Thanks to everyone for making my (not-so-secret) birthday last the whole week! Got lots of nice comments and emails wishing me well -- very nice :-)

What's not so nice is this #$@* thread crochet stuff. I'm trying a different motif (for the last sweater on the right in Monday's entry -- the one with short sleeves and the wide v-neck), and there's either an error in the pattern, or *operator* error (most likely the latter!) Instead of a nice, flat motif, I'm ending up with this little, scrunched-up, cup-shaped thing. Grrr. Think I'll put it down for a few days and work on Cable Hoodie. Cable knitting never lets me down.

And This Matters, Because … ?
The knit lists occasionally get in a kerfuffle about the various methods of knitting. Endless discussion ensues debating the merits of English, Continental, Eastern Continental Uncrossed, Sumatran Leg-Behind-The-Head, etc. Personally, I could care less how I knit, as long as I get gauge, maintain even tension, and eventually get a sweater (or whatever) out of the deal. But in a fit of boredom, I decided to actually put a name to my method.

I learned to knit at age 8 from my left-handed grandmother (I'm right-handed). We quickly became frustrated trying to work together, and like an uncomfortable mother handing her adolescent daughter a book on "How Your Body Works," Grandma gave me a quaint little Coats & Clarks book on "How to Knit." I managed to glean enough from that book to start me on a lifetime of knitting. In fact, I saw the book in an estate sale in Portland last summer and have been kicking myself ever since for not buying it.

Here, for your critiquing pleasure, is How I Knit:
Knit Row: I'm a Thrower. Yes, I toss my yarn like a German discus thrower going for a gold medal. I briefly let go of the right needle completely (wheee!) while throwing the yarn around the right needle, then I grab the right needle in midair (geez, I should join a circus), and give the yarn a slight tug with my right thumb and forefinger to set the stitch.

Purl Row: Pure Continental, baybee. I can purl like the wind. I'll race ya, anytime.

Golly, I must have been really bored.

Happy Friday, everyone.