Und ein SP11 Konkurrenz

Our super generous SP11 hostess has been running some blog posting contests. Her latest one was: Post a photo of your first FO and your most recent FO and discuss how your knitting has changed in the interim. Well, my very first FO was a pair of mittens I knit out of purple Patons Decor yarn. Which were given to charity when I got rid of the jacket that they matched. They were knit in 2001 or 2002, before I had a functional digital camera (I had one at the time that I had bought second hand, but the dowload cord got lost, and it was impossible to replace, etc.) So I am posting my first blogged FO: The clapotis I knit out of Crystal Palace Party ribbon yarn in Jan/Feb 2006. And the clapotis that I knit out of Fleece Artist/handspun in Sept/Oct 2007: Hmmm...how has my knitting changed...well, I think that I have a better understanding of how various fibres are likely to behave, and which ones might be more appropriate or less appropriate for a specific project (i.e ribbon yarn is much heavier than wool), and I am a bit more careful about finishing (I just joined new yarn anywhere with the ribbon clap and knotted it in; I joined the new yarn at the ends of rows, and wove the ends in). I am much more likely to knit with circs than with straight needles. I am much better at "reading" my knitting than I was back then. Thanks to Eunny Jang, I understand why pooling occurs, and what techniques can be used to prevent/minimize it. I've learned new techniques - new ways to cast on and cast off, socks, magic loop, knitting with beads. And my stash is waaaaay larger than it was at the beginning of 2006. **************** A few posts ago someone had asked about the origin of the switched stitch patterns - it's not from a Barbara Walker book. It's from a Mon Tricot Special Publication. It's a magazine format called 1500 Patterns, which also has a Step by Step Knitting section at the beginning. I think it might have been put out by Pingouin given their logo is on the cover, but it somewhat surprisingly has absolutely no other adverts on the inside or out. I bought it at a thrift store for $1, so it came along for the trip. I will definitely test swatch future patterns - one sock pattern that I think would be great for socks says "Row 2 and even rows - knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches of the previous row", when there AREN'T any purl stitches in the odd numbered rows - just yo's, slipped stitches and k2tog's.