Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

Tax the Rich

Knitting Friday

No knitting pictures so I thought I would replay Miss M. Do dogs pray? Sure looks like she's channeling some higher power in this pic on the left. This was taken early in the game and she didn't know what a great time she would have with us.

The one on the right is from the same day. Oh, she was so cute. Still is, I'm sure. Did I tell you that she wrote us a long postcard? She made the cut as a service dog. And, someone has really helped her with her penmanship!

As I mentioned earlier this week, my Advent scarf visited the frog pond since a 91 st cast on (CO) was producing a shawl size again. And I really don't need another museum quality shawl.

Knitters have been reducing their number of CO stitches (43 sts, 55 sts) but not giving much guidance (and they don't have to) except to say something like: I had to adjust the end of the row. So I took this project as a challenge and I sat down with 15 days of patterns, decided on a CO amount ranging from 54 to 57 sts and then worked out my solution.

I won't go into all the figuring and mistakes and re-figuring and final plans; some of which had to be re-figured again as I started knitting the day's pattern. I'm only on Day 2 in my CO 56 sts rendition (which is 1/3 smaller than before) and so far, so good.

Once I get a respectable amount done, I'll post pictures and directions. This project has taught me so much. I always knew I was a timid knitter, competent, but very, very timid. I usually look at complicated patterns and eliminate them immediately or follow the chart exactly. Not this time though. I must have worked a whole day over a week with this. First, making the most outlandish changes (planning to work only half the pattern repeat or all of the pattern repeat but none of the extra stitches in the row.) Finally, I saw the light (and my math light is very, very slow at coming on) and I realized that with most of the patterns you could work them as written with fewer repeats. But more on that later.

I'll leave you with, what I call, the twisted stitch pattern: Over the first two stitches on the left needle, knit the second stitch through the back loop then knit the first stitch through the front loop. Drop both left needle stitches from your needle.

Next week, I'll explain why this simple twist is so important when you're modifying patterns. Happy knitting.