In Stitches

Though I've not been online much of late, my hands have been far from idle. Making things and crafting has always ben a big part of what keeps me sane, and more often than not, that's channeled as knitting. Calming, meditative and easy to tote around, it's a way for my hands to fidget productively. Considering it's such a regular part of my life, it's surprising I don't write about it more often. It might have something to do with the fact that during busy times, I often find myself starting more projects than I could hope to finish, so it's always a relief when I actually reach the end of one.

I started knitting my first lace project a while ago, and had always been intimidated by the openness of the patterns – how was I supposed to pick up my stitches when one would inevitably drop? How could I follow those patterns that read like Greek? And yet somehow, I reached the end of this one.

I shouldn't have worried so much. Haruni is a wonderfully written pattern, with lots of helpful advice sprinkled throughout. The main body is worked in a simple stitch pattern, very easy to memorize, and the leafy edging is easy to read.

More than anything, this shawl required patience – my Ravelry entry tells me I started in early September, only to finish in March, a solid half a year after I had cast on. And I finally got to experience the difference that blocking your work makes – that's washing it, then pinning it into the shape you want and letting it air dry, to "set" the stitches. Though I don't know if knitting lace regularly is for me, I'm glad I did it. I BEAT you, Haruni. (You can find my project notes here.)

Lately, I've actually been crocheting more often than knitting. There's been this long-simmering feud between knitting and crocheting camps, both believing their craft to be the best, with many native knitters preferring to think of crochet hooks merely as "dropped stitch fixers". While knitting is a lot more economical (crochet uses roughly 3 times the yarn of knitting) and offers a lighter weight, smoother end product, I'm finding the speed and ease of crocheting to be a lot more instantly gratifying, and I certainly like it much better for fussy laceweight yarns.

Case in point: I started that Purl Bee two-colour cowl I had been on about for so long, and I love working on it.

I'd tried using this Malabrigo Lace in a few knitting projects, but the super soft, single-spun merino was too sticky – the yarn would felt on itself and be a terrible pain to rip back. I much prefer it in this pattern, where the multiple knots add strength to the loose spin, and the softly undulating colours of the yarn don't pool up noticeably.

The original pattern called for using two colours, but I'm going to use up all of this before I even think about buying a second colour, and with another whole skein to go, it's going to be quite unnecessary. And as you can see, I've been using the bag that came with my LL Bean flats as a project bag, which has been the perfect size. I can't wait to start wearing this tiny woolen wonder come early fall. (You can find my project notes here.)

But before then, I need a spring scarf, so I cast on the EXACT SAME PATTERN in a heavier gauge. Believe me, I know it looks vastly different.

I spotted this hand-dyed cotton on a recent pop into Romni and couldn't resist. The colours just scream spring poesy to me. And would you believe I only cast on an extra 10 stitches and it rests below my chest, as opposed to up around my neck? What a difference gauge makes. In a lot of ways, these are polar opposites – one light and airy and soft-spoken and woolly, the other bright and garish and chunky cotton (I can throw it in the washing machine even!). They are practical wardrobe stables in entirely different ways, all stemming from the same pattern – which is itself an elaboration on classic granny square crochet. (You can find my project notes here.)

I promise, I'll check in on these two projects and show you the finished results!