Pick a little, talk a little

So I finally cast on for my “Self-Composed Mitts” http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/composed-mitts yesterday. I’ve been waiting, like, for 2 years to get to this.

Ready and waiting for me and my Chicago coffee mug...

Unfortunately, I also chose this pattern to learn how to do the Magic Loop method of knitting in the round. Well let me say that this pattern and yarn combo were not the place to learn this technique. After 7 attempts at starting, I decided to just go back to my regular, 2 circulars method. You see, I totally got how it worked, but the combo of the Elann Pure Alpaca Fina (verrry hairy, and verrry splitty) and the inclusion of a bobble inserted in the very first stitch (and every 5 stitches in the first row), made for a mess crazy enough to require a gin and tonic, and a laundry-folding, dinner-making break before I admitted defeat. I’ll definitely try that method again, but I’m gonna do it on a plainish pair of socks with more of a light worsted weight yarn.

Well after I got restarted last night, I went 15 rows before I dragged my sorry tired bottom to bed around 12:30 or so. Bad me. But I did remember how much of a kick I get outta doing Fair Isle. And I found that I could make good progress holding the 2 yarns in one hand and picking the yarns as I went along, as opposed to throwing one color with the right hand, and picking another color from the left.

Sorry about the fuzzy picture...some of it's the yarn's fault 🙂

I’d like to learn this way, too. But I decided that this time, I’d just go with the one hand picking.

I’m just happy to get to be working on this finally. It’s like entrelac, a bit, in that once you get going, you just want to do another row to see how the colors change and the pattern appears. Like I said, kept me up late.

Oh yeah, and in case you wondered about my heading “Pick a little, talk a little,” and couldn’t recall where you heard it before, I borrowed it from that wonderful old musical, “The Music Man.” 🙂

P.S. Don’t forget to post your comments to win those earrings!