Tag Archives: frog

GRRRR!

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When you are knitting lace and there are obvious demarcations between sections, it’s so simple to take a few minutes to put in a safety line … it’s so simple! So, why in the world did I go zipping on by? Laziness is my only excuse.

The Shape of a Bay by Bristol Ivy in Cashmere People Yarns Fingering Weight

So, I’ve been knitting along on my The Shape of A Bay shawl by Bristol Ivy and I’ve been right on the stitch count all along. Until section 7. I learned this 12 rows in when the pattern wasn’t working. I counted my stitches and, if I am counting stitches correctly, I should remain at 523 stitches througout. I had 403. That’s a difference of 120 stitches. Yikes!!! No way to fudge through 120 too few stitches (and I have no idea why that happened.) I had no choice other than to frog back the 12 rows to where section 7 begins and start over and knit more carefully!

A safety line will help. When I get to the 523 spot again, I’ll put in a safety line. A safety line is a long piece of, in my case mint flavored dental floss, thread or yarn that is the same weight of the yarn you’re knitting with or finer. Thread the long piece onto a sewing needle with a blunt tip so as to not pierce the yarn and bring it through the bottom of the stitches on the needle. On the first row after installing the safety line, be careful not to knit the safety line into your pattern. Let the safety line hang out until you are finished or reach another milestone or stitch count that is correct. You can put on in every couple of rows if you want. Or not. The purpose of the safety line is so that, God forbid, you make a mistake and have to frog back (again?!) you can just rip back to the safety line, put your stitches back on your needle and start again. It’s much simpler, especially when knitting a 2-sided lace pattern like mine, than finding all of your stitches, making sure you’ve not dropped any, etc.

As of this afternoon, I’m back to 523 stitches on my needles and I’ll restart section 7.

Humulus by Isabell Kraemer in Ella Rae Classic Wool, sleeve #1

But for the rest of the day, I’m going to work on my Humulus sweater’s sleeve and see if I can get it finished and ready to block. It’s pouring rain and thundering and lighting … I have a very frightened BBD here by my side … so anything that gets wet will likely stay wet for awhile!

Gone knitting!

Second Iteration?

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So, you’ve seen the Malabrigo Rasta cowl that I knitted (in a simple seed stitch and in a lousy photograph) a few posts ago.

Poor color (not accurate) and not a great look!

Well, I decided to redesign it … which meant frogging it and then re-knitting.

I totally love the yarn and want to work with it but it’s just not working with me … or for me! I’ve knitted three really long 5-stitch I-cords and braided them together and this is what it looks like now!

(photo coming soon!)

I’m still not sure I’m in love with this and probably will frog it, too! I really want to use this yarn for something that I love love love … something that I will wear or carry or otherwise use on a regular basis! For now, it’s going to sit on the needles and we’ll see where it takes me!

Knitting is a lot like life – you never know where you’re going to end up. One day you may be very productive and other days, never get out of your own way. It’s learning to recognize each day for the value that it adds  and accepting every one as it is. Judge me not, I don’t get a ton accomplished every day but over the course of time, it all balances out and I’m proud of where I am today.

Gone knitting!

 

You better Swatch out … or you’ll be crying

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oops!

Here's the side view ... can you see the pretty buttons that I worried over? No?

Well, in all the years I’ve been knitting, I think I’ve knitted about two … maybe three … swatches. Yes, I know. Everybody tells you to knit a swatch to determine your gauge PRIOR to starting your garment (whatever it may be!)

I now have a better, first-hand understanding of WHY you should knit a swatch … even if it’s “just a cowl”!

from the back

Not exactly upstanding, is it!

front view

And from the front ... the leaning tower of cowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve taken three photos … well, I didn’t but my sweet love took time away from polishing his boots in the garage to take it for me.

Photo one above shows a side view. There are two lovely buttons that you can’t see because this cowl is so darned big. Nothing like the sample photo on the pattern. Why, you ask? Because the Queen Bee is a non-swatcher. (I’m almost ashamed to claim the title.) But it’s the truth and I always tell the truth.

It’s rather funny, actually. In my day-to-day life, I am such a rule follower. I don’t cross the street when it says “don’t walk” and I make a full stop (counting to three) at stop signs. I don’t litter. BUT … I don’t swatch!

And now, I will have the pleasure of frogging my lovely Thermis cowl and then making a swatch so that it turns out the right size. I’ll blog about it again, dear reader, when it’s knitted properly!

While I may have hit a creative block, I’m thinking about knitting … and am off to the library to find some books to peruse while my creative block is still in the building. 🙂

Frogs in my Atelier!

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Oh for goodness sake! I can’t seem to knit a thing these days!

I said that I’d brought a few “new” projects out of the atelier closet and started them (again.) Well, now I’m going to be frogging them and starting over brand new … it occured to me that I’d made a rather large mistake – one too many yarn-overs smack dab in the middle of the back of the Noro shawl. Poop! It looks dreadful and isn’t one of those patterns that you can simply fix. So, frog it!

In my process of re-knitting and documenting the beautiful Senorita Lolita sweater that I designed for the Jimmy Beans Wool contest with Koigu KPPM skeinlettes, I have forgotten to write down as I knit – and for those of  you who are over 40, you’ll appreciate that when you don’t write things down and then leave them for a few hours, you quickly forget where you are and what you’ve done. So … frog it!

Starting over again? Well, I start each day, I start (and sometimes finish) books … sometimes I put them aside and start them over, too! So, I’m accepting that I’m starting these projects over and this time, I’ll be more patient and more aware and will write down and focus more on the process (and the shawl pattern directions!)

This Queen Bee is going knitting! (After lunch!)