Friday, July 07, 2006

Row 22 of test swatch of The Wedding Ring Shawl







Opthamologist swears that I can do this folks! I had my yearly eye exam and asked if there was some reliable magnifying device I could attach to my coke-bottle-bottom glasses so I could see up-close when I make knitted lace. Practical man that he is, he told me to "Take off your glasses and just hold it up close. it will be OK". I don't take them off, I just peer over the tops of the glasses. If anyone else is doing this shawl, word to the wise. Do not knit it when tired and stupid. It won't work, I tried. See my sample after I had a little rest.
And now to confess that I am a stubborn git! I tried to knit that Silk again. I took an emery board and sanded all my fingertips smooth and tried that swatch again. It was like a bad comedy skit about safe-crackers. The yarn did not stick to me so badly this time but it was still not a pleasure to knit it. And I guess that says a lot about why I knit. It can be a challenge, it can be frustrating, it can take a long time but ultimately, all that still equates to pleasure for me for some odd reason. Knitting the silk was just not satisfying.
You can see above, a picture of the lace in the Shetland cobweb weight yarn ,up to row 22. I have placed the small ball of yarn in a plastic container to avoid snagging and when I'm done, I just snap the lid on and it keeps everything in place. Though I an currently using Susan Bates metal needles, I did pick up some bamboo needles to try out as well. Sharon Miller suggest the use of talcum powder to dust hands/work so it won't stick and will slide on the needles more easily. My sister says there is something bad about inhaling talcum powder however. The advantage of straight needles using this thin yarn, is that there is no "join" for the yarn to get hung up on as with circular needles where the needle meets the plastic cable. It was easier than I thought it would be. Just like riding a bike! In fact, being able to brace the needle while sitting enables better finger manipulation of those tiny stitches so that there is less threat of them falling off the needles while working. See also above my "respite" knitting. The Mountain Pine's shawl. On US 3 it feels like I'm actually knitting sportweight instead of laceweight after using US 0 needles. I will be working on the peacock shawl again and I bet it will be easier now after working even smaller!

Until next we meet!