A couple of knitting projects

[firecat]

Here are a couple of items I finished knitting recently.

My first pair of mittens
pattern: from Knitters Handy Book of Patterns
yarn: Jaeger Baby Merino DK washable wool, color "Lolly"

A while back I bought a book on Selbuvotter, traditional Norwegian mittens. (If you go to the web site, check out the cat on the cover of the book.) I figured that if I were going to try knitting two-color mittens in tiny yarn, I should first knit a pair of one-color mittens in a larger size of yarn. I'm pretty happy with them, although as per usual with my first attempts at garments, the first one turned out too big so I knit the second one at a different size. I shocked a few people at the show this weekend by saying that. They said "You can't do that!" and told me I should have knit a third one. But I get pissed off trying to knit the second one the same size when I know it's going to be the wrong size for me and I know I'm not going to give it away because it's my first attempt at something. I guess I have no emotional discipline. :)

My first stranded knitting project
pattern: Stained Glass Hat from Blossom Knitwear (free pattern)
yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK

The pattern tells you to use a variegated yarn for the second color to produce the "stained glass" effect, but I didn't do that. I knitted a couple of rows in the middle there using the wrong line of the pattern, but I am happy with the final result anyway. The only thing I'm not happy with is that the bind-off came out really huge and stretchy so the brim of the hat is floppy and turns up a bit showing the wrong side (and the wrong side of stranded garments is not pretty). I really like how the hat looks at me (it's sort of a cross between a pillbox and a pork pie) but haven't gotten a good photo yet.

Comments

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I really like how the hat looks at me

Does it waggle its eyebrows? :-)

Just kidding; it's GREAT! I love the pattern a lot.

[firecat]

It's a Groucho Hat!

(Thanks!)

Re: A couple of knitting projects

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

of course you should knit the second one the right size! yuo're doing it for practice; trying to correct mistakes is a good thing. if you really wanted to, you could frog the first one and reknit it too, why knit a third one?

that pattern looks good even though you lost your place, *heh*.

Re: A couple of knitting projects

[firecat]

I'm glad someone understands. :) (Frogging and reknitting is the same as knitting a third one, only with mussy yarn.)

Thanks!

[aquaeri.livejournal.com]

You've now done more stranded work than me (although I'm still well ahead in the gloves and mittens department :-) ). Good work.

[firecat]

Stranding is fun! Thanks!

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I've never done stranded knitting, but I used to do a lot of stranded crochet. One of the advantage of crochet is that you can carry the strand behind the other color stitches, so it's not out to be snagged.

[firecat]

It appears to work that way in knitting too, at least with the method I used.

[lorres.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the peectures! And also the show comments.