Something to aspire to

Before I start I’d just like to thank everyone who commented on yesterday’s post.  As you can see I made it through the night without any feline retribution!  My little stars, Billie and Izzy, are the most compliant kitties I’ve ever met, they’ll even go to the vet without a fuss, so I will continue to balance knitwear on them for as long as I can!

Couldn't resist one more silly cat pic!

Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant?  Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft?  Maybe the skill or pattern in one that you don’t even personally want to make but can stand back and admire those that do.  Maybe it is something that you think you will never be bothered to actually make but can admire the result of those that have.

As I mentioned the other day, if I want to make a pattern and it includes a skill I don’t have then I generally throw caution to the wind and just try it.  There is, in fact, one exception to that so far and that is colourwork.  In general there are not that many colourwork projects I am drawn to, but there are a few patterns I really like and so far I have shied away from them.  One reason for this is that I have decided in my mind that it will be fiddly and awkward and will take far more concentration than I can usually muster up while I am knitting.  This doesn’t normally stop me though, I’ll happily sit and knit in stitch patterns and cables both of which do require at least a modicum of attention to be paid to them.  I invariably try to have some sort of simple project on the go so that if I have to concentrate on something else I have something to knit which requires no thought.  So just what is the hold-up with colourwork?  After much thought on this matter I have to conclude that it is because I am tight.  That's right, because I am too cheap to go and buy yarn in 5 different colours when I may actually only need a quarter of a ball of each.  However, I finally feel like I am ready to stop making excuses and dive in to colourwork and I have a 5 point plan to ease me in.

1.  Learn to spin.  In order to save myself the cost of all that different coloured yarn I will be able to spin small amounts and avoid wastage.  I will ignore any comments which point out how much I have spent on spindles and fibre in this process!

2.  Test the waters with a slip stitch pattern, such as the Patterned Mittens (all Rav links today folks) from Knitting 24/7.  Only one colour per row seems much more doable.

3. Up the ante slightly with a 2 colour pattern such as Eskimimi's Snowbaby Hat  The bonus of this is that I can buy two colours and then make a second hat with the colours inverted.

4. All being well I can stick with 2 colours but move on to a more intricate pattern, these gloves should be perfect.

5.  I should be a total pro by then and ready to take on as many colours as a pattern can throw at me.  I think I'll try and prove this by knitting something like these Cupcake Mittens, as long as I've managed to spin enough yarn by then, of course.