Don't always believe substitution suggestions....

 I had two balls of Sandnes Kos.  Did not know what to do with them.   I did a search and found a pattern from Laine that was done with two strands of Sandnes Borstet Alpakka.   The designer said that a strand of Kos could be substituted for one strand of the Alpakka.   I ordered the Borstet Alpakka.

When the yarn arrived, I swatched.   To get the actual gauge, my swatch was stiff.  The swatch bloomed enough when I washed it so...off I went.  One inch in...I changed my mind...ripped out....upped the needle size, decreased the stitch count (from 72 to 64) and started again.   Last night I played yarn chicken and won.    

I should have been suspicious with a visual comparison of the two yarns...    Like a trusting soul, I kept at it.  The fabric is very dense, but did bloom after steaming.   Would I mix these yarns again.  I would not.    

The finished hat will be perfect for this morning's -7 F wind chill....and will be worn as the recipient goes outside to shovel.

The pattern itself is great.   I was initially not enthused with the crown shaping but found it came out nicely though I had to use a crochet hook for the row that contained knit 3 together.....

I am going to try it again with two strands of Borstet Alpakka...which I have.

There is a lone ball of Kos...what to do?

Sometimes you just have to change the needles.....

Short row heels...they give me a lot of trouble.   When I found the no wrap short row heel demonstrated by Charlotte Stone, I was delighted!

On a good day, I can do this in one try.   The last time I did this heel, it was not a good day...or stretch of days.   The yarn for the sock is West Yorkshire Spinners...one of their holiday yarns....and I do love the sparkle.   

The needles I knit the cuff and leg with are an off brand version of flexi-flips.....which I do like using as they seem to be easier to hold than the 9" circulars and less likely to fall out of the stitches than double pointed needles.    

I am not sure why...but I could not get the heel to work well.  Finally, I switched to using two 20" circulars...and success if not perfection.

My thought is that I was worried enough about stitches falling off the needle (sense a theme?) that I did not tension or pay enough attention to what I was doing.   I am hoping the heel on the second sock is...less painful.

Yes...it would be  MUCH easier just to do a heel flap and gusset....but I did not want to.

Resistance Hats......

 There are multiple patterns for the red hats that are a sign of the protest that needs to be happening now.   

I asked Fritz if he wanted one....and he did...with a challenging tweak.   I looked at all the patterns and chose the Melt the Ice Toque as I thought the crown shaping was the neatest of all of the patterns.

My tweak for the pattern was changing the ribbing.   One of the many YouTube videos I watched recommended a way to force the fold to stay tidy.  I liked the idea.  My execution...needs work so I will do that differently if I do it again.  I chose to insert three rows...purl row, knit row, purl row....to make the fold.  If I do this again I believe that doing a knit row, followed by a purl row, followed by a knit row will look better.   I may try that on on a Christmas ornament before I do it on a hat.   Yes..it worked...but I wanted it to work better.

Fritz gave me an Old Norse word written in runes for the front of the hat...to be done in white.  On the back of the hat the word "resist" was going to be done in blue.   The chart was pretty easy to set up.

My first try was using ladderback jacquard all through the charts.  Not great.  I took it out.  My second try was ladderback jacquard to carry both the white and blue through the red sections and doing regular stranded knitting through the charted parts.  That worked...well enough.  Steam blocking is our friend.

My yarn of choice was Knitpicks Palette. Not only is this yarn a pleasure to knit but it is also cost effective and available in a wide range of colors.   The white yarn was....a no brainer.   I chose Pimento for the red.  I auditioned three blues - Abyss Heather, Delta, and one other - can't remember which - for the blue. Fritz chose the Delta...which is the brightest of the three.

The hat turned out well...Fritz likes it which is the most important thing.

I really liked the way the crown shaping worked...it was neat.  It doesn't really show in these pictures.  

The pattern was clearly written...and with the colorwork...a great challenge.

