Not a bad weekend, all things considered. Dad and I went out on Saturday, but we didn’t go too far because it was snowing and quite heavily at times. And finally, Sunday, I got to stay in and relax for a while. I didn’t exactly do nothing, but it was pretty close. I did breathe now and again :) I also looked around at shawl patterns. I had been looking forward to making the Victorian Shawl that Elann offers, but I’ve heard so many stories about the pattern that I’m a little leery. According to some of last week’s commenters (Hi there Amaryllis, Becca and Beanmama!) there is even a Yahoo group centered around a knit along of this pattern, AranWeightVictorianLaceShawlKAL. I understand they have also worked on clarification and error correction of the pattern which really seems more like a guide-line than an actual pattern.
Anyway (deep breath), this has become more relevant to me since last Friday. Before that, I didn’t have the yarn to make this pattern. Now I do :)
This is a late Christmas present from the friend I spent the day with on Friday. This is Cascade 220, which I haven’t used before but which I have wanted to try. It feels very nice and the color, well, the color in the picture isn’t right and nothing I could do got any closer to the deep, rich, no yellow undertones of the real deal. The undertones are blue and this yarn is crimson, glorious, saturated tapestry rose, blue-blood red. It’s entirely possible that I will find a nice, clear bowl to display this in rather than wait until I’ve decided what to do with it to show it off. Yes, yes - it’s quite likely I will make the Victorian shawl (or at least something very much like that) with it but I have learned that the universe regards “hard and fast” statements as an excuse to start dropping banana peels in my path. Hence, I always try to leave a little wiggle room :)
My friend kindly allowed me the pleasure of helping her deal with DPNs and cast on for a sock for the first time. She got some gorgeous Wildfoote yarn and some Brittany needles (size 1) and off we went. She took to this as though she’d been doing it all her life. I’m sure those of you who’ve been reading this blog for a while remember my bitching and moaning about DPNs, how I didn’t like them, couldn’t get used to them and would probably never use them on anything but an emergency basis. And you also know that after about a year of dancing (almost literally - three steps forward and two steps back!), I finally got to the point where I could cast on consistently and where it’s not a big deal to use them any more; I am very slow to acquire physical skills - a year! My friend got this down in, oh…I’m going to say 30 seconds. Tension wasn’t bad, no twisting, no ladders at the transition points between one needle and another - she was doing great! It was a real thrill to see how quickly her head and hands understood this information. She might slow down a bit when she gets to turning the heel, but I’m guessing she won’t slow down for long and that the next time we get together for lunch, she be wearing her own, handmade Wildfoote Symphony wool socks :) Yaaaay!
Yesterday I tried out a stitch pattern I’ve been looking at for a long time. It’s pretty simple though, for some reason, I thought I would be tedious to work. It isn’t :) From the Pattern-a-Day Knitting Stitch Calendar, it’s called Dot Stitch.
Multiple of 4 + 3
Row 1: K1, *P1, K3*; end P1, K1
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: *K3, P1*; end K3
Row 4: Purl
Nothing to it, see? What was interesting to me is that while I was working on this stitch, it was difficult to see the pattern. Not until I put it down did I see the pattern clearly. This may have had to do with the kind of yarn I was using and perhaps something with a more serious twist and a smoother finish would show things off better. But you know, I was kind of taken with this aspect of the fabric. It seemed to me to be a not-seeing-the-forest-for-the-trees kind of thing and until you back up a little, you can’t see enough of the picture to have an accurate feel for what’s really going on. Now, this wouldn’t have surprised me much with a complicated aran patterning or even a really involved bit of fair-isle. But this simple stitch? Way cool!
You all go away now, I’m going to fondle my Cascade :)
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what fun- someone to knit with!
i’ve had a couple of bags of cascade 220 sitting on a shelf glaring at me for over a year- i know i must have ordered them with projects in mind, but you know how that goes- i’ve used it before though and know it works up wonderfully-
sounds like a nice weekend there- nothing as attractive as snow here- just an early start on lots of rain with the accompanying mess that entails- let’s all say ‘much mud’!
stay happy-
That shawl (or anything for that matter) will look amazing in that red. Yum!
