I really support the principles of the Community Projects, but somehow didn't get organised in time to take part in Community Project #2 ’Project Warm A Soul’. I wanted to take part somehow although it was too late …
It took me a while to work out how to make the scarf below... I knew I didn't have enough time to knit or crochet a scarf within a week so I took the plunge thanks to 
I haven't done that much machine knitting lately but have been meaning to give it a go for ages ... Therefore although it may at first glance look easy it does involve a lot of (mental) effort for me. In fact, I still tend to hold my breath every time I knit a few rows 😁 I know that if I make a mistake it will probably be easier to start again. I don't mind redoing things because it's part of learning, but when there's a self-imposed time pressure then it's a bit trickier in the machine.
I chose my sky blue colour 4 ply acrylic yarn because it was kind of wishful thinking for nicer weather ... I did not do any swatching. There's a special ruler for measuring rows and stitches to get the right tension, but, alas, I can't remember how to use it properly so I will be watching tutorials on how to do it for future projects.
Eventually I used an open cast on method (also the easy option) and selected 23 stitches either side of the 0 which means the work was 46 stitches altogether. This actually measured 20 cm in width which is not bad for guessing. I used Tension #7 and punch card #2 which is good for a simple tuck stitch and for beginners.
If you wondered about my holding my breath every time I used the knitting machine, now you will have to imagine me knitting 1,010 rows ... so I can’t hold my breath for that long and therefore knitted in chunks of about 25 rows and then took a deep breath and continued.
The 1,010 rows measured 140 cm in length - again this was not bad in guessing terms.
I am hopeful that in the near future I will not need to get so anxious about using the knitting machine. So many things can go wrong when you’re trying to knit (for me anyway)... I really appreciate the fact that all the machine’s workings are mechanical and it is certainly fast in comparison to hand knitting.
I added a fringe / tassels to make the finish more handmade.
Then I wrote the note in both English and Welsh of course.
Thank you again 
I now need to find a place away from the usual drizzle / rain to leave the scarf so that it’s a dry find rather than a soggy piece of knitting. I may actually follow 
_ 🌸 _ 🌸 _ 🌸 _ 🌸 _
As the machine knitting work was not portable at all, during my usual waiting times in the car I managed to work out a crocheted square I’d been meaning to try for ages.
The finished square measures 26cm x 26cm and took 50g of cotton yarn and crochet #4.5mm. I didn’t have proper instructions to go by but only a photo so I must confess I am quite pleased with the result.
It does require a dark background colour to really see the shape of the pattern, which reminds me of a 4 leaf clover. All I need to do now is make another square to complete a bag… I bought 3 balls of that cotton yarn from a charity shop a couple of years ago and had been wondering how best to use it.
Many thanks for reading and Happy #needleworkmonday
