The Start of a Trend?

The holiday crafting still goes. I'll be done with it all by Christmas, since it's really just finishing up new hubby's scarf. If only I could tear myself away from my Noro scarf ...

I keep it out when I'm working at the shop, and a lot of people have petted it and exclaimed over it and generally made pleased sounds. Seeing my scarf "in the wild" has certainly had an influence: at least one person bought Noro to make another pattern, but ended up doing the striped scarf! Another woman came in last night and said "Someone told me they were doing striped scarves here", so I showed her mine and she also bought some Noro. A co-worker is tempted, but resisting!

I love that something I'm making inspires others. I didn't come up with the yarn or the pattern, but it's a bit of an ego boost and I love spreading the joy of color. Everybody could use a little brightness in their life. Why not add some to yours, whether it's through a Noro scarf, a new plant, or a shirt in a color you normally wouldn't buy? You deserve it. :)

Twisted Stitches

Here, my friends, is what I spent most of my Saturday evening doing. Not partying. Not doing chores. Not writing the thank you or Christmas cards.

Swatching.

Turns out the way I taught myself to knit wasn't quite "right". No, it's not a matter of Continental vs. English. It was literally a matter of my knitting through the back of the loop, therefore producing twisted stitches. You can see those on the top of the swatch, where I attempted some 1x1 ribbing. The correctly-done stitches are on the bottom. Ironically, garter stitch looks pretty much the same to me done either way, which is probably one of the reasons I never really noticed my stuff looked different before.

At first I was upset and disappointed with myself, but whatever! It's a learning experience, I know how to do the knit stitch for real now, and I'm miles ahead of others who have no clue how to knit in the back of the loop. Nyah-nyah.

All of this swatching was done, really, so I could start a new project. (Hey. My husband's hat is done, his scarf is getting there, and that prayer shawl ain't going nowhere.)



Why yes, I did fall prey to the Yarn Harlot's post about Noro Striped Scarves. I had a generous gift of two skeins of Noro Kureyon from a Ravelry pal, and I work at a yarn store with an employee discount. No contest.

It's very smart yarn. It started out green and magenta, and when the magenta turned to purple, and the green to blue to purple, the other purple moved to pink. I didn't tell it to. I literally left a tail and casted on. It's smarter than me. You may notice some curling/tightness in the bottom right corner; I've been playing with how best to carry the yarn and didn't keep my tension well. I figure I can block it out, because I don't want to rip it back. Gotta love knitting denial.