Just Suck It Up

Posted by Emily

I finally decided to suck it up and start my cousin's hat (Ravelry link). I think my gauge is correct on US 6 needles, but I'm not convinced. I'm very concerned about screwing up the gauge because I only have one skein of yarn and I'm knitting this for someone else. I won't know until I give it to her if I did it correctly and then it will be impossible to fix it. Understandably, this is why I've been putting this project off.

I've had it since May though, so it's long past time I got it on needles. It is a fast knit and the yarn is eminently enjoyable. Guessing which color will show up next is a lot of fun! I've done about the best I can as far as gauge is concerned, so all I can do is measure, measure, measure and cross my fingers that it will all come together properly.

My grandmother's afghan is coming along nicely as well (Ravelry link). Honestly, the reason I started the hat tonight was because I didn't feel like working on the afghan. It's such a simple pattern (4 row repeat - row 1: k, row 2: purl, row 3: feather and fan pattern, row 4: purl) that it's actually a bit boring. Man, this thing is going to be a beast when it's done though! It's already quite heavy and I'm only 4-5 skeins into it (out of 20). The feather and fan lace pattern was an excellent choice because it will give this gorgeous alpaca yarn just the right amount of ventilation. I'll have to take pictures of it soon!

I've made a handful of mistakes already, but nothing serious with the lace pattern. Primarily, I've been dropping stitches on the edges of the afghan. This is what comes of using Addi Turbos with pure alpaca yarn. My little kfbs to replace dropped stitches are basically invisible (unless you knew where to look), so I'm not too worried about it. This project is going quite quickly and it's very low stress, which is nice. Unfortunately, not very portable.

In non-wip-related news, I got some lovely deep teal mohair/wool yarn from a gal in my knitting group. I'm thinking Wisp (Ravelry link), but for now it will hang out in the stash until I make a final decision.

I also found out that another friend from high school is pregnant (due Dec. 31st). I'm very excited because it means I get to knit more baby stuff! Just need to find some more yarn and a new pattern to try!