dizzying

pattern: Spiral Scarf from Knitting Nature
yarn: Sirdar Sport Denim in "Madder Pink" (3 balls, knit double-stranded)
needles: 3.75mm DPNS



Ok, I'm kinda proud of this one. Mostly because I think it looks so impressively cool. This is the first Norah Gaughn pattern I've tried, and I have to say that it was amazingly well-written. Also proud because I had so many issues with it to start. I ran out of the original DK weight version of this yarn that I started with and my LYS had no more. Then I tried the sport weight and had gauge issues, really, it's a wonder that I just didn't give up on it altogether.

There are some really cool patterns in this book--very unique, and based on this I'd be tempted to try others as well, though there is a bit of an overall "intimidating" feeling with the book. Not sure what that's down too...just looking at the patterns, you pretty much know that you're in for a lot of work with most of them, and the reality is that some of them are also slightly unwearable --though still a cool concept for a book (items/shapes inspired by nature etc.).

And that said,



yeah, I kinda don't really know how to wear this thing.

I'm also not a fan of double-pointed needles...which this scarf is made by, spiral after tedious spiral. Another reason that I'm proud, because I perservered through that whole labourious process. In some ways I should have waited because on Saturday I put on my new spiral scarf and went to pick up my mother so that we could take a knitting course together that afternoon. A knitting coure that would have solved all of my DPN anguish: Circular knitting using two circulars and the Magic Loop.

Some of you may recall that this was one of my New Year's knit-o-lutions. I'm glad it's done...I am now a total Magic Loop convert and I never want to use another DPN again! It's kind of one of those things where afterwards I'm like "man, this was so easy, did I really need a whole course on this?!" But the reality is that I never would have sat down and taught myself, and this kind of forced me to not put that off indefinitely, as I had previously been doing. Based on that I think I'm going to sign myself up for a crochet 101 type course as well. Another one of those things that I've been avoiding and that periodically rears it's ugly head in the world of knitting.

The one thing that I did NOT find easy about that course though was 1) knitting a pair of socks using TWO circulars and 2) knitting two pairs of socks at the same time using two circulars. I think my brain is just seriously not made to wrap my head around the tangled frigging mess that was those two disasters. I don't plan to put the concepts aside indefinitly mind, but the reality is that I'm just not really a sock knitter anyway, so I'm kind of in a "who cares" state about it right now.

Magic loop however made perfect, ladderless DPN-free circular knitting for me (and with no needles falling out on me everywhere!):

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woo hoo!

Though my mom on the other hand, not a convert at all. In fact she appeared to resist every ounce of that course with every fiber of her being. She loooves her DPNS, and at 70, I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks. (Her words, not mine...), but she was a good sport about it at least. And when she told me that she liked my scarf, I responded with "good, cause it's for you", thereby foisting the unwearble (for me) spirals on to her forever more. I think she was pretty excited about it actually...

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