so a while ago i made a big deal about this whole exploration of shetland lace knitting, and how i wanted to try and get to the bottom of it, and get all historical about it. i started the stonington shawl, and its a really lovely piece, but well, i got bored. part of my reasoning for committing to the shetland project was to stop the dizzy feeling i was getting from all the beautiful little shawls that were doing the rounds, and i liked the feeling of not paying attention to them for a while, but now im being distracted. the first floozy to turn my head was the girasole, enabled by the wollmeise lace:
its coming along beautifully, and is a really simple relaxing knit, and the yarn is just gorgeous, and its a kind of shetland, so i thought maybe it didnt count. but it appears i am on a slippery slope off the no-shawl wagon, not at all helped by yet another birthday gift, this one from the jetsetting knitabulous:
oh yes, my very own piece of paris, 100g of gorgeous alpaca from la droguerie.
i think it wants to be the celaeno shawl from romi hill’s seven shawls booklet. minus the beads. i have also been seduced away from my personal sock club, again distracted by the bright shiny wollmeise. i cast on for rick socks, opting for magic loop rather than DPNs,
but there is a yarn over at the end of every stitch repeat, which means at the end of each needle, and that threw my stitch count out, and something just wasnt right!
i need some advice though. the pattern for these is in STR on 2.5mm with a 60 stitch cast on. the wollmeise is thinner than the STR, and i have a hefty calf, so i wanted to up the cast on amount. cookie’s sizing advice is just to go up or down one pattern repeat, but thats 12 stitches. i but the bullet and cast on 72 rather than 60, but i think its still too many. im really not sure what to do.
perhaps if i wasnt so distracted by pretty shiny things i might get the hang of knitting maths!
k xx
Did You try it on? Since it is on a circ you can decide if you want this many stitches on a smaller needle, or the 60 stitches on a larger needle. The yarns are beautiful!
oh now see, i hadnt thought of that. im so used to top down being on DPNs i completely forgot. doh!
ooh you are a bit of a bower bird knitter at the moment aren’t you? Your head is turned so easily!
I can only suggest going up to 2.75s and doing what I did last night which was to cast on over two needles, making the cuff a little looser. I remember that the monkey socks have been tight in the cuff in the past. Or even start on 3mm and go down to 2.75s for the sock itself?
ps please finish stonington soon. I want to see it!
I have no help to offer! Knitting math – eeck!
I guess the only way to really know would be to try it on.
Also, would it really matter if it was a little slouchy? Slouchy is betterer than tight.
Love the shawl choice btw. Mine is still whispering to me, but in a language I don’t understand..
que est francais, je pense. i thought youd be a native speaker by now! and again with the try it on thing. i am now officially an idiot!
I’d suggest trying it on, considering it’s on a circular and all. It it’s far too big, try with the 60st, and if that’s too small… try with 72sts and going down a needle size or two.
Yes, I had a similar problem with my Rick’s, but I didn’t end up finishing them because of other issues. Nothing to do with the sock pattern!
Look at all the new shiny! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
For the socks, I would go 72 st on 2.25mm sticks (I do Andrew’s on 2.25s with 72 st). I don’t think you want to go looser (ie bigger needles) with the WM.
But yeah, see how you go with trying it on, heh!!
Have you thought about picking up the yarn over on the next round>> I do that sometimes when I have yfwd/yo after knits and purls. It makes them different sizes so I pick up the loop in between the stitches and knit or purl it on the next round. After a while I remember. Lovely red socks too!!
drool drool drool
and what they all said
xxxx
I’m with RoseRed – 72 stitches on 2.25 sticks and a really loose cast-on – possibly on 3.00s.
I love your new blog header. Very stylish.
thank you lyn! its the inside of a palazzo in rome, i cant remember what it was called though! near piazza navona anyway. nice place to have a conference
I hate yo’s at the end of the row. I’d switch the stitches on the needles just a few stitches to keep them from the edge.
And, yes, please don’t forget stonnington. I’m waiting to see it.