My knitting challenge

As you know I am challenging myself to get much better at knitting than I am; currently novice level.  In total I have probably only made two knitted items.  A scarf and a hat.  You can read about the hat here.  And the scarf is in my Ravelry projects.

But I want to do more with knitting.  Crochet is great and will always be my go to craft, particularly for big projects like a blanket or for some shawls or scarfs.  And I do want to explore more clothing patterns in crochet.  But I sometimes find myself wishing I could do more in knitting, without having to go down the Tunisian route which produces a knit look, but much denser.  I also find it a bit tiring.

So I have set myself a challenge.  To knit squares of various stitches, all the same size, which I will then join to make a patchwork blanket. I have no idea whether it will look good or not, but the main goal is to grow my skills.

My knit challenge squares are:

1. Garter – done
2. Stockinette – done
3. Seed – WIP
4. Moss
5. Linen
6. Cables
7. Basketweave
8. Herringbone
9. Hexagon
10. Mistake rib stitch

If I can get these made, at least two each in squares about 8×8 inches, I’ll have a decent size lap blanket and more confidence in knitting.

I’ll probably try and do one or two a week, depending on the stitch and speed to knit up.  I may also need to rethink the yarn I am using.  Whilst it’s lovely and soft, it can be quite fluffy which is causing some issues with frogging when I have gone wrong, and stitch definition is variable.  The garter and stockinette look fine, but the seed stitch less so.  But I guess that could be me; trying to learn a new skill and pick one of the more challenging yarns to practice with! 😦

Progress posts will be every Friday in my round up, so wish me luck and any advice is gratefully received from you much more experienced knitters.