Knitting: Garter Stitch

Now that you have learned how to cast on, it’s time to learn a basic stitch…the knit stitch.  When you knit EVERY stitch on EVERY row, it is referred to as the garter stitch or pattern.  With this stitch pattern, you will make a SCARF.

Materials:

Size US 9 needles; one pair

Any plain worsted weight yarn (like Red Heart)

(no fancy stuff)

Cast on 30 stitches as you learned in my previous post.  Switch the needle from your right hand to your left.  You should have the tail end yarn and the working yarn (the yarn comming from the skein)  at the beginning of your needle (at the point).  Pick up your other needle and insert it, from left to right, into the first stitch.  They will form an X, with the right hand needle resting behind the left hand needle.

Bring up the working yarn from behind the right hand needle and between the two needles.  Grab the yarn with the point of your right hand needle and bring it through the stitch on the left hand needle and at the same time slip the old stitch on the left hand needle off.

Repeat across until you have completed the row.  Switch the needles to opposite hands.  The right hand needle goes in your left hand and the left hand needle goes in your right.  Repeat the procedure above. 

Continue doing this until you have almost used up the entire skein of yarn.

Follow along on this video (please forgive the quality…I promise to do better with the next one).

done

Won a Few Ribbons at the Fair

I did win a few ribbons at the Fair.  I got a total of 3 blue, 1 red and 1 white.  These are the items:

Blue Ribbons:

Knitted dress above with beads.

Photos:

Red Ribbon:

White Ribbon: (crocheted mystery flower)

My Snake Bit Me!

Yes, he bit me.  I was reaching into his aquarium to get his water bowl and he latched onto my finger. 

Did it hurt?  No, his fangs did not puncture my finger.  They scraped one side of my finger and his bottom teeth were on the other side.  He let go almost immediately.

Did I yell? No, it didn’t scare me.  In fact, it was all over so quickly, I didn’t have time to react.

Will I reach in there again?  Yes.  Snakes do not frighten me as they do some folks.  He’s not aggressive, he was just hungry and mistakenly thought my hand was a mouse.  Needless to say he did have a mouse for lunch.

Most snake owners will agree that if you own/handle a snake, the day will come when you WILL be bitten.  It’s a fact of ownership.  Just don’t panic.  Remove the snake from your hand/arm or whatever.  Seek assistance if necessary.  And most definitely clean the wound thoroughly with soap and water.  Add some antibiotic ointment.  And if the wound is severe, go see your doctor.  But be prepared for some questions regarding why you own a snake.