Twelve inches...

[fajrdrako]

commodorified gave me alpaca yarn for Christmas, and knitting needles, and suggested a pattern to work on, a wraparound moebius scarf that can also go over the head. It's a beautiful shade of blue, maybe the UCLA blue on the Wikipedia chart.

I practised and I practised and I practised. On red wool intended for that purpose.

And then last week I started work on the alpaca. I got a little lost in the pattern at one point and thought I could brazen it out by fixing it later, but no, it was getting a bit too free-form. So yesterday I unravelled about 4" and continued.

Today I realized it's about 12" long already.

I am not a brilliant knitter¹ but this is fun.

¹ Yet.

Comments

[commodorified]

*cheers a lot*

I look forward to seeing it tomorrow!

[fajrdrako]

Well... blush... don't expect wonders. It isn't, like, perfect. But it's growing and it's getting easier and it's becoming more fun than work, even the swear-at-the-mistakes bits. Yes, you'll see it. I plan to be working on it tonight.

Love the icon!

[badly_knitted]

Keep at it and you'll become a brilliant knitter, it's just practice and experience!

[fajrdrako]

I can see that practice makes all the difference. But there are so many demands on my time - and knitting while watching television isn't altogether satisfactory. It's worth presevering, though. Every time I pick it up, it's a little easier.

[badly_knitted]

It will get easier as your hands get used to it. I had to concentrate on what I was doing at first, but now I knit and read with no trouble. Still have to keep an eye on pattern rows of course, but purl rows, rib or stocking stitch I don't have to look at what I'm doing at all. It becomes almost like having a separate brain in your hands that keeps track of what you're doing when you're not looking. Knitting is also great for keeping hands and fingers flexible - and of course, the end product is always worthwhile!

[fajrdrako]

Yes - keeping fingers flexible is a good idea, since my left hand is still stiff since my arm surgery. But I notice it less and less - and yes, I find that the more I practise the knitting the less I have to pay attention. I'm no longer counting stitches or rows quite so obsessively.

[badly_knitted]

Yay! Knitting is compulsive, you'll soon be venturing into fancier stitches, making sweaters and things! Glad to hear it's helping your hand, I think it should be taught as physiotherapy for certain kinds of injuries, I'm sure it would help a lot of people, plus you have something you can use at the finish, which is a good motivator.

[fajrdrako]

There are many good things about it, and I see only one problem with it: I'll be buying yarn. But at least I'll be converting it to useful items.

[badly_knitted]

Yes, take great care with buying yarn - we're having work done on our house and have to put a lot in storage, the yarm amounted to three large boxes and about a dozen huge sacks, and that's just what we're keeping. Nearly as much went to friends, charity shops and community groups! It's irresistible, especially if you see something really great at a bargain price and you know just EXACTLY what you want to use it for, when you have time...

[fajrdrako]

I find that since I'm allergic to wool, I have the urge to buy any non-wool yarn that I find attractive - a tendency I'm going to have to fight. But it's fun to browse, anyway.

[badly_knitted]

I'm not allergic to wool, but I prefer synthetic yarns as they're more hard-wearing and don't fall prey to moths! It is difficult to resist when you see something really attractive, but it's necessary. I keep getting tempted, but I have more than enough to keep busy for a few years, so I just have to walk faster when passing wool shops! I'm already knitting four different projects, but I've lost the patterns for two - they must have been put in storage, along with the rest of the wool from the third, so I've just got a red cabled sweater on the go, and I've kept back yarn for 2 other projects. I need something to do while the house repairs are going on!

[fajrdrako]

Some day I'll be able to do red cabled sweaters.

[badly_knitted]

I don't doubt it for a second! I've been knitting for over 30 years, so I've have lots of practice at all kinds of stitches. Some have proved harder to master than others - I'm still not very good at fairisle - but cables are among my favourites!

[fajrdrako]

I got a few more inches done today. Had to delete a few rows, but hey. Progress.

[badly_knitted]

Hey, we all have to unpick occasionally! It's annoying, but much better than spoiling the finished item! It's growing, which is the important part. Hope you'll post a picture once it's done so we other knitters can admire the result!

[fajrdrako]

I'm not sure 'admire' will be the operative verb, but yes, I'll post a picture. With pride!

[badly_knitted]

Look forward to seeing it! Of course people will admire it - it'll be your first (?) knitting triumph, that's always something to be admired, and something to be proud of.

[fajrdrako]

Years ago - decades ago - I learned enough to knit a small afghan. It was orange and brown, made entirely in knit stitch. It was warm enough to be useful, but I was vaguely ashamed of it - it was functional but not beautiful.

I'm sure I'll feel much better about this project.

[badly_knitted]

I'm sure you will! I only really started knitting when my sister was pregnant and I started knitting for her baby. I'd never finished knitting anything before that - started a few things but was never happy with them. Took me ages to finish that first matinee coat - it was the hardest design I could have chosen and I was so proud when I finished it - but from then on I was hooked!

[fajrdrako]

A coat sounds rather impressive. I might do that one day... One of my ambitions is to make a kimono for myself. I've seen some lovely patterns.

[badly_knitted]

It was only a tiny baby's coat! I do have a pattern I like for a long coat in chunky yarn, and a couple of Aran coats, but I'm not sure I could manage something that size, simply because of the weight on the needles. I have a problem with very weak wrists.

Now a kimono does sound very exciting. Would take quite a while, but I think it would look amazing, very elegant. Can't imagine how much yarn that would take though.

[fajrdrako]

A kimono would no doubt take a lot of yarn, so I'll have to save up to buy the stuff for it.

I was looking at this book: http://www.amazon.com/Knit-Kimono-Designs-Simple-Shapes/dp/1931499896

Here's a nice one, short style: http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns/merinof_kimono.html

This plain one really appeals: http://www.lbyarnco.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/kimono.jpg

Or a fancy one: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_9drQTBjyE8A/Sr5QZ6eCctI/AAAAAAAAGUk/9wl4sx8u-JU/aa_0040.jpg (But I'd do it in blue and white)

[badly_knitted]

Oh, these are great! The plain one is nice, a simple but classic style, though I'm not keen on the colour - it would look dreadful on me. The fancy one is gorgeous, but I think I'd go with red on black, or possibly two - or even three - shades of blue. There are a lot of possibilities!