enough. Get it done. That's usually the primary goal - mostly because whatever IT is is just a blip on the list of 8 million other things that need to be done.

Not so with my knitting of late. I'm finding that as soon as something starts to trouble me about a project's progress (the gauge seems off somehow, I don't like how this fabric feels on these needles, that cable could reeeeeally use some tightening up...) my brain starts the chant "Frog it and start over. You won't be happy until you do".

Toddler Raglan Pullover - Frogged September 2007 to become this

So, as with all of our round table chats - I'm reaching out to YOU now to share your Frog Filosophy. When something is not quite right with your knitting -how quick are you to rip it? What qualifies as a frog-worthy problem in a project? How major or minor does an "uh oh" have to be to get you to rip back and start over? Tell us your worst frogging story. Tell us about a frogging that actually saved your sanity. Have you ever resisted the call of the frog pond, only to press ahead and find a brilliant work around? I'd love to know about it.

In the continued spirit of these discussions, I'm sure you'll find that you are not alone in your experience with this less than rosy side of knit life, so share openly!

When something is not quite right with your knitting, and the time comes

To finish or to frog - How do you decide?

Let's Discuss....

We Speak Their Names

I've talked before about my desire to stay more in the present and to acknowledge things (especially the good things) as they are happening. I'm more naturally a past and future dweller, and sometimes that means missing out on the full potential of some feeling or experience. Like most things that are positive, I think this effort to be more aware of the Right Now becomes that much better when it's shared and multiplied. This is where you come in....

I thought the other day about all the people that I have met in the last 2 years just because I went into the library one day and came out with a stack of books about knitting. There are people now that I call friends, and when we first met, knitting was the only thing that we knew we had in common. Now, several stitches later, I can say with certainty that my life is better because I have them in it. I would never have guessed that a "hobby" could bring that to my life, but it has, and that deserves some moments of focused gratitude.

One way to honor someone or something in your life is to speak or write about it, and by doing so, you give it a place in your thoughts and in your experience for that moment. So I'm going to list out here (in no specific order) the names of the people that I have met because I knit. By making this list, I mean to say "thank you" to them and "welcome to my life". I can hardly count the many many Internet and blog friends I have made, so for now this list is only of those I have met in person and that I have spent time with in these last two years. When you read this list - and I hope you do - you too will be acknowledging these people and the good that they have added to my life experiences. After that, why not make YOUR list of names in the comments and enjoy a few moments of remembering those people, and what you have shared with them because of this great love of fiber and needles.

Kathy, Sarah, Cindy, Deborah, Maureen, Sean, Shelley, Jody, Robin, Becky, Sharon, Tanya, Rochelle, Judy, Nan, Nancy, Sharlene, Suse, Wendy, Gabrielle, Pam, Kelly, Karen, Andrea, Angelia, Julie, Vickie, Hilde, Michelle

As I think about more of these names and the memories that go with them I will keep adding to this list. I hope you'll do the same.

A special THANKS goes out to Deborah today for letting me know that our gathering place here has been featured in Black Purl Magazine. What a treat!

What's (In) Your Knitting Bag? Interview Part 2

This is Part 2 of my interview with Sean on the subject of Knitting Bags and the goodies inside them...Feel free to go back and read Part 1 and answer in either post (or both!) to be part of the round table discussion)

I can't get enough stich markers. What do you keep buying more of?
I take it yarn is a given. ;-) I will second your stitch marker vote, although my Bubbie gave me ALL of her knitting supplies since she can't knit anymore and I now have like 10 little cases of them, but can I find them? Course not. And even still, I find different KINDS of stitch markers that I HAVE to buy like the little purple and green rubbery ones from Clover, surely need those. I always lose my blocking pins immediately after purchase, too, so there's probably 80 boxes of those in my apartment. And needles.... I can't ever seem to have enough needles!

Anything missing? What's on your wish list for non-yarny goodies? A Namaste Messenger bag!!Speaking of which..... I normally buy myself a pair of shoes for my birthday, but this year might just be my new Namaste bag! Hmmmm! I'm getting all tingly just thinking about it! I would like to expand my Susanne's Needles, too, but would also like to expand my KnitPicks Options needle kit, especially now that they have wood, those cheeky buggers. Other than that, I think I'm set until the next time I go browsing online. OMG DUH! SWIFT AND WINDER!!!! Need them SO BAD. SO VERY BAD.

If/when you go on a yarn diet, do tools and patterns count?
Heck no. How could one possibly survive a yarn diet without the occasional magazine, pattern, or other yummy fiber-related treat? It's cruel and inhuman to even suggest it!


