The season of pumpkin spice everything, girls oozing about sweaters and boots as if it were a new trend, and people generally becoming more crafty as they move indoors. I sure have.
My first "knitting in the round" project is complete as of 15 minutes ago. This is a step in my learning-to-knit-like-Oma program that I was dreading. Knitting with two needles is hard enough...now I have to connect them?? Are you insane that's impossible I can't do it waa waa excuse excuse fine OK I'll try. {Insert dramatic sigh}
Now I'm not going to explain how I went to Hobby Lobby and chose the perfect needles and the perfect yarn and the perfect pattern from the perfect project book. No, see part of living simply and being "subsistence" is using what you've already got on hand and only buy new if there are no other viable options. My Oma in Alaska has a knitting machine. She practically has a warehouse of yarn in her house and over the last few years has sent me gobs of it. Gobs.
{Gob adj:: unit of measure equivalent to a whole bunch}
So instead of going online to my favorite yarn shop blue sky alpacas where I'd have spent hours running my cursor over the soft organic wools in vibrant colors while feeling warm and cozy inside...I went to the tote of yarn from Oma and picked out a simple grey which must have been from another project because it had been re-wound into an odd looking skien. No matter! We are thrifty! I snaked out the only pair of circular needles I had that must have been circa 1963, grabbed my pre-used yarn, printed my pattern and began!
My pattern came from She Makes Hats. The designer of all the hats, Robyn, has scads of patterns; some for free and some for purchase. I like using her patterns because I know she's actually made them so I can trust that my project will turn out! Also just from reading her posts I like her sweet spirit of giving to anyone and everyone through her craft of knitting!
I learned to knit when I was about 8. Soon after I forgot everything. In college I tried to teach myself again...did not go terribly well. THEN my Oma {did I mention she actually has a knitting MACHINE?} who is skilled and wise sent me a book that changed my knitting life forever.
Stitch'n Bitch :The Knitter's Handbook
I'm not one to promote vulgarity but this book explained the basics of casting on, increasing, decreasing, knit stitch, purl stitch, seed stitch, the whole works in terms I could understand. Gone was the technical mumbo jumbo I'd been fighting since upper elementary and right here in simple no-nonesence lingo was the basics of knitting. The book is available on amazon.com and even a kindle download version.
Yarn {check}
Needles {check}
Pattern {check}
Handbook {check}
Surprisingly after casting on and getting a few rounds done, I found out that knitting in the round is much faster and easier {at least for me} than regular old separate-away-from-each-other needles! Hurrah!
This is as far is I got last night...6 inches in to my 11 inch goal of the completed beanie/stocking cap/tuke/ski hat/slouch hat/knit hat/whatever your geographic location calls these things.
This was just tonight as I was decreasing stitches to finish the hat. The hat is now complete thank you for asking that was kind.
I don't have a fabulous picture to show you of the final product but I shall.
Here is the link for the pattern I used.
PS tip: To complete a project in a timely manner, set a time where all your communication devices are not in the same room as you. Spend some quality disconnected from the world and connect yourself with making something beautiful and useful. I leave my tablet, phone, and computer in my home office after supper so my time is spent with family watching a movie {while I knit} or talking about the election {while I knit} or listening to Mom's records {while I knit}. It's been a true blessing to enjoy being together, not while glued to a screen, actually being together.