Monday, December 22, 2003

I've been reading a lot of knitting blogs lately. Especially Knitdad. I am seriously hooked on knitting again. I taught myself when I was in grade school, and then got some help from a friend's mother. I knit a lot of mittens in highschool, then gave it up until probably 1999 or so. I was in a beading slump, but found myself getting seriously hooked on looking at beaded knitted amulet (spirit bag) purses. So, that is when I picked up knitting.

For that type of knitting one uses really tiny steel knitting needles sold as double points in sets of 4 or 5, but you really just 2 (one pair) and work straight back and forth. Regular knitting needles just don't come in that small size (0000 and 00000). So I did a huge pile of those; they can be seen on my beadwork website Healing Beadwork.

Last year I decided I wanted to get back into regular knitting (on larger needles). I decided to learn how to knit socks, which is still on smallish needles, US size 2 and 3 or so, but that is huge compared to the 0000's I was working on for the beaded knitted bags.

I also knit up a bunch of hats for charity, and most of my socks were for the Children in Common group. Want to check out the socks? Here they are!

This year's knitting has been prayer shawls done in acrylic yarn by Lion Brands called Homespun. It is super soft and I love how they turn out. I am keeping all but one to use for my clients (hypnotherapy).

Last week I finished a very long scarf in Homespun for DH, and then a scarf in some of my stash yarn for a Christmas gift. I just ordered a bunch of yarn from Smiley's (sale yarn). Enough to knit my first sweater.

I have put off knitting a sweater because I am a large-sized gal and I have had a tough time trying to find something that would fit that appeals to me. Buying so much yarn is daunting too. So, I decided to just do it - however, with cheaper yarn just in case. I have a few patterns from Sally Melville's new, Knit Stich - The Purl Stitch book picked out. I hardly wait to start!