I worked another toe using the increase every round for so many rounds and then increasing every other round (with a plain knit round between) until the desired stitch count is achieved.  I was surprised that it didn’t make a huge difference, but I like it better all the same :)

Original toe:

New toe:





Please forgive the intrusive fingers :) I had added some ribbing to the bottom of this in the hope that it wouldn’t curl up for its photo session.





It didn’t work :)

I’m staying with the easy toe-up cast on mentioned in Wednesday’s post for now.  Perhaps for the next pair, I’ll try something else.  For now, this is working nicely for me and I’m liking the results I get from it.

I tried casting on to my long circular (Addi, 2.5 mm - the first Addi I ever owned) but between the cable curling and trying to keep the tail end of the yarn separate from the working end, I was getting confused and frustrated.  So I used DPNs for the cast-on which worked well and provided an unexpected and undeserved surprise benefit.  See, I thought these were size 2 US (2.75 mm) needles which wouldn’t be too different from the Addis (size 1 European - 2.5 mm) when I switched over to the long cable needle once the increases were complete.  Silly me :) The DPNs were size 3 US (3.125 mm, according to my needle gauge) and that made a bigger difference than I would have preferred had I realized. 

However, due to various issues, my feet, and especially my toes, are very sensitive these days.  Using the size 3 DPNs actually created a somewhat looser toe than usual which, as it turns out, is quite comfortable :) Switching to the Addi cable makes the foot fit perfectly - just slightly snugger that the toe cap - so it worked out wonderfully!  And you now, if I had deliberately set out to figure out how I might accomplish this - a slightly looser toe than foot, it would have taken me years! 

I also decided that the New England Foliage colors of the original toe up there weren’t floating my boat, so that’s been ripped and the yarn put away for another time.  I went with the recently acquired Regia for these and am enjoying it very much!

I’ve nearly reached the end of the third ball of Manos on the sort-of garter stitch shawl and it has become painfully clear that I am not going to have enough yarn for the width I’d like this to have.  When I rhapsodically reported that it was more than 60” wide, I was (duh!) looking at the wrong measurement.  It is actually only about 45” wide.  This last ball only added just over 2” to the width and the two balls I have left aren’t going to add much more.  This would give me a scarf or a shoulder shawl - but that isn’t what I had in mind :(

Here’s the question.  While ripping this would be painful, if the possibility exists to get something better out if it, I’m willing to dry my tears and (as Chris over at Wooly Buns so exquisitely put it) frog it back to balls.  What I’m wondering about is how much leeway a regular row of eyelets might give me.  You know, an eyelet row say, every 4 garter ridges or something on that order.  Would that buy me enough yarn to be worth the effort, do you think?





See the “Knitting Chatter” button on the side bar for more information.

I’m pleased to say that Chatters is indeed on for tomorrow night!  Pleased because our router went toes-up earlier this week and there was some question about whether we would be able to replace it by Saturday.  The question really only existed because the grounds hereabouts are covered with an inch and a half of ice and our landlord, jolly fellow that he is, sometimes forgets that his family (which uses different access to the building than we do) isn’t the only one living here :) The ice is an issue because I can’t risk falling and breaking something with my bones is somewhat iffy shape as they are now - Myria would have a fit and fall in it if I even tried.  And since I’m the driver, if I can’t get out, we don’t go anywhere :)

However, a new router has been procured and it’s business as usual on the internet!

Stay warm folks - see you tomorrow night :)