I'm writing. Writing, writing, writing. It's hard for me sometimes to think of anything else. Ask the long-suffering Lala or my poor sisters about that. I am officially the most boring person in the world, as when I'm away from the desk I'm either working on how to get back to it or how to stay away from it without guilt (answer to the last: big long naps, that's how, under the guise of Avoiding the Cold from Hell that's going around–must rest!).
Sister Bethany pointed out that lately I write about writing, and seldom about knitting. Good point! See above.
But I have been knitting a bit. And spinning. Oh, Lisa Souza, with your perfect, perfect batts. Really, when I'm spinning her stuff, I don't want to touch another piece of fiber that she hasn't prepared, ever. I spun a lot of this:
It's 90% super-fine merino, with these little glints of colored tencel, red and yellow and pink, that gleam through, and it made a nice DK-weight 2-ply. I made this cowl (super-simple free Ravelry link) out of the first batt:
I wish you could really see how pretty it is, with those little sparkles of color here and there. The camera doesn't do it justice. SO SOFT. And I still have two batts left (now spun, they just need to be washed and hung).
It's funny, this is the first yarn that I've ripped in a long time. I tried three different kinds of scarves before realizing it needed to be a cowl. And I knew it would come to me–I just had to keep trying.
DRAWING – FREE STUFF
Hey, in apology for not being all knittified like I used to be, I feel like giving things away! I'm going to draw one random winner from my mailing list (not on it? I never spam; join up there to the right) and I'll send the winner an autographed copy of HOW TO KNIT A LOVE SONG. If you have it already, you can either have me make it out to a friend of yours, or have me make it out to you and pass your copy on to someone else!
Ooh, hang on a sec, it seems I'm feeling REALLY generous. Again, from the mailing list, I'll randomly draw a name, and that person will win enough of the Lisa Souza yarn that I made to make a cowl, just like that one up there.
And just for fun, I'll randomly draw a winner from the comments of this post and send an autographed book out that way, too. Just tell me what's keeping you from YOUR knitting right now.
Yeehaw! Fun! I'll draw on Wednesday.
Dear Rachel I’m Susan (VtCozy )on twitter..I actually gave your book as a Gift,but of course did not buy one for myself She,my Friend Erin Loved it..So I am taking a chance to win your book or Yarn or whatever you have Handy lol..I love wool I especially love Local Vt Wool..But I am flexiable,,I knit my first hat last winter.and usually knit scarves,My Mom was The Knitting Queen..I was taugt how to knit,by making Clothes for My Barbie,,She looked very Chic.,taught my Daughter how to knit the same way….Enjoy..Write more and your knitting is Beautiful..Must try spinning..Best and Success Susan..
Sorry About That What is keeping me from Knitting right now?.I will start again in The Fall..I try..I am working so many hrs now,that even my Reading schedule is off I belong to a few BookClubs on BN…Have a Good Night/Day Susan..Knitting is My passion as well..Susan
Is it wrong to enjoy other people knitting? I love the yarn textures and colors, and hearing from knitters about what they make and seeing the end product, but I just couldn’t put two needles together to save myself. But I love textiles.
Is that wrong?
A three-year-old and being home for the summer – I’m a teacher so despite the “extra time”, I only manage to clean my house and not kill my child.
70-80 hour work weeks are seriously hampering my knitting. I come home only to fall asleep with knitting on my lap. Fortunately that will all end within a week or two, and my work load will lighten considerably, allowing me to knit instead of crash. This is a good thing because OMGHAVEYOUSEENTHENEWTWISTCOLLECTIVE??? There are some gorgeous new patterns!
I have a copy of the book, but would LOVE an autographed copy.
I spun a bit this summer for the Tour de Fleece, and I’m knitting up a circular shawl (own design) for a raffle/silent auction this fall at Oregon Flock & Fiber. I’m at 600 stitches per row right now, but it’s going fairly quickly anyway. It’s the edging that seems to take me forever!
