Yellowbird Yarn Room

I do loves me a good dichotomy!

Oh, Joan, you lovely lady, you!

I walked into Judy's Ice Cream for Open Knit last Thursday to find a happy little pressie waiting for me at my usual spot:

All sweet, no sour.

Peeking out of the top of the tissue were two very different sets of needles - one set square and sophistocated, one set round and rustic.

Both sets the epitome of all I adore!

Set #1:  Square and Sophisticated

Size 11 in Ebony with funky silver beads at the end.

Set #2:  Round and Rustic

Size 8 in an unnamed wood with a small amount of bark left on the end.  (No, they don't glow - they were just really difficult to photograph.)

The contrast between these two styles just make me so happy, and I can't wait to use them!  They were made by hand, inspired by materials available to the crafter, and gifted to a highly appreciative recipient.

It doesn't get much better than that. 

Now, I have made one small error in telling you about these needles.  I called them "needles".  Joan calls them "sticks", and here is her description of why as it appears on each tag:

I don't label these "needles" because they are individually made and each is unique.  They are hand shaped, hand sanded, then hand buffed with beeswax for smoothness.  I use hardwood scraps from woodworkers and repurposed fabric for the cases.  Four sided needles are based on the perimeter, and labeled as the closest size to standard round needles...

You can find more of Joan's work at River City, and each set is priced very closely to what you would pay for a factory-made set at a box store.  Given the thought and time and effort that goes into them, these would be my go-to needles (I mean, sticks!) every time.

All I need now is a project to go with them!   

Losing my grip

I returned to Cranford today, and it was a lovely day for it.  Gray and rainy outside, and my most important task being that of finishing a special order.  So as soon as I saw the kids off to school, I took my cup of coffee and my knitting and curled up in front of the dvr.

My only regret is that I had coffee.  It really should have been tea.

A few years ago, such marathon knitting as these hands have seen over this past month would not have been possible.  I had a pretty tight grip on those needles, particularly with my left (and non-dominant) hand.  A pain would eventually develop behind my left thumb that would linger for days, and I would be forced to set all projects aside.

And, yes, this did make we question the sagacity of starting my own knitting-based business, but what can I say.  The sacrifices we make to follow our passions, eh?

But something surreal has happened lately.  All of a sudden, I've loosened up!

Now, yes, I have my high-strung moments, but much fewer than I used to (a change I frequently attribute to knitting, though the good nature of my husband and the unpredictability of kids have played no small role).  It's simply in my nature to hold tight so that nothing goes astray.

Particularly when knitting in the round, which I have been doing all week long.  I pull tight on the yarn for the first stitch or two...or three...of each dpn to minimize the ladder-effect.

But around a month ago I decided to take on my first large-scale project in a very long time (a project to be discussed in more detail after it has been gifted), and it was a project I wanted to finish quickly.  It called for a bulky yarn on size 11 needles, which appears to have been the perfect combination to force a change in my grip.

Suddenly, I could almost feel my left hand relaxing.  It seemed to start guiding the needle instead of controling it and trying to force it to do what I wanted.  It was as if a switch had been flipped, causing me to get a grip that was both more effective and less painful.

Huh.

Well, I can't explain it, and I certainly won't question it, but I do share this development with you in order to express my one deep thought of the day:  sometimes the best way to gain control is by letting go.

Isn't it marvelous when a hobby serves as the perfect philosophical analogy?

Deadline extended!!!

Something very cool happened to me this morning that inspired a change of plans.

It appears that, thanks to some very nice FB sharing, a very nice lady from the local paper found out about the blanket raffle just the other day.  She contacted me for more information, and when we spoke this morning I told her that I would postpone the drawing if she could mention it in the paper.

She's going to see about slipping something in on Saturday.

Very cool!

That means, then, that I need to give all those lovely readers a chance to make it in to River City over the weekend.  So, now, Monday it is!

Good thing River City is open on Sundays in December!