Rabea Scarf

 Watching YouTube.....what a great way to find exciting things!

Rabea appeared on one of the knitting podcasts I like to watch.  My friend Simran ....I knew immediately she would love this.   The bonus is that, once I read the pattern, I realized it would be a fun challenge...in an actual fun but not forced march to the death way.

My ideas for color covered a pretty narrow spectrum.  There was no match in the massive stash which was not a huge surprise.   Referring to the pattern, I looked up the yarn combinations that were suggested.

My favorite, and most cost effective, choice was available at Wool and Company.   The color I had in mind was available in both of the yarns I needed.    The cashmere strand is Pascuali Cashmere 6/28 in Ruby.   The silk mohair is Ito Sensai Enji in a red that is a wonderful match for the cashmere.

I got a nice fabric, close to gauge but not right on gauge, using a US Size 3.   The swatch did not stretch a lot when I washed it but did soften up beautifully.

Taking the time to read project notes from other knitters Ravelry postings, I noted that one person had added an extra section in the middle...and kept that in mind as I worked through this.  I did do that and am happy with the additional length.

Steam blocking was essential for this project to turn out the way that I wanted it to look.

This project did remind me how much I do not enjoy counting rows in garter stitch...but that is so minor.

This is a lovely gift knit that comes together quickly.

Sometimes yarn and a pattern is a marriage made....in hell....

 Sometimes.....yarn and pattern combinations that, in theory, should work, don't.   One can try...but the combination just is not a happy one.

I was given a skein of Barnyard Knits DK in a subtly beautiful color called Summer Skies.   The soft blue had tiny accents of a greeny brown and reminded me of a delicate illustration of a bird's egg.  I did a swatch...and I washed the swatch as superwash wool needs that.

What pattern?   I looked at many and thought about it.    Jenn Loves Yarn talked about a new design from Brienne Moody - the Ash and Timber Hat.  The hat looked interesting so I bought the pattern.   I swatched again.    I adjusted my needle size so that I would have the right gauge when the hat was washed.  I started.

The brim of this hat is not folded up here....so the rib pattern does not show here.  It does look great folded up.

The body of the hat is a simple repeat that works up quickly.

The crown shaping of the hat is interesting and required attention to make it work correctly.   While I did have multiple moments (okay, WTF moments) while knitting the crown, it did work....until it was obvious I would not have enough yarn....though I should have (knitter problem not pattern problem.)

I gleefully ripped the the hat out and rewound the ball.   

Is this a failure?  Not really as I learned from it. 

I did order some of the Purls and Pines DK the hat was designed for to compare it to the Barnyard Knits.   I want to have a better idea of why the combination did not work.   

I will try the pattern again with different yarn....eventually.

Adventures in Hat Knitting.....

 Temu is Amazon with better prices.   The dicey part with Temu these days is actually getting the goods ordered delivered.   Yarn on Temu is....interesting.   A few skeins got dropped in a donation bag immediately as I knew the yarn was not something I would knit with.  Ever.    Every once in awhile something great comes along.

Die Sinne Verstricken from Opal is one of those fabulous finds.    What a great gamble!   My option was a bag of six balls with a small range of color choice.   My choice was the navy blue with gold...

This yarn has a nice hand.   I think it is a blown yarn.  It is light..and airy....and requires caution when knitting.

The yarn has a tendency to split.  I don't know if that would change if I switched the needles I was using and did not want to be bothered -- lazy but valid -- to find out.

My gauge on US 5 needles was 7 rows to the inch and 7 stitches to the inch measured over 2 x 2 inch ribbing.

After casting on 120 stitches, I worked 2 x 2 ribbing for 6 1/4 inches.  On the last row, I placed markers every 20 stitches to make the crown decreasing as mindless as possible.

To decrease for the crown, I worked to two stitches before each marker.   I had originally planned to just do a K2tog decrease, but switched to doing the K2tog through the back loop.  While this worked....I am not as pleased as I could be.    

