As Seen on TV

I had planned on blogging about the socks I knit over Memorial Day weekend, but I am going to have to postpone that until I can take better pictures. Instead, here are some other finished objects I completed a little while ago. Both were inspired by several other knit bloggers that have also posted about these patterns.

The first is Shedir by Jenna Wilson published by knitty. I used one ball of the recommended Rowan Calmer in 'Slosh' (#479) and size 3 bamboo dpns. I started on April 14th and finished April 20th.

I saw this hat on many different blogs, and I instantly wanted one. I was a little intimidated by the pattern at first, but I plunged in anyway. Unlike most of my other knits where I mostly read my work, I had to keep the chart with me from start to finish. And while I wanted to pull my hair out during the last couple of rounds of centered double decreases, I really love this hat and expect to make another some day.

Jenna also wrote a piece about her design process for this hat that I thought was pretty interesting.

The second is the Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark from WrapStyle. I used 2.5 hanks of the Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in 'Deep Purple' (#022) and size 4 metal circulars. I started on April 27th and finished May 8th. My needle size was a little too small as I had to do 16 repeats instead of 10 in order to get the right size. After blocking, the shawl was about 52" wide and 25" long.

Again, this knit has been featured on may blogs, and I really liked the pattern. The problem was that I didn't know what I would do with a lace shawl once I finished it. Luckily, the BF said his mother might make a good recipient, so I set to work.



Truth be told, I don't own WrapStyle nor have I even seen a copy. I was able to decipher the repeat pattern using the wonderful pictures and postings online. There a probably some differences, particularly at the edges, but I liked the finished product. More importantly, the MIL loved it.

Obligatory first scarf

Like so very many of you, my first FO was also a scarf. However, unlike most, I did not choose a basic garter stitch but a ribbed, braided cable. How’s that for ambitious!



I was inspired by an episode of Knitty Gritty which featured reversible stitch patterns used to make a baby blanket. Making blocks out of several stitch patterns seemed easy enough and looked like a good learning opportunity. So, I casted on for the first pattern, the reversible braided cable. I liked it so much, that I just kept going. After a while, I realized that I had long since left the realm of a 12” x 12” block, but that I had made good progress towards a new scarf. After about 2.5 skeins worth of Patons Classic Merino in ‘Natural Mix’, the thing was as tall as am I (about 6’1”), and I decided to bind off. Note: there is a error in the charted pattern, so ignore the right side of the cabling pattern and use only the "12-st repeat" for all your cabling.



The 1x1 ribbing, while tedious in scarf length, makes the cabling reversible, so the scarf does not have a wrong side. Being my first knitting project, it is a little wonky in places when my gauge was inconsistent. I have held off on blocking though because I am afraid that it will stretch out the ribbing and lose some of the effect. And really, is a first FO supposed to look like anything other than a first FO?



I am off to Atlanta tomorrow to attend a wedding and to enjoy the long weekend out-of-town. I have a sock to keep me company on the flight. Here is a teaser shot until I can get out a full post.

Day One

I have decided to join the ranks of the knit bloggers. This is in part to add my voice to the growing number of male knitters and also to provide an outlet to share and brag about my knitting.

I started knitting about six months ago primarily as a way to learn something new and be a little creative. Somehow, I managed to get a little addicted and seem to spend more and more time knitting and perusing the numerous great blogs around. There are so many wonderful resources online that I have pretty much learned everything I needed to know from the comfort of my home-and for free!

Unfortunately, I have made some mistakes. Case in point, my first yarn purchase:

I really loved the colors and the price was perfect for the yardage. Too perfect. Yes, the one-pound skein with unending yardage that I got for less than $3 was in fact 100% acrylic. I was such a newbie that I didn't even think to look at the fiber content. It did serve its purpose and allowed me to make several practice swatches cheaply. Unfortunately, there is a ton of it left, but I don't think there is anything I could make out of it that I would actually use. Mostly, I just use it for waste yarn. Oh well, live and learn.