Spider Queen is back on the needles. Only 4 rows done, but it’s easier now that it’s casted on, no? I used Harmony this time. There are positives and there are negatives. First the positives. I love the sharper points. They make k2tog way easier. I don’t mind the colors either. In fact, they make looking at white yarn easier than the light gray of Inox. The wood is grabby, which helps keeping my YOs tidier, I think. Now the negatives. The wood is grabby. It takes a little more effort to slide stitches across the needles. In fact, they don’t really slide across without my help. Sure, I can get used to that extra step. Also I can use TechKnitter’s tip for conditioning the needles. But there’s another negative that made me decide to go back to the Inox… not-so-smooth joint.
Yes, it doesn’t look like a big deal. It probably won’t be a problem with heavier yarn. But with finer yarn it sangs a little. That scares me because the single ply Thistledown can get very thin. Do I want to worry about it getting snagged and break? NOPE! Back to the Inox. I can use Harmony for something else. I know. I’ll use it for my other Exchequered.
I made some progress on CB’s Exchequered.
CB really loves how this scarf looks. And he wants it NOW! I can’t even pick up Spider Queen without him asking if the scarf was done. I do have one issue to consider though. I did a cable cast-on (which the patterns suggested) and I love how neat the edge looks.
How do I mirror that at the other end?? I am thinking maybe the Backstitch Bind-off that I found in Knitter’s Handbook. Or maybe try Annika’s suggestion:
Knitting the knits and purling the purls, work two stitches, then slip them back onto the lefthand needle. Purl those two stitches together, work one more stitch. Slip the two stitches from your righthand needle to the lefthand needle, and purl them together. This bind-off will mirror the cable cast-on. Because it is a loose bind-off, you should use smaller needles and bind off relatively tightly.
Any other suggestion? I’ll have to knit a few swatches to compare the results.
Oh, I couldn’t resist the temptation to buy this:
This yarn is going to take some getting used to. So darn thin at places.
