Quaternary

After several false starts I got there in the end.

I decided to do a mini version to try out my edging, both at the top and the bottom of the shawl. I didn't like the top edge - it looked untidy but the bottom edge was a success...

So back to the real prototype - I was concerned that the top edge would not lie straight as was with the cables, although it looked really good. I still wasn't sure what to do to fix it. I pulled the whole thing off the needles. I was well over half way so was not overly happy about starting again...

And decided I would measure it before I ripped it back again.

And when I laid it on the table the top edge lay straight. Oh happy day! Now all I had to do was get it back on the needle - not so easy with over 150 stitches including yarn overs.Why hadn't I had faith or even put in a lifeline? I picked up the stitches as best I could and found I only needed to go back a row and a half to get it back on track.

I finished knitting it on Saturday morning and blocked it over the weekend.

I attempted some better photos yesterday but yet another blustery day...

Twelfth Sweater of the Year

I finished my twelfth pair of socks of the year a week ago - another of my own design to use up leftovers with a simple colourwork design:

And now I am working on my twelfth sweater of the year... Okay, I am including a sleeveless top in the category but even so...

I am making use of my new knitting books that I got for my birthday. MIL asked me what I wanted and then said to get them and she would pay for them. So three bargain second hand Harmony Guides including Aran stitches. And then from myself, to make up for Paul's complete fail on my birthday front, I sent off for Ann Budd's new handy book of top-down sweaters and a second hand copy of Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Stitches from the USA, which seemed to be most people's choice when the topic came up in Ravelry discussions.

So I decided the time had come to make my own design cabled jumper. I sat down with my stitch dictionaries and chose which cable patterns I would like.

And then I made another spreadsheet... I have to say I have found that a colour chart for the cables is soooo much easier to read than all the standard chart abbreviations for C4B, C5F, RT, LT etc! I have laid it out so that the colour key is aligned with the use of it in the chart and I just have to glance at it to know what I am supposed to be doing.

Although I decided to make this in the round, bottom up I have also been making use of the sweater book for reverse engineering as far as possible my neck and for the sleeve cap shaping. My head has been spinning on the subject of sleeve caps as I decided I wanted saddle shoulders and my chosen cable panel for the saddle was wider than the examples. So the sleeves are being done top down. I am halfway down the first one, and having tried it on this morning I think my adjustments are okay...