Knitting in the Dark

Once upon a time... there was a woman who was sitting in a darkened movie theater, watching seemingly endless previews and promos, and thinking to herself, "If only I could see better, I could be finishing that adorable little sweater I've been working on." Some time later, she mentioned her wish to a friend, and the friend's husband got to work, inventing a little magic! This little fairy tale was inspired by a piece written by Susan Guerrero, which appeared in the New York Times a few years ago. The "magic" turned out to be KnitLite knitting needles, with glowing L.E.D. tips, created by Edith and Merrill Eig. You could knit at the movies with those, or outside under the stars on a summer night, or between 8:30 and 9:30 PM on Saturday, March 28, should you decide to turn off your lights and participate in Earth Hour.
Another helpful gadget for knitting in the dark is KnitLight, which you can wear around your neck. It provides bright light in a targeted zone, without disturbing others around you.
So, no excuses, keep knitting!

Now, THAT'S Crafty!

When I turned on my computer this morning, it opened up, as usual, to Boston.com (the online version of the Boston Globe newspaper). Something in the lower right corner of the screen caught my eye, and I'm glad I took a second look. It was a fragment of a blog, where someone had written, "When I spotted a beautiful Marc Jacobs sweater for about $300 in a magazine, I decided to make my own instead." I was very intrigued by this, so off I went to read the whole story at http://www.pippapatchwork.com/, and I invite you to do the same. You can read her blog entry for March 12 to find out more about the sweater, and see a picture. If that doesn't inspire you enough, take a look at her knitting gallery! Her use of color is very fresh and imaginative.

I Want to be a Blanketeer!

Project Linus volunteers are known as 'blanketeers". They provide new, handmade, washable blankets to be given as gifts to seriously ill or traumatized children, ages newborn to 18. Blankets of all sizes and styles (quilts, tied comforters, fleece, crocheted, knitted, receiving) are acceptable, as long as they are homemade, washable, free of pins, and come from a smoke-free environment.
Project Linus is a 100% volunteer organization, with chapters in almost every state. Our local contact, Susan, assures us that all the blankets our group donates will be distributed here on Cape Cod.
Several members of Stitching Tales are already hard at work on beautiful knitted blankets to donate to Project Linus. We are also planning a group project, in which individual knitted or crocheted squares created by our members will be joined together to form one or more patchwork blankets. Everyone can contribute.
As you probably know, March is National Craft Month, the perfect time to put your creative talents to use. Come on, ladies (and gentlemen!), pick up your needles!

Socks, Anyone?

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's books are celebrations of knitting, as well as treasure troves of practical information. Among her titles are such gems as Yarn Harlot, Knitting Rules!, and At Knit's End. Her reflections about the world of knitting will make you smile.

In Knitting Rules!, she talks about knitting socks for her husband..... "When these socks are done, they'll appear ordinary, except that they're not. They are hours of my life, each one spent on him. They'll walk with him, as he goes through his day, every day, until they wear out, and then others will take their place, these others also made by me. It's this extraordinary ordinariness that makes socks special. That something as humdrum as socks could be elevated by love and then walked on...it speaks to a certain magnificence. The truth about socks is that they're humble and beautiful and noble, and in their lowness they're the highest form of art."

So, what are your thoughts about socks? Have you made any? Would you like to try?

Welcome to OVL's blogspot called Stitching Tales. All members are welcome to sign up and enter the discussions set forth in this blog. Sign in using your email address, pick a password and post your comments.