Bug and I have a new knitting project: the birch shawl from Rowan 34. Just google "birch shawl" and you will find proud knitters showing off their finished products, dedicated knitters tracking their progress, or frustrated knitters plodding their way, with caution, through the very long first rows.The initial cast-on is 299 stitches. There it is. I did it yesterday. I have been swatching for birch for a couple of weeks (since one morning during the residency when Bug and I met for this purpose at Starbuck's). I know from the flower petal shawl that I completed in November that lace patterns are confusing for me until I figure out their logic and find the rhythm. Each one has its own. I had to start over and over on the swatch because I seemed to be ending up with the wrong number of stitches. Lace knitting looks just awful if the pattern goes off kilter. I think that, in the end, it was more a matter of not knowing exactly where to put the stitch markers. I still haven't quite figured that out, but I do know that with 299 stitches, markers are a must. I placed one purple stitch marker every 20 stitches to start with this time.
Though the idea of a challenging knitting project is a little bit daunting, mostly becuase I've been feeling oversubscribed lately, I think that a contributing factor to my elevated stress level has been the lack of a knitting project (there are two sweaters in partial states of completeness, but somehow they are not moving me). I can no longer resist the allure of kidsilk haze and the promise of a wispy birch to call my own.
5 comments:
the color of that wool is gorgeous-
so deep like indigo -
so pretty with the birch!
I am scared to get back to it. I'm so worried I'm going to screw up again and have to start over, yet again.Good idea to post a pic. I'll do that soon too.
Thanks, Sophie. I do find the colour rather luxurious! Bug, I think it's worth trying. Be brave! It may not be perfect, but by the end, you'll have the hang of it for the next time. I made mistakes in my flower petal and I still love it. I've finished two rows of birch. I think that the markers get shifty because of that last yarn forward at the end of every 10. They get off count by one. So the first marker on my 3rd row is after 19 stitches (so I need to work past it), and the last section has 18 stitches where it should have 17. But my total stitches works out.
Good for you ti- I'm always amazed at how much you do. I decided to give in and try knitting last week, but you'll be sad to know I don't think I'll be joining you all. It kind of hurt my fingers and I can't sit any more than I already do for writing. It was fun to figure it out again, though. Someday, maybe.
I really admire your industriousness. I'm on a home improvement kick, but I spend too much time planning and not enough time doing. This shawl will be gorgeous.
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