I know I haven't posted anything about knitting in a long time, but my therapist wanted me to do something relaxing. She suggested coloring books, but I've tried that before and it's too boring. It was boring this time, too, and now I have more colored pencils and coloring books. :-/
She suggested a few other things before we agreed I would start knitting again.
I had some shawls that I'd started and not completed, but I couldn't find the patterns for them. I needed those patterns because I mark my progress as I knit on the paper. Without it? I'd have to count rows and try to figure out where I was at. I'd probably be wrong, too.
Those paper patterns (with everything marked off) are somewhere in my house. I just can't find them. I will eventually.
In the meantime, I started another shawl.
This designer works with both knitting and crochet and I'd made the crochet version of this shawl previously and it's literally the only shawl I've made that I've actually worn. I'm not a shawl person, but this one is warm and because there's holes for my arms, it was usable.
The knit version would have to be equally as awesome, right?
Yeah.
First, I don't like working with bulky yarn. It's hard on my hands and the knitting is much slower for me than with thinner yarn.
Second, the designer said this was a beginner pattern, but neglected to mention that I had to turn the project to do the stitches for the arm holes. I know how to do a cable cast on. I didn't know how to do it in the middle of a row. A friend finally recommended a YouTube video for me that straightened me out.
Third, the crochet version of the shawl is a little short and I wanted the shawl to reach my butt, so I knit the middle (gray) section twice. In bulky yarn which means this shawl is heavy.
And four, after I was finished, I discovered that the arm holes are a little small if I wanted more than my wrists peeking out. Maybe that's what the designer was aiming for, but when I'm writing my stories, I need my forearms out, too, for the keyboard.
Oh! Number five. When I tried the shawl on, I discovered that this yarn is very scratchy and not pleasant to wear. I don't know if washing it will help or not.
Ta da. My shawl.
Luckily, it was a quick knit because I doubt I'll ever use this one. I'll just keep wearing the crochet version because that one is softer, and I do have enough room to stick my arms out to write.
