Working Central Double Decreases from the wrong side

I am not a fan of working lace on the wrong side of my knitting.  The only thing I like less is working garter stitch lace.  I have gained a certain appreciation for garter stitch lace after test knitting a garter stitch lace shawl in fingering weight, but I still don't really like it.  Lately I've been test knitting another project in fingering weight yarn that has me doing a lot of lace stitches from the wrong side.  Fortunately the lace patterns are easy, and most of the time the lace stitches have been limited to ssk and k2tog, but then there are the rows with the central double decreases and most of the time they have to be done from the wrong side.  I have never found a good demonstration of this stitch online, but I have figured it out and feel I have thoroughly mastered it, so I made another video to share what I have learned.

Slip, slip knit is not the same as K2tog tbl

Twice now I have come across folks asserting that an easy way to do your left leaning knitted decrease, also known as a slip, slip knit is to simply knit two together through the back loop.  This is not correct, so to show what is going on and correct this misconception I created the video below.

Harmonize - Three Skeins Done

After finishing up my Encore shawl I didn't know what to work on next.  I have two more test knits to get done but this week at work has been so crazy and stressful that I just didn't have the mental energy to start them.  I worked for a night on my Mulberry Ombre dress, and then decided to switch to this shawl.  I don't have too much left on it, so maybe I can finish it up and get another WIP off my boards before I cast on my test knits.

I've also been thinking about what I want to do with the other two Harmonize sets that I have.

I'm thinking of working this set next, but using the gradiance as the main color and the red for the lace.  Once I see how that comes out I will decide what to do with my other set.

I may use the same shape, but do a design of my own.

Pattern:  Harmonize Special Edition by Rosemary Hill
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Pashmi - Peacock and Amber
Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Encore - Finished!

I finished this up on Tuesday.  Even though I created a set of yarn usage tables to help with planning your yarn usage, I didn't use them.  This was one of those times where everything just worked out perfectly and I knew it would as I was knitting.  I was able to use my skein 5 of the gradiance as my main color for the rest of the garter stripes, working through skeins 1, 2 and 3 on the first two lace sections and the two smaller garter sections that divide the lace sections.  When I got to the final lace section I got a couple of rows out of skein 3 before I switched to skein 4.  I did another repeat of the lace (to use up more of skein 4) and then finished off with one garter stripe (two knit rows) before binding off with the Larkspur (my original main color).  I am really happy with how it turned out.  I have two more of these sets and am tempted to knit at least one more of these shawls.  I was thinking about using the gradiance set as the main color and the main color on the lace sections, but I really like the way this one came out.  I'll have to think about it.  Of course, I do have two sets...

Pattern:  Another Chance to Shine by Janine Le Cras
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Targhee Sock
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Encore - On to the Lace

This morning I finished up the last of the big garter stitch sections.  There are nine of the garter stitch sections, alternating with the lace stripes.  When I got to the eighth garter stitch section I knew that I would not have enough of my main color to work it, so I striped that section with my gradiance skein.

This is the set that I'm using.  I used the first gradiance skein (left most) on the lace stripes, and got two stripes out of the garter stitch section from the first skein and then started using the second skein.  When I got to the ninth garter stitch section I started using skein 5 of the gradiance set for my main color.  I finished up skein 2 of the gadiance set in the ninth garter stitch section, so I'm starting the first lace section with skein 3.  My colors will converge as I get to the end of the shawl.

 Pattern:  Another Chance to Shine by Janine Le Cras
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Targhee Sock
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Encore - Seven stripes done

This is actually a test knit for Another Chance to Shine by Janine Le Cras.  The pattern is intended to be used with leftovers, but I'm cheating and using a set that was created for Rosemary Hill's Harmonize Shawl.  I went up a needle size because my yarn is a bit on the heavier side of the fingering weight, and my yarn usage is higher as well.  Fortunately my yarn set is generous, but I will have to get a little creative from now on as I'm almost out of my main color.  Fortunately, getting creative with color is one of the things this shawl is about.  I put together yarn usage tables for the pattern to make it easier for knitters to plan their colors and yarn amounts.  There will be an informal knit along for the pattern in March.

Here is a close up of the lace stripes.  It is an unusual pattern (not hard to knit, but hard to chart, so we didn't), and creates a very neat stitch, with some cool texture that you don't get from the picture.  I am working the first stitch of each right side row with both of my colors to carry the unused color up the side.

Pattern:  Another Chance to Shine by Janine Le Cras
Yarn:  The Unique Sheep Targhee Sock
Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Oranjestad - Finished!

I finished up this shawl a week ago, exactly, after some concentrated effort.  It was very bunched up on the needles towards the end.  Blocking was fun, I put blocking wires though all of the picots, and blocked pretty aggressively.  I finally got some pictures today.

It's actually kind of hard to tell which is the right side and which is the wrong side.  Big shawl.  Drapey.  Fun colors.  Easy knit.

Pattern:  Oranjestad Shawl by Lavanya Patricella
Yarn:  Uschitita Merino Singles
Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Bed of Roses Shrug - Finished!

I actually finished this project up back on January 19, but it took me a while to get a photo.  When I doing the trimming the ends I discovered a dropped stitch on one of the edges, which I captured by sewing it in with one of the scraps of yarn I had just trimmed off.  It was on the edge of the third stripe, so a stitch must have just slipped off my needles and somehow I never noticed it.  I had this happen once before on the central panel of one of my Watermelon shrugs.  Fortunately I found that one before I finished the panel.  I had to frog back to get that stitch.

Pattern:  Traveling Zebra Shrug by Carolyn Blakelock
Yarn:  Biscotte & Cie Bis-sock
Needles:  US 2.5 (3 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm)