Not Everyone Knows Everything, Especially Me

There are a couple of knitting projects I want to get started with...and I am frustrated with the instructions in Interweave Knits. I guess they think everyone who reads their magazine and wants to knit their patterns is a very advanced knitter. Without having grandma next door or advanced and generous knitting buddies, how the heck do you figure things out?

Paul would remind me at this point that whenever I rant and rave like this I always end up figuring it out in the end. But why does it need to be so frustrating? Would it kill them to say something like "This project is worked starting at the bottom tip of the wrap with increases until it is at its full width. The edging is picked up and knitted on afterwards." And how about a drawing of the finished item? Sometimes it is very hard to tell from the pictures! It would also help if they put a skill level required rating on each project.

My latest frustration is with a tweed beret in the new issue. It starts on double pointed needles with only 8 stitches and you increase around and around which is something I've done before, no problem. But they are saying you need to put a marker after every stitch and use those as your markers for increases and that all seems to be way fussier than it needs to be. I'd go to my local yarn store but I bought the yard on e-bay so they might not be too hip on helping me. (I rarely buy yarn at yarn stores...)

In other crafty news I have felted a couple sweaters purchased at Goodwill and am going to turn them into handbags for a few of the gals for Xmas gifts.