Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Thanks for the kind remarks
I don't normally have a lot of comments, and I appreciate the kind words.
A few other things I've been thinking about today, now that the project is over:
1. eveness of stitches -- stitches that looked horrible and out of proportion while I was working on them don't seem to be so noticeable now. I'm not sure if it's the effect of blocking, or arm's distance, but it helps. I had thought I would need to spend a lot of time hand-adjusting tension on individual stitches, but I'm inclined to leave it be for now. It might be related to the "don't frog after dark" rule.
2. This wool is water repellant. Getting it wet enough to block last night took work -- the water did not want to soak in. (Jamieson & Smith Shetland, available from Schoolhouse Press.)
3. This wool has properties that make it simultaneously easy and difficult to work with. Sticking to itself is a bad thing when you're trying to get a loose length to knit with. However, it also means that you're not likely to overtighten stitches when carrying colors, so long as you stretch the reach from the right to the left. The carried color will cling to the back of the fabric and the other long reaches it finds there.
3.a -- having blocked it firmly on a tammy stretcher, the hard edge to the disk is keeping it's shape nicely off the stretcher.
4. Not sure if I did something wrong, but the corregated ribbing does not have the K/P draw-in I expected. The brim is sized to just fit my head, but it doesn't grip, if you know what I mean.
In the spirit of not being afraid to use "good" stash, I've started a pair of socks from Cherry Tree Hills Supersock. The contrast of texture between the two yarns is amazing.
A few other things I've been thinking about today, now that the project is over:
1. eveness of stitches -- stitches that looked horrible and out of proportion while I was working on them don't seem to be so noticeable now. I'm not sure if it's the effect of blocking, or arm's distance, but it helps. I had thought I would need to spend a lot of time hand-adjusting tension on individual stitches, but I'm inclined to leave it be for now. It might be related to the "don't frog after dark" rule.
2. This wool is water repellant. Getting it wet enough to block last night took work -- the water did not want to soak in. (Jamieson & Smith Shetland, available from Schoolhouse Press.)
3. This wool has properties that make it simultaneously easy and difficult to work with. Sticking to itself is a bad thing when you're trying to get a loose length to knit with. However, it also means that you're not likely to overtighten stitches when carrying colors, so long as you stretch the reach from the right to the left. The carried color will cling to the back of the fabric and the other long reaches it finds there.
3.a -- having blocked it firmly on a tammy stretcher, the hard edge to the disk is keeping it's shape nicely off the stretcher.
4. Not sure if I did something wrong, but the corregated ribbing does not have the K/P draw-in I expected. The brim is sized to just fit my head, but it doesn't grip, if you know what I mean.
In the spirit of not being afraid to use "good" stash, I've started a pair of socks from Cherry Tree Hills Supersock. The contrast of texture between the two yarns is amazing.
