Now that's more like it!

After having to start from scratch on my 'Marian' scarf, I somehow managed to finish it in one day.  I guess if you sit on your keester long enough, you can get a lot accomplished.  Because of my poor memory, I decided to mark every 71st stitch with a stitch marker.  So I always knew if I was on track.  You'll notice in the picture that I kept on the markers for show.  All I need to do is weave in the 2 threads and I'm good to go.  Don't now if this color will go with anything but I am very fond of this shade of green.  Now onto making a second one.

I'm Speechless!

Well this week (Nov. 18) I started the "Marian cowl scarf.  I knew it wouldn't take long as it only uses 1 ball of super bulky wool.  I have never knitted in the round so that was a new experience for me.  Was rather funny in the I was on my 3rd row of knitting and noticed that the ends were not yet connected.  I thought it just happened naturally.  So I had to undo my stitches until I reached the cast on row.  It is a simple pattern - k1, p1 around and around.  It also had an optional twist where after you cast on, you twist the first stitch 1 complete turn on the needle.  I followed the video (from the pattern's website) and proceeded.  Not used to stitching with a twist so as I stitched away, I kept un-twisting the wool.  What I ended up with was a straight scarf.  So, it ripped out my work once again.

I twisted the wool once again and seemed to be doing ok.  I really got going and was stitching really fast.  The needles were so big I felt I was stitching with jumbo crayons.

I finished the scarf last night (Nov, 21) and discovered I had a holy mess on my hands.  I've never seen anything so awful in my life.

So I now had SEVERAL twists.  Doesn't look so bad but when I put it on, it looked positively ridiculous.  I wrapped it around my neck twice but it didn't help.  Upon closer examination of my work I saw that there were DOZENS of my mistakes in the work.  Being that it was such a simple pattern, there should not have been any change of design.  A closer look shows the mistakes:

As you can see on the left half (in the middle), it looks as though I have made a column of 'knit' stitches.  That is an error as the pattern is really like a brick wall (row 1 - k1, p1, k1, p1; row 2 - p1, k1, p1, k1).  So that's a big no-no.  You can see that the right half of the stitching is correct.  Having a counted cross stitch background I couldn't leave this as is... so... you guessed it, this morning I took it all apart.  

And since I have the memory of a fruit fly, I am placing a stitch marker on every row so I will keep track of when I start with a purl vs. a knit.  I am also not going to twist the wool.  I will put it around my neck twice so no need for a twist.  Wish me luck!

TA-DA

It's a cold morning here in Winnipeg it's warm and toasty inside.

I finished my first scarf!  I love it.  It will go so well with my new winter parka.  I used 2 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed wool in color no. 185 (frozen).  I really liked this wool; very easy to work with.  The cost of the wool was $25.  I mention that because I'm so thrilled that that is where the cost ends.  No framing!!!!  I still do love cross stitching but knitting costs a lot less.  I guess I'm becoming cheaper as I get older??  Perhaps not.  If I was cheap, I wouldn't buy such lovely wool.   It also seems that by the time you get bored of knitting the same project day after day, you're done an onto the next project..... which is exactly what I'm going to do!