Woodworkers and quilters have an adage: Measure twice, cut once. I need a similar adage for my knitting: Read twice, knit once. If I did that I might not have to restart so many projects.
Drachenfels has been calling to me for some time. Last year while in Cincinnati to visit my mom, I stopped by a LYS. I had recently purchased the pattern and wanted to get yarn for it. The wonderful staff at the shop helped me pick out three lovely skeins of sock yarn. My intention was for this to be my knit while visiting Mom project after the Bat****Crazy socks were complete because it involves mostly garter stitch with increases/decreases at the ends of the rows. But that wasn't to be since Mom passed away last May. This shawl continued to call to me so I finally gave in and cast on. In a moment of experienced knitter arrogance, I quickly glanced at the instructions and knit. I did an kfb at the start of the row and a k2tog at the end. After a couple rows, I started to wonder how could this possibly become a triangle since the rows weren't adding stitches. Convinced that there must be a problem with the pattern, I jumped on Ravelry to look for errata. Frustrated at not finding any, I sat down with the pattern again to see if there was a side note I missed. Then I saw my mistake. I was supposed to knit a kfbf at the beginning of the rows. The project was pulled off the needles, ripped out and restarted. Things are progressing nicely now that I am reading the instructions.
Since my last post I finished Trisha's hat. I gave her the hat on the same weekend a few weeks back that Kristin got her 21 Color Slouch. Kristin commented that she liked Trisha's hat and wanted me to knit her one just like it. Trisha said she liked Kristin's so I suggested that they trade. Both said "No!" They liked the hats I made them but wanted ones like the other had. I guess that means I will be making two more hats. I may make slight variations in the colors so that they can tell them apart.
Not to leave Blake out, I asked him if he would like a hat. He said he'd rather have gloves. I took him down to my stash and he picked out a skein of Tosh Sock in Charcoal. I grabbed my copy of Homespun Handknit and showed him the Good Basic Glove pattern. He liked the version with the slipped rib up the back of the hand. Before he left that weekend to head back to college, I traced his hand on a sheet of paper to have something to use as a gauge for finger length.
There are now 3 active projects on the needles. This should keep me occupied for a while.
