The Knitting Knerd

So, originally, my February project was going to be some fingerless mitts with cabling and lace-work, and I started to make them out of some gorgeous Malabrigo Silky Merino in the Cumparsita colorway. But, I got so frustrated with them that I frogged them and started a new project. I made my first hat! It’s a beret with a chevron pattern made from Malabrigo Worsted in the Charrua colorway.

Malabrigo is definitely my favorite yarn brand. I’ve only ever knitted with the Worsted and Silky Merino, so I really look forward to trying out the others. I have the Silky Merino in four different colorways, I love the feel of that yarn.

My next project will also be a beret, but a different one. It also has somewhat of a chevron pattern in it, but it’ll be knitted with one or two of my skeins of Silky Merino. I’m in between the Cumparsita and the Plum Blossom. I think the Plum Blossom colorway will make a fantastic spring hat! I also have the Silky Merino in the Bee and Arco Iris colorways. I don’t think I want to use either one of those for this project, though. I think I need to use the Bee for a summer-type project since the colors are so bright and vibrant. It might look cool used for a summer-night shawl or something. I obviously haven’t decided yet. If you’re curious about what any of these colors look like, go check out www.malabrigoyarn.com.

Backtracking a little, I mentioned my “February Project”. I have decided that I am going to do at least one knitting project a month for the whole year. Last year I didn’t knit hardly at all, and that’s a travesty, so I’ve come up with this solution to remedy that. I also want to make more things that I have never made before to broaden my knitting experience. I made fingerless gloves with a whale bone cable up the back of the hand for my wonderful husband in January. As previously mentioned, the beret made with the Malabrigo Worsted was my February project. For this month, also previously mentioned, I will be making another beret with the Malabrigo Silky Merino. I think I’ve officially settled on making it in the Plum Blossom colorway. I haven’t decided on April’s project, maybe I’ll do a shawl. Now, make no mistake, if I can fit in more than one project a month, I definitely will. I’m hoping that I can get this beret done as quickly as the last, and then I can work on my socks that are currently on hold. They’re my first pair of socks and I feel like they’re actually going pretty well.  I’ll report more on those when I get back to them.

I haven’t been spinning lately, and that needs to change.  I learned in January, and then I started picking up knitting projects, so I haven’t been able to make time to keep learning to spin.  I’m learning on a top-whirl drop spindle.  It wasn’t too hard to learn, but my technique definitely needs to improve.  This spring, when it gets nice enough outside, I want to learn how to dye yarn and fiber.  There’s a wool mill about an hour and a half north of where I live, so I want to make a trip up there to buy some wool and yarn to practice dyeing.  I’d really like to be good enough to sell hand-dyed yarn and roving at this year’s Detroit Maker Faire.  If you’ve never heard the term “roving” before, it is wool that is prepared for spinning by being combed and washed, and then carded to make it so the fibers are all going the same direction.  It can then be dyed.  I am very excited to learn how to dye and get better at spinning.  In addition to hopefully having a table at Maker Faire and other Detroit craft shows and events, I’d like to have an Etsy store eventually.

That’s all I have for now, I’ll be back next week!