I had started the Inside-Outside Scarf from Elise Duvekot's Knit One Below (also available for free at Knitting Universe) back in December, but other projects intervened, and it was sitting, neglected, in the bottom of the basket next to my chair. Friday night I pulled it out as an alternative to the lovely Egyptian mittens, which are seeming to take forever. I've really been enjoying working on the scarf this weekend. I'm using Wisdom Yarn's Poems, which has long, long color stretches. Rather than mix two different colorways, I'm playing it conservative with just one.
After purling some of the rows, I wondered if my usual knitting backwards technique (to avoid rows of purling) would work. And of course it does! It just took a second to see what was happening on the front side of the work when I started to purl one below, and I was set. So the project is going much more quickly now (no constant stops to adjust the tension). I think it is much more difficult to make a mistake doing it this way. I can see right away if my color columns are lining up or not, since the front of the work is always facing me.
Unfortunately, I've been wearing a very warm red coat most of this winter (not much choice, considering our weather), and this doesn't go at all! But if it starts to warm up a bit and I can wear one of my black coats, it should look good.
I've just started a hat, influenced by a number of sources but of my own overall design, and I think that is coming along well. But I'll get a bit further before I take a picture and write about it.
