Keep your wits about you

Allison was concerned that we took out the wrong side, last week. The pieces are alike with the exception of the edge treatments. On the back, the stitches go on a holder. On for front, there is an reverse stockinette edging. We managed it without further incident and she is back on track.

Cornelia realized that she mis-crossed a cable on her #23 Cabled Tunic. She took it back on her own, and we confirmed what row she was on. She was having quite a time getting the cables right.

Times like these when you keep making the same mistakes, it’s best to put it down and walk away for a while. She finished the whole back, cables and all, without incident – so it’s not as if she didn’t know what she was doing. Her “wits” weren’t with her today.

Eleanor wanted to figure out the next step in her customfit mash up between Timber and the customfit program. She is pulling design elements she likes from Timber and incorporating them into a customfit pattern based on her measurements and gauge in Moonshine (Worsted: 40% Alpaca, 40% Wool, 20% Silk, 197 yards).

Trammi finished the back of her cabled shirt. Now she was wrapping her mind around working the two fronts at the same time and having the cables lean the right way. Theoretically it’s not so different from working the back where the cables lean away from each other. Somehow doing this on different fronts knit at the same time seems more convoluted. She will have to keep her wits about her for sure as all the shaping will be different for each side.

Mallory write down the the steps to working a jogless stripe for the 21 Color Slouch Hat.

Another stocking finished! I love the plaid ribbon Mallory chose and how it tied in all the colors. You may not be able to tell from the picture, the Angel has sparkly wings (as only an Angel should).

Jane B was knitting pretty. Our shop ribbed scarf pattern in Stargazer (Sport: 75% Llama, 25% Silk, 218 yards) is good “talking” knitting. Since the camera wasn’t doing the beautiful navy color justice, I went black and white.

Jane T finished her son’s sweater. When he put it on it stretched so much at the shoulders that it brought the back length up short. Her son is much broader than the Men’s Cardigan pattern size allowed for! She is going to leave it for the finisher and see if she can really block it hard to fit his shoulder width. It is a tremendous sweater (and I’m not referring the the size). Jane did an incredible job of knitting. Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash (Worsted: 100% superwash wool, 220 yards).

Next we moved onto the sweater she is knitting for her daughter. I have to say, we were all ready to line up for a sweater from Jane! She wanted to write out the directions for the shoulder and neck shaping which happen at the dreaded AT THE SAME TIME.

Nancy wanted to check her gauge on Women’s Hand/Wrist Warmers from the book, Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Her gauge was spot on. Next she wanted to learn how to cast on using the Long-tail method.

Jumping in with both feet, she cast on for Cirrus using the Long-tail method too.

Keeping your wits about you was a common theme on Wednesday too…

Eileen is knitting the Northern Lights Capelet from the book Cowl Girls 2.

She managed to track down the Super Soft (and Super Bulky) Alpaca yarn by North Light Fibers. It looks like a tangle of caterpillars. A very hungry caterpillar?

I couldn’t resist the reference and when I went to insert a link to the book, I found this video by the author reading it.

Eileen wasn’t working the Make One increases correctly and was ending up with a hole. She was lifting ladder from front to back and knitting through front. If she is going to lift the ladder from front to back she has to knit through the back to avoid a hole.

On a random note, she told me that her daughter’s family is renting chickens. Who knew you could do such a thing: Rent a Hen.

Terri finished the bobble square from the Building Blocks afghan and has joined the ranks of the bobble-likers.

The next block she wanted to tackle was #10: ssk’s (slip, slip, knit). When she attempted them on her own, they felt wrong when she worked the wrong side row. We worked it out and the pattern looks good.

Mary wanted to practice for a crocheted doily purse pattern she found. Sorry, no picture.