Maria wearing her latest project, a capelet knit using Spincycle yarn, and holding her Siamese cat
This month’s member spotlight features Maria Thomas, a relatively new member of the TKG. Her attitude towards diving in head-first from her very first knitting project is sure to inspire. Read on to learn more.
How long have you been a member of the Toronto Knitters Guild? What prompted you to join? What is it that the Guild satisfies for you?
- My friend Kathy Kawasaki took me to The Knitting Loft one day and talked about the Guild, I commented that I’d love to join once I improve my knitting skills as I didn’t think a beginner would be able to join. Me thinking it’s for advanced knitters. She said by all means, beginners can join!
- I joined in 2023, I also purchased a membership for my friend Debra (number 501) as a gift.
Tell us about when and how you came to be a knitter. Do you have ancestors or relatives who introduced you to knitting?
- My grandmother was a knitter and my mother tried to teach me as a child. Do you remember those huge red pencils that way back when were used to teach children how to write? Well, she had these huge needles, supposedly to help children knit.
- During COVID, while cleaning out my mother’s place, I found some knitting needles. Then while searching for something on the internet, I happened to come across a picture of a knit wrap that was so pretty and off I went searching for details. I found Ravelry in September 2020. I joined Ravelry, bought this pattern, and ordered the exact yarn that the pattern used. I am still relieved to have found Very Pink Knits slow motion videos to learn the knit and purl stitches.
- The pattern is lace, but it doesn’t have any purl stitches, so I thought I can do this, how hard can it be? And off I went! Umm, lace as a first knitting project was tear inducing, but I did it!
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Mcashmere/summer-sangria
Do you accept the proposition that knitting is about “mindfulness”?
- Very much so. At least it helps me focus through the repetitive use of your hands, the counting, and seeing progress. When one is stressed or worried, pick up knitting, it is a big help mentally. Of course sometimes a pattern has issues, realizing you made a mistake rows earlier and have to TINK back can itself be a stress. Or panic knitting trying to finish for a gift deadline – then knitting becomes work.
What is the biggest improvement you have seen in your knitting over the last 5 years? How did that improvement come about?
- When I started to knit, I wanted to learn something new with each project. New stitches to learn, expand my skills by challenging myself. My second project was a multi-coloured lace shawl. CDD is my favourite stitch. Also I so enjoy knitting lace!
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Mcashmere/refracted-twilight
- I’m grateful that Lisa Ross’ patterns are so well written. (I later learned that not every pattern is clear, professionally tested…). I ended up knitting FIVE more of this pattern straight away to give to my sisters and sister-in-law for Christmas, plus THREE more later for friends and my sister’s mother-in-law.
Tell us how you go about establishing gauge when you knit? Or is gauge something you even care about?
- I started with shawls, so the size doesn’t matter; gauge what is gauge? I’ve knit two cardigans, the first one was a “group” project with a Ravelry advanced knitter in Michigan. Turns out the small size I knit wasn’t good for a designer that knits larger sizes as her main test. I knit a gauge swatch, sent pictures to my friend in Michigan – it worked! I ended up having to modify the design while I was knitting it to make sure it fit. Yes I knit the correct size and the measurements in the pattern worked. But I still had to alter the underarms to fit over my arms and added width to the front. Learning experience – make sure the smaller sizes have been tested by smaller sized knitters!
(Have you ever purchased a manufactured sweater and they just “shrunk” the size – which meant the button holes were smaller – but they sewed on the same button size they used for all of the sizes? That’s how I felt with this smaller sized cardigan.)
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Mcashmere/ochre-cardigan
- Also I then learned that a bulk knit yarn can stretch sideways once wet blocked. A swatch may be perfect once blocked, but the weight of a garment in bulky yarn weighs so much more than even a large swatch. Now I have it steamed…and that bulky cardigan went to my sister as it fits her now.
Which weights and fibres do you most like to knit with? What kinds of things do you knit, i.e. hats, scarves, garments, toys…?
- I like a heavy lace weight such as Miss Babs Yearning. Perhaps it’s sentimental that was the first yarn I ever knit with, my first project. I also like a snuggly DK weight.
- Well my Ravelry page looks like it’s mostly shawls.
- When I ended up knitting 18 stranded stockings of the same pattern, I fell for stranded work. I want to make a Nordic sweater next…once I finish all the projects lined up for others right now.
