330 stitches

330 stitches, well, 226 stitches and one increase row to go. I finally returned to knitting my re-gagued tangled yoke cardigan, so today there is some progress on that, and I made a start on a lace shawl - with lots of questions and some answers. And a book has tempted me, a pattern book at that ... I've made pancakes, cleaned up, taken big cub for a walk around the reservoir, taken big cub to birthday party, taken little cub to gym class, bought big cub some hiking boots and socks, tidied house, and so here we are - blog time.



Tangled Yoke Cardigan, I started this way back in April, 4th of April, and went fine, then got to the bit where I had to switch from going in to fit the waist, to going back out to fit the bust. For some reason I had done some preliminary sums, but not worked out the increase rate ... and I fudged the first 3-4 cms, then abandoned it. I didn't stop knitting, in fact I knit 8 hats, 4 pairs of mitts, 2 baby blankets, 1 pair of baby booties, 2 scarves, 1 hooded bsj, and 1 shawl. Thats a pretty sizable set of distractions.


Friday - I got out my notebook, did some maths, started knitting this cardie again, and now I'm nearly at the under-arm. The increase rate isn't constant from waist to bust because of that little fudgey bit when I knit past the waist with no real plan to guide me, but bodies are not evenly increased from waist to bust - so its going to work just fine, maybe even better than evenly distributed increases would.


And here I am, at 226 stitches, and 31.75cm (or 317.5mm as I should write - body measurements are officially meant to be recorded in mm for those of us who work in the anthropometric side of things). 2 more plain rows, then the final increase row bringing my total to 330 stitches, work plain until I'm at 37 cm (370mm) and I can start some sleeves. I'm thinking two at once, or at least the section above the rib, just to keep the two the same. I mean its been abandoned before, so it could happen again.



But the reason I took out my stalled Tangled Yoke cardigan was because I got to a natural break in the swatching for my next lace project .... Eunny Jangs Print o the wave stole. I'm knitting this on the larger suggested 3.5mm needles, using a merino, possum silk blend. Its on a cone, so it will bloom a bit, but there should be no joins - imagine that! The lace is knitting up a little less open than I imagined, but ... I will wait for the blocking before I change needle sizes. I love the deep rich red, which isn't captured here accurately at all.

I have questions about the pattern, EJ writes to knit first and last stitches on the right side, and purl on the reverse. Except when they are ssk'd. I wondered if slipping the first stitches would be a neater way to to go. I posted a query on Ravelry ... and following advice worked out that if I slip - I won't have enough separate stitches to pick up to work the border. I'm working a full swatch, 2 repeats wide, 4 repeats long, and plan to graft a second swatch to it, then pick up and knit the two step boarder ... maybe that is a bit OTT? Still I'm a relative novice at lace, and piecing it together and I'd rather stuff up a 42 stitch wide swatch than a full stole.

.... and the book? -Well I've ordered Knitting Classic Style by Veronik Avery (photos by Sara Cameron), cause I borrowed it from the library and I really don't want to give it back .... and I don't buy pattern books usually. I'm a technique book kind-a-gal, so this must have really appealed. You know it was when she made a tubular scarf that echoed Elizabethan collars look really modern yet classic, and referencing M Vionette and Claire McCardell, and making skatie tops and long sleeved tees that I want to knit .... well I was tempted and gave in.

ok - take care
I'm down to two working projects, lace swatching and tangling alpaca ... so I'll go and do that while you go knit on something that you enjoy - cause its a hobby, its meant to be fun!
na stella