spiraling downward

This was so tedious, particularly since I knit as slow as molasses. I almost quit after 30 rows when I realized I was only about 20% done. I let it sit for a few weeks, then knit like mad watching episodes of 24. Now I love it and am so glad I finished.

ski hat

This was a special request from a friend, who has trouble finding hats that fit. She gave me a sample hat that had a pattern she liked and some yarn. I searched for a pattern, but I couldn't find anything remotely similar on the internet, which surprised me because this type of hat is very popular here in Switzerland. I could find patterns with earflaps, patterns with pointed tops (only a couple), patterns with a fair-isle pattern (but mostly only two tone) but none putting all these elements together and certainly none using as big as yarn as I was using (US 10 needle). So I cobbled together several patterns and graphed out a pattern in Excel, which was rather fun. Then hoped for the best as I decreased at the crown, trying to make the pattern not get all goofy as the stitches merged together. I had to undo several rows, several times to make it look right, not so fun. But I'm pretty satisfied. My fair-isle technique is still terrible - I still spend lots of time adjusting the yarn tension after knitting and my stranding and weaving is sooooo messy (pic of inside of hat below). I have a lot to learn.

earflaps

I made this perfectly fitting hat with earflaps (and matching scarf) to keep my small head warm this winter. I love it but I've been told it looks a little like an afro.

"buzy lizzy" sweater

My first fair isle - not fun. My first attempt was so tight that I finally had to cut off the bottom half of the sweater and re-knit it. Now I tend to overcompensate and knit it so loose that I spent more time adjusting the finished stitches then knitting it in the first place. The smocking, on the other hand, was fun and looks beautiful. I learned a lot on this project.

cashmere is my friend

Here is my second sweater, more complicated than the first. I was confused by the pattern, but soldiered on hoping that I had got it right. I continued until just a few rows shy of finishing when I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. So I frogged the whole thing and started over from scratch. It was worth it. The decorative stitching looked like a mess before and now it actually looks decorative. Yea!

The only "problem" is that I was seduced in the yarn store into buying cashmere, which is not particularly baby-friendly when it comes to washing. But it's so soft and yummy.

learning to frog

A couple weeks after learning to knit, I attempted by my first sweater attempt. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to test my gauge, so it predictably ended up too wide and too short. So I contemplated that sweater for 6 months, without knitting anything else. With the encouragement of a knitting mentor, I eventually undid the whole thing and knit a whole new sweater, which is pictured here. I am now so satisfied and not afraid to frog. However, I made this sweater for my son and he cries every time I try to make him wear it. Why?

begin at the beginning

Everyone starts here. Scarves, scarves and more scarves.