I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers today with an FO and a UFO. I did finish John's Westerly Hat and he wore it so I can probably call that a knitting success. I could have saved myself some knitting and done at least two fewer pattern repeats before the crown decreases, but I'm not taking it apart to unravel some of the extra length and reknit the crown. There were no complaints from the recipient, so it must be okay.
I cast on for a cowl with the same cable pattern as the hat, but it took me four times before I was happy with it. I wanted to start with 2x2 ribbing, so I mistakenly thought that just meant my number of stitches needed to be divisible by two. There are 13 stitches in the cable pattern, so I cast on 130 and started knitting, but discovered my mistake when I ended up with two extra stitches. I ripped it out and started again, but made several different mistakes and I wasn't happy with the transition between the ribbing and the beginning of the cable pattern. I did some simple math and finally cast on 144 stitches, doing 10 rows of ribbing, then an increase row to 156 stitches, followed by the start of the cable pattern. That's working and I have incentive to keep knitting. Our overnight lows are in the teens and it's cold. We had to take Justin and Jess to the airport this morning at 4:00 am and I was wishing I had a nice warm cowl around my neck. But I'm kitty-sitting Nugget for the week and picking Jess and Justin up after midnight next week, so there will be plenty of opportunities to work on and hopefully wear this cowl in the near future.
We have a couple of inches of snow on the ground and I thought it might make a nice background for a picture of the cowl. But the temperature was 23 degrees and the winds were howling at 30-40 mph when I took the picture Tuesday afternoon, so the background is the fleece afghan I snuggled under while knitting some more on the cowl. Outdoor photos will resume when it's not so darn cold outdoors!
I finished Ted Kooser's Winter Morning Walks this week. It is is a near-perfect
collection of poems that Ted Kooser wrote on postcards and sent to his
friend and fellow poet, the late Jim Harrison. Because he was undergoing
treatment for cancer in 1998 and needed to avoid sunlight due to skin
sensitivity, Kooser took walks in the early morning and composed these
observational, reflective, and meditative poems. They have made
wonderfully calm reading during this winter season, and it's a book I'll
keep nearby to reread. These are poems full of gratitude, humility and
hope. This year I also hope to read Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry: Expanded Anniversary Edition, Kooser's and Harrison's conversations in haiku.
What are you making and reading this week?
I love the hat! Those cables really pop. I can understand why you'd want to keep knitting them, and I'm glad you finally found a number that works. Stay warm! I think it's totally reasonable to take less-than-stellar indoor photos at this time of year (or at least that's what I'm telling myself, because I'm not going outside unless I absolutely need to).
ReplyDeleteyour textured knitting is awesome! I've done that math error as well but now I know otherwise! Hopefully I only make the same mistake once...
ReplyDeleteThat hat looks really warm and cozy! I am glad you figured out the cowl... that looks equally cozy and warm! I agree... this weather a cowl is a must!
ReplyDeleteBut Braided Creek sounds fascinating! I hope my library has it! (and I agree Winter Morning Walks is just wonderful!)
John's hat turned out wonderfully and your cowl is looking squishy and cozy. Have fun kitty-sitting Nugget!! I've discovered that my library does not have either Winter Morning Walks or Braided Creek. I might need to place an order with Amazon (too cold to venture out to a bookstore).
ReplyDeleteThat's a good looking hat. I really love red in winter.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a cabled cowl for the extra warmth. I really need a new one myself but can't seem to find a spot in the queue for it.
I wanted to use the same shade for my cowl but I wasn't sure I had enough yarn. I'll see how much it takes and maybe knit another one in red if I do in fact have enough. You've got enough to knit that you may be knitting well past winter into spring!
DeleteI have loved seeing your Westerly hats. I love a good cable pattern! Your cowl should be nice and cozy and pretty, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erika! I haven't knit cables in quite a while but as soon as I saw the Westerly pattern, I knew it was for me. Knitting them is somehow calming and I see more in my future.
DeleteI'm glad John's hat was a success. I hope instead of that cowl you had a warm hitchhiker wrapped around your neck. The cable pattern is so lovely I'm glad you persevered with the Math and figured out a stitch count that works well. Stay warm.
ReplyDelete