…the annual “Don’t Buy Anything the Day After Thanksgiving” Day. Caitlin coined this term several years ago when she first noticed the ad blitz that surrounds the biggest shopping day of the year. It’s been a good way to discuss Christmas spending with the girls. I wish I could say we make every gift with our hands. We don’t. No soapbox here. Spending the rest of the weekend at home is our little stand against the commercialization of Christmas trend. I’m looking forward to cutting back the spent flower heads, moving plants in our bog yard, playing Uno with the girls and eating lots of leftovers.
I’m making this ruffled scarf for Leil. I have one question. Will I ever like to Purl? Will it ever seem as natural as Knit? OK, that’s two questions, but I’m counting on you knitters to enlighten me. This is a shop pattern from Churchmouse. I crocheted a line (the turquoise yarn) that I knitted into. I knitted to the end and created the first ruffle. I’m pulling off the crocheted beginning and picking up those loops so I can knit to the other end of the scarf. By knitting from the center out the ruffle looks the same on both ends.
This whole knitting thing has changed how I view travelling. Early arrival at the ferry. Getting to the airport hours in advance. Days on my mother-in-law’s couch. They’ve all turned into hours of guilt-free, sit on my booty, knit time. Yee haw!
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I wrote a post the day before Thanksgiving that disappeared into thin air. This has never happened to me before but just in case you picked it up on bloglines and was wondering where it went…
If I had the choice of a row to knit or a row to purl I would purl everytime! I love the rythem of purling.
We have the same day here…
Love the pink. I’m sure it will be just lovely!
I also love to have to wait because it’s free knitting time. I knit lots and lots and have for several years, and I still find that purling is not as quick and easy as knitting. Still, it’s necessary if you don’t want to confine yourself to garter stitch or plain stockinette sweaters in the round. Get all Zen about it, and learn to love purling because it’s part of the process.
I knit European AND American. So, for me? When knitting stockinette? I KNIT Euro and I PURL American. THAT feels right!
)
I can’t think of a time I EVER went shopping on Black Friday? However,
)
this year? My girls 17 and 19 wanted to see what it was like! hahaha!
I wished ‘em luck, gave ‘em a kiss and Kohls charge card (with limits) and
said “Have Fun.”
I’m making 90% of their Christmas so I’m not feelin’ too guilty!
)
YOu know, at first, purling was really hard for me. My stitches were very inconsitent and the rows were huge compared to the knit rows. Now that I’ve been knitting for over a year, the purl rows are much more even and I actually really enjoy the rhythm of purling more than knitting. The scarf looks great!
I love purling. In fact when I was trying to remember how to knit from my childhood days a year of so ago, purling is all I could remember. Your stitches look so nice, love the pretty end to the scarf. I have never cast on that way. WHen we learned as children we never read the pattern, mom read to us, and I barely remember casting on. Its fun and relaxing but quilting and sewing is still my main passion.
I definitely prefer knitting to purling. Which really makes me wish I’d learned continental in the first place….
I’m not sure I qualify as an experienced knitter (well no, I’m sure I do not), but by now I’m nearly as happy with purls as with knits. My knits are quite tight, and the purls are more loose, so the alternation gives a good overall tension. And it makes me a bit afraid of working on dpns and doing rounds and rounds of knits…
I love the color of your scarf. I am not qualified to answer as I have been knitting less then a month..lol…I can’t read a pattern at this point to save my life. However, I have been doing two rows of each (2 rows knit, two rows of purl) just to practice my skills. I have no idea how or if this scarf is going to turn out but in anycase, it’s relaxing and I look forward to venturing out into more complex patterns once I get the foundation stitches down. I probably need to take a class!
So I still find the knit stitch easier but just knitting (not purling) gets kind of boring and can look pretty boring too. I find the combination of them is really the most relaxing/rewarding. You’ll get there. The scar looks great!
I’ve been knitting for almost twenty years and I still look forward more to knit rows than to purl rows on stockinette pieces; and I’m still waiting for deliverance!
I celebrate that day every year!! HATE the screaming, pushing people so I simply opt out of going! Love the scarf and the lovely ruffle on the ends!
I celebrate your celebrating! We do that too … i just don’t get it at all and well, luckily the children love making things in our household too. your scarf is dreamy!
I did notice the phantom Thanksgiving post.
Your knitting is progressing beautifully. Purling is harder than knitting, I think, but it does become a pleasure.
I’m only a few months ahead of you at knitting, but purling is becoming more and more easy for me. In fact, I consider it progress that sometimes I get them confused. I’m knitting a ribbed scarf, and that has really helped me get used to going back and forth between the two.
I’m sorry about your post. I was just thinking that you’d been gone for a while. I’m with you about knitting – I really have a need to feel productive and knitting makes me feel that way, even when I’m just standing in the bathroom at the pool waiting for the kids to get dressed.
Take a survey, if possible, of how different people hold their yarn to purl. Maybe you know a few people who knit or there’s a local stitch-n-bitch or a local yarn store… They might ALL seem awkward at first, but you might find a new way of holding the yarn that works a lot better. Good luck!