I liken it to the infamous "forbidden fruit" moment. Scarves aside, once you take your first bite of a project that incorporates some interesting twists and turns (don't forget how increasing/decreasing fascinated you at first), or your first spin "in-the-round", you gain that pesky knowledge of good and evil. The Good: knitting for yourself (freedom from the man aka manufactured clothing, esp. machine knits), expressing yourself creatively through a structurally satisfying art form, and of course having the wonderful world of natural fibers open up to you, among many other things. The Bad: the weight of a new obsession (the constant search for more time in our busy day persists). But we can deal with that can't we? I think we have to.
Today I present to you the recent fruits of labor of one such new-knitter who is nothing short of insatiable for his next knitting challenge (he wanted to cut the hat and go straight from garter stitch scarf to full fledged sweater). The momentous first hat.
Here we have your basic hat pattern - which I believe is the only way to go when using a yarn that does so much work for you anyway - 2x2 ribbing, stockinette body and spiral decrease crown. The yarn has shown its face around these parts before. This beautiful stuff is from the Tuesday slot of Yarn Portrait Week. I firmly believe in knitting with quality fibers from day one. Beginner or advanced, for what we do here, you owe it to yourself.
The colors, as usual deserve a special nod. Knit on 16" circular US 6/4mm needles, this was devoured in just under a week. Maybe it is time for a first-sweater after all.
Have you spread the knitting love around to anyone recently? It's refreshing. Infect your friends!
