Saturday, January 22, 2005

Learning new tricks

What do you blog when your current project is still making slow progress?
Why, I'm gonna talk about what I've learnt from the last few projects.

1. Handling fairisle
For the first time in 9 years. I had that initial fairisle draw-in problems on the 2 cuffs I knitted so I am just gonna cut the stranding inside apart and tie knots *gasp!* so that my hands will go through nicely. And I'll just move on. Enough said.

2. Grafting
Hmm...many a times when I encountered mistakes several rows back, I'll just go the easy route -> frog. But Ms Saffron taught me a good lesson. Grafting doesn't have to be scary. Just go slow, and oh, make sure you have visual step-by-step guide laid out in front of you for easy reference.

3. Knitting the sleeves first
Not only does it allow you to do gauge, knitting both sleeves first kinda make finish line sprinting much easier. [Afterall, it's the front and back pieces left.] You just get over with the repetitive stuff all over with first.

4. Knitting backwards
Again, Ms Saffron is a kind teacher who let me into knitting backwards. The 26 row chart repeat is easy to execute but also requires me to watch the patterning front and back. So
backward knitting is the best way to go.

5. Knitting American and continental
When
Lily Chin was in Singapore, she's kind enough to show me how to knit American (finger throwing method) . I was always throwing yarn with my thumb and forefinger, you know, leaving the entire right portion dangling temporarily when I execute the stitches manovuers. And again, Ms Saffron is boring interesting enough to allow me to learn these new techniques. Continental knitting still leaves me a little frustrated but let's see how.

Well, that's quite a fair bit of new techniques and tricks I've picked up. I am looking forward to try felting, steeking and using 2 circular needles to knit in the round sometime soon!


Alison's starting a new
fix-a-thon for February. How timely, given my recent post of getting around to my WIPs. Sounds like something that I need to get enrolled on huh? I am still thinking....

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