Micro and Macro Knits

I'll admit it. Sometimes it takes me a really long time to knit something. And then, when I'm nearly done with the project, I decide that I'm going to make something else. Right on the cusp of victory! And then I finish that something else WAY quicker than the original thing I started. Which results in me feeling like kind of a jerk for not sticking to my first project and seeing it through to the end. Also, I usually can't remember which row I left off on.

Such are the dilemmas of a knitter.

Like having dessert before dinner, sometimes we like to do things a little out of order. Mix it up, you know? In the case of knitting, for me anyway, this philosophy usually applies to gauge: sometimes I just get a hankering to knit something on really big needles with big fluffy wool and knock it out in an evening. And sometimes I get the urge to knit on toothpicks and do intricate stitchwork. the two are totally different yet very satisfying experiences. And in the case of the two hats shown here, that's precisely what happened. I've been working on the hat on the right since April. The other I started and finished last Wednesday on a whim.

The thing is, a project with a complex stitch pattern like the Cabled Beret from Knitting 24/7 requires an ounce of solitude and a calm mind. You can't watch a TV show that you particularly like while making this hat for fear of actually watching the show, and if you're hanging out with a friend, you'll probably make a lousy conversationalist when you get to that cable row. But the end result is rippling and delightfully textured, and you almost can't believe the fabric sprung from your very own hands.

The hat knit on US 15s in stockinette stitch? I made it in a bar. Talk about your low-levels of focus. And gosh, do I love a good unfussy hat.

So the complicated hat remains unfinished for now. I'm decreasing for the crown! Nearly there! But I had these pretty flowers on hand so I thought I'd give the hat a little photo shoot anyway and ponder the micro and the macro mindsets of knitting.

I also had this dinosaur kicking around and thought he looked kind of nice with the hats, too. Like he's crawling across some sort of alien terrain where the ground is made of wooly knits.

Think about it. It could totally happen.

And yes, this is what I do when I'm alone. Take photos of my knitting with dinosaur toys. Everyone's gotta have a hobby, right?