Making Knitters out of Friends

When I was in Philly I was fortunate enough to make a lot of knitting friends. I miss them. In NYC I haven't had the time to join any sort of knitting circle (although I'd like to) and I only have one close friend who is also a knitter. So I have to make my current friends in to knitters. And this Sunday I did just that.

A very good friend of mine from college knows how to knit, because she was taught by her grandmother, but doesn't knit often and doesn't know much beyond knit and purl. About a year-and-a-half ago she bought some yarn to make a hat with and she's been bugging me to help her with it for the last couple of months or so (although she kept forgetting to bring it with her when we met up). She did remember to bring it with her on Sunday, when we got together at my local B&N. And when I saw it, I must admit I laughed. It was gigantic. Really gigantic. My friend is not a small girl, but it was clearly not going to fit her. I asked her how many stitches she'd cast-on and she had no idea, I counted, she had 162. In worsted weight, on size 8 needles. I told her that there was no way we were going to be able to fix it with the amount of yarn she had left over (if there had been more we might have been able to felt it) and so she bit the bullet and starting ripping. We then adjourned to my apartment where I measured her gauge and her head and figured out how many stitches she should have cast on. About 100. She started in a 2X2 rib and had a couple of rows done when she had to go. Two days later I got this photo (as well as several with her wearing it - it fits!)



And now she says that for her next project she want to make...SOCKS!

I win.