What is keeping me from my knititng? Writing, just like you! It’s a sickness I tell you. A sickness. I couldn’t even go to the bookstore today and read without dragging my laptop and then I got stuck writing … again. And it’s Elizabeth Zimmermann’s birthday to boot. One would think I would be actually knitting. But NOOooOOOO! It is words that are once again driving me away from the gorgeous Malabrigo shawl that is yearning to be finished and the Comfy shrug that I started just a week ago and have only managed to knit 10 rows on. Sigh. And I’m not even writing about knitting today.
Keeping me from my knitting….is spinning! And summer! And reading actual paper books, as opposed to listening to audio books. My older daughter is entering her senior year in high school and we’ve been doing lots of college research, lots of reading and I’m feeling the pressure of having to knit her lots and lots of socks to send her off with!
Writing, watercolor painting, crochet, canning…they keep me from my knitting, but not too much!
Ack! Unfortunately, a back injury is keeping me from knitting. I need to keep myself in better posture and apparently I knit kind of hunched over. I really missed knitting this past week, so I think I have to relearn to knit by holding my knitting up at eye level so I don’t hunch over.
I am vicariously knitting by reading knitting blogs!
Hmm…I’d say that reading is keeping me away from knitting. I would claim the small person as a distraction, but for some reason knitting just hasn’t been dragging me in the way it used to, and the pile of interesting books to read is getting higher and higher. Possibly the yarn diet is to blame…
That cowl is gorgeous. I’m so impressed that you’re knitting with your own yarn!
hmmm. a sore wrist and the call of fishing are keeping me away from the hat i’m working on.
We’re moving; the previous tenants of the place left a disgusting mess and the landlords seem to feel that they have done more than their share of cleaning it up. So, we are now cleaning the apartment which is still pretty disgusting. Miles to go before it’s home. Which is what is keeping me from my knitting.
Thanks for the giveaway! I want to read your book!
Reading, and intermittently packing for a move to an apartment that is 30% smaller than the one which is currently full of crap…We haven’t yet reached the crunch point of ‘Do you really need all that yarn, sweetie?’ !
Whats keeping me from my knitting? Work! I am the freight manager at a brand new Buckle store in our mall and over three days we got 300 boxes of shipment. Crazy! I want to knit, but am at work from 8am-930pm!
Between a toddler and a sick hubby just back from India, my knitting is being sadly neglected. Although since they both just went to bed, I may pop in a DVD and find some yarn…
OOOOO – Lisa Souza Rachael Herron yarn – I am in lust. The glinty fibres make all the difference. (I still have not taken to the spin thing – but the needles never stop…)
I loved that book, I got it from the library so if I win…YEAAA I can read it again and again.
What is keeping me from my knitting?
Myself. I get distracted too easy.
What?
Butterflies!!
Where??
Mostly just being tired at the end of the day and know I’ll be making mistkaes that I’ll be ripping out later. The cowl is pretty.
My irritation with Joe Morgan (OMG WHY ESPN WHY?!) is making me rant at the television and the Red Sox/Skankees game. I’ve learned not to knit too much when watching this match up…I knit too tightly while yelling at the TV so much.
9-month-old boy-child. He is very mobile and very interested in things he should not put in his mouth. Like toilet seats and shoes. Uff da!
Very nice giveaways! I’m currently knitting the Cloning Anemone Rib socks from the STR Club a year or so ago. I was making good progress until I realized I started the heel about four rows too soon. I seriously considered ignoring the mistake (since I was at the heel gusset). But I ripped it back. I feel so much better now. 🙂
Reading is totally hampering my knitting. Just finished “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” and loved it!!!
I actually have to sheepishly admit that I’ve been knitting a TON lately, it’s just that most of it isn’t bloggable.
But um… *thinks* OH, one thing that’s kept me from knitting is Sims 3.
Unlike Sims 2 which had long stretches where I could knit while my Sim studied cooking or whatever, there’s so much going on in Sims 3 that I hardly get time to knit anymore. I mean, I guess that’s a good thing? But still.