Any recommendations or advice on supplies for the newbie fiber fanatics? Well, I would say once a newbie is certain they are planning on sticking with knitting, they should really invest in one of the KnitPicks Options kits and while they're at it, get to know and love KnitPicks in general. I would have saved a small fortune had the kit been out a couple years ago; and just about all of us know how amazing KnitPicks' prices are for yarn. Make that one of the first stops. ;) Also, for knitters on a budget,it is imperative to find and visit a real yarn store (or 10) even if only to fondle and sniff, and that is actually a segue into my last recommendation, which is to find knitter friends because they are some of the best folks you will EVER meet. Most knitting stores will have social gatherings just for knitting, ideally with no pressure to buy or anything, and the friendship and sharing is truly one of the very best parts of the craft. If not at a store, find a group somewhere! We're everywhere! And, just keep knitting, just keep knitting, knitting, knitting! :-D OH! One last one, that I can't leave out: Show some love to the boy knitters! :)

And that ends our interview. Thanks a bunch Sean!! Thanks to you, there will be more of this type of thing to come!

You can freely chime in here dear readers or say your piece over in the Part 1 post -

What's (In) Your Knitting Bag?

What’s (In) Your Knitting Bag? Let's Discuss...

Every fiber fanatic knows that this hobby comes with a wealth of “goodies”; accessories, non-yarny bits and pieces that become necessary implements the longer we pursue this art we call a craft. For the purpose of this discussion, we’ll refer to these items as tools, the little bonus items that supplement our actual stitching. Yes I’m talking about tape measures and row counters and those adorable little rubber socks that we squeeze onto the ends of our needles to keep stitches from sliding off. There’s the stitch markers, the nail files, and the folded copy of our current traveling pattern.

I purposely titled this discussion “What’s (in) Your Knitting Bag” because I really want to hear about 2 things – What is your preferred type of knitting tote? Is it big and felted, or just small enough for a single sock project?
Secondly, just what have you got in there? If you’re just starting out as a knitter – dream big! What would you stock your ultimate knitting bag with if you could?

So I’m changing up the round table a little bit this time…I’m going to kick off the discussion with an interview, which I will post in two parts**. My darling

Sean agreed to help me out by answering some of my questions related to his Knitting Bag. This gives me the chance to highlight him as one of my knit blogger buddies, and to shed some light on what this particular knitter can’t do without.

Where can we find you in blogland?
http://boyforpele13.blogspot.com
When did you first start blogging?My very first fiber-related blog post was November 7, 2005.

How long have you been knitting?
I never get this right, but if my first blog post was November 2005, that means I started knitting that year and it was around Mother's Day I was first inspired, but it didn't stick until the men's issue of Knitty. Let's go with just over 2 years.

Are you double dipping? Do you crochet too?
I knew how to crochet long before I knew how to knit, but don't do much anymore. It does come in handy that I know both, though, and I do like it for quick charity projects.

What has been the primary thing that has kept you working with fiber so far?
I guess first and foremost, it gives me an excuse to buy pretty, soft, colorful yarn. ;) This is the longest I have ever stuck with any hobby, though, and I think the thing that really keeps me going is I never feel like I am a "complete" knitter; there are always new things for me to learn and try, whether it be techniques, tools, fibers.... Also, this is really the very first crafty hobby where I can look at my handiwork and allow myself to admire it and really feel like I've done something well, and that's huge for me.

Let's talk totes – do you have one knitting bag or many?

Many. I do have a primary and secondaries though. ;-)

If you could have any type of knitting bag, what would it be like?
I really just want a Namaste Messenger bag!!! To me, that seems perfect for many reasons. I of course love all of the pockets for tools, needles, and accessories, patterns, etc., but far more important is that it is CUTE. I also think it's a great size. My primary bag now is almost too big and I lean towards trying to stuff 40 projects in there with yarn, needles, and patterns for all of them, and wind up with balled up, tangled, and knotted messes. That's not cool.