As I have more yarn, I want to do this hat again.   What will I change?

1. I am going to do the first couple inches on a smaller needle to cinch in that ribbing a bit.   Have not yet decided whether to go down one size or two sizes.
2. Different decrease.   I do not like the way that K2tog TBL looks.    Not sure if I will do an SSK or a plan K2tog......

This hat does look good...and I will give it way.

We will finish no project before its time.....

 

These socks....I finished them last night.   Started them?   I do not remember but suspect it is at least four years ago.   

My apartment is infested with unfinished pairs of socks.   One of my promises to myself is that I will slowly work on them...finish them...and wear them or give them away.   

How do these projects achieve "I will finish it.....someday" status?   Various reasons.....something became annoying about the project, some new and shinier project appeared, a gift project popped up...none are good.  It is easy to push something into the stash and walk away.  Eventually the unfinished projects become a stash in and of themselves.

This is really okay.  If a project that is not on a gift or other deadline becomes a chore, it is best to put it aside instead of knitting resentment into the stitches.   The project will be finished in its time.

New Year's Eve Knitting Thoughts

 Last weekend's knitting frenzy left me with sore hands and wrists and strained forearms.  I know better...I do know better but I made the choice to push on through the knitting to finish the project.  While I feel personally responsible for averting a predicted blizzard (grandiose much?) by providing the cowl and hood that would make shoveling less gruesome, I am also having to put a pause on some projects.  That is okay.

Today I am saving my knitting time for my 4:00 PM knitting group ZOOM.  Are there projects I itch to work on...yes...but I am also taking some time to figure out a few plans for the time when those projects are done.   

In the quiet of the last day of the year, I am also thinking about what I have learned to do differently this year.

Magic loop!  I thought this was a technique I would never do.   Now, after using magic loop frequently, I am a convert.  I admit what sold me is not having to dig through more needles to adjust needle size for the project.  Less time hunting equals more time knitting.

Another technique I picked up on Instagram is similar to magic loop.   This involves pulling out the excess needle length and making a loop....and moving the loop as needed.     It is also handy in not forcing a hunt through all my needles for the right length or having to move the knitting from needle to needle.

Instagram knitters have taught me a lot besides that one technique this year.  Seeing what other knitters do opens up so many new ideas for me.   I won't try them all but have really loved the ones I have adopted.   What a world we live in now.

The old pre-social media and pre-internet knitting days were so different.   Books, magazines, and other knitters - groups at yarn stores and knitting buddies - provided a similar way to learn if a knitter, as I was, was lucky enough to have access.

While Ravelry has waned in popularity, I am still a frequent user.   So many times I have looked at the patterns, bought them, read them, to puzzle out how something was done...   One of my daily joys is seeing what projects have been posted and what other people are knitting.   Ravelry has been a source of inspiration as well as information.

What continues to excite me...and carries me into 2026...is knowing how much there is to learn.  I have been knitting steadily for 52 years.   I am still delighted with exposure to new ideas, using new yarns, and meeting other knitters.   

Don't get me started on what I learn on YouTube!

The Whistler and Thoughts on Swatching

 After the hat that did not turn out as expected, I am a lot more thoughtful about swatching.   I don't like surprises, which are usually not great, when it comes to my knitting.  Truthfully, I really just don't like surprises.

For the Whistler, not only did I swatch, but a laundered the swatches.  I am very glad I did as the swatches told me a lot about what the yarn would do.....and I ended up with a project that both I..and the recipient.. liked.

At the end of last winter, one of my friends who has to shovel a lot was talking about what would make being out in the cold and flying wet snow easier.   Ravelry had a solution.   The Whistler Hood not only had a cowl that would tuck well into a coat...but a turtleneck to keep the wind from blowing down one's neck.  The best part was that the hood could be cinched in with a cord.   The Artic Chill, the hooded cowl I made before that did not have that advantage.  

