Sunday, March 22, 2009

Knit Along: Urban Beats Scarf - Day 3

NEWS FLASH: THE URBAN BEATS SCARF PATTERN
I’ve received lots of requests for this pattern, and it’s not easy to find. As a matter of fact, I haven’t been able to access it anywhere but Loopy Yarns--this is an exclusive, girlfriend. So, I made a call to our friend Vicki at Loopy Yarns, and she has told me if you call the store, they’ll give you the pattern free with your purchase of the stunning Malabrigo Yarn.

So, DestiKNITers, here’s what you do:
1) Go on to the Malabrigo Yarn website and look at the Lace Merino yarn.
2) Choose two colors from the breathtaking selection (or go directly to step three if you need color advice)
3) Call Loopy Yarns and they’ll complete your purchase and they’ll ship you both the yarn and this way cool pattern. Mention DestiKNITions when you call just to be sure. Call 312-583-YARN (9276) or email them at loopy@loopyyarns.com
4) If logistics permit, you can of course go personally to the store and do all this in one satisfying step (they may even have some colorways you can’t find on the website). Come on, there have to be SOME advantages to surviving a Chicago winter...


And now for today's blog entry:

The tower of power...

Since we’re still line land of smugly satisfying repeats, I’m going to take a little detour to equipment today. There’s a lot of knitting in my house. Which used to mean there was a little (okay, maybe not so little) herd of knitting bags deposited all over my house with various projects in them. Perhaps this is a familiar scene to you. If you’ve ever wondered if you have AD&D because you have half a dozen knitting project in progress at once, take comfort in the fact that you have loads of company. We all suffer from what one writer calls “startitis,” meaning we love to cast on new projects no matter how many we still have to finish.

This tower of baskets allow me to have five different projects going at once and still ensure my house doesn’t get lost under a pile of yarn. When I get the urge to knit (which is three or four times a day, at least), I just pull out the basket I want and get to it. Like most knitters, I’ve got a varied menu of things on the needles. One project--that would be our current scarf--demands my undivided attention. Another is good for watching TV because it has boring parts. I have another that’s highly portable, one that is full of long and boring rows which I can only do for so long before I need more challenge, etc. With my nifty “Tower” I can skip from project to project easily and neatly. And--perhaps equally as important--I have to really think twice before I cast on more than my tower can hold. Really, does any sane knitter NEED more than five projects going at once? Aren’t we just a tad better off paring down our multitasking to a quintet of creativity?

When I go out with my knitting, though, I do transfer it to a bag--and perhaps that’s the only downside--but I can live with that. And yes, that's a vase of needles displayed on top.

The end result? I look diverse, instead of distracted. I feel well rounded instead of a unorganized tornado of yarn. And hey, that’s something worth investing in if you ask me.

1 comment:

Charlene Ann Baumbich said...

Terrific! I need one of those for my writing projects!