Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Look lace!

I've been crocheting lace, and I love it. I'm not really one to crochet much, I can, but there are other fibre crafts I prefer. Prefer for their look, their end result and maybe even the process - but I have been working some crochet lace and I like it. Imagine how much I will like it when it is blocked and sitting open and even more lace like?




First up is the sleeve, now it isn't finished, merely parked. I worked until I was mid way down my forearm and decided to park the live stitches until I worked out how long the ribbing was to be. I like the idea of a generous ribbing - but I don't want to run out of yarn.

Then I thought, if I am wanting to avoid running out of yarn I should work all the little unknown bits like the crochet lace around the neck. The original pattern was worked in pieces, and seamed, then the crochet stitched to the neck edge. My modification involves knitting the cardigan as a top down raglan, starting with a band of eyelets. I decided to pick up and crochet along the purl bumps under the eyelets, as I thought the crochet lace was a good match for the look of the eyelets. That was the plan, it was largely untested. Oh I had swatched the crochet on two different hook sizes, and picked up along the crochet edge and knit a band, and I had swatched the eyelet band ... but I had not combined them all in the same swatch. The plan worked out well, very well.

So well that the lace finished symmetrically at the centre front neck edges! I was impressed, even though it was more blind luck than planning, but impressed enough all the same. There are ends to weave in, and still a neck band to pick up and knit, at the same time as the band for the front edges. At this point I am thinking little grey or black buttons, on a band, but I am not sure. I want horizontal button holes but that means knitting a vertical band and I'd rather knit the band horizontally as one with the neck and hem edges ...... decisions, decisions. Suggestions, suggestions ?

For now I am back to the other sleeve, I have picked up and will be working away tonight decreasing away the small underarm gusset, another modification. Then it is down the sleeve, decreasing every 6th round until it is the same length and hopefully the same stitch count as the other sleeve. I have the 'right' stitch count now, and in theory after the same number of decreases I should have the same number of stitches .. but in practice there is always between one and three stitches over or missing. One of those universal truths of knitting - theory and practice are not the same thing.

take care
more soon - maybe even a sleeve. 

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