#1 Is it about the finished item or about the process of knitting?  Some of both?  Has your focus changed one direction or the other over time? Both, if I didn’t like knitting, I wouldn’t do it. But I like it both for how relaxing it is and because I like creating things. If I was trying to knit things to sell, I think I would stop. Because for me to spend a lot of time on something there has to be some love going into it. I just don’t feel that way about money.

#2 How do you view mistakes?  Do you think they give your project character?  Is it important to have one, as my Aunt says, because only God is perfect?  Or would you rip all the way back to row 5 of your husband’s finished sweater knit on size 3 needles to eradicate a mistake no one else would notice?  I’m with Jess - why would I be knitting a sweater on size 3’s? I do go back for most mistakes though, it really depends on what the mistake is and if I can not fix it by just dropping and repicking up the stitches with a crochet hook when I get to that stitch. Also it depends on what the finished item is - a dishcloth? a toy? whatever. A dress for my daughter - yeah i’m going back. heh.

#3 Would you rather knit a project that is comfortable for your skill level, or do you prefer a challenge that requires you to figure out new things? Both. I adore learning new things but I like to have a simple project (like a hat I can knit while at the movie theater) going all the time.

#4 What is something you really want to make but haven’t yet?  What holds you back?  Is it money, skill level, time, fear of the unknown or something else?      a sweater for myself, and it is definitely money & not being able to find a pattern that I actually, you know, like. that doesn’t look like its for an old lady or a little girl !  I have stuff to learn socks on two circs, and i already know i can do them and i know i can do socks in general (since ive knit half of one once) but i don’t really have a huge desire to knit socks right now. It seems like thats all anyone ever knits and I don’t want to just knit what everyone else is knitting. So eventually I’ll do the socks.  

It came out great, well I haven’t yet weaved in ends or used starch to make the points stand up (thanks for that tip Grace, I’m actually looking forward to trying it!) but I will do that. The only problem is. It fits my daughters head, well. I doubt it will stretch to my nephews 19" head, and even if it did I wouldn’t want to send something that just barely fit/wouldn’t fit for long. So I will be doing another one, it is a VERY quick knit - I was done around noonish today.

Now. I know I am supposed to finish the baby present before I started anything new, I know I know. But apparently that only applies to my socks on two circs (which I haven’t started yet because I don’t know what hte right cast on should be, and I am not in a math mode. I don’t want socks that don’t fit me, and the last calculator I used was WAY wrong so i’m a little confused. I already know I can do the two socks at once, at least the ribbing, i’ll figure out the heel turning and all that later hah).

So. I have a wonderful nephew who will be a year old in a little over a week. And I started knitting him a birthday crown last night, it is almost done. I decided to wing it/create my own pattern, because I didn’t really like any of the ones I saw. I’m weird like that.

These past couple of weeks I knit <a href=http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTnorberta.html target="new">Norberta</a> the dragon from Knitty - picture coming soon.

I totally learned something from this pattern. Number one, free patterns are hard to trust and follow exactly. Google first! If there are mistakes and they aren’t corrected on the site, people often blog about them.

And I also learned a bit more about using short rows for shaping for a stuffed toy, i also learned how to "w & t" - wrap and turn (I had to look that up before I could do it, hadn’t done it before) and I love love love what the decreases in the hind legs did, so cool.

Pictures to come, I don’t have them yet. It has already been gifted, the party was today. And mr. Dragon went off to Denton along with some oatmeal cookies and a childrens book about the Beatles.

For this one, all you have to do is leave a comment. But If you have a blog, you can put a link to The Wooden Porch and get extra entries.

Oh, and the prize? Is a $25 Gift Card to Jo-anne’s Fabric. I just couldn’t resist an entry for this one.

Knitting news? I’m working on that kimono, and finishing up the gift for Sunday. I do NOT like how one part of it came out so I’ll have to kind of wing it (hahahaha if you know what i’m knitting, that is funny - ask me why).