In the online cross stitching world, finishing a piece is called Happy Dance (HD). Usually pieces take so long to make that you are really happy when they are finally finished. Or least that's the understanding I have of that term.
Tonight I finished the Odessa hat. Happy Happy.
There is a knitting group that meets at my library first Sunday of the month. Last Sunday the theme was beaded knitting and the month's project was a beaded scarf. I wasn't terribly interested in the scarf but I was interested in beaded knitting so I was inspired to make Odessa instead. I started last Saturday (one week since now) and I just finished it. It should have been a much faster project. Partly I was working on other things (finally finished the knitting part of my husband's slippers) and partly the needle I had slowed me down. For the most part of the knitting you use 16" (40cm) 4 mm (US6) needle and my needle that fits that size is cheap and horrible. The joint is as un-smooth as can be, there is actually a little ball of plastic where a smooth joint should be. I also have a longer 4 mm needle from the same company and that has a bad joint as well. I got these two needles because I was going to knit a sweater with them and I got them at the same place where I got the yarn (and it was the only kind they had). I was happy that the needles were cheap but now I can't knit the sweater :(
When it came to decreasing and I had to switch to dpn (sokkprjónar) I realized that I had no dpn in 4mm. I didn't feel it was worth it getting these needles just to knit few rounds at a top of a hat, plus it meant I had to go out to get them. Lately I've been wanting to knit socks with 2 circular needles instead of 5 sock needles (dpn) and I thought perhaps I can knit the top of the hat with 2 circulars. I got out my KnitPicks Options (which didn't come with 16" cable so I couldn't use it in the first place) and got a 4mm needle together. It was great using this method. Much easier then I thought it would be. I already have Cat Bordhi's book and it came in handy too. I can't wait using this method to make socks. It seems a lot faster that with dpns.
I have found couple of new problems with the Options. It doesn't come with 16" cables :( The other problem is perhaps my fault. It's called 'forskrúfa' in Icelandic and it means that I can't tighted the needle on the cable because it will just turn and turn. This has happened with one (out of 2) 24" and one (out of 2) 32" cable that came with the set. I do however still love to knit with these needles. And they where much much better than the other crappy 4 mm needle I had been using. Much faster.
Back to Odessa. I did make one kind of big mistake. I read the pattern wrong and put beads every 6th row instead of every 4th. I didn't realize this until I was starting the decreases. I briefly considered starting over but I liked the beading and didn't think it would be any better if it was denser. So I stuck with it.
I knit it in the suggested yarn, Rowan Cashsoft DK, which is buttery soft. It only takes one skein and there is a bundle left over. This hat is kind of short. You can see it in the model hat (the top most one) and I find this a little uncomfortable. If I would knit this hat again I would make it a little longer, perhaps a centimeter or half an inch. There seems to be enough yarn for it. I got the beads at a local bead store 'Just Bead It'. I love the name.
It's too late for photos now. Hopefully tomorrow.
2 comments:
You should call KnitPicks up and say that you are having this problem with the joins. I heard someplace that they had a good replacement policy on these needles. Especially since they are essentially brand new.
That 2 circular thing... I tried socks like that. I knit one and a half (never finished the 2nd because I stole the needles for a baby project). It seemed awkward to me, but maybe I just didn't get the hang of it.
I'm still not all the way into the American Consumerism. Icelanders are the worst consumers in the world. I was going to write them to let them know about the problems I was having but I was just going to buy more cables and hoping they would work. It didn't even occur to me to replace the bad ones :o
I'll have to see if they are still in the trash, ahemm.
Post a Comment