After 2 hours of Tempting's ribbing, I was itching for something more challenging. Alice Starmore's Fair Isle Knitting looked inviting, so I read a few chapters, then picked up two balls of yarn, some dpn's, and away I knitted, holding a strand in each hand. This is me after about an hour into it. I'd once believed that this was a mysterious craft, impossible for the average knitter to accomplish. After I got the hang of it, it became relaxing and fun. All the while, I was imagining a modern Fair Isle design for my future sock pal.
I realized how easy it would be to chart my own name, so here I am. Originally, I was going to make a little bag, with eyelets in the top ribbing for a drawstring. But I'm having so much fun, I'm going to keep knitting this into a wine bottle cozy instead. For the next Fair Isle project, I'm going to experiment with 1 varigated colorway, and 1 solid color. Now my 1000 yards of recycled Shetland wool suddenly has a purpose.
I'm about 8 inches into Tempting so far. I can only stand to work on it about an hour or two a day. I like my tops to hit my waist, so I'm going to stop an inch shorter than the design. If it's too short, I can always go back and add a cute border.My Mom's b-day is coming up in 2 weeks, and she wants me to knit her something. I may have to put everything else on hold until then.