Rippling Along

Crossposted to the NEIS Ripple-Along .

This morning I tried to take a picture of the progress I've made on my ripple. Unfortunately, my two "helpers" wanted in on the action. My 4yo is my Official Random Yarn Picker. He is extremely adamant when he chooses, and he's made a fuss a few times when he thought that I wasn't going to use the "right" yarn next ("Mom, WHERE is the magenta?!?! Why isn't it here?!?!")

The other "helper" is my cat, who eats yarn for dinner. She is very intriqued by the huge pile here that I am needing for this project, and by the sorting and digging that has gone on in my stash as I gather what I need.

As for the ripple itself, I had slowed down partly due to the above-mentioned 4yo's birthday, and partly because I was very dismayed by the section with the dk blue, lt blue, and peach. It was looking very lively up until then, but my "Flower Power" ripple wilted on me. The bright green and magenta have revived it, though, and I've decided that, despite the demands of my Official Random Yarn Picker, I need to ensure that there are no more than two pale colors in any 5-segment section (in between the recurring 2 rows of "Flower Power" variagated), and that each section includes mostly brights and darks, like the first one.

Yummy

I'm working on three acrylic afghans right now--one for a friend's baby (born a year ago--yes, I am bad bad bad); one large granny for my bedroom (started 10 years ago--yes, I am bad bad bad); and a Flower Power ripple for the No-End-In-Sight Ripple-Along. So, when my almost-4 yr old declared that he wanted me to make him an afghan, what did I say? You guessed it. I am sunk into another one.

So, off to the yarn store I went. I decided that, since it was a smallish afghan (only 3 ft x 3 ft), I'd indulge myself, er, my child, in yummy yarn. Lamb's Pride Worsted was the winner. This stuff is almost edible, it's so much fun to work with. And, the colors, while bright, are a totally different, more muted and textured, hue from the Red Heart that I usually use to make projects like this. In celebration of my delicious yarn, I also splurged on a wooden crochet hook (Laurel Hill, Forest Palmwood, size H).

By the way--NEVER, EVER mistakenly leave your pattern at the yarn store. It means you have to go back the next day to fetch it. Uh oh. I'll show you what I bought on clearance another day, when I figure out what to do with it.

Going Continental

When I originally taught myself to knit several eons ago, I learned right-handed. It seemed comfortable enough, and I was able to use the same yarn carry that I use when I crochet (left-handed). So, last winter when I decided to relearn how to knit, I tried various yarn-carries in Sally Melville's book "The Knit Stitch." Amazingly, the left-handed carry (AKA Continental knitting) is what is suggested for lefties, and I COULDN'T DO IT. So, I kept on keeping on with my crochet carry, and was happy.

Here is how I knit:

And here is how I crochet:

Then I tried knitting with two colors. Oops. The ability to use a left-handed carry suddenly increased in usefullness. Still, I couldn't do it. It just felt awkward. Every book I read says that this is the way lefties should learn. Apparently, they were written by righties because this lefty just doesn't get it.

Then I found this:

YouTube: Continental Knitting Demo

If you've ever tried to figure out Continental knitting, this is the most amazing video. I sat here at my computer one day, yarn in hand, and the lightbulb turned on. It still feels awkward but, then, so did knitting, period, a year ago.

Transporting is Cool

An administrative note:

I decided to transfer the entries on my little-used LiveJournal blog over here. So, this marks the first "real" entry in this new--hopefully oft-used--blog. So, Beam Me Up, Scotty--I'm here now!

I've been busy this winter improving my knitting skills and using up a voluminous, yet el cheapo, stash, mostly on my children (like the crocheted stuffed animal backpacks that their "pets" needed in order to go to school). I just requested to join the NEIS Ripple-Along, so, hopefully, that will take care of the rest of my boxes. Then I can start guiltlessly indulging in the products featured by my local non-big-box yarn shop. Goodbye Red Heart! I loved you!