Ever had it that you started one project and then another suggestion came your way and you switched in midstream? That was what I did this past Friday. We had company from Ontario, Tom and Helen. Tom was one of Jim's roommates in college and we two couples have kept our relationship going ever since, emailing occasionally and, even less occasionally visiting each other in person.
This is the project I had started: a sock for the youngest granddaughter, using the 1 ounce of "Tie Dye" yarn from my last sock project and some plain purple to stretch it out to sock length. I plan to use the purple for the toe, heel and ribbing and alternating rows of tie dye and purple for the body of the sock. Although the gauge on the label is the same, the purple is fractionally less in bulk than the tie dye and that is giving a few minor problems at the change between needles. I think that discrepancy will mostly disappear when I block the sock.
I plan to use the "After Thought Heel," a process by which you knit a simple tube with toe and ribbing and then remove one row of stitching on the sole at the appropriate place, pick up the stitches on either side and knit the heel as an after thought. That way the first sock can be knit until there's just .5 ounce of yarn left and then finished off with the purple. There's a good video of that process on the net.
Then Helen mentioned that she could never find a scarf for Tom that could be wrapped around his neck a few times. Well! Mention that to a knitter and she's off to the races.
I bought two related colours of acrylic yarn (she wants to be able to wash the scarf easily in the machine) and started experimenting. When I knit without a pattern, which I usually do, the beginning is a series of experimental starts until I settle on an idea. I wanted this scarf to be the same on either front or back, and so a "basket weave" seemed to be a good idea.
Cast on 30 stitches. First Row: Knit 5, Purl 5, repeat to end of row. Second Row: knit the knits, purl the purls. Repeat for 6 rows. Next row: Purl the knits and knit the purls. Follow that setting for 6 rows and switch again.
I'm using DPNs to facilitate switching yarns every row. That way I can start knitting from whichever side of the row the yarn is waiting.
It's been growing at a very satisfactory rate, mostly due to the fact that I've suffered a horrendous cold since last Wednesday and wasn't able to do much else than sit, knit, read a bit and drink some coffee. Oh, and cough, blow my nose and suffer.
I must be feeling better because I'm getting restless with this regime, but I would like to knit all of the two balls of yarn into the scarf before Tom and Helen return on Friday. Think I'll make it?
This is the project I had started: a sock for the youngest granddaughter, using the 1 ounce of "Tie Dye" yarn from my last sock project and some plain purple to stretch it out to sock length. I plan to use the purple for the toe, heel and ribbing and alternating rows of tie dye and purple for the body of the sock. Although the gauge on the label is the same, the purple is fractionally less in bulk than the tie dye and that is giving a few minor problems at the change between needles. I think that discrepancy will mostly disappear when I block the sock.I plan to use the "After Thought Heel," a process by which you knit a simple tube with toe and ribbing and then remove one row of stitching on the sole at the appropriate place, pick up the stitches on either side and knit the heel as an after thought. That way the first sock can be knit until there's just .5 ounce of yarn left and then finished off with the purple. There's a good video of that process on the net.
Then Helen mentioned that she could never find a scarf for Tom that could be wrapped around his neck a few times. Well! Mention that to a knitter and she's off to the races.
I bought two related colours of acrylic yarn (she wants to be able to wash the scarf easily in the machine) and started experimenting. When I knit without a pattern, which I usually do, the beginning is a series of experimental starts until I settle on an idea. I wanted this scarf to be the same on either front or back, and so a "basket weave" seemed to be a good idea.
Cast on 30 stitches. First Row: Knit 5, Purl 5, repeat to end of row. Second Row: knit the knits, purl the purls. Repeat for 6 rows. Next row: Purl the knits and knit the purls. Follow that setting for 6 rows and switch again.
I'm using DPNs to facilitate switching yarns every row. That way I can start knitting from whichever side of the row the yarn is waiting.
It's been growing at a very satisfactory rate, mostly due to the fact that I've suffered a horrendous cold since last Wednesday and wasn't able to do much else than sit, knit, read a bit and drink some coffee. Oh, and cough, blow my nose and suffer.
I must be feeling better because I'm getting restless with this regime, but I would like to knit all of the two balls of yarn into the scarf before Tom and Helen return on Friday. Think I'll make it?
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