I've been learning Continental knitting. Not my original idea, I confess. Lil' Sis is learning Continental, and my thought process was something along the lines of "Anything you can do I can do better!" So I'm learning. You'd think it'd be easier since I'm actually left-handed, but it's not.
I'll give you a pictorial demonstration:
Socks for Kelly, pattern here, yarn Lion Brand Magic Stripes. Line 1: A few hours of TV. Line 2: Watching The Producers. Line 3: A few hours of TV. Line 4: The time the boss was late to work and I couldn't get in the office. The rest: I don't know, maybe TEN HOURS!!!Of course, this isn't the only thing I've been working on this month. I also have this:
I swear to God, this yarn hates me. Pattern is a basic cobbled-together sock pattern, yarn is Plymouth Sockotta. Cotton blend. I've never made cotton-blend socks before So I think about making Pomatomus socks. I go down a needle size, make another stockinette swatch to get 8 sts/in as the pattern likes. Then I swatch in the pattern stitch. I need 12 sts/in, I get 9.6 sts/in. I go down another needle size, get a little closer to gauge in the pattern stitch, but I'm off in the stockinette swatch. Way off. Like tiny little swatch, like a baby blanket for a flea.
Okay, so maybe Pomatomus aren't the way to go. I cast on for a basic sock, knit for a bit, then think, "Hey, this is a little small." I measure. 8 sts/in, on the same needles as my very first swatch.
My conclusion: This is truly an wicked yarn. If I flick holy water at it, little green clouds of pure evil emanate from its skein. Maybe I shouldn't make Mother's Day socks out of it...
Posts
5 comments:
You really like the spicy sock patterns, don't you? I, on the other hand, enjoy not wanting to stab myself, so I stick to easy patterns.
Also, I'm going to actually have to swatch for my next sock. Not looking forward to it.
So I post the picture of my finished socks on facebook, and 20 minutes later Auntie Trish asks if my next pair of socks are for her. She is just not subtle at all.
I do like the complicated sock patterns. They're interesting. Perhaps in a few years you'll get tired of stockinette socks and start branching out... :P
I saw that. She did the same thing when you posted pictures of the socks I made for you. The sad thing? I was originally going to make her socks for last Christmas but had - issues- and got her books instead.
Here, I found this discussion on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/patterns/557830/1-25 that talks about swatching for socks and gauge. Hope it helps!
ravelry
Thanks. Although - I've done more on the sock, and now I'm getting gauge. I think I'm chalking it up to the fact that I Englished up the swatch and Continentaled the sock (I haven't yet mastered Continental purling).
Post a Comment