Sometime Last Week

under cover of cold rain and fog, Spring snuck in. Today the sun came out with high wisps of cloud in a true blue sky and the first of the crocus are blooming in the yard.

Doubling Down

Warning, if you are not a knitting technique geek, you might as well skip this post. I'm still attempting to conquer two color double knitting.

I decided the most sensible thing to do would be to start with the first learning project in the book*. This is supposed to be a coaster or a hot pad, depending on gauge. My results actually fall somewhere between those two items in size, but that is the least of my concerns at this point.

Why do I keep thinking that, just because I grasp the concept perfectly well, my fingers will cooperate?

I worked the first third carrying two yarns at a time per the directions. The concept isn't that hard. With both yarns at the back, knit the first stitch in the color you want to show on the front side. Bring both yarns to the front and purl the next stitch in the other color. Repeat across.

It doesn't help that the borders are worked with only one color, meaning that you have to remember to twist the yarns - like intarsia - where the two-yarn center meets single-yarn edge. My yarns were twisting so thoroughly in the center section that you might expect this to happen automatically. You would be wrong.

After painfully working my way through the bottom section of the heart, I realized that it would be entirely possible to achieve the same results working with just one yarn at a time. First work color A slipping the stitches to be worked in B. Don't turn, just slide back so the stitches are in position to pick up color B and start knitting. (Fortunately I was working on a circular needle, so I could do this.) Then work color B, slipping the stitches that have just been worked in Color A. Then turn the work and proceed in the same fashion for the second row of the chart. Of course, this means making two passes to work one row. Oddly, it didn't seem any slower than fumbling with two yarns at a time. I did still keep forgetting to twist when I got to the border, but my tension was smoother. I think this approach has promise.

In either case, one has to remember that the "main color" and "contrast color" (or "pattern" and "background" colors) switch every time the work is turned. In my experience so far, sometimes one actually does remember this and sometimes one doesn't. Sometimes one reverses the colors part way through a row. Sometimes one is a little confused as to where in the chart one is.

I made a chart for a smaller piece, without the single color borders. I have an idea how to lock the layers together at the side edges that is a bit crude but should be effective enough. My jaw is set. My will is determined. Onward!

* the book is Double Knitting: Reversible Two-Color Designs by M'Lou Baber. Her garments are works of art.

Just Noodling

Sometimes, when I've finished one project and I'm casting about in my mind for a new one, I like to just swatch stitch patterns. This one is from a series of "translations" of patterns from The Art of Knitting, 1897 done by Cindy Moore. They can be found at her Fitter Knitter website.

This one is almost but not quite symmetrical in the eyelet arrangement. To my eye, there's a nice little swing or lilt to it.

Dear Karen,

Thank you for dropping off the book for me to borrow. I'm sorry to say that the cat ate it.

Well, not all of it. Just several pages, and some goodish bits of the cover. The book was in the dining room, Mr S. was in the kitchen. He heard strange noises and rushed to investigate; but, alas, the damage was done.

The cat's motive is unknown. Up to the time of this incident he had not been known to have attacked a book, only paper bags, and tissue paper, and the shredded toilet paper rolls. Maybe the toilet paper rolls should have been a tip off. Perhaps it is time for a closer examination of the book shelves and magazine rack. Unfortunately, he (the cat) appears to be unrepentant and has failed to respond to questioning.

I have ordered a replacement copy. It should be here by the end of the month.

Most Sincerely Yours,

Cindy

A Fun Evening

We went to Madison yesterday for dinner with some old friends. Barb and Marty used to live just down the street, and we miss them a lot, so it was a real treat to get together. Added bonus, we got to see their beautiful granddaughter. Extra special treat for me, said granddaughter's Mom is a fairly new, very enthusiastic and adventurous knitter, so we got to happily compare notes and talk shop. It is so gratifying to find a new sister knitter.

*****

Note to Kate (hi Kate!), I was really pleasantly surprised by the blocking results and think it's worth trying. Before I did it, I went to the Ravelry forums, did a search on "killing acrylic" and read through the discussions, which provided helpful information. Key information: there is no turning back. That is, once the fiber is heat set you can't return it to it's original condition. So experiment on a swatch, start with lower heat and less steam and work your way up.

Well Golly!

Steam blocking a/k/a "killing" acrylic really does work.

I took Elizabeth's very good advice and practiced on a swatch first, then moved to the real thing. It was still slightly unnerving, hovering a steaming iron over the piece, If the iron had actually touched the fabric it would have been melty goo and a ruined project. I worked a section at a time, standing at the ironing board, smoothing out a section and lightly steaming it, then pinning a bit more stretched and giving it some good hearty shots.

It grew considerably in size. I don't know how much (if any) of that was actual stretching of the fiber and how much was just the lace opening up.

It was an interesting experiment.

Now, as for what I might do for the third shawl of the year, I haven't a clue.