First Swatch and musings

So, here is my first swatch for Master Level 1 in the TKGA. As you can see, it's a k2p2 rib, followed by an increase and a length of garter stitch.

I've decided to use this opportunity to try out new stitches, and already I've found a cast-on that I like a lot better than the traditional long-tail slingshot method.

I cast on using the "knit-on" method, where you make a slip knot, then knit into that stitch (leaving the slip knot on the left needle), and place the new stitch next to the slip knot. You continue this way, knit, place on left needle, until you have the required number of cast-on stitches. It's very stretchy, and doesn't distort the beginning edge of the piece the way that a too-tight long-tail can if you're not careful.

I was waffling over starting my swatches all week. I spent a lot of time reading the Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques and Vogue's Ultimate Knitting Book, trying to absorb every snippet of information that I could. And then I realized: I could be the most well-read, best educated knitter in the world, and if I didn't practice, my hands would never learn what my brain had acquired. Most of the time, my hands seem to operate independently of my conscious mind when I knit. This is true of most knitters. It's only when I'm actively following a pattern or learning a new technique that my brain and hands work together. So, I have to DO the stitches to transfer the knowledge from my head to hands. Duh, right?

So I started. :) I used the "Make One" (M1) increase on the last row of ribbing, knitting this increase between the knit stitches. The first three ribs, I did a right-cross M1, and the last two ribs I used the left-cross M1 to balance the increases. The right-crosses are less visible than the left-crosses, but I'm going to see how it turns out after I've washed and blocked it. It may relax and be fine, and if it isn't, then I'll just knit another one.