Pinkerton Shawl

Time for a knitting post! This is a purple Pinkerton Shawl, knit with Cascade Heritage in plum. I didn't check gauge, and that might be why this version isn't as big as it ought to be, as I ran out of yarn. It blocked out pretty nicely, though! I do wish I had knit a border along the top and side, though, since no amount of blocking would stop the edge from rolling, but I think in the end it was OK! It was a pretty gorgeous shade of purple, too!

Yarnwork

My last post was on the 17th, so this appears to be right on time?

In the suitcase my mom left me at Christmas, alongside packages of Canadian Smarties, leftover cross stitch fabric, floss, and patterns, and slippers too warm to wear in this balmy climate, was a roll of crochet hooks. 

Being totally obsessed with felted bowls I've seen on Etsy, I bought some yarn and made some little bowls, none of which are photographed. In the interest of experimenting with felting on my own, I subsequently bought a skein of 100% wool, and that endeavour turned out extremely well:

Those are just single crochet spiral bowls, with my favourite new technique: an adjustable ring. The bowls didn't take long to make, and felting them was pretty easy too.

I've also decided I'd like to take up knitting (because I need more craft hobbies, apparently), although to less successful results.

Bit of a rocky start, there. Muscle memory made knit stitches fairly easy, so that first cm or so is just garter stitching. When I was little, Mom would help me cast on, and I never figured out how to purl, so those need some practice.  I'll get there.

Since it is 2010, I've decided on a fairly decent and reasonably attainable resolution: to make as many gifts as possible this year, instead of spending tons of money buying stuff.  Felted anything is probably a good start; crocheting is fast and easy, as is felting.  Once I get my knitting up to snuff, I'll have an even better skill set for being successful.  And once I finally get myself a sewing machine of my own, oh ho ho!  I just need to find one that's both suitable and affordable. 

I'm not sure if this is really a resolution, or if it's just a good excuse to spend a ton of time crafting.