Wool and Company had the yarn specified, Rauma Vams, in a great red heather, so I bought it...and put it aside.   

The weatherfolk predicted that we would have some hideous winter weather this week.   So, Christmas Day I got to swatching...and Friday I got to knitting.    

The swatch relaxed a lot more than I thought it would when I laundered it.  I went down a needle size and swatched again...and got gauge.

As I progressed through each stage of this project, I steam blocked the yarn.  It made a huge difference in the finished project.   The stitches were easier to pick up when I needed to do that.   Steaming the ribbing for the cord casing made sewing the casing down much easier...and easier to make look neat.  I even steamed the icord...which evened it out.

To thread the icord through the casing I used an old style stitch holder which worked great....and finally has given me a use for those holders I have not wanted to move along.

As I was steaming the parts of the hood, I kept thinking of all the things Mrs. Gaspar, my 4-H sewing teaching taught me.   I think she would be pleased, wherever she is, to know that I remember those lessons...and remember them fondly.

Christmas Stockings

 Christmas stockings are such a joy to knit.   I have a large collection of patterns.....and draw inspiration from those patterns as well as from charted stitches.   After all, this is just a giant sock (I just knit them - I don't have to fill them.) that needs to be sturdy.

As new family members arrive, I like to make them their own stocking.  The three stocking to the right in the above picture belong to my aunt's granddaughters.    

They are all from Annie's Woolen's kits which I highly recommend.  While the yarn is on the rustic side, no one will be wearing these and it is much more important that they last.

I still have the felt and sequins stocking one of my grandmother's made for me.  It does not come out anymore.   The memories of seeing that stocking hanging from the mantel on the morning of St. Nick's day still linger.....I want a new generation to have that same joy.

Highland Lux Yarn Leftovers Hat

This yarn was in a clearance section on WEBS….I was intrigued and bought several colors.    The first had that I made was a test knit for a very skilled Finnish Designer – Annina Juuti – called the Lovi Hat.  This hat turned out beautifully.   The mohair content gave a beautiful fabric.   Then I did a several Two by Two hats.   The came out fairly nicely.   The last one though…it stretched a bit more than I was happy with during blocking.    

As I was oh so not pleased with that stretch, I decided to experiment.   What would a 1x1 rib at a tighter gauge do with this yarn?

After doing a gauge swatch in 1 x 1 rib and looking at some other patterns, I came up with a plan.   As I wanted to do a striped hat to make best use of the leftovers from other projects, I decided to graph out the hat.   Knitbird is software, now free, that I have used a long time.  It is a bit clunky but much better than Excel for me.

I graphed out the hat with the stripe repetition where I wanted it. And set out to do the hat.

As I am always interested in trying ways to do things better, I also did a little research on jogless jog techniques.   This time, I chose a technique explained very well by Roxanne Richardson.

Following the YouTube gleaned advice from those who know more than me …the many who know more than me….I measured the hat and took the gauge before and after blocking.   Both the row gauge and the stitch gauge  did change as the yarn relaxed during blocking.

 Materials

Hi Koo Highland Lux Yarn (90% Wool 10% Mohair, 273yds (250m)/100g (3.53oz), Worsted)

Partial balls left over from other projects in Charcoal, Ocean, Bark, and Mist.  Each ball was half or less in size. 

Size 3 US Needles

Tapestry needle

Scissors

Gauge

Pre-blocking:  7 stitches and 7 rows/inch.

Post-blocinkg:  6 stitches and 8 rows/inch

Finished Size

Pre-blocking:  17 stitches and 7 rows/inch.

Post-blocking:  6 stitches and 8 rows/inch

Instructions

Cast on 108 stitches in Charcoal.   Work 1 x 1 Rib for 18 rounds.

Stripe Sequence

On the first row of each stripe, knit.  On the subsequent rows, work K1, P1 ribbing.

