Clap On!

Here's the start of the clapotis out of the Gypsy Girl Scrimmage. This is a very nice sock yarn (200 yds in a 2 oz skein) knit on 4mm needles. The morning light, she was not so kind to the yarn. Makes it look like it has a boucle-ish texture, when really it's very smooth and nice. Maybe next time I'll get better pictures.

This is my first ever clapotis. Not sure what I can add to the already lengthy discussion of this pattern. It's easy. It's sort of fun, though mostly mindless. Dropping the stitches feels naughty and and I get a wicked shiver when I do it. I have a feeling I won't be one of those people who knits this pattern over and over again. It feels like a party trick -- kind of fun, but once you see how it's done, it loses some of its magic.

But it's a good counterpoint to Fulmar. I have to think about Fulmar while I'm knitting it. I have to count stitches and check my crosses and do all those other persnickety things that come with a complex knit.

But the clapotis? Once you get the pattern established, there's nothing to it. It's almost as mindless as plain socks. Great for knitting group, because I can still chat and see what everyone else is knitting. No worries about tracking the pattern.

That's not a diss. Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while know that I like to alternate mindless knitting and harder knits. The clapotis is a good bit of mostly mindless knitting, and I have a feeling the finished scarf is going to rock it hard. I already love the way the fabric is pooling and flashing. I love the way the stripes from the yarn colors are broken up by the perpendicular stripes from the dropped stitches. It has a real Chicago-winter feel to it already -- it's looks rugged, but is both softer and warmer than it looks, and it's in the ubiquitous safety cone orange and navy blue found on so much winter gear around here. Plus the yarn, that Gypsy Girl sock yarn, is lovely to work.

A Milestone Moment

Readership of this blog has been growing pretty steadily from the very first post. Amazing how these things take off. I remember being astonished the first time someone outside my local knitting group posted in the comments, and now I feel like some of the commenters are becoming friends. That's a good feeling, and what a remarkable way to meet new people. All I do is blather on about yarn and knitting, and poof! I have new friends. Gotta love it.

Anyway, you could have knocked me over with a proverbial feather when I got my stats for the week. For the first time ever, this blog logged over 100 hits on a single day. (Those are real hits, too. Not webcrawler hits.) The grand total was 115, a new record. I know that, compared to some blogs, 115 is a weenie little number. But for me? It's shocking and, I must confess, a bit humbling.

Thanks to all of you for reading and participating, for making me laugh with your witty comments, and for sharing your knitting wisdom. Thanks for inviting me to your alongs, and for playing along with mine. Most of all, thanks for making me feel like a part of a real community. Yarny hugs for everyone!