Chicks With Sticks

I have been trying to learn to knit for the past 4 years. I am a VERY slow learner. My poor sistah from anotha mistah has been very patient with me during the past 4 years. While she is working on gorgeous sweaters I am struggling with wash cloths. I always forget what I learn because too much time passes between knitting sessions. Thankfully I have joined a weekly knitting group of fellow moms. We meet Wednesday mornings in a coffeehouse. We are at different levels of skill, beginners like myself and then total professionals, we are talking spinning and dyeing their own yarn, sock making professionals. Seriously, their skill would blow your mind. Fortunately these amazing women are very encouraging and helpful to newbies like myself. Because my knitting is extremely "rustic" I am grateful for any knitting technique that can hide flaws, holes, you name it! Enter "felting" a beautiful option for some knitting projects. Basically you use 100% pure wool yarn and after you make your project you through it in the wash on hot water with things like jeans and towels. The agitation of it roughs up the yarn to give it a nubby texture. It is fantastic because not only does the texture turn nubby, it ALSO shrinks and hides all the mess-ups. Come to think of it, I would like to felt my life! How cool would that be?

My friend shared a felted bowl pattern with us. Seriously, one bowl cost me 18 do-overs. You better believe I counted! It was a painful reminder of my breastfeeding experience, just never could seem to get it right!! Below are a couple of the bowls I have made. One of the bowls shrunk so much my son thought it was a Yamuelke (sp) Yes, they took me a year to make. Please don't judge me. Aren't they hilarious looking? I'm starting yet another one this weekend. Maybe it will be done by next fall. Oh and I'm learning to purl this week. I'm getting all my crafty goodness on, I just wish things would turn out better. It provides a lot of laughs though. Just wait until you open your Christmas gift this year, let's just say you have been warned!