The Garter Stitch Guru

Lately, when I've had a few spare bucks around, I've been picking up some of the Elizabeth Zimmermann books that were missing from my library. I think she could write about welding and make it fun and interesting, but lucky for me, she was a knitter. A garter stitch guru.

When I received some birthday money last week, I decided to treat myself to the DVD set of the old PBS series, Knitting Workshop. It was delivered today, and I quickly popped in a disk to see if Elizabeth was as appealing in person as she is in the pages of her books. How great! Her manner is no-nonsense and her words are kind. The first lesson is winding wool and casting-on--real basics--and it's still a kick to watch. I even love her sturdy, capable hands. I will have to pace myself to make this set last a long time.

Speaking of garter stitch, the Kyler's Kardigan is coming along. I have made a few modifications from the pattern--making the sleeves a bit longer and with fewer rows of ribbing around the wrist and adding a little length to the body before starting the pockets to allow for less ribbing around the waist as well. It's an easy enough knit that I've even been able to read my book as I go. (Usually when I try this I either forget what I'm reading and get engrossed in my knitting pattern, or I get too engrossed in my reading and mess up my knitting. This, however, never seems to deter me from trying.) I am hoping to have this finished up by the time the "I can't stand the sight of my winter coat" weather hits in early spring. I don't think I have ever sewn a full length zipper in a handknit sweater before, so this will be a first.

When I started this cardigan I grabbed the shopping basket I was given as a Christmas gift to hold the my supplies for the project, and I love it as a knitting basket. It's a Reisenthel Carrybag that is lightweight, folds completly flat, and comes in great colors and prints. They are available in a few shops locally and through Sur La Table's catalog. Isn't this a beautiful color? Can you imagine putting ground beef in such a gorgeous bag?

Besides my EZ fun and a little knitting, the week has been mostly a nose to the grindstone effort. The house needed a thorough cleaning and a few minor repairs, and I've been out shopping for some new flooring for a few rooms--yuck. Last night I did watch an interesting documentary--Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired. He directed two of my favorite movies of all time--Tess and The Pianst, but he's such a controversial figure. It was good, but still not as good as Man on Wire. If you have not seen this yet, it is definitely one to get on the Netflix queue. Even the extras on this disk are fascinating.