Monday, August 22, 2011

{More Frogging than Anything}

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a circular knitting needle organizer by commenting on my last post! Entry deadline is Sunday, Aug. 28th!

The last three days have been more frogging than knitting around here it seems.  I can't find just the right project to get my mojo back, but at least I'm trying, right?

I've really been feeling this fall orangey colour that I have an abundance of in my stash and decided I wanted a fabulous cabled cowl.  Something with a lot of intricate weaving cables that would keep my attention.

I started out with the Caera Cowl which I LOVE but after frogging it and recasting on about 3 times, and getting frustrated with the FIRST paragraph of directions, I gave up.  It's these instructions here which do not make sense to me:

"Next row: Begin row 1 of Cable Pattern 1, followed by row 1 of cable pattern 2. 
Work one pattern repeat of 12 rows of cable pattern 1, (followed by two 6 row repeats 
of cable pattern 2. Remember Cable Pattern 2 is half the size of Cable pattern 1 in rows)."

does this mean I do the first row of pattern 1 ALL the way around (for however many repeats of row 1 of the pattern) and then on the next row of my cowl I do row 1 of pattern 2 ALL the way around my cowl, then I flip back and start with pattern 1 again and complete the whole chart?   OR do I do one repeat of pattern1, then 1 repeat of pattern 2, etc....  I tell ya, neither looks right with the picture for me.  If anyone wants to go investigate and let me know what I was missing, I'd be grateful.  The comments all say it's a great "easy to understand" pattern, so maybe I'm making it more difficult than it needs to be. Sounds about right for me. lol

SO - then I cast on for the Cornflower Cowl instead (about 4 times to get the count right) and I'm half way through the first repeat, but I'm just not feeling it.  If you look at the Caera again, then the Cornflower, you'll see there's just no comparison and my heart has been set.   I'm thinking of maybe searching for something in another gauge that I can adapt by doing more repeats or something.  We'll see.

After much frustration, it was the Mailman to the rescue! Sunday I was informed of a surprise package that came in the mail for me!  It's my kit from the Unplanned Peacock yarn that I won AGES ago!! I was so delighted!!


It's Steven West's Daybreak pattern along with two skeins of fingering weight Superwash! YAY!  It was the kick in the pants that I needed.  I'm kind of in love with the colour combination he's wearing in that picture on the front, so I swapped out the golden-yellow colour for (what else) but a coppery orange to go with the deep brown she provided.  I'm in LOVE. :)  

So there's what I'm knitting on right now, between panic attacks about school starting next week. 

5 comments:

  1. I looked at the pattern- I think it's just that you knit the 26 stitches of Cable Pattern 1, then 5 stitches that make up cable pattern 2 and repeat that all the way around (should be 4 times?) to make one round. Round/Row 2 would be Row 2 of Cable Pattern 1 followed by Row 2 of Cable Pattern 2. I agree- it's weird and hard to understand!

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  2. I would agree that those instructions are confusing.

    But after looking at the photos I would say you are alternating two cable patterns, with the first being twice as tall as the second.

    So I guess you're working from two charts at the same time. It seems like it would have been easier if both patterns were in the same chart with the chart showing two stacks of the second cable.

    Maybe transferring both charts onto one page might make it easier to follow.

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  3. Wow, it's not you - the pattern writers ability to express herself wasn't very good at all. Here is how I understand her pattern ~

    Do your ribbing for 4 rounds. Then on the next round you will work the first line of the pattern for Cable Pattern 1 which is immediately followed up with the first line of Cable Pattern 2. These two Cabling Patterns will be worked in that order for 12 rows... I think.. I'm just not sure though now. Man, that is one confusing pattern!!

    I've just mentally frogged it now too. It's a gorgeous pattern but it's poorly written. Perhaps if you got out some graph paper and drew out her description until it looks right and then you'd have a chart from which to work? Or, simply email the designer and ask her what in the world she meant... lol.

    Love your surprise package - that golden yarn is delicious!

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  4. I think what the other ladies have said is right, from what I can see it is alternating the two cables. I would do my own charting for it if (or when because I have terrible wanties...)and sort it out in my head before starting it. Have fun with the daybreak, I'm so looking foreward to seeing it in progress! <3 Miss Kitten

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  5. My head is so out of the knitting mind set that the entire instructions paragraph just doesn't make sense to me. So sorry I can't be more help!

    I do love the daybreak pattern though, can't wait to see more piccy's!! xxx

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