I used dot stitch in a baby cardigan. It’s an easy way to dress up stockinette. And you know I’m all about easy lately :)
You KNOW I’m a big fan of Cascade 220 so let me assure you—this yarn holds no surprises. It knits up well; I have yet to find a knot in any of the (15!) different colors I have bought; and last month I met a woman who was wearing a Cascade 220 sweater that she had knit a long time ago and wore frequently, and it hadn’t pilled in the least. There’s certainly nothing sophisticated about Cascade 220, but it’s a great workhorse of a yarn.
Looking forward to seeing what you knit with it, although I really like the idea of a glass bowl full of yarn. I may have to try that at my house!
Barb - Ooooh, mud season. That’s a ways off yet up here. In fact the temps have plummeted again - really kind of a yo-yo thing here temperature-wise this season :)
Toni - Yep, that’s a real knock-your-eye-out (in a good way) color :)
Now that I’ve finally introduced myself to dot stitch (instead of just looking at it, murmuring “Interesting!” and turning the page, I can think of lots of ways to use it and lots of things to combine it with.
Ryan - Thanks for chiming in; I appreciate your endorsement as I had remembered that you were fond of this yarn. It’s very good to know that it wears well and the “no knot” thing is pretty nifty too. I get a little annoyed with that one :)
Robbyn: I admire your fortitude. If I had that yarn it would be on my needles right now. That red is also my red, and it’s soooooo hard to find a blue red. I imagine it in something with cables, so that the depth of the knitting enhances the depth of the colour.
But anything will be wonderful. Lucky you!
amaryllis
Does dot stitch scream socks to anyone else? I already have two pairs going, but certainly, adding a third wouldn’t be TOO bad, right? Hmmm .... wonder if that would get lost in a varigated?
Amaryllis - What makes you think I’m going to wait? Maybe until tomorrow while I work something out :) It’s too lush and nice to let sit!
Colleen - I think that’s a terrific idea! And I don’t think a vareigate would be a problem if the colors were all the same tone - that is all pastels, all heathers, all muted tones or something like that. You think?
Robbyn - especially if it did a Koigu-like thing where it only cycled through shades of the same color - all greens, or all blues. I think you’d lose it in darker hues, but in a heather or muted tone, yeah, I think that would be wonderful.
*searches stash* Oh, yeah, and I’ll need another pair of needles ...
Colleen - Koigu. Everyone tells me it’s wonderful stuff. You will post pictures of this spledid footwear, when you get it going? I bet it’s gorgeous!
Mmmmm….Cascade 220. I’m currently in love with the stuff!
Kathy - This stuff seems to be well loved, so I am looking forward to using it. And it’s funny; I usually associate “workhorse wool” with stiff and scratchy which this doesn’t seem to be - at all!
LOL you two seem to need some privacy there. 
Yep sometimes it
s just such a pleasure knitting with some yarns that you can’t decided what to knit and then you don’t want it to end. Knotwise—knotless is wonderful; yesterday I was knitting with some free stash given to me. There’s a knotted section about 2 ft long. Argh Just long enough for me leave a 6 inch loop and knit a couple of rows on the Komi Cap only to find ANOTHER #@$%! knot. 6 ends to weave in already and it’s barely (re)started. Ah well, I still love knitting.
That swatch is quite interesting. I really have to see what is happening. That’s why I usually have swatch mulitple times before I ‘get’ it.
It’s great that you and your Dad get to spend time together. And SNOW…no snow for me :-( , it was 80*F today.
Aarlene - Well, you know what they say - a good yarn is hard to find. I also find knots annoying and just hate the thought of the length I’m losing. I suppose that’s part of the reaon the ball bands usually say “approximately X yards/meters”, eh?
