Monday, August 15, 2011

My Cable Knit Scarf Project

So, this cable stitch gave me all sorts of problems in the beginning. I looked at probably 15 youtube videos and they were ALL different instructions... and I was really confused, but I knew how pretty it could look if i could just figure out the technique! Finally, I looked in the book Stitch 'n Bitch and it had very clear directions and simple steps for me to follow- which is exactly what I needed! My practice swatch (which I did a few weeks before actually starting my project) got me a little discouraged. The stitches weren't uniform, there were a few holes, and the counting was throwing me off, too. I realized, though, when I started my actual scarf, that I could keep a tally of which row I was on so when I was consumed in counting my stitches, I wouldn't lose track of which row I was knitting!
Side note: My mother was really close with her grandmother before she passed away about 6 years ago, and one of my mother's greatest memories of my great grandmother is that she spent a great portion of her life quilting, knitting, and crocheting things for my mother (and her other grandchildren). When my mom saw me knitting a row and then marking it on a scrap piece of paper, and then knitting another row, and marking it, etc. she almost got teary eyed and told me that her grandmother used to always have a little piece of paper with her that she kept track of her rows on when she knitted. It was kind of a cheesy yet cool moment for me and my mom to share.
So, since I've gotten my rhythm down, it has been smooth sailing! There is one row where I knitted instead of purled, and then purled instead of knitted... and it made quite an obvious stripe across the scarf, but I think it adds character! Overall I am pleased with it!
The problem I am facing now is that it curls really badly on both sides causing it to be about half as wide as it could be if it were flat. I am contemplating ironing it... but I'm not sure how the yarn will react.




1 comment:

  1. If there's not some sort of garter stitch or other flag border, even the sturdiest yarn will curl. You should think of it as another quirk of the project. Ironing it would be a very bad idea. If you're using acrylic yarn, it could melt and ruin the iron!

    If you're using wool, you might consider blocking it when it's done. Using steam and pins, you can take some though probably not all of the curling out. Check out YouTube for helpful videos.

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