I've decided to take another summer vacation from my blog and devote summer to completing things and renewing my commitment to pen, pencil and paper:

I've been blue. Not scary-blue, but a subdued blue. I think it has a lot to do with how much I anticipated this summer break from my normal daily driving and the kids' school activities. I absolutely want to make the most of it. With the loss of my cable internet at a critical time a couple of weeks ago (I'm still recovering from that), I've been tackling some revitalizing tasks. I decided I want to ENJOY the summer before it fades and the school routine begins all over again. I plan to knit, write, draw, sew, embroider, clean, paint, declutter, re-evaluate, focus and create.

I'll try to share the evidence on Flickr and Ravelry and I'll be back to my blog in August. Meanwhile, if you're so inclined, please share in the comments whether you plan take some time to indulge your creative side and what you might be doing in the next thirty days.

See you in August!

Posted by Janet at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)

From my favorite knitting book, with one of my favorite yarns, Alpaca Silk by Blue Sky Alpacas. And because inevitably, I am asked why I would knit a drawstring pouch, I use them as reusable (and luxurious) gift packaging.

I won't bore you with the long and drawn out final installment (I hope) of the cable internet saga I've been experiencing. The bottom line is that the cable company has installed brand new cable and my signal should be strong and consistently stable now. Murphy's Law is alive and well because while having no internet is really not fun, this was the week I needed it the most.

I resurrected a hibernating project but I purchased new colors to work with:

I'm going to use the free Kusha Kusha Scarf pattern as a guide, but I'm not switching needle sizes. My plan is to hold both yarns together and cast on 60 stitches on a Size 6 (US) Addi Lace needle and knit in stockinette till I'm out of yarn.

Here's a swatch:

It's a photo of the stitches on the purl side so you can see the two individual yarns better. I think I'm going to enjoy this version of the scarf much more.

Posted by Janet at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)

I knew I would think about the issue while I was on my trip -- the fact that each one of my sisters is pursuing a successful career and earning income of her own. While my job working part-time at the yarn shop is rewarding and carries with it opportunities to see my friends and commune with knitters (and crocheters), it's pretty safe to say that my net earnings each year are canceled out by my purchases. And I'm proud of my sisters. They each have an incredible sense of duty and work ethic. I know that my sisters are also proud of me and they constantly tell me so -- and point to my parenting, my relationships and my skills as evidence. Whenever I've been given the opportunity for more (in the way of a career and a larger paycheck) in the past decade, I've respectfully declined.

So when I see things that I've knit being passed around the room and worn -- or I spy them in suitcases, it provides a little more clarity for me. The issue of worth begins to be resolved when I see proof of how I've invested my time and energy and how lucky I am to be able to do what I enjoy nearly every single day.

Posted by Janet at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)

For the last several weeks, my sisters and I had been making plans for a trip to Seattle to see our mom, who recently suffered a really bad fall and month-long recovery and rehabilitation. In the midst of the phone calls and updates and last-minute travel (for my youngest sister), we realized that we've not spent enough time together -- that is, just us sisters, free of emergency visits and drama. And while being with sisters is always good for a no-holds-barred reality check, it's also valuable to get the insight that only a sister can provide.

And for me, it was timely. I celebrated my 44th birthday almost 2 weeks ago and I did it quietly because it's the first birthday I've struggled with a little bit. It's not the numbers that bother me, it's the fact that the last few years have been difficult. I'm so grateful for all of you for reading the non-knitting bits here on my blog as I've used it to work through some of my thoughts. It's your comments and emails that have kept me going as I uncover old photos and history. As I dealt with some of the missing pieces, I realized that I was a little bit in pieces myself and that's not like me. I would rather have a long-term vision and a plan in place. My daily path doesn't have to be linear, but the vision is what keeps me anchored. And for the last few years, I've not had that. Or . . . perhaps have had too many. That is, I've been listening to what others have told me my vision should be and I've been distracted by too many choices and opportunities. No more.

This weekend gave me what I needed. The effort in getting to Seattle was monumental but I'm glad we all made it happen. Once or twice I was confronted with the internal question of what I'm here to do -- in the existential sense. I've always known that I've got the potential to do any number of things and I have so many wonderful people to encourage me no matter what path I'm on, but I didn't have that growing up. I had to rely on books and a lot of reading to help me choose the right attitude, how to make goals and how to achieve them. And you know what? I don't need to read any more books about those things. It's time for me to write one.

