Lessons Learned
Hello! My name is Candra, and I’m really excited and honoured to be a guest here for Rachel! Rachel and my friend Nicole have taught me pretty much everything they could about knitting over the last four years. I’m one of those knitter’s who has multiple projects casted on at once, and each project teaches me something new. Well here’s my longest running project that has taught me a lot.
Last year I started a project for my friend’s birthday. She had requested a pair of socks, and not just any socks, a pair of…. Twilight socks. (I think most people are aware of the existence of the Twilight Saga if they like it or not and I do have to admit I have read the whole series) I was lucky enough that ravelry has such a pattern: Twilight Cover Socks by ChickenBetty.
The socks are written to be toe-up socks, knit in Intarsia when the book cover picture comes in. When I started the pattern I had no idea what “ intarsia” meant, and wanting to get these socks done fast I thought I could make do with coming up with my own way of knitting them, so I bought the yarn and started. The problems began immediately.
At first I wanted to surprise my friend by not letting her see the socks. That ended badly after I turned the first heel and saw they were too small. So I frogged it to right before the heel and made it longer. I tested them on my friend this time, but they were too big in both width and length. I frogged them and started again, deciding to measure my friend’s foot with the sock; however,the worst problems began when I started the colour working.
I decided I would cut each colour of yarn off every time I finished with it in the round, then cast it back on when it was needed again. My more experianced knitting friends warned me about the consequences of doing this, but I did it anyway. If I had listened I would have saved myself a lot of trouble. There were too many little ends after about twenty rounds and they had started to unravel and get tangled. Frustrated I frogged the whole thing again.
By then my friend’s birthday had long past. I was ready to give up, and I questioned whether these socks really wanted to be made or not.
But I was determine, so I casted on once more taking notes as I went, and instead of my more creative method of the colourworking I switched to trusty old Fair Isle knitting. Three colours all at once.
So what came of all this? Well I did indeed learn “intarisa” knitting; I learned how to be patient; and I learned that sometimes determination can turn something unfortunate into something worth being proud of in the end.
Right now my only problem is they are making up much slower than I want them too due to the Fair Isle. Despite this they are now much neater and on top of that are extra warm for the cold Alberta winters my friend will be enduring! I have five days and counting to finish them! Wish me luck!
If you want a good tutorial on intarsia knitting go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK07PBQMTE8
Tags: Guest blogs
