Random Ramblings of a Knitting Banshee

 Two days. About 2.5-3 hours each. 4 rows in total. GAH! This is going to take forever. But, well, at 560 stitches per round, with twisted stitches even on the even rows, what was I expecting? 

Still, I love the pattern, and the descriptions on how to do the twisted stitches are fantastic!

 Dilemma day. Counting stitches on the increase/transition area between Chart 2 and Chart 3, I came 4 stitches short. Since Chart 3 has to align with Chart 2, it is (now that I realised that) painfully obvious where I missed the stitches. I missed a couple of stitches in the last repeat of the last row of Chart 2, which then becomes four missing stitches after the doubling up row, because I missed it. Of course, since I am five rows up from the row where I messed up, I can either pull back, or just (as I have done) add the missing stitches on the current row and pray I wont' notice it too much when it's done. 

As I said, dilemma day...

 So, I'm on row 46 of Chart 2.
I started the first colour transition on row 35. with 6gr of Colour 1 left, and did the standard 2-4-4-2. I still have 3gr left so I am planning on doing a couple more rows with Colour 1 so I'll end up with a 2-4-4-4, at least. I decided to do knitted joins and break the yarn for every colour change, rather than carry the yarn up the shawl. In all other shawls I've done I've carried the yarn, an it always bothers me. It is not so noticeable on fingering weight shawls, but this is laceweight, and very soft colours, so I'm sure it would be seen.

Additionally, breaking the yarn means I can do the colour changes at different points of the rounds, say, on the first repeat of the patter for the first change from Colour 1 to Colour 2, then on the fourth repeat of the pattern for the next change from Colour 2 back to Colour 1. This seems to address two of my niggles with the standard way of doing colour changes. Firstly, when carrying the yarn up the back of the shawl, the colour changes have to happen at the same point of the round every time, and I find them way too noticeable. Also, it is often hard to find a point in the row where the pattern has a solid block of knitting (without many yarn overs) for the 12 rows of a transition. Being able to start the colour changes wherever in the row is convenient makes that a lot easier to deal with. 

The pattern up to row 42 was pretty straightforward, then it started getting interesting, with all those ktbl and kf&b on even rows (I miss my rest rows!). The last four rows took me almost as long as the previous eight, my fingers ache and I made the first mistake of the shawl by adding a yo where there shouldn't have been one, and not spotting it for four rows. Of course, because it happened through the colour transition, I'm very reluctant to unravel the area to sort it out properly. I can do that easily when there is no colour transition, but with colour changes I'm a bit... wary of messing it up. So I did a k2tog in the row where I noticed, and I hope it won't bother me enough to pull back. 

I'm hoping to finish Chart 2 tomorrow. That's 8 more rows, and they look... not complicated, but time consuming. The next set of increase rows takes 1 row for doubling up stitches plus 6 plain knitted rows, so I doubt I can do all of that tomorrow as well. I'm curious to get to Chart 3, with all those twisted stitches and such. I think that is when the actual challenge of this shawl begins. 

The  good things so far: 

• The pattern is amazingly detailed, with specific instructions in every row where the beginning of the row moves, and very detailed descriptions of every stitch. 
• The chart uses additional symbols, which at first sight can be worrying, but this allows for the shape of the chart to remain, so that it is easy to say the shapes that the lace is creating. 

The bad things so far:

• My hands get sweaty very easily, and I worry that the yarn will felt. I know it shouldn't felt, but it is lace yarn (silk/merino) and I'm sure getting all sweaty is not good for it.
• Much as I love gradience yarns, colour changes still annoy me, and even with knitted joins and no yarn being carried behind the shawl, they never look as neat as I think they should. Maybe I should practice joins more. 

 

 I completed the first chart yesterday. I do really like how the initial part looks, and may use the same pattern to make a beret at some point. Berets are very useful for me - I get tremendous headaches when I tie my hair back, so berets help me keep my hair out of the way while still leaving it loose. 

i did the transition rows to Chart 2 today, and placed a lifeline there. I have managed the first two rows of chart two, but something tells me it would not be a good idea to continue now... More tomorrow, or maybe Saturday. Tomorrow is, after all, The Little Prince Knitalong clue 3! 

 So, I gave up on the Ash Leaf shawl I was knitting - something in the pattern doesn't quite go with me, or with the yarn I'm using. And I started knitting one of the versions of the Trinity Shawl. Not entirely sure what version it'll end up being just yet - it may be version 1 or version 3, depending on how much yarn I have left at the point I have to decide. I can't see myself wearing this particular shade of yarn, so it'll be a Christmas present, and good practice for lace knitting. 

On a separate note, I really need a yarn swift and a ball winder - knitting off skeins is a bit complicated, and means I cannot take the project with me when I go out, cos the skein would end up in a mess. 

Any recommendations, oh, knitters out there?