My fingers have been itching for some shawl knitting, so I picked up my Narrow EscapeĀ and continued on the third wedge of garter short rows.
I love the difference between not just form, but also texture and color in this shawl. You could easily do it all in one color, and still have the motif stand out due to the mini-skein/short-row sections being in garter stitch.
I canāt say itās a small shawl, when it uses 800-900m of fingering weight (Iām on the third of five wedges!), but the short-rows are like popcorn, and the stockinette just seems to grow under my fingers. Itās perfect reading or watching knitting.
And of course, itās a very good to do with my pup on my lap as I rest and keep busy. Sheās very good about staying out of the way while letting me knit!
I always have socks on the needles. It means warm feet & a socially acceptable stim.
I started these socks over the weekend knowing I had several appointments this week. I use a medical ride company, Logisticare, and often spend quite a while in transit (since we have to pick up other patients) or waiting for my ride, and I see no point in wasting that time when I could be working on socks or a simple shawl.
Most of the increasing was done on Monday, and yesterday I did about half an inch. I knit a bit faster when Iām nervous, even when Iām being careful of my gauge. The last socks I took off the needles are just a titch tighter than Iād prefer.
Have I mentioned that only six months ago did my state decide to let Medicaid patients get transition services? And no one really even knows what that means. So far, HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) has been going through without issue from a pretty firm set of providers (Iām going to Planned Parenthood, who seems to be the ones covering my area) and sometimes even surgery has been approved.
It took a little bit to get my appointment, because they were moving their office, but I did finally go in yesterday. Because of my āinteresting/complicatedā medical history, the doctor I saw there has to send my paperwork (and the records they obtain from my PCP) to the medical director. My most recent blood draw should be within tolerance (that is, they shouldnāt have to take more, even though that wouldnāt bother me). Sometime within the next two weeks, theyāll let me know if itāsĀ safe for me to go on testosteroneāthey work on a medical basis onlyābut they also always work towards aĀ yes.
I had told them going in that my two biggest concerns were 1) would MaineCare cover it, and 2) would my vEDS be too much of a barrier. They were not worried about MaineCare at all, and are not overly worried about the vEDS.
I have socks to work on, a shawl thatās calling my name, my knitting machine wants me to play with it (I keep telling it I donāt have weights yet, but itās impatient), and my pup just wants me to stay on the couch and cuddle her on this very, very rainy day.
Last night I decided to finish my āroundā (really the second halves of two socks) even though it was late. I wanted to have less than ten rounds of colorwork to go.
Hubris. I was tired and didnāt count properly and missed two stitches of the Opal (the lighter color). So this morning Iām ātinkingā (tink is knit backward) to my mistake point to fix it. I could have done duplicate stitch afterwards, but that wouldnāt feel the same to me. But un-floating all of these floats is a very good motivator to be more careful & alert from now on!
I actually started these socks a year ago this month. I got the feet, heels, and part of the cuff done, and then I started my āprojectāāmy first colorwork. I grabbed an open rightās beginnerās cross-stitch (or maybe shrink bead) pattern, cut four balls of yarn, and got to work. (Experienced knitters are facepalming, here.)
I got nine rows in, dragging the Yarn B (Opal 6-strand) back to the beginning (while faithfully catching the floats going the correct way) before I stopped in pure, unadulterated frustration. I knew I was doing it wrong, and I could see the right way. But nine rows of 2mm needles, while Yarn A is Bearfoot (a yarn with 25% mohair!)… the impending frogging was intimidating. I put it off. For 11 months. Iām a bit ashamed.
The frogging wasnāt even that bad, nor was getting it back on the needles. The colorwork is two rows higher than before. Somehow I doubt it will be noticed.
Making socks is when Iām glad I wear an EU 36. š
I took the balls and Russian joined the ones from each sock (waste not, want not), and on a fresh round started the colorwork again, this time carrying the Opal around the entire sock, picking up the alternating strands as I went. This actually went faster, the outside work looked neater, and the inside! Well. Iām not worried about catching my toes anymore, and that was a major concern previously. I am a bit worried about tension, that I may not have left enough looseness to the strands, but Iāve been trying since the beginning, so thatās either 1) worry-worting, or 2) something to practice.
Yes, the inside of the sock, I am unashamed.
Those 27 rows of doubled yarn will keep that part of my leg much more warm! Thatās a good bit of the point of colorwork.
Iām currently ācatchingā strands simply by hooking them behind each other. I know that there are more involved, intricate ways, but this is doing the job well, and is quick and simple. Maybe the other versions donāt allow the strands to tighten up? Thatās something Iāll have to look into for next time.
For now, does anyone have an idea of what the final design is?
Iāve been out of the loop for a while, and thatās for rather good reason. The very next time someone tells me I should use my fiber arts to set up an Etsy shop, Iām going to point them to this blog to show them why itās a terrible idea. Health issues and home-run businesses do not tend to mix well.
Rowing in the blue
Lost Yarn Chicken!
