Knit a bit.... cook a bit...

Remember that pretty green knitting project I started? Well, it was much too much for a beginner like me. I ended up dropping it on the floor and the needles fell out and well, I had to give up because I couldn't figure out how to stick the needles back in correctly! So I frogged it. I rolled the ball of green yarn back up and put it away.

Frogging is a sad thing for me, a beginner, having spent a couple of hours doing a dozen rows in what the project sheet said would take "only a few hours to knit in a very simple but striking stitch." Especially when frogging a crochet piece for me is no big dealio. Crochet actually is no big dealio for me, considering there is only one needle and one stitch at a time. I have yet to learn what a knitted piece should look like, so I can figure out how to fix it.

Anyway, I set my sights on something more manageable and took the pattern from a 50 stitch start to a 12 (yes, twelve) stitch start. I think I can handle finishing the tiny ball of yarn from the smaller batch of my Drunkard's Dyelot that I spun up. I am using the same pattern, called a Web-weaver Wrap, which starts with six rows of garter stitch, then six rows of: p1 *yo, p2tog, repeat from * which is basically a purl stitch, drop a stitch, purl 2 together, etc. which gives you a open lace pattern. Pretty. Pretty hard. I started and showed it to a friend who said, wow pretty ambitious for your first piece. I know, I'm just like that. Then I got ambitious and closed my guide book and suddenly found strange things happening: too many stitches, not enough stitches and giant gaping holes. I had to redo row after row for a couple of hours before deciding that maybe I hadn't learned the stitches well enough to go it alone. HAHA!

After admitting I needed help ("Hi, I'm Su, and I am a knit-a-wannabe") I pulled out my book and left it open while I again tried to knit, staying aware of each stitch and non-stitch and checking my count of 12 after ending each row. Presto! I have not yet ripped out a row! Here is how far I got.


9 needles US, 5.5 mm.

I am loving the color changes! I may be doing this slightly bigger with the rest of the same colorway, in my size.

And here is the finished swatch, destined to be some lucky doll's scarf!


And as for a little cooking, here is my shrimp sinigang, recipe a la this website. Mom doesn't measure anything so when I ask the answer is "just put 'em in the pot and cook 'em". I served it hot, over rice.


Enjoy!
Aloha,
~Su