Every month & season to me has a pallette of colors to represent itself. I change my dressing habits to reflect this and re-arrange stuff in my house also. To me January is a month of serenity & clean, quiet beginnings, where you re-think your life, your priorities. It's a re-start button for me- so white is my first choice of "color" (or the absence of- perhaps almost like a blank canvas to re-start on). Greys are the next stroke of color- a wide range of differing hues. And this reflects the mood outside- grey skies when it snows and the bare trunks of trees against a blue Colorado sky. To me not a depressing array of greys, not even somber- perhaps serious & restful. To me grey skies are a day to rest and reflect internally- to pause. An interesting fact about grey is it is often used on museum walls because it shows off the colors in paintings the most. Perhaps I am comfortable with grey because I grew up in New Jersey where grey skies are so pervasive. Now that I live in Colorado a state of perpetual blue skies (not that I'm complaining) I at times can really appreciate that grey & wooly looking sky when it does come.
So my expression of this month's pallette in my clothes are beautiful black drapey tunics I found at a second hand shop (my favorite place to find recycled clothes). Layered with grey or off white or cream drapey light sweaters over black or grey stretch pants (I need to make these lovely black slippers I knitted once- next on my to do list, maybe). I do wonder if anyone gets bored with my sameness of color choice, and yet it reflects me- and my mood.
And in keeping with this theme I am knitting a lovely scarf in a Mistake Stitch- Easy Mistake Stitch Scarf. A very easy and lovely stitch that involves making a rib 2 x 2 and then because it is in pattern of an odd number of stitches the "mistake" is made when you knit and purl back on the other side- knitting one stitch off from the perfect rib. It's lovely, semi-quick- lots of back and forth between knit and purl, but relaxing in the rhythmic sort of way of knitting. No looking at the pattern after awhile because of it's simplicity.
I love this Grey variegated "Scarfie" wool by Lion Brand Scarfie Yarn in Cream/Black and it shows off the contours of this lovely stitch.
I intentionally bought 2 of these skeins (carefully matching lot numbers for color with my husband David's help- he found the exact match and it really makes THE difference in this yarn). So each skein should make a whole scarf- but I know 1) I like my scarves really long and drapey and 2) I knew I might be doing a rib of some sort where a good bulk of the yarn is "eaten" up by the pattern itself. It uses more yarn to achieve the stitch, but it also gives more loft and depth and therefore more of a snuggly feeling and warmth. This is going to be one warm and soft scarf. So while I have plenty to finish a long scarf I began to realize (and dream & conceptualize) that I would have a lot of leftover yarn to make.....hum...got me thinking.
I think I have found a lovely hat to knit. I wanted one I could use a circular needle and this is knit flat, but I like the design and I'm thinking I might be able to start on straight needles to make the brim and then switch to circular needles to do the rest of the hat and later sew up the brim side left open. I'll have to try it- the stitch is a repeat of a lace design of "* P 2 tog, 1 YO *", so I'm thinking that on the every other row I must "* K 2 tog, 1 YO *" and I'd be all good. I've knitting almost 35 years on straight needles, but I will confess I am still somewhat a newbie to circular needles. I envied my daughter's ability to whip up things on circular needles and have been trying to forge ahead in that area, only to discover I much prefer the rhythm and ease of knitting that way. But I'm still working out the basic how to's of the process and if the pattern isn't written out for circular needles, I'm going to have to learn how to convert it- probably easier once done.
Here's the hat pattern and I'm REALLY tempted to get my hands into before I finish the scarf (I've been pushing all week to finish). So I'm about to start the new skein and if I want to I can continue to knit from the center core of the skein on my scarf and start the hat from the outside of the skein. Literally- tackling a project from both ends. Bohemian Rhapsody Hat
I'll blog on my progress & some update pictures later!
Of course it's a little late at night to start a pattern- but I can't resist! So I just found a size 10 circular needle and I'm excited to start! It's meant to be knit flat on straight needles, but I'm going to plow ahead and see how I do! It's a 2 x 2 rib to start (and yes I know I'm suppose to do a swatch but I'm skipping and going ahead.) If I don't get a decent result I'll frog it! (Knit speak for rip it out!).
OK- so I did frog it! But for very good reasons- after two attempt I realized I just didn't like the flimsy feel of the knit or the lacey pattern (perhaps better done in a true wool) but it wasn't working for me. So I actually started another pattern for a hat and the cat frogged it for me while I took a walk. I came back and my husband told me the cat had taken the ball of yarn and whatever I was working on for a spin! I should've taken the hint from the cat. After another go- I REALLY looked at it and realized I didn't even like the yarn done in tiny little seed pearls for a large brimmed hat. Great design, wasn't working. So onto my third pattern and we will see!
And I'm about to take my daily walk and I've hidden my knitting- my scarf is looking gorgeous! Pictures when it's all done.
I'm very pleased with my results. I added 1 more inch to the first part of knitting the hat base (before decreases), so it was 10'' long when I started decreasing (instead of 9'').
2/21/2016- My hat is finished and I'm still working on the loooong scarf.
2/25/16- Finally Finished!
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