What "must have" items that I'd find in your knitting bag if I were to dig around in it right now?
I am ashamed to say that few of the must-haves in my knitting bag are knitting related. (giggle) My other obsession outside of the fiber arts is beauty products, what can I say? Of utmost importance is lip care. #1 is kiss me by philosophy (haven't tried it? buy it, try it, love it, thank me later,) and then #2 is My Favorite Lip Balm by C.O. Bigelow in case #1 gets buried. We knit with our hands, of course, so that is also crucial. Burt's Bees Lemon Cuticle Butter and Hand Salve can always be found in my bag. Again, others will be there too, Kiss My Face Olive Oil/Aloe and Dionis Sugar Hollow Spice that a darling friend gave to me and I LOVE. I can't forget the contact lens drops, knitting can dry my eyes sometimes. ;-) I also like to keep gum because I get in people's faces a lot when knitting, helping them with stuff or just laughing obnoxiously. :) Now that that's covered, I actually had to look in my bag to see if I had any fiber-related must-haves and there are NONE. I must stipulate, though, that my bag is a mess from a lot of traveling recently. On a good organized bag day, I would have at least one little box of the thin stitch markers, a measuring implement of some sort, and at least one tapestry needle. I also like to keep at least one sock in progress or yarn and needles to start one because you just never know when it's going to be time to knit socks. :)

Thanks Sean – now it’s YOUR turn dear readers. Share with those of us sitting here ‘round the table:

What’s (In) Your Knitting Bag?

**Part 2 of the interview can be found here.

Planned Patternhood: Who's Got Next? Let's Discuss...

As with any hobby, it becomes easier and easier over time to accumulate the tools and notions that you crave need to continue working your craft. I started collecting needles of all different sizes before I even worked up a stash. Then when I started whipping the stash into shape (humor me, ok?), and I started collecting online pattern links instead; all with the intention of lining up a nice comfortable queue of Things to Make Next. Over time, I found that it wasn’t just what I was buying that would change, it was also how I was choosing what to knit and why. Initially, I chose every project with one rule in mind, it must be a project that would force me to learn and use a new technique, no repeats. That fizzled when I ran into things like steeks, and entrelac, and other skills that I still need more gumption to try.

Last year, I worked myself into a frenzy about knitting gifts for everyone I could think of on my gift list, so my decisions about what to knit next were all based on finding things that those recipients would like. That chaos died down earlier this year (phew!) when my stash reached the Reality Check point and I started my stashalong Yarn Diet. At that time, I decided to choose my next project based on what stash yarn I had. Once again though, to overcome the withdrawl of not buying new yarn for months, I turned instead to stacking up a formidable pattern stash;and so the cycle continues. As a result, my current mehtod is to control my queue by only knitting from(a) patterns I have already purchased or downloaded and (b) yarn I already have in my stash.



How about you? How do you decide what you’re going to knit next? Is your To Be Knit list already so long that you’ve got things to fill the needles from now until the sheep come home? Or are you more inclined to serendipitous stitchery – choosing whatever project strikes your fancy next? What usually dictates your choice – your stash? Your pocketbook? Your slightly overbearing, but ever so charming and always-seems-to-be-right local yarn store owner? Are you a follower of a particular designer, or are you more inclined to make multiple projects from your favorite knitting magazine/website? What about a quest for skill? Does anyone out there knit according to a list of specific techniques they want to conquer?



Along these lines, what kind of projects take priority in your queue? Do you mostly knit any gift items first before considering what you’d like to snuggle up in next? Or are you more concerned with the influence of the season? I know plenty of us here in the south can’t even consider the brush of wool against bare skin in our laps from the months of May until September.



And lastly – what is it about a pattern that makes you say at some point – “Yep. That’s it; that’s the one. Time to cast on!”? For me, a good set of photos and some well-planned styling for a pattern will at least make me read further into the materials, gauge, and size information. If something in my mind says “Hmmm. I can see that on <>", I’m already a good part of the way to adding that item to the list. Recently, I do find that I’m even more compelled by pictures of “real” people in their handknits. Some things that I would never have considered before have since been added to my queue because of FO shots from a blog, or from Ravelry.

So clue us in…How do you decide

What’s Next on Your Knit List?

Skeery Knits: Techniques That Terrify...Let's Discuss

My good buddy Sean and I first "met" in cyberspace and discovered that we had a string of random things in common - Florida, knitting, similar page protectors for our patterns and fasting for better health. You can check the archives for more on any of those topics, but I'm including this disjointed intro to say that our stars aligned yet again today. I was just thinking this morning that we're due for another go 'round our discussion table, and there he is in the comments saying the very same thing. Thanks for the nudge Sean!

