Cautiously Optomistic

I kept knitting on the Psychedelic Shawlette yesterday afternoon and got pretty far, almost to where the decreases start piling up faster, and I think I might be okay with matching up the remaining stitches and remaining yarn.  As long as I don't run into any more %#$^& knots.





After supper I picked up the Starfish Dishcloth and got into the last wedge before I pooped out and had to go to bed.









The other night I got to turn the first corner of I-cord edging on my Bandwagon Afghan.  I only knit a few stitches past the corner because I need to pick up more edge stitches but I think I might just go back and add another detached row of I-cord so that the corner turns a bit more tidily.  I'm all about the tidy.  Most of the time.  Except when I'm not.



 


Look at the trees!  I just noticed that they're sparkling with ice.  Pretty.

A Knot, Dammit

Yesterday afternoon I got to the halfway point of the little scarf/shawlette I'm knitting.  Last night after our steak dinner out with friends I picked it up to add a few rows, only to discover one of those "extra yarnover" holes in it about 8 rows back.  Gah!  So I frogged back to the boo-boo because it was in with the ssk (slip-slip-knits) and the yo (yarn-over) so I couldn't just drop down a couple stitches and crochet hook the column back up.  Dammit.

It's been pretty quiet here at the dive shop today so I got back to the halfway point today and started working my way back down to a single stitch.  I'm concerned that I'll run short of yarn so I was less than thrilled to find a tiny little knot in the yarn which meant that I had to untie it and waste a few inches of yarn.  Now I find myself knitting faster so that I finish the pattern before I run out of yarn.  That never works, it doesn't even make logical sense, but that doesn't stop my subconscious into goading my fingers to KNIT FASTER, HURRY, HURRY.

I'm liking how this is looking and I'm eager to finish the scarf so I can put on the black ruffle on the slanted edges, another reason to knit, KNIT LIKE THE WIND.  (ooh, that subconscious voice can get so annoying)

I'll Be Edging Forever **

Or maybe just until it's too warm to sit with a wool afghan on my lap.  On Saturday I watched a couple three YouTube videos about attached I-cord.  I liked Cat Bordhi's video for explaining the process and showing it clearly but she works with yarn already attached where she starts.  Then I remembered that another YouTube video showed a lady picking up edge stitches with a long circular needle on the edge of a baby blanket.  So I put the two together and set off.  I started an inch down from a corner and I started with about 3" of neutral, then I grabbed one of the skeins I used to knit the crosses and kept going.  I plan to use all four cross yarns putting a bit of neutral between them to give the eye a spot to rest.  I did this much on Saturday night.

On Sunday night I knitted on the Psychedelic Shawlette to where it says to start shaping the point.  I'm down to 2.25 oz. from 3.5 oz. and there're 36 rows for the point increase, then, I'm assuming, 36 opposite point decrease rows, and the regular decrease rows, so I'm following the pattern as written.  I'll deal with any leftover yarn later.  (See, I was hoping to have figured out these pattern and yarn combos pretty tightly to cut down on leftovers.  We shall see, won't we?)  I'm excited to see the colors mix and blend and I'm anxious to finish the body and start on the black ruffle on the angled edges.  I'm liking it.  A lot.

But first I want to finish off this Dotty Dishcloth today.


** Done by 1 PM.

I Got To Cast On!

Remember that I said that I had to get the afghan blocks joined before casting on one of my "singles" projects?  Well, I worked and worked at work and at home and got all 12 Bandwagon afghan blocks attached to each other yesterday afternoon.  I went downstairs to gather up the remnants of the 4 cross yarns to use for the i-cord edging (I'm thinking of putting an inch or so of one of the neutrals between the colors on the edge),

and get the needles & dig out a skein of black wool to make the After the Rain shawlette.  I cast it on, decided I didn't like the way the edges were looking, and ripped it right out.  I started again, slipping the edge stitches purlwise, and doing the increase (using the easiest, the ol' knit front & back) in the second stitch.  I knit on it exclusively at Friday Night Knitting and see how far I got?  I was smart and weighed the skein before I started the second time so that when I reach where it says to work the point I can weigh what I have left and keep going if there's way more than half of the yarn left.

Evidently I'm evolving as a knitter because I backed up and made some decisions about how I want to make this pattern MY WAY.  This is going to look awesome with a black ruffle knitted on the edges, I can't wait to see it.

I'm No Competition

I'm speaking to knitting designers.  It took me two full days of knitting, frogging, cussing, and a little thinking to make this 5" by 6" dishcloth.  It's got a fish on it but you can barely tell what it is.  I don't think I'll be designing something again, but I'm glad I did it.  VJ challenged us to chart a design and then knit is at the January Knitting Guild meeting.  Since I rarely ignore a challenge I plunged in.  First I was just knitting an outline (top photo) but that didn't work, so I ripped out to the green and started over making a solid fish.  That sort of worked, but not really.  We need dishcloths anyway since our supply is wearing out so it'll have a nice home at the sink but, nope, not gonna design anything again.  Evidently I don't have a conceptual brain.



Aside from the design challenge, I seem to be fixated on knitting or crocheting dishcloths lately.  I guess because they're relatively quick and easy and you get a payoff with a small effort.  This one's supposed to have a pseudo-cable on it but it looks pretty darned flat to me.  Oh well, I've got a bag of leftover cotton so I'm knitting it up and this one calls for holding 2 together so it'll go faster.  Besides, HZ asked me for some dishcloths so she'll have some to pick from on Feb. 9 at the next family supper.

DD, I don't know why I'm avoiding a second go at a crocheted net scrubbie but I swear (cross my heart) I'll pick it up today.  Promise.

Charts

The January program at Bay Lakes Knitting Guild was how to read and make knitting charts.  Charts are a graphic way to write out a knitting pattern that are especially helpful with complex designs.  VJ, the prez and presenter, gave us each a chart blank and encouraged us to quickly design something that could be knitted into a dishcloth.  Naturally, I drew a fish, and last night I decided to get some graph paper and see about figuring out how to knit what I drew.  So far I've only had to rip it out once, so I think I'm doing well.  I did discover that I'm doing it backwards.  I mean the flat, stockinette part is on what I thought was the Wrong Side, which means that the design will be facing right instead of left.  Oh well,  I'm going to keep going as I am, get it all written out, see how the design looks, and then figure out how to turn the whole thing around.




At Friday Night Knitting I crocheted another Short Row dishcloth.  Well, I got it all done except for sewing the beginning and end together, and single crocheting around the edge.  Ooh, I should have made a little chain to use for a loop.  Oh well.

Finishing Continues

Yesterday I had actual work to do at work so I was forced to finish the last Bandwagon Afghan block at home after supper.  I laid them out in the living room and think the afghan's going to look great.  The pattern calls for applied I-cord edging.  I need to watch a few more YouTube videos about how to do it before I decide whether I'm doing it or not... but I probably will.

When I laid them out I was sad to see that I'd forgotten to weave in the tails on one of the blocks.  *sigh*  It's always better to weave them in as you go along.  One day I might even learn how to knit them in as I go.  Now wouldn't that be good?