It snowed this weekend in Seattle. I was running errands on Saturday and literally turned the corner and snow began coming down. Hard. I think we have a couple of inches, which is no big deal in much of the country, but it can be a bit snarky here.
I am not snow's biggest fan. I figure that I can drive a couple of hours and visit it in the mountains if I really want to see it. Which I do - every 5 years or so. But if it is going to coming visit me then I should make the best of it. My new banner, celebrates the snow and the witch hazel in bloom in the front yard. A little bit of hope for spring peaking out from under the snow.
I had planned a different post, but let's go with the snow theme. Since the beginning of the year I've been working on (wait for it...) another stranded knitted hat. I used Mountain Top Vail for the cream which is 70% alpaca and 30% bamboo. The green is Malabrigo Lace, which is I doubled. It is 100% merino wool, which feels heavenly. I used a US 1 (2.5mm) circular needle.
The entire project took about 2 weeks, including commute time on the bus.
When finished I washed and felted it lightly which helped even out a few wonky stitches. It is soft and light weight. Perfect for a snowy Seattle day.
Wasn't it just yesterday I said I was going to finish WIP's before beginning anything new?
I stretched the truth a bit.
I decided to teach myself to knit. I was at the store because I needed a 1.5mm hook for the Lace Crochet Scarf project. And there were all these books, and knitting needles in the next isle and yarn. Recipe for disaster.
I thought, how hard can it be? I'll just look it up on You Tube. And off I went with my new crochet hook.
and some needles...
and yarn.
Then before work one morning, I wandered around the web until I found a couple of videos that made sense to me. The ones by Cyberseams fit the bill. The images were clear, the instructor went s l o w. There was no talking, just music and a little bit of text here and there. They demonstrate the throwing and continental methods. I chose continental as you hold the yarn in your left hand similar to crochet.
Sunday morning I decided to give it a whirl. I was able to cast on - for the first time EVER. That has been one of my biggest roadblocks. Not being able to cast on means your project is not going to anywhere - at all - ever.
And I learned the knit stitch. I played it over and over. I started, I backed up, I almost have the music memorized. They have a video for the continental version of the purl stitch but I am still working to get my head and hands around the first stitch.
My piece looks all wavy, but that's because I should have used longer needles. Yeah. That's it.
I showed my friend Lisa this morning. She knows how to knit but she's a lefty, so I would be even more turned around if she showed me how to do it. She laughed at me saying I was the only person she knew that used expensive yarn on a practice piece. She's right. But it gives me incentive to do a good job.
I chose Eco Duo by Cascade yarns. It is 70% baby alpaca (my fave) and 30% merino wool. It is super yummy wonderful soft. Maybe being soft will compensate for my uneven tension. That's my rationale at this point anyway.
So why learn to knit? It seems the manly men in my life just aren't into all the lacy crochet stuff. Huh, wonder why? Knitting seems more adaptable to making to manly men things.
The things I do for my manly men.
