My First Pattern!!

I finally overcame my fear of patterns! For so long I've been wanting to expand my knitting abilities (I can knit very well in a rectangular shape!) but I was too chicken to actually try a pattern. I have issues with patterns anyways. Even when sewing I really get annoyed at using patterns. I prefer to make it up as I go along.

I got the book One-Skein Wonders: 101 Yarn Shop Favorites (edited by Judith Durant) from the library a few weeks ago and marked all of the patterns I wanted to try. I love this book. There are a ton of great projects in it! I'll definitely have to buy it, because I don't want to return it to the library!


I picked out something that looked really easy for my first project- the Swift Cell Phone Carrier.




I've been working on it little by little this week, doing a few rows at time. I was sloppy. I started by casting on 24 stitches, and I think I ended up with around 28. Oops. Not sure how that one happened. I also dropped 3 stitches. We're talking a 4" x 6" rectangle with that many mistakes. I think I was so determined to make it harder than it was, I just didn't try. Finally today I made myself finish it. I had to call my wonderfully patient sister to ask a few questions about the pattern. She explained everything over the phone and I understood perfectly! The handle ended up wider than the pattern called for. The button hole is slightly off center. But, surprisingly, it doesn't look that bad!

I love how the strap is stripey!



I learned the mattress stitch so I could sew up the side seams, and I think it looks great! You can't even tell there's a seam there!



I made another one in a different color tonight. This time I paid attention and made it the way it was supposed to be made. Honestly, they don't look all that different! :-) I think I'll make some a bit bigger to hold different devices, and I'd also like to try felting (fulling) a few of them.