But back to what weāre here for. As you can see, I lost my game of Yarn Chicken and had to go grab another skein that was spun single. Itās a titch thicker than the original yarn, but since it was for the crown I wasnāt too worried about it. If thereās anywhere you want to be warmer and thicker…
Rowed out + stitch marker
Moving to DPNs one stitch at a time
As you can see, the gauge held pretty close. I was chuffed.
Then came the decreases, and with them, the eventual move to double-pointed needles (DPNs). My DPNs are square, aluminum, and generally awesome. The shape makes them less tiring, and theyāre nicely pointed with a lace shoulder. I know some people prefer their work on 3 needles, but Iām a 4 needle, knit with the fifth type.
Then wash in Euclan (because itās a gift and who wants to wear something that has slid through your fingers, really?), and block to show off the cables.
So many pins!
This is actually the second stage of blocking, I did the first flat, but I forgot to take pictures. š¦ Ā You can see how I hold the cable in place with the pins, then open up the purl detail with pins on the border…
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All in all, Iām really happy with how the hat came out. I had fun playing with cables combined with short rows in a non-threatening projectāseriously, if cables are a thing youāre scared of, this a great pattern, dropping down to fix cables here is easyāand itās an interesting enough knit to keep you from being bored. Thereās not enough moss stitch to get irritating, but you still get the cred for doing it, and it looks amazing.
Now back to the socks that have taken over my life. You should see a post tomorrow!
Iām very careful about reading patterns & charts, because Iām both a process and product knitter and hooker, and I want the final product to look right. I even swatch (although I only wash swatches for sweatersāunwashed swatching is good enough for hats and shawls).
So I just spent a merry half an hour counting stitches on the left needle and consulting the chart of the hat Iām working on, and I could find no way to make it work except by starting with a purl instead of a knit in moss stitch, and this made no sense (as the previous row both started and ended on the correct stitch, and there were the correct number of stitches from the stitch marker).
I decide to start with a purl, pick up my circs, and see Iād already done the first knit stitch. To lock in that stitch marker, as you do.
Front view of hatānote how the curve is coming along!
Iāve been working on my Urban Aran HatĀ between messing around with my exhaust system and running around with my daily life. Iāve made some progress, but not as much as Iād hoped. Still, better than not having picked it up at all!
I knit hats on the smallest circular needles that I can. This cord is 6ā long, and the shortest this interchangeable company makes (the needles make the circ bigger, naturally). This makes the knitting easier on me, as the stitches spring around with little effort. It does make the hat seem small, even if I did cast on almost 100 stitches in Aran weight yarn!
See how all the stitches are scrunched? When I start decreasing, it will pop open!
Iām getting much more comfortable with the pattern. I donāt need the key right now (although that will change once I pass this section!), and I rarely need to remind myself how to do the stitches.
Iām still not one of those people who can just drop the two stitches and cable, although I know it would be much faster. I grab my little cable holder and keep my sanity. However, there will come a day when I will do that!
Moss stitch continues to be fun, and Iām not understanding how people get lost in it. If the stitch below and behind is a 1 or a 0, do a 0 or a 1. Itās true itās not explained that way. But maybe itās more because I knit Continental so the switch is just a finger wave. Iāve heard so many horror stories about moss stitch. Tell me yours?
Thirty more rows to go on this hat! Iām not sure if it will be one or two more postsāweāll see how fast it works up.
But how did I get that nice, flat picture without dropping stitches? Well…
Front view only looks flat from a carefully chosen angleācamera tricks are your friends.
I didnāt. Itās a very pretty optical illusion based on angle, popping out and popping in until it looked ārightā, and taking a bunch of pictures and re-doing until I had it just right. I didnāt even have to photoshop. š Never trust pictures!
This shawl gets worked on in spurts. Iāll get several segments done in a day, then the bag is left to rest for a few weeks or more with no attention, and thatās okay.
This is my travel shawl, the mostly mindless garter shawl I bring along when I know that I might be waiting a while at some appointment or waiting with one of those infernal tickets at the DMV, especially when someone has given up and left, and they call the number over & over… (I had to make a minor change to my license recently, I was glad to have the knitting!).
It also gets me the oddest looks.
So donāt expect to see this pop up often, but when it does, massive work will probably be done.
Iāve been working on this for a bit over a month, but in my defense I started in a larger size on bigger needles, and not only did it not match gauge, but halfway through the pattern I could tell I was going to be playing yarn chicken at the endāand losing.
The pattern is the delightful Urban Aran Hat by Robbie Laughlin. Itās half-chart, half-written, and for the most part pretty clear. (If youāre new to charts, or even if you arenātāthis is charted like free lace. It confused me until someone pointed that out, and then it was clear sailing.)
Iām only on row 15 of this go-round, 5 rounds past the ribbing and well into the moss stitch. I just shifted the cable over for the first time. (You may have noticed I bracketed the cable section in very plain stitch markers. I have some brain damage, and itās easier to block those off so I donāt ever mess up the count. That set will always be the cable stitch row. If you have trouble with this for any reason, feel no shame and mark it off!) That means less moss stitch, not that itās too wearing knitting continental (although I worry about losing track).
Life & Fiber 