The Life, Designs & Crafts of Marie Haigh
Life is what happens while I am busy planning my next knitting design.
9 stitches were cast on to begin this shawl.
3 years later, it is only halfway complete. It takes me about a half an hour just to knit one round, since there are now 576 stitches on the needle.
The current band I am knitting is a sea of stockinette stitch. In other words, it is dreadfully boring. On the plus side, it was easy to pick back up after not knitting on it for over a year.
Maybe I’ll finish it before she gets married. (hysterical laughter)
The knitting part is complete.
All that is left to be done is to insert the elastic and to tack down the top and bottom hems with a simple running stitch.
It’s remarkable how quickly this skirt knit up. In previous summers, I avoided knitting like the plague. I hated how the wool made me feel hotter in the dog days of summer. But this summer, I’ve enjoyed knitting. Perhaps it’s because I’m just grateful to be able to squeeze in time for my hobby while running after a toddler. Maybe it’s because while chasing after a toddler, I can only devote a few minutes here and there to knitting so my hands don’t have time to get hot from the wool. Maybe it’s because I’m happier. Elly is pretty amazing. It’s hard not to be happy around her.
The skirt I am knitting Elly is a complete joy save for one thing.
The math worked out perfectly, which never happens. I had no intention of publishing the pattern for this skirt, but since the math was so easy to calculate for each and every tier, I’ve changed my mind.
The large spans of stockinette stitch makes the skirt a great project on the go. I can knit a few stitches while watching Elly run around at all the different playgrounds we visit. But if Elly needs a push on a swing or moral support to climb a ladder, I can drop my knitting on a dime without worry of losing my place.
The Malabrigo Merino Worsted knits like its colorway: butter. It’s so soft and squishy. I just adore it.
I loved Claudia’s hand painted boucle, consisting of mostly kid mohair with a bit of wool and nylon mixed in, from first sight. I still do. The colors are beautiful. It gives the skirt a fun pop of color, making it perfect for my vibrant, little girl to wear. My only complaint, and it’s a big one, is that it’s annoying to knit. All the loops on it get snagged on my needles.
I find that I have to watch my knitting closely to ensure the yarn is knit cleanly through each stitch. It slows me down considerably and takes some of the enjoyment away. I have a good mind to hunt down a substitute yarn for the next skirt I knit for Elly. Yes, there will be a 2nd skirt. The good outweighs the bad.
The Life, Designs & Crafts of Marie Haigh 