Mist:   5 Rows

Ocean: 3 Rows

Mist 5 Rows:

Charcoal 3 rows

Repeat this sequence until the hat measures six inches.    This works out to six stripes total with the last stripe of the sequence being Ocean.  

Crown Decreases

Work the decreases as follows while continuing the stripe sequences.

Row 1:  *Work sixteen stitches, k2 tog*

Row 2:   Work row in pattern to the two stitches knit together in the previous round, knit those stitches.

Row 3:  *Work fifteen stitches, k2 tog*

Row 4:   Work row in pattern to the two stitches knit together in the previous round, knit those stitches.

The final decrease row in this pattern will be done as *Work two stitches, k2 tog*.  At this point, there will be 18 stitches left.   

Next row:  *K2 tog*   9 stitches

Next row:  *K2 tog*   K1

Finishing

Cut yarn with about 16 inches left to finish.  Run the yarn through the stitches, pull tight and fasten off.

Sew in ends and block.

I will admit that I am unsure if the end of the decreasing in 100% accurate…but..it will work.

The latest magic blanket......

 Yesterday I put the most recent Magic Blanket through the laundry.    

This version was done on 6 mm (US 10) needles.  I used the usual 90 stitches with the 10 x 10 stitch rib repeat.

This version used only two of the five balls that I had purchased.

I really liked the fabric this time and will probably start my swatching process for for future blankets with this size needle.   The post-laundry drape was still what I wanted.  It is all good.

Do I swatch every time I do one of these blankets?   Yes.  Yes I do.

Why?

I want to make sure that I am getting the drape that will give the blanket its magic.....Emily calls it a hug.  She also says that her blanket is so special that she does not put snot on it.   What praise could be higher?

Swatching....how I have grown to love it...

 Swatching.....some knitters cringe just hearing the word.   For some, the word is profane and should not be uttered in polite company.   Some....some look at swatching as the audition for the chorus line of yarn that will perform on one's needles.

Me....I used to be swatch avoidant.   It was not fun...it was often disappointing...and sometimes lied.

YouTube...the knitting part of it...has given me a lot of different ideas about swatching....and the realization of just how much I can learn from a swatch.

Now I do real swatches.   Larger than one inch by inch.   Enough of a swatch so that I can see what the yarn is REALLY going to do before I put it into a project.   

What have I not done yet...and should?   Launder the swatches in order to see how the yarn behaves when it is washed.   Does this make a difference?   Two words.....superwash wool.  The most recent experience is still too raw to discuss...and resulted in hacking the knitting off a hat and re-knitting it so that it would work for the wearer.

While it is easy to be to impatient to swatch.....or too eager to start the project to swatch....I have learned that taking the time to know the yarn better before using it makes working with it so much better.

Maybe I should have a 2026 resolution to launder swatches..........

Peeves about knitting patterns....

 One of my favorite ways to procrastinate is to look at knitting patterns.   I can "invest" hours this way and my pattern files reflect just that.

There are some things that irritate me....here are a few.

A pattern that does not have a picture:   Now...with the technology we all have this is not a hard thing to accomplish.   If I like the pattern enough, I will grab the picture from the ad or listing and add the picture to my file copy.   When I look at the pattern again, why I saved it will be less likely to be a mystery.

A pattern with uncorrected WRONG instructions.   This one hit me again a few weeks ago when a friend needed help with a pattern she had gotten free with a yarn purchase at a store.   I looked at the pattern...and looked at the picture.  I thought I must be missing something.  I knit it to check what I was seeing.  What was I missing?  Instructions that would create the cowl in the picture.   My thought is that if a pattern is produced it should be tested...and proofread.   Typos are annoying.... but instructions that don't instruct....BAH!   I have the name of the designer tucked away in my mind and when I see one of her patterns I move on by...fast.

