The Wong Ohana

Well the weather is starting to feel like Fall again. Temperature is dropping and I have a fire burning in the fireplace. The best thing about this time of year, in my opinion. That and knitting. When it starts getting cool enough for long pants, a sweater, and fluffy socks, its time for knitting. So knitting I am!!

I started knitting when I was only about 5 or 6, I think, anyway, I was pretty young. I remember having a Barbie, and wanted to have cool clothes, but we couldn’t always afford to buy clothes for Barbie, so my Mom taught me how to knit, and thus Barbie got her first bright orange ski outfit! It was very cute and she loved her new outfit, that is before my Great Aunt, Sister Rosaria, (who was a nun - duh!) came to visit us one summer from New York. She was my grandmother’s sister, and would occasionally come out in the summer for a visit. She was 4′ something, very small, and my sister and I used to call her a little penguin behind her back. That’s just what she looked like in her long black nun’s habit.

One day, during her visit, I realized that I couldn’t find my Barbie, I looked everywhere, her little white plastic shoes, and tank tops with matching shorts were there, but no Barbie. Seemed funny that my sister’s barbie was also missing. I suddenly realized what had happened, but how do you accuse a nun of stealing your doll???? Was I surprised when “Sister Mary Barbie” reappeared fully clothed in her Nun’s habit, which by the way was complete with collar and head dress. My doll was in a white nun’s outfit (the nurse nun), and my sister’s had been dressed in a black outfit just exacly like Sister’s. I was amazed at the intricasy of the outfits that she had made, including little beads hanging from her belt. All too soon I realized that Barbie’s new clothes were sewn on permanent. I guess once a nun always a nun - - - and to this day, I believe that I’m probably the only one in the world who has 2 Barbies dressed in nun outfits (somehow I ended up with my sister’s doll too - - - shhhhhh, don’t tell). So that was pretty much then end of knitting Barbie sweaters, but it was not the end of knitting for me.

I made lots of dolly blankets, sweaters, booties, etc. It was great fun!!

Now, I don’t make doll clothes anymore, although I have made a special ordered Puppy Sweater on an occasion or two, and I probably have more scarves than a scarf store, the odd shawl, poncho, and who knows what.

Right now, I’m knitting a very pretty baby blanket for a friend who just had a baby boy. Its a very soft light blue yarn with a white border, with a heart pattern that I just fell in love with, so that’s my current project .

One of the problems with knitting is that as you start to near the end of your project, you rush and hurry to get it done because you can’t wait to see the finished item, then there’s that brief moment of a let down when you realize that now you have to think up a new project.

I think I have a thought, though. I bought some socks (shame on me, I have a million patterns for knitting socks, but haven’t started them yet), and when I brought them home, and put them on, I realized that they are too short for my comfort. They come just below the hem on my pants so there is always that 1″-2″ or so of leg that gets cold. I found I just haven’t been wearing them for that reason.

Then it hit me! Pick up stitches all around the sock and knit an extended couple of rows to make the socks the length that I want them. Excellent idea! I can make them as long as I want to, revive a pair of socks I loved, but weren’t just right, and get into the swing of knitting socks so that maybe I’ll come up with a few cool designs of my own! I think I’ll choose some cute different colored yarn and do some stripes - yeah stripey socks - how fun is that!!!

Well, time to get back to that baby blanket.

Stay tuned, as soon as I figure out how to import some pictures, I’ll post some of my favorite projects here.

Filed under: Crafts on November 6th, 2006