Posted by mobarger on Nov-23-2007
With this mystery project (HoHoHo) I am doing my first colorwork. The first few rows, colors were alternated every other stitch so I just pulled the yarn along behind the stitches (purple and pink part).
The pattern is more intricate with the dark and light pink yarns, so I carry the second color along as I knit with the first. This leaves less loose yarn exposed. IMO it makes for a denser fabric too.
But I have a problem.
A tangled mess. One way around it, I guess, would be to cut the yarn into workable lengths, and move these small balls back and forth as opposed to the working end of the yarn as I am now. But I am adverse to cutting the yarn. So far all I have been doing is knitting a couple rows, then untwisting the tangles, and starting over. But there has to be a better way.
Posted by mobarger on Nov-19-2007
For the first time, I am trying my hand at stranded colorwork. I knit English, or the ‘throw’ method. It took my fingers a little bit to decide the best way to pass the yarn as the colors switch. At first I was carrying only one color at a time, but after a few rows, I decided the easiest way was to hold one strand looped over my thumb and the other over my index finger. I can knit quickly this way although the 2 strands get a little tangled.
Here’s colorwork of a different kind. As I work on the Lara sweater, I am mixing yarns. The body of the sweater is 100% alpacat from Tintagel Hill Farm. The front ribbing is a wool blend from Persimmon Tree Farm. when I bought the yarns at the Hemlock Fest, the woman in the booth (I bought them together) commented how well the two yarns looked together. Add to that the fact that I wasn’t sure I had enough yarn to complete Lara and voila! A 2 yarn sweater. The ribbing is dense and I am hoping that its weight won’t affect the drape of the alpaca too much.
Posted by mobarger on Nov-11-2007
Like I said before it is a good thing I am posting a daily post on the farm blog and not blogging every day in this blog. Bo-ring!
I have just a little bit of the cuff completed on my Ravelry sock.
Tilted Duster is done - except for the finishing. I hate finishing.
I started the Lara Sweater from Debbie Bliss. One good thing about this sweater is that it doesn’t need a lot of finishing. Woot!
