Knits

But it really isn’t quite stash knitting. I mean, I am using yarn that’s been in my stash for 9 - 12 months, but it wasn’t bought on a whim because it was pretty, but with an actual project in mind. As I’ve mentioned before, when I started knitting for real (i.e. I had a few false starts), I tried knitting a scarf and got very bored, very quick so moved right into hats - and not just a garter stitch or stockinette or rib patterned hat. But I wanted to do something more so I trawled through lots of free patterns and found several I wanted to knit. I’ve changed my mind about some of them so need to figure out what to do w/ the yarns I bought (e.g. I have a bunch of silk although I admit I don’t think I ever had a project in mind - I was just enamoured w/ the colours!). However, the biggest slow down was that the hats that I was knitting weren’t coming out the right size.

Lana Grossa Rotunda and Lana Grossa Binario.
The cream and gold is so not my normal colours (anything with gold is not normal for me), but it doesn’t really look too gold when it’s knit up which is lucky for me!

I made my sister five hats last spring and they were all wonky in some way. She still wore / wears them, but they were definitely amateur efforts. So I’ve continued to make more hats and moved into socks and even a couple of scarves! I’ve gotten slightly faster, but still could get faster (note to self: Get on w/ learning Continental style for the love of God!). But my confidence and abilities have improved so I’ve taken the plunge and am actually knitting my first top / jumper / sweater.

It’s Bad Penny by Stefanie Japel from the spring 2004 issue of Knitty. The cream/gold is the main colour and the green will be used for the neck, sleeve cuffs, and waist band. I got knitting the other day. And of course it was a false start. Now, I’ve never knit a jumper before, but something seemed funny with the raglan increases. So consulting the pattern and the pictures included, it seemed that a stitch was missing. I wrote Stefanie and even though she is the midst of a very busy time with her first book being published, she responded very quickly and confirmed that there was indeed a stitch missing in the instructions. It should read:

Inc round 2: K to 1 st before marker, yo, k 1, slip marker, k 1, yo.

It’s very minor, but it seems like it makes it firmer. I couldn’t find a way to notify knitty of the errata, and the FAQ says authors should get in touch anyway so I’ve thanked Stefanie and let her know.

I’m nearly done with the raglan increases and will shortly be moving into the body. Hopefully within the next fortnight I’ll have a new top to wear! Hurrah! (And I know it does look very gold in the knitted up photo, but in person it doesn’t look so gold.)

I did finish the Touch of whimsy hat for my sister, but the top bit which is just knit in stockinette ended up too short and rather messy actually. I will rip all of that out and re-do it. It should take me an evening (hopefully less) to do that since it’s only half a hat that needs doing.

Haven’t made much progress with the Falling leaves socks since Prague. I will also need to cast-on soon for whatever it is I am going to make my brother and his girlfriend for their baby that is expected sometime in May. I can’t decide whether to do a blanket and hat / bootie set or a very cute dress from the Debbie Bliss Baby Knits for Beginners book. I have plenty of yarn for any of the above… it’s just a matter of deciding what to make!

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