Stranded Knitting

Day 135: This is what happens when Crow is housebound: pink knitting. I'm going slightly stir-crazy, and I have to get rid of the leftovers from the pussy hats...I have to! I don't want to see them when I dive into the stash. Even so, this has been good practice in the technique of stranded knitting which, when all is said and done, is almost as pretty on the back as it is on the front. However, there's only so much pink I can take at a time. Even though I wasn't looking at my reflection in a mirror when I head-tested the hat on the left for fit, I could feel my gorge rising at the very thought. Seriously, I charge $2 more per pair of socks if somebody wants pink. I need green, people. I need trees and lichens and the smell of the forest and my boots pounding a trail. Lemme out of here before I go totally nuts!

Leftovers

Day 127: Sometimes you need to be a little creative in order to use up leftover yarn, and for me, PINK was a special challenge. I had purchased a space-dyed yarn called "Gumdrop," hoping to get more than one hat out of the skein. Unfortunately, I came up short for the second one by just under half an ounce. The yarn had a different finish and feel than those in my current scrap afghan, so I was reluctant to use it even though it was unlikely anyone would notice. I remembered I had leftovers from the "pussy hat" project, and decided to do some stranded knitting with both pinks and the ombre. I made the rib in dark pink (the colour I had the least of), and then experimented with a couple of different ideas for the body. I finally settled on a 2/3 stitch diagonal. After 30 rows, I'll break off the colour work and resume in dark pink or possibly bands of dark and light, depending on how far the remaining yardage will allow me to go.

Joppa Flats Hat 40

Day 122: This marks the 40th hat I have created for Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Education Center. I haven't posted many of the rest because...well, because my readers have seen the basic styles (stocking cap, ladybug and bee), but this one is something special. It is the first full piece I've made in the "woven knitting" style where no float longer than two stitches is carried on the reverse of the work. I practiced with a swatch until I could manage fairly even tension with two strands held in my left hand, Continental-style. Being Fair Isle, the work needed minor blocking, something you don't really worry about when you're knitting k2, p2 rib. I could still use more practice in managing the strands, but overall, I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I completed the Fair Isle section on a second hat this morning. Joppa box number 3 will be on its way as soon as hats 41 and 42 are in it, and then I can get to a pair of socks to fill a paying order. Gotta sell something every now and then so I can feed my yarn habit!

The Old Dog

Day 121: Here's living proof that old dogs can learn new tricks if they have the proper motivation. Several days ago, I was browsing YouTube for something knitting-related and stumbled across several tutorials for "woven knitting," a system of preventing the floats common in working Fair Isle. Fair Isle has never been a favourite with me because of the constant need to untangle strands of yarn from skeins or bobbins, and I've always worked it two-handed in a combination of Continental/English (American) styles. I wasn't sure if "woven knitting" would prevent that, so I watched several of the videos until I chanced upon one which was pure Continental. I took a break from making hats for Joppa Flats in order to practice the technique, and when I was finally comfortable with manipulating two strands at the same time on two fingers of my left hand, I drafted a pattern and settled into making a Fair Isle hat. This method permits you to catch every other stitch without creating a yarn nightmare of the strands, and it works up almost as quickly as straight Continental. I think this old dog deserves a treat!