There’s much going on but I’m not finding the time or sunlight to take pictures and put together a coherent post, so tonight there’s random.
The knitting class went well on Monday, we got through purling and knit-two-together and increasing. We’re ready to start a project so I set out to find something that wasn’t as mind-numbing dull as a garter stitch scarf. Naturally everything that has sparked my interest requires knowing how to knit in the round and my peeps aren’t there yet.
I finally decided to give them the option of knitting a simple baby hat on two needles and seaming it (mom’s expecting #3 in March) or this and/or this. If you’ve got suggestions for other small beginner projects in worsted weight, I’d love to hear them. The five-year-old will be doing a little cell phone cover for her dad. While she grasps the concepts easily, her attention span is too short for anything much bigger.
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I’ve been knitting hats for charity. Our group has decided to make a year-long effort to do charity knitting, wrapping up at our annual holiday gathering. I decided this would be a good time to use up 5 or 6 skeins of a superwash wool from my stash and set out on a no-pattern ribbed watch cap.
About the time I finished that one, I pulled Charlene Schurch’s book Hat’s On! off the shelf and got inspired to do a stranded pattern, the Turkish cap. Of course, I didn’t have any superwash in another color, so while the bug was still biting, I made a trip to Stitch Knitch and came home with – yup – more yarn. How’s that for stash busting? The cap is done and cute, although my row gauge was off so it’s a little deeper than it should be. Pictures this weekend.
A side benefit of the Turkish cap was a reminder of how much I like stranded knitting. How come it’s been so long since I’ve done any? I still have plenty of both colors left for another stranded cap so that’ll be next on the charity circuit.
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Speaking of stranded knitting, I see that Alice Starmore’s book on Fair Isle knitting is being republished in paperback, due out in August so all those knitters who’ve been contemplating paying $150 for it on Alibris can save their pennies. I have a few of her books, including this one, that I bought at normal prices and while I’ve never made anything from them, still enjoy looking at them. And kicking myself periodically for not buying Aran Knitting when it was available. I can remember picking it up, looking at the price and deciding I didn’t need it right then and would buy it later. Oops.
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Have you seen the new issue of Piecework? Alice Starmore has a Fair Isle baby cap on the cover (coincidence? I think not.) which is too cute for words. At Knitters last night Lora and I were discussing what we’d have to do to resize it to fit our heads. Another project joins the queue….
I’d have bought this issue of PIecework even without the Starmore cap because it’s focused solely on knitting. The articles include knitting two socks at once, one inside the other; some twee baby booties knit in the Portuguese manner; Estonian mittens, and a big section on Peruvian knitting. Enough to keep me busy for weeks.
Now I think I’ll go knit the little bunny for next week’s lesson. I’m in the mood for fast, quick projects these days.
I just put the Starmore Fair Isle book on my Amazon wish list after reading Franklin’s post. And now you mention it! Great minds think alike
Would a Noro striped scarf be to much of an extravagance? It’s 1×1 ribbing for 60+ inches, but they are sooooo addicting to knit because of how much fun it is to watch the colors change.