Happy Birthday Me!

Hooray! It's my 21st birthday! I couldn't be happier. I just got back from breakfast with my mom and sister. It was delicious and made me so happy. :) I've been trying to come up with something to mention, but after talking with my darling sister, Emily, I have decided to talk about binding (casting) off. Binding off is wicked easy. I always forget how to do it though. It's one of those essential skills that I use so infrequently. Maybe it's because I make lots of blankets, or because it takes me forever to finish anything. As soon as I look it up though, it comes rushing back. There are a bunch of different ways to bind off based on what you're doing, but I'm going to start with the easiest. I haven't really tried any of the other kinds simply because I didn't really know about them, and I never really had the need to learn them. I hit up the net, and I found what appears to be a very promising site called knittinghelp.com. It has actual video of all the different bind offs. If you can't be bothered to check it out, here is my own description of the binding off procedure.

First, knit two stitches just like you have been.


Next, pull the bottom stitch over the top one and off the end of the needle.

Knit the next stitch, then repeat the second step.

When you get to the last two stitches, pulled the bottom over and off the top, just like you have been.

Leaving a nice long tail (you'll go back later and weave this piece through so no one knows it ever existed), cut the yarn. Next, slip the end through your last remaining loop. Pull it tight and you're all set!

On that note, it's time for the pattern of the day!
Today's pattern is insanely easy, and really nifty. This would make a awesome looking scarf. It's the two by two rib, and it looks like this:

Two by two rib
Cast on in multiples of 4.
Row 1- k2,p2
Repeat 'til you're done!

I'm certain that you could easily make you ribs wider. I realize that it would no longer be a 2x2 rib, but it would still look sick. To make your ribs wider, just add more knit stitches. Of course, this means you'd need change your multiples. Say you wanted to make your ribs just a bit wider, just add one more knit, so you'd knit 3, purl 2, then you'd have to cast on in multiples of 5. You could change the purls too. Just keep messing around with it until you're pleased with the dimensions. I just like to think about how rockin' a scarf with some nifty looking stripes going from top to bottom.