This discussion is one that I've wanted to open for some time, and to break tradition a little I will include my own answers within the call for responses. I've been spitting out FOs left and right lately (and there now, I've just jinxed that by writing it...ah well). Each of those finished objects is the product of thousands of stitches and anywhere from one to 5 different techniques. In some cases, these are things I had tackled before (cables, shaping, picking up stitches, Turning A Heel.); and in others, the techniques were new to me, and therefore quite daunting (magic loop knitting, 2 socks on 2 circulars). But in all cases, I knew that there were only a few ways to skin the cat, if you will, and without pressing ahead with a specific technique, the project just would not be finished. Believe me when I tell you that the thought of some of these steps gave me great pause. In fact, something as simple as mattress stitch seaming up my Central Park Hoodie caused me to neglect it for weeks. And don't get me started on what picking up over 300 stitches evenly did for my confidence (shudder). For my Sangria Socks, I snapped a dpn and cursed another pair of socks tying up my circulars before I finally buckled down and googled "Magic Loop" to get the pair finished on a spare needle. Why so afraid of these things? Well, they were either unfamiliar to me, or they had very negative associations based on what I had heard or read from other knitters.





Speaking of other knitters...there is much talk of knitting stardom around our community, and what constitutes a really good knitter. Whether someone is or isn't a Knitter with a capital "K" gets tossed about quite a bit. And let's face it, we all measure how "good" a knitter is by what techniques they have been willing to try, and by how well those attempts come out. Now, allow me to digress for a minute - the amount of courage one has does not always directly equate to the measure of one's skill. To see that someone has braved Fair Isle, or a moebius, doesn't necessarily mean they are a better knitter. So to put such a knitter above yourself based on their courage to try such things doesn't seem quite right to me. I think learning to cast-on at all, and then sticking with it is about the height of knit bravery, because really every other thing is just a product of that, right? Hmmm..that may well be a discussion for another day. I will concede that if you have tried or are willing to give certain knit tricks a go, then you do deserve the admiration you get when it works. Hopefully, as a group, we can agree to let those examples inspire us.



But we're not talking inspiration today folks, we're talking fear.
I assume you all traverse the web at least as much as I do, and if you haunt the library and bookstore craft sections as I do, then you've probably seen just about every technique out there. Which of them just gives you the heebeejeebees? Is it mitered squares? How about (GASP!) steeking, or shadow knitting? Have you done a sock yet? What about cabling without the use of a cable needle? Is it tools that get you shook? Are you afraid to branch out in the round by trying those new fangled circular needles? Maybe you throw (English) and you've considered trying to pick (Continental), but haven't made the switch. And what about yarn and pattern types?! Does the thought of lace knitting with cobweb weight yarn on size 0000 needles just make you dizzy? (That one makes me a bit lightheaded I must say)

You'll notice I intentionally didn't link to many of these techniques I've mentioned and that's because (a) I trust your research skills, and (b) I would not want to bias your answers here by linking to some page/example that actually makes you afraid to try something you were not daunted by before. However, please feel free to share your own links with the group - links that address the dreaded techniques you see listed by others, or those that show examples of your own unconquered skill. That way we can better appreciate what makes you quiver, or we can find something to add to our own list of Techniques to Tackle.



So, Share with the group...we promise we won't laugh. If anything we'll more likely say things like "Mmm hmmm, I know that's right." Let's name the enemy, call it out and face it together! Just think - this could be the start or the expansion of your knitting arsenal. Pull up a chair, and let's discuss...when it comes to your knitting,

What techniques terrify you?

Passion or Pastime: Why Do You Knit? Let's Discuss...

Good time for another go 'round the table? I think so. But first! THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your wonderful compliments on my Central Park Hoodie. Whooooweee do you guys know how to make a knitta feel good! I'm really touched by those of you that keep coming by here to see what I'm going on and on about, but having some new names in the comment list was this week's extra special treat. I'd wrap you all in cashmere if I could! As I said to some of you by email and comments, I'm very happy to help in anyway I can if/when you decide to start on this pattern. I got by with a lot of help, and I'd love to offer that back to you.

Another housekeeping item; for those of you who tagged me for my 7 random things, I'm not ignoring you darlings. I acutually did this over at the BriarRose Fibers KAL - and you can read that (and ogle great yarns) at this link. It does appear though that I've waited past the decent time frame for tagging others because everyone I would have picked already has their list posted. If you do leave a comment and you have posted your 7, let me know because I would like to check them out.

Okay, chat time. This morning I knit a few rounds on some socks out on the patio. It's particularly stormy and damp down this way lately, which puts me in a pensive state. I got to thinking about what it is that makes me reach for my needles first thing in the morning when I get up, and again right before I crawl into bed at night. More and more I find that my packing for any trip - long or short- is not complete without a project bag crammed with yarn, needles, more yarn, a pattern, my knit notebook and a magazine...and another ball of yarn (we call this project delusion). I acknowledge that I don't have any real "down time" because every spare moment is spent pattern browsing, stash fondling, blog posting, taking project pictures, soaking up a podcast or (gasp!) actually knitting. Where did this obsession come from? And how come it has hit me so hard?

