Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings

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Knitting Friday

 

Right now, I'm experimenting with two shrug patterns. One will look at lot like this one:

 

Shrug with armbands

Except I'm eliminating the 8 seed stitch rows of armbands. I don't like the way it grabs my upper arm so I'm eliminating the armbands. I'm working the pattern in the round immediately with US 8 needles, and increasing EOR to 60 stitches. Then I'm knitting even across the back until it's time to decrease stitches and needles for the second armband. Another variation: starting with US 8, then US 9 and finally US 10 which I'll use for all of the back. Usually, you just go from the armband needle size to the body size.

 

The lace design is a little different in parts because I'm going from lace with increases to no increases so the slant changes. (It's a simple pattern: R1: Sl1P *YO, K2tog* K1 R2: Sl1P, *P* K1.) I don't know if I'm going to be able to duplicate this wonkiness at the another end since I'm decreasing, not increasing there. If not, I plan to try differently by starting at the middle back with a provisional CO of 60 stitches and working towards one armband. Then I pick up the prov CO and work towards the other armband. That way, I'll have identical wonkiness. I'll post a picture next week and the pattern when I get one finished that I like.

 

Mystery skein

 Which brings me to my picture on the right. On the left in the picture is a summer top which was worn a few times, washed, and then, either due to the washing or a brain wave, I realized the top was way too big. So I tinked back to the neck band, eliminated 20 stitches from the yoke and body (160 to 140 and 120 to 100) and knitted down to the hem. But, you say, surely that top is not knitted down to the hem? And right you are. Because at the hem, I saw I had one row where I started with a YO, K2tog pattern and finished up just knitting straight across. So what you see is a second tinking almost back to the armholes.

 

The "mystery skein" caption under the right picture refers to the fact that both the the top and the shrug (the same one as the one in the left picture) come from the same skein of cotton mill ends. When I first made the top it was the same color as the shrug. After I washed it (the top), it "bled" out to almost a pure white. I still like the yarn because it has a slight twist but I know that as soon as I wash my shrug the color will change to the top's color. This is the first time I've found washable dye in such a light yarn. (The wash water(s) took on a red tint.) I'm always leery with dark yarns but with them the color usually bleeds on my fingers as I knit so I know I'd better wash it as soon as it's finished. I remember during knitting that the top was very heavy. In fact, much heavier than any other cotton garment I've ever knitted. No idea what that means since I don't think that dye has weight but the "new" top is lighter to knit. Crazy!

 

Finally, I had to call and get a replacement for another Harmony Knit Picks interchangeable tip. First, #11 was rough where the wood part of the tip meets the metal part (not where it screws into the cable but above that.) Yesterday, I started knitting cotton thread with the #4 Harmony from the same set and I felt the same roughness. Knit Picks has an excellent customer service. They'll send me new tips without my having to return the defective ones. I know that some people on Ravelry complain that their quality control re: needles should be better. In the perfect world, yes. But to repeat the philosopher: Shit happens. It's nice to know that someone is there to help willingly when it does.

 

Next week: Ask me about the all lace shrug I'm knitting with those US 4 needles. It's one of the experiments I referred to at the beginning.  OK, it's the simplest lace pattern known to man but I am determined to work with small needles and cotton thread and make a sweater/shrug and not a shawl.  See you then. Happy knitting.