When I was a junior in college, my roommate Abby knitted all the time. And so, I asked her to teach me. I bought a few skeins of yard and attempted to make something worth wearing. And my first project was successful. I made myself a scarf; out of two different colours in fact. There were a few mistakes along the way, but overall it turned out pretty well. I haven't worn it a lot (because you don't really need heavy scarves in North Carolina) but I still have it. See.
But after Abby moved out, I lost my desire to knit. I did attempt to make a hat once but I think I unravelled it 2 or 3 times because I never liked how it turned out. In hopes that I would one day knit again, I held on to my yarn until we starting purging to prepare for the move. Then I sold it along with a bunch of other string to a friend's roommate for a very reasonable price.
Fast forward to Edinburgh - where everyone knits. At our first Whisky Society meeting I met Meghan. Her husband just finished his PhD and is doing a post doctorate at New College. During the meeting - while the boys spoke nerd - she worked on knitting a sweater. As I continued to meet other New College (female) students and wives I realised that not only is it a very popular hobby but it is also very practical when you live this far north. (I have yet to meet a male knitter but my goal is to create one in my own house.) So I set out with my friend Erin to find some needles and yarn.
Erin hosts a 'Knitting Club' occasionally so in late October I (re)learned how to knit and started working on a scarf for Luke. Unfortunately I neglected to adjust the pattern I was basing the scarf on to the size of the yarn and needles and had to unravel and start over, twice. In the end I went with a simple knit stitch until I had something long enough for him to wear. I added a few stitches in there along the way and then tried to take them back out so there's a section of the scarf that is a little wider than the rest, but when it's wrapped around his neck you can't even tell.
While I was home in November, I told my aunt (dad's sister) that I was making a scarf for Luke and she got super excited. Apparently she and my grandmother used to knit and she still had all her needles. Unfortunately she's lost a lot of her motor control due to a series of small strokes that happened a long time ago so knitting is no longer an option for her. Fortunately for me, she found the needles and passed them on to me. And there is a TON of them! She also took me to JoAnn's and bought me some yarn and a pattern book which was really sweet of her.
So since I've been back from the US, I've been working on dishcloths. I know, I know - they're totally not that exciting, but they're completely practical and I'll send some home as late Christmas presents. But it's been really good because I've gotten to practice stitches, learn new stitches and learn how to follow patterns. And the ones I've finished are really quite pretty. (I show them off to anyone who comes over to our flat.)
I have a whole list of things that I want to make for myself but I don't think I'll get them all accomplished by the end of winter. So hopefully I'll be fully stocked for next winter and will still actually want the same things next year.
Love you & miss you!
Aubs, Luke and Luther
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