My routine has been utterly disrupted by the presence of 12 and 7 year old boys (oncly one of each but, these days it feels like more). Labour Day can’t come soon enough.
At the moment, quilting is keeping me from knitting. Quilting and making needle rolls. All of which have to be done soon and then it will be back to knitting!
I’m learning to spin, which is cutting into my knitting time but will eventually (I hope) lead to some interesting handspun to knit with.
Reading, working and gaming keep me from knitting. It’ll pick back up though once summer is over and it starts getting cooler. For now, I’m enjoying reading in the sunshine.
Keeping me from knitting? Ravelry browsing, gardening, Facebook, learning a new Droid X (although I did find some knitting apps!), laundry (hung it all outside today in 115 degree heat – bleah) I did take some time today to cast on the 100th anniversary Pi Shawl in honor of EZ’s birthday! Thanks for the giveaway generousity. I’m reading HTKALS for the 2nd time right now! I’ll share my existing copy if I win the autographed copy! 🙂
I want to start with I heart you so much. What’s keeping me from my knitting is my 2 year old son, my 10 week old baby and my husband recovering from a bowl re-sectioning 4 weeks ago. I did do some spinning today at the farmer’s market while selling some wool! That was great, four ounces spun fast! I am about to wind up some yarn and try making up a little cowl pattern to give to customers that buy bulky yarn. I’ve never written a pattern, but here goes!
I didn’t know Lisa made bats, but I’ll see her at the end of September at Oregon Flock and Fiber Fest!
I’m so excited for another book from you, such an amazing escape. After I read your first book I felt like I was still in that town. Or like I had just watched the movie of the book. It’s been optioned right? Well it should be.
awkward, I missed a t in batts
100+ heat index. Baling hay in 100+ heat index. But my barn is now full of hay so I guess giving up knitting for a while is worth it.
Reading knit blogs and general computer messing around do a fairly good job of keeping me from actually knitting. I think about it more than I do it lately. Go figure. I loved the first and am anxiously awaiting your next book.
Owie! What is keeping me from knitting right now is pain in my right wrist from slinging too many scuba tanks! So what am I doing? The next best thing! Reading knitting blogs!
Boring and all as it is, work is keeping me from my knitting. Too many hours! Too many late nights! And believe me when I say it is not worth it, not at all!
But today I have taken a duvet day (twice a year we can ring up and take a day off with no notice – a duvet day). There will be cleaning and there will be knitting and most of all there will be resting! Bliss!
Fortunately, I’ve learned to read and knit at the same time so that is no longer a problem. Housework takes me away from my knitting – can’t vacuum and knit at the same time.
This hot,hot summer and needing to swim a lot to keep cool, watching the grandkids and gardening. We had a bit of a cool down this weekend, so thoughts of cables, hats and gloves did pop into my head.
My ereader is keeping me from knitting right now. I’m devouring books, but haven’t got the knack of reading and knitting at the same time. Maybe I just need the right kind of project.
I’ve been busy with work lately, but that will pay off when I actually go on the trip I’m preparing for and I will have tons of time to knit (I’m planning a sweater).
No AC at home and 100+ days that don’t go below 80 at night. For some reason the boss objects to me knitting at work – don’t know why…..
I just finished your book. It is wonderful! I knit, but now I want to try spinning.
What’s keeping me from knitting right now? Well right this minute its that I have a d*@n job that is not in the least fiber-related. But also its been helping my future step mother plan a wedding. They are getting married today!! 7pm on 08/09/10
Keeping me from knitting: The cortisone injection that I had to have in my shoulder because I have been a knitting fiend and have developed “frozen shoulder” from holding my arm near to my body and not moving it by taking breaks from my knitting like I should. LOL! It’s always something!
If I win at least I can “Read” knitting while my shoulder recovers. How great would that be???