- But after those stockings, I never want to knit a sock, another heel nor toe again!
What knitted item are you most proud of? What did you learn while working on it?
- Perhaps my fist knitted shawl, as I realized lace was not easy to start with as a brand new knitter, but it’s a sentimental favourite. Also, the 18 stockings, that was indeed a labour of love. I had to learn to knit socks – so toes and heels, plus stranded knitting. I found a beautiful pattern, ordered the yarn, and dove right in!
What is your day job? How, if at all, does knitting fit with that?
- I work for a non-profit, which means I don’t have a guaranteed income and the hours are all over the place. Difficult to budget funds and then knitting time. But I enjoy the work and feel I am really helping, even if in a small way.
Have you ever injured yourself knitting?
- Perhaps this is too much information? But I lost the feeling in my fingers and toes after chemotherapy. With the first cancer, my oncologist told me I’d have to stop embroidery, cross stitch, and especially hand sewing (and stuffing) teddy bears as without the feeling in my fingers, I could injure myself. He suggested knitting instead. Nope, couldn’t be bothered with knitting. Would LOVE to knit, but I didn’t think I’d ever be able to learn it. But I was a knitter when the second cancer hit, and I knit a shoulder wrap capelet to wear doing chemo.
- I’ve gotten repetitive knitting stress injuries such as callouses that cracked when I was in a mad panic trying to get all the stockings finished. Getting up 1 1/2 hours early each day and staying up late. Indeed a labour of love, every spare moment was spent on those stockings.
Do you consider yourself to be a process knitter or a product knitter?
- Well I enjoy starting a new project but it stresses me when I cannot knit it fast enough, when on a gift deadline. Think those five lace shawls I was determined to finish for Christmas for my sisters, then the stranded stockings. So my goal is – finish it! I believe I’m a product knitter, if I understand the question’s meaning.
Do you have a favourite stitch pattern? If so, what do you like about it?
- Perhaps the first shawl I knit in multiples from Lisa K. Ross, linked above. I fell for the CDD stitch, as the engineering of working a decrease that lines up looks so pretty, plus I enjoy working with multiple colours.
What didn’t I ask you that you wish I’d asked? Is there something else that you’d like to add?
- When I started to knit, I wanted to only buy yarn that I was going to use for a specific pattern. Kathy Kawasaki said always make sure you buy enough (more) yarn for a project just in case. Then via Ravelry, I realized that many pretty yarns are limited edition shades, and off I went buying what I fell for and stocking up. But now it is a stress. Still beautiful, but too much to do right now. Afraid of giving it all away and then regretting it…
- One of my favourite Advent sets I bought from Sunshine Yarns, based on a finished pattern I saw on Ravelry. I was able to get the re-dye of this set, but it wasn’t quite the same. You can buy stash on Ravelry and I found a lady that was selling the original issue set. But the US$200 price was a little steep for me at the time. The generosity of knitters, the lady sent me the entire set for the price of a skein so she could put a value on it. She said she wanted to send it as a gift to a Canadian from an American as an apology for all that is going on politically and to let me know that there are still nice people in the US. Ya, I cried. So I’m saving this special Advent set for something really special, even if I reknit that same wrap to match the one I fell in love with at first sight. Here is the project I made with the second dye lot that I used to make that favourite piece:
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Mcashmere/lamina-cowl–wrap
- People started giving me yarn (that I didn’t necessarily want). Yes I have projects in mind when I purchased this yarn in my stash, but now I want to cull most of it.
- Now I find it a stress to have stash in the closet, to me that means work that has to be completed that I haven’t even started yet. Like a to-do list that you have to keep moving to the next day as you didn’t complete it yet.
- Selfish of me perhaps despite my so enjoying knitting for family and friends, but I’d really like to make something for myself. I found this now free pattern over the weekend, I’ve admired those Dale of Norway sweaters. But I find that wool to be scratchy (thinking of the Nordic yarn I used to knit all those stranded stockings). Here is what I’d like to knit for myself, dare I say – in cashmere? Now I have to research if cashmere (perhaps held double) can work for this pattern. Or I’ll make it work!
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/184—lillehammer-1994
- I’ve met such wonderful people through knitting. Friends I met via Ravelry, connections I’ve made via the Guild, helpful yarn shops. Grateful!
- Knitting has been a real blessing in my life. Alas, I still wish I could knit faster!
