Wednesday, June 04, 2014

I'm half way around round 117 of the borders of the Unst Bridal Shawl. It's really rather exciting, as we approach the end. Once this final, Tree of Life, motif is finished I must knit on a bit, while the trellis closes over its head. There is a half-motif to be knit into the space that will open out as that happens – but it only requires action every other round, like the trellis itself, so the final rounds should go relatively briskly.

I am worried by what you say, Hat, about the Cobblestone expanding. Is that a characteristic of garter stitch? Could it have been the yarn? My only experience of such a phenomenon was years ago, when I knit myself an alpaca sweater in a fisherman's rib, having just discovered the sensual pleasure of knitting with alpaca. It instantly expanded from a sweater into a mini-dress and was heading for the floor when I abandoned it. The loose rib kept catching on doorknobs as well. I doubt if I wore it a fourth time,

Maybe I should go on looking at cables and Nordic for Archie.

Lisa, I'm going to figure out how to turn off auto-correct. Maybe there are some other features that could go. My husband continues to believe that I could strip Open Office down to the features he actually needs, if I were cleverer.


I took some pictures of the vegetables on the doorstep yesterday. I hope to get them ported over here for tomorrow. We have introduced a Little Walk into our morning routine, very good for my husband who is now pretty frail, but demanding an extra tranche of time from me. So I'l stop here, for now. The iPad is back in touch with the world, thank goodness.

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:37 AM

    Had you thought of looking 'Knitting for Him' by Martin Storey? There's a lovely plain gansey in there which I have made for my husband and which he loves, also a textured gansey. I changed the neck of the traditional gansey in to the shaped neck of the textured one for a more comfortable fit. Lots of other things too and I know that the patterns all work and fit well! Perfect for an unassuming teenager, I'd have thought. Good luck! Stella

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  2. KarenE9:56 AM

    Garter stitch will stretch lengthways if knit at a loose tension in a heavy garment with the ridges running horizontally. But if the tension is reasonable/tight and the garment not too heavy, then it should be fine. Also choose a yarn with resilience, such as wool, rather than something that tends to drape, eg alpaca. But ganseys can have some interesting texture (so the knitter stays interested) that doesn't show from more than a few feet away.

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  3. Melinda J.11:08 AM

    I understand that the garter stitch yoke of a February Lady Sweater will tend to stretch downwards in the same way as a Cobblestone sweater. I think it is due to the yarn and agree with KarenE.

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  4. I'll try to comment by cutting/pasting here on my iPad. I always have trouble once I go to correct my sloppy typing!
    Anyway, I love your blog and your zest for all things: knitting, books, family, food, words, etc! I always learn something, or go off to clarify my understanding after I read your day's musings. Thank you!
    Can I comment on backslash? I wondered about your confusion over which is forward and which back. Somewhere along the line my brain connected the direction of the slash to reading. I read from left to right, so the slash facing the right / is a slash, or forward slash. Back slash \ leans back where I already read.
    Thank you for making me think about wonderful things!

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  5. Anonymous12:21 PM

    By the way I thought James' recent piece on 25 years after Tiananmen 1989 was really excellent.
    LisaRR

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  6. I hear you about the extra tranch of time for a walk with your husband. I now take my mother in law to the gym three days a week for her exercise class. She can still drive herself, but if she has to she can think of all the reasons why she isn't going that day. But, if I say, I'm going to the gym, you come too, she will. My complaint is that the time of the class is not wildly convenient for me. However, it's a first world problem and it won't kill me to do my weight lifting at 11 a.m. rather than 6 a.m. Press on!

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  7. Hester from Atlanta12:41 PM

    Automatic Correction - I was able to turn this off on my phone - so being able to turn it off is probably possible. Somewhere in the text settings.
    Best - Enjoy your posts a lot.

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  8. Oh I had a sweater/coat I made in unspun Icelandic in a garter based stitch that I had to throw away after a month or two of wearing it. I tried felting it to save it, but that just ruined it. I think the right yarn and gauge should work with that. Another similar sweater to Cobblestone I made was the EZ New Zealand pullover. That one my husband accidentally washed and it felted, or I'd have a report for you on longevity. I wore it for a couple of years and liked, though.

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  9. Ellen1:58 PM

    Yes it is a characteristic of garter stitch to stretch, and while it will be worse if you used a yarn like alpaca, and less if you use a firmer wool, it will stretch downward a bit, or a lot. You might want to look at other Brooklyn Tweed sweaters; there is a collection for men, as well as some others in the Wool People series. They tend to be quite basic, but hip in a Brooklyn sort of way. A lot of them are raglans which can be nice for young mens whose shoulders may still broaden.

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