Saturday, December 23, 2006

Hello everyone...

Phew... boy is it hard to get logged in to this beta blogger website :)

I have a catastrophy to share... I have not decided what to do exactely with my disaster, but it might be less huge when I share it.

A while ago, I started the Cap Shawl (don't know the page number). It is the circular shawl. I got through the "boring" part pretty fast, but not fast enough. I started on the second part and needed to use markers between the different repeats. Something I haven't had to do since my first lace project just short of 2 years ago. Maybe this should have been a hint... a sign from the knitting universe.

Earlier this week I was knitting along merrily when suddenly I realised that although the first part of each repeat (where you have the viney pattern going) was working out correctly, the yarnover/slanty part of several wedges was not correct. In some I had more than the 7 yo-/ combinations I should have had and in some less... Guess I messed up when I put my markers in.

I now have to decided if

  • I'm going to try and locate the end of the first part of the shawl, thread a string through all the stitches on that row, remove the needles and rip to the string
  • or I'm going to remove the needles, rip it all and start over... including those close to 90 rows of that yarn over k2tog part that I hated to knit
Good thing I have another shawl I can concentrate on in the mean time as it needs to be finished by monday, cos it makes me tear up just thinking about this whole debacle.
One thing's for sure... next time I'm going to use markers from the start...

Cheers, Eva

5 comments:

Janice in GA said...

I use many markers, and have no shame at all in doing so. I also count all the time when I'm doing lace. It's saved me from having to rip out many times.

I also don't use lifelines. :)

jan said...

I've placed a circular shawl on the carpet, taken the circular needle out, ripped back to the error, picked up the stitches on multiple short straight needles, then transferred them back to the circular. I'm not young but I'm still very flexible so working on the carpet works for me. A large table top will work. To disturb the stiches as little as possible you want to move around the shawl. Also, if your shawl fiber will allow, dampen it first. The stitches hold together easier. I pick up on a pattern round and not a straight knit round as one can ignore the YO's and easily place them after the other stitches have been placed on the needle.

I want to make this shawl also. What yarn are you using?

Unknown said...

I know how to count. that's what I've discovered in lace. I would go with ripping out everything and starting voer, but that's just because I don't have the patience to sit there and attempt to rip back to the end of part 1 and run a life line. And I know which shawl you're talking about and it's the one that made me get this book! Good luck and when you're done, YOU HAVE TO POST A PICTURE OF IT!!!!!!!!

EvaLux said...

Janice, I guess I got too confident to use stitchmarkers LOL. But guess what... I learned my lesson. On flat knit shawls, I still don't (only at the edges and middle stitch of shawl...), but for shawls knit in the round I will from now on.
Jan, lots of good advice there. I like the idea of dampning the yarn. I might do that... but right now I'm more leaning to ripping it all out as it will be hell to pick up those stitches in pattern. I'm using Zephyr in the Garnet colorway. It is a bit too blue a red for my liking, but the only one I had enough yardage in :)
Judy, it looks more and more like I'll be ripping it all. I will post a before and after picture... and weep a bit LOL.

Stitchcounter said...

Sorry to hear about the mistake. I use stitch markers until I learn to read the pattern then I usually get rid of them since they tend to get in the way. I only used lifelines on my first lace project and after that I just found them annoying so I just tink back however many rows until I am back on track. I hope you find that you don't have to rip it all out.