Second knitting project: complete! The shrug was a good second project because it was easy to knit, yet it introduced me to the all-important knitting techniques of increasing and decreasing. The first 7 1/2 inches and the last 7 1/2 inches were knit two, purl two (K2 P2) ribbing. The middle 16 inches were K1 P1, resulting in an hourglass shape before seaming. Seaming is exactly what it sounds like: creating seams in the garment by using yarn to sew two edges together. For this project, I folded the hourglass-shaped fabric in half and sewed up the sides until I got to where the ribbing changed to K1 P1 from K2 P2. As I was knitting this project and looking at the seaming instructions on the pattern, I was initially confused as to how folding it in half and sewing partway up the sides was going to result in this shrug (or shrudge, as my dad, being completely unfamiliar with the concept of a shrug, called it. "How's your shrudge coming?") After both Mom and Dad looked at the pattern and were confused themselves as to how this would not turn out to be a large, ridiculous hat with two holes on the sides, Dad finally came to the correct conclusion that you put your arms through the holes and pull the top section of ribbing over your head. Seeing that visual/spatial reasoning is not my strong suit, it took another pair of eyes to figure that out for me!
Increasing and decreasing were an adventure. The decreasing came first and for that I had to knit two stitches together as if they were one stitch. Pretty self-explanatory, right? I didn't realize how hard it would be to get that second stitch on the needle! Increasing, or adding those stitches lost in the decreasing process, involved knitting both in the front and back of the stitch. That felt really awkward to do for the first 20 or so stitches, then it got a little easier.
The picture on the top left was taken by my knitting friend Marlyss at Needles in the Haymarket. What's with the TP in the background, you might ask. The answer: It was too dang bright outside and the shop has windows both in front and in the back. The glare from the sunlight made it hard to take a picture anywhere but the bathroom, so there I am, modeling my new shrug, which was in loud contrast to my purple and white shirt.
Next up, a poncho for my aunt's belated birthday present. I'm using Bernat Soft Boucle yarn in teal twist. The yarn is nubby and can be tricky to work with since it's harder to see and fix mistakes. However, I'm determined to learn how to knit with all different kinds of yarn and I think it will look really pretty when I'm finished.
No comments:
Post a Comment