My Newest Project

When I knit the stitches sit backwards from how I believe they are supposed to, but I have figured out how its supposed to look. But when I decrease I have adjust it so that it slants in the right way. So I don't know what that means for anyone who wants to try what I am tell them about. Just letting you know.

I live in Texas for the winter and Buffalo, NY for the summer. I usually drive the 1000 or so miles between my two homes and luckily for me New Orleans can sometimes be on the way home. Right in the heart of the French Quarter is one my favorite yarn stores. I have found yarn stores are few and far between in the south, at least in the places that I have visited.

The last time I visited The Quarter Stitch, they gave a recipe for a sweater. I can't really call it a pattern. I can never really follow patterns anyway. But this is how I have used their recipe now:

Using a light blue Katia Cotton Club yarn, on size 9 double pointed needles I cast on 80 stitches, dividing them equally on 4. Making sure not to twist the knitting, I started knitting in the round. I worked a knit 2 purl 2 rib for 4 rows. When I reached the beginning of the next row, I knit the 1st stitch, then on the second stitch I knit into the front and back of the stitch, I worked the stitches on the needle until I reached the last two stitches, I knit into the front and the back of the 2nd to last stitch on the needle, and then knit the last stitch. I did this on all 4 needles, until the work started sliding off of the dpns. Then I switched to a size 9 circular needles and placed markers where the corners were with the dpns.

So now as I work I am knitting the 1st stitch after the markers and the increasing on the 2nd stitch and the 2nd from the last stitch. I am going to keep increasing like this until the sweater will fit around me, I was told to measure a raglan sweater for the inches between the neck and where the sleeves meet at the armpit.

How I started knitting

When I was a little girl, my mother decided I needed to learn how to do a few things. When I was about 4, she had my sister teach me how to do basic beadwork. Right around the same time my mother taught me how to crochet. Basic crochet. And for years I just made scarfs, and out I made them out of cheap acrylic yarn that I got at wal-mart or some place like that.
Then one day I decided I was going to try and make a sweater for a little teddy bear that I owned. It turned out all right, as I remember, I don't know what happened to it.
About 8 years ago I told my mom one night that I was going to try and make a mitten, I made one that night crocheting, I put it on banister and that was where she found it the next day. I don't remember making a mate for it.
A year or two after that I decided I want to learn how to knit, I told this to anyone who would listen. I had a few people tell me that they knew how and that they could show me. I waited for anyone to teach me, for about another year. Then I gave up on waiting and bought a book at the only place that I knew for sure that sold yarn and the other supplies I might need, I went to wal-mart.
I started very slowly, I think I gave up a few times. I had swatches with nothing but twisted stitches. But I managed to figure it out.
Now I have at least three projects on some needles at all times, this means I rarely finish anything, but I always have work to do. I plan to start showing some of the projects that I have made, as well as some of the things that I have designed. I have a hard time writing patterns but I am going to try, I think I can figure it out.
Thanks
July