Thursday, January 14, 2016

Short rows how I love the...



When I have a stressful week at work, I always bring along some auto pilot knitting. This is knitting that doesn't take much thought, it's comforting, it's simple, and it produces something that I love... This typically means, short rows... 

I love short row knitting. There, I admit it, I said it. I love short rows. I find them wonderful and magical, from the very first multi directional scarf, to my second and third multi directional scarf. 

Short rows reveal beautiful colors 8! Variegated yarns, and they give you the opportunity to truly enjoy garter stitch. I love short rows.

I don't event like his yarn, in fact I kind of hate it. But short rows make it bearable and wonderful.



I also may have a problem, and it is the almost lost dishcloth... Is there a support group for pattern addiction? 



If there is, please sign me up (but only if it means that I get to keep knitting them..) 


It's been a short row week, and it's been stressful, but wonderful.



Sunday, January 3, 2016

Hat 1/52

Well, Hat 1 of 52 is already completed


Pattern used: I slightly adapted the PatPat's Hat Pattern

Yarn: Lion Bran Wool Ease

Techniques: Top down construction,
Elizabeth Zimmerman Stretchy Cast off





This hat will fit a school age child, and it will be donated to PatPat's Hats

This is a simple top down hat. I personally find top down construction to be my favorite. I really like that this type of construction allows the ability to see the true size of the hat before it is completed.

 
A perfectly simple pattern, a great chemo hat. 




Saturday, January 2, 2016

First dish rag

Pattern: basic lace pattern from the Feb Baby sweater 

yarn: random cotton from my stash (get used to it, I have a bunch of it) 

So, while I was knitting the Feb Baby sweater, it just wasn't looking right. I decided to cast on a dish cloth to practice the lace pattern. I don't really know why, but I have found that when working some patterns, if I have to purl the wrong side row, I need to purl through the back loop to get it to work correctly. I don't really know why, I just do. 

When I started this cloth, I wasn't seeing the lace at all. When I started purlibg through the back loop, it worked great. It doesn't make sense, but I'll stick with it. 







Yeah, I don't expect I'll keep this momentum;


2016 knitting goals

Well, here we are in 2016. Of course I have set knitting goals, who hasn't? We all say "no new years resolutions" and that is almost hard. I do prefer to have it set as Goals.

Knit the Almanac
- Yup, you heard me. I really want to knit the almanac. I don't anticipate this will be in order (I have already started the February Baby Sweater because I have a baby shower in late January. I have always considered myself a project knitter, and I really want to be more o a process knitter. It isn't about the finished object, it is about the journey. Yes, some of these projects will be for me, I will NOT be giving all of these away.

52 hats
- I would like to knit 52 hats. These will all be for PatPat's Hats . I am hoping to learn some new techniques and knit some of the hats that are on our PatPat's Hats pinterest board, also I would like to knit through a few books that I have. This book, Weekend Hat's has been in my library for a long time, and I haven't knit ANY of them.



52 Dishrags
 I know, silly right. But not really. I want to learn some new techniques. I hope that knitting dishrags will help me get better with my gauge swatches, I hope that it will help me get better with knit stitches. Oh, and I really love using my knit dishrags. These will likely become knitting Christmas gifts. 

Christmas Gifts
- I have found a number of yarn/knit crafts that I would like to use as Christmas gifts. Many of them are nice enough that I might even consider selling at craft fairs. My goal is to set 1 weekend day each month to work on these gifts. 

Yes, I know, it looks like a lot. It is a lot. Keep in mind that I have an hour of commuting every day on the train. I am also traveling cross country by train in March, I am SO excited. 

So, here we are. in 2016. What are your knitting Goals? If you want to join me on any of my journeys you can of course follow my blog, you can also follow me on Instagram.