Posted by Janet at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)

The lovely Theresa of T Does Wool has tagged me for a meme; and because I really like her, I've been planning to do this meme, but I had to let it simmer a bit while I got caught up on life the past couple of weeks.

Here are the rules: "The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer."

1: What was I doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago, my oldest son was almost three months old. So ten years ago, I was enjoying his sweet disposition and happy smiles. For his middle of the night feedings, we'd sit up and watch Food Network (he was a slow eater then . . . but not anymore). Here it is this many years later, and he is my foodie child. And those ten years ago, I was just beginning to believe I wasn't "less than" for choosing to be a stay-at-home mom. I was learning what it felt like to be comfortable with my choices and I was learning that it wasn't so much the choices that mattered, but my resolve to make the best of them and to know that situations change, opportunities present themselves and today's choice is just that.

2: What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

Today I plan to (a) knit, (b) eat a brownie (done!), (c) go to the bank, (d) mail some packages and notes and (e) shoot some photos. Did I mention school is out?!

3: Snacks I enjoy:

My favorite snack is freshly-popped (not microwave) popcorn with real butter. I also like yogurt (can't eat ice cream) and I tend to favor crunchy and salty over sweet things.

4: Things I would do if I were a Billionaire:

If I was a sudden billionaire, I'd opt to give away about 90% of it to various causes. Whatever remained would be more than enough to take care of my family and extended family. My first splurge would probably be a few homes in southern California and a trip to Tokyo.

5: Places I have lived:

I've lived in Redondo Beach, Torrance and San Bernardino, California; Karamursel, Turkey (a few years ago, I found photos of me and my sisters in yearbooks here); Oklahoma: North Carolina, and now Texas.

6: Jobs I have had:

Telemarketer, shoe salesperson (Dillards), legal secretary, deputy court clerk, receptionist, executive assistant, office manager, database administrator and my current job working part-time at a yarn shop.

7: Bloggers I am tagging who you will enjoy getting to know better:

(I'm compiling a list of five knitting bloggers that I would like to get to know better . . . so until I update this post with the list, feel free to participate in this meme if you haven't already)!

Thank you, Theresa, for tagging me!

Posted by Janet at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

In late 1951, my mom left Japan via Yokohama on the USNS General W. H. Gordon (T-AP-117) bound for the western US. While I was doing my genealogy research, I found the list of passengers -- my mom's shipmates. I didn't know the name of the ship prior to finding the passenger list, nor did I realize that she was traveling with many other Japanese nationals - women with Japanese first names and American last names. This was one of the ships bringing Japanese wives stateside with their husbands - American servicemen. Some of the women were pregnant (this was noted in the list -- my mom was four months pregnant as well) and two of the women had already had children. The youngest wives were 19 years old, with the average age being 22. There was one Chinese woman and one Korean woman on the ship as well.

My mom doesn't like to talk about the journey from Japan to the US -- she hated traveling by ship and it was a long, unpleasant trip -- she left Yokohama before the end of December and arrived in San Francisco in the second week of January, 1952.

Over the years, I've pieced together some details that she's shared with us and although hers is the only story I know, I imagine that almost all the other Japanese women aboard the ship were disowned by their families and had to face the same degree of background investigation, medical exams and probably their share of humiliation and racism in order have permission to marry an American. The "reconciliation" I'm referring to in the title of these posts, refers to my reconciling the historical facts with the feelings and observations my mom has shared. Once in the states, she felt she had to stop "being" Japanese. She even had to have an American first name, which confused me; she was "Sandy" and her friends were sometimes "Kim" or "Sue." I was so curious about my Japanese heritage and wanted to know more, but I was often shushed and left with my own curiosity; I would have to be content with reading and imagining until I went to Japan with my mom in 1985.

I've been working on this post for a few months now and for some reason, working on it has made me feel rather blue. It's been difficult coming to terms with the war and its aftermath and also the racism -- not just towards Japanese women, but toward other cultures as well. It's hard to reconcile the pride and privilege I feel with the suffering and disgrace we inflict on others.

Posted by Janet at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)

This has been the year of connectivity issues with my internet at home. The gremlins invaded last week on Friday afternoon and I was without internet till yesterday afternoon. In the early morning or evenings, I was able to use my husband's wireless broadband connection but during the day (prime websurfing time), he has to use it to . . . work!