Bad pictures in patterns are also really annoying.  Not hard to take a picture which actually shows the object.  Not hard.    Also....when the knit piece is not prepped well for photography....a little annoying.

Those are my big ones....

Once in a while I do write a pattern.   I do a draft.   I put it aside.  I read it again.  I take care of the pictures.   I read the finished pattern again.   I try to avoid doing the things that I dislike in a pattern....practice what I preach.

The More I Know....

 The more I know...the less I know.

I was struck by a review of a course given on Anne's Norwegian Knitting.  The student said that she thought she knew how to knit before she took the course.   What did this mean to me?   No matter how much one knows...one can learn a lot more.

My adventures in YouTube tutorials and test knitting have taught me that.  Over the last year I have learned a lot.   I have learned from new knitters - Savan Knits - and knitters, who like me, are more seasoned.  Clo Knits, Roxane Richardson, Jessica McDonald, and Suzanne Bryan are all wonderful teachers. From these teachers, I have learned new techniques and actually tried them.   Best of all, I have new ways to think about knitting and how to do it.

The world of YouTube knitting is as varied as any community.  Some are very good at what they do, some...are less so.   Approaching all of these with an open mind...and a beginner's mind....has been as useful as attending a class.   

A few more I have been listening to:

• Made by Moomeeno
• Cozy Meadow Knits
• Ali Makes Everything
• Where We Knit
• Thank You for Knitting
• Knitting Up North with Jenn and Corrina
• Summer Lee Design Co
• Karlie Paige
• Crazy Sock Lady
• Knit in the City
• Stitches in Stem
• Whisky and Wool
• Wool Needles Hands
• Not the Worsted
• Colorado Knitter
• Fiber and Floral

There are others.   

Do I do much beside knit and watch podcasts?   Sometimes.....

Gift Knitting.....My Favorite....and Bad Yarn Venting

 The end of October.   At the end of October I usually think about those gift projects that I should have started....a couple of months ago.   A few I did start but blithely abandoned the projects for something.....more exciting.   No more time to procrastinate.

At least one hat is in the queue.  Instead of finding a pattern, I am going to figure out a pattern to go with the yarn I want to pull from my stash.   The intended gift knit will be done from a strand of Rowan Sock in grey tones and Knitpicks Aloft Super Kid Mohair in Carbon.   The goal is a 1 x 1 ribbed hat that is warm and easy to fold up and stuff in a pocket.

Swatching has to come first....and must be done.   Roxanne Richardson teaches a new to me method of swatching.....viewable on YouTube.  Tayler Earl on Wool, Needle, Hands showed this technique and referenced this video.  My first reaction was .....what????   Practice made...my swatch much better and I am a convert.

This morning I cast on and knit the swatch for the hat. Part of the goal was to decide whether to use the Carbon or Ash greys in the mohair.  The other goal was to doublecheck the fabric I thought I was getting to make the hat.   I started using Size 3's on the swatch and toward the top shifted to size 2's.   

My natural preferences lean towards the tighter knit but...the looser knit, I think, is a better match for the project.  I think I will do a test hat before this one.

My yarn vent.   For me, one of the joys of knitting is the tactile experience of the yarn.   I just gave away slightly more than I 10 gallon bag of Cascade Heritage Sock and Cascade Heritage 6 ply.   Others may enjoy this yarn.  I do not.  It split.  It split a lot.  The texture was okay...but....the rest.  Nyet.   I did three pairs of socks and decided life is too short to knit with yarn one hates.  Bye bye.

Where have I been?

 Retirement....getting used to it....is more of a challenge than I thought it would be.    When times are tough, the tough buy yarn.  My stash has expanded....and I am further from its' center.  Oh well.

Watching knitting blogs...and spending time on Instagram...has been tremendously inspiring.  Learning new things has been a joy...that moment when the new technique works.....

