The Making Location is the Motley Moose community spot for all things handmade, homemade, created, from any material using any technique. You are all welcome to share what you have been making. In progress, planning, UFO’s, or finished items all welcome.
The legwarmers I started during early March are finished, and I wove in the ends during a kid-appointment yesterday.
I put them on IMMEDIATELY!
I have had the warmest ankles and calves ever! Although it did not freeze last night, the overnight low was still in the low 40f’s.
After I finished the legwarmers (which I knit almost exclusively until they were finished) (That means I did not knit on other projects on and off.) I started on the blue cowl again.
I have one-half of one repeat done in this photo:
The first time I cast on (started) this project, I used needles that were 16″ long. The 143 stitches were very very crowded and it was hard to count stitches. Plus, on the metal needles, the silk-alpaca yarn had a tendency to leap off the end. Very slick needles. I had an entire repeat, about 28 rows done, when I decided I had too many problems and they were not going to get better.
I went to my local yarn store for a consult. I tried out a couple different needles, and chose the 24″ bamboo. There is a LOT more room for the stitches – see how happy they are laying above, not too crowded? The bamboo needles do not have a very sharp tip, which I find a bit annoying, but it makes me slow down on the knitting so I can count the lace pattern carefully. And the yarn is calmer. I also put in several stitch markers to remind me to stop and look for the 11th stitch being purled and not knitted. So I am catching any mistakes much more quickly.
This lace pattern is 11 stitches wide, and the pattern called for 13 repeats. Having those two prime numbers kind of bothered me. When I used the new needles, I added one more repeat. Not that 14 is a lot better than 13, but at least it divides by two.
My daughter gave me a hand with a photo while I stretched out the lace pattern:
I picked up my giant colorwork shawl one night and knitted several rows. The worsted weight yarn seems so much heavier, and my shoulder was a little sore the next day. I will need daughter’s help to get it photographed too. The stockinette (all knitting) stitches curl up so much.
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