So I was faced with deciding what to knit when nobody's looking (i.e. when I can't blog or post photos to Flickr like I normally do). I'm so used to casting on and sharing here and there that I never really thought about how GOOD it might feel to knit without instant feedback. It felt great! And it's not that I don't value your opinions and wonderful feedback -- I have the most awesome readers, after all -- but when it comes right down to it, perhaps I could (and should) knit without an audience. I frogged a lot of WIPs that weren't making me deliriously happy. Ultimately, all that left me was the secret knitting and secret swatching (i.e. stuff I can't share here due to their being gifts or designs in progress). But it's no secret that it was satisfying to just knit -- to work on something without showing anybody.

What would YOU knit if nobody was looking?

By the way, my internet problem this time? Loose cable connections -- my cable signal was strong, but it wasn't getting to the modem! Once that was taken care of, I had to set up my wireless router again -- a two hour process -- and now I'm good to go. For the past several months, I was having to go upstairs to reset the modem at least once a day, sometimes more. There's no telling how much more knitting time I'll have now that I'm not constantly having to reset the modem!

Posted by Janet at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Earlier this week, I watched Grave of the Fireflies and it has unexpectedly stuck with me. If you're new to my blog, my Dad served in the USAF and was stationed in postwar Japan (during the occupation) when he met my mother, who is Japanese. While I was growing up, my mom didn't talk about her childhood in Tokyo except in vague terms. To say I didn't understand her back then is an understatement. But I started asking questions when I was a teenager and thirty years later . . . I'm finally beginning to understand some things.

My mom was 12 years old in April 1942 when the US first bombed Tokyo in retaliation for Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor. By 1945, B-29 bombers were being flown from China to bomb Japan, with many sorties over Tokyo. It's difficult for me to imagine being a teenager during the incendiary bombing of Tokyo; my mom shared about one incident of heading to the bomb shelter and not being able to locate her favorite cat. But it wasn't until I watched this animated, but nevertheless very accurate, depiction of incendiary bombs and the story told from the point of view of Japanese children, that I was able to begin to understand some of what she went through. I'll leave it to those of you who take the time to read through the links to reconcile your own feelings about WWII and about "war" in general. Personally, since watching the movie, my own views are beginning to change and evolve.

Actual knitting content resumes tomorrow; I've frogged nearly everything that was giving me trouble.

Posted by Janet at 08:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Twisted Knitter is my knitting blog handle; my real name is Janet and I live in a SE Texas suburb between Conroe and Houston. I've been a blogger for years but now I blog mostly about knitting-related things . . . occasionally I sneak in something unrelated to knitting.

You can also find me on Ravelry and Flickr (where I've been posting photos since August 2004).

I've been knitting since 2003 and my passion for it increased with each successful finished project. From over a dozen felted bags and many socks, it never occurred to me that you couldn't knit with wool in Texas. (Did you know that's the first thing people assume about Texas knitters - that it's too hot here to knit?) Houston has a large and accomplished knitting population and I've been fortunate enough to attend workshops taught by Beth Brown-Reinsel and Nancy Bush.

I'm not much of a garment knitter; I knit mostly for tactile and visual reasons. I'm taken in by yarn that's "my" color or a fiber that feels luxurious. I quickly abandon a knitting project that isn't satisfying or fun. I knit first for enjoyment and second to master a skill -- I will knit a pattern repeatedly until I feel I have mastered it. Recently I shared some of what brought me to knitting in the first place and the fact that my blog is something that I do for myself. This is the space in which I am generous to myself and others and I try to be kind even when I share strong opinions.

My hope (and continued goal) is that I demonstrate that I am interested in my readers and fellow knitting bloggers. I enjoy getting to know you through your blogs and your Flickr photostreams. I'm grateful that so many of you have continued to blog about what is going on in your lives and not JUST the knitting projects you're working on! Recently, I decided to post more up-to-date photos of myself, because many of you already do -- and this helps if I ever run into you while I'm working or attending a fiber-related event. If you're meeting me for the first time, I'm really shy (though I seem standoffish) and I guarantee I will figure out a way to say something goofy even when I am consciously trying NOT to. Susan is the first fellow knitter I met in the flesh and I'm delighted that she and I are still knitting more than dishcloths after all this time. (I am *so* not opposed to knitting dishcloths - and I still knit them proudly!)

