11-20-2019

Amazed for the 100th time that the simplest patterns can teach new skills. In this case, skills that one might think one would have already learned by now!

One such teaching comes straight from the designer’s notes on the page with the abbreviation definitions. The instructions for working a yarnover from a knit stitch to a purl stitch are spot on, and important to avoid the yarnovers on one side of the shawl looking totally wonky, while they look fine on the other side. (Ask me how I know.)

A second thing I learned came from Googling. While I was ripping out my second “swatch,” I noticed for the second time that the knit stitches in the column next to the purl section on one side were all enlarged and ugly, while they were nice and tight on the other side. Found the solution on a blog that’s been dormant for almost 10 years. nonaKnits clearly describes the problem and the solution and even references a classic knitting tome in the process. Thanks, Nona! This is not the first time I’ve noted this problem, but it is the first time I’ve solved it!

And here’s my contribution - especially in the beginning you may find it challenging to differentiate between the right and wrong sides. I avoided this by using a distinctive marker as the first marker on the right side. Whenever I’m starting a new row, I just look to see if it’s my little lamb marker coming up first (making it the right side) or a plain marker (making it the wrong side).

11-21-2019

I am finding it ridiculously and embarassingly difficult to manage the knit-to-purl yarnover situation. Making the yarnover is quite simple, but knitting it correctly on the wrong side is proving to be quite challenging. I’ll go along fine for 10 or 20 rows and then bam - the stitch presents itself in a way I can’t decipher, I make my best attempt, and it’s botched. I’ve started over at least 10 times. I’m now practicing with “junk” yarn, and I think I’m dong better. One thing that is helping is that each time I come to the tricky bit, I remind myself that the stitch before the yarnover has its “legs” pulled up at the back of the needle, and it needs to be carefully knitted through the front loop, drawing the two legs off the left needle with the new stitch. That leaves the yarnover on the left needle, ready to be knitted into the back. Now if I could just figure out how to reconstruct the whole apparatus if/when a leg slips off the left needle unexpectedly or if I’ve knitted into it and want to unknit it because it doesn’t look right. These are soon going to be really long rows, and I am too much of a perfectionist to allow a botched up edge to stand. I’m not sure this is the best project for me!

11-24-2019

I hate to give up, but with the spine at 8”, I had a tragic run in with one of those damned backwards yarnovers and came to the conclusion that if I can’t do it perfectly, and I cannot, then I really can’t enjoy doing it.