Needles & hooks

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Ode to Casting On

I cast on the front of Marcel’s Sweater last night. I think casting on may be the best part of knitting. You start with nothing more than a simple strand of yarn and pretty soon, you actually have stitches. Then, after a few rows, you start to see the pattern of your stitches emerge and you get a glimpse of where the piece will go. A small amount of work grows so quickly and yields such promise. Where you had a ball of yarn when you sat down, you now have a fabric. It’s magic.

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Something New?!

I’m closing in on the end of my active projects list and I’m starting to get excited about starting new projects.

I have the Dianna sweater all ready to go, I just need to swatch up the yarn so I can figure out my gauge. But I’m trying really hard to finish a couple of other things before I plunge into it so that I can devote all my time to it. With luck, I be able to finish it and still be able to wear it this summer.

So how am I doing with the rest?

I finished the back of Marcel’s sweater this week. Now I just have the front to do. I’ll get that started tonight because I’m travelling again this week and it’s easy to take along.

The Shawl Collar sweater now has a collar. And a sleeve has been attached. I picked up the stitches I need for the cuff on that sleeve, so just a little there and then one more sleeve to attach. Then the rats nest of tails to weave in. I think I could spend a whole day just weaving in on this sweater.

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Steady progress

I’ve gotten started on Master Level 1 swatches. I have about a dozen of them done. I think I just have the cable swatches and the two color one left. Then I have to block them. And I may redo my first Stockinette one, because I did learn something about my technique that I need to apply there. More on that later, once I decide I’ve worked it out completely.

I’ve finished the front borders to the Shawl Collar Jacket and attached them, I’m now working on the collar part. A lot of k1p1 ribbing. Then I attach the sleeves and do the cuffs. A figure a week of solid nights working on it and I should be done. But I don’t have a week of solid nights coming up.

I also got the new Interweave Knits which has a sweater I’d love for work. So I have to pick yarn out for that. And maybe there is one other I’d like to make in this issue of Vogue Knitting.

I’m traveling a lot then next couple of weeks, a bunch of car trips that would be good for straightforward knitting, but not finishing anything or starting the Dianna sweater. So maybe I’ll make some good progress on Marcel. Imagine that!

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More swatches than you can shake a stick at

So I swatched up the borders last night with and without selvidge stitches and I tried the increases that the pattern suggests and either way, they look awful. The pattern recommends incresasing by knitting in front and in back of the first stitch. This breaks the line of the ribbing. Instead, I tried a few other increases and a lifted increase between the selvidge and the first rib looks much more elegant on both sides. So I frogged all 8 inches of work and redid them. I’m back to where I was yesterday morning, only now I know that it will look good when I get to the increases.

Lesson for today: Swatch, swatch, swatch.

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Patterns, grrrrr

Why do patterns have to have short hand that makes you search for important details buried in other sections? I worked about 8 inches on the borders for the sweater (both at once so they are the same length). It was supposed to be simple — the instructions say cast on 25, k1p1. But last night I read ahead a little more and find that when I’m supposed to start expanding one side, there are supposed to be selvidge stitches?! And you’re supposed to knit after the first selvidge for the knit increases? So was it really k1 (k1p1)* k2? And which side is the RS really? Why tell me it’s just k1p1 then? Did that saved space really matter?

I really did read this pattern several times before I started, but you don’t always get the nuances until you’re faced with actually working the instructions. I read an article a little while back about charting out a pattern in detail before actually working it. I’m starting to think that’s a good idea. Tonight I’ll play around with a swatch and the increase instructions to see whether I can salvage this without selvidge stitches. Grrrrrr.

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Progress

I finally finished the socks for my sister. I started them from different ends of the ball of yarn, so the stripes are reversed, but also match up. At first glance, you wouldn’t notice. At second glance, they get more interesting. When she was a kid, she had a style of wearing mis-matched socks. I think they’ll suit her just fine.

Here’s the socks:

I also finished the sleeves for the Shawl Collar jacket. I thought I never would finish the second sleeve. I had to restart it half a dozen times. I just kept making silly mistakes. But now the sleeves are done, look the same and are balanced. Next step is the collar and cuffs which is all k1p1 so it should be fast and easy.

Here’s one sleeve:

And I finally got the yarn in for my Adrienne Vittadini sweater. I think I’ll take the first step and photocopy the pattern this week but I’ll hold off starting until I finish Shawl Collar.

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