Thursday, September 17, 2015

Craft Away Thursday

Since I missed my usual Wednesday WIP update this week I thought I'd post an update on Thursday instead. 

Not that there is an awful lot happening, but it's good to stay in some kind of routine, right? ;)

This past week I've found my way back to a project that I've neglected for quite some time - Black Acer. I find it very difficult to find time to knit on this with the kids around, because you really need to make sure to concentrate on the pattern and I found myself constantly double-checking and re-counting my rows to make sure I didn't miss those with cables. 


It took some time to re-familiarise myself with the pattern because in my infinite wisdom I obviously DIDN'T make a note of which row I was on. In the process I also found a number of real whoppers - proper mistakes that I hadn't noticed at the time. They are mainly at the beginning, those first few rows, when I wasn't really in the swing of things and the pattern was unfamiliar. I also, at the time, tried to work on this quite a bit with the kids around, so there was a lot of picking up and putting down of knitting. As a result I have one cable row where things are just... wrong. 


Guess what, though?

I'm not frogging. I'm leaving it as it is, because even though I can see the mistake I'm pretty confident that the casual passer-by who happens to see me wear Acer is never ever going to spot the mistake. 

Similarly there are a couple of mistakes further on, where I somehow managed to not do a yarn-over and therefore was a stitch short. I noticed a couple of rows further in and just corrected it then. Although if you stretch the fabric apart you can see that there is something not quite right in that section, due to a purl stitch right after the yarn-over there is a natural crease in the knitted fabric that conveniently masks the missing hole from the yarn-over. As far as I'm concerned a mistake that nobody will notice is not an actual problem. ;)

I'm about to start my third ball of yarn for this, so I'm going through the yarn quite quickly. Hope my calculations were right so I won't run out with half a sleeve to go!


I've also been working on the Boneyard Shawl. 


In contrast to Black Acer, this is really a pick up / put down kind of project for me. Right now I still can't tell much of a difference, and of course as the rows get longer, progress gets slower, but I'm persevering. Sooner or later it's going to get done.


And last but not least, look at this:


It's done! I've frogged Cowl! Isn't it funny how many small balls of yarn came out of that sweater? What on earth was I doing?!

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17 comments:

  1. Love your photos, happy knitting x

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  2. Boneyard looks great and I always need to have one of those projects around during the day, things like the Acer I'd have to leave until evening time when little ones would be just in bed leaving me free to concentrate.

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    1. Thanks Ruth. It is useful to have an easy and mindless to-go-to project for those short moments in the day when you get to sit down, isn't it? Acer just won't do for that, that pattern demands your full attention.

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  3. I leave in mistakes often. I usually just can't bear to frog back unless it's a tremendously obvious. You are quite right in that very few, if any, will notice. Congrats on frogging your sweater. If the yarn is feltable you could spit felt some of the balls together to make it more usable.

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    1. Glad I'm not the only one! If a mistake is as good as invisible I will NOT go through the effort of frogging and reknitting. And good idea re. the red yarn. It may felt, judging from the job I had to unpick it in the first place. I just wonder why I had so many little bits of yarn? It was so long ago that I knitted Cowl that I really can't remember.

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  4. I love the shades of yarn that you choose! So subtle and classy!

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  5. Wonderful patience you have.

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    1. Thank you - I'm not sure I'm that patient, really... ;)

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  6. There are definitely those patterns that can't be picked up and put down. I find KnitCompanion on my iPad is indispensable for keeping me on track and noting where I am in a chart. And more than likely every single sock two is a bit more error free than sock one - but don't the people on my gift list because they think the socks match :)

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    1. I'll have to see if I can get KnitCompanion on my tablet, it sounds like a very useful thing to have!! And I'm glad I'm not the only one who leaves mistakes in. ;)

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  7. I love your close up pictures, Iris. And I love your neutral colors, too. :^)

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  8. Good for you, a mistake here and there is part of the charm of hand crafted and if you are happy that is all that matters. Love the beautiful colour yarn of the frogged cowl.

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  9. I love the cables and who is to say that they shouldn't be like that!

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  10. I usually can't leave a mistake but I have one in my current travel shawl and I'm leaving it as a souvenir reminder of all my distractions knitting this on the bus!!!! Love all the colour of your wips!!!

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