Drawing with yarn

Heyo,

Sorry it's been a while, the hubs and I were on vacation out west and then in Sri Lanka for a couple weeks and when we finally got back I was just plain ole lazy.  Well, to be more accurate I had started a project before we left on vacation and by the time we got back I had just lost all motivation for it.  I hate having UFOs laying around, but this time I compromised in the name of productivity and put it off to the side.  And what do ya know?  I'll have a new sewing project to share with you after I take pics next weekend.

For now though I have a couple knitting projects to show.... and some confessions while I'm at it. First off, I kiiiind of hate it when my favorite sewing bloggers blog knitting projects.  Confession #2 this is basically because I didn't really know how to knit anything other than basic scarfs and that was just so lame feeling.  So how did I get to a point where I'm now blogging some knitting projects?  I saw a lady on my bus purling and creeped (crept?) until it clicked.  Bus commuting for the win! So now I can knit AND purl.  Heyo! That really made a difference because it unlocked the secret of texture.  Whoop Whoop.  Shortly there after it occurred to me that I could do color work, just by switching yarns as I knit along... and then I was really f'ing sold.

So this is what I started with, a simple swirl style hat with a knit rib bottom (the ribbing is actually all messed up on the back side... but you can't tell, if I don't show it to you, mwah ha ha):

Once I got the hang of the color work I wanted to see if I could knit a picture. Tell me what you think...

One of my coworkers thought it was supposed to be a pair of battling crabs, ha...  It's supposed to be a pair of eyes wearing glasses.  Wah wah.  It probably would have helped to have knit it in a more neutral color, but red is just what I had on hand.  I wouldn't say this experiment was a total failure, but I wouldn't call it a success either.  Next up was lettering.  I wanted to skip the ribbing, because in my head I thought the yarn would have a softer edge without it, but... that's not really what happened.... It won't stop curling, uuughhh...and I started all the decreases too late, erghhhh..... so the top of this hat is all weirdly puffy.

I kind of feel like this guy when I put it on :o/ :    

So I might undo the top and see if I can make it into a gator or a ear warmer headband thing?  Lastly, what I'm currently knitting is yet another hat with the extras from the "Brrr..." hat fail.  Just an easy repeat design that I think looks crisp in the black and white yarn and with a ribbed bottom.  Nice and safe. :o)

  

After this hat, part of me wants to get "Home and Away" by Hannah Fettig and sink my teeth into something a little more juicy (especially because I'm starting to drown in hats), but part of me questions my ability to really get  good enough to do a whole cardigan.  Have any of you seen this book in person/ used it?  Do you know if it super-basic-beginner friendly, because I literally ONLY know how to knit and purl, I don't even know the lingo or how to read a pattern.  I need another bus lady for that I guess...

Until next week...