I have been knitting cell phone holders for my nieces!!! And I made a Minion for Honey!!! Your book is going on my nook!!!!
Well, I knit on my plain Jane socks this morning, so the thing keeping me from my knitting is that it would look bad for me to knit at work. I’ll go back to them this afternoon!
I’m feeling nostalgic for my knitting again. It happens every summer. Kids home from school, garden in full swing, muggy days.
I always feel like September is a virtual New Year’s Day because I start all over again with my knitting and stuff. It’s almost like I hold my breath all summer and then exhale for fall.
Stupidity is keeping me from knitting. I’ve finished one shawl and realized I didn’t knit the 4 rows BEFORE doing the set-up rows! AND I’ve started then ripped twice and then then totally frogged another. So it’s just plain stupidity!!!!! I’m on time out.
Work and reading are keeping me from my knitting… plowing through the Lord of the Rings again this summer in spare moments. I did manage to knit some on vacation in ME with morning coffee, and hope to finish a couple of projects on a looong train ride in the near future!
What’s keeping me from my knitting? I’m getting ready to move from California to Pennsylvania. Got to throw out junk and organize everything else!
Keeping me from knitting?? Hmm…..well I learned to knit in the fourth grade…..but they only taught me to go as wide as the needle and as long as the yarn!! How many scarfs can you make??? LOL But I do crochet too and that at least takes care of the “yarn frustration” for now. I see all the beautiful yarns you use and it makes my fingers itch!!!
My precious, precious grandchildren (sit down, don’t touch that, you’ll eat in a minute!!!) – uh, what was I saying? – oh yeah, keeping me from my knitting while Mommy & Daddy are in VEGAS! (what’s wrong with this picture!!)
Thanks!
Sadly my day job keeps me from my knitting. But have to work to pay for the yarn and fiber! 🙂 Lovely handspun and cowl!
Other than work, laundry, cooking, dinner and people who are actually offended when I knit at meetings, the thing that is really getting in the way of my knitting is that my cousin who was my knitting social connection moved far away, so I have no one to share with. Road trips, except when I am driving, help.
The heat is killing my summer knitting mojo. Mid 80s to 90s & no a/c means no knitting.
What’s keeping me from knitting is crushing heat that’s even made our indoors uncomfortable to knit in. I also have an eager and mouthy lab mix puppy that I have caught slurping meditatively on the end of my yarn tail (a la Lady and the Tramp) as I knit socks, which are the only thing I can bear to craft at the moment. However, cool weather is coming! I’d love either a copy of the book or the Lisa Souza fiber.
What is keeping me from knitting? Left over bbq chicken and the resulting sticky fingers.
Reading. Reading about knitting. Reading about writing. Reading Dorothy Sayers and Georgette Heyer. A little spinning. (none of which seems to keep me from buying yarn and fiber…) But my wrist feels better, so I’m suddenly knitting more! Hooray!
I like reading about writing. Keep writing about writing too, please, thank you.
(oh, and I made a list of things I thought of later. Should email you soon, but running out of the office now)
I’d love a copy of the book. My copy went to Las Vegas with me, suffered some minor water damage, and is currently making the rounds of a group of friends. If I ever manage to get it back it’s going to be dog eared beyond belief! As for what’s keeping me from my knitting – hmmm. As busy as I am I am still managing a wash cloth a week. That counts as knitting!!!
Paper copy would rock as I read it (day of release) on Kindle so I’d love to have one to share with people. Anyway, I have the opposite problem from you: I’m doing my knitting but not managing my writing. The cause is massive doctor/hospital/lab visits and testing. It’s easy enough to knit in waiting rooms, but so hard to get into a writing space while I wait for an IV or a CT scan!
I have the sisters-in-law & my niece coming to visit this weekend… the prep work has kept me busy!!!
But its knit-night tomorrow night…. I’ll be knitting away then! =)
Graduate-level Intermediate Statistics. I’ve got a huge assignment due Tuesday, another huge assignment that will not be graded but will be the basis for 3/5 of the final exam on Thursday, and a massive project that is also due on Thursday.
