A couple of nights ago I finished the second sleeve of my Snowdrop Jacket only to make a horrific discovery. The sleeves, knit sideways, are meant to look like this:
My sleeve looked like this:
The fact that I had knit two of anything was a miracle in and of itself (notice lack of mittens and socks in my knitting history). I sighed and went to bed.The next morning, fortified by rest and fully caffeinated, I resolved to fix rather than re-knit the sleeve. My mistake was right at the cast on row, so I unraveled the edge...
... knit a new little piece of stockinette...
...and grafted it onto the correct end of my sleeve:
Nice kitchener stitch, loser! Graft much?Okay, so grafting should not be attempted under a time crunch. I left for work pleased that my plan would work if executed properly and without time constraints. Then I talked to Barbara.
Barbara (paraphrasing); "Oh, so you unraveled the cast-on and knit the other way."
Me; "No, 'cause it would show if you knit the other way. You can't knit in the other direction, right? Because the stitches are like V's and if you knit the other way they'll be upside-down?"
Barbara; "Well, no... you just pick up the loops..."
Barbara explained. I listened. Barbara explained. I didn't understand. Barbara explained. I didn't believe her. Barbara explained using props. I still didn't get it. Barbara explained the new knitting wouldn't look upside down but you would end up half a stitch off...EUREKA!
Obviously Barbara has the patience of a saint and I have trouble letting go of preconceived notions. I have no idea how I got it into my head that you could not pick up live stitches and knit "upside-down". I'm sure I read something about it somewhere and I suppose my feeble brain retained the off-stitch-count information and ignored the rest.
So there we are. Lesson learned. Next time I run into a problem I'll just think; "What Would Barbara Do?".
7 comments:
You whacky nitterz.
You sure know how to have a good time.
Euonymus
Ps - I have no idea who Barbara is. Or B.
awesome fix!!!!
I've heard you can't work ribbing upside down, but am pleased to see you can def knit stocking stitch topsy turvy!
barbara is now known as guru
I am dumb...I still don't get it. I think I have no more room left in my brain for new information...yeah, that's it. This is why I don't crochet. It will end up pushing something more important out of my brain to make room. I'll never find my car keys again.
OMG - I cannot stop laughing! I can just see your face, trying as hard as your brain to grasp it! Good for B.... : ))
How fabulous to have Barbara to consult with when you get to work!(I think I do know who Barbara is and if she's who I think she is she really does know what she's talking about!)
That said, I very much admire your grafted solution!
You've sorted that problem out nicely. I just had a nightmare with a very wide collar. I thought it would be easy to fix, but it took me hours! Ended up making it too tight and ended up using a miraculous elasticated bind off. The perils of knitting!!!!
p.s. Just read your comment. From you, definitely a compliment, and the thought occurs to me - something about a pot calling a kettle black!
Thanks for the visit! Fox : )
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