Birds do it, bees do it...

Well, actually, they don't. But now I can say that I do...

Steek, that is! Yep, I knit for years and yet managed to avoid steeking -- the "cutting of the cloth" that many knitters dread. I didn't actively avoid it, and never really thought of it as something scary. I simply never steeked, because the patterns I used didn't call for it.

But, in March, Meghan, the genius behind the addictive Stitch It! Podcast (if you don't already listen, you should!), issued a challenge to all her listeners and Ravelry group members...kind of a contest, which you entered by cutting a piece of knitting -- a sweater, scarf, or swatch. As long as you could show "before and after" photos.

So I grabbed a swatch I made from the Cottage Craft yarn I mentioned in my last post. It's very rustic and "grabby," so I didn't worry about crocheting or sewing to hold the steeked part together.

In fact, I just cut it in half -- liberating! -- took a picture, then wadded it up and threw it in my sewing box. And it's still in perfect shape, not at all unraveled.

The moral of the story? If there's something knitting-related (or related to anything you like to do) that you've put off doing -- don't put it off any longer! It really, really feels good to try something new.

Now, on to that cardigan I've been planning...Maybe I'll just knit it in the round and steek it!!!

Birds do it, bees do it...