tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171617087461555825.post4104312565056653746..comments2023-08-11T07:14:01.818-07:00Comments on Aesthetic Entanglementz: Fast And Loose (or) How I Escaped The Inferno By Free-SkeiningZhenyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04448836269460710682noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171617087461555825.post-39594735999577961032011-04-30T10:33:26.451-07:002011-04-30T10:33:26.451-07:00Hi there, Cindy!
At first I was going to recomme...Hi there, Cindy! <br /><br />At first I was going to recommend that if you knit one round before starting the lace pattern, you would want to include increases at the corners to make sure the piece doesn't end up with a little pucker. It's fine for the lace section to ripple, but you don't want the garter section to be constrained so that it doesn't block flat!<br /><br />On second thought, though, the problem with that is you will end up with more stitches per side than the lace pattern requires you to start with. When I picked up the stitches around the garter square, I went side by side and counted (and recounted... and recounted) until I was confident I had the correct number of stitches. Two of the sides gave me no problem at all. But those other two sides were a bear! I can't even explain why, but for some reason I could not get the stitch count right -- or even close enough to fudge it in the last few inches -- when I was just eyeballing the pick-ups as I went. Even though, theoretically, you're picking up one stitch for each row of garter, your eyes start to go batty looking at that sea of fine lace stitching. It can get fouled up more easily than anyone would like to admit!<br /><br />Since you've already picked up all the stitches, I'd count the sides to see how you did. If you're only off by a handful of stitches on a side, you can adjust by staggering some increases within the first round of lace rather than by knitting a straight round first. (Or you could knit a straight round and stagger the increases within to get the correct number -- the fabric "should" be forgiving in the blocking.) But if you're off by a lot (like a percentage of 10 or more on a side), I'd personally be inclined to rip out the pick-ups and start over again... Hard as that is to think about, you'll only lose an evening or so of work and you'll be confident in the results. <br /><br />For anyone who hasn't started picking up stitches yet, I recommend taking a few steps before starting to make the process go more smoothly and, at least, to give you a heads-up of a problem before you've gone too far: Get a handful of safety pins. Fold each side in half and put a pin at the half-way point. Then into quarters, with pins at the creases. Then into eights if you're really opposed to ripping much out. Once you've done this to all the sides, just divide the total number of stitches to be picked up per side by the number of segments you've created on each side. You'll have a much more manageable number to eyeball, you'll know exactly how you're doing at more regular intervals, you'll definitely have a balanced pick-up round even if you do end up fudging a little within a section or two, you won't be counting and recounting long expanses like a maniac, and you'll avoid the heartache of ripping out a sea of pick-ups.<br /><br />Good luck with it! <br /><br />And thanks for the compliment on the color I used. I'm so happy I went with this seafoam green rather than the light grey I had originally selected!Zhenyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04448836269460710682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171617087461555825.post-91280717271009768532011-04-28T11:53:09.057-07:002011-04-28T11:53:09.057-07:00I love the color you chose. I've finished the ...I love the color you chose. I've finished the garter square and I've picked up the sts all around. Do you think it would be alright to knit around once before I start the lace to make sure the st count on each side is correct. Did you have trouble with the pick up?cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15863913446098500447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171617087461555825.post-56707032138156285102011-02-13T08:01:04.417-08:002011-02-13T08:01:04.417-08:00Really a great idea! As usual, I would never have...Really a great idea! As usual, I would never have thought of the "multiple bundles" on the swift, but it makes perfect sense. If I ever graduate to something that would make a "cake" undesireable, I'll have this idea to use. Thanks!meredithphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17683287411020125224noreply@blogger.com