The Next Knitting Project Begins… Sort of!

I  know you have all been waiting, on the edge of your seats, to hear how my knitting project has been coming on! Well, I have been busy. Mainly casting on and ripping out stitches and starting over!! I’ll admit there have been a few pitfalls along the way. Well quite a lot actually, but it’s important to look on the bright side, as Monty Python Life of Brian says don’t forget the Spanish Inquisition. As some of you will know since my last (first and only) knitting project I decided to make a jumper. Nothing too technical, just a nice little jumper. Easy peesy, lemon squeezy. I spotted a pattern that I liked, but there was a slight snag. As the bottom of the jumper was ribbed, I’d have to learn how to knit purl stitch. Ok, no problem there, just a little bump along the knitting road. I’ll get the Mammy to show me. Which she did and she even wrote out instructions for me for when she wasn’t around (which I, very handily, lost pretty much straight away). So I cast on a gazillion stitches and then I said to myself “I better practice this purly wurly business”. Further to this sensible thought process I cast on 10 stitches on separate needles just for practicing. After doing a few rows of purl I felt I had it, although my stitches were a little bit tight. “Maybe that’s just because I’m a novice” I thought and ripped those stitches out. As the recipe, I mean pattern, called for a knit 2, purl 2 method I thought it would be a good idea to practice that. Again I cast on 10 stitches (I was getting good at the casting on) and practiced knit 2, purl 2. Mum told me I should see the rib beginning to form. I didn’t but I just put that down to it only being 10 stitches and didn’t give it much thought. Now I felt ready to launch into the pattern head on. But then I changed my mind and decided that I’d like to do the rib in blue and the rest of the jumper in red. But I ‘d have to learn how to change from the old wool (blue) into the new wool (red) when the rib was done. No problem, easy peesy, it’s important to think positive. Don’t let naivety get in the way!! So I ripped out the gazillion red stitches and cast on a gazillion blue stitches and I was ready for off. I had to do about 3.5 cm of knit 2, purl 2 before I’d change wool and do the stocking stitch (another day’s work, don’t ask!!). I pretty much had this done but couldn’t really see the rib pattern forming and it bothered me that the stitches were a little bit tight. On top of that I found it hard to hold the needles and wool and knit and not drop stitches.  Time to have a consultation with the knitting Guru (Mum). Upon show her my knitting efforts, she says, in her very Irish Mammy type way “Yeah, no, you’ve gone wrong there” (‘there’ being the whole lot). “Show me what you have been doing”. I show her and, yes, I have been

managed to do it totally backwards. I’m so far in reverse an AA route map couldn’t get me out of here!! I seem to have gotten really good at ripping out and casting on, which is just as well because that’s exactly what I had to do. Again! Back to the start. Mum kindly gave me a million demonstrations of how to do purl properly and (woohoo) I finally got it. With quite a lot of tongue biting and concentrated frowning I knit the required 3.5cm rib without mishap and now my next task is to change into the red wool. No problem. Piece of cake. Hmmmm, we’ll see. At this rate the jumper might not get sleeves! I guess I have really jumped in at the deep end, having to learn how to purl stitch (properly!), change the wool, stocking stitch coming up!! Argh! At least I can cast on to beat the band!! Til next time NaNu NaNu.