This is especially horrible because I have a wee baby sweater that is a fancy bind off, a ribbed collar, seams, ends, and a button from being finished. And my new-to-me Wii and Netflix Wii disc both arrived in the mail today. And my internets got fixed this morning (they work reliably for the first time in two weeks.)
In a perfect world this would translate to coming home from work, sitting on the couch, and knitting until my hands fell off while watching an infinite stream of bad-but-compelling instant-streaming television.
Instead, I will be hiding at the coffee shop with a backpack that weighs as much as several wee babies and is nowhere near as much fun.
I loved the book and now I am jumping onboard your mailing list and throwing my hat in the ring for free stuff…..knitting for more years than I can count….age 10 or so to the present……more than 50 and that’s all I am going to say about that!
Love to be a part of the Rachel knitting and reading society! What fun!!!!
My daughter’s wedding (on the 21st) should be keeping me from knitting but I just bound off a Luna Moth shawl for her to wear at the reception so the knitting was keeping me from making the junior bridesmaid dress for my 9yo. Now to block the shawl and start cutting out the dress while it dries!
Real life is keeping me from knitting right now. The past few weeks have been crazy busy. I keep promising myself that I’ll knit after the family goes to bed at night, but I start falling asleep before I can finish a row. I can’t wait until school starts and the house is quiet again.
I am studying and reading books all the time instead of knitting! Good for my brain, but my fingers are bored.
What’s keeping me from my knitting? My chef is in Italy visiting her family so I am working what seems like 24/7 but I dream of Maine while I work ‘cuz that’s where I’M going when she come back. What knitting shall I take with me? mary in Cincinnati
Seeing as how I have one fat baby sitting in my lap playing with my boob, and my skinny toddler in the background screaming, I think my lack of knitting recently is justified. Somewhat. Maybe. At least without knitting in my hands I don’t want to poke him with the needles to get him to stop screaming at me (every parent has these thoughts).
Lord … what’s NOT keeping me from my knitting right now? Sheesh. It’s like a conspiracy or something… But most (MOST!) of the stuff keeping me from knitting is fun stuff, so I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining toooo much!
Sweat. It’s so hot that even my floors are sweating tonight. And my stash is almost entirely wool. Which doesn’t mix well with sweat. I love your book and would love a copy to share w/ friends (I bought a digital copy). It definitely inspired me to try spinning with a friend’s wheel this summer . . . in between bouts of sweating, of course.
Why am I not knitting RIGHT NOW? Because I just frogged a sweater that was 1/3 of the way done, and have tried to restart twice but can’t quite get the cast-on right, and I need different needles but they’re alllll the way downstairs…and also there is Sherlock Holmes to download and there’s no point in knitting until I have something to watch and keep my mind occupied and look at all these lovely knitting blogs!
My actual picking-up-yarn-and-making-stitches knitting mojo packed up and moved out a while back. My virtual looking-at-knit-blogs-and-ordering-knitting-books knitting mojo is still going strong. The fact that I’m still doing the virtual knitting thing gives me hope that the actual knitting mojo may return. Perhaps some amazing Yarn-a-go-go-spun yarn would help in that department? (Hint, hint.)
You may have noticed that my using-too-many-dashes mojo is still going strong. Eh. Sometimes a girl’s gotta take what she can get, no?
What ISN’T keeping me from my knitting. Sigh. But autumn is coming and knitting will get me over the sadness that is summer past.
Editing a textbook and watering watering watering the vegetable garden are doing their part, but mostly it feels like my knitting is keeping me from my knitting! On the needles right now I have waving lace socks (intended for entry in the looming fall fair), a tomten jacket for rapidly growing grandchild #2 (that was meant for last spring), and a newborn kimono for grandchild #3 (who is due to appear any day now!) My priorities seem to be on shifting sands lately…
My two-and-a-half-year-old nephew is in town, staying at my house for 4 weeks. It’s so good to see him, but there is no time for knitting!
