Blame it on the Y-A-R-N

Eureka! I've got it!


And all it took was a change in yarn. 


I know, I know...to blame it on the yarn is like a baseball player blaming it on the bat, or a swimmer blaming it on his swim trunks. But I really do think the yarn was what was giving me such a hard time. Perhaps, the Sirdar's Big Softie was not a good choice for a beginner.  I found myself going through the yarn as opposed to under the yarn. 


I did not master the art of knitting while in Boston yesterday, though I had fun watching Rachel fly through it. She does the Continental style which is fascinating.  It looks so much faster than the English method I use.  But, I did teach her how to cast on correctly! So it was a win-win situation. AND I did manage to do one purl on her piece before I got motion sick on the T.


My first notion that I was using the wrong yarn came while in Boston.  Unfortunately, Boston is not NYC and things aren't open very late on Sundays so all the yarn stores we came across were closed.  So, I had to wait til this morning and I ran off to The Knitting Corner and Beadery in Middletown and Michael's.  I picked up some fun new yarns, and some more needles (Hey, Michael's had a sale...) and when I got home I put away the Sirdar's Big Softie and went eeny-meenie-miney-moe with my new yarns and landed on a skein of Lion Brand's Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in this delicious grey shade with flecks of brown and black.  

Look Ma! 3 Rows!

With trepidation I casted on 16 stitches (the pattern I'm using calls for 12 but it looked too skinny) and went to make the first knit stitch....and after I finished the first row, I looked at it and everything looked great so I went forth and kept on knitting. My poor bamboo size 13 needles have little scratch marks and grooves on the tips from my nails...they're getting broken in (and let's not forget the small little blister on my right pointer finger)

I brought my knitting to trivia tonight at the bar.  And I continued working on it while I watched tonight's TV shows that were recorded.  And now, my knitting is about the size of my hand....somewhere close to 15 rows! (Note to self: Eventually learn to count rows...might come in handy some day)

Sorry it's so dark, but my cell sucks for pictures

It's extremely satisfying watching the fabric grow in your hands.  And I love this yarn. It's so soft and cozy, I can't wait to drape it around my neck.