Craft time has been very limited lately which makes working on big, important, and waiting-patiently-for-me-to-return-to-them projects impossible.  But having snippets of time here and there is perfect for working on my knitting skills, because I only know how to knit and how to purl.  Five minutes working on knitting and purling seems like an eternity.  In a good way.

I tried to go to Pearl on Market Street to buy knitting needles ... but they have CLOSED!  This is a huge problem for me as a car-less crafter in San Francisco.  They have always been my go-to place for craft and art supplies of all kinds.  Their sign says they'll reopen ... someday ... somewhere.  I'll believe it when I see it.

As I walked away from the sad, empty Pearl storefront, I saw why they probably closed.  A huge Blick is opening up in the building right next door.  That's no good for me because Blick doesn't carry yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, etc etc etc.  So now there are no craft stores in the city .  It makes the veins in my forehead throb to imagine paying $8 in Bart fare just to get to a Michael's.  

Luckily, remembered that Discount Fabrics (which is amazing and HUGE) had a notions wall that includes knitting needles.  It was awesome to be able to spend money on craft supplies.  It was the best $3.20 I spent all week.

I also bought the Stitch 'n' Bitch book (with a 30%-off coupon) to help me learn. It's been a huge help.  And I need help because, of all things, I have trouble remembering which way is counterclockwise ... so the pictures of how to wrap your yarn have been invaluable.  I've been working my way through the chapters trying each skill as I go.

Here is my second-ever knitting swatch.  See all the weirdness at the bottom (where I started)?  I was trying to do ribbing, but I kept mixing up my knits and purls.  The book helped me figure out what's what.  So I did a couple rows of stockinette and tried the 3x3 rib again.  I had to undo a couple rows to get the 15 perfect rows of ribbing, but I think that's good.

Above the ribbing, I tried doing a stylized "fg" in purls.  I didn't realize to make a meaningful pattern on stockinette with purls, you need shapes that are wider than one purl.  It was kind of fun to do, though, since I made a chart and had to figure out when to knit and when to purl.  Major learning experience.

My next swatch is much more ambitious.  I've got some goofy 2x2 rib, seed stitch, slanted decreasing on both sides, then lots of fancy increasing on the sides and in the middle, more decreasing, then some stockinette.

What I really need to work on, is not dropping the needles.  They just fall out of my hands sometimes.  I've become pretty good at getting the stitches back on the needles (except for the end stitches, which are a mess).  

I also need to figure out how to hold the yarn.  I'm liking continental, but either the yarn is too tightly wound around my fingers and I have trouble feeding it to my needles or it's so loose it falls off my pointer finger.  

I should probably *also* practice making a normal face while I knit, because I catch myself making an awful grimace out in public.  I'm probably scaring small children with my "knitting face."