Decisions, Decisions

Once again, I'm stalled on a project.

I've been waffling back and forth on which size of the Eris to knit, ever since I started it. I've just hit the first row that's different between the two sizes.

So, do I knit the smaller size, with about 2.5 inches of ease, and definitely enough yarn?
Or do I knit the larger size, with 5 inches of ease (the preferred size, I think), but with only 5 metres of yarn to spare? This is the problem with buying yarn from a smallish company (it's Elann's house brand). If they don't have any more, there's nowhere else to go to get it. In the case, it's not even a dye lot issue - they just don't have any more of the color. I wouldn't have this problem if I'd either used a big brand name wool maker, or if I'd started knitting as soon as I got the wool, instead of waiting 8 months. I really don't want to get halfway through the second arm and run out of wool...

I'll probably run a lifeline where I am right now, and knit the smaller size. If it's just too small, I'll frog it back and knit the larger size. The smaller size may be big enough - I just don't know. This has to be the worst thing about knitting sweaters - you can't tell until after the work's done whether or not it's gonna fit!

The good news is, since I stalled on the Eris last night, I went back to the Soleil and put two rows of single crochet around one of the armholes. I tried it on again, and the gaping problem was solved! So I have the SC around the neckline done now, too, and I'll get the last armhole done tonight. Once it's blocked, that'll be something moved off the "in progress" list, and a pretty summer top for myself finished just in time for fall. *g*

I really should learn to trust the pattern and not panic until I'm actually done.

Miscrossing

Friday night past was spent swatching for the body of the Eris, and then realizing that, although US6 needles were closest to gauge, I had none long enough. So I switched over to do a little lace, and finished off section 6 of the Desert Sun shawl, ready to double the number of stitches in the shawl so I could start section 7. Unfortunately, I didn't have a circular needle long enough for that, either. I've never done a circular shawl before, and the construction - doubling the number of stitches every time you double the number of rows - is quite cool. It is, however, just a big ball of wool at this point - I can only take a picture of a very small section, since I can't spread it out enough to do anything else.



So, that's the lace in section 6. It looks like crap to me right now, but it's lace, so it's all about the blocking, right?

Saturday, I went to Knitomatic with crystal_diva and neeuqdrazil, where I got the nice, long circular I needed for the Eris. And then, I went to town on that over the weekend.

Now, this sweater is a miracle of construction. There are cables along the raglan sleeve increases, with the increases themselves hidden inside the cable. It's a nice touch, and means you've got pretty detailing along the seam instead of the usual holes from yarn overs.

However, when you miscross a cable in this and don't notice it for another ten rows? This is very, very bad.

I wish I'd taken some pictures of the process, but I ended up dropping about ten stitches above the cable and letting them ladder down to the mistake. I then, very, very carefully re-built the cables, complete with increases. I had 5 active needles at some points. *g*

This was the result:



It's a little bit fuzzy, from the wool being overworked, I guess, but at least the cables are no longer crossing the wrong way. Yay!

Eris Step 1, Complete!

I finished the collar of the Eris sweater last night. Woo-hoo! The pointed part (the front of the neck) just killed me though. For some reason (might have been the raspberry martini I was drinking), I just kept making mistakes, and having to tink back a little. It seems like I made a mistake on almost every row. It looks okay now, though, so I don't think I actually missed correcting any mistakes.



And here's a picture with me actually wearing it. This is good, since it means I should be able to get the finished product over my head...



So, then I was onto knitting gauge swatches for the back-and-forth part of the sweater. That's easier to do than complicated cables when a little tipsy (*g*), but I haven't found the right size yet. The 3.75mm needles were a little small, so I guess I'll try the 4.25mm needles tonight. Swatching's just not all that exciting, but if I can't buy a cable needle in the right size long enough tomorrow morning, I'll be stalled until sometime next week. This would be why I need to get myself a set of Denise Interchangables (or maybe the new Knitpicks set), but I prefer using bamboo needles over metal ones, and neither come in bamboo.

