In Which the Pirate Goes Year-Round.

3KCBWDAY4 – A Knitter or Crocheter For All Seasons?
As spring is in the air in the northern hemisphere and those in the southern hemisphere start setting their sights for the arrival of winter, a lot of crocheters and knitters find that their crafting changes along with their wardrobe. Have a look through your finished projects and explain the seasonality of your craft to your readers. Do you make warm woollens the whole year through in preparation for the colder months, or do you live somewhere that never feels the chill and so invest your time in beautiful homewares and delicate lace items. How does your local seasonal weather affect your craft?

Almost everything I make for myself is meant to keep me warm. The last few projects I made (or am currently making) for myself were socks, a lace stole, armwarmers, more socks, two hats, and several washcloths.

I like the instant gratification of crocheted washcloths, and I would crochet toys… but when I knit, I knit for warmth. In this picture I’m skating on the Rideau Canal during Winterlude. It’s a few degrees below freezing, but I’m not cold at all because I am covered in handknits. The hat was made of my own handspun yarn from a sampler of Jacob fibre, and lined with fleeze. There’s the infamous Stripey Striped Scarf that everyone and their sister has made. I’m wearing my all-time favourite Fleep-Tops to keep my hands warm, and though you can’t see them in this picture, I have toasty warm toes in handknit socks. (Later that weekend I went to a yarn store and bought more sock yarn. Of course.)

Socks are absolutely my favourite things to knit. I always have at least one pair in progress, even though I don’t wear them during the summer. They aren’t too warm to work on even when it’s really hot outside. They’re small and easily portable, and I usually have a sock-in-progress in my purse. Here is a sock at the car dealership, keeping me company while I wait for an oil change. I knit socks at the allergist’s office while I wait for my shots; I knit socks at office lunch gatherings to keep my hands busy; I knit socks while watching cooking shows and while on vacation and while hanging out with my family. I’m even beginning to knit socks while sitting with the cats, and they’re starting to get the idea that the dangling yarn and shiny needles are not for them to play with.

Even the Dancing Cranes stole (much farther along now; I just haven’t gotten a new picture) is meant to keep me warm, even though it’s delicate, light, and lacy. I’m making it to wear to a fall wedding, and I would so much rather wear a beautiful handknit lace stole than have to borrow a too-large suit jacket just to stay warm! Not only will it look better, but it will be a good conversation-opener. I’ll need to find the perfect dress that will help show off the stole to its utmost. It is by far the fanciest thing I’ve ever knit.

To read what other people are writing for today’s prompt in Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, search Google for 3KCBWDAY4 or click here.