My Knitting Life

This pattern intrigues me.  There's another version here.  The basic idea is that you increase by knitting into the front and the back every other row, 4 or 5 stitches in from the end of the row.  Once you are halfway there, you decrease by K2Tog in the same place, making a triangle shawl - no biggy.

What's intriguing is that at the last 7 or 8 stitches, you slip one, k2tog, bind off these stitches and then UNRAVEL all around to create the fringe.

So I guess the increase/decrease stitches create a stabilizing knot in the fabric, which allows unravelling up to that point, but not beyond?  (scratching head.)  I just never thought of them that way before.

A student brought some pricey yarn to class with the pattern from K1C2.  I was nervous that it wouldn't work, so we tried it with some acrylic, and sure enough, it worked.  So off she went!

I've got two skeins of Brooks Farm that has been sitting around for over a year now.  Snowstorm's coming, maybe I'll give it a try....

Brooks Farm PrimeroBrooks Farm Duet

"Manos Hat" from Last Minute Knitted Gifts~ knit by Maddy, age 12 ~

1 Skein Manos Color 109

Size 9 16" Circular Needle

October 23 - November 4, 2005

This is the first hat that Maddy knit herself!  She chose the style and color of the yarn.  The hat was knit in-the-round, and she did not make a single mistake in her crown decreases.  Stay tuned for the matching scarf...

The Next Generation

Click for detail on the gift basket I put together for my daughter's friend, turning 11! The gift's centerpiece is the Teen Knitting Club book. I picked up the surrounding goodies for notta-lotta-dough at Michaels and Target. I was so happy to find the cheerful fabric storage box at Target for $6! Michaels was having a sale on many of the novelty yarns which would work for the trendy project ideas in the book. I added some needles, a needle gauge, knitting noddy (she is still a kid!), a cute little lamb and some other treats.

This child slept over our house last weekend and she asked me to teach her to knit. I was AMAZED at her progress! She was really intrigued by the process and curious about all the knitting I have going on all over the house. I know I was like that at her age. I noticed that my daughter, who is a competent little knitter, became enthusiastic about her stalled project (scarf at left - excuse dark photo and unmade bed) again when her friend showed an interest. They actually asked if they could have a standing Friday night sleepover/knitting group with some other friends. WHOA-nelly!

As for me, BPT is moving quickly. Hopefully I will separate the arms from the yoke today and then I can photograph because it won't look like a big fur-ball. Once started, this is an easy knit. However, I am intrigued by the MANY interpretations out there on how to do the yoke increases. The pattern recommends (K1, Knit into the stitch below) and the reverse. Other top-downs I have made used the (knit into the front and back of the stitch) method. I'm curious about whether it matters because the increases are on either side of a cable. If I had all the time in the world, I would swatch both methods to see which looks better. Oh, and I would also swatch the (pick up the bar below) method too. For now, I'm sticking with the pattern, just happy that I am making nice progress on something...