2014 Knitting Review

A few days before Christmas, I started this top-down Cables and Ribs beanie. I've been having some gauge issues with my knitting and I wasn't going to start a new knitting project until AFTER Christmas. That way I could concentrate on being able to fix the problem. Then I got to thinking that I only seem to have gauge issues with fingering weight yarn (not so much with worsted). So, I went ahead and cast-on this beanie.

These gauge issues have lead me to do a bit of reassessment to my knitting. Let me show you what I mean......

Here's a close-up of the fabric of the Syysraitoja (autumn stripes) that I started in late September. It's knit in fingering weight yarn on size 4 (3.5mm) needles. See how loose the stitches are. I'm not even sure when I went from a "tight" knitter to a "loose" knitter. I did try to adjust for my "loose" knitting as the pattern calls for a size 6 (4.0mm) needle. Yet, I still feel like I should go down to a size 2 (or even a size 1?) needle to fix this problem. And. Of course, I'm almost done with this shawl. Why is it that a person can just keep on knitting when they are having problems like this? Am I delusional enough to think this is going to block out? I really feel like I'm going to be frogging this shawl.

Now, when I started this beanie, I cast on size 4 (3.5 mm) needles with fingering weight yarn in late November. Same exact size needles as the shawl that I was having trouble with. Why on earth would someone think they could use the same EXACT size yarn, stitch and needles and get BETTER results? When someone can explain that to me, I'd really appreciate it! Again, I knit right along making this lovely "loose" fabric until I was ALMOST FINISHED with the hat before I noticed? realized? this problem. This is the reason that I put knitting on "time-out" until after Christmas. I knew there wasn't going to be any way I was going to be happy with any gifts knitted. AND. By the time I realized it, it would have upped the Christmas gift-giving stress level (and who needs that?)! So, there was no other choice.......knitting was on "time-out".

But. I just couldn't take it! I NEEDED to knit something (that might be a sign of some kind of addiction, I'm not sure). I just wouldn't use fingering weight! I'll fix that problem later. Like, 2015. So. That's the goal for 2015. Fix the gauge issue for fingering weight. I'm sure there will be other goals too. But. That's the top one. What's your knitting goals for 2015?

Happy knitting!

Lori