The hat is in the bag!

The nice thing about a hat is that when you finish it, you don't have to make a matching one! After all the socks and mittens I've been making, that seems like a nice change of pace. (Even sweaters need two sleeves, two fronts, etc. A hat is a great thing!)

And the hat is quite sturdy and attractive. The pine green and moss green go together nicely.

So this is the one-year anniversary of learning to knit. In that time, I've made quite a few items:

*small purse
*eyeglass case
*small shoulder bag
*ribbed scarf
*roll-brim hat
*mittens for me
*hat and scarf for Karen
*mittens for Kristen
*vest for me
*2 pairs of socks for me
*a pair of socks for Kristen
*2 pairs of Fetching fingerless mitts
*mittens for Grandpa (plus a defective mitten)
*scarf for Grandma
*baby sweater for Prudence
*fingerless mitts for Karen
*half of a pair of socks for Sam
*a felted case for knitting supplies
*a small felted bowl

And I taught Kristen to knit!

Today, I started on a scarflette for Kristen in Lush (angora and wool) using moss stitch, which is the same stitch pattern as the sweater I intend to knit for myself in January. But after about 20 rows (31 stitches per row and looking lovely), I lost my place in the pattern. I've ripped back a couple of rows 3 times now, and if I don't get it right this time, it will be time to start over. This is making me wonder if an entire sweater in this stitch is going to be more pain than pleasure. If it's for me, I can live with the occasional screw-up. But Kristen can't. It offends her OCD. And after all, a scarflette is small enough to do it right! So I don't know how this will end. I also don't actually know if I even have enough yarn to knit this, so the whole thing may be an exercise in futility.

But it's Thanksgiving, so I will be thankful for wool and needles and free internet patterns, and knitting friends, and eyes to see, and hands to knit---and people I love, to knit for!