About a year ago I started knitting. Well, I can’t actually call it started as I knit several scarves and hadn’t picked up the needles since. Earlier this fall I decided to get back into it as I had been wanting one of those really long stocking caps for some time and decided it was time to make myself one. Several weeks later and I had my Cat in the Hat looking scarf. It is about 5 feet long and the tail doubles as a scarf. I haven’t taken a photo of it yet but will post one once do.

I am a lefty and was taught to knit by a right-handed individual. I suppose that is why I put the needles down last year. Knitting right handed just didn’t feel right. This time when I started on my hat, I decided to try to figure out how to knit left handed. I’ve come up with something that is a combination of continental and knitting back as far as I can tell from the online videos. The stitches are worked from the right needle to the left with the leading leg of the stitch on the back of the right needle. I knit into the back and purl into the front. My stitches aren’t twisted like some have asked and look right to me. The only problem I have run into is that reading charts I have to go in the opposite direction, and decreases are different. I taught myself to do cables and believe I have figured out the alterations needed to get things looking like they should.

I got really brave after the hat and knit a couple of sets of fingerless gloves. I decided to go all out and knit a pair of socks. I used the first pattern in the book Knit Socks by Betsy McCarthy

I followed the pattern as listed but since I hadn’t mastered ssk lefty style I just did a k2tog for both decreases in the heel. One side looks a little different but they wear just fine.

I used Lion Brand Wool Ease worsted wt yarn so they are very warm. Historically wool has irritated my skin but this yarn is only 20% wool and is very soft.

I had never tried felting anything and when I found a pattern for felted slippers I had to try. I’ve made two pair using two different patterns and both were super easy to knit.

These were knit using the pattern found here.

This pair used the pattern found in vol 5 of Craft Magazine.

The first pair were put through the wash only once and ended up looking like ‘Elf Lord’ slippers according to the recipient. I offered to wash them again but she likes the look. I washed the second pair twice and they lost most of the pointiness of the toes and heel. Both patterns are basically 8 squares of x stitches by 2x rows. (ie 20 stitches by 40 rows) and were knit using Patons Classic Wool Merino yarn. There is a YouTube video that describes how you put the latter pattern together to get a slipper. I left the tails long and just used those to sew the slippers together. I think I like this pattern more and will probably stick with it for future pairs.