Last weekend I started a new pair of socks, using a colourwork stranded technique. The last pair of socks I tried with this method, stymied me. I know now, it was because the chart needed to be redrawn. On July 1st I tried again, with a different design. I pulled out the
design I really wanted to do and decided that perhaps it was a tad too ambitious for a first project, or at least first stranded colourwork in 25 years or so. I found a slightly simpler pattern to start with. I pulled out the yarn and started knitting in a bit of down time. I got the cuff and first border done before camping with a ton of friends became distracting. When I got home, I decided that it was enough practice and ripped it out, going back to the the first choice design. Half-way through the pattern, I found an error that I couldn't correct since I'd managed to do a half pattern for one of the repeats on the wrong row. With no lifeline to rip back to and save the stitches or a gazillion miles of tinking (reverse knitting, stitch by stitch), I ripped it back and returned to my original pattern. I won't tell you how many hours and restarts it has taken to get this much done though, because I don't want to know. However it is the only project I've worked on this week :( At least it has been fun. I'm fairly happy with the outcome although I think I want to do a few more colourwork/stranded knitting projects just to finesse my technique a
little lot more.
The orange lilies are out. We always called them Tiger lilies as kids. They've naturalized everywhere and there are huge swaths of them along the roadsides. This patch is just at the front edge of the property and while not as large as many of them, it's still pretty impressive. Being day lilies, they won't bloom for all that long. I noticed that not only are they blooming but the beautiful clear blue flowers of the Chicory have just started as well as the Queen Anne's Lace. Summer is definitely in full swing. All these flowers are just screaming out for a dyeing session.
Last weekend I started a new pair of socks, using a colourwork stranded technique. The last pair of socks I tried with this method, stymied me. I know now, it was because the chart needed to be redrawn. On July 1st I tried again, with a different design. I pulled out the design I really wanted to do and decided that perhaps it was a tad too ambitious for a first project, or at least first stranded colourwork in 25 years or so. I found a slightly simpler pattern to start with. I pulled out the yarn and started knitting in a bit of down time. I got the cuff and first border done before camping with a ton of friends became distracting. When I got home, I decided that it was enough practice and ripped it out, going back to the the first choice design. Half-way through the pattern, I found an error that I couldn't correct since I'd managed to do a half pattern for one of the repeats on the wrong row. With no lifeline to rip back to and save the stitches or a gazillion miles of tinking (reverse knitting, stitch by stitch), I ripped it back and returned to my original pattern. I won't tell you how many hours and restarts it has taken to get this much done though, because I don't want to know. However it is the only project I've worked on this week :( At least it has been fun. I'm fairly happy with the outcome although I think I want to do a few more colourwork/stranded knitting projects just to finesse my technique a 
I wish we had naturalized day lilies here - they barely survive in the garden. we do have montbretia like that, the orange ones, but they bloom much later.... lovely knitting - I hope you'll manage to finish without further ripping:))
ReplyDeleteI hate when that happens but if you are like me you just can't leave a mistake! They look like nice warm socks!
ReplyDeleteThe lilies are lovely, mine are just starting to bloom we've just had such a cold winter and spring!
I love stranded colorwork, but gosh it's challenging. You've been diligent and it's paying off!
ReplyDeletehehehe.. I'm at the heel flap. For all my care with knitting the pattern, I took a good look at the paper pattern only to realize that I've knitted the darned thing upside down! It looks okay, so I'm leaving it, but still. How in the world did I manage that one?
ReplyDeleteWord verification - guess. Appropriate, yes?
We wouldn't have any tomatoes any year, were it not for Walls of Water. Ian orders them online. You can order them through Amazon or here's a link http://tinyurl.com/3ut5ulf
ReplyDelete