Organizing my swatches
It’s been a swatching frenzy for weeks. All these ideas in my head: stitches, construction techniques, colors… but I don’t seem to hit the right combination of idea and execution. Either the idea falls apart after a few tests or it looks good but either the yarn or the color is not a good fit. I’ve been slightly obsessed with
Latvian braids and various incarnations of
herringbone stitch, and in the past two days
brioche stitch — the current name for what used to go by
fisherman’s rib. Brioche stitch is particularly frustrating right now because it deflates completely after washing. While waiting for yarn to arrive from the UK and Denmark, I explored a few techniques. Nothing new to most of you, but new to me:
Norwegian glove construction — I was really looking forward to knitting my first Selbu
mittens. Instead, I practiced enough to knit almost one glove and as soon as I had the base of the thumb in place and could try it on, realized that it’s uncomfortable and I will forever stick to the less elegant side thumbs, or whatever they are called. If I knit a Selbu glove, it’ll be a bastard version with a side thumb.
Test to learn the Norwegian glove construction
Norwegian thumb
— My friend Betta has been urging me to try them. I’ve been resisiting DPN since I tried them years ago and got nowhere, and I would never have learned to knit socks if it hadn’t been for Cat Bhordi’s “Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles”. But DPN have their uses and you never know when a technique is going to save the day. So, yes, I am practising and, no, I am not enjoying it. DPN are not going to replace two circulars for me any time soon.
Learning to knit with DPN
— This one is brilliant. I am still slow with it and I only practice when I have whole rows of purls, but purling Portuguese style is definitely something I want to become proficient at, for two reasons: to purl faster and to reduce stress to my right hand and arm, which are already showing signs of wear after just three months of knitting.
Herringbone stitch — The two main versions I found produce quite different results, both on the right and wrong side of the fabric. You can see for yourself below.
Two kinds of Herringbone stitch (front)
Two kinds of Herringbone stitch (back)
— If I had to save my life by either knitting intarsia in the round or learning Basque, I’d probably try to learn Basque.
Posted by Francesca