I’d much rather be knitting but can’t with the clutter of furniture around me. I’ve been rearranging and everything is kind of in the middle of the room(s!) right now until I decide exactly where I want it to stay. This has led me to cleaning out all sorts of things. I’m sure I’ll be really happy when it’s all done but right now, yes! I’d rather be knitting.
i’ve just finished my dissertation, so thankfully the thing thats been keeping me away from my knitting for 6 months is out of the way 😀
Looming deadlines and doing some teaching are keeping me from my knitting. Seems like my best knitting time lately is walking to and from the shop where I teach!
thanks, I would love to win a copy of the book. Not knitting because it’s just too hot here, and not feeling the love for any pattern right now
Cross-stitch… piles and piles of it. I worked at my aunt’s store. Then she did a grand closing. Now I have a bunch and it’s finally cool enough (read below 80F at night) for the fabric and thread to not stick to my hands because of sweat!
I work at a synagogue where I am the *entire* office staff, and the freezer just died, the speakers in the sanctuary are playing La Movida radio and Rosh Hashanah is one month away…yeeks! I’m trying to get a touch of knitting in every few days, but I could only do 4 rows yesterday before I burned out 🙂
Oh, that’s funny. I just convinced myself I’d missed the giveaway because it had happened last Wednesday. What, me on time for a giveaway?
I’d love another copy. I’d give my copy to my friend S who’s on the East Coast and would LOVE your book. (And now I’m wondering, did I already loan away my copy?)
Summertime busy-ness was keeping me from knitting until recently, and then knitting suckage (everything was turning out lame) did. Now I’m on a roll and knitting Cerus for my son’s last-year teacher and it looks and feels GREAT. Yeah!
My 3 kids and their sleepovers with friends are keeping me away from my knitting. Trying to sew up a hand knit lace vest that should be perfect come October. Love your blog!
Janice from southeastern WI USA
What’s keeping me from my knitting? I have to go to bed as it’s 10.30pm here and I have to go work tomorrow. But I want to keep knitting!
OK, we want you to be writing because that would mean another book. But the yarn, oh it is lovely. And I would like to win the giveaway. Please, please pick me.
Please.
OK, I will stop groveling now.
What keeps me from knitting: Oh that’s easy-EJ (my 9month old son)… I am super excited for your LLK visit, so I can show you my progress on my husbee’s love song sweater 9ok its just ribbing, but its mighty fine ribbing!!
Work of course!
i love cowls! i keep buying single skeins of yarn because i think that saves me money (LIES), but then I don’t know what to make…. The solution is obviously to make cowls. They are glorious!
wow, who missed that there was a giveaway in this post… that teaches me to read blogs while i’m at work!
yup, work is all that keeps me from my knittings… wish i could only answer the phones, then i’d knit socks ALL DAY LONG. 🙂
I’m another “It’s hot and I don’t have AC” what is keeping me from knitting knitter.
I have an Autographed Copy, but a chance to win 2 more? Count me in.
(one for the Post Comment, one for being on Your List).
OK, OK, no sense in being greedy. If I win both, I’ll pass on one.
Is it too late to enter the draw? If not please add my name to the pile.
Mostly what’s keeping me from my knitting these days is my exhaustion — my Grandpa’s funeral was yesterday, and life’s been crazy.
What’s keepingme from knitting? Currently, nothing! Of course, I’ve been on bedrest for a few weeks, greatfully off since I’m allowed to have this baby anytime now, so knitting time has been plenty! Very very soon though, there will be little knitting at all, with a newborn and a toddler!!
I <3 Lisa Souza's fibery things! I bought her laceweight for my first lace project ever, & it is still devine!
Well, the internet and all the blogs I read…and being on a reading jag…although I do read and knit at the same time…. Mostly, it’s walking that keeps me from my fiber…still haven’t mastered walking at knitting!