I’m happy to report that the socks for my Dad are finally done. I think the pair turned out extremely good and I learned a new trick. When you are picking up your stitches for the gusset, to avoid a hole in the corner, simply pick up a stitch in the back loop. This makes a clean, neat heel when done. My husband keeps eyeing the socks and has been trying to steal them ~ hands off buddy! Dad will be happy in the morning and will like having warm wool socks for his feet during the cold weather in Northern Arizona.
When Don and I were in Prescott a couple of weeks ago, I was excited to use the gift-card I won at work on a set of Harmony Wood double pointed needles. These wood needles are beautiful and silky smooth ~ I can’t wait to start my project, a pair of ankle socks in Lang Yarns JaWoll Cotton. I will be casting on today and hope to work on them most of the weekend, especially tomorrow while Don watches the Super Bowl (I’m not a sports fan).
Yesterday I was sadden to learn that one of my favorite local yarns shops, Cotton Fields Quilt & Knit in Avondale, has closed their doors. I look back and the last time I was in their store had to be in December with my Mom, so I’m not sure when this happened. I am hoping that our economy had nothing to do with this closure. I read a very interesting post from Tempe Yarn & Fiber that was quoted an editorial by Trisha Malcolm, 2008/2009 Vogue Knitting Magazine ~
“The stock market and the economy are in turmoil, unemployment rates are soaring and entire industries are in danger of failing. So where does this leave our beloved world of knitting? Yarn stores are closing — not at a huge rate, but here and there. Yet others are doing the same business or even better than they did a year ago. The odd yarn distributor has disappeared, so though you many never see certain labels again, new lines from enterprising entrepreneurs have replaced them. Some companies are not selling as much yarn as they did over the past few years, yet other tell us their businesses are holding or, in some cases, doing better than ever. You will continue to see new yarns on store shelves each season, as well as new knitting gadgets and accessories, and Internet businesses will grow as well.
To me, this is very comforting. While there is gloom and doom all around, there is still hope; there is still knitting. After 9/11, when we were all staying home, reassessing our lives, so many people learned to knit. Right now, knitting is experiencing a new resurgence. It is again something we are doing for comfort, but it also a means for making meaningful handmade gifts, for expressing creativity and for getting back to basics. Like the financial world, we are slowing down and turning back to those elements of our heritage that ground us. We’re cooking more, shopping less, being more aware of our impact on the earth. Frugal living is suddenly a trend; it’s the new way to exist, whether it’s out of necessity or choice. It’s a new attitude and a new approach to daily life. And, of course, knitting sits perfectly in that place: making beauty from the chaos around us; using a tool of logic to keep us focused and centered; giving us so much pleasure in the simple task of making something beautiful by hand.
In this issue we bring you beauty to knit, to wear and to give. Large or small, these projects will bestow on you a wonderful sense of achievement, add a little more grounding to stave off the bad news we are bombarded with daily and bring a renewed sense of purpose. I hope your lives have not been hit hard by these difficult times, and that you will always look to your knitting for comfort, abundance and joy.”
I truly hope that people will continue the art and craft of knitting. This is a long time tradition in many countries that I hope is never forgotten ~ Happy knitting!
