When I first started knitting, I had unrealistic ambitions
and no real idea of how slow a process it is to create a piece of fabric out of
what is basically string. I love cotton sweaters, especially oversized ones,
and so I bought some cotton yarn at a nearby fabric store. It was Lion Brand, which was quite reasonably
priced, and I bought a skein of the two contrasting colors and two of the main
color. (Clearly, I had no idea of the conversion scale of yarn to fabric in
either volume or time.) Worsted weight makes for a medium gauge and I worked
away for a while, then got sidetracked with other things and the sweater parts
languished in a drawer. By the time I got back to it, the yarn had been
discontinued – who knew one should buy all the yarn needed for a project at the
beginning of the project? Obviously, not
I. So the partial sweater languished
some more.
While obviously we make a sweater stitch by stitch, a
felicitous quality of knitting that is not shared by cooking or quilting is
that it is also possible to unmake a sweater, stitch by stitch. Sometimes the unmaking is even more
satisfying than the making – it’s certainly quicker. Then the raw materials can be reused in
another more economical pattern. So my
one-third of a cotton sweater is now being reincarnated into more useful items.
I started with this kitchen towel from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines. It reminds me of the dishtowels my aunt would
embellish with a crochet loop for hanging on the stove or refrigerator handle.
Having a dishtowel, obviously, I need some dish cloths, aka “warshrags”. These are great projects for beginners to
practice on. Besides offering almost instant gratification, making dish cloths
is a good way to try out a pattern that might be too intimidating to tackle as
a large project, like an afghan or throw. I found this attractive textured
pattern called “Flying Geese.” I love
that this pattern is named after a quilt block. It’s all knit and purl stitches
and could easily be knit by a beginning knitter who wants to move past scarves.
(You know who you are!)
After that, I needed a change. A jeweler told me once that
any time an item of gold jewelry is melted down and re-cast, you have to add
some new gold. Sort of like sourdough starter, I imagine. I thought this was a
good idea for reknitting yarn, too. And it’s a good excuse to buy some new
yarn. So, I bought a variegated skein of
Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton. The two yarns made it possible for me to try a dishcloth
version of a pattern I’ve been admiring for a long time, Lizard Ridge. I love
the way this pattern looks, but it is a little tricky because it uses short
rows to create the wavy ridges. This
pattern requires your full attention for the counting and wrapping. I’m glad I started with a small version
instead of trying to make one big enough to cover a sofa or bed. I feel like
that would require zen-like concentration and saintly patience. (I’d better
save that for a summer project.) Still, I love the way this looks. 
Finally, I picked up some of the contrasting yarn and started
a mitered dishcloth. This is also a
square that could be made in multiples and joined into a throw. I like the contrasting rows and I am planning
to make a multi-colored batch of these as a couch throw. (oooh, more yarn to buy!)
But that’s another future project.
But that’s another future project.
