This month's "April Showers" "Monthly Dishcloth Knit-A-Long" cloth was so pretty I thought about repeating the pattern over and over until I had a scarf. After last month's dishcloth monstrosity--which has become the official nasty pot scrubber--this pretty, little one made me happy.
Which is good, because if not, I might be inclined to give up knitting all together right now because of this stupid hat.
For background: Nice Co-Worker is going to Central America for six weeks this summer. While I have to admit that I have entered a phase where I often prefer soft beds and warm showers to wanderlust and adventure, I encourage the pursuit of the latter two in others. Living vicariously and all of that, you know. So when, whether seriously or not, Nice Co-Worker made a comment that he would like it if someone would knit him a hat for his trip, I thought to myself, "I've been wanting to try something cable knitted, and a hat would be a good, small project to start with." I picked out some soft, slightly fuzzy alpaca yarn and started in on an easy cabled pattern.
I started and ripped out that pattern three times before I decided it was time to pick a different pattern. I started a second pattern, and again was completely unsatisfied--twice. The sixth time I decided to just use a simple pattern, but tried to add a stripe with yarn that was a slightly different weight--again, not so much.
For the current incarnation--lucky number seven, maybe?--I am going simple, simple, simple. I picked out one of "Kim's Hats" from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. A little ribbing around the rim, and straight up plain knitting from there. I just re-started it last night, but I'm already further along than I was on any of incarnations one through six. I'm actually really enjoying the simplicity of it--the fuzzy/nubbiness of the yarn just works so much better since I've stopped trying to wonk it into cabled shapes.
(And if I get the urge to try anything fancy, someone take the damn needles away please!)
