Chevron Afghan

Since the scarf I made in this simple chevron pattern turned out so nicely, I decided to repeat the pattern on a much larger scale to make this afghan. The original pattern called for 39 stitched for the stripes plus an extra 2 stitches on each side for a garter-stitch border (for a total of 43 stitches.) For my afghan, I increased the pattern portion to include 8 separate repeats of the original 39-stitch pattern, plus a border on both ends of 4 garter stitches (for a grand total of 320 stitches!!!)

I made this afghan on a set of size-7 circular needles, which wasn't a problem initially. However, as the project grew, I discovered that the Phoenix summer wasn't exactly the best time to work on a full-size afghan. I believe that I will be working on several smaller projects before attempting anything this large!

Susan's Scarf

Since I was unhappy with the lighthouse dishcloth I attempted to knit for Susan, I decided my first "major" project would be for her. Although she lives in southern Florida, she mentioned that she would like to have a nice lightweight scarf for when she attends hockey games (or is it hockey matches?)

Anyway, I found this pattern for a beautiful chevron scarf and decided I had to try it! I was actually impressed that it was a relatively easy pattern to knit - thank God for the videos on KnittingHelp! I must say that I love, love, love the way this scarf turned out! I absolutely love this pattern, and the Caron Simply Soft acrylic is soooo soft; I may try this pattern and yarn again in something larger if I don't go crazy from the repetitiveness.

Lighthouse Dishcloth

I'm beginning to love these dishcloth patterns - they're quick, easy ways to practice new skills! I was originally planning to make this lighthouse square for my friend, Susan, since she and I recently visited the historic Key West lighthouse together. The cloth was an excellent chance to master the combination of garter and stockinette stitch. I didn't have much difficulty, although I'm not entirely happy with the appearance of the "light rays" extending from the lighthouse. I don't know whether I incorrectly did the stitches, of if that just how the pattern's suppose to look. If I were to re-knit this cloth (which I have no intention of doing), I might forget the more complicated stitches in the light rays, and just complete them with simple garter stitches.

Windmill Dishcloth

After weeks of practice swatches, I finally decided to embrace my first knitting project. I found this relatively easily dishcloth pattern online and decided I had to try it. Although it probably wasn't the easiest project I could have chosen, I am happy with the overall result. Unfortunately, I used a cheap acrylic since I was just practicing, so I don't know how useful this dishcloth will actually be...