The past few summers I’ve just knitted along – sometimes on big warm projects that laid on my lap and caused me to question my good judgment. I thought I was one of those “exceptions” to the summertime knitting ennui blight. My guess is now…I just wasn’t seasoned enough as a knitter. It hit this summer. I have been stuck in “what’s next?” mode for a couple of months now and a strongly rooted inability to choose something and knit it. About the only thing I’ve been able to finish are the occasional Grandma’s Favorite dishcloth to add to my dishcloth stash. I haven’t even made a sock. And I really want some socks. I still have #2 Selbuvotter mitten waiting patiently for me to knit it…and I have absolutely no excuse except that I just haven’t been in the mood. I sure hope this passes soon. I really miss taking pictures of Finished Objects for the blog here.

Meanwhile, I’ve been collecting/browsing patterns for future projects – because, after all, I AM still breathing. And inspiration just might hit. Right?

Here are a few links

to some of the things I’ve added to the “queue”:

• A nice looking market bag (free pattern in PDF format/Ravelry link – join if you haven’t yet it’s free and it’s wonderful) Girlfriend Market Bag. This pattern has a neat story with it. I love that.
• CanadianLiving.com has a pattern for felted mukluks (you know, kind of like UGGs only without the $140 price tag). And felting is just fun all the time, so it’s a pattern that looks like a fun one to make…some day.
• I have also come up with a few sewing projects that look interesting – here’s a knitting bag to stitch up (scroll down past the other fabulous designs on the page and you will get to her free tutorial for a knitting bag to sew).

So, yeah, again with the “accessories.” Bags, hats, socks, slippers. I have actually started and frogged a couple of hats this summer. Managed to finish the one baby hat – but otherwise, if it isn’t a dishcloth, it just isn’t happening. Sigh.

Ok…it’s really a dishcloth in disguise as a doily – or perhaps it’s the other way around.  In any case, I really like knitting this round dishcloth. Depending on the yarn you use, you can get a variety of results. I have noticed the same thing with the cast-off. As the pattern is written, they suggest adding a row to your last wedge before binding it off, and then stitching it to the first wedge.

That works fairly well, but it leaves a ridge when I do it – and I also have had problems with it kind of not really coming out “round”.  Since it’s mainly a dishcloth, or a gift I give to people who already love me – it really doesn’t matter that much.  No one has ever said – ‘oh, I don’t know about this one, it’s really not round you know.’

But still, each time I knit one, I try to come up with a different solution that will make that little issue a non-issue.  This time, I used a provisional cast-on, and then when I got to the last row, I kitchenered the last row to the first row.

It still “shows” – possibly because I needed to pull it up tighter than I did – but at least we’ve got round now – as opposed to mostly round.

Here is the free pattern. —> (click)  Grace Lace Beret.

And here’s what I have to show for my attempt at the pattern thus far.  It would make a great dishcloth or doily without the brim, I’m thinking.

It’s too big here, so I tossed it in the washing machine to felt down for a while, and I think I’ve decreased the size by about 1/3rd.  We shall see when it’s finished drying again.

I also didn’t do the ribbing on the brim as shown on the original pattern.  My brim looks more like an eye of the partridge heel on a sock – or maybe a seed stitch – and I really like it.  It was, of course, one of those “happy accidents”.  What happened was, I didn’t have the picture of the beret in front of me, and the instructions for knitting the ribbing don’t just say “do a K1P1 rib” – which would have made total sense to me – and I think I tried to make more out of their hand-holding than originally intended, so I ended up with a completely different “rib” – which is actually no ribbing at all!

My gauge for the lace pattern was apparently OFF by quite a bit too.  So, if I knit this one again I will either go down a few sizes on the larger needle (the one used to knit the lace pattern) or maybe not do quite as many repeats of the lace pattern as called for….likely the needle size will be my safest bet.  However, I’ve got so many of these hat patterns that I have found and want to make, this will likely be the only attempt at this one for a while.  Once the felted version is dry, I’ll add it’s picture.