13 December 2009

False start.

A brief update on the sweater:

After TWO false starts on my dad's Christmas vest, I have finally made some headway.

First, I was right that 300 sts in tubular cast on would drive me nuts, so I tore that out after I got about 25 sts in. (This was after casting on 150 sts with a crochet hook and waste yarn, knitting 3 rows, and starting to work in 1x1 rib.)

I did a few swatches with different cast-on methods, and settled on the twisted German cast on. It's very like the long-tail cast on, except way stretchy. It has great potential to become my new favorite cast on.

So I cast on 300 sts in twisted German cast on, joined and began to knit. You know how knitting patterns always specify, "be careful not to twist cast-on edge"? Because I have always kind of been puzzled by that. It's not exactly rocket science, avoiding a twisted cast-on edge. I've never had a problem with it, how hard can it be?

Well, four rows in (that's 1200 sts on a US 4, for those of you keeping track at home), I realized I was knitting a moebius. I cried a little, threw the whole mess across the room, then tore it out 15 minutes later.

I have since cast on, knitted a few rows flat, and am planning to join in the round when I hit the stockinette portion of the sweater. There will be a tiny seam, but I can live with that. I have a whopping two inches knitted so far. I have this week and next weekend to work on it, then some time in California before Christmas day.

Think I can make it?

3 comments:

Maliase said...

Of course you CAN make it. It just depends on how fast you knit and how much sleep you're willing to sacrifice.

Also, because your comments are supposed to be snarky, I would like to point out that when you put a twist in a cast on row, you're NOT actually knitting a mobius. The cast-on twist is a full twist and a mobius only has a half twist. /mathematical correctness

Gale Bulkley said...

I've done that very thing at least a dozen times on large items like that. It's so disheartening at the beginning of a project.

You can do it.

Teri said...

You can do it!