Back to Knitting

I have fallen in love with knitting ... again.

When I set up my Etsy shop my crafty energy was placed solely into making jewelry for the shop.  Knitting was put on the back burner, as it is placed every so often when I try out a new interest.  But knitting always forgives my abandonment and we quickly got back to our loving relationship.

In the Fall I was given a class assignment to write a feature article about a topic of my choice.  I decided to write a how-to article about a subject I knew well, knitting.  Unlike most how-to articles found in magazines, mine had to be composed of actual copy and not just a list.  Shocking, I know.

To narrow down my topic, I decided to give advice on some of the steps you can take to learn how to knit.  I turned to the Internet for research and visited the knitting and crocheting community of Ravelry.com.  On Ravelry I found a very helpful community of knitters who answered my questions.  I also found an expansive database of patterns.  I had forgotten that so many great, free patterns were available on Ravelry.  Not just patterns, but photos of the finished objects, yarn suggestions and advice in the forums.  I was inspired.

So I started knitting.  I decided to do something with the yarn hanging out in the basket under my night stand.  The yarn was intended to make a scarf and I settled on the scrunchable scarf pattern from KnitList.com.

My yarns consisted of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in a burnt orange color and a super-soft Patons Bohemian yarn in "Copper Chaos."  I decided to use the Patons on the ends of the scarf and the Thick & Quick for the main part.  I casted on with some size 10 aluminum needles.  I know these needles are small for the weight of the yarn, but the tightness of the stitches make for a warm scarf.  Next time, I will definitely use needles a couple sizes larger to get a more "scrunchable" effect.  And there will be a next time.  The pattern was quick and easy and I love the end result.

Now that I am finished the scarf, it is time to cast on a project I am really excited about.  I am itching to make a cowl scarf pattern I found on Ravelry.  The cowl neck look is something that has gradually grown on me.  This season I saw a lot of cowls and circle scarves paired with coats and I loved the look.  I think it adds something special to a winter coat and it can be worn in different ways.  I will keep updating with the progress, along with some other projects I have finished since knitting and I got back together.

xxoo

--Amy