As usual, I won't give my own answer just yet. I want to hear from you! Share with me and with the others here at the table - why do you knit? If you had to label it, would it be your Passion or your Pastime, or is it some wonderful mish-mash of both? If you're one that is new to knitting - welcome! Why did you choose this handcraft over the many others available? If you're a sticks veteran, what has kept you interested this long? What makes you keep at it stitch by stitch until the next thing comes off the needles? And if you don't knit, but you do put your hands to use in some other passion or pastime - tell us about it, and why you keep at it. Go philosophical if you like - it's totally allowed.

To add to the dialogue, I'd also love to hear about why you knit or make specific things. If socks float your boat, enlighten us about their magnetism. If baby knits, lace, or charity knits really do it for you, give us reason to join you in doing that.

As usual, share freely and share whenever you like, no time limits. I like these semi-regular chances to open the floor to you out there and to learn from you. And if you'd like to know why other people pick up their pointy sticks and cast on again and again, tell them to come on by! Give them this link and they'll come right to this post:
http://thebrownberry.blogspot.com/2007/06/passion-or-pastime-why-do-you-knit-lets.html

So, why do you knit?

Let's discuss....

Yarn Shopping: Online or In-Store? Let's Discuss...

I was so impressed with the turnout for our last round table discussion that I thought I'd pose another question this week. Call me nosey, but I love hearing from you guys instead of just rambling on and on about what I haven't finished knitting yet :)

Another topic that has come up among my knit buddies is the option they choose most often when shopping for yarn, needles, and notions. At one time I was convinced that knitting and crochet are completely tactile hobbies; that in order to know if you'll enjoy knitting with a fiber, and if it's right for the project at hand, you've to to "be there" with it. Now that I'm more exposed to the online yarn peddlers, I often feel that I can get plenty of information about a yarn and how suitable it is just by doing a little research at my computer. Fantastic distraction from productive work, let me tell you.

Sites like Yarndex and the Knitters Review give a wealth of information about a yarn: it's fiber content, suggested needle sizes, gauge, and colors. On the Review site, you even get...well, reviews from those who have actually tried it out. Buying online also makes it fairly easy to comparison shop. With all the options available, you could have shopping carts ready and waiting all over cyberspace until you've found the deal that's worth snatching up. That would be tough to do in real life, even if you lived in a place littered with local stores (and if you do, please send directions ASAP).

But what about kicking the tires? I've heard from some stitchers that it's just not the same if they can't see the colors "live" and slip the skein through their fingers to get the real feel of it. Heck, in some of the friendlier yarn shops, you can sit right down and do a gauge swatch before any money changes hands. There's also the human factor - talking face to face with a shop owner about what you'd like to make and if a substitution will work well. Should you get 6 skeins or 7? Does this particular shade of green on you say "spring!" or "hangover!"?

Where do you shop most of the time? Are you always just a mouse click away from a UPS delivery? Or do you prefer the touchy feely part of yarn hoarding collecting? What things help to determine the decision when you are ready to buy?

Are You a PayPal Junkie or Local Shop Regular?

Let's discuss!

ETA: It's never too late to join the discussion! Thanks to all of you who have chimed in already. Speak up whenever you choose, and encourage others to do so as well. There is much to be gained by examining the perspective of another person, and you're welcome to do that here any time. :)

Knitting: Social or Solitary?- Let's Discuss...

I'm part of a few forums and groups online, all yarn related of course.
I don't always have the time to actively participate in some the discussions that go on, but every now and then a topic gets me to come out of hiding (lurkdom) and make a statement to these "strangers" in my online knitting community.

This was the case recently when a thread member posted the question:

Are you a social or a solitary knitter?

Now, the person who originally posted the question submitted her position first (solitary knitter by choice), then she opened it up for discussion to the group. I found the responses fascinating!

So I'm throwing this one out to you dear readers. How do you prefer to stitch - solo or as part of a group? Are you a Knit Night Junkie, or do you do your best work in the solitude of your own space? If you do love to Stitch 'n Bitch, what do you love about it? If you don't go for the group thing, enlighten us as to why.

I'm going to resist posting my own answer here for now (though I'm thinking most of you could guess); I don't want your answers to be a reaction to mine - I would just love it if we could stack the comments with a good conversation on this point.

Let's discuss!