So I started this, swatched it and was bewitched by the amazing fabric that was created. I was also frustrated to tears by the pattern. This is not hard. The pattern is four lines long, for God’s sake. I am not a bad knitter, I have cables down pat, can turn a sock heel all by little self and my fairisle is coming along nicely, even if I do say so myself. SO WHY THIS IS SO BLOODY HARD?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ARGH!!!!

This is going (touch wood and whisper it ever so quietly) rather swimmingly. Only had to unpick a long row twice and, since I am trying to develop a zen approach to knitting and life in general (why let stuff bother you? Just sliiiiiiiide). About halfway through the yarn and it’s looking good that I’ll be able to use it all up. Mind, I would have used it all up anyway, I hate accumulating, especially annoying scraps.

SET BACK!!! I told Dad that this was for le Man, so that I could knit it in front of him. However, le Man has since broke up with me so now this has been regulated to secretive knitting, as not even Dad is that blind and the question of “why are you knitting for the guy that broke your heart” will eventually come up. Arse.

It’s done, finally, the weekend before Dad’s birthday phew. V happy with it, even if the tubular ending to the rows does look quite quite shite. I would like to know how people have remedied this. On the whole am very pleased, it’s a very handsome pattern, even the reverse is very good looking (see bottom photo, the underside is on top).

Dad loved it which is good, he wore it for the entire evening (which may have more to do with my mother refusing to turn the heating on). The wool has created a wonderfully smooth fabric which I think (hope, more bloody like) will wear well, and keep Pater warm in the depths of winter. Or just around the house. It was 14C in the kitchen yesterday.

Frustrations

• To save my sanity I have ditched the original cast on for an i-cord (/French knitting) cast-on, as per the suggestion of this good lady. I used this particularly brilliantly clear and easy to follow tutorial. I used smaller needles for this, as I find the stitches that end on the needle are “stretched”, making the first row dreadfully sloppy-looking. Also will do first row in smaller sized needles and then change up. Bound off using tubular cast off. However, I should have knit a row with 3.75mm and then bound off, it doesn’t look anywhere near as neat as the CO row.
• Swatch for your life. Get this thing down, make mistakes on a small area. I am saying this now, and I have not even cast on for the big thing yet.
• I found the best way of tackling this infuriating pattern was to learn it and then go at it by yourself, checking (very) regularly to see if it’s all working out. If you’re chained to it, I do feel your head might actually explode.
• I did three repeats of going one way (12 rows) before changing. It looks lovely but I would recommend doing even more repeats, I would have infinitely preferred longer arrows.