Gauging Success and Failure

 I finished the Marching Alpaca hat. A few things I've learned:

• Holding the yarn in my left hand results in a MUCH looser gauge than holding the yarn in my right hand
• I need to learn how to purl lefty correctly
• I need to learn how to pick up those long floats between rows
• Stranded knitting has the potential to be MUCH TIGHTER in the round than just plain stockinette

So where to next? Another hat? I would like to practice a piece knit entirely holding the yarn in my left hand. Will my next stranded project be completed holding the yarn in 2 hands? Both in the left hand? 

I'd like to start on a color block project, most likely a sweater. I've done about 5 top-down raglans NP and I want to experiment with the colors. I picked out a few ideas on Ravelry, but choosing colors is always a challenge.

I also need to finish my Domestika Visible Mending class. I'm skipping the chapter on how to care for knits and going right to the final project. The problem is I don't have the right hole-y sweater to practice on. Buy one on eBay? Wish I had kept one of my old top-down raglans mentioned above. 

I will update the progress on the temperature blanket with a picture next time. Also almost done with the Mara shawl. The last 4 rows are killing me!

Peruvian Marching Power

My first attempt to know something entirely with the yarn in my left hand. This one is called Marching Alpacas Hat. That left-handed experiment ended when I discovered holding a color in each hand was easier. The brim got naffed up because I didn't know how to purl continental style. You still have to wrap the yarn, apparently. It wasn't the best combo of yarn and needles. Lamb's Pride worsted on a size 7 needle not great. I will persevere.

The temperature blanket is growing slowly, and I'm on the last bit of the mara shawl. My fingers have been hurting a little, and I'm not sure why. Is if from yoga, too much knitting, arthritis, or what?