Some January pattern updates

Thanks to all the knitters that showed up to our meeting on January 18th at the Richland Public Library (a reminder to those in Eastern Washington: we meet at the RPL on the third Tuesday of every month at 6pm)!  We had an excellent turn-out, over 35 knitters!  We were so happy to have had you all there!  As can be expected, there were a few hic-ups with the patterns so this post is mostly to clear those up as well as share with you some of the great things we talked about at the group!

PATTERN MISTAKES AND A NOTE ABOUT SEED STITCH:

~Thankfully there weren't many mistakes in the first set of patterns, and it is my goal to limit them as much as possible.  However, if you find something that seems off please email me (yearofswatches@gmail.com)!  If it truly is a mistake, I can fix it as soon as possible; if it isn't, I can get you pointed in the right direction!

~In the Garter Steps pattern: cast on is 42 stitches.  In order to take this even number of stitches and produce a seed stitch border you must alternate your stitch pattern slightly:

Row 1: K1, P1, K1, P1, etc across row
Row 2: P1, K1, P1, K1 etc across row
Repeat these two rows for your border (for pattern it would be Row 1, Row 2, Row 1, Row 2, Row 1) for both top and bottom borders.

(Conversely, if the number of cast on stitches is odd, you simply repeat Row 1 every time)

~The first 5 and last 5 stitches of every pattern row is in seed stitch. ALWAYS.  When a pattern says to knit across the row, this means the pattern stitches in between the first and last 5 stitches.  It is a good idea to use stitch markers to mark these stitches so you'll know when to switch from border, to pattern, back to border.

EXAMPLE:  In Garter Steps, the pattern reads as such:
Row 1 and all right side rows (1, 3, 5, etc): Knit
This really means:
Row 1 and all right side rows (1, 3, 5, etc):  K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, knit across to last 5 stitches, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1

I will try to be more clear about this in future patterns.

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Saturday, January 22 from 11am to 4pm the West Richland Library will be hosting its 3rd Annual Knit-In
The goal is to knit or crochet hats to benefit Safe Harbor Crisis Nursery and the event is free!
You can follow the link for more information

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February's book is Falling Leaves by Adeline Mah

Amazon.com Review:

Snow White's stepmother looks like a pussycat compared to the monster under which Adeline Yen Mah suffered. The author's memoir of life in mainland China and--after the 1949 revolution--Hong Kong is a gruesome chronicle of nonstop emotional abuse from her wealthy father and his beautiful, cruel second wife. Chinese proverbs scattered throughout the text pithily covey the traditional world view that prompted Adeline's subservience. Had she not escaped to America, where she experienced a fulfilling medical career and a happy marriage, her story would be unbearable; instead, it's grimly fascinating: Falling Leaves is an Asian Mommie Dearest. 

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February's patterns will be posted on or around the 1st of February.  

Pictures to come next week!  You can still email me a picture of your swatch up until the end of the month, and I'll post it on this blog!