Knitting!

So I'm learning how to knit.  I was looking for something to do on the plane trip out here to Rhinelander (we're visiting D's relatives) and the obvious answer was to finish one of the umpty-million crochet projects I have started but never finished.  But I have changed so much since I started those projects.

For one thing, they are all afghans.  I do not care if I never see another afghan as long as I live.  I have made enough of them.  I need to move on to more interesting and challenging projects.  I suppose I could take on more complicated afghan patterns, but none of them cry out, "Commit to me for the next three months of your life!"  I really just need something different to do.

For another thing, they are all made with acrylic yarn.  All of them.  And I am so not into man-made fibers these days.  Give me cotton, wool, alpaca, angora.  Something that feels soft, has a nice hand, a good drape.  If I'm going to be working with a material for a long time, if I'm going to wear it or sleep under it or give it away, I need to love to touch it.

So it's time to give away the old projects to someone who will enjoy finishing them, or who will unravel the yarn and put it to good use.  I'm taking up knitting!

I have in mind a particular project, the Berkshire Pullover from Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick.  It's a big sweater made simply from chunky wool in stockinette stitch, and I've read the directions through and think that if I take my time I can do it.  I'm working on a practice piece right now, a scarf made from two strands of Rowan's wool cotton, and it's slow going but I think it will turn out nicely.

If you knit, I'd love to know what your favorite knitting sites are.

Wish me luck!

A simple scarf

This scarf turned out exactly the way I hoped and expected it to -- plain, soft and warm -- back in January when I started it! It's an unbelievably simple two-stitch crochet pattern, so there's no reason why I couldn't have knocked it off in a couple of days, but I am just not that into crocheting these days, so it took 3 months instead of 3 days to do. It would still be sitting in its pouch in the passenger seat of my car had it not been for Works-In-Progress Wednesday, my new day to set aside my current project for one that's been sitting around unfinished for a while.

I love the yarn that I used to make this project -- it's Rowan Wool Cotton, which comes in many lovely colors and has a lovely drape and sheen. It's not cheap, but it's worth the price. I bought different-colored yarn to make two other scarves, so I hope I can get over my anti-crochet kick long enough to whip those up. The pattern for the scarf came from Crochet Scarves! by Candi Jensen.