Knit Wit

As mentioned in a posting a week or three ago, I've taken up knitting after a 15-year hiatus. And all because a little girl asked for my help with her knitting. My first project was a knit-purl scarf for my dad in a simple pattern varying these two simple stitches. Never one to stick with the mundane, I've moved on to patterns that read, "k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k3, s2kp, k3, yo, k1...". A week ago I didn't know what these abbreviations meant, much less how to knit them. Thanks to the internet, I'm busy with two fancy-pants patterns.

Scarves and neckwarmers are going to be my knitted item of choice - repeated pattern, quick to complete and useful items for friends, especially with winter coming. Big projects like jerseys are just not my thing. I found a super website - Knitting Pattern Central, which lists loads of scarf (and other) patterns with links to the pattern on other websites.

At a needlework shop yesterday - yes, I'm hitting wool shops now - I saw a pack with special 'Furry' wool. It knits up into a furry little animal. With many friends having babies and even more children's organisations always looking for toys, these may be fun to make and giveaway.

Most surprising of all is how chuffed I am with myself for getting these patterns right. Pure delight in something so absolutely simple. Lovely!

Now that I've got the hang of eyelets, dropped stitches and yarn overs my next challenge will be cables. I can remember my great-aunt juggling cable needles to create mesmerising designs. As a young child I would sit on the floor (still only for half a moment) to hold her wool, feeding it out as she knitted. But first I've got to finish my 'cherry leaf' and 'seafoam and waves' scarves.