Friday Knitting Blog (12/09/2011)

This week, I set out to knit a hat. It's not the Sheep hat from last week (yet), but it's related. Normally, I'm of the knitting opinion that if you want to knit a sweater, then you should shut up and knit a sweater. Not first knit a potholder, then a scarf, then a hat, then a bag, then some other stupid shit and then a sweater, just knit the damn sweater already! If you want to knit a sweater, then knitting a potholder, while it might teach you a thing or so, won't actually get you any closer to the sweater. This time, however, it's been a really long time since I've done stranded color work (That Boy received the last sweater when he was a year old), and the way I knit has changed completely since then. So, I set out in search of a free hat pattern with stranded color work that I could experiment on (1-handed versus 2-handed, how to determine dominance, etc.), and I came up with this lovely pattern. Double Diamond Argyle Hat (Ravelry link). The end product is this: 

Click to embiggen, you know you want to

Made with Stitch Nation Washable Ewe (100% superwash wool) in Cottontail (white) and Strawberry (Red). Needles were US 6 (4 mm) and US 8 (5 mm). Started Monday and finished this morning. The only reason it took longer than an evening is that chart knitting is not new TV knitting. I didn't knit at all on Tuesday and Wednesday (too tired after work), and I was in and out of the chart last night. 

So, what I learned from this hat is that even though I have successfully knit in Continental style before (even completing a small project), I have a really hard time getting good tension. I am super right-hand dominant, and my left is mostly ornamental when I'm not typing, so 2-handed doesn't work well for me. I tried it for a few rounds and it's not my thing. What works is holding both colors in my right hand, flicking the nondominant color with my index finger (the way I normally knit) and flicking the dominant color with my middle finger (surprisingly comfortable). Technically on this hat, the white is the main color, and the red is the contrast, but I elected to keep the red dominant during the chart, and I think it worked. 

Of course, now I'm all excited to do more color work, and the Sheep hat is coming soon, but I also kind of fell into a trap looking at "double knitting," in which a double thickness fabric is created with mirror image designs. There may be a potholder or two in that technique in my immediate future. 

P.S. I have decided this hat is a gift. I do hope that the recipient likes it; it's super warm (double layer of fabric and all) and festive colors without screaming Holiday in the design.