Oranjestad Shawl - Color B Done

I pulled this project back out yesterday so I could knit and read (Book 8 of the Saxon Tales).  I had actually gotten to the point where I was about to introduce Color C before I set it aside to work on some other projects.  I blithely worked two rows in Color C, and then realized that the first of those two rows should have been an eyelet row.  I really did not want to tink back 400+ stitches in each row, so I grabbed my Circular Stitch Holder from Clover

and carefully threaded it through the last row I had worked of Color B.  I bought these from The Loopy Ewe when I had a store credit I needed to use and didn't really need to buy any yarn.  I've used them as stitch holders but this was the first time I tried using one as a life-line.  I'm happy to say that it worked perfectly.  Once I had it in place I pulled the knitting needle out, pulled out the two rows I had just worked, and put the stitches back onto my knitting needle to start again.

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

Another Scarf-in-a-Scarf - Halfway Done

Lots of telecons and some document review means that I'm quickly working my way through this project.  I'm already half way done.  I have to figure out what I can throw into my work bag next.  Not having knitting while on a telecon, or while waiting for my computer to reboot is just too scary to contemplate.

Pattern:  Scarf-in-a-Scarf
Yarn:  Hand Painted Knitting Yarns Precious
Needle:  US 7

Elizabeth of York - Take Three

Here is take three.  But wait, how did we get here?  One week earlier, as they say in the movies.

I had cast on my steek stitches and was happily knitting away when I discovered that I had missed 5 purl stitches in a row, way back on row 3.  I did actually drop two of the stitches down to fix them, but it was not easy, and it was late, so I set it aside to look at the next day.  Overnight I was thinking about it and decided that I wanted to start working in the round from the start.  It seemed to me that the only reason the pattern was not being worked in the round from the beginning was because you were not using both colors on all rows, but that didn't matter to me.  I do not need my steek to be the same all the way up.  Here is the steek from take three.

So, the next morning I cast on a new start, without frogging my original start, but this time I decided to try the Wild Orchid and Corn Crake again.  I do like purple and gold.  When I restarted in the round I did not use the smaller needle, I just went with the US 3 (3.25 mm) needle and a longer cord - 32", which holds the stitches perfectly, without bunching, but without stretching.

I also replaced the knot in the bottom band with the 4 knot stitch from the body, because the bottom band knots didn't pop forward as nicely.  And I discovered that two-color purling from the right side is easier (for me at least, knitting English) than two color knitting from the wrong side.  But once I got into the body pattern I decided that the Corn Crake was not providing enough contrast with the Wild Orchid and the design was getting lost.  So I frogged back my first start with the Spindrift to reclaim that yarn, and then I frogged back my second start, but only to the first two color row - so I didn't have to redo the cast-on.  I picked my stitches back up and joined the Spindrift and started on take three.

In the interim, I also charted out the right front, back and left front fully, including the interstitial stitches and the increases.  I had charted the main pattern from the book when I was working the swatch, and later added the lines indicating where the right front, the back and the left front began, but I didn't have where they ended and of course once I started working the increases I had to remember how many stitches to shift things and that was just getting to be too much work.  It was very easy just to create three new charts (save as is a wonderful feature) and then copy the appropriate columns to extend the charts out on either side of the main repeat (marking the repeat with borders) and then add a column for the interstitial stitches, plus add the columns for the increases and gray out the stitches appropriately.  I even put in the increase stitches so I wouldn't have to remember which way they needed to lean.  And the best part?  I can ditch the stitch markers, which were just getting in my way.

Pattern:  Elizabeth of York by Alice Starmore, from Tudor Roses
Yarn:  Hebridean 2-Ply in Wild Orchid and Spindrift
Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)

Elizabeth of York - Bottom Band Done

I knit the swatch for this pattern (and made gauge!) last October, but it has taken me a while to sit down and figure out the pattern sizing and start working it.  When working these patterns I study them pretty thoroughly before I start knitting.  I will even type up and rewrite instructions for my unique size.  I find that the process really helps me understand what is going on with the pattern.  Last night I finally sat down with the pattern and the measurements and figured out what I needed to do for the body (for the most part), and so I caked up my yarn and cast on.  I am now ready to cast on the steek stitches and set up for working the pattern.  I hope the knots will pop out more towards the right side of the work when I block it, they keep wanting to go towards the back.

I was going to use Wild Orchid and Corn Crake as my colors, but changed my mind and went back to the original background color that I ordered with the Wild Orchid - Spindrift.  I actually started knitting with the Corn Crake but it seemed to compete too much with the Wild Orchid, so I tinked back and reknit the piece.

Pattern:  Elizabeth of York by Alice Starmore, from Tudor Roses
Yarn:  Hebridean 2-Ply in Wild Orchid and Spindrift
Needle:  US 2.5 (3 mm) and US 3 (3.25 mm)

Bed of Roses Shrug - Side Two, Half way done

I have a lot of WIPs right now, so I'm trying to finish some up.  After finishing my Juniper Ombre Shrug on Tuesday I decided to pick this one up.  Mostly because it was easy and I wanted to read while knitting.  I'm also close to finishing it, and once I get this one done I can get the Beluga shrug going on to its next phase and finish up the Paintbox shrugs.  I have two other projects that I really want to start, plus I have two more test knits I need to get started on.  One I have the yarn for, one I don't.  One of them will be mostly simple knitting, the other one is definitely not.

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

Another Scarf-in-a-Scarf - Cast On

Unfortunately, finishing up the central panel of the Beluga Shrug means that I no longer have easy knitting in my work bag.  Fortunately, I have several kits from Hand Painted Knitting Yarns.  This is a Scarf-in-a-Scarf kit that I had previously caked up, probably to take on work travel, so I grabbed a knitting needle of the appropriate size and threw it into my work bag.  I did forget to throw in a row counter, but garter stitch is pretty easy to count.

I grabbed a locking stitch marker from my tin in my Beluga Shrug central panel project bag so I could mark a row to count from in case (when) I forgot to click my row counter.

Pattern:  Scarf-in-a-Scarf
Yarn:  Hand Painted Knitting Yarns Precious
Needle:  US 7

Beluga Shrug - Center Panel Finished!

We had snow this past weekend, so I went in to work late on Monday.  I had a telecon that I needed to call in to, so I pulled out my knitting and finished up the center panel for my Beluga shrug.  This is the last Paintbox kit that I have though.

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