Hi! I’ve been working away on the Arne and Carlos Quarantine Knitting project. So far I’ve managed to knit up the first two clues. I really loved the first one — both the pattern and the blue I found in the basket full of yarn I have in the studio. It looks nice with the white. I would like to try knitting the design with a thicker yarn. The yarn I’m using is a sport weight, so my “squares” are turning out to be rectangles. But I figured, if I just keep using the same yarn, they should all at least be the same size in the end. That is if that even matters! We have no idea what we’re making and that’s what makes this project so interesting!

I’ve also been getting new ideas on how I might use these designs in the future. I was thinking of some cushions for our TV room. We need some color in there. But first, I want to figure out how to make these into true squares. I think starting with some different yarn might help. But that will have to wait until I finish the KAL and some other projects I have on hold.

For the second clue, my tension was a little off, but I guess that really doesn’t matter. Someone in the FB group was worried that they’d made a mistake. Like Arne and Carlos say, this should be fun. For this project, I’ve decided to just do whatever feels good. It’s nice to get to decide on the colors, how I knit, whether I block each swatch or not. I need something I can control when everything else around me is so chaotic with the coronavirus spreading all over the world.

I found some old books and used them to block both swatches. My English-Swedish dictionary, which has come in handy over the years, and the book History of Psychology, which I really enjoyed. I am so curious to find out what it is we’re making! Aren’t you?

This project has been an incredible help for me in the last few days. I am a stressed-out person “out of the box” so it doesn’t take much to get my cortisol levels up. (This Coronavirus situation is not helping!). I think everyone needs a break from the news.

My kids will be home until mid-April. That’s the latest we heard. They are not happy about this new normal. They miss their friends and going out with them. I’m trying to stay positive and focus on all the good things we can be grateful for. It rained today. For California, that is always good news. I’ll concentrate on that, and try to figure out my third swatch color combination. Perhaps finish my audiobook. What are you all doing to cope?

I’m listening to The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett, read by Tom Hanks. I have enjoyed it a lot so far and I’m getting close to finishing. I try to listen to audiobooks while I knit, but if the pattern is complicated, some days I find that I’ve suddenly “listened” to two or three chapters and have no idea what is going on in the book. So, I may just listen to it in bed before I fall asleep tonight.

By the way, in today’s video, Arne showed how he knits with two colors. I do it way differently and apparently the wrong way according to him! I hold one color with my left hand and the other with my right hand. By doing it this way the yarns don’t get twisted. (When you reach the end of the row, you turn your work similar to how you turn it when you crochet, like the page of a book, to the left. This way the yarns never get twisted.)

I guess we all knit differently. My rule is to knit in whichever way feels most comfortable to you! For example, in my case, if I am just knitting garter stitch I may knit the Continental way, but if I’m mixing knit and purl or working cables, I’ll definitely be knitting in the way I was taught, which was the English way. So do what feels right to you. Here’s a short video of the way I hold the yarn. I don’t have the right setup to record videos, so my apologies in advance for my lack of expertise in this area. Hopefully, someone finds it helpful.

Watch this video of how I knit with two colors.

Oh, and before I forget! I had promised to tell you about some of the nearby yarn stores I know and recommend. During these uncertain times, I urge you to order your yarn online to support all the small businesses that are suffering from the current situation. Locally, Dharma Trading in San Rafael, Atelier Marin in San Anselmo, Knit House on Main in Tiburon and Cast Away Yarn Shop in Santa Rosa are some of my very favorite stores. And another store you shouldn’t miss for many types of craft supplies is Once Around in Mill Valley!

Stay healthy and talk soon!

-Gabi