YouTube podcasts to see:

• A Lovely Yarn
• Wool, Needles, Hands
• Danish Musings
• Colorado Knitter
• Nerdy Knitter

The list above shows my current favorites.  I have learned a lot from watching podcasts.   Knitting ideas, resources, and techniques are the best take aways.   Being able to hear about what other people are doing is interesting as is seeing their work.   The wonders of our age!  Not kidding.....YouTube has been such a resource! 

What is also interesting for me, arising from part of my educational past, is how I evaluate the presentation quality of the podcast.   Some presenters -particularly Tayler Earl of Wool, Needles, Hands - are engaging and draw me in even when what is being presented is not something in which I am particularly interested.  Others.....some I turn off with a few minutes. Yet more I will watch an episode or two but realize that I dislike the program even to skip over any further offerings.   The first time I watched a particular podcast the presenter spent much of the time complaining about dog sitting.   Hoping it was an off day, I watched another episode.   Hmmm.    My first impression was not wrong.  Fortunately there are so many other choices.

Craftsy and Domestika are two course sites that feature many good classes....knitting and many other topics.   Before I retired, I bought classes on sale.  Now, I have the time to do the classes.  I am slowly working through my list.   Being able to play....and replay...sections of the videos has been great.  So many things to learn!

Now that I have time.....I can do this.   This is a great opportunity and I am grateful for the time and the space.

 Every year I knit my friend Rob a pair of non-wool socks for his birthday.   On this project, I have been working through my stash of Canadiana.  The vintage Canadiana was wonderful...the new stuff...not as much.

I watch knitting blogs....and learn a lot.  One of the "duh" moments was hearing about striping socks with a variegated and a solid yarn.    I thought about what I had and though....wouldn't it be interesting to do this backwards and see what happens.   

So far, I am really liking it.   The reds are not an exact match but close enough for me to give an interesting pattern.

A Throw in Ocean Teal

 My friend Sandra saw this yarn in a store near where she lives.   Bernat Blanket Ombre in Ocean Teal is a super bulky yarn that knits up quickly and can go through the washer and dryer.....

I used size 10 needles to get the fabric I want.   As I am a relaxed knitter and this yarn really has no give, I swatched a bit to to get to what I wanted.

While it is not obvious from this picture, the yarn's ombre runs through shades of teal and blue.    Good thing I like the colors a lot and am not tired of them.  I overbought....hate to run out and got a really good priced and cheap shipping...and have enough to knit a second one for someone who loves the first but is not the recipient.

Instagram is teaching me a surprising amount about knitting.   One of the things I saw was a way to make a smooth edge by slipping the first stitch of each row and then making a yarn over.   On the next row, where the yarnover and the slipped stitch are the last two, those stitches are worked together.  I was pretty pleased with the result.

I used three cakes of this yarn for a throw that is 50" by 60" ....  I kept measuring the throw against my body as I knit it to decide when to bind off.

This is what I did:

Cast on 90 stitches using a German Twisted Cast On.

Foundation row:  K10, P10...end K10

Next row:  Slip first stitch as if to purl, yarn over, continue in pattern.

Row 1:    Slip first stitch as if to purl, yarn over.  Work in pattern to last two stitches, Knit 2 tog.

Row 2:  Row 1:    Slip first stitch as if to purl, yarn over.  Work in pattern to last two stitches, Purl 2 tog.

Repeat until you have enough yarn to bind off or until you get sick of doing it our satisfied with the length.

I bound off the on the right side without paying attention to the pattern.   This gave matching edges that, I think, will be more stable.

The result:

Lots of Knitting

 This has been a year or so of lots of knitting.   Of course, it has also been a year of a lot of yarn buying.  The center of the stash is much further away.

One of my friends suggested watching the knitting vlogs on YouTube.   There is so much information out there....and I have really been enjoying it.

A few good ones:    Danish Musings, Summer Lee Knits, Nerdy Knitting, Northwest Yarns.   There are many, but these are the ones I make a point of seeing.

There is so much more to learn.....can't wait.