BASIC STOCKINETTE

    Now that we are past the season of Christmas knitting, I'm back to a personal project: a cardigan sweater with blue and yellow stash. It's being done in basic stockinette stitch, which is one side in knit, and the other side in purl. Purling is a bit more difficult for me, I think for most people, so I am slower with the purl rows than the knit rows. Knit or purl, it is 165 stitches a row. Oddly enough, I have just discovered that errors are more likely to reveal themselves in purl rows. 

NEXT GENERATION OF KNITTERS

    I taught a little girl to knit. Finally. For years I've been carrying around in my knit bag a bit of spare yarn and a pair of knitting needles made of chopsticks. The tips of the chopsticks need to be carefully sharpened in a pencil sharpener -- well, I suppose the tips could be shaped by a knife if a pencil sharpener isn't available. Buff off any rough spots with a nail file. Wooden knitting needles work best for beginners because the friction from the wood keeps the yarn from sliding. My student did very well, finished an entire row. I let her take the project with her, came home and converted another pair of chopsticks to knitting needles. I'm ready, should another eager student wander along.

WHERE CREATIVITY LIVES

        Much as I hate to admit, because I have forgotten a great deal of what I once knew, I taught Spanish. I had some great students, whom I desperately loved, and some not-so-great students whose presence in a classroom was a continuing challenge.

        Morty was one of the worst, did everything he could do to be disruptive. I decided that one day we would take a break and spend classroom time making what Hispanics call "God's Eyes", those colorful symbols made of two crossed sticks and bright yarns. I had painstakingly gathered from my yard sturdy twigs; I had plenty of yarn stash for the projects.

        While two students distributed the materials I explained the project, my eye constantly glimpsing at Morty. What inventive way would he find the disrupt the classroom?

        Amazingly, quiet prevailed. Inspired by the assignment, every student was totally absorbed in creating their God's Eye. Especially Morty. I found it hard to believe the concentration he brought to the task. His eyes, normally scanning the room for what mayhem he could cause, never left the twigs and bright yarns on his desk. And when the class period came to an end, no one was prouder than Morty of what he had created with his own two hands.

UNKNITTING

         Unknitting -- aaarrrrggghhhh. I'll swear I've spent more time unknitting this afternoon. No, not frogging -- that's unraveling back to Skein One. Unknitting is undoing every single stitch one at a time, getting back to the mistake. Takes a  whole lot of time. I'm knitting a hat with stripes and keep failing to change the color with each new stripe. To make a mistake even more likely, both yarns are shades of pink.

        The good news is I've managed to finish a poem about a Friendship Fountain from the U.S. to the Ukraine. The task now is to try to submit it to a publication (which uses a very weird method of submitting). Still have a few days before the deadline.

MINDLESS KNTTING

         Mindless knitting can sometimes get you into trouble. St. Luke's Hospital requires that scarves for the women's heart program be a good solid red; they don't even want a dark red, a winy red. It struck me that I could combine slight variations of red in a chameleon scarf. But even though every stitch of a chameleon scarf is a knit stitch, the pattern requires knowing which direction you ae going, you can't be plotting your next novel. I currently have two red scarves still unfinished, with serious errors. Will l be frogging both of them?

I THINK IT WILL WORK

I THINK IT WILL WORK

        Trying a new approach. Normally, I cast on 64 stitches for a hat. Either knit a ribbed brim, or choose a roll brim. Knit until it looks long enough and then switch to double-points to start decreasing for the crown. Very poor about estimating. I have to quit adding depth while I still have enough yarn to finish the crown? But how much will that be? Generally on safety's side I over-estimate. But wait . . . if I knit the crown first, knit from the crown down I should be better able to come out at the brim. I cast on 24 stitches, put them on double points. Increased in reverse to the decrease. A little snug when I first switched from double points to circular, but as I added rows it eased up a bit. Don't have enough beige for complete hat, so I need to go look at my stash for a color suitable for alternating stripes. I think it's going to work.

NOT FAR TO GO

         A word to the wise: If you buy a kit at a knit shop do not delay in knitting it up. I bought a slouch hat kit with denim ReBound yarn. Kept it with my stash of yarn for  over a year. Finally started, I used the large version because, well, I have a big head in more ways than one. Cast on 88 stitches. Used long tail cast-on. Got to within needing 12 more rows and the crown before the end of the yarn. No problem, I remembered the yarn shop had extra skeins of the yarn. The key word here is HAD. Like they once HAD, but now no longer. I admit I broke my own rule. I went online. Totally, a few choice search words, and the internet will take you to the only remaining spot in the entire world where there is one remaining skein of denim color ReBound. You think. You can't be sure of a color match until you have both color samples in your own hands. Forced to wait several days on the US Mule. By fate didn't have the new skein until after nightfall, worst time to looking at color matches. Information all matches, same color number, same dye lot, same number of meters of length. Take a chance everything is still accurate. Start working in the new skein. YooHee, by daylight it still matches. Finish the last rows, double-points for the crown, weave in the ends, maybe I'll wear it to the book club today.

"The Only Pattern You'll Ever Need"

         Using the pattern my knitting aunt gave me decades ago, I've gotten to the hardest part of creating a sweater: finishing the neck band or collar. The pattern is top-down, so it begins with the neck. I'm making the cardigan version. I think there may be a way to make the neck band easier, but it has to be done at the very beginning. Finishing the buttonholes will be a challenge, and I won't be able to do that until I find the buttons. Yellow and blue, this is my Ukraine sweater -- yellow and blue.

The Reason Why Knitters Keep Stash

         I don't know a knitter who doesn't have a closet full of left-over yarns. Or skeins once bought, but never used. Knitters are like painters, who always want a paintbox full of colors.