Friday, November 2, 2007

Notes From a Higher Authority

Comments from my mother:
First: My mom thought "you" might like this shop. (The quotations and the hyperlink are my addition. By "you" I think she means "we." Also, I think HEB mentioned this place before. Perhaps one day when cafe time isn't reserved for reading time.)

Second: Keren, Tell Hannah that Habu has a showroom in mid town around 26Th street. They sell yarn there and it is cheaper and a better selection than the shops. Japanese knit patterns are hard to follow until you are used to them. (I have no idea what this comment is in reference to, but perhaps you do, HEB.)

3 comments:

Churchma said...

Emily alerted me to your blog. I taught myself to knit from a book when I was a lonely newlywed in California in 1972. No one my age knitted. My grandmother tried unsuccessfully to teach me when I was a little girl. Someone who saw me knitting during a chorus rehearsal years later showed me how to knit European style, which is much more efficient (using the right needle to pick up the yarn tensioned in the left hand, instead of throwing over the yarn for each stitch with the right hand.)

I've knit some pretty elaborate Aran knits and fair isle sweaters over the years - and had a few marginal successes that I never wore much, and a few that won blue ribbons at the county fair. I am just now finishing a baby sweater for a grand niece. the norwegian yarn was ridicuously expensive ($70 for a size 2 baby sweater!) but the pattern was adorable - with a ladybug fair isle design. It was the first time I ever knit a Norwegian style pattern - which called for knitting in the round from bottom to top without any armholes - and then at the end machine stitching where the sleeves would go and CUTTING between the stitching to make the armholes. I was terrified, but I finally did it today and it seems to have worked.

I love the way your generation of young knitters is starting with scarves and mittens and small projects that don't cost $100 and take six months to finish. My first project in 172 was a hip length cardigan sweater with cables! I'm eager to try socks soon.

Elizabeth said...

Girls, I totally went to "The Point" when I was last in NYC! It was post Columbia and NYU visit days (and is quite near NYU, if memory serves.)

It was cute, and yet I felt a little awkward buying a bagel or whatever and knitting for a while, as there weren't any other people in the store who did the sit and knit thing. I think I may have also tried to buy a button and then didn't have the cash for it...

Emily's Mom:
Hello! Thanks for coming to visit our blog. I would love to see a picture of the ladybug sweater; it sounds very adorable (though I will admit that cutting holes in sweaters sounds equally terrifying).

And speaking of socks, does anyone have some know-how where that is concerned? I too am interested in socks, but don't quite know where to start.

HEB said...

I second the request for a picture of the lady bug sweater!

And I'll also add a request for EW to come to New York so that we can sit at the Point and knit together.

I've never been to the Habu showroom, but have long wished to go and I ordered my yarn for the Kusha Kusha scarf from there. I was very pleased with their service: they shipped it the day that I ordered it and it arrived in New Haven shortly thereafter. The Japanese pattern wasn't so bad because the scarf is so simple, but I can imagine that it would require a little more thought if the project were more complex. When I finally finish that darn scarf, I'll post a picture of an amusing note on the Kusha Kusha pattern.