Complaining is part of swatching, dear
In a decision which shows I have no sense at all, I asked for (and received) this Japanese knitting book for Christmas. It's got a cardigan in it that the good folks blogging at Crossed in Translation (www.crossedintranslation.com) are knitting. I'm knitting it too, but I'm not posting on the blog, because my posts would go like this:
"What the hell, I can't read Japanese! What are all these fish-shaped thingers on my cable charts? Why are the fish swimming in a sea of hyphens? Where's the first line of the chart?! Damnation!"
Instead, I'm soaking up the knowledge of smarter knitters than I, and mucking on through. I've been trying to find a yarn to use that shows the cables well, with little success. Now that the Fool has shown me how to actually "purl through the back loop," rather than the wack-ass thing I was doing - "knitting backwards through the back loop," maybe, or just "purling weirdly through the back loop," or "Wrong, wrong, all wrong," - I'm hoping for better luck with the swatching.
But two nights ago, I was sitting and knitting and muttering to myself, when the Fool said, "You know, you could give up."
I tell you, it was like the part in a Western when the bad guy comes in through the swinging saloon doors and a hush falls over the bar.
Give up?
Two sticks and a ball of yarn, and he suggested I give up? There are a lot of other things I do that I'd be happy to give up first. Flossing. Running. Bananas.
But not this.
I am not giving up. I might be a gibbering idiot, reduced to garter stitch fun fur scarves by the end of it, but I'm not giving up.
I mean, it's only a sweater. How hard can this be?
In less fraught-with-complicated-twisty-stitches news, I finished the Jaywalker socks. They're all the rage among some bloggers, and they were fun to knit and I think they showed off the yarn stripes very well.
But ... but, but, but .... the stitch pattern does something to the sizing of the sock that I don't understand. Despite the number of stitches on the needles, the Fool has to grunt and mutter to get the socks on over his gigantic heel. I have high hopes for washing.
Here they are:
This is a closeup of the stitch pattern (try to ignore the drunken Jaywalking that happened when I cast on to knit these socks in a dark car en route to a contra dance weekend - don't ask; seemed like a good idea at the time.)
Here they are, fully deployed on the Fool's feet.
I knit them on two Addi Turbo #1s, out of Regia Strato Color, #5741 (I think.)
"What the hell, I can't read Japanese! What are all these fish-shaped thingers on my cable charts? Why are the fish swimming in a sea of hyphens? Where's the first line of the chart?! Damnation!"
Instead, I'm soaking up the knowledge of smarter knitters than I, and mucking on through. I've been trying to find a yarn to use that shows the cables well, with little success. Now that the Fool has shown me how to actually "purl through the back loop," rather than the wack-ass thing I was doing - "knitting backwards through the back loop," maybe, or just "purling weirdly through the back loop," or "Wrong, wrong, all wrong," - I'm hoping for better luck with the swatching.
But two nights ago, I was sitting and knitting and muttering to myself, when the Fool said, "You know, you could give up."
I tell you, it was like the part in a Western when the bad guy comes in through the swinging saloon doors and a hush falls over the bar.
Give up?
Two sticks and a ball of yarn, and he suggested I give up? There are a lot of other things I do that I'd be happy to give up first. Flossing. Running. Bananas.
But not this.
I am not giving up. I might be a gibbering idiot, reduced to garter stitch fun fur scarves by the end of it, but I'm not giving up.
I mean, it's only a sweater. How hard can this be?
In less fraught-with-complicated-twisty-stitches news, I finished the Jaywalker socks. They're all the rage among some bloggers, and they were fun to knit and I think they showed off the yarn stripes very well.
But ... but, but, but .... the stitch pattern does something to the sizing of the sock that I don't understand. Despite the number of stitches on the needles, the Fool has to grunt and mutter to get the socks on over his gigantic heel. I have high hopes for washing.
Here they are:
This is a closeup of the stitch pattern (try to ignore the drunken Jaywalking that happened when I cast on to knit these socks in a dark car en route to a contra dance weekend - don't ask; seemed like a good idea at the time.)
Here they are, fully deployed on the Fool's feet.
I knit them on two Addi Turbo #1s, out of Regia Strato Color, #5741 (I think.)
Comments
You say you were worrying because you were doing everything backwards . . . my advice is, if it works then do it anyway possible. I know that I do all kinds of really weird things when I knit . . . but somehow it gets done and it looks okay. I don't think there is a right and wrong way to do things.
The Jaywalkers have disappeared, so I can't measure the gauge for you right now, Kenny. I'll ransack the laundry later.
I cast on 64 sts for the rib (I found it flared) then inc to the # needed for the pattern and knit less tight. They are fine and I'm almost done the second one. Hearing that other experienced knitters have had some hurdles with this pattern really makes me feel better!!
I wanted to do the Crossed in Translation & even ordered the magazine, but I wanted to do the FLAK too. I had to choose, so I'm a FLAKer who yearns to be CiT. So many patterns ... I can't wait to see pics of your CiT!!
I just finished my Jaywalkers and am starting some for my tiny daughter right now! Mine are cuff down, ankle socks, so it doesn't matter that they are a little loose.
Thanks to your awesome tip to the knitting help videos about cable needle provisional cast on, the babyjays are toe up, so THANKS!