Stitch Gauge - Evil!

Today my friend Heidi and I went to the Ravelry group Terminal City Yarn Wrangler's meetup at The Grind at 25th and Main Street. Heidi's baby Hadrian provided much entertainment. Before the meetup I introduced Heidi to Three Bags Full. She's hooked, oh yeah!

I had finished my second pair of Rose's Wrist Warmers and I just had to weave in the ends. The first pair I made were purple and my sister Terri, the instant she first saw them, she insisted that I was making them for her. Of course I wasn't; they were for me. So last week I gave them to her.

I had the idea that I would like to make a hat, a beret, perhaps, with the same seed-stitched cable. But I didn't have enough purple yarn to make the hat. So I bought different yarn in a greater amount to make myself the warmers and a matching hat. But my daughter Sylvie wanted a pair too. I found that lime green colour and knit hers up. She just got them and loves them. Now I'm over the whole wrist warmer thing. Maybe I'll get back to knitting myself a pair at a later date... or maybe not.

I'm tired of having to adjust my needle size to match ESG (Evil Stitch Gauge). I knit somewhat tightly and usually end up going up at least two needle sizes. Sometimes it doesn't work out and I just forget the whole idea. Well, I know why my stitches are tighter. When I throw the yarn over the needle I use my index finger to pull tension into it as I draw the yarn through the loop. That's where it happens. I'm trying to train myself to just. leave. it. alone. No tension as I pull the yarn through the previous stitch. And purling is different. I'm going to have to do swatch after swatch just to make it consistently even. But I think it will be worth it if my stitches stop being so tight.

I have some vague ideas what I'll do next but haven't actually started yet. The stoll to match Sylvie's grad dress? Cherie Amour (see image below)? Something I haven't even found yet? We'll see.