Knitting Dreams

I can't stop planning my next project. I saw a pattern yesterday that looks like the perfect way to try out cable knitting, and Kristen had convinced me that cable knitting is within reach. But her project has a lot of complications--dpns, cables arising from ribbing, decreases, etc. The pattern I now have my eye on is for a shawl with pockets, and the pockets have the cables. The great thing about it is that I could do the pockets first. Then if I survive the cabling, I would just have to knit an extra large scarf and sew the pockets on the ends! And the pattern calls for Lion Brand Homespun, which is cheap and readily available and not bad looking at all. I've used it for crochet before. Plus, there is no fitting to worry about. A shawl will fit, guaranteed!

Incidently, I discovered yesterday that the very tight, hard-to-move stitches were not caused by the needles or the yarn, as I thought, but by my own excessive tension. I had originally been knitting without any wrapping of yarn or anything to create tension, but I read that it was wrong to do that, led to sloppy stitches, so I tried this and that and settled on a double wrap around my middle finger that controls the yarn. But I was pulling it much too tight. I consciously loosened up the tension and the stitches now slide easily and it's moving along more quickly.

I have a Powerpoint to create for a presentation to a Korean medical group about how to improve their English, but all I can think about is knitting! Ho-ho, better go work on the hat!