Beginning knitter looking for first 'official' project

[Jan in CA]

That looks great, JM!

[crazykntter83]

Your scarf looks awesome!!!! The yarn is very pretty, what kind are you using?

[Lisa R.]

When I was just starting, I picked small, quick projects that taught a new technique. I did a little cell phone case for cables, and that gave me confidence to do a cabled scarf. I did a case for my mp3 player to learn seed stitch decreases for the flap closure.

I did a Booga Bag actually as my very first project. Since it was felted, most of my irregular stitches didn't show up, and by the time I was finished, I'd learned to be consistent in my tension. I also learned to pick up stitches and do i-cord.

At any rate, I just explored the web for quick and easy projects and did them till I gained confidence to move to bigger and more complicated things.

Your scarf is looking great! I'd say you're well on your way!

[Jmstorm]

Thanks everyone! I have really enjoyed learning how to knit. The yarn is Bernat Denimstyle Weathered Rose which is actually a discontinued color :( I recently made 2 crocheted market bags out of it and this is what I had leftover. It isn't enough to finish a project but I'm hoping to purchase some different colors and make it a multi color project.

[Jan in CA]

I used Denimstyle for my first sweater!

[ArtLady1981]

Good for you! Yay! Looks great!

FYI: since you're one of our newbie knitters, I like to pass along something that took me forever to learn about yarn choice and pattern choice:

Cables show themselves off to their very best with a solid color yarn. And lighter solid colors are better than black and dark purples when working cables. Variegated yarns are great for plain knitting, such as stocking stitch, garter stitch, seed stitch, etc.

So when I want to knit a design that features cables, I look for solid color yarns, maybe tweedy at the most. But definitely not Noro self-striping yarns and the like.

And when I want to use a real complex variegated yarn, I look for a design that is worked with shaping as it's dominant quality...and a design that uses st st, rev st st, garter stitch, or seed stitch as the main pattern stitch.

We're very proud of you for working on your skill set!

Hope you don't mind a little advice from an experienced knitter!
I've been where you're at...and wish I'd had Knitting Help back then!

[wellslipmystitches]

I say, Amen, to Art Lady's advice. Listen to this lady. She knows a lot.

J.M. you will find that color and texture are usually best separated. The beauty of textures gained by cable patterns are not enhanced by a mish-mash of color.

Cabled patterns are like pieces of art work and I prefer them to most techniques. They are 3 dimensional and can easily be spoiled by color changes. They take a little more care and time but they're worth it.

They're also easily adaptable to peoples' interests. I did some "Tree of Life" afghans but changed them to suit the givees. For a couple with a bunch of kids and grandkids I did enough tree panels to mark each life and couple's journey and for some "horsey" people I did just a center panel of the cabled trees, surrounded by "horseshoe" pattern.

Cabling, to me, is the ultimate connecting medium to all and I always use a solid color to emphasize the pattern.

You are doing very well with your cable pattern and I'm sure you'll be mastering the technique quickly. Good luck.
Jean

[Jmstorm]

I appreciate the advice! This was just some yarn leftover that I was practicing with to learn the cable. I realized as soon as I got my camera out to take the picture that it was hard to see the cable The cable shown is only 14 stitches across and about 10 inches long. That's all the yarn I had leftover from a previous FO I am glad I found knitting help as it has been a help!