I have three sisters; Jayne is in banking, Joan is an attorney and JL works in the entertainment industry. I'm married to Paul and have three kids - a daughter and two sons. My sons prefer that I not blog about them; however, I'm pretty sure my daughter doesn't mind. Prior to my choosing to be a stay-at-home mom, I worked as a database administrator -- first for a building products manufacturer in Oklahoma City and later for Marathon Oil Company.

Thanks for reading!

Posted by Janet at 09:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)

To my readers:

I need your opinions.

Do you read the "About" pages on blogs? I read them when I am new to a blog but beyond that initial read to get to know the blogger better, I don't read them again.

Do you find it helpful when a blogger provides contact information beyond the comments section? Again, for me it's rare that I use the "contact" option (outside of leaving a comment) but I can see that it might be useful to some of my readers who want to ask me a question but not necessarily leave me a comment.

If you are reading this at my blog (and not through a feed reader) you can see that I'm preparing to decide whether I want to include these additional options - but right now, it's not linked to anything. I'm also working to make sure my avatar is the same throughout the places I frequent online.

On the knitting front, I'm going to frog the triangular shawl today because I think I need to go down a needle size. I committed to experimenting with the book, the yarn and the concept but didn't officially make it a project. So I don't feel guilty about starting over. I do love the yarn and the color.

And among other things on my needle right now, I felt like casting on a sock:

It's NORO Silk Garden Lite, a DK-weight version of Silk Garden. I've got mixed feelings about it so far, but I love how quickly a DK-weight yarn becomes a sock!

Posted by Janet at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)

So I counted and I'm working on five things that I can't blog about till they're finished, and that means no in-progress photos or musings. However, you can still catch occasional random non-secret knitting photos on Flickr:

I started a shawl from Knitting Lace Triangles, by Evelyn Clark. The yarn is Mama Llama Silken Cash, which should be enough for a small shoulder shawl. I'm really enjoying the book and the straightforward approach to starting and knitting a triangular shawl. As is typical for me, I've started and re-started a few times and unless I can figure out where I lost two stitches, I'll probably frog again tomorrow (and the yarn is holding up well to all the frogging).

There are a few other things that are going to need my attention and some action. And it's possibly I'll have some non-vacation travel coming up. No escapism allowed, but the knitting does find its way into the spare moments here and there. I also make time to check in on blogs and websites to see what everybody's working on. There's absolutely no shortage of inspiration either:

Knit happy!

Continue reading "Count to five" »

Posted by Janet at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I'm back in business. I got a new MacBook last week but had a family emergency and wasn't able to fully engage myself in learning this new and different operating system. But the little I've been able to play with it since then? Awesome.

Some of you wanted to see the nearly-complete Lizard Ridge blanket for which I knit two of the squares:

Details: This is a group project -- a knit=along of sorts -- for a gift. I surprised myself by completely changing my mind about the Lizard Ridge by the time I finished the first square. Had I not HAD to do my part for this gift by knitting two squares, I would have given up. However, I adore this pattern now and I'm looking forward to making another one.

Posted by Janet at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)

Posted by Janet at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)

Last June, I started a sock on my birthday and four days after I started the sock, I got my Ravelry invite. Since I always have a couple of socks going at once (and feel absolutely no shame about that), I spent several hours that day and the next exploring Ravelry and adding projects and stash. I couldn't help but notice something incredibly interesting -- although I know MANY knitters who have not knit this sock pattern, it's the second most popular pattern on Ravelry (second only to the Fetching Fingerless Mitts -- which I haven't knit).

I don't know why it was such a compelling idea for me to finish this sock last week (I was SO close to finishing when I tossed them aside several months ago), I just decided to do it. I've already cast on for the second sock and the cuff that I wasn't overly fond of initially (lots of k1 tbl) is kind of charming to me now - and not at all as fiddly as it seemed in June.

Details below:

Pattern: Monkey from Knitty (Winter 2006)
Sock Yarn: Mama Llama Sock Yarn in Twisted Yarns Colorway
Needles: Lantern Moon Sox Stix, Ebony, Size 1 (2.25mm)

For the next week or so, I'll be working on a secret (knitting) project and I'll be kind of scarce. It involves NORO, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

Posted by Janet at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

I have no new knitting to show; we've been planting, painting, and cleaning. It must be a spring thing. It's also heralded by the annual arrival of ants in my kitchen. I know that if it rains a lot (steadily) and the next day is sunny and warm, a colony will have formed somewhere and they'll begin invading. Oddly, it's also about the same time I start to think about baking cookies. I believe I'll wait until I get rid of the ants* to get out the brown sugar.

