Shelter in Place: Day 150

Shelter in Place, Day 150.

Time for a new look.  I’ve been thinking about a refresh for a while so let’s try this one out and see how it feels.  You might think day 150 of a global pandemic is not the time for something new.  You might be right.  I’m gonna go ahead and do it anyhow.  I’m either living on the edge or about to go over it.

Of course, my knitting is not changing.  It’s all comfort knitting, all the time, around here.  If it’s not stockinette in the round or flat garter stitch, I’m not even entertaining the idea.   My recent finishes definitely represent that.

The Number 10 shawl is the green background you see here.  Garter stitch for days.  I loved knitting it and the ‘monochromatic’ green color turned out perfect!  I’ve been wearing this one a lot already!  On top of that, there’s the Flax sweater for my Nephew.  I think it’ll fit perfect when the fall rolls around!  It’ll be here before we know it.

The hats are another Tensfield by Martina Behm and a plain old stockinette, no pattern kinda hat.  Tensfield is turning into my go to hat pattern.  It’s the perfect little palate cleanser while deciding what to knit next.  It’s an any gauge pattern that requires no gauge swatch.  I’m usually skeptical of such outlandish claims but it’s really true.  There’s no catch to it.  It’s just a great pattern.  You get a lot of bang for your buck…it looks far more complex than it actually is.  Really, if you aren’t knitting one, you should be.   I can’t say enough good things about this pattern.  This is only my third one, it feels like such an old friend though.  It’s great comfort knitting with results that don’t show the reality of mood swing pandemic days.

Of course, a plain old stockinette beanie has no chance of seeming special next to all that.  The yarns I used are both amazing and soft…a 50/50 merino/silk bled held double with a lace strand of alpaca/silk.  Gorgeous soft stockinette in the round.  Perfect comfort knitting.  That looked a little like something you might sneeze out.  Yuck.

So I gave it tentacles.  Tentacles make everything better!  I’m sure you’ll agree!

All these finishes mean new cast-ons aplenty!  The comfort knitting theme shows no signs of stopping though.  I’ve got a new shawl and two new cowls on the needles.  Garter stitch, short row wedges and stripes…undeniable favorites appearing in all three projects.  I’m nothing, if not consistent.

There’s a Stephen West Batad, a shawl loosely based on Stripe Study and a rainbow striped cowl that I’m just making up as I go.  One key principal of comfort knitting:  not checking a pattern every 5 minutes.   These project all fit that bill nicely.   I’m looking forward to finishing each of these projects.  It’s taken a long time to find the perfect balance of process knitting vs product knitting but somehow, the world going to shambles has brought a lovely clarity to my knitting.

Or maybe I’m just getting lucky…there’s a pile of less successful projects over in the corner, and I’m not sharing them.  LOL.  At least bad knitting is easy to fix.

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