I've got to remember to stop reading ahead in the pattern, though. The instructions make perfect sense when I'm actually doing the work, with the needles in my hands, but reading ahead scares me. It just seems complicated!

More work on Eris

I managed a few more hours of work on the Eris sweater yesterday, and managed to get the right-hand side of the collar complete. I'm loving the way the cables are popping with this wool, by the way.

They're just lovely. See?



So, then it was onto the first of the "pick up stitches" sections. There are a few things about this pattern that are cool, and the fact that finishing seems like it consists of weaving in the ends and nothing else is one of them. This occasionally means doing unusual things during the construction, like picking up the beginning stitches to knit in the other direction at the back of the neck.



I appear to have managed the feat there, but I'm not sure. 10 rows in, the join is, to my eyes, a little too... obvious.



That jagged bit is just a little too pronounced for my eyes. I mean, it's the back of the neck, so it'll usually be covered by hair, and I'll certainly never see it... but the fact that it's there bothers me. I'm not sure I can make it better, though. I've done what the directions said, and picked up the stitches through the middle of the existing stitches - unless my definition of "middle" isn't what the pattern means. It could just be happening because the stitches are now going in the other direction, and I have to live with the one off row.

To Frog or not to Frog? Hummmm.

Too many projects

Once upon a time, I swear I was project-monogamous. I started something, I finished it, I started something else.

Now? I have 5 items in the WIP file, and that doesn't include things like the baby sweater that just needs buttons or the scarf I don't really like so I just... stopped knitting it.

I love planning projects, picking out the wool, finding the right needles. I cast on, all excited, and then the pattern starts to take shape, and that's even better. But somewhere in there, the excitement kinda goes away, and I start looking for something else to do. Once I get near the end, I usually pick up steam again, but the middle? such a slog. *g*

The Soleil is stalled because all that's left the the crochet edging, and I'm not all that sure how to do it. And because, when I tried it on after seaming the shoulders last Saturday, it didn't fit properly. It gaped - badly - along the armholes. I'll do the crochet edging anyway, and see if that helps at all, but the thought that I may have to frog the whole thing, do it in a smaller size, and add short-row shaping to the bust is just really, really irritating. I was looking forward to wearing it, too!

The two shawls aren't really stalled - I did two rows of the Irish Diamond shawl on Saturday, while watching Stargate: Atlantis, and 3 rows of the Desert Sun Sunday afternoon while trying to distract myself from the Soleil issues. They'll just keep coming along, I think, a couple of rows at a time, when I don't want to work on the Eris for some reason. The fact that they're going so slowly is actually a little weird - I love knitting lace. One of them should be the first thing I reach for, when I'm looking for something to do.

Maybe I should just not start anything else until everything I currently have in the works is done. I wonder how well that would work, especially with Christmas coming up - gift knitting will have to start soon, after all!

Eris Pullover, Day 3

I began Eris on the weekend. I actually swatched for the smaller size needles (Wow, imagine that! *g*), and then cast on to begin the cabled collar.

I'm about halfway through the right hand side of the collar. The short rows to shape the curve in the neckline is quite cool. I gotta say though, this is undoubtedly the most intimidating pattern I've ever tried. 41 pages long! The legend for the cable charts alone is 4 pages. ..


The yarn is Elann's Peruvian Collection Sierra Aran, in slate. Which, surprisingly enough, is actually knitting up purple. I thought I was getting gray, but I do like the colour, so it really isn't a problem.

It's Aran-weight wool, and US3 needles gave me gauge, so I think this'll be thick enough to stop a bullet when it's done.

I'm enjoying it so far, but right now it's just cabling. I think picking up the stitches for the body of the sweater should be fun. *g*

Testing, Testing...

I thought I'd try keeping blog specifically for knitting/projects I'm working on. Expect lots of pictures of works-in-progress, comments on different types of yarn that I'm using, pattern notes, stuff like that. *g*