I've swatched several things this past week and so far, nothing is as promising as I thought it would be. I decided this was a sign to step away from the knitting (that is, knitting-as-blog-fodder) for a brief pause, so I've been listening to the Yarn Harlot's audiobook version of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting. I highly recommend it. It's entertaining without being too cutesy or cheesy. (And, yes, I know I'm one book behind and she has a new one out now . . . at this pace, I'll probably get to that one next year).

And smack dab in the middle of this blog entry, I want to share Laurie's blog entry today. One thing jumped out at me:

I'd wasted all that energy on one thing that was past and something new that hadn't even happened yet.

I've been there -- I've wasted energy and THOUGHTS on things that were completely unfruitful. And I've wasted precious brainpower having imaginary conversations with people I was angry with at the time. I'm now 100% sure that the other person involved didn't give a second thought to maintaining that same conversation in his or her head. Obsessive thoughts like that are very close to the classic definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

I wanted to bring this to my blog because it relates to why I began knitting. About four years ago, I was getting and staying so angry about perceived slights and injustices that totally didn't concern me; often I was angry or incredulous about something that was happening to a friend or family member. One night I left the house in a huff over something I had been reading online and I ended up falling in the garage and requiring a trip to the ER for stitches and a tetanus shot. Less than a month later, a friend of mine mentioned trying knitting and I was tired enough of myself that I decided it was time for a new hobby. Knitting helped me gain some emotional equilibrium and has kept me out of the ER (I learned that I am really accident-prone when I'm angry). And this is why I still knit. These days, if I feel that I'm starting to be competitive (with anybody other than myself) over knitting or anything knitting-related, I step back -- and maybe away -- for a while. Ironically, if I don't step away on my own, then some external force will exert itself -- computer problems much?

If you're stewing, perhaps step away and ask yourself why your expectations are so high or . . . radical thought . . . maybe you should dig even deeper -- why are you a knitter? For me, it's a meaningful and productive way to engage my hands and my mind so that I remain emotionally balanced and stay out of trouble. The huge bonus has been my gaining some great lifelong friendships in the process.

* Products to help eliminate the ants

Continue reading "Spring in the Suburbs" »

Posted by Janet at 05:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

I love scarves. I love living in a place where our winters require lightweight accessories and no bulky outerwear. And most of you already know that I adore green. So when I saw this color of Malabrigo merino laceweight on Spritely Goods, I had to have it. Although several knits distracted me from finishing this scarf as quickly as I would have liked, I devoted myself to it completely in the last week and finished it the day of my root canal.

In the past, I've started several other BIG lace projects only to make mistakes and get frustrated. This leaf pattern was something I could manage while watching television or when sneaking in some early morning knitting time.

And then there's dreamy red laceweight yarn:

While it seems this soft red yarn could easily distract me (once again), I've instead rescued another lace project from hibernation. So to satisfy some tactile desires, I did nothing more than wind the red yarn and swatch with it. Now it will sit for a while until I find the perfect pattern.

Before I close, I also wanted to share this cute little accessory bag from Splityarn:

It's adorable and functional. I'm using it to carry stitch markers:

Posted by Janet at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)

Almost four years ago, I knit this tote bag with my Noro Kureyon leftovers -- I'd knit three Booga Bags and had a smallish amount of leftover Kureyon and then scored a bargain on a couple more skeins. I had this idea to knit a tote in order to have a good project to take to Tuesday night Sit & Knits. When I finally finished knitting the bag, I felted it and had plans to sew handles on it and use it as a knitting bag. I purchased an inexpensive handle but ending up feeling indifferent and uninspired about it -- I was not at all excited about attaching it the bag, so I kept it in a pile of finished knits in my closet. A few months ago, Twisted Yarns received a shipment of Grayson E handbag accessories and leather handles in assorted sizes and colors. The 25" handles were exactly what I wanted, so I bought them. They have pre-punched holes and handles were easily attached to the bag by backstitching a double strand of DMC Perle Cotton (Col 9038) and now I love this bag! There are some great Grayson E handbag patterns available now also.

UPDATE: I've added the pattern to my blog sidebar: "Felted Tote with Kureyon."

Posted by Janet at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)