Maybe my "how hard can it be" idea wasn't so great. My first problem was that I spazzed and forgot to repeat only what's in the parentheses. The result was a pretty pattern. . . just not the right one. Ooops. Then my yarn overs kept ending up in the wrong places. Finally, the third time around, I've made peace with the pattern--almost.
Last night, as I was knitting away, I had a funny feeling that I should count the number of stitches on the needles. I cast on 103 stitces for the extra small. . . 3 lace repeats in, I had110 stitches! Wrong! Where did those 7 stitches come from?
So I'm now trying to figure out if it was just a few missed k2togs, or if I am unable to actually follow this pattern properly. What if this is a mistake that can't be fixed with a few extra decreases? What if this turns into the ever-widening top? It's going to be so beautiful when I'm done, I just know it. I just have to figure out how to get there.
While this project slowly sucks the life from me, the other exciting projects I have waiting in the wings are calling out to me, "Knit us!". After the orangina (which I WILL finish.), I want to knit Grecian Plait and Fad Classic. Ooh--and the Rebecca Lace Top!
But Grecian Plait will be first, because I have wanted to knit that one for a while. I couldn't understand my intense attraction to it--that is, until my mom saw a photo of it. She told me it reminded her of a tan crocheted top my grandma Roxie had once made for her. The tan top, though it wasn't exactly knitted, had the same feel as this top- plain stitch through the chest, empire waist with a tie, cute lacey pattern on the flowing lower half. I don't know that I've ever seen my mom wear the top, but it was always one of her articles of clothing that I took out to play dress up with. I don't remember what, but there's something about the top. . .maybe poofy sleeves. . .that kept it from being cute on my adult self. So, Grecian Plait will be my cute, Jeanettey answer to Roxie's original.
These are photos of my swatches for the Grecian Plait. It's in the ggh cotton I showed photos of in the last post. The grecian stitch is actually really beautiful and subtle in this cotton. . .I even like it better than the swatch I did of it in mohair (which is the suggested yarn).
1 comment:
Roxie used to crochet as well as knit, and unless I had seen her working with either a single crochet hook or with two knitting needles, I couldn't tell which from the completed garment. Perhaps because I didn't understand the twisting and tumbling stitching styles I saw it simply as a sweater, or a baby dress, or a toy lambie.
And when she sewed, she would freely modify modify patterns. I suspect that with knitting and crocheting, she developed a second sense to see that when she was three stitches off, she could correct by seven, and come out even.
You excel at spatial reasoning. I trust that the black linen "lace" top will come out beautifully!
M.
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