Start from the Beginning

The double knitting isn't going well, so I started a sock.

Groovy Socks (mine ravelled here) 

knit in Knit Picks Felici Sport in Dockside colorway

The website the pattern is from is no longer available, so I'll give you the 2-row repeat in case you want to make your own:

Round 1: K all stitches.

Round 2: k1, yo, k1, ssk, k2tog, k1, yo, k1.

I started with a k2, p2 cuff for a couple inches, and then used that stitch pattern with my usual heel and toe. The pattern works really well with self-striping yarn, and we all know that I'm a whore for Felici colorways.

As I'm knitting the sock, I'm still thinking about the double knitting. I know what the problem is. The problem is that I don't know how to purl with my left hand. It feels ridiculously awkward.

I contemplate giving up on the project, justifying that it's my hobby and I can do what I want.

True, but...

When I started knitting six years ago, everything was hard. My stitches were so tight I could barely move them off the needle. But I got better. There's no reason to think I won't get better at this.

But double knitting is the equivalent of knitting a lace stole as my first knitting project. That is stupid. I need something simple.  A sock? No purls. 

The first project I made was a washcloth. That's the sort of project I need for this. Something with lots of switching back and forth between knitting and purling, something where gauge doesn't matter.

Chili Pepper Red Kitchen Towel (mine ravelled here) 

knit in Knitpicks Dishie Multi in Daisy colorway

I'm knitting this for a friend with a new house. I've committed to knitting every damn stitch with my left hand. It's extremely slow and awkward and makes me feel like a monkey at a typewriter, only I'm more self-conscious. 

But I'll do it, and I'll get better. Start from the beginning.