I have been trying to knit, but have not been happy with anything that I've worked on. I did knit and mostly finish (just to feel like I could finish something I'd started :-o) the Baa-ble hat, but it's headed for a frog and re-knit. I messed up one of the colors (no big deal) and was sloppy with my floats behind the sheep (a medium size deal) and it doesn't fit well (a big deal).
I then started a new shawl from the same designer from the Tales from the Isle of Purbeck shawl. When I knit the Purbeck shawl, I really didn't think I'd ever wear it, but during my camp out last fall I wore it almost every night. I couldn't believe how warm it was even with all the lacy holes and I was hooked. My only complaint is that it's a hair small.
I love the look of the Stories from Snoqualmie Valley shawl and thought if I knit it with the worsted weight Lamb Camp yarn instead of the pattern's suggested DK weight, I'd get exactly what I wanted - a big, warm smooshy shawl.
I cast on using a new (to me) cast on technique that I liked, picked the fun pattern up pretty quickly and knit a couple repeats and decided my yarn overs were too loose and my cable too tight. It may very well block out okay and I'll definitely try it before I frog it, but I sure don't want to knit on [without] confidence*, so...
...time to post another picture of my bag...and my cat ;-).
There is a story behind the bag. My mother-in-law found a beautiful vintage "make a sheep" pattern/kit stamped onto material and gave it to me for Christmas. I didn't think to take a picture, but I did find it online. Does anyone remember these fun patterns?
I knew I'd never actually get around to making the two sheep and goodness knows I really don't need any more stuffed sheep, but you can always use another knitting bag so I sent it to Amy Klee at Stone Edge Fibers and asked her to work her magic. If this adorable bag doesn't inspire me to knit, nothing will!
Look at all the inside pockets. And notice that it's big enough to hold not only the Baa-ble Hat (green bag) and the Snoqualmie shawl...
...but also the Adama cowl that I decided was about as no-fail as possible, so have now cast that on as well.
"That bag is sure getting a lot of attention!"
And that's exactly why I'm sitting on the other side of the little fence. In the sun. Without a hat or gloves. In February. Sigh...
You can see my sloppy floats in the the big white sheep. I can do better. And by doing better at that, the circumference will fit better. The height...do you think I can eliminate the first couple rows of stars? The white at the bottom was supposed to be brown, so I think changing the symmetry of the two "lines" of white above and below the sheep won't be too noticeable.
One last Graham pic. I'd forgotten I'd taken this. If I'd known then what the future held, I'd have opened that stupid gate and let Graham frog the hat himself. One of my all time favorite Graham posts was another time he came in there and wreaked havoc on my knitting. I'd give anything...
Okay, a picture to (try to) make us all laugh a little! "I love the yarn and the colors are perfect, but can you believe the sloppy knitting job?!?" Not to worry, Blossom, it's only knitting. It's always fixable.
I just started Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Seems that I've been in a "reading" slump as well.
Joining in with Ginny...
*"Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises." Elizabeth Zimmermann
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