on the needles

Well I couldn't resist getting started any longer on the Lizard Ridge afghan. I had tried to figure it out a couple of times but I kept getting interrupted by other stuff and had to rip out the first 4 rows twice because I wasn't doing it right. So I decided last night that I was going to sit down and GET IT before I went to bed. Which is just what happened. It took some very anal charting things out on paper (OK so I am very visual. I have to be able to see how it works when I learn a new thing) and I ended up staying awake until after 3 am (they weren't joking when they said it was addictive...) but I GOT IT and now I am good to go. Watch for this colorful thing to pop up in the blog monthly throughout the year.

For anyone interested in the really technical knitterese: I am knitting on size 8 needles- Lantern Moon 10" straights in Rosewood. I decided to do garter stitch ridges in between the short row shaping in the afghan, as opposed to the stockinette in the original pattern. I like the look of the ones I've seen done this way and I think it will lay flatter and be easier to seam up in the end. Lots of people have been knitting it in four long panels instead of the squares, but I am sticking to the squares for a couple of reasons- I want the capability of rearranging them before I put the whole thing together, it will be more portable if it is just one square at a time, and I am more likely to be able to restrain myself to 2 blocks per month if I am going to bind off each square and have my lovely needles free for some other project.

The first block is in color #166. So far it has had greens coming from one end and purples coming from the other (you alternate between the 2 ends of the skein to get the color change effect). There are also some bright blues and a greyish shade and some bright green coming up. I am spit-splicing the ends together as I change colors, and I like this technique very much. It is perfect for Kureyon because it has a slightly varying thickness and a roughness to the finish anyway, so the splices just disappear into the yarn. Hooray for noendstoweaveinlater!!

On other needles
I still have the Babywearing Poncho going, which got set aside to make way for Christmas knitting. I have a goal of finishing this by the first week of March, as we are going camping in the middle of the month and I will be needing it. So aside from my 2 Lizard Ridge blocks each month, this is what I will have in the Priority slot. I have just made the opening for Lyle's head in the poncho, and am starting the shaping for around his body now. More on that to come.

And as usual, I have a dishcloth going- I just have to have at least one no-brainer project to pick up and knit on here and there. I tend to keep this one in my purse so I can pull it out whenever I have a few minutes. Right now I am doing the Mason Dixon Washcloth in lime green, which is nearly finished.