My First Project!

Hello and welcome!

Here is my very first project–a basic knit-stitch scarf. I gave it to my mom for Christmas since she's obligated to love anything her children make–no matter how hideous.

A friend of mine taught me how to knit a basic stitch, which is how this project started. I picked up on it pretty quickly, much to the amazement of my grandmother who tried very hard to teach me to knit and sew when I was little, but to no avail. Maybe, now that I'm 26, I'm ready to meet the fiber arts head on.

Anyway, a month ago my friend hosted a stitch 'n bitch at her adorable apartment and taught three knitting virgins how to cast on our first stitches. Quite magical really–there was wine, soft music playing in the background...I'll remember it forever. Sigh.

After learning the basics, I consulted the aptly-name "Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook" for further details. I looked through many, many knitting guides at my local bookstore before I decided on this one. Not only did it have the most concise, clearest directions, it is as funny as hell too. The author, Debbie Stoller, is the co-founder of Bust Magazine, a publication not known for smoothing their skirts and crossing their legs at the ankles.

I'm following "Stitch 'n Bitch" in chronological order–there's a new project to try out with every new skill you learn, so it makes sense to go through it.

For this project I used super-bulky yarn on size 13 needles. And I didn't use no fancy wool–that could get itchy around your neck , and pure wool yarn is about three times as expensive as an acrylic blend. It's about three feet long and took me about eight hours. It was slow going at first. but I started going faster once I got the knack.

You'll notice that the stitches are all in an "S" shape–this is because I used only one kind of stitch--the knit stitch. Once you start incorporating purl stitches (which is the same thing as a knit stitch, just backwards) you can create ribbing and other patterns.

Feeling good--first project is a moderate success!