Library Girl says 'Read' your knitting

I've been knitting away on my friend's sweater. (The Silver Belle pattern by Debbie Bliss - It's for Judy, come and see her wear it in the library).  I have the pattern pretty much 'in my head' so I figured I would do a few rows while I watched Agents of Shield with my daughter the other night. 









 

Sounds like a good idea, right? Well it wasn't. I got too engrossed in the show (trying to figure out if Agent Ward is on the good side, or the bad side), and I didn't pay attention to my knitting . . . and I didn't realize it until the next morning.










See my mistake . . . I did one row of the pattern twice . . . (it must have been when Agent Ward was taking his lie detector test). So I will unravel those 6 stitches, break out my trusty crochet hook and fix my mistake.
I will do this with the TV off!!








Moral of the story? 'Read' your knitting. Especially if you are working cables. Take a look after every few rows to make sure everything is turning, twisting and lining up the right way!  It's a lot easier to fix mistakes that aren't too far down.

Also, don't knit when you are watching Agents of Shield.

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

"But the pattern says . . . "

Every year I knit a sweater for one of my friends (for some reason there is the only one that asks me!). This year, after many pattern searches she decided on Silver Belle by Debbie Bliss - a free pattern on Ravelry. She picked out a pretty off-white in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. Soooo soft! I sat down to cast on.

My usual cast on technique is long-tail method. 

This is the first side to be
 worked after casting on.

I always use this side and call it 'the pretty side'. (very scientific terminology, huh?)

Since it looks like garter stitch I think it blends in with the knitting and is more appealing to the eye.

Just an opinion.

This side shows on the second row of knitting.

This side of the cast on will leave 'a line'. For some reason (I just don't know the reason!), I don't like the look of this side.


Just an opinion.









I put the 376 stitches on my needle and I was ready to knit. The first row of the pattern is the wrong side - which meant, you guessed it - the 'line' was going to show on the right side of the sweater. So I knit the first row knowing the line would show, and even started the second row. (Isn't there a saying about doing something even though you know the outcome isn't what you want?!) By then the 'line' was really bothering me. 

Now I know that when I finish the sweater my friend not only won't notice it, but since she isn't a knitter she won't know there is two potential sides to a cast on row. But I sat there and thought of how it would just irritate me every time I looked down at it while I was knitting. I wasn't sure if there was enough wine in the house to deal with that kind of knitting tension.

Then it hit me. What I tell anyone that I have ever taught to knit. "You can change the directions if you want. It's your knitting". So I ripped it out, put 376 stitches on again, and I worked a purl row. Then I worked the first row of the pattern. Now the 'line' is on the wrong side of my knitting and I am at peace. 

Such an easy solution, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to come up with it. 


Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.