Monday, March 26, 2007

Marathon Knitting

-or-

What I learned this weekend during the Socktopia Knit Off!

1. Have a really high quality yarn to use. If it doesn’t feel good in your hands, imagine how it will feel for 10 – 12 hour stretches of time.
2. Try to avoid small needles. Ok, I used size US 1 DPNs and they are pretty small. But in order to get gauge with my yarn I needed to use that size and I could have even used US 0 needles but – OUCH!
3. Stretch your hands and wrists before you start, and every time you put the needles down (for beverage refills, bathroom breaks, food runs and internet checks). Before going to bed, give your hands a nice massage with a good hand cream.
4. Have lots of TV to watch. Rent DVDs. Watch a season of some show you always wanted to see.
5. Load up the I-Pod with podcasts or an audio book.
6. Frequently check your posture. No slouching!
7. Have plenty of caffeinated beverages and chocolate in the house. M&Ms work best.
8. Go for a walk. You’ll need it!
9. If there is no one else around to do so, don’t neglect your pets. If they need a lap or a cuddle then put the needles down. You may need them to lay on your hands later to get the blood flowing through your hands again.

Mostly I learned that it is possible to knit a pair of socks (regular socks with 7 inches before the heel) in a weekend. Nothing else gets done, but it is possible. It’s very rewarding to finish within the time constraints. I am a little in love with my socks. It could be from the constant yarn fumes tho.

5 comments:

Dorothy said...

Awesome job! Good tips too. Although I think it will be a very long time before I get an entire weekend to just sit and knit with no more interruptions than the pets.

I hope your hands are feeling a little better now.

Shannon said...

That is insane!!! I can't believe you did that. I too, am a bag ho. Not to be confused with a ho-bag. Do you sew at all? I think I have seen a pattern for a mini-duffel bag. Have fun tomorrow!! (please see a hood on that top, please tell me i didn't hallucinate that!)

Shannon said...

Thanks for checking-psychosis confirmed! I think I am going to TRY to add a hood. I love hoodies. Yes I am very '98! Thanks again-whatcha get? There seemed to be lots on sale.

Shannon said...

That is so funny that they went to that top! If you have the same type of skin that I do you might also want to try this:

http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/077?expand=Skincare

Its similar to that cat food, but more of a soap & might be better for warmer weather. Makes sense to have a skincare product with calamine in it thought doesn't it?
Let me know how it goes!

Shannon said...

actually, that link might not work out so well...its called Fresh Pharmacy if you were interested in looking it up