Knit more and improve my techniques

I finished the baby bonnet to go with the white kimono baby jacket. I haven’t sewn the ribbon on or taken a pic yet, but it’s knitted. (See http://www.netgrrlknits.com for pics.)

I just started on the straight rows. This is the longest section of the shawl. I already know that I need more yarn.

I’m starting on my 2nd clapotis, using purple Andean Treasure from Knitpicks.com. I’m trading this one for services, then I’ll start on a black one for my mother.

I made a huge mistake that I could not correct, so I had to start over, even though I was just finishing the increase rows.

I finally finished the clapotis shawl. It’s beautiful and soft and I wear it every day IN MY HOUSE because my husband keeps the house so cold.

Here are some pictures. Don’t drool on your keyboard!

**The shawl was designed by Kate Gilbert (http://www.kategilbert.com/ms_clapotis.html ). Thanks, Kate!

My yarn came and I ordered too much. I think I really only needed one more skein, but I ordered four. I guess I will have enough to make the clapotis hat. I’m almost finished, y’all!

I’m running out of yarn so I’ve ordered more from Knitpicks. Hopefully it will be here before I go to Florida next week.

I attended my first stitching meeting at the library this past Saturday. I saw the lady who invited me. There were a bunch of women sitting around shooting the breeze. What is it about crafting that makes women so chatty? Even I was chatty. The oldest was probably in her 70s and the youngest was a 15 year old homeschooled girl. She (the 15 y.o.) crochets the most intricate doll clothes from patterns that she purchases.

There was a Deaf lady and her hard of hearing friend there. One of the members knows a limited amount of signs. I told her that I know sign language and she and the other ladies were ecstatic. I introduced myself and chatted with them. Do you know how hard it is to knit and sign at the same time? It’s impossible since both hands are used. I have signed with one hand before. It’s not optimal, but I do it. But there is NO WAY to knit with one hand. Just thought I’d share that insight with you. Let’s just say that I made very little progress on my clapotis.

I’m definitely going back.

I’ve started dropping stitches – three so far. I love getting to the eighth row in a twelve row repeat and dropping a stitch. I lead a very boring life.

I went to the gas station the other morning to get my VERY expired brake tag renewed. I brought my knitting with me while I waited for the inspection. I sat next to a lady who said, “I should have brought my knitting with me.” This was a breath of fresh air because I usually get, “Are you knitting or crocheting?”

She told me that she mostly knits baby blankets. She’s knitting ahead for a generation she probably won’t live to know – her sister’s future great-grandchildren. She invited me to the knitting meeting that she’s attending. It’s held at a library every first and third Saturday of the month. She told me that there are knitters and crocheters and that they are at various skill levels. She also told me that some of them use cheap Walmart yarn (she does!) and others use expensive yarn, depending on the project. There are a few really good knitters to help the less skilled crafters.

I won’t be able to go this Saturday because of the Praxis test, but I’ll probably go to the next one. I love sitting around knitting or crocheting and talking to other women about whatever comes to mind.

Needless to say, since she didn’t have her knitting I didn’t get much knitting done. I was extremely chatty for some reason. I think it was because I had worked the night before. So much for that social anxiety thing. I guess I was too tired for my anxiety to hamper my social interaction. Interesting.

I’m almost finished with the increase rows. I can’t wait to get to the straight rows so I can start drop stitches, which is the beauty of the clapotis scarf. I’m half-heartedly toying with the idea of making the scarf larger because I really want a wrap. We’ll see. I’m just so impatient.

This is so much easier than I thought it would be, and I don’t have to use the pattern until I get to the 12th row of the increase repeat. I can do it without thinking. This is my first time effectively using stitch markers. Kind of neat. They totally make sense now.