improve my knitting

I am currently working on my first project from a pattern. It’s a journal cover and I’m using some beautiful yarn in a color called Beeswax, and I really like it so far. The yarn is odd to work with, not difficult really, but it has a lot of twist to it and it’s the first time I’ve knit with a mostly wool yarn.

I’m also working on a large cotton cloth using 2 skeins of Sugar ‘n Cream. I haven’t decided yet whether it will be a hand towel for the bathroom or if I’ll make it a bit smaller and use it for drying dishes.

I’ve learn how to use DPNs! Will wonders never cease?

I knit a couple of small cat blankets for some strays that have taken up residence on our porch. One of them has a big hole in it, the reasons for which I am unaware of, but yay for completed projects.

I also knit a shawl thing with my size 50 needles. I can’t mark it off as being from a pattern though, because I did it backwards because that was an easier way. And I used yarn totally unrelated to what it called for. Heh.

Well, I finished the dishcloth. It’s not exactly square, and I think for reasons that blocking won’t fix. Heh. There’s a hole in it where I messed up the cast off and my cast off is about 6 times tighter than my casting on. But! Practicing is what will improve my knitting, right? Yes. And since I am trying to let go of my excessive perfectionism I figure this is an excellent place to start.

Only a few rows til I’m finished with the dishcloth. There are problems with it but I’m trying to let go of some of my perfectionism and just finish the damn thing. And improving doesn’t mean doing it all perfectly.

I finally picked up the dishcloth again. I’m now about halfway into it I would think. It shouldn’t take long to finish it if I actually sit down and do it.

I’m 5 rows in to a new dishcloth. The other had to be frogged. Bah.

I have done something to my dishcloth. And I’m not sure what it is I’ve done. So I will probably need to frog at least rows.

Sigh.

Okay so my dishcloth is going to become a pot holder. Right now I’m working on a dishcloth that will actually be the right size.

Since I need to practice increasing, decreasing, and following a pattern, I think I’m gonna make the head kerchief from Stitch ‘n’ Bitch next.

So my dishcloth? It may end up being a pot holder. Because I think it’s too small to be a dishcloth. Unless I can sew/knit another square (or 3) of the same size to it. After I knit them. Bah.

My dishcloth’s coming along nicely. There’s one small spot that’s messed up and I don’t know what I did… I’m going to have my sister look it when she can.

It’s a random pattern, just alternating between knit and purl basically whenever I want to. It’ll be nicely randomly ribbed to get the dishes clean, I figure.

My purling is tons better already and almost as fast as my knitting. I haven’t made any major mistakes and had to frog the whole thing either like I did with the first few dishcloths I started. (Cotton is so unforgiving.)